Chapter 49 Schemes
Kong Dazhuang ran home in a disheveled state, cursing "old hag" and "unfilial daughter" all the while.
Seeing this, Peng Chunlan knew that this good-for-nothing hadn't gotten away with it, and couldn't help but scold, "You can't even handle this little thing, what else can you do!"
Kong Dazhuang was seething with anger, and being disliked by his own wife, he couldn't control his temper and yelled at Peng Chunlan: "Yes, I'm incompetent, then why did you seduce me back then? Why didn't you find someone capable!"
Peng Chunlan was so angry that her eyes widened, and she threw the half-mended garment she was holding at him.
"You bastard, Kong Dazhuang! You've been living off me for so many years, and now you're complaining that being a kept woman isn't good enough? Then get out of here! This is my house!"
Upon hearing the words "my house," Kong Dazhuang, a professional gigolo, instantly cleared his eyes.
Seeing that the woman was really angry, he quickly humbled himself and stepped forward to hug Peng Chunlan's waist to coax her: "Good wife, it was my fault. I shouldn't have lost my temper with you. Calm down."
Peng Chunlan glared at him, but not wanting to make things too awkward, she went along with it and said:
“Don’t blame me for being blunt, but all we have are these few dilapidated houses and a few acres of land. Zhuzi still can’t find a wife, Zhizhi hasn’t saved up any dowry, and Shitou is getting older every year. If we don’t work harder, what will happen to our three children?”
Zhu Zi and Liu Huazhi are Peng Chunlan's twins from her previous marriage, while Shi Tou is Peng Chunlan's son with Kong Dazhuang. He is fourteen years old this year and will get married in two years.
Seeing that their three children would cost a lot of money and that they hadn't saved much money, Peng Chunlan and Kong Dazhuang were very anxious.
Upon learning that the Sheng family wanted to rent out their land, they had the idea of taking it over, the kind of thing where they would refuse to pay the rent.
Unexpectedly, Grandpa Sheng showed no respect for Kong Dazhuang and chased him back with shouts of violence.
Thinking about how the villagers had laughed at him earlier, Kong Dazhuang was furious again.
"That old bastard, I was his son-in-law for two years, and he didn't even appreciate it. He deserves to die young, a white-haired man burying his black-haired daughter!"
After cursing Grandpa Sheng, he started cursing Sheng An: "That unfilial daughter who was struck by lightning would rather take two old geezers to the city to enjoy a life of luxury than be filial to her own father. She should have been drowned in a chamber pot back then!"
Peng Chunlan rolled her eyes at the sound of it.
You neither gave birth to her nor raised her, and you even married into another family. Why should they support you?
You think you're so shameless?
Despite her disdain, Peng Chunlan secretly hoped that Kong Dazhuang would ask Sheng An for favors, preferably by raising a son for them.
Just as she was about to urge Kong Dazhuang to go into the city to find someone, Liu Huazhi returned from outside and overheard Kong Dazhuang's words.
She stared wide-eyed incredulously: "Dad, what did you say? Those two old hags went to the city to retire with that jinx?"
Kong Dazhuang said angrily, "You heard right, that old bastard has rented out his land to others and said he's going to the city to live with that unfilial daughter's in-laws!"
Liu Huazhi's expression changed, her eyes filled with anxiety.
What happened? How did things change?
In their previous life, the two old folks of the Sheng family never went to the city to retire. They stayed in the village farming. They only stopped farming when they could no longer work and lived off the little money given to them by the jinx.
She hadn't paid much attention to the old woman who came to the city before, assuming she was just going to stay temporarily.
Later, when the old woman got injured, Old Man Sheng also went to the city. She thought he was just there to take care of the old woman, but she never expected that he was there to retire.
Now that things are different from the previous life, will the fate of that jinx who was destined to die also change?
Relying on her foresight, Liu Huazhi meticulously planned and moved towards her goal step by step.
Now that things have changed and are different from her previous life, she panicked and felt a fear of an uncertain future.
No, we can't panic. We have to find a way to get everything back on track!
A sinister glint flashed in Liu Huazhi's eyes, and her dull mind finally had a moment of inspiration.
Looking at the impotently furious Kong Dazhuang, her soft words were full of instigation:
“Dad, you are her biological father. Without you, there would be no her. She owes you her life, and she will owe you for the rest of her life. She can take care of the two old people in their old age, and she must take care of you in your old age too!”
These words struck a chord with Kong Dazhuang, who couldn't help but shout excitedly, "That's right, she owes me a life, so she has to listen to me!"
That unfilial daughter is already married off, and those two old geezers won't live for many more years. She has no use for the houses and fields in the village, so they can be used to support her own father.
Now that he has land and a house, will he still have trouble finding a wife?
Kong Dazhuang became increasingly excited about the idea and couldn't wait to get it done, so he looked at Liu Huazhi and asked, "Where is the Xu family?"
Liu Huazhi was bewildered; she didn't know either.
In her previous life, she had never been to the Xu family. She had only heard that the Xu family lived in the southern part of the city, but she had no idea of their exact location.
However, she didn't know that Tong Baogen, who had been following the jinx and the old woman, definitely knew.
Thinking of Tong Baogen, Liu Huazhi clenched her fists secretly, her eyes filled with anger and hatred.
No, she can't stay away from this person anytime soon, she can't let him get close to her. She should ask his cousins for details.
After receiving Liu Huazhi's assurance, Kong Dazhuang urged her to hurry up and inquire, while he happily planned how to seize the Sheng family's land and houses after finding Sheng An.
Sheng An was busy perfecting the renovation plans for Sheng Garden, unaware of the shameless schemes of Kong Dazhuang and his associates.
When Grandpa Sheng returned to the Xu family with a few chickens from his home, she put down her pen, served the old man tea and water, and inquired about the rental situation of the fields.
Grandpa Sheng didn't mention Kong Dazhuang at all, but recounted the whole story in detail.
Grandma Sheng was somewhat dissatisfied: "Even half a percent of the rent is a lot of grain, and you just gave it away with a single word."
Sheng An comforted her, "Grandma, we don't rely on that rent to make a living, and they said they would help look after the house. Let's just accept the smaller share."
Grandpa Sheng nodded repeatedly: "If people don't live in that house for a long time, it's easy for it to collapse. I can feel more at ease knowing that the couple is helping to watch over it."
Grandma Sheng had an attachment to the houses in the village, so upon hearing this, she couldn't bring herself to argue about the half-rent: "Alright, alright, if you two are happy, what else can I say?"
She was just used to living frugally, which is why she felt bad about giving away half a percent of the rent; she wasn't really unreasonable.
Sheng An and Grandpa Sheng exchanged a smile, and then quickly flattered the old lady a few times, making her beam with joy.
After Sheng An went to the study, Grandpa Sheng closed the door and whispered to Grandma Sheng about Kong Dazhuang's insistence that Sheng An take care of him in his old age.
Grandma Sheng was furious and pounded the bed frame: "Shameless bastard, he really dares to think such things!"
Grandpa Sheng hurriedly reminded him, "Keep your voice down, don't let An'an hear you."
Grandma Sheng suppressed her anger and gritted her teeth, saying, "We were blind back then to bring such a wretch into our daughter's life, and now we have to watch him disgust us!"
Grandpa Sheng was also very annoyed, shaking his head and sighing: "He pretended too well, we were all fooled by him."
Grandma Sheng waved her hand: "Forget it, there's no use saying all this. We two old folks have to be careful and not let him ruin An'an's good life."
Upon hearing this, Grandpa Sheng's usually kind face revealed a chilling ruthlessness: "Hmph, even if it costs me my old life, I will never let him disturb An'an!"
Grandma Sheng touched the soft new clothes on her body, a resolute look flashing across her face.
With the "help" of Xu Jinnian and his son, Sheng An spent two days perfecting all the blueprints and also ended his wonton business.
Xu Chenglin also gathered a group of bricklayers, a total of five master craftsmen and several laborers.
These master craftsmen had a long-standing relationship with Xu Chenglin, and after exchanging pleasantries, they began to look at the blueprints.
After reading it, the five discussed it and gave Sheng An a very fair price: "Three hundred and fifty taels."
This amount of 350 taels includes labor, materials, and food during the construction period.
The price was fifty taels less than his budget, and Sheng An readily agreed: "Okay! But the materials and workmanship must meet my requirements, otherwise I will not make the final payment."
Friendship is one thing, but we still need to get the ugly truths out beforehand.
Seeing Sheng An's quick agreement, the master chefs laughed heartily: "Don't worry, if you're not satisfied, your father-in-law will be the first to punish us!"
Hearing them say that, Sheng An couldn't help but feel a strong curiosity about her father-in-law and wanted to know about his past.
After taking a shower in the evening, Sheng An lay lazily on the bed, squinting her eyes to enjoy the coolness brought by the large palm-leaf fan.
Xu Jinnian sat on the edge of the bed, fanning himself with his left hand intermittently.
Although he was very down-to-earth holding a large palm-leaf fan, every move he made exuded an indescribable elegance, adding a touch of refinement to his appearance.
Seeing Sheng An's expression like a kitten, Xu Jinnian unconsciously curled his lips and reached out to smooth the strands of hair that had fallen onto her face in the wind.
Sheng An opened her eyes and naturally leaned closer to him, placing one hand on his waist and giving it a squeeze:
"My father has a wide network of connections; it seems like he knows people from all walks of life. What did he do when he was young?"
Xu Jinnian's waist tightened, and he grabbed the mischievous hand in his palm.
Seeing his wife's interest in his father's past, he wasn't surprised. He spoke casually about his father's unusual experiences: "When he was young, his family was poor, and his father often went hungry. So he would secretly follow the village's old hunter up the mountain to find food..."
Seeing that Xu Chenglin was agile and intelligent, the old hunter decided to take him on as an apprentice to support him in his old age. So he began to teach him the martial arts skills he had learned in the army in his early years.
These martial arts skills were very rudimentary; if mastered, they would only make one slightly stronger than an ordinary person. Yet Xu Chenglin treasured them as if they were precious gems.
As he listened to the old hunter boast about his heroic deeds on the battlefield day after day, his longing for the outside world gradually grew, and he was unwilling to spend his whole life holed up in this poor and isolated mountain village.
Xu Chenglin studied and practiced diligently every day, hoping to acquire skills so that he could join the army and make contributions in the future.
When he was fifteen, the old hunter passed away. After burying the old hunter, he told his family and left his hometown with the broadsword and bow and arrows that the old hunter had left him.
This departure lasted for a full fifteen years.
Just when the Xu family thought Xu Chenglin had died outside, he returned in glory, bringing back many wonderful things that they had never seen before in their lives.
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