Yet the current Zhou Yushu was a pitiful soul who would be casually scolded for eating just two extra pancakes.
What’s more, he dared not resist after being reprimanded.
As soon as Meng Zhizhi finished speaking, Mother Zhou’s attention instantly shifted, her mind ringing with alarm bells.
“Meng Zhizhi, what are you trying to do? Don’t forget your place—you are the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhou family.”
Zhou Yushu was only eighteen this year.
Just barely an adult.
Meng Zhizhi smiled gently. “Mom, I am the eldest daughter-in-law. I’m just showing concern for my brother-in-law.”
Then, right in front of Mother Zhou, she publicly picked up two pancakes and placed them in Zhou Yushu’s bowl. “Eat up. How can you have the strength to marry a wife if you don’t eat your fill?”
“Let me tell you, girls like tall, strong men who can protect them.”
Zhou Yushu froze.
He was clearly incredulous that in a place like the Zhou family, someone dared not fear his mother.
Even more so, someone dared to question his mother and, right in front of her, gave him two more cornmeal pancakes.
Mother Zhou frowned at the sight of the two cornmeal pancakes being taken, as those were the ones she had intended to save for Zhou Hongying and Zhou Chuang.
“Meng Zhizhi, I indulge you because you are my Zhou family’s daughter-in-law, but that doesn’t mean you can interfere with my family’s decisions.”
Meng Zhizhi looked up. “Mom, you said yourself that I’m the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law. Surely I have the right to pick up a pancake. Besides, I’m not giving them to an outsider—this is your own son.”
Mother Zhou fell silent.
She collected the enamel plate from the table, and along with it, the remaining cornmeal pancakes.
Those were meant for Zhou Hongying and Zhou Chuang.
Zhou Hongying was the only daughter in the family, the cherished one.
Although Zhou Chuang was rebellious and unruly, he was the youngest son.
Parents have always favored the youngest child.
As for Zhou Yushu, the third son stuck in the middle, neither here nor there, unloved by both father and mother, he had naturally become a pitiful figure over time.
“Are you saving those for Zhou Hongying?”
See! Even when questioning, Meng Zhizhi remained gentle and soft-spoken, making it impossible for anyone to get angry with her.
Even Mother Zhou felt the same, though she would never admit she was somewhat afraid of Meng Zhizhi.
Mother Zhou grunted in acknowledgment.
“Then don’t save them.”
“I won’t cook for her.”
Meng Zhizhi refused outright, directly picking two more pancakes from the plate and placing them in Zhou Yushu’s bowl.
Zhou Yushu froze again.
Mother Zhou felt Meng Zhizhi was challenging her authority as the head of the household, but before she could speak, Zhao Mingzhu also took two cornmeal pancakes.
“Why does she get them and I don’t?”
“I’d rather feed them to the dogs than save them for Zhou Hongying.”
Mother Zhou trembled with anger. “Are you here to take my life?”
Meng Zhizhi ignored her, turned around with the cornmeal pancakes, and walked away. Before leaving, she glanced at Zhou Yushu.
Zhou Yushu hesitated for a moment, then followed her.
Seeing them about to leave, Mother Zhou panicked and shouted after them, “Meng Zhizhi, where are you going? Stay here and wash the dishes!”
Meng Zhizhi paid no attention.
Zhao Mingzhu also turned to leave.
Mother Zhou grabbed Zhao Mingzhu’s arm. Zhao Mingzhu looked down at the hand gripping her, and for a moment, Mother Zhou had to admit she saw a flash of murderous intent in Zhao Mingzhu’s eyes.
“If she’s not washing, neither am I.”
“And one more thing—” Before leaving, she ran her hand along the edge of the table. “I may be strong, but washing dishes isn’t my thing. However, flipping tables is something I’m quite familiar with.”
At this, Zhao Mingzhu smiled. “Mom, would you like me to give you a demonstration of table-flipping?”
Mother Zhou instantly fell silent.
She didn’t dare ask Zhao Mingzhu to stay and wash the dishes anymore.
Watching them all leave, leaving a table full of empty bowls for her, Mother Zhou immediately began lamenting her fate. “My life is so bitter! On the very first day my new daughters-in-law enter the house, they’re already putting me in my place.”
“And not just one, but two of them showing me who’s boss!”
“I don’t want to live anymore!”
Father Zhou smoked his pipe without saying a word.
After crying for a long time with no one paying attention, Mother Zhou turned to scold Father Zhou. “Can’t you see? I, as the mother-in-law, am being bullied to death by my daughters-in-law!”
Father Zhou found it annoying. “All you do is argue and argue.”
“Before Xiao Meng and Xiao Zhao came, weren’t you perfectly fine washing the dishes yourself?”
“Why is it that as soon as they arrive, you refuse to wash the dishes and insist they do it?”
Mother Zhou stiffened her neck, speaking with conviction. “I’m the mother-in-law. Naturally, I have to assert my authority. Daughters-in-law should serve me.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than a voice came from outside.
“Mom, I’m going out shopping. Do you have any spare change? Could you give me some?”
Mother Zhou was so startled she instantly fell silent.
She didn’t dare make another sound.
Outside.
Zhao Mingzhu couldn’t help but whisper, “You really have a way.”
Dealing with someone like Mother Zhou was truly hitting the mark every time.
Just as Meng Zhizhi was about to say something, Zhou Yushu approached. She immediately fell silent, no longer speaking to Zhao Mingzhu.
Nor did she show any familiarity with Zhao Mingzhu.
Zhou Yushu approached hesitantly. “Eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law.”
His address was very polite.
Meng Zhizhi nodded.
Zhou Yushu kept his head lowered, his profile sharply defined, with long, delicate eyelashes and fair skin.
To be honest, from what she had seen so far, Zhou Yushu was the best-looking among the Zhou family members she had met.
Of course, excluding Zhou Shechuan and Zhou Ye—Meng Zhizhi hadn’t met them yet.
She didn’t know what they looked like.
Meng Zhizhi remained composed, nodding in acknowledgment to Zhou Yushu.
Zhao Mingzhu didn’t make a sound, appearing aloof.
This made Zhou Yushu somewhat awkward. After hesitating, he still whispered, “Thank you, eldest sister-in-law, and thank you, second sister-in-law.”
Meng Zhizhi shook her head, smiling distantly. “You’re welcome.”
“Anyway, I wasn’t helping you for your sake. I just didn’t like seeing your mother play favorites.”
Zhou Yushu looked disappointed.
This wasn’t what he had imagined.
Seeing that Meng Zhizhi didn’t seem inclined to talk further, Zhou Yushu had no choice but to leave first.
After he left, Zhao Mingzhu glanced around and whispered to Meng Zhizhi, “Why didn’t you talk to him a bit more?”
“Or try to win him over to our side?”
This really didn’t match Meng Zhizhi’s character.
After all, Meng Zhizhi was someone who never acted without a purpose.
In Zhao Mingzhu’s view, her willingness to help Zhou Yushu earlier must have been driven by some benefit.
Meng Zhizhi narrowed her beautiful almond-shaped eyes, watching the other’s retreating figure disappear completely before explaining, “That kid was full of wariness. Didn’t you see it?”
Even though he was expressing gratitude.
“Huh?”
Zhao Mingzhu was surprised. “I didn’t notice. I thought he was just a pitiful little thing who let others bully him. What was he wary of?”
Meng Zhizhi thought for a moment. “Wary of us.”
“Or perhaps wary of everyone in the Zhou family.”
Zhou Yushu was never an easy person to deal with.
It was only after seeing him and hearing his name that Meng Zhizhi remembered he was a formidable figure.
He might appear to be the most pitiable member of the Zhou family now, but in the future, aside from the male lead, he would become the most successful among them.
He might even surpass the male lead.
He was freer than the male lead and wealthier too.
What’s more, he would take revenge on the other members of the Zhou family, ensuring that even Zhou’s parents met a grim fate.
As for Meng Zhizhi and Zhao Mingzhu, the two cannon-fodder former sisters-in-law, he didn’t even spare them a second thought.
After listening, Zhao Mingzhu shuddered. “Then what should we do?”
“He’s like a black sesame tangyuan—sweet on the outside but dark on the inside.”
Meng Zhizhi pursed her lips, thinking for a long moment before saying, “Let’s not worry about him. Help him if we can, like feeding a stray dog—if he’s willing to eat, fine; if not, forget it.”
“Other than that, don’t say too much to him. He’s extremely wary.”
“Just stick to one principle: don’t offend him.”
Zhao Mingzhu hummed in agreement, glancing around. Everyone was taking their midday nap, and a cold wind howled outside.
No one was in sight.
All that remained was a compound courtyard with blue bricks and green tiles, over a hundred years old and looking somewhat dilapidated.
She whispered to Meng Zhizhi, “I feel like the Zhou family is full of surprises.”
Such a small, shabby compound courtyard.
The Zhou family produced the male lead, the antagonist.
And now this three-in, three-out white-on-the-outside, black-on-the-inside character.
Not to mention her and Meng Zhizhi, both time-travelers.
The Zhou family was practically chosen by fate.
Meng Zhizhi coughed lightly, her eyes curving into a smile. “A chosen family indeed, otherwise we two troublemakers wouldn’t have ended up here.”
The two exchanged a glance.
Zhao Mingzhu nudged Meng Zhizhi’s shoulder.
Meng Zhizhi nudged Zhao Mingzhu’s shoulder.
Both declared boldly, “We’re determined to be troublemakers!”
“We’ll turn the Zhou family upside down!”
After venting their feelings, Meng Zhizhi finally said, “Let’s go. We need to buy some daily necessities at the State-Owned Store up ahead, or we won’t even be able to wash up tonight.”
Zhao Mingzhu instantly understood.
“I have money, but no ration coupons.”
When Zhou Ye left, he had given her seventeen yuan in cash, plus the hundred-yuan bride price she had extorted that morning.
She had money, but no coupons on her.
“I have some,” Meng Zhizhi said lightly. “Zhou Shechuan left me some coupons before he left. Let’s go buy what we need.”
She chose not to go to the nearby supply and marketing cooperative, as it was too close to Xinghua Hutong.
If they bought anything there, word would spread in no time.
For this reason, Meng Zhizhi preferred to take a longer route rather than shop at the nearby cooperative.
She and Zhao Mingzhu were heading to the State-Owned Store on Qianmen Street, while they currently lived near Yonghe Temple in the North Second Ring Road.
No matter how small or shabby the Zhou family’s house was, it was genuinely located within the Second Ring Road.
From the rooftop, you could even see the Forbidden City.
This location was truly one in a million.
As they walked, they couldn’t help but look around curiously. While waiting for the public bus at the cooperative entrance, Zhao Mingzhu sighed to Meng Zhizhi, “The land under our feet right now would sell for over a hundred or two hundred thousand yuan per square meter in the future.”
Meng Zhizhi nodded. “True, who would have thought? This area will become incredibly valuable in the future.”
But that was normal. Throughout history, the capital had always been the most expensive place.
“If we pass by the Dashilan Theater later, remind me to take a look.”
Back when she used to buy tickets to watch operas at the theater, it was incredibly expensive. It probably isn’t as pricey now, right?
Meng Zhizhi nodded, “When we get on the bus and reach the stop, the conductor will probably announce it.”
Thinking of this, she said, “Mingzhu.”
“Hmm?”
Zhao Mingzhu looked over.
Meng Zhizhi stood at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative, gazing at the vast expanse of land in the distance and the city gate tower far away.
“Let’s put down roots in the capital in this lifetime.”
Those words instantly brought out the sorrow in both of them.
In their previous lives, Meng Zhizhi and Zhao Mingzhu had never dared to imagine putting down roots in the capital.
Although they had attended university in the capital, their majors left them unemployed upon graduation.
The best outcome they had envisioned was simply renting a basement together.
If conditions were slightly better, they only dared to think about renting a two-bedroom apartment together, with one room each and a cat to raise.
Having a job in the capital and earning enough to support themselves—that was enough.
As for a capital household registration or a house in the capital,
she and Zhao Mingzhu had never even dared to think about it from start to finish.
It was like a dream—something they wanted but didn’t dare to hope for.
Because some things, if you weren’t born with them, you’d never have them in this lifetime.
Meng Zhizhi knew all too well that, given their family backgrounds, identities, and abilities, as outsiders in the capital,
it would be incredibly difficult for the two of them to put down roots in the capital in this lifetime.
But in this lifetime, from the very beginning, it seemed they had been handed a ticket to become locals in the capital.
A capital household registration.
A house in the capital.
Even if it was only three or four square meters, some things were already different from now on.
Zhao Mingzhu understood what Meng Zhizhi meant, and a vast ambition stirred within her. “Alright.”
“Zhizhi, in this lifetime, I want to live in a big house.”
“Mm.”
“I want to own a shop in Wangfujing.”
“Mm.”
“I don’t want to work for others anymore.”
“And I don’t want to earn pitiful wages anymore.”
Meng Zhizhi looked up, her nose tingling with emotion. “Me too.”
“Let overtime go to hell!”
“In this lifetime, I just want to live a comfortable, superior life!”
Author’s Note:
I hope everyone can live a comfortable, superior life.
Of course, me too! I want that too!
PS: We’ve made it onto the rankings! I hope to gain more collections on the list and reach more readers. Please consider collecting, commenting, and sending nutrient solutions. Love you all!
PS: Red envelopes from the previous chapter have been sent out. Red envelopes will continue to drop in this chapter~
Readers looking for something to read can check out my column—lots of completed era novels there:
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