Mrs. Zhou Ma pretended not to see Mrs. Ma's dark face and continued to recall what she knew about her step-mother-in-law's private property: "Well, I remember when I first got married, I heard the maid in the main courtyard mention the dowry list of the family. There are more than twenty shops on the busiest streets in Chang'an City! There are also two or three good Zhuangzi outside the city. Later, the old aunt also added workshops, tea gardens, weaving and embroidery workshops... and the largest silk and satin shop in the city. Together with the caravan of more than 200 people, they are all left to the A'jia. The A'jia has so many industrial manpower, so what's the point of allocating a few shops to Zhou Jinpu? If you are reluctant to build a workshop in a good village with rich production, then buy it now One! Xiaozhuangzi only costs a thousand and a few hundred taels, so what does it mean to the A family?!"
She recalled the uproar in the Ma family when Madam Ma's adoptive mother's will was spread, and her resentment deepened. She was several years older than Mr. Ma. When the old aunt passed away, she had already remembered it. She clearly remembered that the tribe had made a list of the property in the old aunt's name. There were more than ten boxes of gold and jewelry alone, and there were countless houses and fields. They all belong to Mrs. Ma, who married into the third room of the Zhou family. If it weren't for the great power of the Zhou family and the fact that the old man from the third room was protecting his wife, how could the Ma clan be willing to give up this huge amount of property? !
Although the old aunt earned the money and inherited the capital from her late husband, the old aunt was able to get rid of the exploitation of her husband's family and return to Chang'an to make a fortune because of the Ma family! Although the old aunt helped several members of the Ma clan to study for the imperial examinations, how could this amount of money be enough to repay the clansmen's help to her? Mrs. Ma was able to marry into the third wife of the Zhou family as the adopted daughter of a businessman. The Ma family also contributed a lot, but in the end they could only watch her swallow up such a large fortune. Who wouldn't murmur in their hearts?
The people of the Ma clan were so active in supporting Zhou Ma to marry into the third house of the Zhou family to fill in the house, and they may not have had some intention of getting back some of the huge lost property. It was only when Zhou Ma entered the door that he realized that such a thing could not be done.
When she thought that her step-mother-in-law was so rich, yet she still had the idea of marrying off her property, Mrs. Zhou Ma couldn't bear it no matter what.
She turned to look at Zhou Shigong: "Master! You always say that the family has been kind to you in raising her, so we should be more filial to her. But her kindness to you is not considered sincere, right? I don't want to share half of the marriage property. Zhou Jinpu is the vicious and mean stepmother. Did the Ah family give you 10% of your marriage property?! If not, wouldn’t she be even more vicious and mean?! How much kindness can such a stepmother show to you? Why do you have to be filial to her?! If the clansmen knew her true identity, they would have no shame in blaming you!"
Zhou Shigong turned away with his eyes flickering and scolded in a low voice: "Stop saying a few words! Now that there is no matter of building a workshop, no one can touch your marriage property, so just calm down. Everything will be prosperous for our family. Our family will be happy." We are already in trouble right now, but if you keep making trouble, you won’t be able to survive this day?!”
Zhou Ma felt aggrieved again: "Master! Well, I am speaking for you!"
Zhou Shigong waved his hand: "There is no need for you to speak for me. Just calm down and I will worry less! Okay, go back to the hospital quickly and don't be rude to your mother again. Over at Jinpu, don't say anything about him anymore." Okay. I will ask him to kowtow to you later, and you, mother and son, will reconcile and continue to live in harmony in the future."
Zhou Ma's eyes widened and she didn't understand why her husband still asked her to swallow her anger even though she had spoken so clearly. The ones who were wrong were obviously my step-mother-in-law, Mrs. Ma, and her stepson, Zhou Jinpu! What's the use of Zhou Jinpu coming to kowtow to her? He had to kowtow to many uncles, aunts and elders throughout the year, but at what point did he take her stepmother seriously? After kowtowing, he would still continue to speak ill of her. What's the use of kowtowing? !
Mrs. Ma mocked at the side: "Idiot, just give up! Your man knows better than you, how can he disobey my mother after listening to your provocation?!"
Zhou Ma suddenly turned around and glared at her: "When did you instigate this?! What you said is all the truth!"
Mrs. Ma sneered: "What's the truth? I didn't give him the marriage property, so I'm being vicious and mean? This family relies on my marriage property to support him! He lived so long, took wives and concubines, and gave birth to a whole family. My children and grandchildren all depend on my money! If I am called vicious and mean, how can I be considered a truly loving mother?!"
Mr. Zhou Ma was surprised: "Impossible!" The three-fang Zhou family had a great business. When did they become so poor that they had to rely on Mrs. Ma's dowry to support them? She is not a fool!
But Mrs. Ma said: "Do you think the three-bedroom Zhou family is still as wealthy as it was decades ago? If you don't run the family, you don't know that the old man has lost all the money in this family! If I hadn't sold off the dowry, you would have lost it by now. Just drink the northwest wind!"
Zhou Ma quickly grabbed her husband's sleeve: "Master, is what the family said true? Where did the old man spend his money?!"
Seeing that his stepmother had spoken out, Zhou Shigong had no choice but to confess: "Most of them are to supplement the veterans at home, as well as the disabled soldiers who came off the battlefield. Your villa only has a few dozen veterans, and there are more veterans." , injured soldiers, were all arranged elsewhere. Those Zhuangzi... were all purchased by my father with his own money during his lifetime. But his rent was low, and he would continue to subsidize a sum of money every year to prevent them from losing their livelihood, which would cost a lot of money. ”
"But how much money can that cost?!" After marrying into the third family of the Zhou family, Mrs. Zhou could not manage the middle feeder. However, when she was in her natal family, her biological mother and stepmother died of illness one after another, so she had been in charge of the family for two years before leaving the court. There are many veterans and wounded soldiers in Chang'an. She knows how much it costs to feed them. The Ma family and her relatives, friends and neighbors have old practices. The villa where she was married also raised dozens of people, and the amount of expenses was recorded in the account. The rent was also very low, and the money and food were subsidized every year. For dozens of people, the total amount was four to five hundred taels a year. The output of the other village can barely support it. Otherwise, the third house owner doesn't pay for it. How can she support so many people with her private house alone? !
The old man has been leading the army for no more than ten years. How many of the soldiers and veterans he has used are still alive today? Even if it were ten times more than the dozens of people in other villages, a few thousand taels of silver a year would be enough, and the Zhou family's three-bedroom property would not be exhausted in thirty to fifty years!
Zhou Ma didn't believe it at all.
Mrs. Ma sneered and said: "Where do you think the old man's good reputation came from during his lifetime? How much did he spend every year just to supplement the military expenses out of his own pocket? Do you think the Zhou family's three-bedroom property can withstand such a toss from him?! Still? Don't you rely on me to supplement it?! Now I don't have much dowry left. I still want to leave some for my children and grandchildren, so I have to let you contribute. Otherwise, she is also the daughter-in-law of the third wife of the Zhou family, why should I? You have spent everything you have, but you can still hold on to the little bit of marriage wealth and not get a cent?!"
Zhou Ma staggered back two steps and kept shaking his head: "Impossible... If this was really the case, the news would have spread long ago! No matter how generous the old man is, he can't be so confused! He paid for it out of his own pocket. Of course he has a good reputation, but it is called What should we do with the people behind us? What should we do with the rest of the Zhou family? If we don’t pay for it, we’re not as good as him?! That’s not how you get to lead an army, and that’s not how you earn your reputation!”
"That's why the old man keeps it quiet, and outsiders don't know about it!" Old Madam Ma snorted coldly, "Don't spread this word out, let outsiders know, or be careful of venting your anger on your children and grandchildren! The matter of the glass workshop is not settled for the time being, so let's talk about it later. . The family has to find some way to make money. Otherwise, how will we live? If someone comes to accuse us of poaching the border army in the future, just scold me and say that this is not the case! Our three-bedroom family property is all We subsidize the border army, so what if we ask the border army to give us some back? What a big deal, make a fuss out of a molehill!"
(End of chapter)
