My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 305 The Story Behind the Couple's Fight
The day after the grand opera began, Chenwangzhuang was even more lively.

Although communication was not advanced in those days, once word got out that there was a local opera performance, it spread really fast and really far.

Many veteran opera fans disregarded the difficult mountain path and came over with their small stools.

There were many people listening to the opera.

Small vendors also came to set up stalls after hearing the news.

Popcorn vendors, melon seed and candy vendors, sugar figurine makers, glassblowers, mask vendors...

Small red firecrackers, homemade firecrackers, double-bang firecrackers, and all sorts of firecrackers crackled and popped one after another.

The village was bustling with activity, and even though no temple had been built yet, it already resembled a temple fair.

Liang Hongyu and her family came today.

Han Chuang and his wife also arrived.

With nothing else to do, everyone would gather around and listen to the opera.

But when they went to the old stage, they were immediately taken aback.

Looking around, there were probably three or four thousand people, completely surrounding the old stage.

"Wow, this is like celebrating the New Year!" Han Chuang exclaimed, stunned.

"It's just watching a play, does it have to be this exaggerated?" Chen Ling's eyes were also a little glazed over.

However, they somewhat overlooked the timing of the event.

The busy farming season has just ended, and winter wheat hasn't been planted yet. Isn't this a period of leisure time?

Many veteran opera fans would travel ten or twenty miles just to see a grand performance.

With so many people from all around, how could there not be a lot?

"Is wealth and fortune coming?"

"Hey, you're setting up a stall here too, you lame guy?"

"Yes, we're just killing time anyway, so we might as well set up a stall and sell something if we can. If we can't sell anything, we can at least listen to some opera."

As Cui the Cripple said this, his swollen eyes narrowed into slits with laughter.

He doesn't just set up a stall; he also watches cars for people.

On the other side of the old stage, there are rows of bicycles, or donkey carts and mule carts.

If each person gives him a dime, the lame man will watch over the place for half a day.

"There are too many people today. If you come late, you won't be able to see what's happening on the stage. You might as well go to the roof across the street."

That's right, you can't get any closer to the stage after getting fifty or sixty meters away.

Chen Ling had no choice but to lead Han Chuang and Qin Rong's families to the rooftop across the street.

Surprisingly, not many people are vying for these seats, so they managed to snag one. The view from here is really good; you can hear it clearly and see the stage.

However, a little while later, a group of mischievous kids came and climbed onto the roof.

However, they didn't stay on the roof for long. After chuckling to Chen Ling and the others, they walked along the wall to the big locust tree next to them and sat in a row, like a group of little monkeys.

Seeing this, Wang Zhenzhen wanted to pull Xiao Lizi along, but Chen Ling stopped her.

Little Chestnut followed along too. Although this little girl ran and played with them and became healthier and stronger, she was still not as robust as the village children. What if she got hurt?

They said they came to listen to a play, but the actual audience was someone else.

Chen Ling himself had little interest in it.

He disliked listening to slow, drawn-out singing, where a single sentence could take forever to finish; it was incredibly frustrating.

It's easy to fall asleep if you watch it for too long.

He, like the young people and children in the village, loved watching martial arts performances.

On stage, people brandished swords, spears, and halberds, performing somersaults and splits.

With its long pheasant feathers on its head and rows of neatly arranged flags behind it, it looked truly majestic.

Upon seeing this scene, the young people clapped and cheered loudly.

But even watching a play can raise questions.

The children, in particular, kept pestering Chen Ling, asking, "How come Uncle Fugui's men can't be killed no matter how much they fight? They lie down and then get up again to continue fighting."

"And he doesn't even have a horse for his opera performance, he just uses a whip as a horse. There's no sedan chair either, he has to have several sedan chair bearers pretend to carry it. Isn't this just fooling a three-year-old?"

You can't blame the kids for being disdainful.

Because they have indeed seen better ones.

Every year during the temple fair, or in the first month of the lunar calendar, there are all sorts of performances, such as beating big drums, lion dances, land boat races, horseback riding, and sedan chair carrying, making it a very lively event.

Naturally, they were dissatisfied with what was happening on the stage.

Chen Ling told them that the stage was too small to fit the horses and sedan chairs, so this was the only way to perform. He added that the adults were enjoying the performance.

Absolutely! Apart from the young guys, everyone was thoroughly enjoying it. The elderly, in particular, were completely absorbed.

"Chuangzi, do you understand what this opera is about?" Chen Ling asked, puzzled as he watched the big guy shaking his head along with the song.

"I don't understand, I just watch blindly and sing along, hehe."

"Ok."

Although, apart from the martial arts scenes, watching opera is quite boring.

But soon enough, things got interesting.

Under the watchful eyes of three or four thousand people, Chen Baoshuan and his wife actually started fighting right next to the stage.

The couple got into a fight, and everyone was initially surprised. After that, they all just watched the spectacle with laughter, and no one went to help break it up.

People from other villages didn't recognize him and dared not approach him rashly.

Most people in the village know what kind of people these two are; the man and woman are both awful, they speak harshly, and they do things that are embarrassing.

It wasn't just one or two families in the village who disliked them; when they saw the couple fighting, most of them actually gloated.

The crowd watched the spectacle with laughter, completely ignoring a pitiful little girl who was being pushed aside and crying helplessly.

"It's Xizi..."

Chen Ling's family watched with concern, and just as they were about to continue their conversation, Wang Laishun walked over.

The old man was quite shrewd; knowing that the couple was difficult to deal with, he called Chen Sangui over from in front of the stage, and the two of them together gave the couple a good scolding.

Chen Ling and the others went down and listened for a while before they learned what had happened.

It turned out that Chen Baoshuan had taken Xizi to buy food at a stall, and also bought a face mask for the little girl to wear.

This displeased his wife, Xiangcao.

His wife was unreasonable, and Chen Baoshuan wasn't one to back down either. After exchanging a few words, Chen Baoshuan started punching his wife.

Find out the whole story.

Not only Chen Ling's family was surprised to hear this.

The other villagers were also puzzled.

Is the sun rising in the west? That son of a bitch Baoshuan actually buys food and toys for that little girl Xizi.

However, they soon stopped thinking about it.

They felt they had gained a lot today because they not only listened to a play but also witnessed a major battle between husband and wife.

They all had rosy cheeks and were still talking about it when they got home at noon.

……

"What the heck? This involves my relationship with Susu? Are you kidding me, Mom?"

In the afternoon, Chen Ling and his wife were playing cards with Han Chuang and Jiang Xiaoqing when Gao Xiulan suddenly walked over and said something that made Chen Ling's mouth drop open.

"That's right, but others don't know about this. San Gui saw us herding sheep on the hillside and came over specifically to tell us..."

As Gao Xiulan spoke, Liang Hongyu nodded repeatedly behind her.

After a while, Chen Ling and Wang Susu finally understood what had happened after the old lady finished speaking.

It turns out that the two of them really did play a role here.

However, it was something they said unintentionally that Chen Baoshuan overheard.

Wasn't it said at the time that Wang Laishun's wife, Liang Guizhen, treated her eldest son Wang Jusheng's family badly?

The problem is that not only is she unkind to her eldest son, but she also doesn't treat her young grandson well.

When Chen Ling and his wife saw this, they felt it was quite excessive and that Liang Guizhen, the old woman, was unreasonable.

No matter how you treat your eldest son, your grandson is only one or two years old. Such a young child doesn't understand anything yet. If you treat him well from a young age, he will remember it for a lifetime.

He's grown up and become sensible; how could he not appreciate your kindness?

Why do you have to be the bad guy? It just makes the villagers gossip.

It was this sentence that Chen Baoshuan overheard, unintentionally touching upon his thoughts.

After returning home, I didn't sleep well for several nights in a row.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Chen Ling made sense.

Just think about it, Xizi is such a tiny little girl.

Just like Chen Ling said, even if they aren't your biological children, how can you not have feelings for them if you raise them from a young age? Cats and dogs raised from kittens know how to protect their owners and take care of their homes.

Besides, he's not blind. He can see perfectly well how sensible and filial Xizi is to her father, Chen Sangui.

Even if we ignore everything else...

If he really takes care of Xizi in the future, how much money will he spend on food and drink every day?
Furthermore, given his father Chen Sangui's doting affection for Xizi, he didn't believe his father could just watch and do nothing.

That's just how people are; once they understand one idea, they understand everything.

But this person is also a bit cunning.

It wasn't a sudden, complete 180-degree turn towards Xizi.

It happened gradually.

Their attitude gradually improved.

After the little girl gradually got used to it.

We'll weave some small fish baskets for the little girl, make her a small pencil case, and sharpen some pencils.

Now the little girl is getting closer and closer to him, and he is gradually becoming happy and treating her like his own daughter, buying her food and drinks.

However, his wife, Xiangcao, absolutely could not stand Xizi.

She felt like she wasn't born from her own womb, so she always had a sour face and spoke in a sarcastic tone.

Today, Baoshuan bought something for Xizi again, and Xiangcao couldn't stand it anymore. She felt that they were using their own money to raise someone else's child. Feeling distressed and angry, she had a fierce argument with Xizi.

Finally, they started fighting.

……

"So, Baoshuan has finally seen the light? No wonder I've seen Uncle Sangui all the time lately, he's been beaming with joy."

Chen Ling suddenly realized.

"That means you've finally figured it out."

Gao Xiulan rolled her eyes and said, "This man has been unlucky for the past two years. He's been cursed by wild boars. I heard he's been killed by wild boars twice. Once was when you were keeping watch at night and a wild boar threw him into the dung pit. The other time was last year when he, Baoliang, and Zangwa were picking up a wild boar from your trap and the wild boar attacked him. Anyway, it was twice. He's been bedridden at home for more than half a year."

"You think he's not thinking about things at home while he's lying in bed? Of course he is."

“I saw everything: what his wife did after he fell ill, and what his father and Xizi did.”

Hearing this, everyone understood.

However, he was then amused by Gao Xiulan's comment about being "born with a wild boar."

Han Chuang and Jiang Xiaoqing had seen wild boars before, but they didn't know how terrifying they were, so they asked if wild boars were really that powerful.
Chen Ling and Wang Susu then explained to them in detail what the wild boars were like here, leaving them speechless with amazement.

After telling them about wild boars, wolves, leopards, monkeys, red-crowned cranes, and so on, Chen Ling told them about them as well. Listening to the stories, they continued to play cards happily, creating a lively atmosphere.

This card is obviously not a playing card.

Instead, they were playing cards made of oiled paper, long and thin strips, all printed and cut by the villagers themselves.

Play games that cost a few cents or dimes.

It's not much money, but the ups and downs of winning and losing make it quite enjoyable and satisfying.

It really proves the saying, "A little gambling is harmless fun."

However, as dusk approached and Han Chuang and his companion left, Gao Xiulan remarked that Chen Ling's two friends were quite nice, just a bit too eccentric.

Han Chuang and Jiang Xiaoqing were both in their early twenties.

Although she is about the same age as Chen Ling and his wife.

But I always felt that compared to Chen Ling and his wife, they weren't mature and stable enough.

Upon hearing this, Liang Hongyu laughed and said, "Look at what Xiulan is saying. They all love to play. If Fugui loves to play, it means he is steady. But if others love to play, it means they are unconventional."

After she finished speaking, Qin Rong immediately chimed in: "Of course, Fugui makes money while having fun, and it looks like he's doing something serious. Isn't that a sign of composure?"

The elderly couple's back-and-forth banter made everyone laugh.

……

In addition to family and friendship, there are other necessary social interactions between people.

In the countryside, interpersonal relationships are highly valued.

Perhaps because of Baoshuan's matter, Chen Sangui remembered Chen Ling's kindness, and these past two days, whenever he had free time, he would come to the farm to ask Chen Ling when he would open the medicine cabinet.

Wang Susu wants to open a pharmacy, right? She needs a medicine cabinet to store Chinese medicine.

This medicine cabinet has many small boxes and drawers, which takes quite a bit of work. The old man said that if we want to make medicine, we should start preparing early and begin now. There's no rush; we can make it slowly and it will be ready to use next spring.

Unfortunately, Chen Ling doesn't have time to worry about the medicine cabinet now.

Professor Han and Wang Lixian returned from the mountains, and Chen Dazhi was injured.

They called him over to help again.

(End of this chapter)