After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 167
Mrs. Ma didn't need to send people out to inquire, but she also knew that her character was ruined.

She was so angry that she couldn't help but vent her anger on her stepdaughter-in-law, Zhou Ma.

She complained to her stepson Zhou Shigong: "It was your wife who leaked the secret that made the old military advisor know about the workshop and make trouble. This old man ignored the old lady's support in the past, so that's it. After all, he followed the master behind his back. Zhou Shiding has been angry with his eldest son for many years. But your wife is our own family! When the glass workshop is built in the future, with profits, she and her biological children and grandchildren will also benefit. How come you don’t know what’s good for you? , Do you have to turn your arms outward?! If you continue to indulge her, she will ride on my head next time!"

Zhou Shigong turned his head away impatiently.The eldest cousin Zhou Shiding is both the Duke of the town and the head of the Zhou clan. Even in the presence of the emperor, he still has to call him "uncle" politely. Only his stepmother will rely on her seniority and call him by his first name at all times, completely ignoring this. Waiting to see whether his behavior will embarrass him, the head of a third-bedroom house.The old military advisor was personally recommended to his cousin by his father. What does it mean to "betray the master"?If outsiders hear it, it will only make people laugh!
Zhou Shigong had dissatisfaction in his heart, but he was used to not speaking out about it.He turned to look at his wife, Zhou Ma, with a bit of dissatisfaction in his eyes.Things will get out and the wife is indeed suspected.In the afternoon, when he and his stepmother were at home and the clan members came to scold them, she even hid out. This was even more outrageous!Aren’t husbands and wives supposed to face difficulties together?

Seeing the dissatisfied look in her husband's eyes, Zhou Ma thought that he had believed her step-mother-in-law's words, and quickly defended: "Master, I'm wronged! I really didn't reveal the secret! Uh... I was the one who mentioned the marriage and property transfer to my sister. She objected so much that she didn’t dare to mention it anymore. For other things, she didn’t say a word!”

She has been married for so many years, and even though she had no acting skills in her early years, after more than 30 years, she has learned not to let others notice her lies.Zhou Shigong saw her calm expression, and the expression on her face was more about grievance than guilt, and he believed her a little bit in his heart, but he didn't answer the question.

But Mrs. Ma refused to believe it: "Sophistry! If you didn't tell the matter, how could the old military adviser know about it if it was so confidential?! Even if you didn't mention it to your sister, you must have told the people in other villages. ! That's what you said when you went to Biezhuang to see your sister a few days ago! No wonder... your sister is going to the city soon, and you went to Biezhuang for more than ten miles to see her early in the morning. In fact, They are all excuses! You went to tell someone from another village to inform!"

When Zhou Mashi saw that Zhou Shigong had been silent, she thought that he was doubting her like her mother-in-law, and her eyes suddenly turned red: "Master, do you have any credit? I really don't have it..." She didn't tell anyone else in the village, so she just told The girl said it.But she didn't let her sister report to the old military advisor. This was what her sister and brother-in-law ordered their grandson to do, and it had nothing to do with her!

She sobbed in frustration.

Zhou Shigong frowned immediately when he saw this, and said helplessly to Mrs. Ma: "Mom, please stop your anger. Mrs. Ma must not have lied. It must be that the glassmaker whom I recruited earlier knew that he was leaving the workshop, so he exposed his whereabouts in front of others and asked others to do so." After seeing it, the news leaked out. He knew that the Hai family's brother-in-law was familiar with those big glass craftsmen. After arriving in Chang'an, those craftsmen had treated him to a meal. It must have been at that time that he heard I have said it. But he has always acted in a measured manner and would not deliberately get into trouble with our Zhou family. If my mother had not asked Ma to use another courtyard to build a workshop, the Hai family would not have alerted the old military advisor. "

Mrs. Ma was a little doubtful: "Have you really seen Hai Xiya meet those glass craftsmen? Hai Xiya only ran a glass workshop in Suzhou for a year, and he didn't get along with those big glass craftsmen for a few months. Why? We can be so close to them? If that is the case, why did we bother to recruit people from the Chang'an Glass Workshop in the first place? Wouldn't it be easier to go directly to Haixi Ya to ask for the recipe for burning glass?!"

Zhou Shigong said helplessly: "Mother, I personally went to investigate this matter. How can it be false? It's just that the Hai family's brother-in-law and my son have always had a mediocre relationship. He has also known each other for many years with his eldest nephew and his third nephew. Be sure, after he finds out about this, he will cover it up in front of the eldest son."

Doesn't he know that Lian Haixiya also knows the secret recipe?But he didn't dare to let the other party know what he was thinking!At this point, he once again complained about his stepmother: "It would have been better if mother had not chosen the village where Ma's dowry was to be used as a location for the workshop. If there was no transfer of property during the marriage, the Hai family would not be alarmed." "What are you doing? Do you blame me?" Mrs. Ma didn't feel that she had done anything wrong. "You agreed with me when I chose this place, and you kept urging your wife to transfer the ownership of the other village! You made the decision yourself, and now you are blaming me for it. Get me up? After reading books for so many years, have you learned to shirk responsibility?!"

Zhou Shigong shut up.He regretted that he had spoken too bluntly. In fact, he also knew that his stepmother would never admit that he was wrong.Even if he tried to reason with her, he would only get more accusations from her.What else could he do but endure it?

However, Mrs. Zhou Ma couldn't bear to see her husband being scolded: "Ah Jia, this matter was your idea from beginning to end. I just had no choice but to obey your orders because of my filial piety. Now that things have gone wrong, my clan members After all, you are the initiator, how can you put all the blame on the master? Is it wrong for the master to be filial to you and not be filial to you?!"

Mrs. Ma glanced at her and sneered: "Whose fault it is, you know it in your heart. He didn't even say anything, how can you blame him for his injustice?! I haven't punished you yet! This matter comes down to the final analysis. It was your mother's family who leaked the news. It's just a Zhuangzi. If you claim to be a loving mother, how could you be so stingy to Apu? You couldn't even bear to give him a Zhuangzi?! If you had transferred the ownership of the Zhuangzi early and didn't follow Your mother-in-law is complaining, how could things get to this point?!"

Zhou Ma's nose became sour and she shed tears: "It's easy for me to say that! We only have a small amount of dowry in total. You have already done a lot of harm to us in these years. There are only two Zhuangzi left, and we can still supplement the amount every year." Otherwise, with the few taels of silver that the father-in-law gives me every month, I won’t even be able to make better new clothes, and if I wear old clothes, I will be scolded by you and bring shame to the Zhou family.

"The income of those two Zhuangzi is only a few hundred taels a year, but the A family refuses to let it go and insists on grabbing half of it. They also have children and grandchildren, so the dowry should have been left to them, so why should it be given to Zhou Jinpu?! You keep saying that you want to be a loving mother to me, but when did Zhou Jinpu recognize his mother? He has always only said bad things about me to others. He will not say good things to me when he gets benefits from me. Such a son is his biological son. It’s not unusual! If your son is unfilial, don’t blame him for being an unkind mother. He has children and grandchildren he loves, so even if he wants to be generous, it won’t be his turn!”

"Okay, you have spoken your mind!" Mrs. Ma looked at Zhou Shigong with a sneer, "You heard it too. You, my later wife, are vicious in your heart! This is how she treats your eldest son. Unfortunately, You still think of her as a good person."

"If you don't give your marriage property to Zhou Jinpu, you are a vicious stepmother. Then why didn't the family give half of their marriage property to the master?" Zhou Ma suddenly gained courage today, perhaps because he caught his stepmother-in-law. He also knew that he had the support of his family members, so he dared to say some things that he had not dared to say before, "The A's are famous for their generous dowries, with countless properties under their name, and the hairs on their backs are thicker than their foreheads and waists. Zhou Jinpu wants to build a glass workshop, but you still can't come up with a village? Why do you have to force me to cut off my flesh? There is no suitable location, so what if I buy one now? Aren't you a virtuous stepmother? You must not be like me, who can't bear to have a village, right? ?!”

Madam Ma suddenly turned dark.

(End of this chapter)