Although the village chief didn't know what Chen Ming was offering, he didn't want it.
Chen Ming's family was not well-off to begin with, and now they have just suffered a misfortune, so he can't accept the child.
The village chief refused with a stern face, saying, "Why would I spend this money?! I don't want it, take it back."
Chen Ming advised, "Village chief, this isn't anything valuable. It's just some pastries that my elder brother and sister-in-law prepared for us. Please accept it."
Xu Fang said sincerely, "Yes, village chief, please accept it. If you hadn't been willing to let me settle in Chenjia Village back then, I might not be here anymore."
"You've helped our family a lot over the years, and we still feel that this pastry isn't quite presentable enough!"
"Yes, Grandpa Village Chief, please accept it."
Chen Mai could tell that the village chief was worried that their family would spend too much money, so she said bluntly, "Grandpa Village Chief, don't worry, these pastries were given to us by my uncle's family. My parents didn't spend any money. Please accept them."
When Xu Weiguo came to his senses, he found that the others were taking turns persuading the village chief to accept the pastries. In the end, the village chief accepted the gifts.
Chen Ming: "Village chief, we won't keep you any longer. Remember, if you need anything, you can come to the city to find me."
"Do you know where Chen Liang and Chen Hao are working today? I want to go and tell them."
Village Chief: "They seem to be in the fields at the end of the village today. Why don't you go over there and take a look?"
"Okay, thank you, village chief. We'll head over now."
Goodbye, Grandpa Village Chief!
......
Xu Fang originally didn't want Chen Mai and the others to come along, because she could sense that Chen Liang and Chen Hao had become much more distant from them since their marriage.
She was afraid that Chen Liang and the others would think that her family wanted to seek refuge with them, and would say some unpleasant things.
But then I thought, if that's really the case, it might be good for Chen Mai and Chen Liang to see them for who they really are.
Chen Hao's wife was secretly slacking off when she turned around and saw Chen Ming leading his whole family toward Chen Hao.
Chen Hao's wife sensed something was wrong, so she said to the person next to her, "I'm going to my husband's place for a bit. If the scorekeeper comes over, just say I went to the outhouse!"
Today, the brothers Chen Liang and Chen Hao were assigned to work in the same place, which was convenient for Chen Ming, as he wouldn't have to travel to another place.
Although they lived in the same village, Chen Ming hadn't seen them for a while, and they felt a bit estranged when he came over.
Chen Liang and Chen Hao also saw them and greeted them somewhat awkwardly, "Big brother, sister-in-law, you're back?"
"Yes, I just got back to the village this afternoon."
After Chen Ming finished speaking, the group fell silent for some inexplicable reason.
Xu Weiguo felt that the group of them gave off a strange vibe; they didn't seem like blood brothers, but more like ordinary relatives who hadn't seen each other in a long time.
Finally, Chen Ming, realizing it was getting late, decided to finish his business and head back early: "Well, I came here to tell you that your sister-in-law and I aren't planning to rebuild our house in the village for the time being, because..."
"Big brother!"
Before Chen Ming could finish speaking, Chen Hao's wife arrived and immediately interrupted him.
Chen Ming greeted Xu Fang, saying, "Sister-in-law."
As soon as Chen Hao's wife approached, she heard Chen Ming say that they weren't planning to build the house anymore, and she immediately became alert. They weren't planning to build the house, yet they came to talk to Chen Hao and his family about something.
That's just a plan to exploit them! Where will they live if no houses are built? They'll have to live in their own homes anyway!
Chen Hao's wife didn't care about anything else and said bluntly, "Brother, sister-in-law, please don't blame me for speaking harshly, I'm just stating the facts."
"Where will you live if you don't build houses? You're not thinking of living in our house, are you?! Our house is small and there are many people in it. It's already very crowded now, and there's no room for you."
"Besides, now that we're married and living separately, we should all maintain a sense of propriety, don't you agree?"
Xu Fang was so angry upon hearing this that her face turned red. She looked at Chen Ming worriedly, but saw that his expression remained unchanged.
Then, very calmly, she asked, "Chen Hao, is that what you think too? Do you agree with what your wife says?"
Chen Hao stammered and remained silent for a long time, but his silence spoke volumes.
Chen Ming closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then asked Chen Liang beside him, "What about you? If we said we wanted to stay at your house for a while, would you be willing?"
Chen Liang said reluctantly, "Big brother, we're all brothers. Since even fourth brother is unwilling, I can't be the only one who suffers a loss, can I?!"
Chen Ming couldn't quite describe how he felt. Was it heartbreak? Disappointment? Perhaps a combination of both.
When Chen Ming received the reply, he felt as if he had been pricked by a needle, and his whole body trembled. He said with a dry throat, "Fine, in that case, we don't need to continue our contact."
"Just consider it... just consider it that all these years I, Chen Ming, have raised two ungrateful wretches!"
Chen Hao's wife was happy when he said they didn't need to see each other anymore. But she was unhappy when Chen Ming called Chen Hao an ingrate.
"Brother! Why are you saying such awful things?! What do you mean by 'ungrateful wretch'? Chen Hao has to support his wife and kids, that's why he can't take care of you. How can you call him an ungrateful wretch?!"
Xu Fang originally didn't intend to say anything. After all, no matter how bad they were, they were still Chen Ming's brothers, and she was afraid that if she scolded them, Chen Ming would hold a grudge.
But now that Chen Hao's wife is actually saying they're wrong, she's not going to tolerate it anymore.
He shouted hysterically, "Why not?! Ask everyone in the village, everyone knows that Chen Ming raised those two brothers single-handedly!"
"Even after I married into the family, I can say to them that I've done my best! Where did they get the money to get married and build houses?!"
"It wasn't just Chen Ming and me who paid for it! The reason our family is so poor is because Chen Ming paid for the bride price for both of them! If they're not ungrateful, then who are?!"
"And you! What's the difference between you now and someone who eats from a bowl and then curses their mother? If you really think you're not an ingrate, then give back all the dowry money and the money for building the house to our family!"
Chen Hao's wife was terrified by her appearance; it was the first time in all these years that she had seen Xu Fang like this.
The others in the field were also drawn by their argument. Chen Hao's wife retorted timidly, "Just because you say you paid the bride price doesn't mean you did."
"Chen Hao also earns work points, so why can't it be money he saved up himself?!"
As she was speaking, Chen Hao began frantically pulling at her hand, signaling her to stop talking!
But Chen Hao's wife still said...
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