Only then did Mrs. Zhao nod. "Alright, let’s go."

After the family finished their meal, Zhao Jing went out to borrow an oxcart.

He knew how to drive an oxcart; over the years, he had learned just by watching while riding on Dashan’s cart.

Zhao Jing quickly borrowed the oxcart from his uncle, Mr. Zhao, and set off for the county town with the women and children of the family. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

They were quite a sight, and when they ran into other villagers on the road, they were inevitably teased. When asked why they were going to the county town, Mrs. Zhao said with a smile, "The New Year is coming. We’re going to the county town to buy a few things to celebrate."

"Isn’t that a bit early? It’s not even the Little New Year yet."

"It’s not early at all. We’ve been in mourning these past few years, so the house is lacking everything. Now that our new daughter-in-law has joined us, we can’t have her suffering along with us."

The oxcart had barely left the village when Xu Suying received the news.

The auntie who brought the message said, "Your daughter is so lucky! She just got married, and her mother-in-law is already taking her to the county town to buy food and supplies. They said that because they’ve been in mourning for years, the house is short on everything. They said they could let themselves go without, but not their new daughter-in-law. Look, what a wonderful family! Your daughter has fallen into a lap of luxury."

What could Xu Suying say?

Naturally, she replied with a smile, "My in-laws are honest people, and good-tempered too. My son-in-law is also a sincere man. I have a thousand, no, ten thousand reasons to be at ease with my daughter marrying into their family."

But after seeing the woman off, Xu Suying’s expression immediately fell.

Going into town on the second day of the marriage... no matter how she thought about it, something felt wrong.

If it were just Jing and Qing’er, she might have thought, ’Maybe they got a little too carried away last night and Qing’er got hurt.’

But since Mrs. Zhao was with them, Xu Suying couldn’t help but wonder, ’Could Mrs. Zhao be feeling unwell?’

The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. After all, Mrs. Zhao’s health was truly fragile.

For Zhao Jing’s wedding, even though his uncle Mr. Zhao and others had helped out, as the groom’s mother, she couldn’t just leave everything to others. There were countless things to worry about, both seen and unseen. How could Mrs. Zhao not be anxious?

’She must have been completely exhausted,’ Xu Suying thought. ’That’s why she couldn’t wait even a single day before heading to the city.’

At this thought, Xu Suying’s brow furrowed even more tightly.

’A mother-in-law with poor health... Looking at the long term, it means she won’t be able to help look after the grandchildren, and her daily medicine costs silver. In the short term, what if a rumor starts that Qing’er has a "hard fate" and made her own mother-in-law sick just by marrying into the family?’

’The first two problems are manageable. We knew about this situation before our daughter got married. As her parents, we’ll just have to provide a little more support to make things easier for our daughter and son-in-law.’

’But if those kinds of rumors really started to spread...’

Xu Suying’s heart was filled with anxiety, but for the moment, she couldn’t think of a good way to handle the situation.

This news also reached the old residence.

After the old madam heard the news, she secretly called Wanyue to the kitchen, and the grandmother and granddaughter started to gossip about it.

The old madam said, "I’d bet my hat Mrs. Zhao went to the county town to see a doctor. Her health is even worse than Mr. Zhao’s was. If I hadn’t saved her all those years ago, she’d have been dead long ago."

She then went on to mutter that the Zhao Family had arranged the marriage between Chen Wanyue and Zhao Jing years ago to repay that debt of gratitude. But now that the engagement was broken, wasn’t that debt still unpaid?

Shouldn’t the Zhao Family give her something more as a reward?

Chen Wanyue grew annoyed as she listened to her grandmother’s increasingly ridiculous rambling.

She had been in a foul mood for the past two days, walking around with a long face all day, as if someone owed her several hundred silver taels and hadn’t paid her back.

However, when she heard her grandmother say that Mrs. Zhao had gone to the county town, definitely because she was unwell, Chen Wanyue’s earlier listlessness vanished, and she suddenly perked up.

"She really went to the county town? Are you sure she’s not feeling well?"

"Of course it’s true! So many people saw them. They’re trying to fool people, saying they’re going to buy New Year’s goods. Their family just finished a wedding; they can make do with the leftovers to get through the New Year. It’s not like they have so much silver they’re desperate to burn it. Buy New Year’s goods, my ass."

As her grandmother’s chatter filled her ears, Chen Wanyue, feeling invigorated, paced back and forth several times in the kitchen.

’That’s right,’ she thought. ’It must be that Mrs. Zhao is unwell.’

’It’s almost the end of the year. If Mrs. Zhao is sick now, she definitely won’t get better anytime soon.’

’My plan is working.’

Chen Wanyue was ecstatic, unable to suppress the smile spreading across her face.

’I really am heaven’s favorite daughter,’ she mused. ’A small trick is all it takes to get exactly what I want.’

’In that case, I’ll have to visit the Zhao Family a couple more times. It would be best to anger Mrs. Zhao to death. That way, Zhao Jing won’t be able to take the imperial examinations for three years.’

"By the way, Yue’er, you said there was supposed to be a heavy snow before the year’s end, so why hasn’t it snowed yet? The New Year is almost here. If no merchants pass through the county town in the next few days, won’t that ’good thing’ of yours fall through?"