Ugly girl only wants to farm

Meng Jiu frowned and coughed involuntarily. His eyes were also stinging from the smoke, so he tried to clear them.

"It's so late, your sister-in-law is going out for dinner, why didn't you say you'd go with her?"

Meng Jiuxia coughed as she walked: "I was originally going to go with my sister-in-law, but she said that when you come back later there will be no one to cook for you, so she told me to stay. How dare you complain about me here?"

Seeing the room filled with smoke, Meng Jiuhe couldn't help but wipe away her tears: "We're out of firewood. Why didn't you say so sooner? When I was resting, I went up the mountain with you to get some, or we could have just bought some. We need to stock up on firewood for winter when it gets cold."

Meng Jiuxia rolled her eyes behind her back: "Isn't your sister-in-law just worried about interfering with your studies? These past few days, cooking for these craftsmen has used up a lot of firewood. When your sister-in-law comes back, I'll talk to her about it. When the weather gets cooler, we'll go and collect some firewood together. Why waste money buying it?"

Meng Jiu glanced at the increasingly dark sky outside, then told his younger sister to close the courtyard gate at home. He picked up a lantern and went outside.

He wondered to himself, who had invited her to dinner? It was so late, and she hadn't even gone home. Didn't she know her family was worried about her?

His pace quickened unconsciously. He wasn't very familiar with this part of the town. His younger sister had just told him that the family was hosting a banquet for guests at home, and that his sister-in-law was staying for dinner today.

There were already quite a few people enjoying the cool air outside. He asked several households before finally finding the house, and from a distance he could hear a man's voice coming from inside.

He frowned. Who was she having dinner with? A whole bunch of grown men, and she, a woman, was hanging out with them without even trying to be more discreet.

Just then, someone came out of the house. The owner of the house had seen Meng Jiuhe once from afar when he visited their home before. Now that he saw Meng Jiuhe carrying a lantern, they quickly invited him in.

"Scholar Meng, come here! Come in, come in and sit down, have a drink with everyone. Your wife is really amazing, take this opportunity to thank her properly."

Meng Jiu was ushered in and saw several grown men sitting at a square table with several large dishes in the center. Xu Chaoyan was chatting enthusiastically with everyone, and there was a bowl in front of her with half a bowl of wine. She was so drunk that she didn't even notice him coming over.

The host quickly made room for Meng Jiuhe, added a bowl and chopsticks, and poured him a bowl of wine.

"Scholar Meng, I'm sorry to have made you laugh. Please have some food and drink a couple of sips to join in the fun."

Out of politeness, Meng Jiuhe nodded to them.

Xu Chaoyan then noticed Meng Jiuhe coming over. She couldn't help but hiccup, looking guilty.

"My husband, what brings you here?"

Meng He saw that her face was flushed from drinking and that she smelled strongly of alcohol when she spoke to him. He was a little angry, but he didn't show it in public.

“When I got home, my younger sister told me you were out, so she came to pick you up, afraid you might have fallen and gotten hurt at night.”

A burly man was sitting right next to her. He slapped Xu Chaoyan on the shoulder and said, "Young lady, you're so lucky to have such a handsome scholar as your husband, and you're so capable on your own. Come on, let me offer you a bowl of wine."

Xu Chaoyan almost shrank under the table from the slap. She laughed awkwardly, "Big brother, please have mercy."

The burly man scratched his head, looking embarrassed: "Young lady, please don't be offended. We're just rough men, and we inevitably used a bit too much force."

After saying that, he quickly filled a bowl: "I'm toasting you as an apology."

Xu Chaoyan picked up the large bowl, intending to squint her eyes and gulp it down in one go.

The man's eyes showed slight dissatisfaction: "Young lady, this is really unfair. This bowl of wine should at least be full. They all drank from a big bowl just now, so why is it only half full for me? Is there something you're unhappy about, Dazhu? You have to be selective about who you drink with."

Xu Chaoyan quickly accepted the wine he poured from the bowl with both hands; these were her important customers, and she couldn't afford to offend them.

Because she speaks frankly and acts efficiently, several families have introduced her to clients. This big pillar is a relative of the host family, and his house is also about to be renovated.

Taking advantage of the earthquake, the disaster relief funds allocated by the imperial court arrived in their hands. He planned to preserve the main structure of the house instead of demolishing it completely, and renovate it. He happened to be visiting and heard that this young lady charged reasonable fees, was very capable, and was not petty. With the help of the host, he decided to give the job to Xu Chaoyan.

When Meng Jiuhe saw the large bowl full of wine, he frowned repeatedly. He thought that if he drank that bowl, he would be in big trouble. He quickly advised, "You should drink less. We still have to go back in a while, otherwise you will have a headache from the hangover tomorrow."

Xu Chaoyan winked at him to indicate that he was alright, and that God had made this deal, and there might be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Meng Jiuhe seemed not to understand at all, while Dazhu looked at the couple with some displeasure.

Xu Chaoyan quickly put on a smile, picked up the bowl, closed her eyes, and gulped it down in one go, then turned the bowl over.

“I’ve already finished off Brother Dazhu, so do as you please.”

"Good, good young lady, you are truly a heroine and straightforward woman. I, Dazhu, am also a straightforward person. I will give you all the work this time, and I will also help you make connections with my relatives. The rest is up to you."

The two were standing quite close together, whispering to each other for a while. Meng Jiuhe watched from the side and became angrier and angrier. Didn't this man know the proper distance between men and women? Couldn't he at least keep some distance? The burly man, whether because of the heat or because he had been drinking, had his sleeves rolled up to his arms and his pants rolled up as well.

Xu Zhaoyan didn't see anything wrong with this; she thought it was normal even if he was shirtless. But Meng Jiuhe saw something abnormal about it.

Just as the burly man was about to challenge Xu Chaoyan to another drinking contest, he quickly stepped in to stop him, his tone slightly cold: "Brother, she's just a weak woman, she can't possibly drink that much. If you want to drink to your heart's content, I'll drink with you."

After saying that, he snatched the large bowl from Xu Chaoyan's hands and pushed her over.

Xu Chaoyan was pushed past him from one end of the bench, and she looked at him with some dissatisfaction and complained, "Why are you pushing me? Be careful not to push me to the ground."

The burly man chuckled twice, seemingly realizing, "I got so drunk that I forgot. My young lady is all red-faced from drinking. I'm just a rough man and I don't know how to say nice things, so I won't make things difficult for you. Come on, Scholar Meng, let's drink to our hearts' content."

Before Xu Chaoyan could even utter a word of protest, Meng Jiuhe picked up the large bowl and gulped it down. The spicy taste spread from his mouth all the way down his throat and into his stomach, the burning sensation making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

His face instantly turned red. Xu Chaoyan suddenly remembered that Meng Jiuhe didn't seem to drink much, and besides, he had only recently recovered. Dazhu looked like a wine sack, and if he kept drinking like that, it would be terrible.

She quickly pretended to be drunk and leaned against Meng Jiuhe, while gently pinching his thigh and winking at him so that they could get away. She also took the opportunity to scratch his palm a few times to take advantage of him.

Xu Chaoyan had already drunk a lot, and now the wind made her feel dizzy and lightheaded. She was still not clear-headed and her steps were unsteady.

Meng Jiuhe supported her while carrying a lantern in the other hand.

"Why are you drinking with a bunch of grown men so late at night? If I hadn't come looking for you, were you planning to pass out drunk on the table? What are you doing drinking so much for no reason? And whether you're out working or eating, you should be mindful of the proper distance between men and women. Didn't you see that guy with his arms and legs exposed?"

Xu Chaoyan's head was spinning, and Meng Jiuhe's voice was like chanting in her ear, incessantly babbling.

She had never seen this person talk to her so much at once. His little mouth kept chattering away, and she felt a little annoyed and guilty. She let him complain all the way without saying a word.

The two were walking slowly when suddenly Xu Chaoyan seemed to trip over something and fell limply to the ground, pulling Meng Jiuhe along with her.