Wealthy beyond measure, yet you call me a sister-supporting-brother demon?

Zhu Dehai snorted and left. He didn't want to stay in the same room with this stinky woman!

He used to think she genuinely admired Wan Niang when she praised her embroidery skills and character. But it turns out it was all an act!

Although he ignored Chenxi, he wouldn't allow her to sell Chenxi.

Look at the news that my second brother Defa sent back: he sold Chenxi to a notorious scoundrel in Qingshan Town to bring him good luck. What exactly is Qian Jinfeng up to?

Thankfully, Yuansheng survived! Otherwise, wouldn't his daughter have been forced to live a life of widowhood?

Today he carefully observed this son-in-law. He was bright-eyed, articulate, and had a refined demeanor. He could never be a scoundrel.

The daughter was taught by her stepmother from a young age that if he were truly a scoundrel, she wouldn't be attracted to him; her eyes don't lie. Therefore, Yuan Sheng must be a good young man.

I heard that I will also have to take the imperial examination; my future looks very bright.

Perhaps it was Qian Jinfeng's mention of his stepmother today that awakened his dormant paternal love for his daughter, and he couldn't help but blame himself for his previous neglect of her.

Hmph! This Qian Jinfeng dares to insult her stepmother; she must be divorced!

Especially today, when he saw her coarse and ugly appearance clearly, he realized she couldn't even compare to a single hair on his stepmother's head. His stepmother!

At the same time, Qian Jinfeng was sulking while stroking her pig-headed face.

Zhu Meiru pouted, "Mother, how dare you hit Father? Have you forgotten the Three Obediences and Four Virtues? You even threatened Father by saying you'd go back to your parents' home. If you really go back, Father won't come to pick you up. Let's see what you do then! Mother, I'm not trying to criticize you, but women shouldn't be too domineering. When Father comes back later, you'd better apologize to him quickly! Otherwise, if Father really divorces you and you go home, my marriage will be ruined, and our lives will be over."

Qian Jinfeng listened to her daughter's rambling with clenched fists, her nails digging into her flesh. What was she doing?!

"Slap, slap!" Two hard slaps made Zhu Meiru cry. "Kneel down!"

Zhu Meiru covered her face with her hands, glaring at Qian Jinfeng with sidelong glances, "Mother, you actually hit me?!"

Qian Jinfeng saw her looking at her sideways and slapped her several more times. "Looks like I haven't hit you enough! You selfish thing!"

Zhu Meiru started crying.

Qian Jinfeng felt a pang of heartache seeing her daughter crying like that.

Ugh!

Although her daughter was selfish, what she said made sense. She knew she had really messed with her mother this time. She had acted impulsively and hadn't been careful; Qin Wan was Zhu Dehai's Achilles' heel!

She thought that she had given birth to a son for Zhu Dehai, which was more important than his dead wife, but reality gave her a rude awakening!

It's not impossible for Zhu Dehai to divorce her. Just based on her crime of selling Zhu Chenxi, she could be divorced and sent home, and Zhu Dehai could still stand on the moral high ground.

The only option now is to take advantage of the fact that the son needs his mother, and to flatter and fawn over this old woman.

"It's all Zhu Chenxi's fault, that ugly hag and her shameless husband."

Zhu Meiru also felt resentment. If it weren't for Zhu Chenxi and that Yuan Sheng, her dowry money wouldn't have vanished, and she wouldn't have been beaten by her mother. "Mother, don't worry, after I marry Chen Jinfeng, I'll get revenge for you. Those two poor commoners, we can bully them however we want!"

Qian Jinfeng finally managed a smile. Those two poor, lowly commoners dared to provoke her and her daughter; she'd make them pay. But because her face was swollen like a pig's head, every time she smiled, she grimaced in pain.

……

Yuan Sheng and Zhu Chenxi returned to Qingshan Town in an oxcart. Yuan Sheng bought materials to make a "refrigerator": a large vat big enough for an adult to bathe in, and an earthenware pot big enough to hold hundreds of kilograms of meat. He wanted to make a refrigerator within a pot.

He had seen this method in a book in his previous life. Because African natives had no electricity and could not preserve food in the summer, they invented a desert refrigerator, a can within a can. It consists of an inner can and an outer can, with damp sand filling the space between the two. When in use, food is placed in the inner can, the lid is closed, and it is placed in a ventilated place.

They also frequently sprinkle water on the sand, using the principle of water evaporation and cooling to lower the temperature of the food, thus preserving it.

Although this "refrigerator" is very simple, it is suitable for the present.

As for the refrigerators of later generations, he will create them sooner or later!

Yuan Sheng bought the materials to make a refrigerator, and then prepared to go to different pharmacies to buy herbs for making braised meat and treating Zhu Chenxi's face.

"My lord, please don't spend money to buy me medicine to treat my face. I've had this birthmark since birth, and it can't be cured."

Yuan Sheng gently pinched Zhu Chenxi's pert little nose. "Don't you trust your husband? So far, when has your husband ever failed to keep his word?"

Zhu Chenxi thought back and realized that her husband's words were gradually coming true.

Although the chances are slim, I'll give it a shot if my husband can actually cure my face.

“My lord, didn’t you say last time that you wanted to buy an oxcart? An ox and a cart would only cost about twenty taels. We have the money now, so we can buy the ox and the cart directly, and bring the jar and earthenware pot home with us.” As she spoke, she took out the thirty-odd taels of silver from her sleeve.

Yuan Sheng covered her silver coins. "Keep them safe for now. We'll buy them when Father comes tomorrow. He knows more about cattle and can drive a cart. I'm not good at driving a cart yet."

“Alright, my lord.” Zhu Chenxi felt the silver was burning her hand; twenty taels of it were betrothal money that her parents had scraped together from various sources.

Uncle Niu followed Yuansheng to the place where they sold jars and earthenware pots, loaded up the goods, and took the two men home.

Uncle Niu Gen was a nice man; he helped Yuan Sheng and Yuan Laifu move the vat into their home before leaving.

Sheng Guihua said, "Son, daughter-in-law, aren't you going back to your parents' home today? Why did you buy such a big vat and such a large earthenware pot to bring home!"

Yuan Laifu was also a little curious.

"Dad, Mom, I want to build a refrigerator. Manager Cao said he wants to sell our braised meat to Donglaishun restaurants in the neighboring counties. With this refrigerator to keep the food fresh, our braised meat sales will be much higher."

Yuan Laifu and Sheng Guihua's eyes lit up. Sell it to several neighboring counties? That would mean selling so much more braised meat and making so much money!

Donglaishun's business has grown so big! They have branches in several neighboring counties.

My son just wondered if this refrigerator was reliable, since it only has a jar and a container to keep food fresh.

Yuan Sheng explained the principle of cooling and preserving food to his parents, but the old couple didn't understand. Yuan Laifu took a puff of his pipe and said, "That's easy to say. Once the refrigerator is ready, we'll put a piece of braised meat in it today and we'll know."

It's about 80% likely to work.

They used to disbelieve everything Yuansheng said, only going along with him because they spoiled their son. Now, whatever their son says, they think it's probably true!

With his clever mind, what amazing things couldn't he do? After all, he was guided by the old sage!