Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Sell the Land
Miao Ying was packing his luggage with Li Hongying at home. It was the first time he entered Li Hongying's room. He saw that the furnishings in the room were no better than those in his room. Next to the bed was a simple bed made of two stools, covered with bedding that was no longer new but very neat.
The mattress on the king-size bed looked like it was covered in dust.
Li Hongying smiled and said, "I think it's dirty. Ever since that incident last time, we've been sleeping in separate beds."
Miao Ying nodded in agreement and even gave Li Hongying a thumbs up in his heart.
Li Hongying didn't have much stuff. Her family had been poor in recent years, and she hadn't bought any new clothes. Her dowry had all been sold, and she didn't even have the silver jewelry that many women had. She either wrapped her head with a cloth scarf or wore a wooden hairpin all day long.
Miao Ying felt sad as he watched her pack up several worn-out clothes. Then he said, "When Huo Xing makes money in the future, let him buy you new clothes."
Huo Xing nodded aside. He seemed to be born indifferent, but he also knew how much Li Hongying had sacrificed for him. She insisted on sending him to learn hunting, accepted a completely unrelated person named Huo Xiaobao, and arranged a marriage for him, as if she had never lived for him.
He looked at Li Hongying, not knowing how to start. Li Hongying stood up and patted his shoulder.
"Mom, everything will be fine."
He would make a lot of money, which would make his mother and grandmother less hard-working, and he would also raise Huo Xiaobao well. If Miao Ying was willing, he would also raise Miao Ying well.
Li Hongying just smiled. After spending a long time collecting things, she could only barely fill up a bag. The same was true for her grandmother. She didn't have much personal belongings either, and most of the things she packed were Huo Xiaobao's things. The things that took up the most space were a few tablets, which were for Huo San's deceased father and brother.
Miao Ying felt a little embarrassed now. His grandmother should have saved some money, but it was all stolen by him. Now even the coffin money was gone. He secretly made up his mind to find that Gou Erwa and get the money back!
Huo San and Zhang Hong'er came back early. Zhang Hong'er seemed to be showing off, so she wore a bright red headscarf and put some rouge on her cheeks and lips.
Seeing this, Miao Ying exclaimed, "Mom, isn't Huo Xing already married? Why is there a matchmaker coming to see him?"
Huo Xing looked at him with a complicated expression.
Zhang Honger's face instantly fell, and Li Hongying just glanced at her indifferently, then straightened her clothes and said to Huo San, "Let's go."
Huo San moved his mouth and wanted to say something, but Zhang Honger tugged at his sleeve. He paused. Li Hongying had already walked out of the house. Huo San had no choice but to follow her to the village chief's house.
For ordinary weddings and funerals, the villagers would first go to the village chief's house, and have the village chief write the marriage certificate on their behalf. The village chief would then go to the county government office to exchange the household registration book. For divorces or divorces, the village chief would usually mediate, and if mediation was not possible, he would go to the government office.
The village chief of Nankouba Village is surnamed Xu. His ancestors were scholars and had served as officials, but they fell into poverty later. However, he was still literate and had always been prestigious in the village.
Village Chief Xu's house has a large courtyard, and all matters are handled in the courtyard on weekdays. It is rare for Li Hongying and her family to come to the house. The last time they came was because of Huo Xiaobao's matter.
"Village chief, I came here today to divorce Huo San."
Village Chief Xu, who had a long beard, was also taken aback after hearing what she said. Then he seemed to think she was being naive. "Divorce? How old are you?"
Huo San breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, he still didn't want Li Hongying to leave this home. He always felt that something unpredictable would happen.
"Village chief, life is unbearable." Li Hongying wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. "Don't worry if you laugh at me, I'm almost a grandmother. I already acknowledged Xiaobao a few years ago, and now he wants to take a concubine. Where can I put my face?"
The village chief knew Huo San's character and all the troubles in his family. Seeing the weird woman beside Huo San, he understood why Li Hongying wanted to divorce.
He sighed: "Are you sure you want to divorce?"
Li Hongying nodded firmly: "Not only do I want a divorce, I also want to take my mother with me."
"There's no such thing as that," the village chief said sternly. "Divorce is fine. Just leave the Huo family on your own."
Li Hongying didn't say anything. Miao Ying, who was following behind her, spoke up: "Village Chief, you saw it too. Can he support the family? Can he take good care of Grandma? If it weren't for my mother, to put it bluntly, Grandma might not be alive today!"
Although Huo Xing didn't say anything, he stood on Li Hongying's side and made his position clear.
When Huo San heard what he said, he raised his hand to hit him. Miao Ying's body recovered and he coldly took Huo San's hand. When he was about to shake Huo San off, Huo Xing pulled him behind him and confronted Huo San coldly.
"Today mother wants a divorce. As a son, I naturally agree with her. Not only does mother want a divorce, she can't just leave the Huo family like that. She should also pay back the loan interest she paid him with her dowry." Huo Xing said.
This was the first time Miao Ying heard Huo Xing speak such a long paragraph. He raised his eyebrows. He thought, "He can talk, right? Normally, he can't even get a word out of me if you beat him with a few sticks."
"That's impossible." Zhang Hong'er said, "How could a divorced woman take money away from her husband's family?"
"Who the hell are you?" Miao Ying walked up to Zhang Honger. He knew Huo Xing couldn't confront Zhang Honger directly. If he wanted to be mean and vicious, he had to do it. "Do you have the right to speak here? You haven't even entered the room yet. It won't be too late to speak after you enter."
The village chief was also worried. He was most afraid of deciding these family affairs. Ordinary divorces were fine, but this involved family property, which was really difficult to handle. Seeing several people arguing endlessly, he simply said, "Why don't we go to the county government and let the adults decide the case."
How could a commoner like Huo San dare to go to the government office? He just said, "Or we can't get a divorce."
Li Hongying shook her head: "Then can you ask the village chief to help take care of it tomorrow?"
Seeing that Li Hongying was determined, Huo San looked at Zhang Honger, who was about to cry, and said, "Divorce if you want. You can take all your dowry with you. Mother definitely can't go with you."
He still has to save face and cannot be labeled as unfilial.
Li Hongying snorted, "What do I have left to give me as a dowry? Let's make it a deal. I'll go to the county government office tomorrow and ask the judge for an explanation. I'll accept whatever the outcome is."
Zhang Hong'er's heart trembled. She had escaped from a brothel. She had no bond when she escaped. If she went to court, she would definitely be caught and taken back to that dark place. She had worked so hard to have the life she had now, and she couldn't take the risk.
Miao Ying had been watching Zhang Honger's expression and had almost guessed what she was thinking. It must be because of her identity that she didn't dare to go to the yamen. In ancient times, the requirements for this matter were quite strict. Now it seemed that God was really helping his mother.
This trip wasn't in vain. Miao Ying and Li Hongying walked in front, with Huo Xing following behind them, keeping some distance between them and Huo Xing. Miao Ying whispered his guess to Li Hongying, "This thing is probably going to work. I reckon he'll definitely sell the land. He can't farm it anyway, so he might even be happy to see it happen. He likes gambling anyway, so he'll sell it anyway if we leave it to him. Why not sell it now and divide it among us?"
Huo San and Zhang Honger, who were walking behind them, were also discussing countermeasures. Zhang Honger pulled Huo San's sleeve and said that she didn't want to go to the county government office.
"I used to be involved in the entertainment industry. If we really have to go to court, I'm afraid they'll dig up our past and embarrass you." Zhang Hong'er looked at him with concern. "It's okay if we suffer a little loss. It's okay if we give her something."
"There's nothing I can give her at home." Huo San sighed. He knew the situation at home. The money he had spent on Zhang Honger recently was all borrowed at high interest rates, and he was still waiting to pay her back with Zhang Honger's money.
The two people are calculating against each other and have their own ulterior motives.
"Didn't you say that you still have land at home? Why not sell some of it?" Zhang Hong'er didn't care. She didn't know how to farm, so why would she keep the land? It would be better to exchange it for money.
"But..."
Land is the foundation of their family's livelihood. They worked very hard in their early years for these lands. If they really sell them like this, how will they gain a foothold in the village in the future?
"Can't we just buy it back when we have more money?" Zhang Hong'er said indifferently, "Isn't our child more important now?"
"That's fine." Thinking of the child in her belly, Huo San breathed a sigh of relief. He had always been worried that Huo Xing was stupid. If he could have a smart and lively child, then everything he had done would be worth it. "Sell the land."
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