The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

"Alas, I had thought to keep the money there quietly, and then take it out to help you when you need it. I never expected that the thief would succeed so easily. I feel so regretful and bitter now..."

As she spoke, the old lady's tears silently fell again.

"Mother, you hid it too well. You have such a large sum of silver hidden at home, and you always complain to us about being poor, saying that you can't make ends meet. As your sons, we have to hand over one tael of silver out of the two taels of monthly allowance to you. I didn't expect that you have saved so much in private. It's really..." There was a complaint in Chen Zhenwen's words.

Zheng Cuihua glanced at Old Mrs. Chen with disdain, her eyes filled with indifference and helplessness, as if her growing dissatisfaction with this family had finally reached its peak.

Her patience with this family was like a pool of water that was gradually drying up. Although she did the work day after day, the reward that should have belonged to her was like a mirage, out of reach.

Chen Zhenwu earned only two taels of silver every month from his hard work, and half of it had to be given to Old Lady Chen. After deducting various trivial household expenses, the rest was just enough for him to get by, with not a single ounce of silver left.

Zheng Cuihua is a woman who likes to dress herself up, and she has an inseparable affection for cosmetics that can enhance her beauty.

But her tight financial situation forced her to rely on the meager financial support from her parents every month to maintain this little hobby.

"Can you please say less? Can't you see how sad your mother is feeling?" Chen Zhenwu roared in a low voice with almost all his strength.

Zheng Cuihua was not the kind of weak woman who would submit to everything. In the face of Chen Zhenwu's reproach, she quickly fought back.

"Chen Zhenwu, do you no longer want to live? Why are you yelling at me? I didn't want your mother to lose money. How can you blame me for this mistake?"

Although Chen Zhenwu's heart was burning with anger, he could only suppress the anger that was about to erupt. The frustration and helplessness were like a heavy stone, pressing heavily on his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Seeing that the atmosphere was tense, Zhou Xuemei hurriedly intervened, fearing that the dispute would cause Zheng Cuihua to return home in anger again, leaving a pile of heavy housework unattended.

"Cuihua, stop being angry with Zhenwu. He is just worried about his mother's health, and it is normal for him to react this way. As for the lost silver, we can slowly find a way to make up for it. There is no need to rush."

When Zheng Cuihua heard this, her eyes fixed on Zhou Xuemei's face with an expression of disbelief.

"Sister-in-law, you sound too relaxed, as if the lost silver could grow legs and run back home by itself. Besides, we have no clues now, where can we look for it?"

Zhou Xuemei was speechless after being asked by Zheng Cuihua. A trace of embarrassment flashed across her face and she couldn't find a suitable answer for a moment.

At this time, someone suggested: "I think it's better to report it directly to the police and let Chen Xi suffer a little, so that she won't always look so superior."

Chen Zhenwu shook his head, his tone somewhat powerless, "Brother, you know that without solid evidence, the gate of the county government is like an iron plate to us, and we will not care about such family affairs."

"What should we do? Are we just going to let it go and let the fifty taels of silver go to waste?" As soon as these words were spoken, a feeling of worry spread throughout the room.

"This morning, my mother and I went to find Chen Xi again. We wanted her to help share some of the burden, even if it was just a few ounces of silver. But not only was she unwilling to lend a hand, she scolded us harshly instead."

Chen Zhenwen and Chen Zhenwu looked at each other and asked in confusion: "What's the matter with that one tael of silver?"

"It was announced at the village meeting last night that every household has to contribute one or two taels of silver because the situation at the court is turbulent, and the silver will be used for disaster relief," Zhou Xuemei explained.

Chen Zhenwen frowned, turned to Zhou Xuemei and asked, "What should we do now? Mother's silver is lost, where can we find this little silver to make up for it?"

"Yes, this morning at the entrance of the village, Chen Xi handed over her share to the village chief in front of everyone, and also paid the money for her neighbor, Mrs. Xiong. My mother and I wanted to take the opportunity to ask her to help us, but she was rejected. Not only did she not help, but she also embarrassed us in front of everyone." Zhou Xuemei said with a gloomy expression.

"Chen Xi is such an ungrateful kid, he has no mercy at all." Chen Zhenwu said indignantly.

"What will be the consequences if you don't pay that one or two taels of silver?" Chen Zhenwu asked.

Zhou Xuemei recounted with a serious expression: "The village chief threatened that if anyone fails to pay in full on time, his land will be confiscated and he will not be allowed to continue farming."

"The officials of Xu Gaoping are really ruthless." Chen Zhenwu muttered to himself.

Zheng Cuihua stood silently by the side, her eyes lowered, her heart in turmoil, difficult to calm down.

Her thoughts were in a whirlwind, and finally landed on two seemingly decisive but actually helpless solutions.

Divide the family or break off the marriage with Chen Zhenwu.

Be it Mrs. Chen's deep scheming or Zhou Xuemei's seemingly gentle but actually calculating mind, they are not something she can easily contend with.

A resolute idea quietly took root in her heart. Instead of suffering in this depressing environment, it would be better to find a quiet place for herself as soon as possible.

"Now that the money has disappeared and the family finances are stretched, why not separate the family and make our own livings without disturbing each other?"

When everyone heard this, they were all stunned, with different expressions on their faces, some were shocked, some were confused, and some were dissatisfied.

In this atmosphere that was already particularly heavy due to the loss of silver and money, Zheng Cuihua's words undoubtedly added fuel to the fire, making the air even more tense.

Chen Zhenwu was the first to stand up and object, with a hint of impatience and confusion in his tone: "How can this be possible? What should mother do? If you want to divide it, you can do it yourself. I will never agree."

Facing Chen Zhenwu's toughness, Zheng Cuihua's eyes flashed with determination: "Okay, if you firmly refuse to agree to the separation, then sign and agree to the divorce."

Chen Zhenwu was speechless for a moment, his face flushed red, but he couldn't find the words to refute.

At this moment, Old Lady Chen, who had been immersed in grief, suddenly stopped crying. Although her voice was old, it revealed a power that could not be ignored: "Stop arguing. This is all my fault. Since the money is gone, you can divide it however you want. It is my fate to starve to death, my old bones."

On the surface, the old lady's words were self-blaming, but in reality she was pointing the moral stick at Zheng Cuihua, implying that she was unfilial, instigated her son to split up the family property, and even threatened to divorce him.

Zheng Cuihua knew very well that this was a naked accusation and pressure on her, but she did not back down. Instead, she became stubborn.