The Prime Minister’s Little Wife

Chapter 14: Xu Dahu’s Engagement is Broken

While Xu Zhizhi was feeling satisfied with the family, the three Xu brothers were also pleased with their daughter’s (niece’s) cooking skills.

However, they were mistaken. Xu Zhizhi had no real culinary talent—her success was mainly due to her special abilities.

The three Xu brothers thought to themselves: *A daughter (niece) who can cook so well—Jin Zijun truly missed out on a blessing.*

They all believed it was their mother’s spirit at work, making Xu Zhizhi so capable.

Xu Dahu was also thinking: My cousin sister cooks so well. Before the engagement was broken, she often helped Jin Zijun’s family with chores, washing clothes and cooking. It’s all that Wang Shishi’s fault, and Jin Zijun’s ingratitude. The Wang family is making a big deal out of it. If they want to break the engagement, let them. I was hesitant at noon, but now I have no doubts left. My siblings and I are really suffering!

Even the worst moods were soothed by the delicious food. Everyone ate until their stomachs were round, leaving not a drop of soup behind.

Xu Chunhua and Xu Lanhua quickly went to wash the dishes after eating, and Xu Xiaohua followed. However, Xu Honghua from the third uncle’s family remained seated, unmoving.

After the meal, everyone sat in the yard to chat. Xu Zhizhi asked, “Second Uncle, how are the sweet potatoes we planted last time growing?”

Second Uncle replied happily, “They’re doing great! The sweet potato porridge we had today was delicious. We won’t go hungry anymore.”

“Just avoiding hunger isn’t enough. Our family needs to build better houses. Cousin Dahu needs to get married, and Erhu, Da Niu, and Xiao Wu all need to go to school,” Xu Zhizhi said before she could finish, everyone was looking at her with excitement.

Xu Zhizhi thought no one would believe her. Without her special abilities, even she would think she was painting an unrealistic picture. In this remote, impoverished place, crops yielded little. But to her surprise, everyone was listening intently, their faces full of belief.

She had underestimated how much the ancients believed in divine intervention. That day, to calm her mother’s hysteria, she had casually taken a pile of sweet potatoes from her portable space.

From then on, Mother Xu and Second Uncle believed a god was helping Xu Zhizhi. Otherwise, how could her cooking be so delicious?

If Xu Zhizhi knew what they were thinking, she would be amazed. These ancients had actually guessed the truth.

She had been trying to take things slowly, afraid of shocking them. If she had known how strong their acceptance was, she would have taken out the money from selling the ginseng to build a house earlier. After all, the sooner it was built, the sooner they could enjoy it.

In her space, she had plenty of ginseng—ten-year-old, twenty-year-old, even hundred-year-old ones. That day, she had casually taken out a thousand-year-old one to sell.

She had been cautious, fearing others might suspect her of being a monster and burn her at the stake. That would be worse than not enjoying life at all. It was better to take things step by step and live a grounded life.

But in the eyes of the Xu family, the so-called divine intervention was because Xu Zhizhi had suffered too much. After being betrayed by the ungrateful Jin Zijun, the heavens had taken pity and sent sweet potatoes to ensure their family wouldn’t starve.

Xu Honghua immediately asked, “Cousin Zhizhi, if what you say is true, we’ll need a lot of silver. Do you have it?”

Xu Honghua didn’t believe in any gods. If there were any, they would have chosen her! She might not be as beautiful as Wang Shishi, but she considered herself the prettiest girl in the Xu family. Why would a god choose someone as plain and foolish as her cousin?

If the Xu family could read minds and knew what Xu Honghua was thinking, they would have spat in her face.

But Xu Zhizhi could guess her thoughts from her expression. Heh, I’ll deal with her later.

The Xu family collectively looked at Xu Honghua with the gaze one reserves for idiots. Our Zhizhi has the gods’ favor. Of course, she has a way to make money.

The young girl couldn’t stand the entire family looking at her as if she were an idiot. She felt like crying!

Xu Zhizhi, having tormented her enough, slowly said, “Money has to be earned gradually. It doesn’t fall from the sky.”

“Yes, yes,” the family chorused in agreement.

Xu Zhizhi then asked Xu Da Niu to bring out the bean sprouts they had planted last night. She had secretly watered them with a bit of spiritual spring water.

Everyone saw the tiny sprouts that had just begun to grow.

“In a few days, Second Uncle and Third Uncle, bring your families to taste them. If everyone agrees they’re good, we’ll buy more beans to grow sprouts and sell them in town. Later, we can sell them in the county and even Luocheng. By then, we’ll have enough money for school and building houses,” Xu Zhizhi explained her plan seriously.

The family was overjoyed. They now had hope and confidence for the future. Qili Village was near the border, and in previous years, people from the southern kingdom often came to rob them.

It was only in recent years, after a new general was stationed here, that they could live in peace and grow beans and corn. Families with better conditions had some paddy fields for rice, but most didn’t. The Xu brothers, with their skills, were slightly better off, but they still struggled to fill their stomachs.

As night fell, everyone happily went home to sleep, looking forward to the delicious food in a few days.

In truth, the demands of ancient rural people were very modest: enough to eat, warmth to wear, and a good house to live in. Unlike modern rural folks who dream of buying houses in the city and spend their lives burdened by mortgages and stress.

Early the next morning, Old Lady Wang went to Second Uncle’s house, loudly announcing her intention to break off the engagement.

Second Aunt was preparing breakfast when she heard the commotion. She opened the door and said, “Old Lady Wang, you want to break the engagement? Just return the betrothal gifts and silver we gave you.”

Old Lady Wang: “…”

The villagers who had come to watch: “…”

Second Uncle also came out and said, “The Wang family has risen in status and now looks down on our Dahu. We understand.”

Old Lady Wang had prepared a long list of reasons but never got the chance to say them. She had planned to wait for the Xu family to ask why they wanted to break the engagement, so she could spew all the slander she had prepared against Xu Zhizhi. What a pity!

Auntie Ma, who had come to watch the spectacle, immediately said loudly, “I heard that two years ago, Wang Daya’s father was on his deathbed, and they sent a matchmaker to the Xu family.”

“Yes, I remember that too. Now that the Wang family has connected with some distant official relatives, they’re turning their backs on their benefactors.”

“Two ungrateful scoundrels in our village, and both happened to the Xu family. They’ve really had the worst luck.”

“Old Lady Wang, did you bring the silver? Did you double it?”

“Hurry up and return the betrothal gifts. We need to go back to eat and work.”

“Are they going to follow the Jin family’s example and not return a single coin?”

“The Jin family couldn’t even spare a single coin!”

“Your Wang family has a high-ranking official relative. Surely you’re not planning to keep the silver too? Yesterday, Wang Shishi even sent meat to several families.”

Those who had missed the gossip under the big tree yesterday spoke with a hint of jealousy.

Wang Daya, who had followed her grandmother, was furious. She genuinely liked Xu Dahu—he was handsome, hardworking, kind, and treated her well. She knew Auntie Ma’s daughter, Da Ni, also liked Xu Dahu.

She had thought that after the autumn harvest, she could finally marry the man she had been dreaming of.

Little did she know that her distant cousin, Wang Shishi, had suddenly given her grandmother silver to break off the engagement. She had overheard this yesterday and immediately told Xu Dahu, hoping his family could find a solution.

(End of Chapter)