While chatting and laughing, the two entered a grain and oil shop. Ten catties of black flour, ten catties of coarse flour, and ten catties of corn flour cost one hundred and fifty wen. They still had some money left. Zhao Jiaqi gritted her teeth and stomped her foot, spending thirty-nine wen on various seasonings.
She planned to make some braised dishes to sell, not wanting the wild game he hunted to be sold so cheaply.
However, she didn't mention this to Fan Zehao, believing that no matter what she did, the person by her side would unconditionally support her.
Upon returning home, her mother-in-law had already prepared the meal. Seeing her son and daughter-in-law return, her face was filled with joy, her wrinkles seeming to spread into a smile. She beckoned to Zhao Jiaqi, "You must be hungry, hurry and wash your hands to eat."
Indeed, after this outing, they were truly hungry.
At the dinner table, there was a pot of old hen, meat and soup, with a layer of oil floating on top. In front of her was a large bowl filled with soup and two extra chicken legs.
Zhang Cuihua said, "Qiqi, I stewed this soup all morning. Eat more to gain some weight. You're all skin and bones. How can you not eat more!"
She was thin, but not as bad as her mother-in-law described. She picked up a chicken leg from her bowl and placed it in her mother-in-law's, "My body needs to be nourished slowly. I can't handle eating so much good food all at once."
Zhang Cuihua was deeply moved, feeling that she had married a good daughter-in-law.
Shortly after lunch, guests arrived at the house.
The village chief, Li Wencai, looked at the dilapidated house. Even so, the entire family was happy, and he was genuinely pleased from the bottom of his heart.
However, as soon as he thought about what Fan Fu had discussed with him, his mood immediately soured.
He sat on a small stool outside, silent and unsure how to broach the subject. It was Zhao Jiaqi who noticed his difficulty and asked, "Village chief, is there something you need? Please speak freely."
Li Wencai looked intently at the newly married woman. She was intelligent, at least more so than Fan Zehao and Zhang Cuihua in terms of reading people's expressions.
"Niece-in-law, then I'll be direct."
Li Wencai took a sip of water before slowly explaining, "This matter goes back to when your mother-in-law first separated from the family..."
As soon as she heard the word 'separated', Zhao Jiaqi's mind buzzed. Her intuition told her that it was definitely not good news.
She had thought that after the scene at the old house last time, things would be settled. But she had been too naive.
The village chief spoke for a long time, and Zhao Jiaqi finally understood. It turned out that when her mother-in-law separated from the family, she was the only one separated, receiving nothing. Even the house they lived in belonged to the old family.
However, the place her mother-in-law was allowed to temporarily stay had now led to a falling out, and Fan Fu wanted to take the house back!
This was outrageous behavior!
"I'm going to find them!"
When Fan Zehao heard that they wanted to take back the house, it was as good as pushing them to their deaths. He jumped up in anger from his crouch on the ground, wanting to confront the people at the old house. His mother, fearing for his safety, followed him out.
Zhao Jiaqi did not stop him, letting him go to the old house to make a scene. She knew that Fan Fu would not dare to overtly drive them out; he must have received the approval of the two elders in the family.
"Uncle Village Chief, you can see our family's condition. We have nothing. If we have to move out now, our entire family will have to sleep on the streets. Could you please give us some more time, at least until we find a place to live?"