Chapter 15: How Can He Still Be Alive?

"It wouldn't do to have your elder brother work hard all day only to have the irrigation ditch dug to someone else's doorstep. We'd still have to go to the village and ask for permission if we wanted...Zongping and his wife returned empty-handed, infuriating Zong Lao and Wu.

"What This scoundrel Zong Yu has gone rogue!" Mrs. Wu immediately stood up to go out.

"I'd like to go and see what gives him the right not to give us the meat."

Zong Kangping recalled Fang Jinshu, normally when they went to Zong Yu for things, he never said much.

Ever since Fang Jinxiu became his daughter-in-law, he suddenly stopped giving me anything. He must have listened to what that dead girl said to Zongyu.

"Mother, Zongyu that boy has brought a wife back home."

"Today is the day she stopped Zongyu from giving meat."

Mrs. Wu, hearing this, stopped and turned around, her face full of surprise. "What That boy still has money to marry a wife"

"Isn't that just what I'm saying Back then, our whole family supported only the second son to study. We spent so much money on him. This Zongyu fellow didn't even think about how to repay the debt for his father, he actually had the audacity to get married."

When Liu's family first married into the Zong family, the matchmaker had persuaded her that there was a scholar in the Zong family who was a talent capable of becoming the top scholar.

Although she married the eldest son of the influential Zong family, as long as the second son truly passed the imperial examinations, one person ascending to power would lift everyone connected to them. The threshold of the Zong family would immediately become different from that of ordinary people.

She is the wife of the official's elder brother, so she also has status and influence.

Her parents were also persuaded by these sweet words. Back then, they didn't ask for much dowry from her family and even let her bring several taels of silver as her dowry when she married here.

Unexpectedly, life after entering her in-laws' family was completely different from what she had imagined. Her dowry was emptied by her mother-in-law, who claimed it was to pay for the second son's education.

Liu thought that once the second son passed the exams, he would definitely pay them back.

Although I felt uncomfortable, I still gritted my teeth and handed over the silver.

As a result, she endured three years of hardship in the Zong family, only to receive news that the second son, Zong Lao Er, had died on his way to take the imperial examination.

Her dowry, the result of three years of hard work and frugality, all gone to waste!

Liu's resentment towards the second branch of the family and Mu Yunhe went far beyond this. As sisters-in-law, she was from a farming family, while Mu Yunhe was indeed the daughter of a scholar's family.

When Zong Lao Er was still living at home, the villagers would constantly compare them to others.

Over the years, Liu's jealousy toward Mu Yunhe had accumulated to a height almost as great as a mountain.

Even when nothing is wrong, I need to find ways to pick on Mu Yunhe. I just want to make her life miserable.

It's best to meet the King of Hell sooner rather than later.

Her eyes rolled, and she said to Wu Shi.

"Mother, in my opinion, Zongyu is quite dull. He doesn't seem to have the inclination to marry a wife."

"This is most likely the work of that bitch Mu Yunhe."

She doesn't want to pay back our family's money, but secretly hides silver to marry her son. Our family can't even afford to eat.

"Mother, you can't let this wretch get away with this! Isn't she clearly trying to starve you and Father to death"

Also, Little Tiger's daughter-in-law just gave birth to a big, fat boy for our family. She hasn't eaten or drunk anything, where will the baby's milk come from

"Poor little Tiger, he's just born and already hungry."

Zong Kangping thought of his little grandson, feeling a deep pang of heartache.

"Father, could it be that the Mu clan holds a grudge against our family for kicking them out in the past and is now trying to sabotage our lineage"

If this drought continues, the elderly and children will be the first to suffer.

The patriarch places great importance on lineage and inheritance. The eldest son's daughter-in-law just gave birth to a baby boy for the family.

Even in a drought year, with hardships present, this is still a cause for great celebration.

He grunted heavily and walked out of the house.

"She dares!"

Mrs. Wu and the old man said, "I'll go tell her to send back that daughter-in-law and get the dowry money back!"

"At this point, she still has the heart to bring a daughter-in-law back to serve her A waste of money, an empty jar of medicine, how can she possibly last so long"

"Why isn't it dead yet."also reminded Fang Jinshi, "Go back to the house and rest. I'll come back later and put out the fire."Fang Jinshi nodded, watching the two brothers leave. A sense of relief washed over her.But stealin...