The Blessed Farm Girl Has a Spatial Storage
Chapter 78: Mrs. Wang’s Calculation

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Mrs. Wang’s Calculation

The commotion on their end attracted many children from the street and also caught Mrs. Wang’s attention.

Tie Zhu’s wife, Mrs. Zheng, who always flattered Mrs. Wang, said coldly, "What’s all this fuss about every day? Don’t they know they’ll disturb the neighbors?"

Mrs. Wang stood at her doorway, glanced at the children, and remarked, "A bunch of ill-mannered brats."

Mrs. Zheng continued to fan the flames. "If you ask me, Zhao Dong’s family is truly unfilial. They’re making money selling tofu but don’t even think of honoring you, their mother. They’re quite close with the Sun Family, though. Aren’t they afraid of being badmouthed by everyone?"

Mrs. Wang snorted, saying disdainfully, "How much money can they make selling tofu? I don’t care for their respect. As long as they don’t come to me for handouts, I’ll be saying my prayers."

Mrs. Zheng chuckled instantly. "True. A shabby tofu business is nothing compared to your family’s tavern. But still, that’s unfilial. When they have something new, they should come and honor you, their mother. Think about it: if this new tofu were sold in your tavern, it would surely make much more money than they’re earning."

Hearing this, Mrs. Wang couldn’t help but feel tempted. Previously, when her daughter-in-law, Xiao Wang, returned from the marketplace, she had complained to her that a new tavern called Guang Ju Restaurant had opened and was always stealing their business.

If our tavern had this exclusive tofu recipe, we could definitely crush Guang Ju Restaurant!

So, after idly chatting with Mrs. Zheng for a bit longer, she went back to find her youngest son, Zhao Qiu, and told him to get the tofu recipe from Zhao Dong.

Upon hearing his mother’s plan, Zhao Qiu was shocked. "Mother, isn’t this wrong? Second Brother has finally found a way to make a living. Isn’t it unethical for us to do this?"

Mrs. Wang flew into a rage and started cursing, "You damn brat! I don’t even know if you’re really my son! It’s ’Second Brother, Second Brother’ all day long. Is your Second Brother your real brother, and your Third Brother isn’t? You only care about your Second Brother; don’t you care if your Third Brother lives or dies?"

This accusation weighed heavily on Zhao Qiu, and he hurriedly explained, "No, Mother, that’s not what I meant. Second Brother, Third Brother, they’re both my real brothers. How could I not care if they live or die?"

Mrs. Wang glared at him. "Then that settles it! It’s not like you don’t know your Third Brother’s tavern is constantly being suppressed by that Guang Ju Restaurant, and business is getting worse and worse. Go find your Second Brother now and get that tofu recipe!"

In the end, Zhao Qiu couldn’t win against his mother. He took his wife, and the two of them went to Zhao Dong’s house.

The moment Zhao Qiu knocked, Aunt, who was busy in the kitchen, reacted sharply and immediately locked the kitchen door from the inside.

Zhao Dong put down his work and went to open the door. Seeing who it was, he was somewhat surprised. "Fifth Brother? Fifth Sister-in-law? What brings you here?"

Zhao Qiu was rather embarrassed. "Well, um... I... I just came to see you, Second Brother."

Zhao Dong smiled at once. "Here, come on in."

Saying this, he ushered Zhao Qiu and his wife inside. Zhao Dong also poured them some water, and the two brothers began to chat idly.

When Mrs. Wang gave birth to Zhao Qiu, it happened to be during a great drought, a year of famine. She suffered considerably while pregnant with him.

Therefore, after giving birth to her fifth son, every time she saw him, she would recall the suffering from the drought. Consequently, she wasn’t particularly fond of this youngest son and often neglected him.

At that time, his eldest brother Zhao Xia and Second Brother Zhao Dong were already quite grown and often took care of him.

This led to Zhao Qiu being the only brother in the family who was relatively close to both his eldest and second brothers.

This was also why Mrs. Wang sent her youngest son to ask for the recipe; she felt that because of their close relationship, Zhao Dong would surely give it to him.

"Second Brother, looking at you selling tofu now, you must be earning quite a bit of money, right?"

Zhao Qiu glanced left and right before suddenly asking about the tofu. Zhao Dong fell silent for a moment, then chuckled, "Sigh, how could this make big money? It’s just enough to get by. You know my leg is bad; relying on farming is probably out of the question. Fortunately, heaven always leaves a way out. Your Second Sister-in-law researched this food item, and it’s only just allowed us to catch our breath."

Hearing his Second Brother say this, Zhao Qiu grew even more restless and uneasy. I’m really not a good person, he thought.

Second Brother’s family has had it so hard. They’ve finally found a profitable venture. If I brazenly ask for the recipe, I’ll die of shame.

In the end, he could only sit there awkwardly for a while before saying, "Second Brother, seeing that you’re doing well, I... I’m relieved. It’s getting late, so we won’t disturb you any longer."

With that, he stood up and pulled his wife towards the exit.

After seeing his Fifth Brother off, Zhao Dong sighed and closed the door.

I did consider helping out this Fifth Brother of mine before, but with a mother like that, all I can say is it’s best to keep as much distance as possible.

Just then, Aunt unlocked the kitchen door and came out. Glancing at the main door, she asked, "Nephew-in-law, is Mrs. Wang scheming something again?"

Sun Mei had also heard the voices of Fifth Brother’s family outside. She glanced at Zhao Dong but said nothing.

Zhao Dong smiled and said, "No, Fifth Brother just came to see us."

How could Aunt believe that? She immediately whispered to Sun Mei, "Let me tell you, you need to be wary of people, even your Fifth Sister-in-law. That dog Mrs. Wang will definitely try every trick in the book to make them come and ask you for the recipe."

Aunt Liu knew that Zhao Dong and Fifth Brother were on relatively good terms with them, but they couldn’t withstand the pressure from Zhao Qiu’s mother.

That was why she reminded Sun Mei.

How could Sun Mei not know? She immediately said she would be on guard against them.

「 」

After Zhao Qiu and Mrs. Sun left Second Brother’s house, they slowly made their way home. He knew he was definitely going to get scolded by his mother when he got back.

Sure enough, when Mrs. Wang heard he hadn’t gotten the recipe, she immediately gave him a fierce scolding.

She even tried to take her anger out on his wife, Mrs. Sun. Fortunately, he protected her. In the end, Mrs. Wang, exasperated and furious, hit him a few times before storming into her room, muttering, "Useless thing! How did I give birth to such a useless thing like you!"

Listening to his mother’s curses from the room, Zhao Qiu looked at his wife apologetically. "You’ve suffered. It’s all because I’m incompetent."

He knew his mother often took her anger out on his wife. When he was home, he could still protect her. But when he wasn’t, Mrs. Sun would often be subjected to his mother’s harsh fault-finding and discipline.

He had thought about resisting, about leaving this home. But alas, she was his own mother. With filial piety being paramount, he was powerless.

Sometimes, I really wish I weren’t her biological son. That way, I could also be separated out and live my own quiet life.

Sun Jin, knowing what her husband was thinking, smiled and comforted him, "It’s alright, I’m fine. But you, Mother-in-law will definitely keep pressuring you to go to Second Brother’s family again."

Zhao Qiu sighed. "I know. But I really can’t bring myself to say it. Second Brother’s family has only just started having a better life. If I were to ask, I’d truly feel like I’m not human!"