Jiang Tingting directly pulled two rabbits out of her space and grabbed more than a dozen eggs.
She placed them all in her backpack basket, then gathered some wild vegetables from the space as well.
Of course, the quality of what the space produced couldn’t be compared to wild mountain vegetables—the ones from the space were sweet and tender, with high nutritional value.
After getting all that ready, Jiang Tingting also grabbed a wild chicken and went to the village to trade it for white rice.
She put the rice into the backpack basket and held one rabbit in her hand.
With her around, she definitely wouldn’t let Zhou Qinghao’s family keep suffering.
Jiang Tingting had just arrived at the Zhou family’s doorstep with her heavy basket when Jiang’s mother caught her: “You damned girl, I told you to come home early today, but instead you’re running all over the village—what are you doing?”
Hearing Jiang’s mother’s voice, Jiang Tingting only felt it was utterly ironic.
In her past life, she did the hardest work, ate the worst food, and then was heartlessly sold off, squeezed dry of her last bit of value.
This life, she wasn’t that foolish anymore.
“Oh, you even caught a rabbit? My daughter is so capable. Come on, come on, let’s go home—your mother has good news for you!” Jiang’s mother stared at the rabbit in Jiang Tingting’s hand, unable to stop herself from swallowing.
Jiang’s mother secretly rejoiced—today was truly a stroke of luck.
Meat to eat.
Sigh… If it weren’t for wanting her son to study and bring back a top scholar title, she really wouldn’t be willing to sell this girl off so soon.
No matter what, Jiang Tingting was still pretty good at working.
“Quick, give it to your mother to hold.” Jiang’s mother reached straight for the rabbit—only with the meat in her own hands could she feel at ease.
Jiang’s mother’s outstretched hand grabbed nothing but air. She got anxious and snapped, “What are you doing?”
This damned girl actually dared to dodge!
“This is for my mother-in-law and my little brother to eat,” Jiang Tingting said with a smile.
“Of course I know you mean to give it to me—I’ll just hold it myself,” Jiang’s mother said without thinking.
But Jiang Tingting smiled with biting sarcasm: “The mother I mean is my mother-in-law. And the little brother is my husband’s younger brother.”
Jiang’s mother froze on the spot, wondering if her ears were playing tricks on her.
“You wretched girl, have you lost your mind? What mother-in-law? You’re not even married yet… What’s going on with your hair?” Only then did Jiang’s mother notice Jiang Tingting’s married woman’s bun and was startled.
“Mother, you should go ask Grandmother about that.” Jiang Tingting smiled slightly and said, “Grandfather and Grandmother have already decided and married me off to the Zhou family. From now on, I have no connection to the Jiang family.”
“What?” Jiang’s mother let out a wail.
Married?
If Jiang Tingting was married, how could she sell her off for money?
The matchmaker was still waiting at home!
“If Mother doesn’t believe me, you can go ask Grandfather and Grandmother. The village head knows about this too.” Jiang Tingting finished with a smile, then reminded her, “Mother, I’ll be going now—my mother-in-law is waiting for me to cook.”
Jiang’s mother’s mind went blank, but she instinctively blocked Jiang Tingting’s path: “No, you can’t leave!”
“I never agreed—how can you get married?” Jiang’s mother didn’t know much else, but she knew that the tuition money for her son’s schooling had just flown away.
If she couldn’t sell Jiang Tingting, she’d have no silver, and without silver, her son couldn’t go to school—so how would he ever bring back a top scholar title?
“Mother, you’ll have to ask Grandfather and Grandmother about that.” Jiang Tingting let out a soft sigh. “We haven’t divided the family, so naturally Grandfather and Grandmother have the final say. Now I’m no longer a daughter of the Jiang family, but a wife of the Zhou family. If Mother keeps blocking me from fulfilling my duties to my mother-in-law… and this gets taken to the village head… that wouldn’t be good for little brother.”
Jiang’s mother shuddered violently—her son was what she cared about most.
The moment her son’s reputation was threatened, Jiang’s mother grew afraid.
Reluctantly, she shuffled aside, her eyes fixed dead on the plump wild rabbit in Jiang Tingting’s hand. She swallowed and said, “Even if you’re married, you still have to honor your natal family. Give me the rabbit.”
Jiang Tingting sneered inwardly. She knew Jiang’s mother would never let meat right at her fingertips slip away.
Too bad—from now on, this would happen often, and Jiang’s mother would have to get used to seeing it but not eating it.
“Mother, my mother-in-law gave Grandmother the bride price, but our family didn’t provide a single coin of dowry. If I keep giving things to my natal family… I’m not afraid of being scolded by my mother-in-law, but don’t Father and Mother want little brother to take the imperial exams? Isn’t his reputation important?” After asking, Jiang Tingting held the rabbit forward. “If Mother doesn’t care, then take it.”
Jiang’s mother’s face changed, and she jumped back sharply, dodging the rabbit Jiang Tingting offered.
That wasn’t a rabbit at all!
It was clearly a bloodstained blade cutting off her son’s future!
Bride price?
Jiang’s mother’s heart skipped a beat: “Your mother-in-law gave your grandmother a bride price?”
“That’s right.” Jiang Tingting smiled, raising a finger and wagging it. “A full five taels of silver.”
“What? Five taels of silver?” Jiang’s mother shrieked, her anger blazing like fire. This was her daughter—even if she were to be sold, the silver should rightfully belong to her.
Jiang Tingting watched her mother scurry off in a puff of smoke, a cold smirk curling at the corner of her lips.
Five taels of silver would be enough to keep the Jiang family in a frenzy for a while.
She had no time to watch the spectacle; she still needed to go back and cook for her mother-in-law and her younger brother-in-law.
The mother and son were so thin they barely looked human. If they kept starving like this… they wouldn’t last much longer.
Jiang Tingting turned and headed home.
After she left, Zhou Qinghao pushed his father out from a nearby corner.
He said thoughtfully, “Father, that woman must have a purpose for marrying into our family. What she said to her mother just now sounded reasonable at first glance, but in truth, it was full of instigation.”
“This woman is deeply calculating. Could she be someone sent by the palace to monitor our mother?”
In his previous life, he hadn’t known what had happened here.
He had originally planned to come here, wait for the right moment, and take his mother and younger brother away directly.
Now, the palace had sent someone to be by his mother’s side—were they guarding against any backup plans?
Could it be that his trick of using a corpse as a decoy on the battlefield to replace him and his father hadn’t fooled the palace?
Or had it fooled them, but they still harbored suspicions?
Zhou’s father’s eyes turned cold. “Let’s observe for now. Don’t reveal our identities.”
He had been loyal his entire life, never expecting to end up in such a plight.
If he couldn’t even protect his own wife and children, what kind of man was he?
“Mm.” Zhou Qinghao acknowledged, pushing his father toward the house the village head had sold to them.
They would settle in first and keep a close watch to protect his mother and younger brother.
Clearing their names would have to be done gradually; for now, their top priority was ensuring the safety of themselves and their family.
Jiang Tingting returned to the Zhou household, calling out excitedly, “Mother, I caught some game! Tonight, we’ll have meat to eat!”
Before Zhou’s mother came out, a young boy dashed out from the backyard, curiously eyeing Jiang Tingting. “Are you my big sister-in-law?”
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