Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 39 - 35: Sister-in-law Looks Really Good

Chapter 39: Chapter 35: Sister-in-law Looks Really Good

The most noteworthy aspect of Dongping Street was its two famously beautiful widows.

Commonly referred to as the "Twin Beauties of Dongping."

One earned her living through embroidery, while the other supported herself by selling steamed buns.

What they had in common was that both widows lived with a daughter, and both had been driven out by their unfeeling in-laws... a case of shared misfortune.

The difference was that one was gentle and frail, while the other was fiery.

The gentle Zhao Di had endured much bullying earlier on, but ever since she married Zhang Yunwu, she finally had peaceful days. Regardless of the neighborhood gossip, she was grateful for this marriage.

So she devoted herself to caring for her sick mother-in-law.

At least in terms of filial piety, the neighbors would not malign her, as they saw everything with their own eyes.

Jiang Shouzhong actually did not know her very well.

Sometimes, when facing this woman, he would be reminded of his sister Ye.

Both were equally gentle and calm, yet beneath that tender exterior seemed to hide another layer of thoughts.

Because he had missed breakfast and happened to be near Mr. Zhang’s house, and also happened to glance through a crack in the wall and see Zhao Di’s freshly made porridge in the kitchen, Jiang Shouzhong shamelessly went over to mooch a meal.

Zhang Yue’er, who was troubled about school, sulkily rested her round face on the dining table.

A stuffed doll given by Lu Renjia lay beside her porridge bowl.

The doll’s mouth was smeared with two grains of porridge.

Little girls are like that, treating their dolls as friends, caring whether they are hungry or thirsty.

Even covering them with a small handkerchief as a blanket when going to sleep.

Upon seeing Jiang Shouzhong enter, the little girl’s eyes lit up, and she immediately leaped into his arms, then whispered in Jiang Shouzhong’s ear,

"Mr. Jiang, could you persuade my mother for me? I have a headache today and don’t want to go to school."

Smack!

The little girl’s bottom received a solid slap.

Her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Jiang Shouzhong annoyed, tugged at her braid, "When do you not have a headache?"

"Every day it hurts, especially when I write."

The little girl’s eyes reddened, on the verge of crying, seemingly about to break down.

Zhao Di, who was making medicinal soup for her mother-in-law, heard the noise and came out from the kitchen. Seeing Jiang Shouzhong, a smile bloomed in her delicate features, "Jiang, haven’t had breakfast yet? Let me serve you a bowl."

Scared by her mother’s voice, the little girl quickly scurried back to her seat and began scarfing down her porridge, making faces at Jiang Shouzhong.

Jiang Shouzhong asked with a smile, "Where’s Zhang?"

Zhao Di pointed towards the room where Ms. Zhang was sleeping, "Wu is giving the mother-in-law some massage therapy. Mr. Zhang from the west city taught him some techniques when he came to treat mother-in-law, saying it could help with the circulation of energy and blood, best done around the hour of Chen. I don’t have much strength, so Wu had to do it."

Jiang Shouzhong nodded, remaining silent.

Zhao Di brought over a bowl of rice porridge and also grabbed two layers of crispy twisted pancakes.

Seeing the porridge on the doll’s mouth, Zhao Di’s eyebrows shot up, about to scold her daughter, but the little girl quickly picked the grains of rice and popped them into her mouth.

"Any leads on the case?"

Zhao Di wiped the table, casually throwing a few grains of rice that had scattered onto the table into the little girl’s bowl.

The latter pouted, a look of grievance on her face.

She stirred her porridge forcefully, pushing the bowl back and forth.

Jiang Shouzhong bit into the delicious crispy pancake, nodding with a smile, "Not bad."

Zhao Di blinked, "Was it really a demon that did it?"

Jiang Shouzhong said, "It’s too early to conclude, but from what I surmise, the reason Ge Dasheng planned to blackmail that woman was probably because he saw her poisoning..."

Crash!

Zhang Yue’er’s bowl was accidentally knocked to the ground by Zhao Di who was wiping the table.

Porridge splattered everywhere.

"Zhang Yue’er!"

Zhao Di’s face was full of anger as she glared at her daughter, who sat there, not knowing what to do, her body slightly trembling, "How many times have I told you! Just eat your meal properly, don’t keep pushing the bowl back and forth, why won’t you listen!!"

Zhang Yue’er was startled, biting her lips tightly, her eyes red, not daring to speak.

"It’s alright, it’s alright, the child didn’t do it on purpose."

Jiang Shouzhong said softly to console her, "She’s about to be late, let Yue’er hurry to the academy, otherwise, she’ll be scolded by the master again."

The little girl didn’t dare to move, timidly looking at her mother.

Zhao Di, still trembling slightly while holding a rag, had not calmed her anger, "Go get your book bag, didn’t you hear Mr. Jiang say we’re running late?!"

The little girl tried to hold back her tears, running back into the room to grab her book bag and then left the house.

Watching her daughter’s figure disappear through the courtyard door, Zhao Di sighed and apologized to Jiang Shouzhong, "This girl really never learns, it used to be my fault for spoiling her, and now Wu is spoiling her too, never scolding or beating her."

Jiang Shouzhong smiled mildly, "Zhang truly loves this girl from the bottom of his heart, how could he bear to scold or beat her."

Zhao Di smiled slightly, her eyes brimming with tenderness, then turned somewhat gloomy.

Zhao Di carefully brought a broom to sweep the broken bowl pieces into a dustpan and then gently wiped the rice porridge off the floor with a mop, continuing the earlier conversation,

"You just mentioned that Ge Dasheng saw a woman poisoning someone, who was poisoning?"

The woman crouched in a half-kneeling position, bending over to meticulously wipe the porridge on the floor, her bodice inadvertently squeezing out some creamy whiteness, seemingly unconcerned about Jiang Shouzhong peeping.

"Close by."

Jiang Shouzhong said unclearly while eating a pancake.

Hearing his words, the woman paused in her movements, her slender fingers subconsciously gripping the rag tightly, then relaxed again, smiling,

"Never mind, as a woman why should I be curious about these things, I won’t ask anymore. Jiang, you’re so smart, you’ll definitely catch the culprit. Wu often praises you, saying that in the Liushan Division, no one is smarter than Jiang."

Jiang Shouzhong laughed, "That blockhead complimenting me? Hardly likely, it must be your sister-in-law who did."

Zhao Di’s cheeks blushed, and she pursed her lips, staying silent.

Having wiped the porridge off the floor, and perhaps because she had been squatting for a while feeling a bit numb in her legs, Zhao Di’s legs suddenly softened when she stood up, and her delicate body involuntarily leaned toward Jiang Shouzhong.

Jiang Shouzhong quickly supported her.

The rich fragrance soaked into her skirt was even more intense at close range, somewhat seductive.

Whether there is the pleasure of a rival, it depends on the charm of the lady.

"My legs... they’re numb."

Zhao Di’s face was as red as a persimmon.

Jiang Shouzhong helped her to a chair and drank the rest of the porridge from the bowl, then said with a smile, "I won’t wait for Zhang anymore. I’ll go outside, take a turn, and see if there are any new clues."

Zhao Di, massaging her calf, lowered her head and uttered a sound of acknowledgment.

"Oh, right."

Jiang Shouzhong suddenly remembered something, took out a small piece of broken silver, and placed it on the table,

"When sister-in-law goes to Dongping Street to buy vegetables, please go to Yunyanxuan Tea House and buy me a small can of Emerald Tangerine and Red Apricot Tea. That Jia guy snatched away my tea, making it impossible for me to entertain any guests at my house."

Resentment filled Jiang Shouzhong’s voice.

But Zhao Di kept her head down, silent, her movements in massaging her calf slowing down somewhat, seemingly tangled in thousands of knots.

"When will you bring it over?"

Jiang Shouzhong was at the doorway when the gentle voice of the woman rose.

"Whenever, bring it over tonight or I’ll come by myself tomorrow morning to pick it up."

Jiang Shouzhong suddenly stopped in his tracks, paused for two or three seconds, and then said with a chuckle, "I just saw sister-in-law in the kitchen outside, you really do look lovely when you cook."

Some things, a hint is more than enough.

Jiang Shouzhong stepped away.

Zhao Di lifted her head, her pretty face deathly pale.

At that moment, the woman’s distress was indescribable, miserably helpless, as if needles pierced her body, tears uncontrollably rolling down her face.

Then, she fiercely slapped herself a few times.

As he stepped out of the courtyard, Jiang Shouzhong looked up at the slightly glaring morning sun, shielding it with his hand, the corner of his lips curving into a smirk that was neither a smile nor a sneer.

"The most venomous is a woman’s heart? Heh."

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