The Female Cannon Fodder With Boundless Merits
Chapter 441 - 445: Shang Family’s Daughter (6)

Chapter 441: Chapter 445: Shang Family’s Daughter (6)

"Hearing the words, it was as if water had been spilled.

After a good long while, no response came, and the silent air flowed among them.

Zhang Qiaoqiao’s heart panicked, suddenly realizing her tone had been too eager.

Even the little girl looked at her in surprise, with a hint of strangeness in her eyes.

She wanted to explain, opened her mouth but was defeated by Su Li’s smiling gaze.

At the same time, Zhang Qiaoqiao’s probing gaze occasionally fell on Su Li.

Was the person before her still the sister-in-law she knew?

Su Li allowed the other to look her over openly, because even if something seemed odd, this body was indeed the genuine eldest daughter of the Su Family.

Seeing Zhang Qiaoqiao’s gaze unintentionally drifting toward her own wrist, Su Li slightly raised her hand, her sleeve sliding down to reveal her fair wrist.

Upon seeing the crescent-shaped birthmark on Su Li’s wrist, Zhang Qiaoqiao breathed a sigh of relief, but then her frustration quickly clogged her heart again.

Su Li’s wrist was adorned with a jade bracelet, clearly of fine quality.

Not to mention the several delicate hairpins tucked into her hair.

Su Li noticed the sudden heaviness of her sister-in-law’s breathing and knew that this seemingly honest Zhang Qiaoqiao was actually the one who hid her intentions deeply.

Didn’t she see that even her own daughter was fooled by her, really thinking her mother was an innocent figure like a white flower.

Su Li looked at Zhang Qiaoqiao for a while, then replied in puzzlement, "Why should I ask father, mother, and husband? If I buy a maid to serve me, will they pay for me?"

Zhang Qiaoqiao choked, stubbornly stammering, "I, I didn’t mean that?"

But Su Li was unrelenting, "Not which meaning, are you saying they won’t pay for me, or are you saying I shouldn’t buy a maid?"

Su Li’s tone suddenly became harsh, "I’m spending my own money, do I really need to ask others?"

"Where does this kind of reasoning come from?"

Zhang Qiaoqiao’s head drooped even lower, almost touching her chest, looking like she was about to cry but not crying, just like a pitiful little creature being oppressed.

Her gaze kept drifting towards her daughter, but the little girl was completely out of sorts and didn’t catch her mother’s hints at all.

"...I, after all, we haven’t split the family yet, I, I was just worried about people gossiping about you, sister-in-law."

"Mother, mother doesn’t have anyone to serve her..."

Zhang Qiaoqiao’s voice grew lower and lower, but her enunciation was very clear.

"Qiaoqiao is saying that there’s already enough help with the household chores, it really isn’t necessary to buy another maid, it’s just wasting money."

No one knew how long Old Mrs.Yuan had been standing at the kitchen doorway, but it seemed she had heard all of their earlier conversation.

She glared at Su Li annoyedly, held back, and although she didn’t speak the words of rebuke, she adopted the authoritative stance of an elder and directly decided, "If there’s something inconvenient for you to do, let Qiaoqiao help with it, there’s no sense in wasting money wantonly."

"With that extra money, it would be better to add a new inkstone for your husband, and to buy a few jin of meat for the family. The fieldwork has been busy lately, everyone has lost weight, and it’s time to nourish properly."

Old Mrs.Yuan finished speaking in a steady voice and turned to walk away. This daughter-in-law was intolerable; if not for the assistance she provided to Cheng Wenwen, today’s laissez-faire attitude would not have stood a chance.

Even as the mother-in-law, she had never enjoyed such privileges, yet the daughter-in-law had surpassed her."

Su Li stretched out her foot and was the first to block Old Mrs. Yuan’s way.

"Mother, we still need to buy the maids. As for the outsiders, they can gossip all they want, driven by their long tongues and envy."

"They never consider that I’m not stealing or robbing; what’s wrong with using money to buy a maid? It’s their own fault or their family’s inadequacy, not being born into better circumstances."

Su Li’s words not only ridiculed the outsiders but also included the envious members of the Yuan Family.

The faces of Old Mrs. Yuan, Zhang Qiaoqiao, and the little girl turned dark as ink.

They were the ones with parents who had failed to provide them with a generous dowry.

Their men had failed to provide them with a good life.

Their sons had failed to create a good life for their parents and instead required additional support from them.

Old Mrs. Yuan’s face, which had not blushed for many years, turned red as a monkey’s buttock from the profound implications in her daughter-in-law’s direct and indirect remarks.

It was a mix of shame and anger.

If she hadn’t forcefully restrained herself, she might have ripped off her eldest daughter-in-law’s smug face.

In the countryside, which daughter-in-law wouldn’t treat her mother-in-law with reverence? Even if beaten by the mother-in-law, a daughter-in-law would still have to bear it while kneeling.

Otherwise, how would the common saying go that after many years a daughter-in-law turns into a mother-in-law?

Yet, this daughter-in-law in her family broke the rules, showing no respect whatsoever.

Old Mrs. Yuan endured and constantly reminded herself that her eldest son had been advised to leave the county school and in the future, she would have to rely on this daughter-in-law to find ways and provide the silver taels.

For now, she would tolerate her this one time. Once her son succeeded in the exams, there would be a price to pay.

Su Li seemed to have no idea what moderation meant and was particularly talkative today, incessantly babbling on.

"But after all, it’s not right for a daughter-in-law to have maids serve her while the parents do not. Even my father would scold me for being unfilial."

"How about this, I’ll buy two maids for my parents too, to serve them tea and water, wash clothes, and so on, as a token of our filial piety from my husband and me."

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Yuan felt a surge of joy.

Who wouldn’t want to enjoy a life where one could relax and order others around like the Old Sealed Lord?

But her joy was short-lived as she heard her eldest daughter-in-law add, "However, the maids’ monthly expenses will have to be covered by the household."

"My dowry may look significant, but it’s actually not durable against expenses. Over the past few years, for my husband’s sake, I have spent almost all of it. Business has been tough these years, with losses every month and no revenue. The expenses are not small, and even in our own quarters, I manage only by being frugal, so anything extra..."

Su Li’s tone was one of difficulty, but her expression was nonchalant, obviously not aligned with what she was saying.

It was as if she worried others might not catch the excuse she offhandedly made, not even bothering to save face in her pretense.

Old Mrs. Yuan was infuriated and declared angrily, "No need, your father and I are not fortunate enough to receive your filial piety."

With that, the elderly lady clutched her chest, her figure overwhelmed with the burden as she stumbled out.

Su Li remained composed as if she hadn’t noticed the elderly lady’s made face, and said, "My good intentions were rejected by the Old Mrs. Yuan herself. Sister-in-law, you saw it with your own eyes, you can testify for me, right?"

"Don’t let those with ulterior motives turn this into a reputation for being controlling and unfilial."

The one with ulterior motives, Zhang Qiaoqiao, said nothing, "....."