Song Chongjin held Wang Yongzhu’s hand, the two of them sitting shoulder to shoulder on the edge of the kang: "This is good! Although Ninth Master Lee is a bit proud by nature, he is not inherently bad! It is reassuring to hand this prescription to him! You should also take a good rest. Even though your husband can’t earn as much money as you, he won’t let you and your mother go hungry!"
Wang Yongzhu smiled. Of course, she knew that although it was said that the money was earned by her outside, both she and Song Chongjin were aware that Song Chongjin’s shops also earned quite a lot of money each year, enough for the expenses of their family of three, around several hundred taels a year.
"Brother Song, meeting you is truly my blessing!" Wang Yongzhu couldn’t help but exclaim.
Now, after spending time together slowly, she increasingly discovered how good Song Chongjin was. No matter what ideas she had, as long as she brought them up, Song Chongjin always listened very seriously and never interfered with her.
Even when she suggested giving away the prescription, a big deal, he merely said lightly: then give it away, your husband can support you!
At first, she was unwilling, thinking that in order to complete the task, she had to fall in love with a stranger from a different era. But now looking back, maybe she would never meet such a person even in her original time.
So, meeting you! How wonderful!
Although Song Chongjin didn’t know why Wang Yongzhu was suddenly so emotional, his heart melted.
Nothing is more touching than the loved one using a tone of sentiment and gratitude to say that meeting you is her blessing!
This made him feel that his efforts had finally borne sweet fruit, his heart blooming with unspeakable happiness...
While Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin were sweet and affectionate, Zhang Qiuju was under a cloud of gloom.
Zhang Qiuju returned home with a sullen face. Initially, she had been sold by Zhang Dabao and his wife to a peddler who roamed from village to village. Fortunately, she had good luck. Although the peddler was older, he cherished her greatly because it was rare for him to marry a wife.
Zhang Qiuju also knew the situation at her own home—it was infamous. Her brothers and sisters-in-law only cared for themselves, even abandoning their parents. How could they care about her, a sister?
Always being the most practical one, she followed the peddler faithfully.
At the beginning, life was difficult. The peddler traveled from one village to the next daily, making just enough money for them to scrape by.
She had no choice. After Zhang Chuntao broke ties after her marriage and she and her parents were driven out, she, who used to do only light chores at home, was forced to learn cooking, washing clothes, and working in the fields.
Since the peddler’s home was in town, though it was dilapidated, they at least had a place to stay.
For livelihood, she found a laundry job on the street to supplement their income a bit.
They finally saved some money, but then her parents fell ill, and her brothers and sisters-in-law shirked their responsibilities. It was the kind-hearted peddler who allowed her to occasionally bring some things back to her parents.
Perhaps because of this, she got a lucky break.
When she went back, Lady Zhao asked her to help retrieve something. She saw a small piece of clothing that she had once worn at the bottom of the chest.
After all these years, though the color had faded somewhat, it was still prettier than what her children wore.
Shamelessly, she took the piece of clothing home for her own child to wear.
Due to the long time it had been kept, she planned to take it apart, wash it, and sew it back together. But when she took it apart, she discovered that one of the little jackets had several thin, golden leaves hidden within the cotton.
The golden leaves were bright and soft. If she hadn’t taken it apart, she could never have guessed such valuable items were hidden inside.
Zhang Qiuju was stunned and, trembling, picked up the golden leaves, bit one with her teeth, and seeing the teeth marks, her heart nearly leapt out of her chest.
After regaining her composure, she ran into the house in a flurry, looking for a good place to hide the golden leaves.
She tried hiding them in seventeen or eighteen different places but felt none of them were safe. Finally, she decided to sew the golden leaves back into the jacket.
Luckily, the peddler wasn’t home, or he surely would have noticed all the commotion.
Zhang Qiuju barely managed to maintain a facade of calm, though she was churning inside.
When the peddler returned and saw his wife’s strange demeanor, he thought her father was worsening and comforted her with a few words.
This gave Zhang Qiuju an idea. That night, while the peddler was asleep, she lay in bed with her eyes open, thinking all night. The following morning, as soon as the peddler left, she packed up, took the child, and returned to her parents’ home.
When the peddler came back, Zhang Qiuju secretly pulled him inside and took out two golden leaves, saying that Zhang Dabao and his wife had secretly given them to her, feeling that their time was running short and thinking she was the most filial, hence giving her the last of their good things.
The peddler’s eyes glazed over. He had never seen gold before. It took him a long time to believe such a great fortune had fallen from the sky, and he was so happy he almost called her "aunt".
Zhang Qiuju then instructed the peddler to act ignorant when at her parents’ home, lest her brothers, sisters-in-law, and sister discovered and demand a share.
People are inherently selfish, and the peddler was no exception. He readily agreed.
With these golden leaves, their days improved. The peddler, not one to be content, used the money to open a small shop and started doing business.
Having traveled from village to village for so many years, he had some business acumen, and the shop did quite well after opening.
Later, when Zhang Dabao and his wife died, the reason the peddler was willing to pay for their burial was because of these golden leaves.
After Zhang Dabao and his wife died, the peddler’s business thrived. Zhang Xiahe’s family fell into poverty and frequently visited the shop for handouts.
This kind of situation couldn’t last!
So, Zhang Qiuju and the peddler decided to sell their ancestral house and shop and secretly moved to the county town.
With some silver, they bought a small shop and gradually settled down in the county town.
Zhang Qiuju and the peddler had three sons. Because the initial capital came from Zhang Qiuju, the peddler was quite honest, and the family listened to her.
They married off their three sons, and because of the money and authority, the daughters-in-law seemed quite filial.
Until meeting Zhang Chuntao again, Zhang Qiuju’s life, in retrospect, really went smoothly without much hardship.
When thinking about those earlier years, Zhang Qiuju knew that those golden leaves were likely something Zhang Chuntao had brought back.
After Zhang Chuntao married, it wasn’t long before she got pregnant and then gave birth to a big, healthy boy for the Wang Family. Many people in Zhang Family Village said that Zhang Chuntao finally had her share of happiness.
Having a son gave her confidence!
Zhang Qiuju consoled herself that Zhang Chuntao was living well and didn’t need the golden leaves. Besides, even if she gave the clothes to Zhang Chuntao, she might not have had the luck to find the golden leaves.