Ugly girl only wants to farm

"Who says otherwise? I only said I'd think about it for a few days and then come to chat with you again because I saw that the Zhang family's family was relatively well-off. Who would have thought that the Zhu family's wife would find out about it? She's the kind of person who can't stand seeing others do well. The Zhang family only wanted your husband because he was a scholar and a learned man, and they thought he would be successful in the future. That's why they decided to arrange the marriage. Who knew that woman would take advantage of the situation?"

Xu Chaoyan took the earthenware pot from the side, poured a bowl, and handed it over: "Auntie, don't stand up for us. This kind of two-faced opportunist probably isn't a very good person. Even if the marriage goes through, her family will probably make things difficult for my sister-in-law in the future. Besides, she's still young, so we're not in a hurry. We can take it slow."

Finally, the old woman laid it all out with Xu Chaoyan: "She's just a sour grapes. She has two daughters, and her eldest daughter has been married off several times. Her family has asked for dowries several times. Her daughter is pretty and has high standards, so she's now going to be someone's stepmother."

"Every time her daughter and son-in-law came back, this woman would look smug and proud, practically wagging her tail in the air. She would always boast about how well her daughter had married and how wealthy her family was. But the good times didn't last long. Less than a year later, the two divorced. Now, I heard that her daughter is with a wealthy businessman. I heard that the businessman is from out of town and has a lot of assets. He is very generous to her daughter. Every time she comes back, she is dressed in gold and silver. Every time she passes by, she smiles so hard that her ears almost stick out. She says that her son-in-law will pay for them to build a big brick house with a courtyard with several courtyards, so that they can take care of them in their old age."

Xu Chaoyan listened silently without saying a word. After all, she didn't have much interaction with the Zhu family woman. She was just angry that the woman had ruined her family's reputation.

When they had dinner that night, Xu Chaoyan casually mentioned this topic at the table, and before she could finish speaking, Meng Jiuxia became anxious.

“Sister-in-law, this kind of person is obviously not a good person. You should stay away from her in the future. If you get sold out one day, you will have to help the other party count the money. Besides, I am still young.”

She suddenly glared at her: "You're not planning to take advantage of me again, are you? Why don't you keep me here for a few more years? Then you can use me as a dowry later."

Meng Jiu gave her a flick on the head, his face showing displeasure: "Eat your food properly, why are you listening to these gossips? Why would our daughter be used to exchange for betrothal gifts? We don't need your food."

Even while resting in bed at night, Xu Chaoyan was still talking about this matter.

"Husband, don't you think this woman is too cunning and treacherous? We've only been here a short time, and she's already pulling these little tricks."

Meng Jiuhe neatly folded the clothes and placed them aside, replying nonchalantly, "Let her do whatever she wants. Anyway, we don't have much of a relationship. Besides, my little sister is still young, so there's no rush."

Xu Chaoyan angrily pounded the bed twice: "I'm not angry about his underhanded tricks."

Meng Jiu looked at her with a puzzled expression: "Then what are you angry about tonight? Little sister is still young, we can get to know each other slowly. Besides, we haven't lived in this town for long, and we don't know those people very well. You can know a person's face but not their heart."

Xu Chaoyan almost rolled her eyes; after talking for so long, it turned out they weren't on the same wavelength.

She thrashed the bed twice more: "What angers me is that she ruined our family's reputation. Saying our family has a good foundation means she's talking about you and my younger sister, doesn't she? You're going to continue your studies at school, and my younger sister is going to get married. What will we do if these rumors get out?"

Meng Jiuhe sat down on the edge of the bed, and Xu Chaoyan also consciously moved over a bit. The two of them were now like an old married couple, lying on the same bed without any ripples in their emotions.

Xu Chaoyan had always suspected that this man might have some hidden illness. She was a beautiful young woman in her prime, lying in bed, and he was completely unmoved.

She suddenly vaguely recalled how their wedding night had been rushed, and wondered to herself if this man was really just a pretty face with no substance.

When Meng Jiu saw Xu Chaoyan staring at him with a regretful look and her naked gaze, he felt a little scared.

He couldn't help but cough twice, covering his mouth: "It's late, you should get some rest."

Life went on at a leisurely pace, the weather remained hot, and Xu Chaoyan's business as a small boss became increasingly successful.

She used to only take on small jobs, but recently, through the introduction of a repeat customer, she finally landed a job building a house all by herself.

She roughly calculated that by the time the house was finished, it would be close to the end of the year. With the money she had earned before, Meng Jiuhe could go to the county school after the spring, and that would cover his expenses for more than half a year.

She and her sister-in-law stayed at home to see if there was any business they could do to make a living, but sometimes plans don't keep up with changes—that's what happened next.

On the Mid-Autumn Festival, the night of reunion on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, Xu Chaoyan planned to give these craftsmen a day off with a salary so that they could return to their villages and reunite with their families. These people are usually busy and rarely spend time with their wives and children at home. It is a rare opportunity to let them go back and get together during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

She specially bought snacks, candies, and sunflower seeds to give everyone a gift bag.

The old lady next door also came over to help her pack these things. Zhang Xuyang and Meng Jiuhe went to and from school together every day, and sometimes they would discuss their studies together when they came back.

Aunt Zhang often liked to visit them, bringing them a few pieces of tofu from time to time, saying that she was grateful to Meng Jiuhe, otherwise her son wouldn't be so ambitious.

“Mrs. Meng, I must say, you are such a generous and considerate boss. You even give people time off to go home and not work, and you still pay them money and give them so much food. Where else can you find such a good master?”

Seeing that they were checking if each gift bag contained enough items, Xu Chaoyan smiled and said, "We're all from the same village and have been working with me. It's not a big deal to let them go back and reunite with their families after so long. There's always work to be done, so let's treat each other with kindness. They only work hard for me because I treat them well. Originally, I planned to set up two tables at home on the fifteenth and have a reunion dinner together, but then I thought it would be better to let them go home so they can remember my favor."

“Mrs. Meng, you really know how to handle people. Your husband is so lucky to have married you. I don’t know when my blockhead son will get married.”

Xu Chaoyan handed over an extra gift bag she had prepared earlier: "Auntie, thank you so much for taking care of our family these days. This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it and I wish you a happy holiday."

The old woman had no intention of helping out and taking things back, so she quickly declined, saying, "How could I accept this? It makes it seem like I came all the way to your house just to ask for things. Please put these away and leave them for Xia'er. We two old people don't like sweets or anything like that."

Meng Jiuxia immediately pouted and began to complain: "Aunt Zhang, you're indirectly saying I'm greedy."

Aunt Zhang was amused by her mournful look: "Old woman, I only say that because I like you. Besides, these cakes and pastries are only suitable for young girls like you with good teeth. Look at my teeth, they're not suitable."

Today is the 14th, and these people finished work early. Upon hearing that they could go home, they were all in high spirits, their faces beaming with joy. Several of them carried their belongings and rushed back to the village that very night, saying they could stay at home for one more night.

Xu Chaoyan thought there was no way to stop them, and since the moonlight would illuminate their way back at night, it wouldn't be too bad.

Before they left, Xu Chaoyan told them to be careful on the road, and went to the old lady's house to ask for some hemp stalks for them, so that they could light the way at night and be careful not to bump into anything.

She suddenly felt a pang of envy for these people, earning money to go home and reunite with their families. She also began to miss her relatives far away.

Meng Jiu spent a little more time at the bookstore today, taking the books he had copied earlier and a few more back. When he got home, he saw his younger sister busy in the kitchen, but he couldn't find Xu Chaoyan anywhere.

Normally, his voice would reach him long before he got home. He casually asked, "Little sister, where did your sister-in-law go?"

Meng Jiuxia was sitting there tending a fire, filling the room with smoke: "Someone invited my sister-in-law to dinner, and she's going to keep the invitation."

Finally, he couldn't help but cough and wave his hands to disperse the smoke, complaining incessantly, "This wet firewood is really hard to burn."