Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 23

“Liu Lanhua, I let it slide when you secretly send money to your family before. After all, it’s your household’s money, and since the third son doesn’t care, as your mother-in-law, it isn’t my place to interfere,” Lu Miao says coldly.

Lu Miao grabs the eldest daughter-in-law and casts a cold glance at the youngest daughter-in-law, who hides behind her husband with red marks on her face.

“But now, you’re taking advantage of the Lu family’s eldest daughter, using our family’s silver to fill the hole in your family. If you bite the hand that feeds you like this, don’t blame me for not accepting you as my daughter-in-law anymore.”

Liu Lanhua is so terrified by these words that her legs give out, and she drops to her knees with a thud. “Mother, I am wrong. Please forgive me this time.”

What kind of fate awaits a woman cast out of her household? Moreover, doesn’t Liu Lanhua understand how her family treats her and her sisters?

If the Lu family divorces her, her family will likely just marry her off to some widower for the bride price. In their eyes, a daughter is only valuable in situations like this.

“Eldest girl, please help plead for your third aunt. You’ve always been close with San Ya, haven’t you? Are you really willing to stand by and watch her lose her mother? San Ya, Baotie, kneel before your eldest cousin and beg her to spare your mother this time.”

As she speaks, Liu Lanhua crawls over to her two children, pulling at their clothes to make them kneel with her.

“Father, mother, Jiahou, I may not contribute much over the years since marrying into the Lu family, but I certainly work hard. San Ya and Baotie are still so young; they can’t be without their mother.” Liu Lanhua’s cries are heart-wrenching—she is truly terrified.

Young Lu Baotie, who is usually closest to his mother, begins to cry as well when he sees her in such misery. Lu Xiuxin, being a bit more sensible, stares in confusion and fear at her eldest cousin and mother, unsure of what is happening.

“Don’t drag the children into this.”

Little does Liu Lanhua know, her actions only make Lu Miao dislike her even more.

“Third son, are you dead? Why aren’t you getting the children out of here? Or do you still want to protect this woman? Do you actually think she’s done nothing wrong?”

Lu Miao’s anger now turns on Lu Jiahou. He remains silent for a moment, then grabs one child in each arm and leaves the room without looking back.

“Jiahou, Jiahou, give the children back to me!”

Liu Lanhua tries to run after him, but Jiang Bai’e blocks her path.

“Mother, our eldest daughter really suffers a huge loss this time. To think that, as her legitimate aunt, she would go so far as to plot against her own niece—it’s chilling.”

Jiang Bai’e feels conflicted. On one hand, she is furious with Liu Lanhua, wanting to beat her, but on the other hand, she pities Lu Xiuxin and Lu Baotie. The thought of those young children losing their mother is unbearable. Especially for Lu Xiuxin—without a mother, her chances of getting married in the future are slim.

“Sister-in-law, we’ve been close for so many years; please help me out here. I deserve to die, I deserve to be beaten, but I really don’t want a divorce. I don’t want to leave this family.”

Liu Lanhua clings to Jiang Bai’e’s hand, this time not dodging the blow but actively grabbing her sister-in-law’s hand to let Jiang Bai’e strike her.

“What are you doing? Let go!” Ironically, seeing her like this makes Jiang Bai’e lose the desire to hit her.

“Third daughter-in-law, do you know what you did wrong?” Old Butcher Lu, who has been silent until now, finally speaks up.

“I know I am wrong, I know I am wrong!” Liu Lanhua’s eyes brighten as if she sees a glimmer of hope from her father-in-law. She quickly releases Jiang Bai’e’s hand, kneels on the floor, and crawls over to Old Butcher Lu.

“I hope you truly understand your mistake.” Old Butcher Lu shakes his head. “You’ve gone too far this time. Just the fact that you steal your niece’s secret recipe and give it to your natal family is enough for us to divorce you and even report you to the authorities. But—”

The tone of the conversation shifts. “San Ya and Baotie are still young and can’t be separated from their mother, so I give you one last chance. But if this happens again, I won’t show mercy to anyone. Do you understand?”

“Thank you, Father. Thank you, Father. I know I am wrong,” Liu Lanhua cries with relief, having been truly terrified just moments before.

“My words aren’t finished yet.”

Before she can be too happy, Old Butcher Lu continues speaking.

“The one who’s been most wronged in this situation is the eldest girl. So there are a few things you must do. First, for the next two months, you will be responsible for cutting pig grass.”

This is originally a task for the girls in the family. Lu Baobao, with her “delicate constitution,” goes once and never returns. Lu Xiuxin can help, but being so young, there is only so much she can do. The bulk of the responsibility falls on Lu Xiuyu.

With winter approaching, the pigs need to be fattened before the cold sets in, making the demand for pig grass especially high during this time.

Liu Lanhua’s face turns pale at the thought of having to cut grass for the pigs on top of her other responsibilities.

“…Alright.” After a brief silence, she grits her teeth and agrees, more afraid of divorce than the workload.

“Your family took the eldest girl’s secret recipe. You can’t just take it for nothing. She can earn at least three or four hundred coins a day using that recipe. I know your family is poor, so I’ll set a price for the eldest girl—five taels of silver. You go get that money back. Consider it your family paying her to buy this recipe.”

This price isn’t high at all, and in fact, it is rather low. But the amount is cleverly chosen. It is within the Liu family’s reach but painful enough to make them feel the loss.

Five taels of silver—based on the Liu family’s current earnings, they can make it back in about half a month. Liu Lanhua will have to go back and ask her parents and brothers if they are willing to spend the silver she steals with that recipe, which will earn them back the money in less than a month, to save her marriage.

Old Butcher Lu knows his in-laws well; they definitely won’t be willing.

This way, Liu Lanhua will see with her own eyes just how selfish and stingy her family truly is, how they’d rather see her cast out than give up five taels of silver. Let her clearly understand how heartless and ungrateful those family members she cares for so deeply truly are.

Lu Xiuyu understands the intentions of her grandparents and sighs inwardly at their wisdom. At least after this incident, Liu Lanhua won’t be so easily manipulated by her family anymore.

“Eldest girl, consider this your grandfather standing up for you. Your grievances—both your grandmother and I understand them well.”

Ignoring the dazed Liu Lanhua, Old Butcher Lu turns to Lu Xiuyu, his tone becoming much gentler. He even tries to force a kind smile, though it isn’t very successful and ends up making him look more like a bear ready to pounce.

Old Butcher Lu knows well that five taels of silver doesn’t come close to the true value of Lu Xiuyu’s secret recipe. If it hadn’t been leaked, she could have made countless times that amount. But as the head of the family, sometimes he has to make tough decisions for the sake of family unity, even if it means letting innocent people endure grievances.

“We, the elders, also think about this. In recent days, the money you bring home has already matched what your father and uncles make from side jobs in a whole year. That’s not fair to you.”

Since the family hasn’t split yet, everyone’s earnings belong to the collective pool, including the income the men earn from side work during the slow seasons.

Lu Xiuyu’s situation is special, though. She is still a young girl, yet the money she earns far surpasses what the men make from their odd jobs. Both Old Butcher Lu and Lu Miao agree that she is being treated unfairly, but the family rules have been what they are for years, and they haven’t considered how to address the imbalance until now.

Liu Lanhua’s actions conveniently provide an opportunity.

“Your grandmother and I have decided. From now on, aside from the rice, flour, firewood, and seasonings you use, which should be accounted for based on quantity, the rest of your earnings are yours to keep. You don’t need to contribute them to the family pool.”

At these words, Jiang Bai’e’s previous dissatisfaction melts away, and her face lights up with relief.

“Will this be bad?”

“Isn’t this a bit unfair?” Lu Xiuyu’s voice is hoarse as she looks at the two elders with a conflicted expression, her words filled with hesitation.

“There’s nothing unfair about it. If anyone has a problem, they can come talk to me,” Old Butcher Lu snorts heavily. “Second son, do you have any objections?”

He directs the question at Lu Jiafu and his wife. Lu Jiafu quickly shakes his head and even grabs his wife’s head and shakes it as well.

What objections could he have? After all, the eldest girl’s money won’t be going into his pockets anyway.

“Do you dare to have any objections?” Old Butcher Lu asks the kneeling Liu Lanhua once more.

Liu Lanhua certainly has objections, but does she dare voice them?

“See? No one has any objections,” Old Butcher Lu declares, making the final decision. He isn’t dead yet, and he still has the final say in this family.

Under the guidance of the elderly couple, the situation that could tear the brothers apart ends with Liu Lanhua being punished and Lu Xiuyu no longer obligated to contribute her earnings to the family.

And all of this is part of Lu Xiuyu’s plan.

From the first moment she picks the poisonous fire weed and other seasonings and displays them in front of the family, her calculations already begin.

In ancient times, the power of the clan was overwhelming. Before the family divides, the finances of each branch are hopelessly entangled. Call her selfish, but Lu Xiuyu doesn’t want to see the fruits of her labor become communal wealth for everyone else.

So, she sets the bait, waiting to see who will bite.

Lu Xiuyu observes that the two elders of the Lu family are generally fair. Even if they favor the second wife at times, they aren’t excessively biased in serious matters.

The original body’s memories lead her to believe that the second uncle and aunt will take the bait. However, she doesn’t anticipate that the third aunt—gentle and kind in her original memories—will be the one to fall for it. From the very first day she sees Liu Xiaodi and his wife, Lu Xiuyu knows her plan has succeeded.

So she drops a vague comment, which leads the sharp-eyed grandmother to develop suspicion toward Liu Lanhua, resulting in the scene where the old lady follows her during the day.

It turns out that, although the second uncle and aunt are a bit lazy and greedy, their character is not as bad as she first thought.

Lu Xiuyu glances thoughtfully at the couple, who litter the ground with sunflower seed and peanut shells, and silently says “sorry” to them in her heart.

Having watched the whole drama unfold, the Lu Jiafu couple remains blissfully unaware that they almost become the unwitting victims of someone else’s scheme. Lu Xiuyu misjudges them. Their character isn’t necessarily so noble—it’s simply that they are too foolish to realize the potential of selling her recipe to make money.

That evening, when Tang Dingyuan returns from school, Lu Jiafu excitedly shares his “gossip of the day” with his son-in-law.