“Uncle Village Head, Aunt Feng, please accept this. Given our family’s situation, it’s hard to say whether we’ll need your help. I’ll feel bad if you don’t accept it.”
Cheng Yue was glad she hadn't mentioned paying. She wouldn't even accept a bowl of chicken, let alone money.
Besides, two bowls of chicken are nothing. Roof repair is hard work, and you'd have to pay someone else if you hired them.
Besides, we'll have to trouble them with the wheat harvest, and just providing a meal isn't enough.
Since things had come to this point, Zhang Lizheng and the others didn't insist any further. Not wanting anything would only put pressure on Chen An's family.
Then, she asked her two daughters-in-law to pack some dried green beans and dried radishes for Cheng Yue. The two of them very generously packed a whole bag full.
Fearing that Cheng Yue wouldn't accept it, Madam Feng put her hand in the basket and pushed her out, leaving Cheng Yue both amused and exasperated.
As soon as Cheng Yue left, Madam Feng began to mutter, "Chen An's wife is a really good person, and Chen An is also a kind-hearted boy. I don't know what Zhao's wife is thinking; she's really hard to understand."
The village head waved his hand and said, "Alright, stop talking. It's none of our business. Chen An's wife is a good person. You should just keep in touch with her."
Mrs. Feng had no objection. "Of course." She not only wanted to move around, but also wanted her two daughters-in-law to move around.
Cheng Yue used to be quiet, and when she saw them, she would only say hello. Now that they've separated, she seems more likable than ever.
The Zhang brothers exchanged a few words, then picked up their shovels and headed up the mountain.
After leaving the Zhang family, Cheng Yue went to call Liu Chunlai. Upon hearing that the roof needed repairs, Liu Chunlai agreed without hesitation.
Cheng Yue took out the meat and was talking to Liu Chunlai's wife when a "pui" sound came from the other side of the courtyard wall.
"They just gave us two chickens, and before we even had a chance to warm them up, they killed and ate them. What a glutton! They didn't keep the old hens to lay eggs, all they did was eat!"
Zhao got up to use the outhouse and heard Cheng Yue and Liu Chunlai's family talking in the next courtyard, talking about eating chicken and such. She was puzzled.
When they came out, they saw the two of them pushing a bowl of chicken back and forth, and they got quite angry.
Cheng Yue stared speechlessly at the waist-high courtyard wall, then casually asked, "Is Mother-in-law worried that we won't have enough meat to eat, and wants to give us another one?"
"Give me a chicken? You don't deserve it! As for you, what kind of daughter-in-law are you? You have meat to eat but don't offer it to your mother-in-law first. How can you eat it yourselves?"
Zhao glared angrily. "You unfilial brat! You have meat to eat but don't send it to me. Instead, you give it to outsiders. And you even dare to covet my chickens!"
Cheng Yue pretended to be embarrassed and said, "Mother-in-law, this bowl of chicken is for Brother Chunlai to help us repair the roof, and there is no extra."
"How about this, Mother-in-law, you're strong and healthy, why don't you help us fix the roof? The chicken we gave Chen An to help him recover can be yours."
"You want me to fix your roof? Aren't you afraid of shortening your lifespan?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao's chest heaved with anger. Roof repair was a man's job, yet they dared to say she was strong and sturdy. What did they take her for?
Liu Chunlai's mother, Yang, couldn't stand it anymore and said to Zhao:
"Sister-in-law Zhao, please say less. It's nothing for you, as a mother, to help out. Why are you saying such nasty things?"
Yang was a good mother to her son and daughter-in-law, but she couldn't understand why Zhao was so inconsiderate of her children.
Hearing this, Zhao became even angrier. They were all siding with Cheng Yue, completely blind! She said angrily, "..."
"You dare to eat the food sent by that heartless wretch? Don't blame me if you get poisoned!"
She left with a remark, then swayed her big hips and went inside. If she couldn't get meat, no one else could have a proper meal.
Apart from Cheng Yue, everyone in the Liu family courtyard frowned; Zhao Shi was clearly quite ill.
Yang comforted Cheng Yue, saying, "Chen An's wife, you've suffered so much these past years. Now that you've separated from the family, just live your life well and don't take it to heart."
Cheng Yue nodded and sighed.
Liu Chunlai's wife, Cui Miao, thought Cheng Yue was unhappy, so she quickly smiled and said:
“Sister Cheng, we don’t believe Aunt Zhao’s words, we’ll take the chicken.”
He gave Liu Chunlai another push, urging him, "Go quickly, don't delay!"
Liu Chunlai scratched his head and then trudged up the mountain.
Cui Miao has puffy eyes, a big round face, and a few freckles. She's not exactly pretty, but as the saying goes, "the face reflects the heart," and she's pleasing to the eye.
Take Zhao Shi for example. She used to be the most beautiful woman in the village, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to give birth to three good-looking children.
Unfortunately, he had a bad heart and was always cursing and swearing, leaving only meanness on his once handsome face.
Cui Miao poured out the chicken, washed the bowl, and filled it with radish greens and pickled cabbage.
She said apologetically, "Sister Cheng, we don't have much to offer, but this bowl of pickled cabbage is for you to eat with your rice."
Farmers may not have much, but whether you're visiting or collecting something, you're never empty-handed.
Cheng Yue smiled and said, "I love this pickled cabbage. It's so refreshing, I'm sure I can eat an extra bowl of rice with it."
Yang and Cui Miao laughed as well. The three of them exchanged a few words before Cheng Yue went home.
"Little sister!"
As soon as Cheng Yue arrived at her doorstep, she heard an extremely loud voice.
Turning around, I saw a burly man pushing a cart piled high with goods up the mountain, with a middle-aged couple standing beside him.
The middle-aged man was robust, yet he was wearing a patched long gown... well, that seemed a bit incongruous.
It was her father, Cheng Changyou, who had been trained by her mother for many years and developed a strong physique.
The woman, dressed in short, men's clothing, walked with a powerful stride; she was Wu, the butcher's wife.
The burly man was tall and imposing, grinning broadly. He was her eldest brother, Cheng Yang, whose physique resembled that of his three hunter uncles—truly a case of nephew and uncle mimicking uncle.
"Father, Mother, Eldest Brother, what brings you here?"
Cheng Yue ran over excitedly. Perhaps because of the original owner's memories, she felt an extraordinary sense of familiarity with the person who came over, without any sense of strangeness.
Wu poked Cheng Yue's forehead with one finger and said angrily:
"You brat, you didn't even tell us you were separating from the family! If our daughter hadn't mentioned it when she came back to visit her family, we wouldn't have known about it at all!"
Cheng Yue said guiltily, "I haven't had a chance to say it yet."
"Not to mention that, you kept such a big thing as your son-in-law injuring his leg a secret from us. You're treating your parents like outsiders!"
Mr. Cheng said helplessly, "Oh dear, you talk about your daughter every day when you can't see her, and when you do see her you keep talking. No wonder she doesn't tell you anything."
Wu pinched Cheng's father's arm hard and glared at him, saying:
"You, Cheng Changyou! Now you're talking about me. I wonder who was it that always talked behind my back about how heartless their daughter was while secretly shedding tears, and now they're playing the good guy?"
"Ouch! Stop pinching me!"
Cheng Yue watched her parents bickering, feeling both warm and bittersweet inside.
In her memory, her parents never fought like this, nor did they care about her; the house was always gloomy.
So ever since her parents brought her to the city, not a day has gone by that she hasn't wanted to escape.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com