Chapter 78 Chapter 78-Two in One The two little mutes gave her...
Seeing Aunt Guizhi's expression, the village head turned around and asked Tian Xiang, "Did they quarrel or hit someone?"
Before Tian Xiang could say anything, Zhao said, "Uncle Zheng, every couple has their ups and downs. Isn't it normal to get physical after a few arguments?"
"Is it just this one time?" asked the headman.
Zhao also stopped talking.
The village head said in a deep voice, "Aren't you guys being too much of a bully? You beat someone half to death and you still want to divorce him?"
"If you don't want this daughter-in-law anymore, I'll be your two families' witnesses today. I'll write a divorce agreement, stamp it, and it'll be over."
Zhao took a deep breath and glared at Aunt Guizhi fiercely.
"You can sign the divorce papers, but we won't give you the child!"
Aunt Guizhi was about to speak when Lin Chuntao spoke first, "Auntie, your new daughter-in-law is right here. Why don't you ask her if she's willing to be a stepmother? Can't she raise her own son in the future?"
Lin Chuntao suddenly mentioned the woman, and everyone looked over. The woman's face immediately turned red, and Tian Xiang seemed to come back to his senses. He said that he would take the mute and the mute baby away, but he had not told Zhao about this yet.
Zhao doesn't have only one grandson or granddaughter. The two children born to Lin Shuilian are just like their mother. They don't talk much and often gesture. It's like there are three mutes in the family. She has been very annoyed recently.
It would be better if the Lin family could take it away, but she was not happy when the Lin family took the initiative to ask for it.
I just want to control Xu Guizhi. When people are emotionally preoccupied, they can't think about other people or things at all. This future daughter-in-law is beautiful, with fair skin and pretty eyes. Most importantly, she speaks well. Her family lives in the county town and owns a shop. She is richer than the mute's family!
After Lin Chuntao said this, Zhao also looked over.
Everyone was looking at the woman, waiting for her to speak. However, under everyone's gaze, she looked at Lin Chuntao.
"You are so unreasonable, little girl. I haven't gotten married yet. This is your family's business. What does it have to do with me? Why ask me?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I'm being presumptuous. You should ask your future husband if he wants you to be his stepmother. Of course, you two must have discussed it. It doesn't matter who makes the decision."
Following Lin Chuntao's words, Zhao looked at Tian Xiang.
Tian Xiang took a deep breath and remembered what his lover had said to him, "I don't want to raise someone else's son. I want to have our own child with you."
"Mom, leave those two little mutes to them! They have nothing to do with our family from now on!"
Tian Xiang spoke, Zhao glared at Lin Chuntao, but still agreed.
It went so smoothly that even Lin Chuntao was surprised, but it worked out anyway.
There were two copies of the divorce agreement written by the village head himself, and Tian Xiang pressed his fingerprints on it. He also took out Lin Shuilian's household registration card. Lin Shuilian was not there, so Aunt Guizhi and the others had to take it back to put her fingerprints on it before sending it to the county town to be stamped with the official seal.
Because the other party promised not to have two children, Aunt Guizhi no longer insisted on paying the medical expenses and took the divorce papers and left.
After they left, Zhao was still cursing. When Lin Chuntao left the village, she heard people discussing it. She didn't expect that the first person to divorce in the village would be the mute. But how could the mute have a peaceful life with two children after leaving her husband's home and returning to her parents' home?
Aunt Guizhi thought that as long as her daughter was by her side, every day would be a good day.
After returning to the village, Aunt Guizhi thanked the villagers and said that she would treat everyone to a meal when Lin Shuilian got better in a few days.
The villagers only had this little problem, and they didn't have to eat that meal. Besides, everyone still felt sorry for Aunt Guizhi and the others. Lin Shan was mute, and so was Lin Shuilian. Now Lin Shuilian was back with two children, and they still had a long way to go in the future.
The divorce agreement still needed to be stamped by the village head. Aunt Guizhi took it back, had Lin Shuilian's fingerprints pressed on it, and hurriedly sent it to the village head. The sooner this matter was settled, the sooner she could feel at ease.
The village head is different from Lin Cunzheng and the others. He is a cousin and a relative.
After helping out today, she had to bring some things back when she went back. She didn't have anything at home to give as a gift. Suddenly, she thought of the sauce made by Lin Chuntao, so she decided to go find Lin Chuntao to buy some. She took a jar and went.
When Lin Chuntao heard that they were going to take the jar to the village head, she scooped some out for Aunt Guizhi. Aunt Guizhi offered her money, but she refused it, thinking the jar was small and wouldn't cost much.
She refused to accept the coins even though Aunt Guizhi refused, so she just threw the string of copper coins into Lin Chunxing's arms.
"Chun Xing, keep it."
Lin Chunxing took the copper coin and chased after her, but Aunt Guizhi had already gone far away. Lin Chuntao looked at her and said, "Then put it away."
After returning home with the sauce, Aunt Guizhi scooped up a bucket of flour, caught a chicken, tied it up and put it in the backpack, then went to the headman's house.
At this time, in the headman's house, many people who like to join in the fun were talking about this in the yard.
Most of what they said was that they couldn't understand why Aunt Guizhi and the others wanted to divorce. How could a mute girl with two children get married in the future?
The village head listened to their discussion and actually had similar ideas. He even thought that Tian Xiang was useless. His mute wife wanted a divorce, and he even gave away his two children.
If this useless son was his, he would break his legs and lose his wife and children. He is so useless.
But he is the head of the village, so he has to be fair to win the support of the people.
It didn't matter to him whether the Tian family kept the child or the Lin family took the child away. Today, the people from the Lin family and the Tian family only knew how to curse, quarrel and pull hair.
However, Lin Chuntao left a deep impression on him.
He hadn't thought Lin Chuntao was clever before, and before he could see it, Lin Chuntao had already seen that Tian Xiang was being manipulated by that strange woman, and she had directly pointed it out, forcing Tian Xiang to side with that woman and give up his two children.
What a useless thing!
Aunt Guizhi arrived before the people in the village head's yard had dispersed.
Looking at the things in her backpack, the headman's wife smiled and the headman became a little more polite.
Aunt Guizhi said, "Uncle Zheng, I'm really sorry to trouble you."
The village head took the divorce agreement with the handprint on it and said to Aunt Guizhi, "I can't make it today. Come and get it tomorrow at noon."
Aunt Guizhi thanked her again.
She didn't stay long. She left her things behind and left with the basket on her back.
The headman's wife looked at the white noodles and the chicken, put them away, then looked at the sauce in the jar, frowned slightly at first, but when she picked it up and got closer, she smelled a lingering fragrance.
"Oh, this sauce smells delicious. Let's cook some potatoes and eat some."
As he spoke, he put down the sauce jar and went to wash the potatoes and cook them.
When the potatoes were almost cooked, everyone stood up to leave. The village head's wife hurriedly stopped them: "Eat a potato before you leave. I cooked a big pot. Why are you running away? This lady Xu just brought a jar of sauce. You can try it."
She left the people behind.
After the potatoes were cooked, everyone started eating. After taking the first bite, they were hooked and exclaimed, "Oh my, did you buy this sauce from Chai's Sauce Factory? Why is it so fragrant?"
The village head's wife frowned and looked at the jar. The jar did not belong to the Chai family.
She had bought Chai's sauce before, but it wasn't as delicious as this one.
"Could it be that the Chai family has come up with a new sauce?" the village head said after taking a bite, and others echoed, "Possibly."
Jiang's sauce is not cheap. This jar looks like it weighs several kilograms. Add the chicken and noodles, and it will cost at least two hundred coins.
The villagers ate two potatoes and stopped eating, but their eyes were still on the bowl of sauce. Oh my God, this sauce is so delicious. They can eat at least ten or twenty potatoes with this sauce, right?
Before leaving, they were still thinking that they must go to the county town to buy some some other day.
After they had walked for a while, the wife of the village head said, "Let's go to the county town early tomorrow. I'll go shopping too. I haven't been to the county town for a while. I didn't know there was such delicious sauce there."
The head of the village nodded. Since Xu Guizhi had sent so many things, he would stamp the seal for her as soon as possible.
The next day, at daybreak, Lin Chuntao came out of the mountains, carrying a basket of purple-skinned blue-headed mushrooms on her back and a bamboo basket of pine mushrooms in her hand.
Autumn was approaching, and dew formed in the mountains in the morning. Her straw sandals and trouser legs were soaked by the brine. Fortunately, the ground was dry, so it did not affect her walking.
She left the mountain pass and walked through the path between the fields. There were many corns planted on both sides of the path. The corn stalks accidentally brushed against her cheeks, causing a slight sting.
After crossing the small path and getting onto the main road, she washed the mud off her hands with the dew on the green grass by the roadside, tidied herself up, and stood up with the basket on her back. As soon as she stood up, she saw the old couple of the village head walking towards her from not far away.
The two men also saw her. Lin Chuntao simply didn't leave first, but stood there waiting for the two men to come closer.
"Second Grandpa, Second Grandma, are you going to the market?"
She was very polite today. She was the second child in the Zheng family, and all the younger generations called her elders like her.
Mrs. Ge had heard her husband talk about Lin Chuntao last night, but she didn't expect to see her so early in the morning.
"It's you." Mrs. Ge looked at Lin Chuntao, her straw sandals soaked with dew. "Did you just come out of the mountains?"
Lin Chuntao nodded and said, "I'm going to the mountains to pick some mushrooms."
The head of the village looked at her backpack and bamboo basket and saw that she had picked up quite a lot.
"Are you picking them up to sell at the market?"
"Yes, we don't have much other income, so we just want to make a little money." Lin Chuntao said this, and Ge remembered that she had rented cattle to grow corn in May. She smiled and asked, "How is your corn growing?"
Lin Chuntao said, "The seedlings are growing well, but I don't know if they will form buds. If the corn doesn't form buds, then the planting will be in vain."
Mrs. Ge consoled her, "If the seedlings are growing well, there's no doubt they'll form buds. Have they bloomed yet?"
"It's open."
"Then don't worry too much. There will definitely be corn husks, big or small."
Lin Chuntao agreed, and the three of them chatted as they walked.
Mrs. Ge was also very talkative. She had endless things to talk about with Lin Chuntao along the way, from the chickens, ducks and pigs at home to the vegetables in the fields, to making sauerkraut and pickles, and then to the red peppers in the fields, which she would chop into some sauce in a few days.
Although Lin Chuntao was young, he could keep up with the conversation on everything. The two of them kept chatting until they reached the county town. The government office was not open yet, so Ge wanted to go shopping at the market, and the village head said they wanted to go have breakfast.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Second Grandpa, do you want noodles? I set up a small noodle stall at the market."
Mrs. Ge looked at her in surprise. Lin Chuntao's explanation was the same as when she picked mushrooms to sell. Mrs. Ge said, "You are quite good at making money, girl. How is your business?"
"Well enough."
You met on the road and chatted all the way. He said he wanted to have breakfast, but you didn't say anything. It would be awkward if you met him at the market later.
Mrs. Ge was very curious about their stall and followed them. There were two tables next to the stall, with four or five people sitting at the tables, feasting on their food. The freshly cooked noodles were still steaming and floating in the air, with an amazing fragrance that made people smack their lips.
Lin Chunxing knew the village head and wondered why Lin Chuntao came with her. But she didn't show any doubt, just looked at her with a smile. Lin Chuntao said to her, "This is the village head, we call him Second Grandpa, and this is Second Grandma."
Lin Chunxing nodded slightly and called softly, "Second Grandpa, Second Grandma."
Mrs. Ge asked, "Is this your sister?"
Lin Chuntao introduced: "This is my second sister."
When Lin Chuntao went to put the backpack away, Lin Chunxing politely said, "Second Grandpa, you haven't had breakfast yet, right? Please sit for a while and I'll make you two bowls."
As she spoke, she had already scooped the soup into the small ceramic pot, added tomatoes, lifted the gauze on the winnowing basket, grabbed the flour and put it in, all in one smooth motion.
Mrs. Ge asked, "How long have you been running this stall?"
Lin Chunxing replied, "Second Madam, we've only been doing it for a month or so."
The soup in the earthenware pot had already boiled, with a rich aroma of meat in the air. The headman looked at the price list hanging on the bamboo rack. A bowl of noodles with braised meat soup was ten cents, a braised egg was three cents, and two were five cents. During the time they were there, several children came and bought two braised eggs for five cents each.
In the village, eggs cost one penny each. How did they do that? At the market, they cost three pennies each. City dwellers, with their money, don't care about a penny or two?
That's not necessarily true. They also come to sell eggs. The eggs are smaller, so the city people want you to give them a lower price. How could they not care about a penny or two?
Lin Chuntao carried the mushrooms into the house, washed her hands and feet, and then came to the stall.
The noodles were almost cooked. Lin Chunxing put the chives in and waited for them to be cooked before pouring them into a bowl.
Lin Chuntao scooped a braised egg into a bowl and asked the old couple to sit down and eat.
The old couple didn't hesitate to ask. The more they smelled the scent, the more familiar it seemed.
Mrs. Ge and the village head said, "It seems like the sauce from yesterday was put into this noodle soup."
The headman nodded slightly, picked up a chopstick of noodles, blew on it, and put it into his mouth when he thought it was no longer hot. How should he describe the taste? It was much better than the ones made by the chefs in some restaurants in the county.
Her family earns a lot of money every year from renting cattle, and they have more than enough food to feed the family.
Every time they come to the county town, if it is early, they will go to the mutton noodle shop to eat two bowls.
Mrs. Ge felt that the soup noodles made by Lin Chuntao and her friends had a richer taste. There were some small pieces of meat in it, and when mixed with the noodles, it not only had no fishy smell, but also had a fragrant taste.
And the braised eggs. After eating them, Mrs. Ge finally understood why they were sold for only three cents each. They were so delicious.
Mrs. Ge sighed, "I didn't know this girl had such skills. It's incredible."
The village head picked up the bowl, drank some soup, and nodded in agreement.
Mrs. Ge said, "Next time there's a wedding at home, ask her to cook."
After the old couple finished their noodles, Mrs. Ge came over to give Lin Chuntao some money. Of course, Lin Chuntao refused to take it. After a long shove, Mrs. Ge took it back and said with a smile, "Come to our house for dinner next time."
Lin Chuntao agreed with a smile.
Mrs. Ge then asked about the sauce in the noodles: "Did you buy this sauce from the Chai Family Sauce Factory? It's not cheap, is it?"
"No, Second Auntie, I made this sauce myself."
"Ah?" Ge exclaimed, "I thought you bought this sauce at the Chai Family Sauce Factory. It's so delicious. Yesterday, your aunt came to my house and brought some. Everyone who tried it said it was delicious and said they would come to the county town to buy more. So there's no need to come here. I can just buy it from you."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "It will be ready for sale in a month. Then the Chai Family Sauce Factory might be able to buy it. We made too little now and don't have any left to sell."
At this moment, even the village head looked at her in surprise.
The sky was getting brighter and brighter, and the sun had risen halfway. Helan and Chunzi were at the meat stall. Ge went to cut two pounds of meat, carried it up, said hello to Lin Chuntao, and left.
Even after the old couple had gone far away, Mrs. Ge was still sighing that the sauce was made by such a young girl.
The head of the village said nothing. There was only one shop selling soy sauce in the entire county, and Lin Chuntao's soy sauce recipe probably couldn't be kept. He sighed and watched the sun rise in the east.
"The government office should be open now. I'll go get her stamped first."
Ge responded and the two of them went to the yamen.
After getting the seal from the government office and getting the household registration sticker done, Ge went to Chai's sauce shop to have a look. She found that there was indeed no sauce like the one she had at home. After visiting the sauce shop, she went to the cloth shop to buy some cloth and bought some candies and snacks before going back.
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