Chapter 83 The Chen Family's Box
The boxes were all packed. Baoyue brought the two girls who had come to help into the main room of the new house and said, "You must be tired from running around. Come on, take a rest!"
Hearing Chen Baoyue's voice, Chen Zhonghua, who was boiling water, called out to her, "Stop working, wash your hands and come over for some hot tea before you eat."
Guo Xiaohua and Yang Xianu washed their hands and sat down. "This house is really big, with many rooms in good locations. It looks very open and airy from front to back."
There was even a small garden behind the house, which the two of them saw when they came downstairs.
There were many beautiful flowers planted inside, and Uncle Chen was still busy in the empty space next to it, saying that he wanted to build a swing in this open space.
Guo Xiaohua squatted there and watched for a while, feeling quite envious.
Although the house we live in now is not bad, it doesn't have a garden big enough to fit a swing for us to play in.
Chen Baoyue also quite likes her new home. Although there are many places to tidy up, the family has been busy organizing for the past few days and almost can't straighten their backs.
However, due to the previous owner, a lot of trendy furniture was still left in the house.
Chen Zhonghua picked and chose to sell some of the items, and the rest only needed a little cleaning before they could be reused.
So she poured them both a cup of hot tea, brought over some snacks and fruit, and sat down herself, saying, "We all live relatively close by, so you can come visit me often in the future."
“I’ll definitely come to play with you. When the swing is finished, Sister Baoyue, please let me know.” Guo Xiaohua said, picking out a flower-shaped pastry from the plate and asking curiously, “Where did you buy this pastry? I’ve never seen this kind of pastry in the county town before.”
Hearing her say that, Chen Baoyue put a piece of Poria cocos cake into her mouth: "This was made by my mother herself. She also added walnuts and honey to it. Try it."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaonu also reached out and took a piece, tasting it twice. "This pastry looks exquisite, and it tastes quite good. It must have taken a lot of effort to make it?"
Chen Baoyue nodded, "Actually, everything else is fine, it's just that the Poria cocos powder and glutinous rice paste are difficult to make. Fortunately, my mother makes a lot at once to eat slowly, so it doesn't take too much time."
The three of them sat there and talked for a few more minutes. At this time, Chen Zhonghua brought over the brewed flower tea and placed a cup in front of each person. "Eating too many desserts can make your heart feel a bit hot. Everyone should have some tea to calm down."
Honeysuckle tea is the best for reducing internal heat.
And even if you accidentally drink too much, you don't have to worry about not being able to sleep at night.
Guo Xiaohua took the teacup, took two sips, and couldn't resist taking a bite of the pastry. Before she knew it, she slumped back in the chair, sighing with a look of complete satisfaction, "Alright, now I'm really alive again."
Seeing her like this, Yang Xiaonu couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Those who know will know it's because you came over today to help pack things up and did a lot of work. Those who don't know will think you just came back from planting rice today!"
Xiaohua didn't really think that much about it. When her family lived in Guojia Village, she often saw the uncles and elders next door coming home like this.
"Hehehe." She leaned back in her chair for a short while, then sat up straight again.
As the group was eating, the door was pushed open. Xiao Hua put down her teacup and exclaimed happily when she saw who it was, "Brother! You're here too!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Baoyue also stood up. This was the first time the two had met since their engagement was finalized. Before moving to the county town, her mother had told her the rules of being a wife over and over again.
Although they haven't officially married yet, she's a little unsure how to treat him.
Fortunately, there are still other people in the house.
Chen Zhonghua went over first to greet them: "Everyone is having tea and resting right now, Brother Guo, would you like a cup too?"
Guo Baiwen smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Hello, Aunt Chen. If it's not too much trouble, I'll have a drink too."
"Hey, what's the trouble or not?"
The teacups and teapot were readily available, and the freshly brewed honeysuckle tea was still warm.
So Guo Baiwen quickly picked up a teacup as well.
Everyone sat in the lobby, and their conversations, though seemingly casual, were still revolving around the house.
When Uncle Chen said he wanted to buy a house in the county town, everyone was a little surprised, but they quickly started offering their suggestions.
In addition to the matchmaker recommended by Yang Qiaomai, Guo Baiwen also introduced Sun Ya Po.
I looked around the county town for three or four days before finally settling on this house.
The overall structure of the house is not much different from the one the Guo family lives in now, except that there is an additional house behind the small building, so it can be considered a small two-courtyard house.
Although the location is a bit far from the city center, it is still considered a rare and good location in the north of the city.
When Guo Baiwen first learned about it, he was a little curious. How come he hadn't come across such a good location and nice house when he came to the county town before?
When she later inquired with Granny Sun, she learned that this matter was somehow connected to her.
Previously, Mr. Li, the owner of Fuwang Pastry Shop, was imprisoned. The county government then uncovered two similar cases from the past.
However, the owners of those two families were not as lucky as Guo Baiwen. Not only did they lose their family craftsmanship, but their businesses were also ruined by Boss Li.
So the original four years were extended by another four years, and it was clear that the family shop business could no longer continue.
Mr. Li's wife had no intention of waiting for him to come out again after eight years.
The couple had been married for seven years without having children. They watched as Mr. Li had many mistresses outside the marriage, while they were constantly being cursed for no reason.
In her opinion, the fact that they have been married for so many years but have no children is not necessarily all her fault.
After all, Mr. Li is not young. He is not only overweight but also not very physically strong. Among the women he has kept on the side in recent years, none of them have been able to have children.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to stay in the Li family for so many years.
Just when he thought he was about to be divorced, things took an unexpected turn when this happened.
So after receiving the judgment from the county government, she went directly to the county government office without any hesitation to request a divorce.
The court did not have much prejudice against women who had divorced, especially those whose husbands had committed crimes. In such cases, there was no reason to delay the divorce.
So after receiving the officially certified divorce papers, Mr. Li's wife was thinking of changing the name of the shop and continuing the business.
But misfortune never comes singly; the two pastry chefs who had worked in the shop for over a decade were poached by nearby restaurants with high salaries.
Now there was absolutely no more hesitation.
Seeing that the family had been spending more money than earning money these days, and that Mr. Li had no children, many relatives, upon hearing the news, swarmed around him like flies that had caught a whiff of something.
Seeing that staying any longer might lead to even more new problems, I realized that staying any longer might cause even more issues to arise.
So she gritted her teeth and decided to take all her dowry with her first. If she couldn't take it with her, she would ask a broker to sell it quickly. She would take all the money she could get back to her parents' home, along with all the bags and packages.
I'm ready to start my life anew.
As for what's left of Mr. Li's own belongings, that's up to his family to decide how they distribute them. She, an outsider and a stranger, won't get involved in this mess.
"This was originally the house where Boss Li lived?" Guo Baiwen was originally admiring the house, but after hearing the reason, he couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
This house is nice, but what if Mr. Li gets out and finds out about this later—
"It's partly true, and partly true."
Chen Zhonghua understood the worry in his eyes and waved his hand, saying, "The broker said that the original owner of this house was Boss Li's wife. The property deeds we have now have all been officially stamped. Even if a dispute arises, we have nothing to be afraid of."
As she was talking, Chen Youtian came over from the backyard, carrying the rope and shovel he had just used to make the swing.
The muscular arms are clearly visible beneath the rough-cloth shorts.
Looking at them, it really does seem like there's nothing to worry about.
Guo Baiwen felt a little relieved, and while putting down his teacup, he squeezed his arm with some resentment.
It felt fairly sturdy to the touch, but compared to Uncle Chen, it was probably not even half the thickness of a person's arm.
I should start exercising when I have some free time.
As he was thinking this, he lowered his hand and was about to pick up his teacup again when he looked up and saw Chen Baoyue looking at him with her eyes crinkling.
I don't even know how long I've been staring at myself.
Thinking back to his little actions just now, Guo Baiwen's cheeks suddenly turned red, and he became somewhat uneasy.
Did you see it?
Did you see everything? Or did you only see half of it?
While racking his brains trying to figure out how to ask, he finally made up his mind and looked up to find Chen Baoyue and Xiaohua chatting animatedly.
That glance he made just now seemed like a hallucination born out of his panic.
So he quickly suppressed the restlessness in his heart, took a sip of tea, and the blush on his face faded a little.
His mind was in a mess, and he didn't know what to do for a moment.
The gifts brought by the visitor were already placed on the table early in the morning, and it seemed that there was nothing in the house, inside or out, that required his help.
I'm pondering whether I should resign at this moment.
Then Chen Zhonghua directed Chen Youtian to unload another rather large box from the cart in the outer courtyard.
The carving on the box is very exquisite. Although I haven't seen this kind of wood before, it looks very high-quality.
Because the movement was quite large, the people who were chatting earlier also turned their attention to it.
Guo Xiaohua watched Chen Zhonghua lovingly stroking the top of the box and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Aunt Chen, what's inside this box?"
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Author's Note: It's gotten so cold lately! I don't know if it's from sitting too long while writing and getting chilled, but my shoulder is really sore. I'm planning to get a massage sometime >_< Be careful not to catch a cold, everyone!
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