Chapter 26 - 26 26 Feeling Guilty

Words : 1542 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

26: Chapter 26 Feeling Guilty 26: Chapter 26 Feeling Guilty Thankfully, the System showed some humanity, “The host only needs to clean their own room and the kitchen to complete the task.” Ming Zhu breathed a sigh of relief. Her own room was easy to handle; she could take her time tidying it up over the next few days. The kitchen was even easier to deal with since Lady Jiang was already a very clean person. Ming Zhu had visited the kitchen before, and although the ceiling was blackened from smoke due to limited conditions, the pots, pans, and basins were all very clean, and everything on the stove was neatly arranged. There were only a few small areas that she would need to address. She could find an excuse and ask Lady Jiang to tidy those up later. With this in mind, Ming Zhu set her worries aside. She started to ponder how to coax Old Granny Zhang into taking her to town in the evening, to sell the Yellow Pine Mushrooms for a good price—that was the real issue at hand. Without money in hand, everything felt restrictive! Meanwhile, as the Wang Family returned from the fields and entered the courtyard, nothing seemed amiss at first. But as soon as they stepped into the main hall, they were all taken aback. Compared to before, the main hall looked cleaner and more spacious, and the furniture had also been rearranged. Old Granny Zhang’s eyes narrowed: “Who did this?” The three Little Beans looked terrified and glanced at their aunt with trepidation. Naturally, Ming Zhu stepped forward to take charge, pretending not to see the Little Beans’ pleas for help. She pushed Old Granny Zhang to sit down and said proudly with warmth, “I wanted to plant mushrooms but didn’t have the right tools, so I found a shelf in the inner room and had Jinguan and the others move it to the firewood room. Who knew that they could make such a mess with such a simple task? I couldn’t stand the sight of it, so I asked them to rearrange everything. Look, Mother, don’t you think my judgment is good? With a little rearrangement, doesn’t the room seem much larger now, doesn’t it?” She even put on an expression that said, “Mother, look at the great job I’ve done; you should reward me.” These were all actions Ming Zhu had learned from the memories Left by Wang Yongzhu, on how to sweet-talk and seek rewards from Old Granny Zhang, which she had applied today. As expected, Old Granny Zhang’s previously sullen face brightened up in an instant, as she hugged Ming Zhu and praised her tirelessly, “Oh my, it’s our Zhuzhu who cares about me, even tidying up the room for me. You did a great job, it looks so elegant and generous. It’s even better than the way this old woman would do it! I always say our Zhuzhu is lucky; not like a village girl, but more like a lady from the city. Just look, she knows how to make the house look so well-ordered. Oh my sweet girl, did you work hard today? Are you tired? Tonight, Mother will stew an Egg for you...” Then turning to berate Jinguan and the three Little Beans: “Are you dead at home? You’re so grown up, and you can’t even move things without making your aunt worry? What’s the point of eating so much if it all goes to a dog’s belly? If you tired out your aunt, see how I deal with you—”} Ming Zhu hurriedly played up her pitiful and charming manner like the memories Left by Wang Yongzhu: “Oh, don’t even mention it, Mother. I’m so tired today, my back hurts. I even cleaned the cupboard for you, and I tidied up the inner room too. Mother, go take a look, see if you like it?” Old Granny Zhang immediately forgot about scolding and happily allowed Ming Zhu to pull her inside. From within, Ming Zhu’s voice could be heard: “Mother, how do you like the way I’ve tidied up?” “Good, what my own daughter arranges, even immortals could live in!” Old Granny Zhang felt utterly content. What’s the purpose of raising a daughter if not for her to be considerate and remember her mother? Sure enough, she was now enjoying the fruits of her daughter’s labor; even the house was tidied up for her. Raising those rascals, all they knew was to eat and eat, come home and throw a pile of dirty clothes for you to wash, and once they got a wife, they forgot their mother—all they brought was debts! Outside, the Little Beans, having survived the ordeal, exchanged glances and smiled stealthily, feeling relieved that they had their aunt to rely on, or else Mother’s scolding wouldn’t have passed so quickly. The rest of the household, accustomed to Old Granny Zhang’s biased ways, which had been the same for over a decade, were unsurprised by the event. Lady Jiang set the table and waited for Old Granny Zhang to divide the food before she and her daughter came out from the inner room, all smiles. Being respectfully treated by her daughter, Old Granny Zhang was in a good mood. There was a rare lack of nitpicking at the dinner table, and everyone enjoyed a peaceful meal. After the meal, Old Granny Zhang announced, “The work in the fields is almost done. There is a big market in town tomorrow. I will go to the market early to sell the eggs and the yellow pine mushrooms that Zhuzhu has gathered. If I get a good price, I’ll buy meat to celebrate with everyone.” Hearing the mention of meat, everyone’s faces lit up with smiles. Ming Zhu seized the moment when Old Granny Zhang was happy to make a request, “Mother, I want to go to the market with you tomorrow.” Old Granny Zhang froze for a moment, hesitant, “Zhuzhu, going to the market means getting up very early, and it’s several dozen miles away. Your body isn’t strong enough for that. Sweetheart, why don’t you just stay at home? Whatever you fancy, your mother will bring it back for you, alright?” Upon hearing about the several dozen miles, Ming Zhu’s legs went weak, but then she thought that she had already become Wang Yongzhu. If she didn’t face reality and adapt to the environment quickly, harder and more difficult days might lie ahead. If she shrank back now, how could she boast about completing tasks and experiencing advanced technology? As a top student, she should throw herself into her ideals fearlessly! What was a journey of dozens of miles? She would crawl if she had to! After this pep talk to herself, to others, it just looked like Ming Zhu hesitated for a moment but then something made her resolve firm again. “Mother, if I go with you, I can help out too!” As she said this, even Ming Zhu felt guilty! “There’s no need, no need. You’ve just gotten better; we mustn’t stress you like this. It’s enough that you have the will. What would you like? Shall I buy you a head ornament to wear?” Old Granny Zhang was easily coaxed by her darling daughter, happily promising her an extra gift. Lady Lin could only roll her eyes from the side. She had thought that after the drowning incident and the broken engagement, her sister-in-law might truly reform. But within just two days, the true colors were showing again – still lazy and greedy, with nothing but a sweet tongue to please her mother-in-law. And her mother-in-law, despite being so astute, was surprisingly blind and deluded when it came to her daughter-in-law. Ming Zhu didn’t want any treats. On her long road to losing weight, what was there to eat? With her current figure, adorning flowers would just be a waste of money. She wanted to go for the sake of great ideals, goals, and tasks – nothing could stand in the way of her determination. She was steadfast and persistent, clinging on to Old Granny Zhang for a long time like glue, and Old Granny Zhang really couldn’t outlast her darling daughter. She figured that since her daughter had been jilted, the poor girl was surely feeling down. Taking her to town to lift her spirits, and maybe buying her some fancy fabric for a new dress to cheer her up, seemed like the right thing to do. She agreed, but warned, “Then you must get up early tomorrow; you can’t sleep in. And you can’t complain about the walk either!” Ming Zhu readily promised without reservation. With the envious stares of her family, everyone dispersed and returned to their rooms. Once back in her room, Lady Lin couldn’t help but sneer, “I knew my little sister’s nature hadn’t changed. It was just a facade after the embarrassment of the incident and the broken engagement. She couldn’t keep up the act. Now, hearing about the market day, she couldn’t pretend anymore. I bet she’ll be troubling our mother again tomorrow to buy this and that...”

Chapter 26 - 26 26 Feeling Guilty

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