Ugly girl only wants to farm

Although Meng Jiudong was very hungry and his stomach was growling, he did not take the steamed bun.

He shook his head and said, "You eat it! I'm not hungry."

Seeing him lick his lips, Xu Chaoyan took the food and shoved it into his hand, saying, "Eat it quickly."

After Xu Chaoyan handed him the steamed bun, she went to the kitchen and saw Li Sanniang collecting the dregs from the medicine she had boiled earlier, scooping up a ladle of water and pouring it in to continue boiling. When she saw her come in, she said, "Yan'er, have you eaten? Have you gone to see Jiuhe? He's been injured in the leg these days, so he probably won't be very nice to you. I've already told him, so please be understanding."

Xu Chaoyan nodded: "Yes, Mother, I understand what you are doing."

Li San Niang placed the medicine pot on the small stove to boil it: "Your father's legs are a bit weak. After boiling the medicine he made last time a few times, I dried the dregs and boiled it again for him to drink. There should still be some medicinal effect in it."

Xu Chaoyan noticed that Li Sanniang had aged considerably overnight, with some white hairs appearing on her head. She blamed it all on that damned grandmother who had taken away their only possessions, leaving them in such dire straits that they couldn't even afford a single dose of medicine.

"Mother, come quickly and see my eldest brother. His leg is hurting so much that he's sweating profusely."

Suddenly, Meng Jiuxia called out anxiously from outside. Xu Chaoyan quickly ran over and saw Meng Jiuhe lying on the bed with beads of sweat on his forehead.

He clenched his teeth, his hands were tightly clenched together, his fingertips were white, and the veins on the back of his hands were bulging, which must have been very painful.

"Jiuhe, what's wrong? Jiuhe, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Tell your mother."

Li San Niang was pacing anxiously. Meng Jiuhe gripped the quilt with his other hand, twisting it into a tight ball. He looked up at his mother, who was filled with heartache, and tried to speak softly.

"My legs hurt a little, but don't worry, Mom, just bear with it and it will pass."

Xu Chaoyan took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his forehead and instructed Meng Jiuxia, who was standing beside her, "Little sister-in-law, go and hire that oxcart. We'll take your brother to town to see a doctor. He probably hurt his leg again after falling yesterday."

Meng Jiuhe raised her hand to interrupt her: "No, I'll just tough it out. Why waste that money?"

Seeing how much pain he was in, yet still refusing to see a doctor, Xu Chaoyan guessed he was worried about the money: "You're in so much pain, and you're still planning to just tough it out? Are you really going to throw this leg away?"

Meng Jiuhe was pale at this moment. After listening to Xu Chaoyan's words, he did not say a word. The little girl was fast and quickly called the oxcart over. The group carefully moved the oxcart onto it.

"Mother, you should take care of the family. My sister-in-law and I will be back soon."

Li San Niang looked worried: "I'm a little worried about you going."

Uncle Liu: "Don't worry, Meng family. I'll keep an eye on things and make sure you get it all back safely."

Li San Niang nodded in agreement: "I'll take you to the edge of the village, that way I'll feel more at ease."

The oxcart swayed and rattled its way out of the village.

"Oh, who is this? It's Scholar Meng! How did you get a leg injury?"

Li San Niang: "Where did Aunt He come from?"

Aunt He said, "You are a promising scholar with a bright future. You are the only literate person in our Hongmiao Village. I heard that your leg is crippled and you will never be able to stand up again. So there is no need for you to take the imperial examination. You should just stay at home, farm, and cultivate your character."

Li San Niang was speechless for a moment after hearing this.

Thinking to myself, it's better to avoid trouble; I've seen what happened when this person caused a scene last time.

She replied casually, "My leg is indeed injured, but it's not that serious."

Aunt He covered her mouth and laughed, her face saying, "You're just pretending: Your second son has been bragging all over the village, saying that his eldest nephew is crippled and that in the future, everyone in our village will have to rely on his son to get ahead. I spit on him, his son isn't even a scholar, what's he so proud of?"

Uncle Liu raised his whip, ready to leave. Why had he run into this troublesome fellow today? He was full of sarcastic remarks and now he was blocking his way.

Aunt He looked Meng Jiuxia up and down again, thinking to herself that this girl had improved a bit. She was usually very capable, doing everything inside and outside the house, which made her somewhat resentful.

“I say, Xia girl, now that your elder brother is crippled, you can’t rely on his power to pick on other people. Everyone knows the difficulties your family is in right now. If you don’t mind, our marriage is still valid, and the betrothal gifts will still be given. But how much is given is up to our family. We can’t compare it to before.”

Xu Chaoyan tucked the blanket around Meng Jiuhe. The man stared intently at the woman with eyes as sharp as swords, making her feel cold. His fingers cracked as he clenched them.

“A good dog stays out of the way.”

Aunt He was feeling smug, knowing the Meng family wasn't what it used to be, and planned to use a few hundred coins to marry this girl to her son. Unexpectedly, this ugly woman suddenly spoke up.

"You said it was a dog."

Seeing her sister-in-law's pale face, Xu Chaoyan patted her shoulder and said, "Don't be afraid. No one can marry you off if you don't want to."

"Anyone who agrees is a dog."

"You ugly freak, I'll tear your mouth apart!" she said, and started to grab him.

Just as the oxcart was moving slowly, the rogue woman came over to bother her again. Xu Chaoyan dodged to the side and didn't even touch a corner of her clothes.

Aunt He was so angry that she stomped her feet on the spot, her mouth almost twisted in pain. Somewhat unwilling, she chased after him again after a few steps.

Xu Chaoyan jumped out of the carriage, and Li Sanniang quickly went over to protect her, saying, "Don't go too far. We're not pushovers either."

Xu Chaoyan blinked: "Mother, it's alright, you can go back first."

After saying that, he beckoned to Aunt He: "Come here, I have something to tell you."

"You ugly freak, what tricks are you trying to pull now? I haven't even settled the score with you yet!"

Xu Chaoyan tempted, "I heard about your man..."

Aunt He rushed over: "What did you see? Your scholar husband is crippled and can't let you have your way, leaving you alone in an empty room. You little slut, you're trying to seduce my husband again. I'll beat you to death!"

Just as the slap was about to land, Li Sanniang turned pale with fright and was ready to fight the wicked woman.

Meng Jiuxia snatched Uncle Liu's whip away, and she was about to rush down and give the man a good beating.

However, the slap did not land. Instead, Xu Chaoyan said something to her, and Aunt He's face changed instantly: "This lewd old slut, watch me tear her skin off."

After shouting, it shot off like an arrow, leaving the mother and daughter watching in stunned silence.

After Xu Chaoyan got on the oxcart, Meng Jiuxia asked curiously, "What did you just say? She ran faster than a rabbit."

Xu Chaoyan: "I said someone saw her husband giving things to her second aunt."