stingy landlady

Chapter 253 The Li Family Makes a Scene in Huanghua Village (6)

Li grumbled and walked away. She didn't dare to go into just any house. Seeing people coming and going in the woodworking workshop, she didn't know what they were doing. Curiosity got the better of her, so she followed them in to take a look.

To their surprise, the room was full of men working, all shirtless and bare-chested due to the heat. A woman suddenly entered, startling the men.

This was the first time Li had ever been stared at by so many men, and she turned and ran out. A burst of laughter erupted from inside. Li was both ashamed and angry, and ran even faster.

This time, Madam Li dared not enter unfamiliar houses casually. Walking alone in Huanghua Village, she knew no one. For some reason, no one approached her or addressed her as "Madam" this time.

Everyone she knew avoided her. Well, if you can't afford to offend someone, can't you at least avoid them? Li was feeling bored; she figured she might as well stay home!

Oh no! Li suddenly remembered that she had told Pan Qiang that morning not to come pick her up. Someone in the village would take her home. Last time Xile took her home, no one notified Pan Qiang, and he made a wasted trip.

This time, she told Pan Qiang that he didn't need to pick her up, so... how was she going to get home? Li stood there, dumbfounded!

With no other option, Li returned to Guizhi's original residence, only to find that she couldn't get in; the door was locked.

It turned out that Aunt Lan hadn't gone far; she had hidden nearby. Seeing Li Shi leave, she quickly came out and locked the door. Then she ran to Wanrou's place for refuge.

"Wanrou! I'll stay here all day! I don't dare to provoke Madam's temper. Tell Fourth Miss not to go out either, in case Madam gets angry and takes it out on Fourth Miss, that wouldn't be good!"

Wanrou nodded:

"Alright! You all eat and rest here. We don't know what to do when Miss gets back! How did she end up with such a clueless mother!"

Aunt Lan dared not accept this, for she was even less favored than Wanrou! Although both addressed Guizhi as "Miss," Wanrou was the principal wife, while she was merely a concubine!

Enraged, Li went to Wanrou's door again, shouting and yelling! This time, she didn't even go inside the gate; the neighbors just watched secretly, and no one dared to step forward.

Li felt utterly helpless, as if she had cried out to heaven and earth in vain. She went to the handicraft workshop again, the old woman acting as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Madam! You should go home! You absolutely cannot enter our workshop!"

Exhausted and thirsty from running around, Li plopped down in front of the old woman. This startled the old woman, who backed away.

"Madam! I didn't touch you! You can't try to extort me!"

Li sat on the ground, unwilling to move, and said weakly:

"I'm not trying to scam you! Why would I scam an old woman like you! Go and get someone to take me home! I'm never coming back again!"

The old woman quickly waved her hand:

"Madam! This old woman can't leave the ground! What if I go to find someone to hitch up the carriage for you, and you sneak in? Then I'll lose this job I worked so hard to get! No! Madam, you should go find someone yourself!"

Li cried out:

“I’m not going in! I already said I want to go home! Where am I supposed to find someone? The workshops over there are full of men, and they’re not even wearing clothes!”

You know this village well, go and find someone for me!

"No, no, no! Madam! I cannot leave here."

Alright! No matter what I say, the old woman is determined not to leave the front door.

Li waited for a long time, but no one came out of the workshop, so she had no choice but to return to Aunt Lan's place. She sat at the door and waited patiently for someone to return. She didn't know how long she waited, but she actually fell asleep sitting at the door.

Until she seemed to hear someone calling her name in her ear:

"Madam! Wake up! Madam! Wake up!"

Li woke up groggily and saw Jixiang when she opened her eyes.

Ji Xiang said softly:

"Madam! Joy has hitched up the carriage to take you home. It wouldn't be good if you caught a cold sleeping here. If you get sick, you'll have to take medicine and suffer."

Li nodded, trying to stand up, but almost fell; her legs had gone numb from sitting for so long. Jixiang helped Li into the carriage behind, while Xile took her home alone!

When Li arrived home, she was exhausted, hungry, and thirsty. She drank a large cup of water before she felt better. Xile didn't linger or complain to Dazhu. After Li got off the carriage, he drove it back to Huanghua Village.

Dazhu asked Li Shi curiously:

"Did you go to Huanghua Village to show off again today? Didn't you say you were going to stay for a few days? Why are you back so early?"

Li was too embarrassed to admit that she had encountered setbacks everywhere in Huanghua Village, so she just glared at Dazhu and stubbornly insisted:

"Mind your own business! There's no place like home! I'm definitely not leaving this house! I'm just going out for a stroll! Humph!"

Dazhu told Li with a smile:

"Oh! By the way! Madam! I have good news for you! Second Aunt is pregnant! It's her first child, and since you have experience, you should give her lots of guidance and take good care of her during this pregnancy!"

Li felt even more suffocated:

"She's not a little girl who needs me to take care of her! Doesn't she know her own body? She should know what she can and can't do!"

I didn't mistreat her, so you can rest assured!

Dazhu happily went to find his second aunt, while Li Shi felt a bellyful of grievances, not knowing who to confide in. Li Shi couldn't help but think of her sisters-in-law in the old house.

Back at the old house, the third son, Wang Yifei, and Jiuyue were also very upset. Ever since Qianshi learned that her husband, Wang Yifei, had taken a concubine and was keeping her in their hometown, she refused to move to town to live on her own.

In her own words:

"Wherever my husband is, I will be there! My husband's heart is in our hometown, and I will follow him and go back to fulfill my filial duties to him!"

As a concubine, Jiuyue naturally obeyed whatever the mistress said! Actually, the old man and woman were also quite frustrated. This Jiuyue was living on the north kang (heated brick bed) with the child, while the two elderly people slept on the south kang. Living under the same roof still felt quite inconvenient.

There's no reason for a son's concubine to live with his parents-in-law. But Madam Qian wouldn't let Jiuyue go back to her room, and Jiuyue was afraid that Madam Qian would go mad and kill her child!

He shamelessly stayed in the old lady's room. Wang Yifei also faced many inconveniences when he went home to see Jiu Yue and the children. Returning to his own room, he found everything about Qian Shi utterly unpleasant.

Since Qian was not well supported by her own family, and had finally gained the upper hand in her husband's family, she was bound to be unforgiving!

Wang Yifei tried to find Dazhu several times, but couldn't run into Guizhi. Guizhi was also always busy and rarely came home. So, in September, she had no choice but to squeeze into the old house with the children.

Zhao and Erzhu were finally able to relax a bit, as Taozhi was working and earning money in Huanghua Village. Erbao was learning to read and write with Guiling. Only Dabao was left, and Zhao began carefully selecting a wife for him.