Chapter 275: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 275: A Farce of Buying a Shop (Part 4)
After learning this news, Mo Yan specifically brought Li Zhong to a teahouse opposite Zhang's rice shop and booked a private room on the second floor. From the window, they could see Zhang's rice shop clearly.
The two observed for a long time, noticing that Zhang's rice shop, which had previously had mediocre business, was now almost empty. Many people who knew the situation were pointing inside, advising unsuspecting customers not to enter. They then exposed all of Zhang's wrongdoing, deterring anyone who wanted to buy rice from going in.
Seeing this, Li Zhong couldn't help but mutter "retribution." These two words were not only for his unfortunate daughter but also for all those who had been harmed by the moldy grain.
If the Zhang family had only been unfeeling, he might have hated them but wouldn't have had other thoughts. Now that they had done such selfish and harmful things, he looked down on them even more.
Who wouldn't face retribution for being such people?
Inside Zhang's rice shop, Zhang Ming sat with a troubled expression behind the counter, while beside him sat his wife, Yao Taohua, holding their one-year-old child. She was his former mistress and now his wife.
Zhang Fugui had been beaten dozens of times and lay motionless in bed, while Hu Shi had to take care of him at home. The rice shop was temporarily managed by Zhang Ming and his wife.
"You, what's the use of being so tall? There's no business in the shop, and you don't even think of a way out. If you continue like this, our family will be in dire straits. Are you trying to starve our baby to death?"
After finally coaxing the crying child to sleep, Yao Taohua began scolding Zhang Ming again, poking his forehead with dissatisfaction and sighing at her own misfortune. First, she married a short-lived man, and then she married the useless Zhang Ming. Now their family was so poor that they couldn't even afford meat.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Accustomed to good days, Yao Taohua became increasingly angry. Seeing her husband looking like he had lost his parents, she hated herself even more for getting involved with such a useless person.
She punched Zhang Ming's shoulder fiercely and scolded loudly, "After all my nagging, you still won't say a word. If you can't figure out a way to revive the business, I don't want to continue living with such a useless person like you."
This tirade made Zhang Ming unable to lift his head. Unprepared for the blow, he staggered and fell to the ground, hitting his head on the wall with a "thud."
Seeing this, Yao Taohua felt a little frightened. She quickly stood up with the child in her arms, wanting to help Zhang Ming up, but he pushed her hand away and got up on his own.
"I am useless, I am worthless. If you want to leave, then leave!"
Looking at Yao Taohua, who was once gentle and tender but now like a tigress at home, Zhang Ming's mind flashed with the gentle and beautiful face of his former wife. He shook his head and said resignedly, "Now that we have no money at home, for the sake of our marriage, if you want to leave, I won't stop you."
"What? What did you say? You want to drive me away?"
Yao Taohua was taken aback. She had only been speaking casually, but she didn't expect this useless man to actually want to divorce her. She knew her own shortcomings; she wasn't exceptionally beautiful, and having had a child, her figure had changed. Even if she wanted to find someone else to rely on, she might not find someone as easy to control as Zhang Ming.
Moreover, although the Zhang family had declined, they still had a rice shop, which was in a good location and could be worth three or four thousand taels of silver. Who knew if they could make a comeback in the future? She didn't want to leave now and end up with nothing.
Zhang Ming didn't know her thoughts. He thought she really wanted to leave, so he nodded and said, "If you don't want to endure hardship with me, there's no use in me stopping you. If you want to leave, I'll give you a divorce certificate, and I'll persuade my parents not to stop you!"
Comments
Post a Comment