The road to wealth of a peasant widow

In front of his daughters-in-law, Chen Shangen didn't know what to say. He just held the pipe and nodded gently at his daughter: "You, you, ah..."

Zhang also saw what her youngest son was holding and looked at her daughter worriedly.

"Dad, Mom, don't worry. I have some things to do at home and I need Dahe's help. I guess he will have to live with me until the New Year. He can only come back occasionally and won't be able to do housework. I hope you and my sister-in-law don't mind."

"What's so strange about that? Dahe is your brother. There's not much to do at home in winter, so you can use him as long as you want."

Chen Shangen thought his daughter wanted her brother to help her fetch water, chop firewood, and do housework, so he spoke up immediately.

"Yes, yes, he is just sitting there doing nothing at home, so it would be best if he could help you, don't you think, Suozhu's mother?" Zhang said as she looked at her daughter-in-law's expression.

Zhang was happy that her younger son could help her daughter's family, but she was afraid that her daughter-in-law would be unhappy if she had to leave home for several months.

Chen Dahe's wife, Zhu, had been married to him for eleven years and had two sons. The elder one was named Suozhu and the younger one was named Shuanzhu.

Zhu was also a forthright and generous person. She had been married to the Chen family for more than ten years. Although her family was not very wealthy, her parents-in-law were kind and her sisters-in-law were harmonious. Although her husband was not very smart, he was strong and could work well. Her life was better than most people's.

"Mom is right. If his aunt can use Dahe, just let him go so he doesn't have to stay at home doing nothing." Zhu said with a smile.

Although Chen Cui knew this would happen, she was still grateful when she heard these people's answers in person.

The Chen family is truly a rare kind and harmonious family. The ginseng that saved Chen's life was obtained by Chen Shangen by accident last summer. He originally planned to sell it after the spring so that he could add a cow to the family and make farming easier in the future.

But the daughter encountered difficulties in childbirth and her life was in danger. Chen Shangen consulted his three sons and then saved his daughter.

That's ginseng worth nearly twenty taels. If the family sells it, they can buy a cow!

But the three brothers did not hesitate and agreed to use it to save their sisters' lives.

Chen Cui was very grateful for this. If the Chen family had not been willing to save their daughter at the critical moment, perhaps Chen would have died in childbirth, and she would not have had this opportunity to travel through time after death!

She once thought about teaching the Chen family the art of charcoal making and letting them make charcoal together to sell, but she immediately rejected the idea.

Yinping County is a small county after all, and there are only a few families that can afford charcoal. The annual consumption is only a certain amount and generally does not fluctuate much.

If they all start burning charcoal to sell, with too much goods pouring in at once, the market will definitely be affected. A drop in price is still a small matter, but the only thing to worry about is that the charcoal they burn cannot be sold, and then a good thing will turn into a bad thing!

By then, neither family will end up well, and the loss will outweigh the gain!

Therefore, Chen Cui told Chen Dahe not to tell his family about the charcoal burning for the time being, as she had her own plans.

She planned to sell charcoal a few times herself, try her hand at the business, and then tell the Chen family about it after making sure it was safe.

Don't blame her for being selfish, it's human nature, she always has to ensure her own livelihood first.

After all, although the Chen family is not very wealthy, the old people are sensible, and the children and grandchildren are filial and capable, so they can still make ends meet even without any help.

But now she is a widow with only a few shabby houses and a few acres of thin land, raising several children, so she needs this skill to make a living.

As he was talking, he heard Chen Dahe yelling in the yard: "Suozhu's mother, where is my grey coat? Come and find it for me."

Zhu raised her voice and said to them with a smile, "Dahe is a blind man. There are only a few clothes in the box, but he can't see them. I'll go and help him pack them."

Zhang knew her youngest son's temperament and that he was always careless, so she said to her daughter, "If Dahe does anything wrong when he comes to your house, don't be polite and tell him. Otherwise, he has made no progress even though he is so old. It's a good thing that Suozhu's mother doesn't despise him, otherwise how would you live?"

Chen Cui smiled and said, "Mom, don't always say that about Dahe. He is much better now than before. Besides, Suozhu is ten years old this year. It will be time for him to get married in a few years. You should give him some face in front of the child."

Chen Suozhu was a sturdy little boy with a dark red face. He was standing aside and listening to the adults talking. When he heard his aunt mention him and it was related to marriage, he hurriedly shouted, "Aunt, I don't want to marry a wife. When I grow up, I want to live on my own, freely and without anyone's meddling in my affairs!"

He had seen many times how his mother disciplined his father and thought that was too boring, so he resolved to never get married and have someone come back to discipline him!

When Suozhu said this, everyone else laughed.

This child is still young and only thinks about playing. He is not yet old enough to think about a wife, so he says such childish words. Try it when he is a few years older. By then, he may even urge his family to find him a wife!

Chen Cui touched her nephew's head and said with a smile: "When you grow up, you will know the benefits of getting married."

At this time, Chen Dahe walked out of the yard carrying a bundle, followed closely by Zhu.

"Sister, I've packed everything. Let's go." He put the baggage on the ox cart and said to Chen Cui.

Although Zhang was reluctant to let him go, she saw that it was getting late and thought that her daughter and her grandchildren were alone at home, so she did not ask him to stay. Instead, she told her son, "Drive slowly on the road, so as not to disturb your sister and nephew."

"Yes, I understand, Mom." Chen Dahe nodded.

"Dad, Mom, eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, and younger sister-in-law, we are going back. Take care of yourselves." Chen Cui said goodbye to everyone.

Today, the eldest and second brothers of the Chen family went to help a family who were building a house, so they were not at home and I was unable to see them.

Chen Shangen took a puff of his pipe, waved his hand and said, "Go back and live your life well. Don't worry about home. Your mother and I are fine."

The ox cart turned around and drove towards the village entrance. The family stood at the door and it took a while for them to enter the yard.

Zhang entered the house, sniffed, and saw five boxes of snacks on the table. Thinking that these were gifts from her daughter, she called her daughters-in-law over and started to distribute them.

"One box of snacks for each family. You can give them to the children. The meat can be kept for a few days. Cook it in four or five meals. Consider the arrangements when you cook."

The entire Chen family lives together, and the daughters-in-law take turns cooking and doing housework. Zhang is only responsible for the overall arrangements, leaving the specific decisions to the daughters-in-law.

The three daughters-in-law did not refuse. They accepted the offer and went back to their houses with the snacks.