Picking Up a General to Plow the Fields

Chapter 306: Madam Qiao is satisfied

Lian Fang Zhou’s expression was heart-wrenchingly sincere: “Auntie, I mean it! If it has nothing to do with us, that would be great!”

“What nonsense are you spouting!” Madam Qiao was so angry that she was almost proud that Lian Fang Zhou was trying to ‘avoid her’ out of fear! She was also a little distressed that she couldn’t actually accept it.

How could it really work that way?

Madam Qiao felt dizzy for a moment, her lungs exploding with fury.

With a pale face and trembling lips, she stared at Lian Fang Zhou and said bitterly: “You try to say you’re giving me a bargain and that you are so honest but really you’re just getting a cheap benefit! What’s the use of talking about this kind of ‘generosity’, can’t I tell the truth?”

The fact was that they were taking advantage of her son!

Lian Fang Zhou saw that Madam Qiao was so angry that she wanted to swallow her alive and felt speechless.
Eventually, she shrugged and said: “This is what you’ve said, I can’t do anything!”

“Ha!” Madam Qiao sneered, saying coldly: “There is no such thing as a cheap benefit in this word and yet you’re trying to take advantage of others! Just look a the tattered goods you sent this morning, what are they worth!? A few cheap goods, are you sending it to a beggar?!”

So it turned out to be about this! Lian Fang Zhou finally understood.
She raised her eyebrows lightly and said: “Tattered goods? If eldest aunt is displeased, please send them back to me! I’m too ashamed to stain your old eyes!”

She continued with great irony: “It seems I haven’t taken any advantage yet? This will cost me a lot of money, hey, I think this seems to be a loss!”

Madam Qiao felt another burst of rage.
Coldly, she snorted and said: “Don’t try and talk around me, Lian Fang Zhou, I won’t be fooled by you! Hmph, my son is now a shengyuan and has a great future.
In a few years, I will be the mother of a big official, just like the lady of a big family, I won’t care about the likes of you!”

Lian Fang Zhou almost laughed out loud.
She was able to say this after her son only became a shengyuan, her imagination was really something! Not even ten horses could hold it back!

“In that case, I will congratulate eldest aunt first!” Lian Fang Zhou said sarcastically.

Proud, Madam Qiao snorted and said: “If you understand, good! Ah Hai will be back in two days.
Your uncle and I have discussed that we want to set up an open table banquet and invite the villagers to eat, no less than thirty tables… no forty tables! One table will cost at least two taels of silver, plus other miscellaneous things, so a total of one hundred taels! You can’t keep this money to yourself, right?”

She gave Lian Fang Zhou a slanted look, saying: “Its fine if you can’t bring it all out, you can just give us sixty taels!”

Lian Fang Zhou was stunned, actually feeling suffocated by hearing this person’s words!

Two taels of silver for a table? Who is she kidding? Even if you took all the chicken, fish, and other meat to make a hearty meal for a table, it would only cost two or three silver coins! When she opens her mouth, it becomes two taels, who is she trying to fool?

Naturally, Lian Fang Zhou would not be taken advantage of, especially given Madam Qiao’s tone and attitude.

However, she did not rush to refuse but rather curiously asked: “Why are we taking out sixty taels but you are only paying forty?”

After hearing this, Madam Qiao took it for granted that Lian Fang Zhou had agreed but she was still unwilling to miss a chance to talk down to her.
Feeling her spirits refresh, she immediately said: “Are you unable to understand such a basic thing? Ah Hai is our son and his achievements are due to our hard work but you are just taking advantage of his success for nothing! Isn’t it just a little bit more, it’s not bad if you can’t take it all out!”

While she talked, Madam Qiao was making calculations in her heart.
With Lian Fang Zhou’s sixty taels, it would be enough to pay for even the biggest banquet.
Chicken, fish, even duck could be served and the firewood would be covered.
Didn’t this girl bring back a lot of money from her fields last year? Calculated like this, she could have fifty taels of silver left over for her family!

Madam Qiao was not at all worried that the villagers would gossip or accuse her family of being stingy.

In her opinion, it was more than enough that they were going to enjoy a banquet hosted by her family.
How good was their lives? Did they still dare to pick and choose?

Besides, when her son became a high-ranked official in the future, they would be falling over themselves to vie for his attention!

Madam Qiao’s vision was very beautiful, very energetic, but she still underestimated her enemy too much!

After listening to her explanation, Lian Fang Zhou was both amused and furious.
Madam Qiao’s incomparable logic made her deeply aware of how unusual this woman’s brain was!

“Eldest aunt’s words have some truth in them.” Lian Fang Zhou muttered slowly.

Madam Qiao’s response was two sneers while Third Aunt, still under the window, almost blurted out an exclamation.

Although Third Aunt was afraid of Madam Qiao now, the possibility of losing their silver gave her a burst of courage.
Shouting ‘Fang Zhou’, she strode inside.

Don’t waste money, only a fool would believe Madam Qiao’s words! Third Aunt gave Lian Fang Zhou a look of utter condemnation and resentment.

She was about to speak when Lian Fang Zhou winked at her and invited her to sit down.
Then Lian Fang Zhou turned back to Madam Qiao and continued to speak: “However, I can’t give this money to eldest aunt, I will give it to Cousin when he returns.”

Lian Fang Zhou’s decisive words made Madam Qiao unhappy but she couldn’t think of any way to refute it.

Moreover, her approach of trying to get a benefit was actually quite normal and there was nothing to fault.

Thinking about it, since she has promised to give money, wasn’t it the same to give it to her son?

Hmph, when the time came, she would ask her son to come over.
Let’s just see if she dared to show off and anger her!

This thought made Madam Qiao’s heart a bit happier and she nodded: “Alright, Ah Hai will be back soon! Don’t forget when the time comes!”

“Don’t worry, Aunt, how could I forget such an important thing?” Lian Fang Zhou smiled and added: “Even if I forget, Aunt will come and remind me, right?”

Madam Qiao had a thick face so she only snorted and waved her hand, getting up to leave: She couldn’t be bothered crossing more words with this dead girl!

After she left Lian Fang Zhou’s house, Madam Qiao felt that her whole body was lighter and she was very happy.
Before she couldn’t even win one confrontation but this time she won!

Not only won but also got great benefits!

How could this not make her happy?