Ugly girl only wants to farm

Zhang Xuyang also looked flustered, clutching his book bag tightly and looking uneasy: "Meng Jiu told you it couldn't be my mother."

Xu Chaoyan quickly interrupted him: "Zhang Xuyang, don't talk nonsense. Go in first and see what's going on. Don't panic. We'll go with you to take a look."

She originally wanted to tell him to go back and check on his own, as it was a family matter and she shouldn't interfere, but seeing his nervous and weak-kneed look, she couldn't bear to do it.

She pulled Meng Jiuhe inside with her. The old lady and Uncle Zhang usually took good care of them, so they could lend a hand if anything happened.

Meng Jiuhe quickly helped Zhang Xuyang steady himself: "Xuyang, don't panic. What if it's just a quarrel with a few women? Don't panic. You are the pillar of your parents' family."

Zhang Xuyang then composed himself, his voice still trembling: "Yes, Brother Meng, you're right, let's go in quickly."

When the three of them rushed back in a panic, they saw the Zhang family's elderly couple sitting there. The old woman kept wiping away tears, and next to her sat a woman with her hair tied in a bun. Her head was wrapped in a cloth, and she was wearing coarse cloth clothes. Next to her was a girl of about six or seven years old with her hair tied in a bun.

She lifted her sleeve to wipe away her tears, saying, "Mom, don't cry, don't cry, Da Ya will feel sorry for you." The little girl was thin and small, and her appearance evoked pity.

Meng Jiuhe and Xu Chaoyan looked at each other, completely bewildered.

Zhang Xuyang then realized what was happening and rushed forward, asking, "Sister, why are you back? Did something happen?"

The woman just kept wiping away her tears and looked at him, unable to say anything.

The old woman immediately sniffed, wiped away her tears, and said apologetically, "Young lady of the Meng family, I'm sorry to have made you laugh. This is my eldest daughter. She doesn't come back often, so you don't recognize her."

Xu Chaoyan nodded. With the family of four here, it didn't seem appropriate for her and her husband to stay any longer. She gestured to Meng Jiuhe with her eyes, suggesting they go back first and discuss the matter tomorrow.

“Auntie, I see that there’s nothing wrong at your house, so my husband and I will head back now. If anything comes up, just let someone know.”

"Old man, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and see Madam Meng and the others off."

Uncle Zhang then got up and saw the two out. Uncle Zhang's expression was not good the whole way. Xu Chaoyan didn't know how to start the conversation. As a neighbor, it was indeed not appropriate to meddle in other people's family affairs, but seeing the couple's worried faces, she couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Zhang, has something happened at home? Is it related to that lady? What difficulties are you facing? Just tell us, we will help if we can. Please don't treat us like outsiders."

Uncle Zhang had already escorted the two to the gate of the courtyard. The worry on his face could not be dispelled. Finally, he said helplessly, "Alas, I didn't want to tell you about these things, but it's a misfortune for our family. As you can see, that is my eldest daughter who got married. Because her husband's family lives far away, she rarely comes back. This time, she couldn't stand being bullied by her in-laws, so she ran away and came back."

"what?"

Xu Chaoyan hadn't expected this at all, and she didn't react for a moment: "Uncle, don't worry, go back and find out what happened first. I see that my sister-in-law has some injuries on her face. I have some medicine for bruises and sprains at home, and I'll have my sister-in-law bring it over to you in a bit. You can discuss it properly."

"Alright, then you can go back first. Miss Xia is home alone. Go back and check on her. The Zhang family will be very grateful for your help in delivering the medicine."

Xu Chaoyan seemed lost in thought the whole way. She had only glanced at Zhang Xuyang's older sister a few times and noticed that her forehead and hands were covered in bruises, as if she had been beaten.

Seeing Uncle Zhang's hesitant expression, they guessed it wasn't just a simple case of him being bullied by his in-laws, but they didn't want to interfere in other people's affairs. They decided to wait until they were ready to talk.

Seeing that she was deep in thought the whole way, Meng Jiuhe comforted her, saying, "I believe Xuyang will handle things at home. Let's be patient and go check on things tomorrow."

After returning home, Xu Chaoyan took out all the liniments and medicinal wine she had previously collected, and then handed a bag of candy to her sister-in-law: "Take these to Uncle Zhang's house. His eldest daughter is back and accidentally bumped into something."

By the time Xu Chaoyan finished cooking, her sister-in-law still hadn't returned. She had looked towards the door several times. Tonight, they were making handmade noodles, which tend to clump together if cooked in advance, so they could only cook them after the sister-in-law returned.

When Meng Jiuhe returned, he went back to his room and reviewed what the teacher had taught that day. He then practiced his calligraphy for a while. He noticed that it was getting late outside and he still hadn't heard his younger sister's voice.

He headed towards the kitchen and bumped into Xu Chaoyan.

Xu Chaoyan rubbed her aching forehead and glared at him, "Husband, be careful when you walk. You bumped into me and it hurts so much. And what are you doing, growing so tall? You're not going to be a door god."

Meng Jiuhe raised his hand and gently rubbed her forehead, his face full of heartache: "My wife, I'm sorry, it's my fault, not yours. I'll rub it for you now."

After he rubbed it a few times, Xu Chaoyan brushed his hand away: "Alright, stop rubbing. I bumped my forehead. Why are you rubbing my neck? Scholar Meng, do you have an eye problem? Should I take you to see a doctor?"

Meng Jiuhe chuckled, "I just saw that my wife has been working too hard lately, so I'm giving you a massage to relieve your fatigue."

Xu Chaoyan had just been pulled to sit down on a bench by him. She felt the pressure from his fingertips was just right. She had been very tired these past few days. At night, in order not to disturb Meng Jiu's rest, she had been squeezing into a room with her sister-in-law.

Meng Jiuhe complained about this matter several times, his face so dark it was almost dripping with water, saying it didn't affect him at all.

She has now saved up some money and plans to go to the county town to inquire about him after the spring, and then send him there.

He can't afford to let this affect his studies. Looking at the dark circles under his eyes, she felt a little sorry for Meng Jiu, who kept sneaking up to help her, no matter how she tried to persuade her.

"Alright, alright, stop rubbing me. Go to the courtyard gate and see if my little sister has returned. She's been gone for almost half an hour. I wonder if something happened to the Zhang family."

Meng Jiuhe then remembered this: "Oh right, I just came out intending to check if my little sister was back, but I was so busy I forgot. I'll go check now. What are we having for dinner tonight? I smell a wonderful aroma. What delicious food have you made this time?"

Xu Chaoyan stuffed a piece of braised meat into his mouth: "Here, have a bite to satisfy your craving. Don't tell your sister-in-law later, okay? I bought some meat in town and used the braising liquid to make some braised meat and braised eggs. We're having braised meat noodles tonight, and we're just waiting for your sister-in-law to come back and cook them."

Meng Jiu's mouth was stuffed full of food, and he couldn't speak for a moment.

Xu Chaoyan looked at his mouth, which was stuffed full and bulging like a little squirrel, and his cheeks were very cute. She reached out and poked his cheeks a few times.

"The way you eat is like a squirrel."

Meng Jiuhe chewed a few times and swallowed, then stretched out his head and nuzzled against her a few times: "I'm a squirrel, I'll bite you, I'll bite you."

Xu Chaoyan was speechless. Was this still the aloof scholar? The contrast was too great. Had this person been possessed?

At that moment, Meng Jiuxia pushed open the courtyard gate with a bang: "Big brother, sister-in-law, I'm back."

Xu Chaoyan shoved Meng Jiuhe away: "Get out of the way quickly, or your sister-in-law will see you, it'll be so embarrassing."

Meng Jiuhe had a bright smile on his face: "So what if you saw it? What's there to be ashamed of?"

Meng Jiuxia came in and plopped down on a stool: "Sister-in-law, let me tell you, Zhang's eldest sister is really pitiful."

I suddenly feel like sharing an interesting story with everyone, and I really want to turn it into words: "My ex-husband tried to pamper me by cheating and deceiving me." The inspiration comes from life, and life is often full of surprises and drama.