Ugly girl only wants to farm

Xu Chaoyan and her group decided to depart the next day. In her words, it would be more reassuring to finish things early, so as to avoid any unforeseen complications.

Because there were still craftsmen working at home and cooking, she was worried that Meng Jiuxia wouldn't be able to manage on her own these days and would be in a panic, so she made some mixed grain steamed buns, which she could just heat up when the time came.

In winter, it's good to cook a pot of hot soup and eat it with steamed buns.

Xu Chaoyan was busy until late at night without a break. Meng Jiuhe had come over several times to urge her to return, but she hadn't come back yet. He had already read the book several times, and he had just said he would help her but was kicked out.

He walked over, holding the oil lamp in one hand and shielding the faint light with the other: "Why don't you go back and rest first? You'll only be gone for two or three days. I'll help my little sister take care of the house. Besides, I'm not a three-year-old child who needs you to worry about everything."

Xu Chaoyan was putting out the embers in the stove. She looked up and her face was covered in ash. "That's good. I'll collect these pieces of charcoal so you can keep warm while you study."

Meng Jiuhe brought over an oil lamp to light some of the way for her. Looking at the spotless kitchen and the steaming buns, he knew she must be worried about the people working. He felt sorry for them and wanted to lend a hand, but he was sent away.

Meng Jiu took the wooden basin, scooped up some hot water, and shoved the oil lamp into her hand, his tone carrying a hint of reproach: "It's so late at night, you should take care of your health. How can you keep going like this?"

Xu Chaoyan held the oil lamp in front of him to light the way, and answered softly, "I know that my sister and I will be gone for two or three days. I was afraid that you and my sister-in-law would be too busy at home, so I prepared these things for you in advance so that you could have some relief. It takes several hours to feed more than a dozen people. I was worried that my sister-in-law would get tired by herself."

A gust of wind blew in, and the faint light was about to be blown out. Xu Chaoyan protected the lamp with one hand and quickly pushed the door open with the other: "Hurry up and go in. It's getting colder and colder. It's already frosty in the morning. Soak your feet in a foot bath and get some rest. We need to hire a car to go to the county town tomorrow."

After Xu Chaoyan finished soaking her feet, Meng Jiuhe massaged her shoulders and arms to relieve her fatigue. By the time the two lay down, it was already around midnight.

Xu Chaoyan huddled in Meng Jiuhe's arms, her arms wrapped around his waist, and muttered, "This house is really old; it can barely keep out the wind. It's so cold."

As Meng Jiu tucked her in, he looked puzzled. "Didn't you just soak your feet in hot water? Why are you still so cold? Next time I'll definitely bring in a few more hot water bottles to warm the bed. You need to take good care of your cold constitution. When you come back from the county, don't touch anything cold. It's already very cold in the middle of winter. Don't worry about anything. Let me do whatever you need to do. I'm a man, I'm not afraid."

Afraid that he would keep rambling on and on, Xu Chaoyan quickly looked up and kissed his chattering lips. After a moment, she said shyly, "Go to sleep, go to sleep. There are important things to do tomorrow."

Meng Jiu, stiff as a board, held the person in his arms tightly, sighed softly, and realized he knew how to start a fire but not how to put it out, before drifting into a dream.

Xu Chaoyan and the others don't need to get up so early to go to the county. The weather has been particularly cold lately, and the cabbages in the fields have all been touched by frost, making them taste sweet.

When Xu Chaoyan got up in the morning, she rubbed her hands and stretched her body. At this time, Meng Jiuhe came up from behind her, took out his money bag and stuffed it into her hand. Before Xu Chaoyan could refuse, he quickly said, "Although this money is not much, you can take it first. Going to the county town is not as expensive as spending it in the town. You can keep it to have some money to spare, or if you really have nowhere to spend it, you can buy me a couple of books when you come back."

After saying that, fearing that Xu Chaoyan would refuse, he quickly ran to the kitchen.

Xu Chaoyan weighed the money pouch in her hand. It was about the same weight as the last time she had given it. She thought to herself that this man was incredibly stingy. She could have used the money to treat her classmate to a bowl of tea, but he just kept the same amount in the pouch.

She finally gave a helpless smile.

Meng Jiuxia peeked out of the house at this moment, saw her standing there, greeted her, and then slipped her a small money pouch.

“Sister-in-law, this is the money I’ve earned these past few days. Buy whatever you like in the county. Don’t refuse.”

Xu Chaoyan was puzzled that everyone was sending her money today, treating her like a child.

Meng Jiu could still exchange a few words with her, but she couldn't refuse her sister-in-law's kindness, so she agreed first: "Okay, I'll keep the money for now, and I'll buy you anything interesting I see in the county."

Xu Chaoyan originally suggested hiring a donkey cart so the three of them could go directly to the county. It would take about a day to get from the town to the county seat by donkey cart, and they would arrive in the evening.

If the three of them were to hire a car, the price would naturally be higher.

Uncle Zhang complained that it was too expensive and suggested that it would be more cost-effective to take a cart there. He pointed to the bundle in his hand and said, "Meng's wife, I had my daughter make some pancakes this morning and put some water here. Don't think I'm being long-winded. We still have many expenses these days, so we should save where we can."

Xu Chaoyan nodded and said with a look of shame, "Uncle, I'm sorry, I didn't think it through."

She originally planned to go to the county town early to find a courtyard and check out the business there. The end of the year is approaching, and she could make some blood tofu and dried tofu to sell. The cost of living in the town is about the same, so it would be good to go there in advance to set up a stall and become a familiar face.

There's only about a month left until the Lunar New Year. Right now, they're making sure the yard is in order and tidying things up little by little. Once the aunties and the others have settled things with the property, spring will begin.

Zhang Yueniang pulled Xu Chaoyan over and whispered, "Don't think your father is being long-winded. He's been frugal his whole life. Here, I've simmered some hot soup in an earthenware pot. We'll have this soup before noon. I heard that taking this cart will take longer, but it's cheaper. I reckon we'll have to spend the night outside."

"The driver said we'd light a fire at a dilapidated temple we often pass by, and we'd all make do for the night. I also brought a thin blanket; we'll share it for the night, so please don't mind."

Xu Chaoyan nodded, looking ashamed: "Your considerations are very thorough. I have learned a lot."

Ever since Xu Chaoyan went to the county town, Meng Jiu and his wife have been having trouble sleeping these past few nights. They toss and turn in bed, unable to fall asleep. They used to think that the bed was a bit too narrow for two people, and they had even heard his wife complain that they wanted to get a bigger bed so they could toss and turn however they wanted.

These two nights felt like an eternity to him. The bed was so wide it was like the Chu-Han border, and it felt empty inside, with no warmth at all under the covers.

He found the breakfast his younger sister made tasteless. Meng Jiuxia even asked him if he missed his sister-in-law. He complained that her cooking was bad and angrily snatched his bowl to feed the chickens.

These past two days, around noon, the old lady would bring Ya Ya over to help Meng Jiuxia, making hot soup for the craftsmen since they had nothing else to do, and also delivering their meals.

The house will be finished in another half month, ten days earlier than the owner expected. The owner was all smiles when he saw Meng Jiuxia.

They were absolutely right to have this job. I'll definitely give them a red envelope when it's finished to thank them properly.

Xu Chaoyan and the others said they would be back in two or three days, but they still hadn't returned by the third day.

Meng Jiuhe had looked at the crossroads several times, but by the fourth day, they still hadn't returned.

Meng Jiuhe couldn't sit still any longer and pulled Zhang Xuyang to go ask about the carriage.

"They said they'd be back in two or three days, but it's already the fourth day, and there's still no word. Come with me quickly and ask those drivers if something happened on the road? What's going on?"

Zhang Xuyang was also very worried at this moment. His mother had asked him several times, and he just said some things that his mother liked to hear to appease her first.

Seeing Meng Jiu's anxious state, he quickly offered some words of comfort: "It's freezing cold, so the journey will definitely be slower. I guess there's been a delay on the way, or maybe it's raining. Didn't it rain a few days ago? The roads are quite muddy, so the road conditions are probably not good. I'll go with you to ask. Don't worry too much; the three of them together will be fine."