Ugly girl only wants to farm

Xu Chaoyan was processing what the shopkeeper had said. It hadn't been long before her father had disappeared without a trace. She pinched the little silver left in her purse and felt worried. Now even her only hope was gone.

When she returned to the inn, her second uncle asked impatiently, "Have you found your father-in-law? How is his business doing? Has he said when he'll send someone to pick us up? This inn is no place for humans to live. It's filthy and chaotic, and there's barely enough room for us to turn around."

Xu Chaoyan, looking tired, said faintly, "I couldn't find it."

Uncle's eyes widened: "What do you mean you didn't find it? You've been gone for so long and you still haven't found it? Did you think we'd been staying in this cramped inn for the past two days? Putting aside the accommodations, you didn't see the food; it was practically inedible."

Meng Jiuxia then brought over the food: "Mala Flower, this is food I saved for you. Eat it quickly, it's still a little warm."

Xu Chaoyan glanced at the food and it was indeed not very good. It was just some cabbage stalks and a little bit of pickled vegetables on top, without any oil or grease. Not to mention that her second uncle and the others couldn't eat it, she herself had no appetite at all. Fortunately, she had just eaten a bowl of hot wontons outside, so she wasn't too hungry right now.

Not wanting to disappoint the girl, she picked up her chopsticks and casually ate a few bites. Seeing the girl's hesitant expression, she put down her chopsticks and said softly, "What's wrong? Is there something you want to tell me?"

Meng Jiuxia shook her head, and finally, under Xu Chaoyan's repeated questioning, she said, "Second Uncle just asked for another room and even had someone bring up bathwater and other things. I was thinking, why don't we let him and the coachman go and stay there? This room is small to begin with, so let my eldest brother rest peacefully for the night."

Xu Chaoyan thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be just a small matter. She patted her shoulder and said, "It's nothing, it's just a room. I can afford it."

At this moment, the second uncle's eyes were practically piercing Meng Jiuxia, and his words were filled with resentment: "You little brat, you've got a sharp tongue. We've been through so much on this journey, and I'd like to get some rest for the night. I still have to take your older brother back. If I fall ill, there won't be anyone in charge here. It's just you women. What will happen if something happens?"

Xu Chaoyan saw him sitting there casually spouting nonsense, but she didn't take it to heart. Anyway, she didn't want to stay with him or listen to his rubbish all the way here. Her second uncle's words were indeed very unpleasant, and she was afraid that the young girl would feel bad after hearing them, so she changed the subject.

"I'll have to trouble you this time, Uncle. Since the room is already booked, you and Uncle can go and rest there. My sister-in-law and I can take care of things here. We'll go back to the village early tomorrow morning."

When her second uncle heard that she was going back to the village tomorrow, he disagreed: "Haven't we found our in-laws yet? Why don't we stay a little longer?"

He was still thinking that once he found Xu's father, he might be able to gain some advantage. Tao Hua was already unhappy because she hadn't come to the city or county.

He had promised her he would buy her a velvet flower and some muslin to make her new clothes. He was leaving in a hurry the next day. How would he explain this to his daughter and wife when he got back?

Xu Chaoyan placed the bowl and chopsticks on the tray and replied calmly, "My father didn't leave me a specific address when he left. He said he would write to me after he settled down. Given my husband's current situation, let's go back and recuperate first. He will naturally write to me after he settles down."

My second uncle then continued to persuade us: "It's more convenient for us to stay in the county, where there are doctors and medicine available. Why rush back to the village? If Jiuhe has an emergency, we'll have a way to deal with it."

Seeing her second uncle chattering on and on, Meng Jiuxia was getting annoyed. She hadn't wanted him to come in the first place, but her grandmother had insisted. He kept nagging on and on, making her ears feel like they were going to fall off. He complained that the food wasn't good or that he hadn't slept well. Why did he have to come along and suffer like this?

She had kept quiet before because her second uncle was an elder, but now that even the morning glory was being offered to her, she couldn't bear it anymore, and her tone was somewhat displeased.

"Second Uncle, didn't you hear what the doctor said today? He told my brother to go home and rest. The medicine has been prescribed, and with so many of us living in this county, expenses are high. Everything costs money. Let's go home first, take the medicine, and see how it goes."

Uncle was still muttering to himself. Seeing how generous Jiu and his wife were today, he thought she had a lot of money and wanted to trick him into buying some cloth for his daughter as a reward for his hard work in coming here. But it seemed like this was going to be difficult. When did Xia girl become so sharp-tongued?

It seems we've been underestimating them all along.

That night, Meng Jiuxia and Xu Chaoyan took turns caring for Meng Jiuhe in bed. Fortunately, after administering some medicine, nothing serious happened during the night.

After daybreak, she instructed the driver to feed the donkey so they could continue their journey. Xu Chaoyan was worried about how long it would take for Meng Jiuhe to recover. Judging from the doctor's tone, it was uncertain whether he would even wake up, and even if he did, his leg might be ruined.

Imagine Meng Jiuhe, such a virtuous and upright person. If he really woke up and found his legs were crippled, I wonder what he would think. Other people who transmigrate usually come with a system or a space, and can also produce some medicine or something when they encounter difficulties. She, on the other hand, is so unlucky and tragically here and knows nothing.

Xu Chaoyan went to the street and bought some cakes that were easy to store. She asked the waiter to boil some hot water and let it cool before filling her water bag with it, as drinking raw water could easily upset her stomach.

They covered Meng Jiuhe tightly with a quilt, and also put a thick layer of dry grass on the cart: "Second Uncle, you and First Uncle should be careful when moving my husband's legs. He can't afford to bump or hurt them anymore."

The second uncle muttered under his breath, "I'm not your long-term farmhand."

Xu Chaoyan overheard these words. This was his own nephew, and he could say such things. It seems that the two families are not on good terms.

When his second uncle saw that Meng Jiuhe had fallen and was unconscious, he was secretly pleased. Now the entire Meng family was relying on his son to get ahead through his studies. Before, they were always overshadowed by this kid.

He was even more pleased with what the doctor said yesterday. Now he was completely ruined, and the task of bringing glory to the family would depend on his son. He no longer held back his words and finally revealed his greedy nature.

“This Jiuhe is just going to be useless from now on. I don’t think there’s any need to get those medicines anymore. You’ve been forced to drink bowl after bowl of them and you still don’t look well today. Why not just leave the money for your cousin’s education? If he succeeds in his studies, you’ll benefit from it and be able to find him a good family to marry into.”

Xu Chaoyan stared at him blankly. She had thought he was just a bit quick-tongued, but since they were family, she never expected him to actually target Meng Jiuhe's medicine money.