Ugly girl only wants to farm

At this time, Meng's father also came to the courtyard gate to observe, and he saw that there was still smoke rising from the hilltop.

He was also very worried: "Don't you think these kids might set the hill on fire? There's been less rain this year, and a lot of the trees on the mountain have withered. Third Aunt, you stay inside and rest. I'll go up the mountain to check on the kids."

Li San Niang grabbed him, looking anxious: "Why don't I go? Your leg isn't fully healed yet, and it will take at least an hour to get there. How can your leg take that?"

At this moment, Meng Jiuhe's voice came from inside the house: "Father, Mother, don't worry. I think I just heard Second Aunt's voice. She must have gone up to check. Little Sister should meet Second Uncle. It shouldn't be a big deal. Don't panic. Besides, the thick smoke on the mountain looks like it has lessened a lot. The nearby villagers should see it and go to help."

Meng's father finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Jiuhe is right. The second son's family also went. They will probably run into them. If you're really worried, go and check behind the east entrance of the village."

Ever since Xu Chaoyan learned that the fire was accidentally started by Uncle Meng, she didn't want to get involved. Besides, a large part of the mountain had already been burned, and there was nothing they could do to help. She cursed them as idiots in her heart.

She glanced at the small fires that were still burning, but she had no interest in helping him. People like him would get their comeuppance sooner or later, so here he was, let him suffer on his own.

She tugged at Meng Jiuxia's sleeve, signaling her not to work so hard.

Meng Jiuxia nodded and whispered, "We should at least put on an act, otherwise these people might say that our family is heartless."

The two threw away the dense branches and picked up a small twig, which they then listlessly patted at the ground.

Others were using wooden basins to carry water and extinguish the small fires.

At this moment, Liu Shi arrived breathlessly with her two children and immediately launched into a tirade against Uncle Meng: "You old geezer, you even set a mountain ablaze while worshipping your ancestors! You good-for-nothing, what can you possibly accomplish? Aren't you ashamed enough already? Couldn't you have been more careful when you left and put out all those sparks? Are your eyes covered by your crotch? You old ox, all you do is ruin people's lives."

Uncle Meng was in a sorry state, and after being criticized behind his back by his wife in front of the villagers, he couldn't hold his head up. Even a clay figure has some temper, and he pointed at Liu and shouted, "Liu, don't go too far. I don't want to argue with you during the New Year. If we argue today, we'll be arguing all year round."

Liu spat and said, "Old Ox, you know about taboos? Then why did you argue with me this morning? Now look what's happened, you've made a mess of things and burned down this whole mountain. Let's see how you're going to compensate them."

The two kept arguing and neither would give in. Some villagers came down the mountain, while others stayed behind to clean up the mess.

Xu Chaoyan glanced at it and said, "Let's go back too. We have nothing to do. Why are we just standing around making a fuss here? We can go back, sit by the stove, have a hot pot, and feel all warm and cozy. I don't want to deal with this stuff. I'm freezing."

After saying that, I stomped my feet; it was so cold.

The three of them slowly walked down the mountain. They had just stumbled and crawled up, and were panting heavily. Their legs were a little weak as they walked.

Meng Jiuxia led Meng Jiudong slowly down the mountain. At this moment, Liu's shrewish voice suddenly came over: "Jiuhe, why are you running away? You've come all this way, why don't you help deal with this before you leave? These sparks might be the ones you left behind. You're entitled to a share of the compensation. This is a matter for the Meng family. None of you can escape this responsibility."

Xu Chaoyan was so angry she laughed. They had clearly left the earliest and put out the fire long ago. This Liu was just trying to bully her, a new bride, and pin the blame on them.

She put the basket on the ground with a smile: "Yes, Second Aunt, what you said is quite right. You really can't write two 'dream' characters in one stroke."

Liu's face lit up with joy. Sure enough, this young wife was easy to manipulate; she could be fooled with just a few words.

Xu Chaoyan changed the subject: "But have you forgotten how you treated our family before? Our two families have not had any contact for a long time. Besides, we went down the mountain half an hour early. There were people on the way who saw us. Anyone with eyes could see that the fire was caused by my second uncle. He accidentally caused it himself. You still want to blame it on us? Don't think that just because we don't have any adults in our family, you can bully us."

At this moment, someone else stood up and said, "Those three children have already gone down the mountain. We saw them on the way."

Meng Jiuxia also stepped forward: "Second Aunt, don't go too far. How did you treat my family when my brother broke his leg? Today, we put aside our past grievances and came to help you put out this fire. We've already done more than enough. You still want to frame us? Let me tell you, no way."

After saying that, the three of them headed towards the village. Li Sanniang had been wandering around the village for a while, and when she finally saw the three of them return, she rushed towards them: "What exactly happened on the mountain? Are any of you three injured? How did the fire start on the mountain out of nowhere?"

Li San Niang asked them anxiously, while taking out a handkerchief to wipe the dust off Xu Chaoyan and Meng Jiuxia's faces.

Meng Jiuxia looked happier than if she had found money: "Mom, this is really not our fault. As the saying goes, 'Heaven is watching what people do.' Uncle's family will get their comeuppance sooner or later. And here it is! He set those dry branches and leaves on fire himself, and we almost got blamed for it."

Xu Chaoyan nodded: "This matter is indeed as my sister-in-law said. It was all done by my second uncle. Just now, when Liu saw the three of us juniors, she tried to pin the blame on us. She thinks we are easy to bully, but I won't tolerate her."

Li San Niang gently scolded her daughter: "You're still laughing so happily. If people see this, they'll say we're mocking them. You should tone it down and stop laughing when you get home."

She wiped the dust off the three of them and carefully checked them over. Seeing that they were not injured, she was relieved.

Meng Jiuhe had been craning his neck to look at the courtyard gate, and when he saw them return, he let out a long sigh of relief.

He took the fire poker and stoked the fire to make it burn brighter: "You three come over and sit down, warm yourselves by the fire, I roasted some sweet potatoes for you to fill your stomachs."

The siblings were taken to wash their hands by Li Sanniang. Meng Jiuhe took out a handkerchief from his pocket, hesitated for a moment, and then handed it to Xu Chaoyan: "Do you want to wipe your hands too?"

Xu Chaoyan stretched out her hands to warm them by the fire: "Don't rush, Mother just wiped them for me. Let me warm my hands first."

Meng Jiuhe's hand remained clasped: "That, that."

Xu Chaoyan stretched her hand forward again: "It's much more comfortable to sit in my own yard. By the way, what were you trying to say just now?"

Meng Jiuhe pointed to her cheek: "It looks like you've scratched your face and it's bleeding. I was wondering if you wanted to wipe it and put some medicine on it?"

"Where? Where are the scratches? I don't feel any pain."

Meng Jiuhe pointed to his face: "Here."

Xu Chaoyan: "Where?"

"Here, here."

Meng Jiuhe didn't know what was going on, but his hand involuntarily reached out: "Here, don't move."

Then he gently wiped her clean.