The road to wealth of a peasant widow

When the mother and her two sons got home, they were so tired that they sat down on the ground in the backyard. Anyway, their clothes were already dirty from walking in the mountain, so they didn't care about getting a little more mud on them.

Changfu hurriedly brought water to his mother and his eldest and second brothers, and the three of them picked up the bowls and drank it all in one gulp.

Because she was too tired, Chen Cui cooked lunch rather casually.

There were some dishes left over from the morning, so I poured them into the pot and added some cut cabbage leaves. I added some water and put a steamer on top to make steamed buns.

Wait for the water to boil and then continue to cook for a while. After the steamed buns are done, the soup will also be ready. Just add some salt and you can serve.

Steamed buns with vegetable soup, this is their lunch.

As for Suisui's food, I would tear the steamed buns into small pieces, soak them in vegetable soup, and feed them to her after they were softened. She still ate them with relish.

After a short rest after dinner, Chen Cui took her two sons up the mountain to continue cutting trees.

They came back from another trip in the afternoon, and the backyard was full of branches.

Before it got dark, the mother and her two sons cut the branches into appropriate lengths for easy drying.

Fresh branches contain too much moisture and need to be ventilated and dried for a day or two before they can be burned.

After a busy day, Chen Cui felt sore all over and had no energy. If she was like this, the two children must be even more tired.

She would specially boil some extra water in the evening so that they could wash themselves thoroughly. Last time, she bought two extra basins in the county town, so she finally didn't have to bathe in the same basin with the children.

Alas, fortunately, she has also been through hard times and has lived for most of her life. She has experienced a lot and can therefore endure the current life. If it were a younger person, Chen Cui felt that he or she might not be able to bear it and would cry and want to wear clothes again.

But Chen Cui knew that was impossible. There was no such thing in the world that could come and go as you please.

She knew clearly that she was dead in the modern world and there was no possibility of resurrection.

Therefore, no matter how hard and monotonous life was in this ancient rural village, she could only force herself to endure it.

It is better to live a miserable life than to die. This opportunity is already very rare, and she dare not ask for more.

Not only does she want to continue staying here, she also wants to live a good life as much as possible and she is willing to make more efforts to achieve this.

After taking a bath in the evening, Chen Cui coaxed Sui Sui to sleep and then entered the space.

This is her own little world. There is no one around and there is an indescribable sense of tranquility. Only when she is alone here can she find peace of mind and soothe the physical fatigue of the day.

Going to her space to be alone for a while before going to bed has become a necessary procedure for her before going to bed. She can only go back to bed after coming out.

The next day was a sunny day, perfect for washing and drying clothes.

Chen Cui unpacked all the cotton-padded clothes and quilts in the house. She hung the cotton pads on ropes in the yard to dry, and the fabrics were taken away for washing.

As there were too many things to wash and fetching water was too much trouble, she didn't waste water at home and took all the water to the river to wash.

Chen Cui carried a wooden basin and a mallet and went to the river in the village.

There were already groups of women washing clothes by the river, they were gossiping and chatting while pounding the clothes with their hands.

Chen Cui did not join in the fun, but chose a place a little further away from them.

There happened to be a big rock here, and you could put the clothes on the rock and beat them.

The water in this river is still very clear. Although it is a little cold, it is not unbearable. Chen Cui got used to it after a while.

According to Chen's memory, she first soaked the quilt surface in water to rinse off the dust, then spread it flat on the stone and gently beat it with a mallet.

Because this fabric has been used for more than ten years, she was afraid that it would be torn if she beat it too hard.

Although Chen Cui had no intention of getting involved in any gossip, the group of women did not ignore her.

Seeing that she was alone over there and a little far away, they gathered together and started gossiping about her.

A middle-aged woman who looked a bit sturdy said, "Hey, you see, a person's fortune is really limited. It is not necessarily a good thing to enjoy fortune early. Before Chen Cui got married, she was a flower in Chenjiagou. Her parents and brother spoiled her like nothing. After she married Eryong, although her mother-in-law is not very good, she has a man to protect her. We have all seen how Eryong treats her. Who wouldn't envy her? It's a pity that she has enjoyed the fortune she should have enjoyed so early. Her future is only full of suffering. Now that the family has been divided and her man is gone, her life is so hard!"

Another thin woman with a bitter face quickly came over and whispered in agreement: "Who says it's not true? I think she has not only used up all her luck, but also implicated her man. Think about it, Eryong was such a strong man, how could he fall to death? Maybe it has something to do with her!"

Before Chen got married, she was cared for by her parents and brother. After she got married, Eryong was considerate to her. Although their family's life could not be compared with that of the eldest wife's family, it was still much better than the lives of other women in the village.

Usually, many people envied, hated and said bad things about her behind her back. When they just separated, rumors were flying all over the village.

Just like old Mrs. Zhou's opinion, most people believed that it was Chen who encouraged Eryong to split up the family. Although those women often laughed at the couple for being stupid and that it would cost a lot more money every year to set up a separate household, they were genuinely envious of Chen.

For example, which man is willing to go against his parents for his woman? Most men let their women endure grievances for the so-called filial piety, and even beat their wives to make their parents happy. As the saying goes, "A harmonious family brings prosperity", the ones who suffer the grievances are the wives.

Being able to be the master of one's own household and not be controlled by the mother-in-law is the dream of most women in the village, but only Chen has succeeded in realizing it.

Other women can only have this opportunity after their mother-in-law has died, or they become mother-in-law themselves.

But now, they were relieved and even a little proud.

Because Chen Cui, who once made them envious and jealous, is now a widow because her husband has died. She has also separated from her parents-in-law and lives alone with four children. Her life is even worse than theirs.

Chen Cui was concentrating on washing clothes and didn't pay attention to what the group of people were saying. She had no idea that she had become the topic of their discussion, nor did she know that she was so unbearable in their eyes.

I guess even if she really heard it, she would be too lazy to argue with these ignorant village women over such nonsense.

After all, she is a civilized person who has received modern education. Even though she lives in this poor and backward feudal era, she cannot lower her character and style and waste her time and energy on these trivial matters.

With this free time, why not do more work and earn more money, even if she can just take a rest!

However, what Chen Cui didn't know was that although she herself didn't care, someone was standing up for her.