Madam Zhou was very surprised when she saw Wufu carrying several tens of jin of grain home. They had only bought rice and flour not long ago; why did they buy so much again? Their family had only three members, all females, and none of them ate much.
"Mom, it hasn’t rained for a long time, and it’s been too hot. I heard today that some places have already started to experience drought. Once there is a drought, the price of grain will rise. I bought extra just in case," Wufu explained.
Although she had money now and could afford even if the price of grain was high, it made sense to save where possible. Moreover, during times of disaster, often you couldn’t buy grain even if you had the money. It was better to be prepared early.
Wufu wouldn’t go into battle unprepared.
"A drought?" Madam Zhou, who spent all her days tending to the homestead, wasn’t aware of what was happening outside.
Wufu nodded her head.
Seeing this, Madam Zhou’s brows furrowed, and she said with a sorrowful face, "If that’s the case, the common people will probably suffer again, Heaven isn’t leaving any way out for us!"
"Don’t worry, mom. I won’t let you go hungry," Wufu said with a smile, comforting her.
Madam Zhou nodded, knowing that Wufu was capable and that they had more silver coin at home now; they certainly wouldn’t starve.
"Wufu, if that’s the case, you should also tell your..." Madam Zhou started to mention her own family but then remembered that Wufu wasn’t very fond of her family members, so she quickly changed her words: "Shouldn’t you also tell your uncle about this?"
At her natal home, probably only her younger brother was well-regarded by Wufu.
Wufu indifferently said, "Uncle works the fields all year, he probably knows about it."
Seeing her indifferent face, Madam Zhou didn’t say more, just thought that she should remind her brother and the others when she saw them.
Wufu knew what she was thinking by her expression but didn’t say anything. She didn’t care about the Zhou family because she was an outsider, but it was different for Madam Zhou. Even if she was despised, she was still part of the Zhou family, and deep down, she hadn’t given up on them completely.
So if Madam Zhou wanted to do something, Wufu wouldn’t interfere.
Madam Zhou was a person who acted on her words. The next day, while going to the village to buy tofu, meat, and vegetables, she purposely took a detour past her parental home.
Lady Liang was somewhat surprised to see her but quickly smiled, "Sister, you’re here. Come inside, won’t you?"
"No, I was just passing by on my way to buy tofu. I have to head home soon," Madam Zhou said, noticing the basket in her hand. "Where are you going?"
"Mother said she wanted to eat mapo tofu, so I’m also going to buy tofu. Shall we go together?" Lady Liang offered enthusiastically.
"Ah, sure, sure." Madam Zhou was somewhat flustered by her enthusiasm, promptly agreeing.
The two walked together, and Lady Liang was talkative, praising Madam Zhou’s needlework and then asking, "I told my husband, and I want to ask you for some patterns later. I hope you won’t find me bothersome then!"
Madam Zhou felt happy but a bit hesitant and said, "That won’t be hard, you can come anytime, it’s just..." She paused before adding, "When you come, you still need to let mom know in advance."
Old Lady Zhou didn’t like the Zhou family members mingling too much with her and her daughter.
Madam Zhou’s words were actually to avoid making it difficult for Lady Liang, which comforted Lady Liang, who responded, "Sister, rest assured, I know what to do."
Madam Zhou didn’t linger on the topic but shifted to talking about the weather and mentioned what Wufu had said.
"Having grain in hand gives you peace of mind. As a new daughter-in-law, it’s hard for you to say anything, just tell your younger brother."
Hearing about the drought and the rising grain prices, Lady Liang’s expression became serious, and she gave a respectful knee bend to Madam Zhou, "Sister, you are kind-hearted. I will tell my husband and my mother-in-law."
It would also be good to tell her own family as well.