Ugly girl only wants to farm

What else could she possibly say? Meng Jiuxia, with her fiery temper, immediately launched into a tirade against her second uncle: "What kind of person is my cousin? Doesn't Second Uncle have any self-awareness? With his inconsistent work ethic, how could he possibly bring honor to the family?"

"Why are you targeting my older brother? Besides, this money is my dowry, what does it have to do with you?"

Uncle was suddenly scolded by a little girl, and he lost face. He pointed at Meng Jiuxia and said, "Your eldest brother is a useless person now. If you don't rely on your cousin, who else can you rely on?"

"At least he'll make something of himself in the future. For the sake of family, he'll definitely support you. You'll have someone to rely on after you get married. Do you think you can rely on that little brat Meng Donggua? He'll be your support for a long time. It'll be ages before he grows up. Your older brother won't amount to much anyway. Isn't it a waste to spend all this money on him?"

At this moment, Xu Chaoyan, who had been silent all along, spoke up: "Second Uncle, I respect you as an elder, and I can let go of what you just said. But this money is my dowry from my father. I can spend it however I want, and it's not up to outsiders to manage. Besides, this is a family matter. Our family and Second Uncle's family separated a long time ago, so why should we be allowed to interfere?"

Second Uncle, naturally, couldn't out-argue two people, and looked furious: "Fine, you're so kind of you, crossing the river and then burning the bridge, huh? Now I'm the outsider. I'll just go back with you all the way here, let's see what you can do about it?"

Meng Jiuxia snorted twice: "If you want to leave, then leave. It wasn't me who asked you to come. It was Grandmother who insisted that you come. Besides, didn't you have any other purpose in coming along?"

After hearing what she said, the second uncle's face showed a hint of embarrassment, but he looked like a dead pig that didn't care about boiling water: "Niece-in-law, as the saying goes, even brothers have to keep clear accounts. Hurry up and pay me the wages for accompanying you to the county. You've delayed me for so long, you should give me at least one tael of silver."

When Meng Jiuhao heard that it was only one tael of silver, he was shocked: "You might as well rob someone! You only earn twenty coins a day at work. Are you trying to extort us?"

My second uncle smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "I'm such a big working-class person, and it would be a loss for you to give me even a tael of silver these past two days. Mother said before she left that you would pay me my wages."

Meng Jiuxia had always known that her grandmother favored her second uncle's family. She heard that when her second aunt made a fuss about dividing the family property, she agreed without saying a word and even took the initiative to ask to live with her eldest son. She secretly took a lot of her own things and sent them over. It was only because her mother was kind-hearted and didn't want any unrest in the family that she didn't cause a scene.

Xu Chaoyan was a little annoyed. What a bunch of awful people they were. She didn't want to owe them any favors, so she handed over forty copper coins.

"Second Uncle, since this is how you usually do things, and we'll follow the rules, and the food and lodging along the way will be on our end, shall we part ways here?"

After saying that, he told the driver to hurry up, because if they didn't hurry, they would be late and had been delayed for too long.

Meng Jiuxia gave her a smug smile.

Seeing the driver drive away, the second uncle immediately chased after him: "This won't do. Since I came by carriage, I have to go back. Forty copper coins it is, I won't argue."

On the way back, Xu Chaoyan and the others ate dry rations, while their second uncle stared longingly at the food he hadn't received a single piece of. Meng Jiuxia said that their second uncle's wages had already been settled, so they wouldn't hire anyone else.

Uncle Er survived the entire journey by drinking water. To save money, they made a fire in a forest at night and slept there. In the morning, Meng Jiuxia discovered that more than half of the pancakes were missing and complained for a long time, saying that she would make him pay for them.

Xu Chaoyan stopped her and said that it was better to forget it. Although her second uncle hadn't done much, at least they wouldn't be afraid if there were more people around at night. They could just consider it as someone guarding the door.

Seeing that her son was still unconscious, Li San Niang, who had been living in fear for the past few days, almost fainted again.

"Mother, we've already seen the doctor, and his leg has been set. My husband will wake up in a few days, so don't worry. The family still needs you."

Xu Chaoyan winked at Meng Jiuxia.

"Oh, sister-in-law, I forgot to mention, the doctor said Jiuhe's leg is ruined, whether he'll wake up or not is up to fate. In my opinion, it's better to..."

Before she could finish speaking, Meng Jiuxia swung a broom at her, her voice filled with anger: "Second Uncle, what nonsense are you talking about? My eldest brother will be fine after taking medicine for a few days."

Meng Jiuxia chased the man out of the courtyard and warned him, "Second Uncle, if you keep talking nonsense, I'll tell Second Aunt that you're having an affair with Widow Zhang."

"You're talking nonsense. When did I ever have an affair with someone? Don't spout nonsense, you little brat."

Meng Jiuxia put her hands on her hips and said, "I saw you two clearly on the ridge before, so don't say I mistook you for someone else."

At this moment, the second uncle's arrogant temper subsided: "Little girl, don't talk nonsense. My wife is waiting for me to eat." He walked away cursing all the way.

In fact, Meng Jiuxia was just making things up. She only saw her second uncle's shadow from afar last time, so she must have been feeling guilty.

Xu Chaoyan finally managed to calm Li Sanniang down, and then her grandmother came over again: "My grandson is really alright, he didn't lie to me. Did the doctor say when he will wake up?"

"The doctor said the injury was a bit serious, but it has been treated and a lot of medicine has been prescribed. He should wake up in a few days."

Grandmother looked on with a skeptical expression.

After a long day, Xu Chaoyan's back was killing her. She stood up and moved around a bit, finally able to get a good night's sleep.

She made a makeshift bed on the ground, which was at least better than being in the middle of nowhere.

When Meng's father learned of his son's serious injury, he rushed over to check on him, only to fall again and writhe in pain.

Grandmother kept running between the rooms, sighing and looking around.

"Morning glory, come out for dinner."

Li San Niang, supporting herself, cooked a pot of noodle soup: "You two should eat more; you must be exhausted these past two days."

"Hey, Xia'er, where did your grandmother go? I haven't seen her."

Meng Jiuxia picked up her bowl, took a sip, and mumbled, "I saw her go to Dad's room this morning. She's not here now, so she's probably gone to Second Uncle's house. Mother, you know she dotes on her youngest son the most."

"Grandma, what are you doing? Does this bowl of dark water look delicious? I'd like to try some too."

Meng Jiudong leaned against the door frame and peered inside.

Grandma looked at him with a terrified expression, then patted her chest and stared at him: "What are you yelling about? Keep your voice down, what are you doing here, you little brat?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Chaoyan dropped her bowl and ran over. She saw her grandmother holding a bowl of dark water, prying open Meng Jiuhe's mouth with one hand and pouring it in. The area around Meng Jiuhe's mouth was covered in a black substance.