73 Meaning Tide
How could I not know what she was doing?
The next morning, Tian Nongxi was called by Tian Guangzong to visit relatives. When the two of them went to Chen's house and came back, no relatives had come to the house yet.
Wen Tingluan had no "official status", so he stayed at home when the two of them visited relatives, and when they came back, he had already prepared the noodles.
Touching his bulging belly from eating at Chen's house, Tian Nongxi exclaimed wow, enthusiastically praising Wen Tingluan for his skill, and pulled Tian Guangzong, who looked embarrassed, to eat with relish.
After finally finishing his meal, Tian Guangzong put down his chopsticks and asked, "What were you guys playing last night? You were just playing cards and ignored me."
Tian Nongxi remained calm, "Playing mahjong, two people."
"Two people? Is there still such a way to play?"
Wen Tingluan's expression remained normal: "Yeah."
After finishing his last mouthful of noodles, Tian Nongxi also said, "Yes."
She stood up and took the bowl away to wash, her steps a little hurried.
After an hour, Liu Tian, who had traveled a long distance, finally returned to her parents' home, followed by a girl of the same age as Tian Nongxi.
"Aunt, sister." Tian Nongxi greeted.
Wen Tingluan copied her words and said, "Aunt, Sister."
Tian Guangzong took the items from the two and said loudly, "Hurry and sit down."
A strange man showed up at her mother's house on New Year's Day, which would make anyone feel puzzled.
"Hey—" Liu Tian looked Wen Tingluan up and down, smiled awkwardly, patted her daughter on the back and said, "Hurry up and call grandma." Liu Hong twisted her hands into a knot, lowered her head, and barely took two steps forward.
"He hasn't gotten up yet." Tian Nongxi came to the rescue with a smile.
After Huang became ill, she changed her habits and stopped getting up before dawn. She needed someone to look after her every time she woke up, and it was easier if she didn't get up, so people stopped calling her.
After leading the Yanagida mother and daughter to sit in the main house, Tian Guangzong brought them two cups of hot tea.
"Okay, okay." Liu Tian glanced at Huang's closed door, then looked away and nodded to her nephew, her eyes slightly red.
"Thank you, brother." Liu Hong finally spoke, his voice weak and soft.
She kept her head down, and her dry yellow hair covered half of her face. The small part that was exposed looked about 70% like Tian Nongxi.
Tian Nongxi couldn't help but sigh at the strength of the Tian family's genes.
She studied her elder sister calmly, a faint suspicion rising within her: According to Yanchao custom, married women returned home to visit their families on New Year's Day. Liu Hong was already married, so she should have gone home to Liu Tianshi. Why was she returning to Tianjia Village with Liu Tianshi?
Her gaze fell on the backs of the two men - the door of the Tian family was open for the New Year, but there was no sign of Liu Tian's husband rushing over.
Just as she was thinking, a sigh came over and interrupted her thoughts.
Looking away, Tian Nongxi looked at Liu Tian, who was looking up at the tears in confusion.
Tian Guangzong hurriedly asked, "Aunt, what happened to you? Grandma is fine. The doctor said she can live for more than ten years."
Wiping away the overflowing tears, Yanagida smiled apologetically and said, "It's nothing, I just feel that the three of us, mother and daughter, are suffering." Her tears could not stop flowing and no matter how she wiped them away, they would not stop.
Tian Nongxi frowned, at a loss, and met Wen Tingluan's gaze.
He smiled at her, closed the door and left without saying a word.
“Squeak—”
The dilapidated door of the main house was closed, and everyone looked towards the place where the wind was still leaking.
Tian Nongxi was the first to look away. She seemed to understand what Liu Tian said very well. "You are the three closest people in the world."
Huang's, Liutian's, Liu Xin.
They don't have the same surname, but the same veins flow in their blood, and even the lines on their palms are exactly the same.
They are the closest people to each other in the world. Even if they are separated into three different families because of their secular surnames, their blood relatives will make the decision first.
People like this are still alive, so we should be very happy.
Tian Nongxi looked at Liu Tian, who was crying, in confusion.
Taking the handkerchief handed over by Tian Guangzong, Liu Tian wiped away the tears that fell on the corners of her mouth and nodded continuously, "Yes, yes, it's all my fault. Mother went crazy and I was divorced. It's all my fault." She fell exhausted on the wooden chair, and Liu Hong called out "Mother" softly.
Being divorced?!
Tian Nongxi was shocked and looked up at Tian Guangzong who was also shocked.
"Divorced?" Tian Guangzong's voice was out of tune with shock.
Yanagida smiled bitterly, "Follow me, I won't have children."
Isn't it too hasty to divorce your wife just because she doesn't have children after only one year of marriage?
The air was frozen for a moment, Tian Guangzong's knuckles turning white from clenching his fists. "That doesn't make sense at all! Xiao Hong, come with me to report to the authorities."
Yanagida stopped him, saying, "Forget it, we're not right." The reason they were able to marry their daughter to that family was because their elderly father was seriously ill and needed a good omen, but they hadn't expected that the omen would end with him. Life was already difficult for their daughter, with her husband showing no love for her. She was treated worse than livestock in her husband's family.
Yanagida explained with a choked sob.
Realizing that Liu Tian had no intention of "exposing the family's shame," Tian Nongxi winked at Tian Guangzong and reassured Liu Tian and her daughter, "This is good. No matter what, life won't be any worse than before."
"Life is not easy." Liu Tian sighed and shook her head, grabbing Tian Guangzong's hand fiercely. "Your sister has been criticized in the village. She is my only daughter, and I can't let her be gossiped by those bad people all day long. Guangzong, let her live here. I know you are busy and there is no one to take care of mother. Let your sister live here, she can help you with the laundry, cooking, and taking care of your grandmother. Just save a few mouthfuls of food and don't let her starve to death."
"This..." Tian Guangzong's brows were slightly moved, but he did not agree without authorization. Instead, he looked at Tian Nongxi inquiringly.
Tian Nongxi shook her head and said, "Aunt, grandma has already hired someone to take care of her. That person is efficient and hardworking. There's no way we can fire him without giving any reason."
She thought for a moment and interrupted Liu Tian's sobbing. "The shop is in need of help. If you're willing, you can go to the county with me and live in the house where Grandma is staying."
Yanagida refused: "As a girl, and a divorced one at that, it's not good for her to show her face in public."
"I'll go." Liu Qing raised her head, revealing a face wet with tears, and said firmly, "Sister, I'll go to the shop."
-
On the ninth day of the first lunar month, all the shops were not open yet, so Tian Nongxi took Liu Hong to familiarize herself with the environment.
After she finished talking to Liu Qing about the work she was going to do, she took her and Huang to the house rented specifically for Huang. While they were resting, a postman found Tian Nongxi and said there was a letter from the capital.
The signature is Tan Xiang, and judging by the date, it seems to have been written around New Year's Eve, otherwise it would not have been delivered to me at this time.
Tian Nongxi guessed that it was a letter of New Year's greetings, so he randomly picked a chair to sit down and opened it, but his expression gradually became solemn.
Wen Tingluan, who was sitting next to her, pushed a cup of tea to her and asked, "What happened?"
Handing him the letter, Tian Nongxi said, "She doesn't want to do this anymore."
Wen Tingluan took it and looked at it carefully for a moment, then said with a smile, "Apologize for your crime?"
Carrying a thorn stick to apologize... ?
Tian Nongxi's frown relaxed slightly, and the corners of his mouth curled up. "When I gave her the money, I told her that it didn't matter what happened. How come she didn't remember?"
Thinking of what Tan Xiang wrote in the letter, Tian Nongxi felt inexplicably relieved.
Tan Xiang said: I feel unworthy of the shopkeeper's trust. I am unable to shoulder the heavy responsibility and have brought the shop's business to a slump. Now I am leaving to take the blame.
Business plummeted.
Tian Nongxi looked at Wen Tingluan who was sitting next to her, and looked into his deep pupils, thinking: These are not a problem, she is just worrying about how to slow down the pace of making money.
Wen Tingluan understood and stood up to get her pen and ink.
After writing the letter to Tan Xiang, the two of them took their leave.
Tian Nongxi sent the letter and did not go back to find Huang and Liu Hong, nor did he return to his own house.
She held Wen Tingluan's hand and walked with him happily until they found the landlord of the house rented to Huang.
He asked the price and bought it, all in one go. Then he went to find the landlord of the house where he lived.
Ask the price and buy it.
When Tian Nongxi said "No need to change" in a rich and generous manner, he suddenly heard a chuckle.
She glanced at Wen Tingluan and became interested. "How about I buy one for you too?"
Wen Tingluan shook his head and said, "Xiaoxi is going to buy several houses. I'll save money for her." He paused and added slowly, "We can just live in one house."
"A couch would be the best." Tian Nongxi glanced at him.
After receiving a positive response, she praised him, "You are very sincere, and you are very smart to know that I want to buy all the houses I am renting."
Wen Tingluan didn't say anything more, just a very light "hmm". Tian Nongxi looked over in disbelief, and saw a pair of indifferent eyes.
Her voice was hoarse and her heart was about to jump out.
He is so smart, how could he not know what she is doing.
He led the person away, his throat seemed to be gnawed away by ants, and he said nothing.
Until I ran into someone familiar.
The person was standing against the light, the red hairpin on her head sparkled in the sunlight, and the silk on her body looked luxurious in the light, like a proud butterfly.
"Happy New Year to both of you." Zhuang Xueling's eyes swept across the tightly clasped hands of the two people in front of her and fell on Tian Nongxi's face.
Wen Tingluan nodded.
Swallowing his subconscious aunt, Tian Nongxi said: "Miss Zhuang, I wish you a happy new year."
"Miss Tian looks worried, are you worried about the shop?"
Upon hearing this, Tian Nongxi was shocked.
The warmth of the letter was still in her hand, but she had no idea that what happened in the capital had reached the ears of Zhuang Xueling, who was far away in Ruiyang County, so quickly.
Tian Nongxi asked, "How did Miss Zhuang know about this?"
"The Shen family is a local tyrant, known for stirring up trouble. Ah... After Jing Wenshu told me that you and he had opened a shop together, I suspected something was wrong, but I had no evidence and couldn't disturb you without words." Zhuang Xueling put away her memories. "Now that something has gone wrong, I blame myself for not warning Master Lin and you sooner."
Tian Nongxi's eyebrows unconsciously twisted into the shape of the Chinese character "川". He quickly ended the topic and left.
Zhuang Xueling's words seemed to make sense, but she felt something was wrong even though she was confused.
Judging from Tan Xiangxin's words, her actions did not help the business at all. How could she mess up the shop to the point of almost closing it down?
Is it because of Shen Yihao?
That rich man who she thought was stupid and had a lot of money?
How could I have fallen into such trouble with him?
She obviously ate the copper coin in the dumpling!!
Tian Nongxi complained about his "dumplings and copper coins are useless" theory.
Wen Tingluan lowered his eyes to look at her and said, "Dumplings are eaten on New Year's Eve, and the business was arranged beforehand."
"That makes a lot of sense." Tian Nongxi laughed out loud, "Why does everything you say make so much sense?"
"I'll pack up and go to Shen Yihao's place to check on the situation." She instructed, "Tomorrow all the shops will open. I don't know if all the shops have been affected. You stay in Ruiyang first and come to me after you figure it out, okay?"
Wen Tingluan agreed reluctantly.
【Author’s words】
[Eat melon][Eat melon][Eat melon]
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