Hiding the sewing bag, Chen Afu knitted while reading with the two little boys.
After a while, Old Mrs. Chen came in the rain.
The old lady's face looked very unhappy. She wanted to find a reason to scold Wang, but when she didn't see Wang, she pulled her son to the west room.
She whispered to Chen Ming, "Mom is feeling upset and didn't sleep well last night."
Chen Ming was stunned and asked, "What's wrong with mom? Who made you angry?"
The old lady said angrily, "It's still that silly girl."
"How did Ah Fu offend you?" Chen Ming asked in surprise.
The old lady said, "Afu has recovered from her illness and is such a talented person. If she had not been given a daughter-in-law household and had married into another family, you would have received a lot of betrothal gifts. But she was given a daughter-in-law household. Anyone who wanted to be a son-in-law is a poor man and can't afford the money. Silly son, you have raised her for fifteen years, taken her medical treatment and medicine, and even gave her a son. You have spent at least dozens of strings of money on her. But when she grew up, instead of repaying you as her father, she took away one acre of Alu's land to set up a daughter-in-law household. Oh, my Alu, his leg is lame, and he was given land. It's a big loss." After saying this, she pounded her chest a few times in anger.
Chen Ming quickly advised, "Mom, Ah Fu and Da Bao are both good children who value friendship and loyalty. They will never forget that the Chen family raised them. Besides, everyone knows that Ah Fu was once a fool. Which good family would be willing to pay so much extra money to marry her?"
"That's not necessarily true. I heard from Mrs. Hu that a wealthy family in the town came to the village to inquire about Ah Fu's situation. They gave up the idea only after they heard that Ah Fu had established a female household." The old lady said angrily.
It turns out that it was Hu's work. No wonder the old lady was so angry.
Chen Ming didn't have a good impression of Hu, but she was his eldest sister-in-law after all, so he couldn't say it out loud. But this time, Hu instigated the old lady to scold Ah Fu, so he had to say it out loud.
He said, "Mother, you have been with my sister-in-law for so many years, can you believe everything she says? If there really is such a good family, rich, and living in town, who wants to marry Ah Fu, my sister-in-law will not only not tell you about it, but will also try to mix things up and secretly help Ah Ju to get together."
Chen Ming was not being mean-spirited when he said those words; this was indeed something that Hu was capable of doing.
The old lady thought about it and it was right. Mrs. Hu was that kind of person. When she got anxious, she fell into her trap. But she still said stubbornly, "Mother knows that Mrs. Hu's intentions are not good, but you and A Lu still suffered a great loss. You raised that girl for more than ten years in vain, and A Lu was divided an acre of land by her."
Chen Ming smiled and got up and went to the east room to get a finished sewing basket and handed it to Old Lady Chen, asking, "Mother, do you think this sewing basket is nice?"
This is a square sewing basket. The fine cloth inside is moon-white, with some bright flowers and green grass sewn here and there.
The old lady was surprised and said, "Is this a sewing basket? Oh, I'm so old, but this is the first time I've seen such an exquisite and beautiful sewing basket."
Chen Ming smiled and said, "This sewing basket was made by Ah Fu after she recovered from her illness. She said she would make more and sell them at Lingyin Temple. She would save the money and go to see Ah Lu about his leg."
After hearing this, Old Lady Chen felt better. She had heard from the third son, Chen Shi, that there was a Qianjin Medical Clinic in the capital city that was very good at treating bone injuries. However, the consultation fee was too expensive, and ordinary people could not afford it. It was only for rich people, and even many rich people in the capital went there for treatment.
If A-Lu's lame leg could be cured, then the biggest worry in her life would be resolved.
"That girl has a conscience," said the old lady, and returned the basket of money to Chen Ming, saying, "Hide the basket quickly, don't let anyone see it, especially Mrs. Hu. Come and help make more, so that you can sell more money to pay for A-Lu's medical treatment."
Chen Ming smiled and said, "No need for help, mother. My son is slow at weaving baskets, so Ah Fu can sew the cloth on by himself." He didn't dare to say that it was Wang's young master who took on the embroidery work, because if he did, the old lady would scold him.
The old lady asked again, "Now that Ah Fu has recovered from his illness, they won't have to rely on your family to support them forever, right?"
Chen Ming nodded and said, "Yes, if Chen Fu's illness is completely cured, he will definitely not burden us anymore. She also said that when she makes money in the future, she will let us live a good life and respect us like her sons." He glanced at the old lady and said, "She also said that she knows that you and big brother are good to her and Dabao, and she wants to respect you. Mother, just wait and enjoy it. Once Ah Fu recovers from his illness, he will be very smart."
The old lady became even happier after hearing this.
Old Mrs. Chen and Chen Ming were talking to each other, but they didn't know that there was a third ear eavesdropping outside the door.
Chen Dabao went back to the east room and told Chen Afu and Chen Alu what he had overheard. Chen Afu was scared again, but fortunately he had established a female household first, so his marriage could not be controlled by others.
Chen Afu had already made plans for his life.
In this life, if she could meet a man who was truly kind to her, she would marry him—no, it should be married. After all, in ancient times, it was not easy for a woman to have a child, especially if her appearance was too outstanding, there would definitely be men who would have bad intentions. In addition, she was lonely and uncomfortable in her previous life, and she always wanted to have more children, and especially wanted a daughter. This wish in her previous life was not fulfilled until she died, and she hoped that it could be realized in this life.
If she can't find a good man, she will never marry. No matter how hard it is, she won't marry. Anyway, she already has a son, kind parents and a kind brother.
Chen Afu is much more realistic in this life than in his previous life. The good man in her mind is not at all tall, rich and handsome.
It can be summed up in four points, which she calls the "four good" men in ancient times.
First of all, she had to be decent looking, with regular facial features and healthy limbs. She had to be over 1.7 meters tall. If that wasn't possible, 1.65 meters tall would be fine. The height requirement was not based on beauty, but mainly on physical work and combat effectiveness. After all, she and Dabao were one weak and one small.
Secondly, he should know how to love his wife and son, have a gentler temper, be good to himself and Dabao, allow himself to take care of his parents' home, and not be the kind of person who beats women and children at every turn, or be foolishly filial and hangs on his mother's belt and never grows up.
The third is that the person must have decent character, that is, be a law-abiding citizen without bad habits. He must be independent and not be lazy and eat too much and live off others all his life.
Fourth, she likes to be clean, brush her teeth, wash her face and feet every day, and take a bath at least once every now and then. She can't stand men with yellow stains on their teeth or bad body odor, no matter how good they are.
Chen Ahfu later realized that this kind of "four good" man with the lowest standard was a rare and perfect man in the countryside of this world. It was hard to find such a man. For a woman like her who was looking for a husband, it was even harder to find such a man. Of course, this is a story for later.
Chen Ahfu was secretly delighted when she thought that the old lady could not decide her marriage. From now on, whether she would marry or not would depend on whether she could find a man who met the minimum standard of "four good" men.
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