The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

It must have been due to crying a lot in the past two days. Zhang Qiuyue’s eyes were still swollen, looking like a pair of ripe apricots, and the rims of her eyes were red. But upon seeing Zhuang Qingning and her sister, she forced a smile, “Big Sister Ning, Sister Sui.”

“Let me make some tea for you both.”

“You don’t need to fuss over us, I am here to see Uncle.” Zhuang Qingning hurriedly stopped Zhang Qiuyue.

Considering the difficult days that were likely to follow, it was best to save the tea for those more in need.

“Which room is Uncle in?”

“He’s in the cast room, come with me.” Zhang Qiuyue instructed Zhang Qiuying to tidy up the vegetables and think about what to cook. She then led Zhuang Qingning and Zhuang Qingsui into the house.

The room was a bit dark. At this moment, Zhang Xiangrong was lying on the bed, struggling to get up when he heard some movement.

“Dad, didn’t the doctor tell you not to move?” Upon seeing this, Zhang Qiuying quickly went to assist Zhang Xiangrong. “You need to stay in bed for a while. If the bone shifts out of place, it will only get worse.”

“Dad, Big Sister Ning is here to see you, the one whom grandmother mentioned before, who manages the tofu stall in the town along with Sister Sui.”

“Uncle Rong.” Zhuang Qingning placed the package of pastries she had brought next to him. “I heard about the situation at home, and was worried about you. So, I came over to see. As for your leg injury, don’t worry. Take your time to recuperate. You don’t need to worry about Qiuying selling fried chop rice cake in the town, I can help with that.”

“My mother often mentioned you two saying that you are talented and capable. It seems to be true now.” Zhang Xiangrong managed a smile: “Qiuying has been saying these past days how much you have helped her. I also hold a sense of gratitude. It’s just that with the current situation, I am sorry for being unable to express my thankfulness properly.”

“Uncle Rong, it would be inappropriate to say that. When Qingsui and I first came to the town and opened the stall, you two had helped us a lot. It’s high time we returned the favour…” Zhuang Qingning said.

While they were talking, footsteps could be heard from outside. Soon, Zhang Qiuyue’s voice arose, “Mom, Grandma, you’re back.”

“Big Sister Ning and Sister Sui are here. They came to see Dad. They are inside the house.”

At her words, Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Cao came in with faces full of worry. Seeing Zhuang Qingning and Zhuang Qingsui, they forced a smile, “Miss Ning, Miss Sui, you both are here.”

“Yes, we came to see how Uncle is doing.” Zhuang Qingning stood up. “I heard from Qiuying that Aunt and Sister went with the village chief to talk to the main house today. How did it go in the end? Did you get a resolution?”

“Ah…”

Mrs. Liu let out a sigh, Mrs. Cao started wiping her tears.

“The main house refuses to pay?” A shade of gloom clouded Zhang Xiangrong’s eyes.

“Originally, they were not giving a penny, saying that their house was in good condition and the accident during the construction work brought ill luck upon them…They said a whole lot of unpleasant words.”

Mrs. Liu sighed, “In the end, it was the village chief who stepped in. After a lot of persuasion and threats, the main house finally agreed to give us two taels of silver, out of pity for our predicament.”

Two taels of silver?

Zhang Qiuying’s eyes turned red immediately, “We have spent a lot of money these days for dad’s medical treatment, including consultation fees and medicinal expenses.”

Considering future medical expenses, how could two taels of silver be enough?

“Don’t we still have the money from selling the two acres of land? That should cover expenses for some time.” Zhang Xiangrong reassured, “I just injured a leg. After a month or so of rest, even if I can’t do heavy work, I can still do some small jobs to earn a living. We won’t starve.”

“We didn’t tell you this before. When we took you to the doctor, he only said that your injury was severe. If we didn’t offer him five taels of silver, he wouldn’t even look at you. At that time, we had no money at home. We thought we should treat your illness first and then worry about the rest. So we sold our land in a hurry, and naturally, we didn’t get a good price.”

Mrs. Liu sighed, “Now that the money from selling the land has been spent, we still owe three to four taels of silver outside. Even if we use that money to plug some of the gaps, it simply isn’t enough.”

Not to mention, we no longer have the two acres of land. You can’t work any more. What about our food and drink going forward?

Mrs. Liu looked exhausted and was again overwhelmed with worry. Looking at her, it seemed as though she had aged several years overnight.

“I am guilty for causing you worry, Mother,” Zhang Xiangrong said, “But Mother, you need not worry too much. After resting for a month or so, I will start looking for work immediately and repay the debts.”

“Yes, Mother, although I can’t do small chores, I am able-bodied enough to do some manual work like washing clothes for people. That will also earn me some money. Isn’t the wheat about to be harvested? At that time, I can join others in collecting the wheat for them, that will make us some money too.”

Mrs. Cao wiped away her tears and said in a low voice, “Qiuying is also able to work now. If she sells fried chop rice cake in the town every day, even if she doesn’t earn much, it will at least cover the cost of our meals.”

“If it really doesn’t work out, I can go back to my mother’s house and see if I can borrow some money to pay off the urgent debts. Anyway, we have to tighten our belts a bit and tide over this difficult period,”

“We will come up with more solutions and plans, so you don’t have to worry so much,” Zhang Xiangrong added.

Zhuang Qingning watched this family’s reactions and behavior closely.

Even in the face of such difficulties, they remained calm and didn’t lay blame or express regrets. Instead, they were thinking of ways to earn money and push forward. This positive attitude was admirable and incredibly rare.

From their words and deeds, she could see their unity, mutual understanding, and the respect and filial piety they showed towards Mrs. Liu.

Such a family held good moral values. If they were employed for manual work, they would probably not disappoint.

Speaking of which, last time Ge Hetong was eager to sell tofu at her place, but Xiaowu ignored him. This time, when Mrs. Liu’s family faced difficulties, Xiaowu immediately issued a task akin to sending charcoal in snowy weather. Could it be that Xiaowu also realized this family was reliable?

[Didn’t I mention it before, I am a high-quality system. I will consider everything carefully for the host and won’t cause you any troubles because of the tasks that I release. You can completely trust and take on the tasks!]

Although it was continually self-praising, Zhuang Qingning felt that so far, all the tasks released by Xiaowu were excellent and flawless.

Well done. Maybe I can consider giving a chicken leg.

Zhuang Qingning was generous with her praise.

[The system can’t eat chicken legs, but your approval is the greatest honor for the system.. Please keep up the good work on the tasks!]