Ugly girl only wants to farm

Xu Chaoyan looked surprised: "I didn't expect you people to be like this. I thought you were all racing against time."

Meng Jiuhe smiled and said, "We are just ordinary people. It is rare for children from poor families to become outstanding. We can only work harder than others and also need to balance work and rest."

After last night, the atmosphere between the two of them had changed subtly. Xu Chaoyan helped him tidy his clothes and belt, and he did not resist at all, although his ears were still a little red.

After Meng Jiuhe went to school, Xu Chaoyan discussed with her sister-in-law how to make clothes. Her skills were really not up to par, so she could only rely on Meng Jiuxia, who was only so-so. Although her sister-in-law was only so-so, she was still a hundred times better than her crooked needlework.

After the eighth month of the lunar calendar, the weather should gradually cool down, but for some reason this year, the weather is getting hotter and hotter. There is an old saying that after a major disaster, there will surely be an epidemic.

Xu Chaoyan had been worried about this matter, but looking at the recent situation, apart from the drought, there was nothing else wrong. The wells in many places had dried up, and it rained again last night, so her heart finally settled down.

In ancient times, when medical care and medicine were scarce, if a plague or similar epidemic broke out, the outcome was unpredictable. For ordinary people like them, whether they could even buy medicine was another matter entirely.

While those craftsmen were working outside, she would go to the pharmacy to get some herbs to clear heat and detoxify, and brew some herbal tea for them to drink. She also kept some simple medicines for colds and injuries at home in case of emergency.

Except when they're not making tofu, the old ladies and their family usually go into the mountains to find things. As the saying goes, "Those who live by the mountain live off the mountain."

They were still some distance from the town, and beyond that lay a large mountain. When she had nothing to do, Xu Chaoyan would go up the mountain with the other women to gather firewood and dig up some medicinal herbs.

But recently the weather has become increasingly hot, and the women only wander around at the foot of the mountain, going out only after sunset. Some of them dig up the herbs, dry them, and earn some pocket money to supplement their household income.

Xu Chaoyan, however, stored all those herbs away.

As the saying goes, three women make a drama. Whenever these women gathered together, they would gossip about this family and that family. She would just listen to them silently and never chime in. The family they talked about the most was the Zhu family.

The woman from the Zhu family had no idea how bad her character really was. She had offended all the neighbors, and only two families were on good terms with her. She only did so because they had some relatives who ran a grocery store in town and had some influence.

Xu Chaoyan had heard several women complain about her several times. She loved to take advantage of others and looked down on them.

The old lady told me that once a woman was passing by her bamboo grove with a child when she accidentally broke off one of her bamboo shoots. As a result, the woman from the Zhu family caught her and made a huge fuss, demanding compensation, otherwise she wouldn't be allowed to pass by her house.

Bamboo shoots are very common in the village, and it's perfectly normal for children to break one off and play with it. Children are naturally playful, and this incident led to a fight between the two women. The Zhu family woman yelled for her husband to come out, and he beat the other woman until her head was bleeding. He then straddled her, pulling her hair and scratching her face.

Xu Chaoyan told Meng Jiuxia about these interesting stories. Meng Jiuxia glanced at her and whispered, "That woman doesn't look easy to get along with. Sister-in-law, remember to avoid her in the future. These people are just like those gossipy old women in the village. They're talkative and like to take advantage of others. You're new here and don't know them well. Be careful not to fall into their trap."

Xu Chaoyan saw her sister-in-law nod like a little adult: "Yes, I understand."

The two were holding scissors and a piece of cloth, gesturing and discussing how to cut it. Suddenly, a scream came from the Zhang family's courtyard. The scream was so tragic that it seemed very abrupt in the quiet afternoon.

Because of the hot weather and the lack of farm work, people usually take a nap at noon. Last night it rained, so the carpentry work that could be done indoors is over.

When the weather is hot, Xu Chaoyan prepares mung bean soup to cool them down and herbal tea to prevent heatstroke. They only go out when the sun is not so strong.

She quickly put down the scissors in her hand and rushed out of the yard: "Sister-in-law, hurry up! There's a noise coming from the Zhang family's yard. Auntie doesn't know what's wrong, hurry over and take a look."

After Zhang Xuyang and Meng Jiuhe went to school, only the two old people were left at home. Although there were some men living in the courtyard, they usually did heavy physical labor and were probably fast asleep right now, taking a rare day off.

When Xu Chaoyan and the others rushed over, they found the old woman lying in her own yard, looking pained. A burly man next to her wanted to help her up but didn't know where to start, looking helpless. When he saw Xu Chaoyan arrive, he looked like he had seen a savior.

“Meng family’s daughter-in-law, you’ve finally arrived! Come quickly and see where your mother fell. I want to help her up but I don’t know how. She’s in so much pain. I wonder if she’s broken a bone. Uncle Zhang isn’t home either.”

People started coming out of the side room one after another to check on the situation. With the help of several strong men, the old woman was carried back into the house. Seeing that she was in pain and sweat was rolling down her forehead, Xu Chaoyan guessed that her injuries must be quite serious.

Someone had already gone to fetch a doctor. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with a warm handkerchief, then asked softly, "Auntie, where did you fall?"

The old woman winced in pain, and it took her a while to recover: "I saw that it had rained today and I had nothing to do, so I wanted to move the firewood in the yard. It got all wet. I guess I'm getting old and I'm not so good anymore. I don't know what I tripped over, but I lost my footing and fell into the yard."

Xu Chaoyan gently lifted her trouser leg and examined her calf. It was visibly swollen, even more so than a steamed bun.

It will take them some time to get a doctor from the town.

Seeing that everyone was gathered here and there was nothing she could do to help, Xu Chaoyan decided not to let them all go back and rest first, but to leave herself and her sister-in-law here.

By the time the doctor arrived, the old woman had already fainted from the pain.

The old doctor examined her from all angles, then felt her bones and frowned repeatedly.

Seeing the change in his expression, Xu Chaoyan finally couldn't help but ask, "How badly did the old doctor and auntie fall? Her leg looks very swollen, is it serious?"

The old doctor instructed Xu Chaoyan: "Go and find me some bamboo strips, or a wooden board will do. I need to immobilize her leg. She's already quite old, and her bones are somewhat fragile. This fall has broken her lower leg. Right now, I'll immobilize her leg and write a prescription. I'll go and get some medicine for her later to relieve some of the pain. She needs to take good care of her leg. It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, and given her age, I estimate it will take even longer. Your family should also take good care of her."

When Uncle Zhang returned after delivering the tofu, he learned that his wife had fallen. He was so upset that he slapped himself twice. It was all his fault. He had nothing better to do than deliver tofu and chat with some people, which led to his wife's fall.

The Zhang family makes tofu, and they only sell it at the market. If a restaurant or a friend orders from them, they will make it and deliver it to their home.

When encountering families who are hosting banquets, they will usually give advance notice and make reservations.

Xu Chaoyan busied herself helping to get the medicine and prepare it. Later, the old lady slowly woke up, her face pale and colorless from the pain, but she still thanked her despite the pain.

When Zhang Xuyang and Meng Jiuhe returned from school, they learned that their mother had fallen and thanked them profusely.

After thinking for a moment, he said to Meng Jiuhe, "Brother Meng, please ask me for a leave of absence tomorrow. During this time, I will stay at home to take care of my mother and also help my father grind tofu."

"That won't do. Yang'er's studies are the most important thing."

The old lady refused outright, and Uncle Zhang also stopped him, saying, "Your mother is fine with me taking care of her. You should continue doing what you were doing and not ruin your future."

Zhang Xuyang's expression left no room for refusal: "You and Dad are both getting old. You still have to soak beans and grind tofu every day. Now that you've injured your foot, who will help Dad with these things?"

Zhang Xuyang was born late in life, and his parents were naturally older and often suffered from minor illnesses.

The old woman looked ashamed and guilty: "It's all my fault for messing around with nothing. I was saving money for you so you could go to the county school next year. Now that this has been delayed, what will happen if it ruins your future?"