She wanted that wretched Lu Zhaozhao to go dig for wild vegetables in the mountains, not herself.
Nowadays, anything edible in the mountains was being snatched up by those people. Where could any wild vegetables be found? If she didn’t bring back food today, she wouldn’t get any dinner. As an outsider who married into the family, she had no idea what the mountains were like.
It would be best if she got eaten by wolves in the mountains.
Then all that silver of hers would belong to the family, wouldn’t it?
Who would want to go up the mountain with her?
“Aren’t we going up the mountain? Surely Mother-in-law doesn’t expect me to go alone?” Lu Zhaozhao’s gaze was profound.
Old Lady Jiang: …That was exactly what she had in mind!
“You’re trying to kill me! How can an old woman like me climb the mountain? There’s no justice in this world!” Old Lady Jiang began to wail.
Neighbors on both sides curiously peered over the courtyard wall.
Hearing this, Lu Zhaozhao smiled. “Mother-in-law is right. At your age, you shouldn’t be climbing mountains.”
Lu Zhaozhao was beautiful, and her smile added a touch of allure.
Jiang Rong’er stood nearby, her eyes fixed on her sister-in-law. Seeing her fair skin and lovely appearance, she felt a pang of bitterness.
Sourly, she said, “Sister-in-law, don’t just talk about it. You ate the last bowl of gruel in the house. Shouldn’t you go up the mountain now? Or do you want to starve my mother to death?”
“You have a point, but… what about you?”
Lu Zhaozhao looked meaningfully at Jiang Rong’er.
“Me? What about me?” Jiang Rong’er didn’t understand her sister-in-law’s meaning.
“Mother-in-law can’t move, but you should be able to, right? You look strong and healthy, much sturdier than me. I’m new here and don’t even know which way the mountain is. Shouldn’t you come with me, little sister?” Lu Zhaozhao asked with a smile.
“You wretched girl, how can you be so cruel? My daughter isn’t married yet. How can she work like you? She’s going to marry into a wealthy family!” Old Lady Jiang raised her voice sharply. If she weren’t afraid of losing a fight, she would have confronted Lu Zhaozhao right then.
Hearing this, Lu Zhaozhao smiled. “Who she marries has nothing to do with me. If there’s work to be done, she has to go too.”
With that, she grabbed Jiang Rong’er’s wrist to keep her from running away.
Jiang Rong’er trembled in fear. She had seen how her sister-in-law treated her mother yesterday. Would she try to kill her too?
“Mother, I don’t want to go to the mountains…” Jiang Rong’er pleaded pitifully with Old Lady Jiang.
Lu Zhaozhao looked down at Jiang Rong’er, who was much shorter than her. Without laying a hand on her, she spoke calmly. “Wealthy families value reputation. To marry into a good family, one’s conduct and reputation are extremely important. If you don’t work today…
Then I’ll spread the word that the Jiang family’s youngest daughter is greedy, lazy, and a wicked woman.
Word will spread far and wide. By the time it reaches the county town, you won’t need to worry about marrying into a wealthy family.”
With every word Lu Zhaozhao spoke, Jiang Rong’er’s face grew paler.
“Y-you’re talking nonsense!” Jiang Rong’er’s voice trembled.
“If you don’t believe me, you can try.” Lu Zhaozhao looked down disdainfully at Jiang Rong’er, who was much shorter than her.
From Jiang Yanqing’s perspective in the book’s plot, this entire family could be described as villains.
In the Original Plot, Jiang Rong’er initially married into a wealthy family in the county. Later, when the male lead’s family rose in status, she falsely claimed that her husband’s family abused her. After the male lead secured a divorce for her, she caused that family’s ruin.
The female lead accidentally discovered the truth—it was all because Jiang Rong'er looked down on the poor and admired the rich, wanting to follow them to the capital for a better life.
Although the male lead, Jiang Yanxuan, was furious, for the sake of his sister, he eradicated that entire family. And in the original story, Jiang Rong'er did indeed marry a great general.
She had seen many villains, but it was rare to encounter an entire family as wicked as the Jiangs.
"Mother…" Jiang Rong'er was so anxious she began to cry.
Old Lady Jiang felt heartbroken for her daughter, her old eyes blazing with anger. "Stop trying to scare my Rong'er! I'm telling you, if you dare…"
"What can you do?" Lu Zhaozhao sneered at her.
Old Lady Jiang was left speechless by Lu Zhaozhao's question. This daughter-in-law truly lived up to her background from a wealthy family—fearless and sharp-tongued.
No… she had to quickly find a wife for Second Son too, so the second daughter-in-law could keep her in check.
Besides, if this little wretch didn't go up the mountain, how could she sneak into the room to search for the silver?
Having made up her mind, Old Lady Jiang said with a dark expression, "Rong'er, you go up the mountain with your eldest sister-in-law."
Jiang Rong'er's eyes widened in disbelief.
The Jiang family genes were quite good, and Jiang Rong'er had been pampered by Old Lady Jiang, rarely doing any work.
She valued her face more than her own life!
If she went up the mountain, wouldn't she get sunburned?
Furious, she cried out, "Mother!"
"Alright, Mother wouldn't harm you," Old Lady Jiang pulled her daughter along.
Nearby, Jiang Qingbao looked at Lu Zhaozhao, her eyes shining brightly.
Eldest sister-in-law… is so impressive!
"Now, can you go up the mountain? Don't even think about slacking off!" Old Lady Jiang's gaze was sharp, as if she wished she could tear a piece of flesh from Lu Zhaozhao.
Lu Zhaozhao turned and entered the room. In the corner of the room was a back basket, likely used by Jiang Yanqing.
She tossed the pouch of silver into the back basket and covered it with some scattered items before pushing the door open again.
"Shall we go?"
Old Lady Jiang was itching to rummage through Lu Zhaozhao's back basket to see what was inside.
With tears still on her face, Jiang Rong'er was ushered out of the gate by Old Lady Jiang.
Once away from home, Jiang Rong'er dared not provoke Lu Zhaozhao any further. Filled with hatred, she kept her head down and walked straight toward the mountain.
Along the way, they encountered many villagers who pointed and whispered at the sight of Lu Zhaozhao.
It seemed the morning's commotion at the Jiang household had already spread throughout the village.
At the foot of the mountain, the Light Screen appeared before Lu Zhaozhao once again.
【999: Detecting that the host is about to enter the mountain. Hunting timer activated: 10 points per hour. Additional points will be awarded based on different prey caught. Please work hard, host, and strive for the peak.】
The Light Screen had already started counting down.
Jiang Rong'er glared at her resentfully. "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go into the mountain."
Hearing this, Lu Zhaozhao smiled at her. "You go first."
"Why should I?" Jiang Rong'er snapped angrily.
Lu Zhaozhao didn't argue further. Instead, she skillfully took the only weapon on her—the silver hairpin.
Once she had money, she would need to quickly acquire something better for self-defense.
Jiang Rong'er immediately backed down.
Not daring to provoke Lu Zhaozhao again, she lowered her head and led the way, feeling wronged.
Once inside the mountain, Lu Zhaozhao was stunned. Her dear mother-in-law had indeed intended to get her hands on the silver.
In this mountain, not even wild vegetables could be found—even the leaves had been stripped bare.
There was nothing in this area near the mountain, not a single person in sight.
Jiang Rong'er led Lu Zhaozhao deeper inside with a dark expression on her face.
After walking for about a quarter of an hour, they finally saw greenery again.
"Let's search around here. We'll just dig up some wild vegetables and head back," Jiang Rong'er said, then immediately looked for a place to rest.
Lu Zhaozhao was much quicker than her. She sat down first on a large rock Jiang Rong'er had picked out and handed the basket to her: "You've worked hard, little sister."