The Prime Minister’s Little Wife

Chapter 54: Awakening

Old Man Li looked at the man sitting beside Xu Zhizhi. His eyes were as dark as ink, his long eyebrows sharp and imposing. His handsome, delicate face was cold and aloof, exuding an innate air of nobility and indifference, with a natural aura of superiority.

Was this the man the gods had found for Zhizhi?

Was it real or fake? But judging from what had just happened, it couldn’t be fake, right?

Old Man Li felt a shiver run down his spine and dared not entertain any further thoughts.

His son-in-law had never been so fierce before. What if he really divorced his daughter?

Then they would get nothing! And they’d have offended a nobleman?

He no longer had any grand ideas. If they could occasionally send some meat for them to eat, he would be more than satisfied.

As he thought this, he accidentally muttered the last part out loud.

The entire Li family stared at their father [grandfather], stunned!

Xu Zhizhi burst into laughter in her heart.

So cowardly?!

So easy to intimidate!

This was clearly a case of being a bully at home. If Mother Xu had been a bit firmer, she wouldn’t have been bullied so badly!

Xiao Jingheng looked at his “wife,” whose eyes were smiling and whose mood was clearly relaxed, though she pretended to remain composed on the surface.

Unconsciously, his eyes filled with affection.

Since her father had said the marriage certificate was already done, he would make sure to finalize it as soon as possible.

Old Madam Li, seeing her husband muttering to himself, softened her tone:

“Da Ni, your father and I only hope your family lives well. In the future, if you have extra food, send some to your brothers, nephews, and nieces. After all, we are your parents.”

Mother Xu was still in a state of shock, unable to snap out of it!

“That’s a must. As long as our family has food, we’ll definitely send half to your family,” Xu Zhizhi said cheerfully after laughing enough in her heart.

Father Xu had no objections to his daughter’s words, but when he looked at Mother Xu, the warmth in his eyes was gone.

Sending things to her family while letting her own family go hungry was one thing, but now she wanted to send her daughter away too? Outrageous!

Xu Zhizhi was naturally a generous person. Seeing the Li family no longer daring to be greedy, she didn’t mind.

Proper etiquette still had to be maintained.

Seeing that the sun was about to set, she said:

“Second Aunt, Third Aunt, Chunhua, and Lanhua, please help me prepare dinner. Let’s eat early so my grandparents’ family can head back.”

After the roof beams were set, they needed to dry, so the workers had left after the noon banquet.

Now, only Xu Dazhuang, who was working on the carpentry, and Auntie Hua, who was cleaning the kitchen, remained.

The rest were the Xu family and the Li family.

Her grandparents’ family had four tables, and the Xu family had two. They needed several people to help cook.

Xu Honghua had followed Xu Zhizhi when she saw her escorting Xiao Jingheng and the others to the village entrance, but she had gone back home.

There was meat in the kitchen and fish in the pond. Xu Dahu went to catch a few, and dinner was prepared with several dishes.

Xu Zhizhi and Xiao Jingheng took Xiaowu to cut bamboo, planning to build a temporary shelter in the corner behind the courtyard where they lived.

It could later be used as a storage room or for other purposes.

Xu Daniu and Erhu followed to help carry the bamboo.

After catching the fish, Xu Dahu also came with the donkey cart to help load the bamboo.

The brothers looked at their brother-in-law with admiration, their hearts filled with excitement.

Old Madam Li, seeing everyone in the courtyard busy, wandered around looking for something.

The rest of the Li family sat quietly, waiting for dinner, not daring to cause any more trouble.

Madam Sun, however, was someone who forgot past beatings once food was involved. She followed Old Madam Li and saw the carriage full of gifts Xiao Jingheng had brought.

She knew it was impossible to expect Mother Xu to give everything to their family as before, so she glared at Mother Xu, signaling with her eyes to give half to their family.

Li Da Ni was confused, aggrieved, and at a loss!

If she took it, she was afraid Xu would divorce her!

If she didn’t take it, would her family even let her through the door in the future?

But compared to the fear of being divorced, not returning to her family wasn’t as terrifying. After all, they now had such a big house.

For the first time in her 36 years of life, Mother Xu felt a spark of rebellion. She pretended not to see her sister-in-law’s glare that seemed ready to devour her.

Madam Sun, seeing her sister-in-law like this, wanted to curse loudly, but she didn’t dare.

Old Madam Li also glared at her daughter a few times, but her daughter kept her head down, avoiding her gaze.

At this moment, Mother Xu, being glared at by her sister-in-law, recalled what her daughter had said.

Though she had never been educated, she now realized she had been wrong all along.

From childhood, she had always tried to please her mother, but all she got in return was either beatings or scoldings. No matter how much she gave, it was never enough. The one time her mother smiled at her, it nearly cost her her marriage.

She remembered how her eldest son would stare at her with an unreadable expression every time she took things back to her family.

The more Mother Xu thought about it, the more she felt she had been less than human. No wonder her husband had been so harsh with her!

She had never thought deeply about it before, only wanting to do her best for her family, hoping her brothers, sisters-in-law, and younger siblings would look at her with gratitude.

But after so much effort, deep down, she knew they looked down on her.

Yet she endured, hoping that once her son-in-law passed the imperial exams and became an official, her family would finally respect her.

This was also why, despite their poverty, she continued to send things to Jin Zijun’s family for her daughter.

When her daughter broke off the engagement, she nearly went mad. Such a good son-in-law was gone! What would she use to make her family look up to her now?

Later, when she learned that her daughter had gained the favor of the gods and received many gifts, she didn’t completely break down.

She took more and more things back to her family, but her parents and siblings never asked why there was suddenly so much.

When their family built the house, she happily went back to invite her parents for a meal, but no one wanted to come.

She excitedly told her parents that their family now had money, but perhaps her tone wasn’t convincing enough, and no one believed her.

In the end, she gave a silver hairpin to her third sister-in-law, who then agreed to come with her.

After that, her mother kept sending messages for her to come and take them for meals.

She was thrilled, finally able to hold her head high in front of her family!

But now… how had things turned out like this?

Old Madam Li and Madam Sun were furious but helpless. While Mother Xu was looking down, they quietly pocketed some small items like cosmetics.

Seeing so much beautiful fabric, their hearts bled! What a waste! If only these could be exchanged for money and given to their family!

In the past, all these things would have been theirs.

But now, thinking of that formidable man sent by the gods…

They didn’t dare to make a scene.

Truly, it was like brine boiling tofu—one thing subduing another. The wicked are always tamed by someone even more wicked.

As the sun set, Xu Zhizhi and the others finished cutting the bamboo and returned home for dinner.

Seeing the lavish spread of food, the Li family seemed to forget their earlier fear and began grabbing meat with their hands, eating voraciously.

Madam Sun, in particular, bit into the meat with hatred, though it was unclear whom she was hating.

(End of Chapter)