Ugly girl only wants to farm

Meng Jiudong kept looking back, still somewhat puzzled. His grandmother told him to chase the chickens away, so he picked up a broom and ran off like the wind, imitating the chickens' clucking.

Grandmother Meng rubbed her forehead, looking distressed. How could this boy be so mischievous? He was completely different from her eldest grandson, who was clever and quick-witted from a young age and excelled in his studies. This boy was simply no match for his older brother.

She glared fiercely at her grandson's back a few times.

Every time we ate, my grandmother would make a sarcastic remark, implying something: "Someone who does nothing all day has the nerve to eat so much food. It's such a waste of the family's food supply. Even a dog knows to guard the house."

After Meng Jiuhe went to school, the food at home became worse. Grandmother Meng stirred the thin soup with her chopsticks again and again, looking impatient. She couldn't vent her anger on her daughter-in-law, so she could only take it out on Xu Chaoyan: "What's wrong? You're unhappy because I said a few words to you, and you even rolled your eyes at me, right? You used to be the boss at home, but now you want to put on airs in our Meng family, right?"

Xu Chaoyan felt like a million grass mud horses were galloping through her mind. I was just eating my meal in peace, where did I roll my eyes at you? If you want to pick a fight with me, just say so. You're such an unlucky old hag.

Just then, a series of knocks came from outside the courtyard gate, followed by a loud voice: "Is the Meng family here?"

Meng Jiuxia immediately put down her chopsticks and went to open the door, a sweet smile on her face: "Aunt He, what brings you to my house?"

The plump woman glanced at Meng Jiuxia, scrutinized her from head to toe, and said with great satisfaction, "Is your mother at home?"

Meng Jiuxia nodded obediently: "Yes, Auntie, come in!"

The fat woman started yelling again in her loud voice: "Speaking of which, your husband from the Meng family broke his leg before, and then borrowed money from my family to help your son get married. Didn't your wife bring a lot of dowry with her? How come you can't even pay back the little bit of money I gave you?"

“We’re all from the same village, so it’s normal for us to lend a hand when someone is in trouble. But we’re not doing well either. Could you pay us back first?”

Li San Niang's face showed an embarrassed expression. When her husband broke his leg, the family did not have enough money. They had to scrape together some money to send him to the hospital for treatment, thinking that they would pay it back slowly. Now that he had deliberately come to their door, she felt embarrassed in front of her daughter-in-law.

“Hey, Auntie, let’s go over there and talk about it slowly. Jiuxia, clear away the dishes and chopsticks, and go with your sister-in-law to see if the chickens have been fed. While you’re at it, clean up the chicken coop.”

The woman wouldn't let it go and blocked her way: "Whatever it is, just say it here. What's there to hide? I'm sure the dowry your wife brought is enough for you to get by for a while. What, are you planning to live a carefree life? You don't intend to return the five taels of silver to my family, do you?"

Li Sanniang looked at her suspiciously: "Didn't I borrow one tael of silver from you before? How did it become five taels of silver? We're all neighbors, so we have to be true to our conscience."

Aunt He touched her nose and said with a hint of pride, "I didn't say that. Your old lady begged us to lend her one tael of silver to treat her son's leg, promising to pay us back five taels of silver after her granddaughter-in-law was married."

At this moment, Grandmother stood to the side with her head down and remained silent. When Li San Niang saw her quail-like appearance, she knew that she was definitely the one who did this.

She sighed helplessly before saying, "How about we postpone this a little longer? Our family is facing some difficulties lately. Jiuhe just paid his tuition and the harvest from the fields wasn't good either. Maybe we should postpone it for a while longer."

Aunt He looked her up and down, her face full of impatience: "Third Sister, I only helped your family back then because we were neighbors. Now my family is in dire need of money for the betrothal gifts? Your son can get married, but my son is not worthy of getting married?"

“I’m not leaving today. If you don’t return my money, I’ll give you five taels of silver and make your Xia girl a wife for Gou Dan. Consider the five taels of silver as a betrothal gift. Your family won’t lose out.”

Hearing this, Meng Jiuxia, who had already left, suddenly came back with a look of horror: "Mother, I don't want to marry that Gou Dan. Gou Dan is a fool. Please don't agree to marry him. I promise I will be obedient and take care of all the housework. I will never be lazy."

Aunt He pointed at Meng Jiuxia and yelled, "You little brat, do you even deserve to marry into my family? If it weren't for..."

Seeing that she was about to let something slip, she quickly took back what she was saying and covered her mouth. But Xu Chaoyan still caught her.

She initially disagreed with lending the money, but then she changed her mind and thought it would be a good deed to the Meng family. The Meng family's son was good at studying, and if he became successful in the future, they might be able to build a relationship.

She waited for many days but the Meng family did not come to repay the money. She heard from elsewhere that Meng Jiuhe's father's leg injury would probably take several months to heal and he would not be able to work for a while. It was estimated that the money would not be repaid for the time being. It just so happened that her son was of marriageable age.

Because her son was a bit slow-witted, no respectable family was willing to marry their daughter to them. They had been engaged to a girl before, and her son was quite happy about it. However, he didn't know his own strength and beat the girl so badly that he broke her bones. His reputation for assault spread.

She was currently very worried. People around the same age as her son were already holding their grandchildren, while she was still worried about where to find a daughter-in-law. Just now, the girl from the Meng family opened the door for her, and when she saw Xia's pretty face and waist and hips that looked like they were good for childbearing, she suddenly had a bright idea and set her sights on this girl. It was fine if she didn't have to return the money, she could just take this girl as her daughter-in-law. That way, she could become in-laws with the Meng family, and if that boy was lucky enough to get into university, they could also benefit from it.

Li Sanniang pulled her daughter behind her, her face changed and her voice became stern: "The He family owes your family money, one thing at a time, but don't try to take advantage of my daughter."

Li San Niang was originally a gentle person, and this was the first time she had so forcefully protected her daughter behind her. Meng Jiuxia was also stunned for a moment, but she knew that her mother would not abandon her.

Aunt He immediately sat down on the ground and started wailing, "Everyone come and see! The Meng family owes people money and won't pay it back. Is there no justice in this world?"

The courtyard gate happened to be open. She wasn't busy lately, and her loud voice attracted the attention of people nearby with just a few shouts. Some people looked down on her actions, while others looked on with amusement.

The Meng family used to live a good life in the village, and they had a son who was good at studying. Everyone envied and was jealous of them. Now that they saw their family in such a sorry state, everyone wanted to kick them while they were down.

Then there was that woman who didn't mind making things worse, saying in a sarcastic tone: "I'm telling you, Meng family, this is what you're doing. It's only right to pay back debts. If this gets taken to the authorities, then the He family will be in the right."