Ugly girl only wants to farm

Seeing the little girl looking aggrieved and on the verge of tears, Xu Chaoyan quickly put away her joking intentions, ruffled her hair, and coaxed her gently, "Don't cry. If your older brother sees you crying, he might say I'm bullying you. I'm not just teasing you; I've been feeling too depressed these past few days."

"So I thought I'd tease you a bit. Besides, with someone as capable as you, how could your sister-in-law bear to marry you off? If your older brother becomes successful in the future, he might not stay in this county. We can't bear to leave you here alone, without any relatives or friends. What if you get bullied and have no one to help you?"

Zhang Yueniang also chimed in to comfort her, "Little Xia, your sister-in-law is all bark and no bite. How could she be in such a hurry to marry you off? She always saves the best things for you. Ya Ya is so envious of you."

Meng Jiuxia then smiled through her tears, her voice still trembling with sobs: "Sister-in-law, you really think that way. You don't mind that I'm a burden, nor do you mind that I eat too much."

Seeing the person smile, Xu Chaoyan pulled her towards the shop: "Let's hurry and see who came looking for us. Who said I dislike you for eating too much? Look at your small, thin body, I wish you would eat more. You're still young, so your sister-in-law will at least save you for later."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Yueliang became displeased: "What's wrong with you as a sister-in-law? Can a girl still get married if she stays at twenty? After fifteen, she should be settling down with potential partners as soon as possible. It's fine if you stay for a couple more years after the engagement. But if she's an old maid at twenty, people will laugh at her."

Forget it, there's no point in arguing with my sister. Since she divorced and returned home, many people have tried to arrange marriages for her, but she's rejected them all. Actually, she's not that old, only in her early twenties, the prime of her youth. She can't let a scumbag ruin her life.

Xu Chaoyan had wanted to advise her before that if she found a good family, she could try getting to know them.

Before the three of them could even cross the threshold, the familiar screaming chicken voice rang out.

"My dear granddaughter, my good granddaughter, it's only been a short time! How have you grown so beautiful? Grandma almost didn't recognize you. Oh my goodness, is this still my dark-skinned granddaughter? As the saying goes, the environment shapes people, and indeed, the water in this county is different. My girl who used to be like a black mudfish has now become as round as a cloud."

Grandma Meng went over and hugged her granddaughter tightly, looking extremely fond of her. Meng Xiuzhi also walked over from the side, greeting Xu Chaoyan with a bright smile on her face.

“I haven’t seen my niece-in-law for a long time. How have you been? Where have you been? Your grandmother and I have been waiting here anxiously, afraid that something might have happened to you two. And this person really has no sense of propriety, seeing that your grandmother and I have traveled a long way. We’re starving and don’t even offer to pour us a bowl of tea or get us something to eat. We’re so hungry we’re dizzy and can barely stand.”

As she spoke, she swayed a few times, and Xu Chaoyan quickly pulled Yue Niang aside. Meng Xiuzhi had become quite robust in such a short time; if she were upside down, she would surely break someone's bones.

Meng Xiuzhi looked embarrassed and listlessly steadied herself by holding onto the door frame.

Xu Chaoyan noticed that although they looked travel-worn, they weren't as disheveled as he had described. Those few swaying movements were just an act.

Meng Jiuxia struggled for a long time but couldn't break free. Her grandmother always complained of aches and pains, so why was she holding her so tightly that she could hardly breathe? She looked to Xu Chaoyan beside her for help, blinking frantically.

Xu Chaoyan frowned almost imperceptibly. She really hadn't expected that it would be the Meng family mother and daughter who came. How did these two troublemakers end up together? And how did they know they were in the county? With these two here, they'd probably cause a huge uproar.

Meng Xiuzhi stood there awkwardly laughing. Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she walked over on her own, took Xu Chaoyan's hand, and led her inside.

“I said, niece-in-law, aren’t you too surprised that Grandma and I came to see you? You’re so excited that you haven’t reacted for a long time. You must be exhausted from the long journey. Quickly arrange a place for us to rest. Also, prepare more food. Grandma and I have become thin from eating and sleeping outdoors.”

Meng Jiuxia was held tightly by her grandmother and couldn't break free no matter what she did. Her grandmother kept calling her "darling" and "good granddaughter," and her spittle flew all over her face. She found the smell of her mother's mouth extremely disgusting and was simply indescribable.

My sister-in-law was also pulled away. She looked like she was about to cry, but Zhang Yueniang saw her like that and quickly went over and pulled her away.

"Grandma Xia, look, you're choking the child so much she can't breathe. Be gentle, this girl's delicate skin can't take this."

Grandmother Meng was clearly displeased at being interrupted by the sudden appearance of the woman. She put her hands on her hips and looked Meng Jiuxia up and down, clicking her tongue a few times: "The water and soil in this county really nourish people. This little black mudfish has been raised to be fair and tender. You all live a comfortable life, but you've forgotten your grandmother at home. Don't you think you're being unfilial? When she was little, she would go up the mountain to catch birds and go down to the river to catch fish. She was so tough that she could have broken a dog. A girl should have some strength, so that she won't bring shame to the Meng family after she gets married. Look at this delicate and pampered appearance, is she made of tofu and farts? She'll break at the slightest touch."

Her harsh words left Zhang Yueniang speechless for a long time. She was not good at expressing herself, let alone arguing with these old shrewish women. She could only force a smile and apologize.

"The old lady said you should come in for some tea and rest. You must be tired from your long journey. I apologize for my neglect of you earlier."

As she spoke, she made an inviting gesture, and Grandmother Meng snorted twice at her, looking arrogant and haughty.

"You must be a waiter hired by my grandson's family. You really have no sense of propriety. I won't hold what happened earlier against you. Hurry up and serve him good food and drink, or when my grandson comes back, I'll have him fire you."

Meng Jiuxia was already somewhat angry about what Zhang Yueniang had just said. She immediately broke free from Zhang Yueniang's hand and went to argue with her. How could she have done such a shameless thing back then? And now she still had the nerve to come here? What was she doing, clinging to their house like this?

Zhang Yueniang saw through her intentions, grabbed her, shook her head, and coaxed her gently: "Xia'er, don't be impulsive. You'll have to watch your sister-in-law's mood. She's still your grandmother, after all. It's not good for you and your brother to be labeled as unfilial. Let them eat and drink their fill first. We won't miss this meal."

Meng Xiuzhi pulled Xu Chaoyan to sit down at the table, and then started yelling at the old woman next to her.

"You old hag, don't you have any sense? Hurry up and bring me some good food and drink. Can't you see I'm so hungry I'm seeing stars?"

She sat in the shop, looking around at the small shop. When they came in, the mother and daughter looked wary and asked them all sorts of questions. They didn't dare to openly look at the shop.

Only now did she have time to take a closer look. She was surprised to find that the couple was quite capable. In just half a year, they had even opened a shop. Opening a shop in the county must have made them very wealthy.

She was insanely jealous. Why was her family's situation getting worse and worse? It was infuriating to compare herself to others.