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Zheng Nanle paused as she walked toward the water vat in the courtyard, her sharp gaze sweeping over the man.
The man neither flinched nor avoided her gaze, which lingered on her body.
Zheng Nanle remained expressionless, his dark eyes cold and indifferent.
She slowly shifted her gaze, pondering how to punish this man with the restless eyes.
You can't kill people, but there are plenty of ways to make life worse than death.
However, it must not be discovered by others.
She was still wearing the skin of the government.
The man's gaze remained fixed on Zheng Nanle, a smile spreading across his face. "I'm very satisfied with Daya. As for the bride price, I can offer two hundred yuan. I just don't know how much dowry the Zheng family can provide. The Zheng family are respectable people, not the kind of family that sells their daughters, right?"
Da Ya stared at Boss Zheng.
She refused.
Butcher Zhang killed two of his wives, but she still wanted to live.
She thought of Fu Chenghua.
Fu Chenghua didn't fancy his little cousin; without her, they wouldn't have gotten together.
Perhaps, Da Ya bit her lip.
She thought she could accept the man her family introduced her to, but when the time came, she found she couldn't.
Boss Zheng's eyes lit up.
Two hundred yuan.
Marrying Daya to Butcher Zhang is not out of the question.
Seeing that Boss Zheng was interested, Zheng Dahu nudged him.
Old Zheng packed his cigarette, took a puff, and refused, saying, "I don't agree."
Daya's eyes lit up as she looked at her grandfather, her eyes filled with gratitude.
"Father," Zheng Laoda said discontentedly, "Da Ya is my daughter, and I shall decide her marriage."
Zheng Nanle tidied herself up, went to the kitchen to get some sweet potatoes, walked to the table and sat down. She glanced at Butcher Zhang and sneered, "You think this stuff is good enough for Uncle?"
Butcher Zhang was a big, burly man with a sinister face. His features were not ugly, but they were not good-looking either.
With three-white eyes, messy eyebrows, he is cunning and ruthless, and naturally cold-hearted.
Boss Zheng was somewhat intimidated by Zheng Nanle and didn't dare to refute her words.
Zheng Nanle then turned her gaze to Zheng Dahu, "Big brother, you've got your eye on him too?"
Butcher Zhang clenched his fist and slammed it on the table, yelling, "You woman—"
Zheng Dahu's heart skipped a beat. He quickly grabbed Zhang the butcher's hand and reassured him, "Brother Zhang, calm down, calm down. She's just trying to provoke you and sabotage the wedding. She's jealous that Da Ya is interested in you. We can't fall for her trick."
Zheng Dahu gestured with his eyes, "Brother, big brother, a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan."
Zhang the butcher suppressed his anger for a long time before finally calming down. He glared at Zheng Nanle violently and sat back down in his chair.
Zheng Dahu looked at Er Ya and spoke well of Butcher Zhang, "Brother Zhang has his own job in the city, eats meat and drinks wine every day, and has his own house. Whoever marries him will be blessed, eating meat and wearing new clothes every day without any problem. If it weren't for my connection with Brother Zhang, such a good marriage wouldn't have been available to my Zheng family."
Zheng Nanle sneered, and that disdainful laugh provoked Butcher Zhang to stand up again, slamming his fist on the table and cursing. Zheng Dahu quickly tried to calm him down.
Old Zheng's eyes were gloomy.
What kind of thing dares to run wild in his house?
If he were young, he would have slit his throat long ago. It's good that the new society saved this scum's life.
Seeing the old man's expression, Zheng Nanle shook his head and added fuel to the fire, saying, "Grandpa, you're not good enough. You're still young, and your uncle can already take over the reins. When you get old and weak, who knows what your uncle will do?"
"I never expected that my uncle's filial piety was all an act; it was exposed when it came to money."
Old Man Zheng clearly took her words to heart. His cold gaze swept over Boss Zheng and Tiger Zheng, his face grim, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
Boss Zheng's legs felt a little weak.
His father hadn't looked at him like this in a long time. When he was young, he gambled with others, and when his father found out, that's how his father looked at him. After that, he was bedridden for three months and couldn't get up.
He still remembers the feeling of lying in bed, on the verge of death.
He grabbed Zheng Dahu's wrist, wanting to give up.
Zhang the butcher was clearly disliked by Old Man Zheng. Whether he married Daya or Erya, it would anger Old Man Zheng. Moreover, Old Man Zheng had warned him not to interfere in Erya's affairs.
Zheng Dahu noticed Zheng Laoda's fear and stepped forward to block him. He cursed Zheng Laoda inwardly for being timid and useless, but his eyes were fixed on Old Man Zheng. "Grandpa, what can Er Ya, a little girl, know? Don't you know how my father usually treats you?"
Actually, he was a little intimidated by Old Man Zheng. In his memory, this grandfather had always been an authoritative figure who had the final say.
But when it comes to his own interests, he cannot back down.
If Old Man Zheng hadn't been unwilling to spend money to buy him a job, he wouldn't have resorted to such scheming. In the end, it's all Old Man Zheng's fault.
Thinking of this, Zheng Dahu glared at Old Man Zheng defiantly, revealing a hint of resentment.
Old Zheng felt a chill in his heart.
Like his contemporaries, he valued his eldest son and grandson. As a result, the eldest grandson, whom he had spent a lot of effort cultivating, hated him because he refused to pay for a job.
He had given him an option before: if he agreed to hand over his salary until the principal and interest were paid off, he would be given money to buy him a job, but he refused.
He disliked the high interest rates and refused.
He looked away and became even more silent.
Zheng Dahu, however, thought that Old Man Zheng had given in, and felt extremely pleased.
That's right. It's the young people's world now, and the old should give way to the younger generation.
The seemingly insurmountable mountains that once loomed over him have been removed, and he stands atop the mountain, becoming the head of the household.
He gave orders, "Mother, Second Aunt, you two kill a chicken and treat Brother Zhang well. Father, go to the village chief's house and borrow some wine. Then you and Second Uncle can have a drink with Brother Zhang."
He then looked at Butcher Zhang and said with a smile, "Brother Zhang, our Zheng family is not a family that sells girls. If we marry, the two hundred yuan dowry will be given as part of the dowry."
"Are you crazy?" Old Mrs. Zheng stared at Zheng Dahu in disbelief. Whether it was killing a chicken or the two hundred yuan dowry, everything was jumping around on Old Mrs. Zheng's nerves. She looked around, picked up a stick and went to hit Zheng Dahu.
Zheng Dahu snatched the stick and threw it aside, saying unhappily, "Grandma, stop making a fuss. Do you know who Brother Zhang is? His uncle's family are all big shots in our county. If Brother Zhang hadn't taken a liking to Daya, we might never have had the chance to meet such people in our lives."
Old Mrs. Zheng muttered to herself, "That's his uncle. What's his relationship with him? If they're really that close, why didn't he put him in an office job, but instead sent him to the slaughterhouse?"
Ultimately, they coveted the kinship ties and tacitly approved of Zheng Dahu's insubordination.
Seeing that Zheng Dahu had intimidated the Zheng family, Zheng Nan was too lazy to watch the show any longer and got up to leave.
She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would gouge out Zhang the butcher's eyes.
Zheng Dahu asked, "Er Ya, where are you going?"
Zheng Nanle ignored it.
"We're having chicken for lunch, don't forget to come home for dinner," Zheng Dahu hurriedly added.
Zheng Nanle turned around and looked at Zheng Dahu with a half-smile, "It's rare for my brother to care about me, so of course I'll come back."
So they came here for her too.
The Zheng family is really something; they just can't seem to learn how to behave.
She glanced at Old Man Zheng again, then turned and left.
Old Man Zheng met Zheng Nanle's eyes and suddenly realized what was happening. He asked Old Man Zheng, "Eldest brother, are you really going to marry Daya off to Comrade Zhang?"
"Father, it's an honor for our Zheng family that Daya is marrying Comrade Zhang," said the eldest son of the Zheng family, looking troubled.
"Alright, I understand." Old Zheng tapped his pipe and made a decision in his heart.
Zheng Nanle went to the fields.
Although all the late-season rice seedlings have been planted and the double harvest has ended, this does not mean there is no more farm work to be done.
Farmers have few idle months; they rarely don't work in the fields throughout the year.
However, once the busiest and heaviest period of farm work is over, the remaining tasks such as planting vegetables, pruning cotton plants and catching insects, fertilizing crops, and weeding become much easier.
Lu Guangbai was assigned to top the cotton plants, catch insects, and remove unwanted branches. Zheng Nanle stood by the roadside, looking at Lu Guangbai, whose cotton grove resembled small green bamboo, and his smile unconsciously widened.
Lu Guangbai seemed to notice Zheng Nanle's gaze and looked up in their direction.
The two looked at each other for a moment, then Zheng Nanle walked into the cotton field and headed towards Lu Guangbai.
The cotton plant was about 1.3 or 1.4 meters tall. After Zheng Nanle approached Lu Guangbai, she took his hand and squatted down. The tall cotton plant completely covered the two of them. Zheng Nanle pressed down on the back of Lu Guangbai's neck and kissed him.
The sun was scorching hot after 10 a.m. Even though the cotton pads were sheltered from the sun, there was no wind and the air was stuffy. In just a short while, I was covered in sweat.
However, neither Zheng Nanle nor Lu Guangbai could bear to let go of each other.
I've missed you terribly since we last met. I'll hide all my longing in this summer cotton field and secretly kiss it.
Out of consideration for the villagers, the two did not kiss for long. They released each other's lips, gazed at each other tenderly for a moment, and then Lu Guangbai said, "It's hot, you should go back."
“It’ll be hot when we get back.” Zheng Nanle didn’t talk about the Zheng family’s troubles. He reached out and broke off a new bud on the cotton plant’s main stem, then caught an insect. He said somewhat dejectedly, “I overestimated the Zheng family. I thought the house would be finished by the end of the month, but it turns out it will be next month.”
She was really annoyed that she had to stay at the Zheng family's house for a while longer.
Lu Guangbai was also eager to get married, but he still spoke up, saying, "Actually, the Zheng family has already acted quite quickly. I went to check, and they've already brought back the red bricks. With the preliminary preparations done, building the house will be quick."
Zheng Nanle's complexion improved somewhat.
When the work bell rang, Lu Guangbai asked, "Want to come to my place for dinner? I made some new chili sauce and raised some silver carp for a few days. I can make chopped chili fish head and spicy fish."
"No, we're killing a chicken at home today." Zheng Dahu had already set up the stage; it would be disrespectful for her not to go watch.
Upon returning to the Zheng family home, before even knowing what Zheng Dahu was going to perform, they learned that Old Man Zheng wanted to divide the family property.
We should separate Zheng Laoda's family.
Zheng Nanle: "???"
Such quick movements, such a strong will to survive?
She even planned to break Old Man Zheng's legs after this incident, so he could properly enjoy the filial piety of being a "filial son and grandson" by his bedside after a long illness.
Zheng Nanle felt it was a pity.
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