“It’s fine, I already ate before coming over! You—right now you’re lacking everything, so forget it for now, but in the future you can’t spend money so recklessly. You need to be more frugal!” Wang Shi said while carrying the grain into the kitchen, muttering nonstop.
When Wang Shi finished cooking and came out, she found the room had completely changed.
The hard, rough bedding on the bed had been replaced with brand-new quilts, looking warm and comfortable.
The two little ones had finally been freed from being wrapped in large bath towels and were now changed into slightly larger cotton outfits. Their pants were no longer open-crotch style, and with diaper pants underneath, there was no fear of being noticed.
“Oh! This cloth on the pillows is really nice!” Wang Shi said as she looked at the towels placed on the pillows by Hua Wanxi, admiring them. “It’s so soft, and thick too, and the colors are so bright. Did your second brother bring these back before?”
“Yes! Brother Chi brought a lot back before. Sister-in-law, take two home with you too!” Hua Wanxi, now feeling quite wealthy, was generous when giving things away.
Seeing Wang Shi about to refuse, Hua Wanxi grabbed her hand and said sincerely, “Sister-in-law, I’m straightforward. When I want to give you something, it’s truly because I want to. First, it’s to thank you. Second, I already treat you as family. Please don’t refuse me anymore in the future, alright?”
Her eyes were sincere, faintly shimmering with light. Wang Shi was momentarily dazzled and subconsciously agreed.
“Alright then. But if you give me things, that’s fine—but with others, you still need to be careful!”
“Sister-in-law, I understand. I know very well who is good to me,” Hua Wanxi said playfully, blinking at her. She was only 24 in age; although in this ancient world she was already considered a married woman, in her original world she still felt like a “baby.” Acting cute came naturally to her.
Wang Shi was once again stunned by her. This younger sister-in-law was truly too beautiful. Especially after giving birth—although her features were the same, she now seemed to have something different about her. She looked even more radiant than before.
That night’s dinner was very plentiful. Wang Shi steamed white rice, made egg custard, stir-fried vegetables with meat, and a bone soup. Though there weren’t many dishes, the portions were generous.
Wang Shi’s cooking skills were quite good; even with limited seasonings and ingredients, she made everything flavorful. Hua Wanxi ate until she was full and satisfied.
After eating, Hua Wanxi pulled over the basket Wang Shi had brought earlier, lifted the cloth covering it, and revealed it was filled with soap.
There were 20 large bars of soap, 130 handmade soaps, and a few premium ones with unique styles and fragrances.
Wang Shi was stunned.
“Sister-in-law, when my husband brought back those soaps before, there were quite a lot. These are part of my current stock. From now on, I’ll give you this much every day. I want to work with your uncle. I’ll provide the goods, and he can sell them. For each sale, I want 90%, he gets 10%. What do you think?”
Originally, Hua Wanxi intended to speak directly with her uncle, but in this era customs were more conservative. She was also in postpartum confinement and a widow, so it was not convenient for the uncle to come over.
“This… this…” Wang Shi had never in her life been approached for business, especially for such a large deal. Four bars of soap could already sell for two taels of silver. This whole basket—who knew how much it could earn? Even if they only got one-tenth, it would still be more than working in the fields all day.
Because it was such a big matter, she didn’t dare decide on her own.
“I’ll go back and discuss it with your uncle. I’ll come back and tell you later!”
With that, she quickly left, full of energy, eager to tell her husband the good news.
“Hey—!” Hua Wanxi wanted to remind her to take the basket and towels, but Wang Shi had already rushed off. She could only smile helplessly. Her sister-in-law was quite nice—enthusiastic and not pretentious. She liked her.
She then took the rest of the clothes Wang Shi had brought and washed them in the bathroom using a washing machine. As for the children’s clothes, she didn’t wash those—ancient clothes were handmade and didn’t contain harsh chemicals anyway.
She checked the bowl of warm water she had placed earlier and found that its temperature hadn’t changed at all, suggesting that things inside might remain fresh. However, she wasn’t sure if it would reset the next day, so she didn’t get too excited yet. She would wait and see tomorrow.
Working with her uncle was currently her only source of income. She had to stay in postpartum confinement for 30 days, and even if her recovery went well, she couldn’t risk her health. If her body collapsed, she would lose everything.
For those 30 days, she needed her uncle to help sell her goods. The 10% share was worth it—short-term favors were fine, but for long-term cooperation, profit-sharing made relationships more stable.
Meanwhile, Wang Shi hurried home. Her family was chatting in the courtyard. In the countryside at night, even oil lamps were rarely lit unless necessary; they sat under the moonlight while listening to Father Jiang arrange the next day’s farm work.
“Father, Mother, husband—I have something to tell you!” Wang Shi said mysteriously, lowering her voice, but with excitement hidden underneath.
“What is it?” her husband Jiang He asked. He had never seen her act so sneaky before.
Her parents-in-law were also confused.
Wang Shi glanced around. It was dark and she couldn’t see clearly, but she still lowered her voice. “Let’s go inside to talk.”
“Then let’s go inside,” Father Jiang said. Seeing her serious expression, he assumed it was important.
Mother Jiang glared at Wang Shi. She always found this daughter-in-law strange whenever she returned from over there, which made her uncomfortable.
Jiang Wenwan also looked surprised. In her previous life, this didn’t happen. At this time, her second aunt was already gone. Maybe her rebirth had changed things—did that mean the future could also be changed? Could their family avoid death this time?
Tears welled in her eyes again. Since her rebirth, she often cried when remembering the tragedy of her past life. She couldn’t tell anyone; it was too strange—she feared being burned as a monster if she said it.
Mother Jiang lit the oil lamp she usually saved, placing it on the table in the main hall. Except for three-year-old Jiang Wencheng who had already fallen asleep, everyone else sat neatly, waiting for Wang Shi to speak.
Wang Shi didn’t beat around the bush.
“Father, Mother, husband—about those soaps… my second sister-in-law still has a lot. She wants to work with us, asking my husband to help sell them, and offering us a 10% share!”
“Is that true?” Jiang He reacted first. Those soaps were extremely good; shop manager Zhang had practically snatched them up, afraid someone else would get them first. He even said if there were more in the future, they should bring them directly to him—he’d take as many as they had!
If this business worked out, their family’s life would improve a lot!
“She really still has a lot?” Mother Jiang asked skeptically. She had doubts—this second daughter-in-law was usually quiet, looked a bit too beautiful and flashy, and didn’t seem like someone who knew how to manage a household.