Ugly girl only wants to farm

Shen Siheng quickly shielded the person to the side, looking at her warily: "Hey Zhang, what tricks are you up to now? Brother Meng, don't let this vixen fool you."

Meng Jiuhe looked at her with some suspicion: "What trick are you planning to pull now?"

Zhang Qiao'er looked hurt: "Brother Meng, how could you think of me like that? Don't you know who I am? As soon as I got the news, I came to find you. Look at me, I'm covered in sweat and haven't even had time to drink a sip of water."

Meng Jiuhe was still hesitating, having no idea whether what she said was true or false.

Shen Siheng interrupted his thoughts: "Brother Meng, you mustn't listen to her nonsense. My mother said that the more alluring a woman is, the more likely she is to lie. Look at her, she's full of tricks and clearly has no good intentions."

Zhang Qiao'er looked at him and said, "Brother Meng, you'll know whether what I said is true or not once you go there yourself. Anyway, I've delivered the message. As for whether you believe it or not, that's up to you."

When Meng Jiu returned to the shop, Xu Chaoyan noticed something was off about him. When she asked him, he didn't say anything, only that he had too much schoolwork lately and was a little tired. Xu Chaoyan didn't take it to heart and told him to rest more and not to worry about the shop; the few of them could manage.

He was still pondering how credible Zhang Qiao'er's words were.

"Hey, that woman surnamed Meng in your Zhang family's courtyard, she's always acting suspiciously, she's obviously not a law-abiding citizen. Just now I saw her whispering to someone in secret."

The old lady and Ya Ya were returning from grocery shopping when they ran into the neighbor who had just come back. The neighbor took out a handful of peanuts and handed them over, saying, "Here, little Ya Ya, try some of Grandma's roasted peanuts, they're so delicious."

Ya Ya glanced at the old lady before taking the peanuts, and then stood obediently to the side.

The woman's husband, surnamed Cui, and their two sons all work away from home. She and her daughter-in-law usually stay home, cleaning and taking care of their grandson. They are a very kind person, often bringing things over, but they are rather gossipy.

The Cui family pulled the person aside: "Anyway, we have nothing to do, so let's sit down and chat for a bit."

The old lady couldn't refuse, so she took Ya Ya and sat with her under the tree outside the courtyard.

“I’d say your courtyard is quite lively now, quite a few people live here. Ever since that Meng mother and daughter came, they’ve corrupted the atmosphere in this area.”

The old woman was startled. Sure enough, people knew about it. It seemed she would have to give Meng's wife a few words of advice, since the rent for their courtyard was already cheaper than elsewhere.

The landlord initially agreed to rent to them because they were a small, unassuming family. He specifically instructed them not to cause any trouble, especially anything embarrassing.

The Cui family quickly looked around and then whispered a few words to her.

“Didn’t I just tell you that the woman was sneaking out like that? I heard from Gou Dan’s mother that the scoundrel who was having an affair with her actually spread the word, saying that the woman is very reckless. We all raise sons and daughters, and your granddaughter is still young. You should also advise that restless woman like Xiao Meng to send her away as soon as possible. Her husband is a scholar, so don’t let it affect his future.”

Meng Xiuzhi was just coming out of the clinic, cursing at the people inside.

"You old geezer, all you want is to buy some medicine from you? If you're not going to sell it, fine, but why are you being so high and mighty? I don't believe I can't buy a single dose of medicine in this whole county."

After the man left, the doctor shook his head, sighed, and instructed his apprentice beside him: "If anyone like that comes again, chase them out with a stick. We're a legitimate clinic; why would we sell that kind of shady stuff? Besides, he's getting on in years; he might hurt his back. He might try to scam me again. These days, there are all sorts of birds in the forest."

Meng Xiuzhi couldn't buy what she needed for several hours. She finally found a shop, but then she complained that it was too expensive and couldn't bear to spend the money.

When she got back, she inevitably got another lecture from her mother.

"You can't even handle a small matter. Look at your greedy, insatiable nature. You can't even spare a little silver. You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. Think about how much Zhang's house is worth. When she marries into the Meng family, her dowry will be mine. From now on, you'll have to listen to me. I'll be in charge of everything from now on."

In the end, it was her lover who got her a small packet, repeatedly telling her that only a tiny bit was needed. She was also struggling to find an opportunity to make a move and was having a headache. Xu Chaoyan was busy in the shop all day long.

Since Jiang Xinyi settled in, her small shop has become bustling, and she has started selling breakfast, especially the fresh meat and bamboo shoot buns, which are very popular and have even attracted long queues.

The butcher's wife had been all smiles lately, having dug up a lot of bamboo shoots with her sons, bringing in extra income for the family. Upon seeing Xu Chaoyan, she repeatedly thanked her and brought her a generous amount of pig offal and blood.

While everyone was working hard that day, a sharp, piercing voice suddenly rang out.

"You little slut, I knew you were asking for a divorce all along. Turns out you were here flirting with other men? You think I'm too old? You've got your eye on these pretty boys?"

The sudden sound startled everyone, and they all looked up.

Jiang Xinyi looked frightened and shrank back: "Don't talk nonsense. I'm doing my job properly. You'd better leave and not affect your employer's business."

Yu Junzhi sat down on the bench and slammed his hand on the table: "If you don't come home with me today, I'm not leaving here."

Zhang Yueniang steadied herself before speaking: "If you're here for a meal, we welcome you, but please don't cause trouble."

"Who are you?" He stared at her with wide eyes and a fierce look on his face. Zhang Yueniang, who had just calmed down, was startled by him and her voice trembled.

"I'm the owner of this shop, and we're doing legitimate business." Before she could finish speaking, the man shouted at her.

Several tables of customers were also frightened away, and Xu Chaoyan no longer kept the three of them alone in the shop.

Hearing the commotion, Meng Jiuxia rushed out with a fire poker in hand: "What do you want?"

Yu Junzhi glanced at the three of them, waved the fire poker away, and gave Meng Jiuxia a smile that he considered charming: "A young lady should be more refined, or she'll never be able to get married."

With a "smack," the stick struck the back of his hand, immediately eliciting a pig-like scream.

"Jiang Xinyi, are you dead? Didn't you see your man was beaten? Why don't you get back here and come back with me to have a son? What are you doing fooling around with these crazy women? I've given you a chance. If you don't change your temper, I won't accept you."

"What? Your Meifang doesn't want you anymore, and now you remember me? Have I been kicked in the head by a donkey? I'll go back with you."

The standoff continued, with Jiang Xinyi watching the man not far away warily, fearing he might attack. Many people around them were pointing and whispering, and both women were nearly in tears.

Yu Junzhi lost his patience and angrily picked up a long bench to smash it down. Zhang Yueniang was so frightened that she quickly hugged Jiang Xinyi, and the two of them trembled. Meng Jiuxia, on the other hand, was not afraid and started wildly waving a fire poker.

Just as the stool was about to hit the two of them, Qi Yu rushed over to stop it: "Sister, are you alright?"

Zhang Yueniang looked at him gratefully and shook her head. Her face was a little pale, but she still held Jiang Xinyi in her arms.

"If you don't leave, I'll report you to the authorities."

Yu Junzhi's expression changed, and he was unwilling. Finally, he said harshly, "Don't think you're free just because you have a pretty boy to help you. Bao'er is sick and needs money. Give him two taels of silver every month for food, clothing and other necessities. Otherwise, I'll let everyone see what kind of person you are."

Jiang Xinyi's expression was not good.

Xu Chaoyan only learned about this after she returned, and she was so angry that she started cursing.

"That bastard always comes when I'm not around. Don't let me catch him, or he'll be in big trouble."

Jiang Xinyi looked guilty: "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I'll leave today."

"What are you talking about, leaving or not leaving?" Xu Chaoyan pressed the person down onto the stool.

Everyone fell silent. After a moment, Jiang Xinyi spoke up: "I didn't mean to hide it from you. Actually, he came to me a few days ago, saying he was willing to give up everything as long as I came back. He wanted to give Bao'er a complete family and said we would have a baby as soon as we got back. He was only with Meifang because he was angry with me. He said he would give up everything as long as I came back. He cried his eyes out."

Xu Chaoyan: "A man's words are deceitful. A man's tears can break your heart."

Meng Jiuxia coughed a few times.

"Is your throat sore? Your sister-in-law will boil some water for you to drink tonight."

Meng Jiuxia almost rolled her eyes and said helplessly, "Sister-in-law, Brother Qi is here too, he's a man. Besides, my brother didn't lie to you, did he?"

Xu Chaoyan gave an awkward smile: "Qi Yu is here too? By the way, why isn't your older brother here? Isn't he on leave?"

Meng Jiuxia: "Didn't you just leave? He followed you out right after, and you two took different paths."

Xu Chaoyan: "I didn't see it, I guess they took the wrong road."

At this moment, Meng Jiuhe hesitated at the entrance of the alley not far from Zhang Qiao'er's house. He suddenly regretted his actions today. If he rashly went to a widow's house, something bad might come out. He quickly turned back, planning to bring his younger sister another day. But then he was stopped by a surprised voice.

"Young Master Meng, is it really you?"