Ugly girl only wants to farm

Mr. Zhang happened to be returning with a fish when he saw someone loitering at the alley entrance. He initially thought it was another lecherous man and was ready to grab a stick and beat him up.

Since his daughter became a widow, many people have been eyeing her behind her back. He sent several messages through intermediaries, urging her to dispose of her property and land and return to her hometown, but she refused each time.

This year, during the Qingming Festival, the couple came home to sweep the tombs. Their daughter rarely comes back, so after finishing their household affairs, they followed her, hoping to persuade her to go back with them. They thought that she was too young to be a widow, and she wouldn't be able to hold onto her family's assets, so she might as well find someone else to marry.

Furthermore, the elderly couple also had their own selfish motives. Besides, they had several nephews and nieces. Selling these properties would provide them with a sum of money, which would be quite good. After all, a woman eventually gets married, and these nephews and brothers would be her strongest support after she marries.

When Meng Jiuhe saw that it was Zhang's father, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and greet him.

"Uncle Zhang, when did you arrive? Is everything alright at home?"

Zhang's father hadn't seen the boy for several years, and he looked much taller and more handsome than before. No wonder his mother had been subtly probing his daughter's thoughts lately, saying she had no intention of arranging a marriage; it turned out she was still thinking about the boy.

I heard that this kid passed the county-level imperial examination and is now studying in the county town. He has excellent grades and might even become the top scholar in the provincial-level imperial examination in the future.

The men they introduced to their daughters were either widowers or old bachelors. Although their conditions were not bad, they were unwilling to accept the thought that their daughters would take all these properties with them when they married into the family.

Looking at Meng Jiuhe again, he realized that he was indeed handsome and would have to take the imperial examination in the future. His daughter's vision was indeed more far-sighted than his own. He suddenly gave up his plan to send his daughter back to her hometown to get married.

Mr. Zhang greeted Meng Jiuhe warmly: "Little Meng, it's been years since we last met. Come in and have a seat, have a couple of drinks with your uncle. You've grown more and more handsome in the years since I last saw you."

As he spoke, he tried to pull Meng Jiuhe towards the other courtyard. Meng Jiuhe felt a little uncomfortable with his actions. Zhang's father was carrying a fish and his hands smelled fishy. He was wearing clothes that his wife had made for him. He frowned and moved back a little, refusing directly.

"Uncle, I have some things to take care of at home, so I'll head back now. I'll invite you to a meal another day."

As he was about to turn back, Zhang's father was not about to let him off so easily. He grabbed Zhang's clothes and his face darkened.

"You brat, you're rejecting me so quickly? I doted on you when you were little, treating you like my own son, and this is how you treat me? Now I can't even afford to treat you to a meal. It seems that once you pass the imperial examination, you look down on us peasants."

He speaks loudly, and many people around heard him making a racket and were about to gather around to see what was going on.

The two were locked in a stalemate. Meng Jiuhe truly regretted coming here today when she had nothing better to do. Just based on what she said, her head was a complete mess.

Before he could even speak, Zhang's mother peeked out from the yard, looking disgusted: "Old man, what are you doing, pulling and tugging at each other like that? Hurry up and come back and cook the fish. Our daughter is clamoring for some fish soup."

"My wife is coming over to invite Meng's son over for a meal. Didn't he used to love your braised fish the most? And the fish is especially fresh today."

Finally, Meng Jiuhe was dragged and pulled by the two men and inexplicably entered Zhang Qiao'er's courtyard, where he slammed the door shut, shutting out all the onlookers.

Outside, several women were chattering incessantly: "Is this widow going to find a son-in-law to live with her? This young man is quite good-looking, but that widow has taken a liking to him. It's like a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung."

Another woman chimed in, "That widow is as flirtatious as a vixen. Won't she drain the boy of his yang energy? Heaven help her, that widow is a jinx. She not only killed her husband but also her parents. Isn't she just blatantly trying to kill people?"

After saying that, the two of them sighed and left.

After Meng Jiuhe was taken back to the courtyard by the two men, Zhang's father pressed him down to sit at the table.

Mr. Zhang kept asking questions: "I heard you've settled down in this county town and even opened a shop to do business. You're doing better and better now. You must have a good drink with your uncle today. You see, even if our two families can't be in-laws, you and Qiao'er have known each other since childhood. In the future, you should take care of her more in this county."

Zhang Qiao'er lifted the curtain and came out of the room with a look of surprise on her face: "Brother Meng, you really came! I asked my mother to cook a few more dishes so you can have a good drink with my father. He was still talking about you."

Meng Jiuhe glanced over and noticed that Zhang Qiao'er's clothes were unusually bright today, as if she had applied some rouge. He then lowered his head, wondering how to bring it up. Since he was already here, he might as well ask. He wanted to find out as soon as possible to avoid any misunderstandings from his wife when they returned.

He composed himself and considered his words for a moment before speaking: "Uncle Zhang, I heard before..."

He thought for a long time but still couldn't figure out how to address Zhang Qiao'er.

"I heard that you two know something about my parents. Could you tell me a little about it?"

Mr. Zhang immediately picked up the earthenware pot and poured him a bowl of tea: "Hey, you've been walking for most of the day and you must be dying of thirst. Let's talk about it after we eat."

Meng Jiuhe hadn't touched the tea in front of him at all. Right now, he just wanted to figure things out as quickly as possible and didn't want to waste any unnecessary time.

He felt a little dizzy because Zhang Qiao'er had applied some kind of fragrance to her body. He thought his wife was the best; she never wore any random perfumes.

Seeing that Meng Jiuhe hadn't touched the tea and was still looking restless, glancing outside every now and then, Zhang Qiao'er immediately gave her father a meaningful look.

Mr. Zhang quickly spoke up: "Xiao Meng, would your uncle harm you? It's just that I rarely get to see you. Now that you've passed the imperial examination and become a scholar, my sons are also starting their studies at school. There are some things I'd like to ask you. You know your older brother and the others haven't been to school either, and I'm thinking of sending them to learn some characters so they can find work in the future."

Since the person had put it that way, Meng Jiuhe couldn't refuse any longer and had no choice but to sit down and reluctantly eat the meal.

"Regarding your parents, I happen to have a distant relative who lives on the other side of the mountain. He just happened to be out a few days ago."

He stopped there and didn't continue. Meng Jiuhe knew that this meal was unavoidable, so he also stopped talking.

Zhang Qiao'er finally sat down with everyone at ease. She then winked at her father and said, "Father, you and Brother Meng can chat here. I'll go help Mother."

Xu Chaoyan had been busy in the shop for a long time, and most of the hour had passed, but Meng Jiuhe still hadn't returned. She didn't think much of it, assuming that they had both gone out together.

Seeing that his elder brother hadn't returned, Meng Jiu became anxious and ran to the kitchen: "Sister-in-law, my brother has been out for an hour or two and hasn't come back yet. Why don't you go and look for him?"

Xu Chaoyan is trying to make some ice jelly. As the weather gets hotter, she plans to make some ice jelly to cool off in the summer.

Back when she was in town, she collected all the ice jelly seeds she found on the mountain and stored them here. They're coming in handy now, as she's currently extremely busy and can't relax for long.

"They rarely get a day off, so they probably went to the bookstore with Zhang Xuyang to read books or take them back to copy."

Meng Jiuxia looked restless: "Sister-in-law, why don't we go look for it? My eyelids have been twitching all day, and I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen. Brother, I always tell you carefully where I'm going. Besides, it's been an hour or so. Even if he went to buy writing materials, he should have been back by now."

Xu Chaoyan washed her hands in a wooden basin, looked at the ice jelly she had made, and guessed that she would have to let it sit for a while to know the effect.

"Never mind, I'll go for a walk outside and see if I run into your older brother. You and your sister keep an eye on the shop."

Zhang Qiao'er placed the dishes on the table one by one, desperately trying to wink at her father. But her father seemed oblivious, continuing to chat with Yu Mengjiu. He knew nothing, yet pretended to be knowledgeable.

We missed out on this kid before, but he's so lucky to have passed the imperial examination at the county level. If he passes the highest level in the imperial examination, our whole family will be rich. We won't have to waste our time in the village anymore. My daughter is so thoughtful and farsighted.

Zhang Qiao'er brought over the last bowl of fish, and kicked it at Zhang's father as she passed by.

A scream of pain rang out.

"Father, you're out of wine, aren't you? Go outside and get a pot of wine. Mother and I can stay here with you."

Mr. Zhang was a little confused after being kicked by his daughter. He was about to glare at her when he said, "Don't we still have the wine we bought a few days ago? Just bring out that jar."

Zhang Qiao'er looked at him with barely suppressed rage, but she tried her best to maintain a smile: "That black cat next door is always naughty. Yesterday it climbed over the wall and knocked over your wine jar. Hurry up and bring back a pot of wine."

Zhang's mother came over and slapped him: "The old man told you to get the wine, so go get the wine. Remember to get the best pear blossom wine. You haven't seen Meng's son for a long time, so don't let him drink that strong liquor. He can't hold his liquor."

Then, after whispering to someone about getting money, they left the courtyard.

When Zhang Qiao'er saw her mother return, the mother and daughter exchanged glances and nodded.