The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 168: Bought 50 Acres of Fertile Land
Xu Zaohua knelt in the mourning hall, hiding the resentment in her eyes.
After the man’s death, her mother-in-law cursed her for being a husband-killer.
It was both right and wrong for her mother-in-law to think this way.
Wrong, because her husband was born with an illness that destined him for a short life.
Right, because his death was indeed related to her.
When Xu Zaohua married into the Zheng Family and was led by the second young master of the Zheng Family to the wedding hall, she already knew that Eldest Young Master Zheng’s condition was far more serious than she had anticipated.
She followed the instructions of Xu Jin and Madam Yu and knew that no matter what, she needed to leave a child for Eldest Young Master Zheng. As long as she had a child, even if Eldest Young Master Zheng died, she would still be the Eldest Young Madam of the Zheng Family.
No one could surpass her.
But the flesh of Eldest Young Master Zheng was soft and sickening to the touch.
What she found even more unspeakable was that Eldest Young Master Zheng had a physical illness, but his mental condition was even worse.
On the first day of her marriage to the Zheng Family, Eldest Young Master Zheng burned her with a hot iron wire.
She endured it for the position of Eldest Young Madam of the Zheng Family.
On the third day after getting married, Eldest Young Master Zheng vomited blood twice.
She knew that Eldest Young Master Zheng could die at any moment, so she had to get pregnant quickly. That way, after the eldest young master’s death, she could maintain the dignity of being the Eldest Young Madam of the Zheng Family.
So she forced Eldest Young Master Zheng to drink deer blood wine.
After drinking the deer blood wine, Eldest Young Master Zheng died in bed.
It was true that her husband’s death was directly related to her, but fortunately, her in-laws did not know about the deer blood wine incident.
If they found out, they might bury her along with him.
Xu Zaohua tossed yellow paper into the basin, the flickering flames mirroring her turbulent thoughts.
Now that her in-laws despised her so much, since she was already married into the Zheng Family, she must ensure her own status.
What do her in-laws care about most, now that her husband is dead?
The most important thing to them is that their son has an heir.
If she had a child in her womb, how could her in-laws still accuse her of being a husband-killer? They would probably want to worship her.
Xu Zaohua thought of this, and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Then she stood up and went to her mother-in-law’s room, kneeling down and saying: "...You resent me, and I have nothing to say about that. Now that my husband is gone, my heart has also died with him. I wish I could have gone with him. But I cannot, and if Heaven has pity on me, it might grant me a son or half a daughter..."
Xu Zaohua touched her belly and wept sorrowfully.
Hearing her words, Mrs. Zheng’s withered face immediately brightened with a glow.
She asked tremblingly, "What do you mean?"
Ever since her son set his mind on Xu Zaohua, he had been too ill to get out of bed, and she had no expectations for her son and Xu Zaohua’s wedding night.
Xu Zaohua bit her lip, knowing she had bet correctly.
She then said, "Mother, I can’t say for sure now. But in two months, maybe I’ll have something in my belly."
Mrs. Zheng’s eyes filled with hopeful light.
She immediately instructed the maid beside her to help Xu Zaohua up, ordering Xu Zaohua not to overexert herself.
She even had swallow’s nest soup sent from the small kitchen.
Xu Zaohua lowered her head to hide the sneer in her eyes. Earlier that morning, they said she was a husband-killer, and now they were treating her like a treasure.
In the few days she had been married into the Zheng Family, this was the first time she truly experienced a taste of the Eldest Young Madam’s privileges.
These privileges deeply enamored her.
After all, she was already the widow of Eldest Young Master Zheng and could not possibly remarry.
The Zheng Family would not allow her to remarry either.
Being a widow was nothing, much better than being burned with branding irons by Eldest Young Master Zheng.
She naturally had to make plans for herself.
She must fight to secure her position as the Eldest Young Madam.
She had already come up with a plan.
Xu Zaohua leaned against the soft pillow as Mrs. Zheng sent a stream of supplements to her room.
She knew that if in two months she was not pregnant with Eldest Young Master Zheng’s child, the supplements would not only stop, but she’d probably spend the rest of her life in the Zheng Family’s monastery.
Who would be content with that?
So she had to have a child in her belly.
If even someone like Tong Dajiao from Qinghe Bay could live a good widow’s life, she didn’t think she was worse than Tong Dajiao.
Thinking of Tong Dajiao, Xu Zaohua naturally thought of Gu Jingzhe.
She hated that mother and son to the extreme.
When she solidified her footing in the Zheng Family, she would take action against Tong Dajiao and Gu Jingzhe.
She wanted to ruin Tong Dajiao’s shop and Gu Jingzhe’s future.
As for Gu Taohua, she shouldn’t dream of having a good marriage either.
....
While Xu Zaohua was hating Tong Huaqiong in the Zheng Family, Tong Huaqiong was grinning widely as she held the land deed.
Everyone in Qinghe Bay knew how fertile those fifty acres at the foot of the West Mountain were.
Liu Tieshan was indeed the chosen village head, extremely efficient in his work, and now those fifty acres of land belonged to Tong Huaqiong.
Tong Huaqiong felt she was quite unique, not only putting the shop under her name but also the fertile fields. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
Originally, Liu Tieshan had discussed with Tong Huaqiong that since the original landowners were difficult to rehabilitate after being convicted, there was no need to buy the land through the government, and they could conduct the transaction privately, saving on some taxes.
This kind of land trade was very popular among the people.
The parties agreed that a simple agreement would suffice.
But Tong Huaqiong disagreed.
Without government-certified land deeds called "White Contracts," they lacked the legally recognized authority.
The government normally didn’t interfere, but if there were any upheavals or re-surveys of the land, this "White Contract" land would be redistributed.
Tong Huaqiong thought since she was spending money anyway, she might as well pay the tax.
She had to obtain a "Red Contract," which is the officially certified land deed in which she could feel at ease.
So early in the morning, Tong Huaqiong went to the government office with Liu Tieshan to meet the land sellers, and both parties signed the contract.
The remaining issues were left for Liu Tieshan to handle as she returned to her shop.
Returning from the shop to Qinghe Bay, Liu Tieshan delivered the Red Contract to her at home.
"Mother, does the fifty-acre plot really belong to our family?" Gu Dashu excitedly asked.
When Tong Huaqiong purchased the land, she did so without consulting anyone, making the decision entirely on her own. As the family decision-maker, there wasn’t a need for her to consult others, they only needed to accept the decisions she made.
It was only after Liu Tieshan delivered the land contract to Tong Huaqiong that Gu Dashu and the others learned she had bought land.
Moreover, it was the most fertile fifty acres at the foot of the West Mountain.
For farming families, even opening a shop could not compete with the excitement of buying land.
After all, everyone knows that land ownership is fundamental.
"With a deed in hand, it can’t be false." Tong Huaqiong said.
However, regarding Gu Dashu’s mention of "our family," Tong Huaqiong thought it necessary to correct this, and so she emphasized to a group of bad bamboo: "This land was bought by me, the owner listed on the deed is me; it is my land."
"Yes, yes, yes, it is Mother’s land. Everything in our family, even a blade of grass, belongs to Mother." Liu Yueer said.
Hearing Liu Yueer’s earnest tone, Tong Huaqiong couldn’t tell whether this second daughter-in-law was sincere or mocking her.
However, she didn’t care what Liu Yueer thought; indeed, as long as she wished it, even a blade of grass in the Gu family fell under her domain.
