Early the next morning.
Chen An began preparing carpentry tools. Today, he would not be busy building the house; he would focus on training his apprentices.
The family had just finished breakfast when a group of children came over, accompanied by adults, all of whom looked nervous.
Although it wasn't a formal master-apprentice relationship, it was still learning a craft, so he definitely had to treat Chen An as his master.
Moreover, the village head personally wrote a contract, guaranteeing Chen An that he would receive wages after completing his studies, ensuring he would have a stable job for life.
Therefore, they were all afraid that their children would not live up to their expectations and that if they did not study hard, Chen An would send them back.
"My little white dog is tough and resilient. Chen An, if he slacks off, you can beat him up!"
As soon as Aunt Li expressed her opinion, the others chimed in, "My son is the same way. If he doesn't listen, I beat him. I have to make sure he learns something!"
Chen An laughed and said, "Don't worry, ladies and sisters-in-law, they will definitely learn well!"
These are all people he specially selected. They are all promising talents who are confident, serious, and have goals. Why would someone who wants to do things well need his supervision?
Upon hearing this, everyone bowed their heads and gave their children a few more instructions before heading down the mountain.
The children looked at each other, they had heard these words eight hundred times a day, and their ears were practically calloused.
However, my family just wants them to study hard, so let them nag!
Chen An picked up a box of tools and called to the children, "Let's go, let's go outside the gate."
The yard wasn't big to begin with; the vegetable garden took up half of it, the chicken coop and pigsty took up a large portion, and the remaining space was occupied by a large oven. Now, with the addition of two more stoves, there was even less room left.
Cheng Yue then moved a small table outside and placed a stack of bowls on it, saying, "There's water here, remember to drink if you're tired."
Chen An nodded and smiled, "Ah Yue is so thoughtful."
The children nodded obediently, and seeing Cheng's gentle smile, they were no longer so nervous.
As they were talking, Qian Yulan and Wang Chunmei came over carrying bowls, their faces looking rather unwell.
Cheng Yue followed the two into the courtyard. Before she could ask anything, she heard Qian Yulan curse, "That bastard Er Laizi, we actually ran into him yesterday. If we hadn't stopped him, all the food would have gone into his stomach!"
Cheng Yue thought something was wrong, but it turned out to be such a small matter. She advised, "It's okay that he didn't get to eat. It's not worth getting angry about."
"I'm not angry about this. Erlaizi kept nagging and blabbing, and then somehow he pulled out a handful of copper coins, grabbed the money, and ran away!"
He even said that if he couldn't win, he would sell Qiufen and the three children. You didn't hear that? Those words were really awful. He's addicted to gambling!
I just feel sorry for Qiufen and her children. I don't know what bad luck they had in their past lives to run into such a heartless bastard!
Both being women, Qian Yulan grew increasingly angry at the sight of Wang Qiufen's miserable life. It was bad enough that the men beat and scolded her, but to make matters worse, they ruined her face. She was truly unfortunate.
Wang Chunmei sighed as well, "Who says otherwise! It's so unfair that a scoundrel like Er Laizi lives such a good life!"
Once someone becomes addicted to gambling, how can they possibly quit?
In my hometown village, there was a gambler who was living a good life with his family. But because of his drug addiction, he drove his parents to their deaths, his wife jumped into the river, and his two children were sold off somewhere…”
Bankruptcy, family ruined, and death—it was clearly one person's mistake that dragged down the whole family. If things continue like this, only Wang Qiufen and her three daughters will be left pitiful.
However, this is their family matter, and they can't interfere. They can only keep a close eye on things recently to prevent Erlaizi from actually selling the child.
"Forget it, let's not talk about Er Laizi anymore, it's bad luck!"
Qian Yulan cursed and then asked Cheng Yue, "What are we having for lunch today?"
"Let's have cornbread, and change up the dishes. There are plenty of green beans in the field, so we can stew them with meat, and also make a pot of egg drop soup."
As Cheng Yue spoke, she took out another piece of meat, which was a little smaller than the one from yesterday, but only a little smaller.
There was also a basket of eggs, a full thirty of them.
Qian Yulan and Wang Chunmei blinked hard. There were so many eggs, they could each have one!
However, while the two of them might have their own ideas, Cheng Yue ultimately made the decisions about what to eat, and they would do whatever she asked them to do.
Cheng Yue sighed inwardly, thinking that this braised pig's head with green beans would be perfect if some potatoes were added!
Those in the air are hard to take out, and those in the ground will have to wait another month!
"You scoundrel? What are you doing here!"
Just as Cheng Yue was about to go into the kitchen to make pastries, she heard Chen An's voice and quickly went out. Qian Yulan and Wang Chunmei frowned. What was Er Laizi doing here?
Er Laizi was filthy, and you could smell his stench from a distance. Anyone who didn't know better would think he had fallen into a latrine. Cheng Yue covered her nose as soon as she arrived at the door. He was really rotten to the core!
"Brother Chen An, I came to congratulate you on building your house! Such a joyous occasion! Um, you..."
Er Laizi, hunched over with a forced smile, his large, yellow teeth almost made Chen An vomit. He said irritably, "What do you want to say!"
Erlaizi was completely oblivious to his shame. He glanced at Cheng Yue standing at the door and was immediately filled with irresistible desire.
If he could marry a wife like that, would he still have trouble gambling?
However, he only dared to steal a glance, as his mouth was still sore from when Chen An hit him with a stone last time!
"Brother Chen, I came to your house looking for work. Look, everyone in our village is here, one more won't make a difference. Please help me out!"
Qian Yulan, who had been standing in the yard, couldn't take it anymore. She rushed out in a few steps, pointed at Er Laizi's nose, and started cursing:
"You bastard, have you no shame! Don't you know your own worth? You don't even do a thing when your house is being repaired, so how dare you come here looking for work?"
Don't think we don't know what you're looking at! You just lost money gambling and are trying to ruin my sister Cheng Yue and the others?
"If you come, you'll steal the whole house! You're useless!"
It must have been the food that was served yesterday that gave Er Laizi the idea to target Cheng Yue's house. Qian Yulan was now filled with regret, wishing she hadn't gone to his house!
Er Laizi was berated by Qian Yulan, and his face immediately fell. "Sister Yulan, you can't slander people like that! Did you see me gambling?"
Besides, this isn't your house being built; your decision doesn't count! You're just meddling in other people's business!
Cheng Yue pulled Qian Yulan back, "Don't get angry with him, it's not worth it."
Then he coldly said to Erlaizi, "You're not welcome here, get out!"
Erlaizi choked back his anger, suppressing the urge to curse. He was heavily in debt, and the gambling den people were already chasing after him. If he couldn't come up with the money, he would have his hands and feet chopped off.
It's all that woman Wang Qiufen's fault. If she hadn't been disfigured, she could have been sold for some money. Now she's worthless!
The three kids are too young and they're not worth much. He needs to raise them longer; they'll be worth more when they grow up. Selling them now would be a loss.
After much deliberation, I realized I had no choice but to set my sights on Chen Ancheng and Yue.
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