Zhou Ma pretended not to see Mrs. Ma's black face, and continued to recall the step-mother-in-law's private property that he knew: "I remember that when I first got married, I heard the maid in the main courtyard mention the dowry list of the A family, and there were more than 20 shops on the most prosperous streets in Chang'an City alone!" There are also two or three good Zhuangzi outside the city. Later, the old aunt and grandmother also put the workshop, tea garden, and weaving and embroidery workshop ...... and the largest silk shop in the city, along with a caravan of more than 200 people, all left to the Ah family. The Ah family has so many industrial manpower, what happened to how many shops were allocated to Zhou Jinpu? If you are reluctant to build a workshop in a good village with abundant production, then buy one now! Xiao Zhuangzi is only a price of a few hundred taels, what is it for the A family?! ”

She remembered that when Mrs. Ma's adoptive mother's will spread in the Ma clan, the He clan was in an uproar, and her resentment deepened. She was several years older than Ma's, and when her aunt died, she had already remembered, and she clearly remembered that the clansmen had made a list of the properties in the name of her aunt and grandmother, including more than a dozen boxes of gold and jewelry alone, and countless houses and fields, all of which belonged to Mrs. Ma, who married into the third room of the Zhou family. If it weren't for the fact that the Zhou family was powerful and the old lady of the third room was protecting his wife, how would the Ma clan be willing to give up this huge amount of property? !

Although the money is earned by the old aunt and grandmother, and the capital is inherited from the old aunt and grandmother from the deceased husband, the old aunt and grandmother can get rid of the exploitation of the husband's family and return to Chang'an to make a fortune, relying on the Ma family! Although the old aunt and grandmother sponsored a few Ma clan members to study for the imperial examination, how could the clansmen's help to her be repaid with this funding? Mrs. Ma was able to marry into the third room of the Zhou family as the adopted daughter of a businessman, and the Ma family did not contribute less, but in the end, she could only watch her swallow such a large amount of property, who did not mutter?

The people of the Ma clan supported her so actively back then, and the Zhou Ma family married into the third room of the Zhou family to fill the house, and they may not have a little bit of desire to get back the lost huge property. It was only when Zhou Mashi entered the door that he found that this kind of thing could not be done at all.

Thinking that her step-mother-in-law was so rich, she still had to fight her idea of marrying, Zhou Ma's heart couldn't get over it no matter what.

She turned her head to look at Zhou Shigong: "Master! You say all the time that the Ah family has the grace to raise you, and you have to be more filial to her. But her kindness to you is not sincere, is she? If she is unwilling to marry half of the property to Zhou Jinpu, she is a vicious and mean stepmother. Ah Jiake once gave you a marriage property?! If not, wouldn't she be more vicious and mean?! How much kindness can such a stepmother have for you? Why do you have to be filial to her?! If the people knew her true colors, they would not have the face to blame you! ”

Zhou Shigong's eyes flickered and turned his face away, and he reprimanded in a low voice: "You don't have to say a word!" Now that there is no such thing as building a workshop, no one can touch your dowry, so you can stop. Home and everything is prosperous. Our family is already in trouble right now, and if you make trouble again, you can't live this day?! ”

Zhou Mashi was aggrieved again: "Master! Well, I'm speaking for you! ”

Zhou Shigong waved his hand: "I don't need you to speak for me, if you stop a little, I will be relieved!" Okay, let's go back to the hospital quickly, and don't be rude to my mother in the future. Jinpu's side, don't talk about him anymore. I'll ask him to kowtow to you when I go back, and your mother and son will reconcile, and you can continue to get along with harmony in the future. ”

Zhou Ma's eyes widened, and he didn't understand why his husband still asked him to swallow his anger when he said it so clearly? It's obviously the stepmother-in-law, Mrs. Ma, and her stepson Zhou Jinpu! What's the use of Zhou Jinpu coming to kowtow to her? He doesn't know how many uncles and aunts he has to kowtow to in a year, but when did he take her as a stepmother in his eyes? After kowtowing, he will continue to say bad things about her, what's the use of kowtowing?!

Old Madam Ma mocked beside her: "Fool, you just die!" Your man knows better than you in his heart, how can he listen to your words of provocation and disobey my mother?! ”

Zhou Mashi suddenly turned his head and glared at her: "When did you provoke?!" Well, it's the truth! ”

Old Madam Ma sneered: "What truth? I didn't give him the dowry, am I vicious and mean? This family is supported by my dowry! He can live so long, marry a wife, take a concubine, and give birth to a full house of children and grandchildren, all with my money! If I call me vicious and mean, what is a true mother?! ”

Zhou Ma was taken aback: "Impossible! "The Zhou family has a big business, when was it so poor that they had to rely on Mrs. Ma's dowry? She's not stupid!

Mrs. Ma said: "Do you think that the Zhou family's three rooms are still as rich as they were a few decades ago?" You don't know if you're not in charge, the money in this house has already been lost by the old lady! If I hadn't sold my dowry, you would have drunk the northwest wind by now! ”

Zhou Mashi hurriedly grabbed her husband's sleeve: "Master, is what the Ah family said true?" Where did the old lady spend all her money?! ”

Zhou Shigong saw that his stepmother had said it, so he had no choice but to confess: "Most of them are the veterans of the family, and there are also those disabled soldiers who came down from the battlefield." Your other village has only arranged a few dozen veterans, and many more veterans and wounded soldiers have been arranged elsewhere. Those Zhuangzi ...... It was all purchased by my father out of his own pocket before his death. But his rent is low, and he will continue to subsidize a sum of money every year, lest they have no livelihood, and the cost will be large. ”

"But how much does that cost?!" Zhou Ma couldn't handle the middle feed after marrying into the third room of the Zhou family, but when she was in her mother's house, because her biological mother and stepmother died of illness one after another, she had been in charge of the family for two years before leaving the cabinet. There are many veterans and wounded soldiers on the territory of Chang'an, and how much it costs to feed them, the Ma family and relatives and friends have old examples, and she knows it in her heart. There are also dozens of people in the other village where she married, and the amount of money is recorded in the account, and the rent is also very low, and the money and grain are subsidized every year, dozens of people, and four or five hundred taels of heaven a year. The output of Beizhuang can barely be supported, otherwise the three-room public middle school does not pay money, how can she afford to support so many people with her private house alone?!

The old lady has led the soldiers for no more than ten years, and only a few of the pro-soldiers and veterans who have used them can survive to this day? Even if it is ten times more than the dozens of people in other villages, a few thousand taels of silver a year is enough, and it will not exhaust the family business of the Zhou family's three rooms in thirty or fifty years!

Zhou Ma didn't believe it at all.

Old Madam Ma sneered: "How do you think the old lady's good reputation came from during her lifetime?" How much does it cost to supplement military expenses out of pocket every year? Do you think the little family business in the third room of the Zhou family can withstand such a toss from him? ! It's not up to me to make it up?! Now I don't have much dowry left, and I still have some to leave for my own children and grandchildren, so I have to let you contribute. Otherwise, she is also the daughter-in-law of the Zhou family's third room, why do I have to give everything I have, but you can still keep that bit of marriage and not pull out a dime? ! ”

Zhou Mashi staggered back two steps and kept shaking his head: "Impossible...... If that were the case, the news would have been out long ago! No matter how generous the old lady is, she can't be so confused! He paid out of his own pocket, although he has a good reputation, but what can he do with the people in the back? What should the rest of the Zhou family do? If you don't pay out of pocket, you're not as good as him?! That's not how the leaders lead, and that's not how fame is earned! ”

"So the old lady is silent, outsiders don't know at all!" Old Madam Ma snorted coldly, "Don't spread this word, let outsiders know, beware of anger on your children and grandchildren!" The matter of the glass workshop will not be completed for the time being, so we will talk about it later. If you eat food at home, you must always find a way to get money, otherwise how will you live? In the future, if someone comes to accuse us of digging the foot of the border army, you will scold me back, saying that there is no such thing! Our three-room family business has been subsidized by the border army, so what if the border army pays us back? What a big deal, make a big fuss! ”

(End of chapter)