"Are you sure Shen Shi heard all that?"
"She was very close to Zhu Yougui at the time," Du Xiao Hui answered truthfully. "I could hear everything crystal clear, so there's no reason she couldn't hear it too."
"Mother," He Xiaoya asked a little nervously after hearing this, "What if Auntie Shen really wants to come and secretly learn? What do we do then?"
"Don't jump to conclusions," Li Yao said. "No matter what, I think she'll come looking for me very soon. We'll know for sure then."
Right now, the other side of the old house, Er Fang is making potted meat with her and Grandfather has started ginning cotton at the market, so they must be making quite a bit of money just starting out.
So only San Fang is free.
Third brother Wang Yuanbang is still working as a laborer at the Yizhou docks.
It's not lack of people but lack of fairness that is the problem.
Shen Shi must resent her in her heart. Of course, she doesn't care.
She just doesn't like the way Shen Shi talks. Her words are really unpleasant to listen to. That's why she didn't want her interfering.
She doesn't know what she'll do after getting this information.
Will she come to her and tattle, or will she try every means to come help around the house and secretly learn how to make green ointment.
Just wait and see.
...
On the way home, thinking about how she was about to strike it rich, Shen Shi smiled to herself.
But as soon as she got to the door, she ran into her mother-in-law Xue. "What are you laughing about?" Xue said. "I told you to go cut grass. How come you've come back with an empty basket?"
"Mother, hurry inside with me. I've got great news to tell you."
Xue frowned. These three daughters-in-law are acting so odd today. Could they have eaten something bad?
"Just tell me out here."
"No, no, this is big!"
Xue was dragged into the room. Seeing how mysteriously Shen Shi even closed the door, she became even more puzzled.
"What is it already?"
"Mother, we're going to get rich!"
Shen Shi told her everything she had overheard.
After listening, Xue thought for a moment before asking, "Then why don't I go tell your sister-in-law and ask her to let you help make the green ointment. Then you can learn how and sell it to make money?"
"Huh?" Shen Shi was dumbfounded and took a long time to recover. "Mother, how could you think like that?"
Xue frowned. "Isn't that good? That's 500 taels of silver, plus a whole courtyard house. It must be a three-section compound at least. With that, you can live in luxury for the rest of your life."
"That won't do!" Shen Shi resolutely refused. "Wouldn't that ruin Sister-in-Law's business?"
"Think carefully. A chance to get rich overnight like this might only come once in your life," Xue said. "Miss it and you'll never have it again."
"But I can't do something like that. It would break my backbone!" Shen Shi firmly shook her head. "Besides, that money isn't so easy for those people to give away. Zhu Yougui is an idiot to believe it. What if we don't get the money in the end and they make us pay instead. Pies don't just fall from the sky!"
Hearing her say this, Xue secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Although this third daughter-in-law was annoying, she still had some conscience when it came to big matters like this.
"At least you've got some decency," Xue said. "If you had nodded just now, I would have skinned you today and had Third divorce you."
Shen Shi: ...They say mothers-in-law are petty, but I didn't think that much.
Luckily she had never considered secretly learning to sell it, or she would be dead today.
"Tell me, if you're not going to secretly learn it, how are you going to get rich?" Xue asked.
Speaking of business, Shen Shi immediately perked up.
"You go tell Sister-in-Law about this. She'll definitely owe us a favor," Shen Shi said. "Then you ask her to set Third Brother up with a potted meat stand too. Won't we get rich then?"
Xue twitched her mouth.
Although potted meat stands can earn 200 wen a day, they're still far from getting rich.
Not even close.
It looks like this third daughter-in-law really doesn't have much going on up there.
"Why don't you go yourself?"
"I won't go," Shen Shi hurriedly shook her head when she heard this. "I'm a little scared of Sister-in-Law. She's too fierce."
Xue: ...And I'm not?
Especially since she had just begged Li Yao the other day to let the old man gin cotton. To turn around and ask another favor of Li Yao, her old face wasn't nearly thick enough for that.
Since Shen Shi didn't have malicious intent and had done good this time, Xue felt she could ask her oldest daughter-in-law. If she agreed, they could also let Third come back.
That way the whole family could be reunited instead of being apart for so long.
The third daughter-in-law was still young. Having two more grandsons would make the Wang family's incense burn more vigorously.
"Look at you with no ambition!" Xue said. "She's your sister-in-law, not a tiger. What can she do, eat you up?"
"Let's go together!"
...
Li Yao was making green ointment at home.
Based on today, the market for green ointment was really good. She had better hurry and make as much as she could before winter came, otherwise she would have to wait until next year.
To speed things up, she had Xiaoya come help too. The two worked hard together striving to have stock ready to deliver tomorrow.
"Sister-in-Law, are you home?"
Right when they were busy, Shen Shi's voice came from outside.
He Xiaoya looked at Li Yao. Right on cue, just like Mother predicted.
Seeing Auntie come along too, Xiaoya became even more nervous.
If Auntie also supported Third Aunt learning it secretly, with Mother's temperament, she would definitely cut ties with the old house. Second Uncle's potted meat business would certainly be done too.
She didn't want that to happen. She wanted the whole family to live in harmony. That's what a big family clan should look like.
"So it's Third Daughter-in-Law," Li Yao said. "Free today?"
"Yes, we sold two pigs yesterday, so not much grass to cut today," Shen Shi felt inexplicably uneasy facing Li Yao. This was supposed to be good news, but she didn't know how to bring it up.
Seeing her like this, He Xiaoya's heart sank even more. The thing she least wanted to see might really be about to happen.
"Since you're free, how about you come help me for a couple days?" Li Yao asked. "I'm too busy making green ointment by myself."
"Huh?"
Shen Shi never imagined Li Yao would take the initiative to ask for her help. She was completely thrown off.
This was a golden opportunity!
As long as she learned how to make green ointment, that was 500 taels of silver and a three-section courtyard house hers for the taking!
Should she...do it...
Seeing her suddenly start hesitating, Xue, who was standing to the side, also stayed silent with a cold look on her face.
She also wanted to see what the third daughter-in-law would choose.
"Sister-in-Law, I can come help," Shen Shi finally made her decision after agonizing over it. "But there's something I have to tell you. Earlier, two people from Yizhou..."
Li Yao cut her off. "No need to say it. I already know."
"Huh? You know already?"
Li Yao nodded. It looked like this sister-in-law still had a decent heart to withstand the test of profit.
He Xiaoya and Xue both let out a deep breath, their gazes toward Shen Shi softening considerably.
"Eldest Daughter-in-Law," Xue finally spoke up. "We don't dare claim credit for this matter, but Third Son is still working as a laborer at the docks. Their third room only has two children."
"I understand. But I don't have any work for Third Son right now," Li Yao thought for a moment then said, "How about this - have him help me procure beeswax for now. You can't buy this stuff just anywhere, so you have to travel all over to find it. It'll be a bit tough."
"That's still better than being a laborer at the dock," Xue immediately agreed when she heard there was a chance. "I'll have Fourth Son go over tomorrow and have him come back right away. You can teach him well when he gets here."
Just like that, the matter of Third Son was decided.
Returning home, Shen Shi couldn't help but shudder at the thought.
It was good she wasn't greedy!
If she had uttered a wrong word earlier, the outcome definitely wouldn't have been as perfect as now.