The fool has become a spirit, and she can speak

"You're quite the smooth talker. How much suffering has He Ye endured over the years? She was returned after marriage, developed madness, and was sold three times by the heartless Liu Dalan. If you're unlucky, hers is even less so. Rather than saying you're not good enough for her, it's more accurate to say she's not good enough for you."

Cheng Qingsheng patted his body lightly and said, "Brother Fengzi, look at my small body. I'm no different from a useless person. I can't do any work and can't support a family. Anyone who marries me will definitely suffer."

Cheng Feng said dismissively, "Hey, we're all from poor rural backgrounds, how many of us are afraid of hardship? But you really need to take better care of your health. You seem to be having trouble breathing. Are you out of breath?"

Cheng Qingsheng had a lot of unspoken troubles. He wasn't struggling to breathe; he was just nervous in front of Cheng Feng. The Chen family had relied on Cheng Feng for many years, and even in Fengqi, they had to depend on him. Cheng Feng was righteous and genuinely cared for them. Now, Cheng Feng's niece wanted to marry him, and refusing wasn't something he could easily say. He could drive away the matchmaker, but he didn't dare drive away Cheng Feng.

"Brother Feng, you have a good eye! You noticed this! My body is just barely breathing, barely breathing out. I'm only slightly better than a dead person."

Cheng Feng leaned over, grabbed a handful of Chen Qingsheng's straw-like hair, then sat back down and said, "San'er, you'd better get yourself together. You're only in your early twenties, aren't you?"

"Brother Feng, I'm about the same age as your sister-in-law!"

"Hey, are you and Shang Xi about the same age? You don't look that way at all. Third brother, I'm just being blunt, don't take it to heart. Stand up straight, you're an unmarried young man, how come you look like a little old man? You look older than your older brother!"

"No way?" Chen Qingsheng touched his face. He had just rekindled his hope for life. How could he be older than his older brother?

Cheng Feng secretly chuckled at Chen Qingsheng's reaction; he almost forgot to mention that Chen Qingsheng was older than his elder brother, Cheng Laoda.

Cheng Feng kicked at the pile of rubble on the ground with his toe. "Hey! San'er? You've changed careers, no longer a kite but a lantern."

"Brother Feng, you have a really good eye. I haven't even figured out the shape of a lamp yet and you already know it's a lamp."

Cheng Feng not only has sharp eyes, but he's also good at reading people's minds. "Is he planning to sell lanterns at the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth?"

Chen Qingsheng nodded. "Brother Feng, the lantern festival here must be very lively, right?"

"It's very lively. Every year there are dozens of lantern vendors selling lanterns of all shapes and sizes, and adults and children alike are eager to buy them."

"Are there that many people selling lights?" Chen Qingsheng wondered. "Will I still be able to make money?"

"What do you think? Why didn't you buy a perfectly good kite?"

“I wanted to continue selling kites, but my sister-in-law took away the kite catalog that He Ye borrowed from the prince. She said, she said…”

"What did she say? Did she say you shouldn't have anything to do with He Ye? Your sister-in-law really loves you, she protects you like a chick. These past two days, your sister-in-law has scolded me a lot, and Shang Xi has also been scolded a lot along with me. She looks down on He Ye even more."

"Brother Feng, don't be angry. My sister-in-law always loses her composure when I'm in trouble."

“Why would I be angry? Your sister-in-law has worked so hard for our family these past few years, she’s impeccable, and she’s been incredibly kind to you. Your two brothers are good too. If it weren’t for these people protecting you, you’d starve to death.” As he spoke, Cheng Feng kicked the pile of junk on the ground again, saying things that made Chen Qingsheng despair, “This is just small-scale work. If you want to support your family, you’ll have to find another way.”

"Brother Feng, didn't you say last time that setting up a stall was a good business opportunity? You even said I was suited for it!" Chen Qingsheng thought to himself, "How come you've changed your mind so quickly? You're not usually such a fickle person!"

"Yes, I'm right. With your physique, what else can you do besides setting up a stall to make a living?" As he spoke, Cheng Feng leaned forward and patted Chen Qingsheng's shoulder twice in a friendly manner. Chen Qingsheng blushed, opened his mouth, and coughed several times. Cheng Feng watched as sweat trickled down Chen Qingsheng's temples. Cheng Feng leaned forward again, poking Chen Qingsheng's temple with his finger. His finger was covered in sweat. Cheng Feng had never been so cheeky before. He was forced into this situation for the sake of the lotus leaves, and could only shamelessly come here to torment Chen Qingsheng. "San'er, you're too weak. You're sweating buckets!"

Chen Qingsheng wiped his sweat with his sleeve. Strangely enough, he rarely sweats, but when Cheng Feng patted him a couple of times, he was drenched in sweat, and now he was sweating uncontrollably. "With my physique, it would be strange if I weren't weak."

Cheng Feng got up and kicked the pile of junk. "Alright, stop making lanterns. I'll take you for a walk in the street."

"Brother Feng, I still want to make a few more lanterns. If I miss the fifteenth, I won't be able to make any more money."

"Fifteen, you won't make much money with this. You can think of making lanterns, but so can others. In our Fengying City, there are countless famous lantern shops. Can yours even match theirs? Alright, Brother Xin, from now on you should be like my eldest brother, Boss Cheng, and stroll around the streets with a bird. Leave the money-making to your two older brothers and your sister-in-law."

Chen Qingsheng scratched his hair. He couldn't help but think that everyone was calling him a good-for-nothing. "Brother Fengzi, although I'm physically weak, I can't just stay at home and do nothing. I should earn as much as I can, rather than asking my brother and sister-in-law for money."

Cheng Feng chuckled, "Although you look old, you'll always be the youngest in your Chen family. Your eldest brother and sister-in-law have no children. If they don't earn money to support their families, who will? Your second brother, Chen Qingguang, is even older than me and is now a widower. If you were in good health, your second brother might have an easier time finding a wife. But with you being such a sickly person, how many women are as bold as He Ye to marry into your Chen family? Who doesn't consider whether the prospective husband's family is wealthy or burdensome when looking for a spouse?"

“Brother Feng, my second brother still has my deceased sister-in-law in his heart. He doesn’t remarry because of me.”

"Third brother, I've been through this before, I understand men better than you. If those four matchmakers who came to our door a few days ago were for your second brother, see if he would have agreed or not. Your second brother is the most pragmatic."

Chen Qingsheng bit his finger, then quickly pulled it out of his mouth. He suspected that Cheng Feng was scolding him for being out of touch with reality.

Cheng Feng put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Hey, what are you standing there like an idiot for? Come on, let's go to the street and help me collect rent."

"Brother Feng, are you still going to collect the rent yourself?"

"This job was originally assigned to Tiezhu, but unfortunately Liu Dalan is sick. Tiezhu has been extremely busy these past few days, so I, as his uncle, have taken over for him."