Liu Fengjiao finally understood why her mother-in-law was so confident; she had deliberately wanted to make things difficult for the eldest son's family.
Starve them for a few days, and I bet they'll obediently marry off their daughter.
She turned around, picked up the half-sack of rice bran, threw it on the ground, crossed her arms, and struck a gloating pose.
"Qing girl, have you thought this through? Separating from the family won't be easy. Don't come crawling back to us like a dog, begging for food."
"Don't worry, even if we beg for food, we won't be able to get it to your door. Just don't regret it after our family gets rich."
"Oh, you've got quite the nerve, kid. What could we possibly regret?"
Liu Fengjiao covered her mouth and laughed.
“Qing’er, listen to your third aunt. If you don’t want your parents to starve to death, I advise you to quickly kowtow to your grandmother and admit your mistake, and obediently wait to become a bride. Then this matter will be over.”
Chen Qingqing frowned as she looked at the half-sack of rice bran on the ground.
In those times, without food, there was only death. People were poorly clothed and starving. Moral principles had vanished, and everyone did everything they could to get a bite to eat.
I remember reading an article in my past life.
It tells the story of a little girl in the old society who was sold to a family to help with household chores.
Over time, she noticed that different men would come every few days, and each time a stranger came, they would chase her and the male homeowner out.
The woman and the strange man would stay inside the house for a long time before coming out.
As time went on, she gradually came to understand human affairs and realized that the mistress's profession was what was commonly known as "selling kang beds".
When a family is broke and can't make ends meet, the man will force his wife to work as a prostitute to earn money to support the family.
If it weren't for the changing times, who would want their wife to do this kind of work?
As the saying goes, "In times of chaos, a woman is worth half a pancake; in times of prosperity, a woman is worth a fortune."
So that's what Old Mrs. Chen was planning.
If their family runs out of food and can't survive the hunger, they will definitely beg her for mercy.
When that time comes, no matter who I sell myself to, my father will agree.
However, it seems that Old Lady Chen's wish will be dashed. With her medical skills and her good character in her past life, even the King of Hell wouldn't take her. How could she possibly starve to death so easily?
Chen Qingqing scoffed coldly, "Stop being so kind. I have the ability to feed my parents."
"Hmph, you don't know what's good for you. Let's see how long you can keep this up." Liu Fengjiao rolled her eyes.
Wu Baoan shook his head helplessly and asked Old Lady Chen, "Auntie, where's the money?"
"Our family doesn't have a single penny."
Chen Qingqing, thinking of the dowry money that Old Lady Chen had received from Butcher Li, cleared her throat.
“Since we don’t have the money, we don’t want it either, but in front of the village head, I’ll make things clear upfront.”
You accepted fifty taels of silver from Butcher Li. Since I refuse to marry him, you should return the money and call off the marriage.
"If you don't refund the money, and Butcher Li comes looking for trouble later, it will have nothing to do with our main branch."
Grandma Chen waved her hand dismissively, "Of course, you don't need to worry about that."
"Okay, that's enough." Chen Qingqing smiled calmly. "Uncle Village Head, please be a witness to this matter so that no one will forget what they said today."
Hearing their conversation, a hint of appreciation flashed in Wu Baoan's eyes. This girl was not as dull as before; she was quite clever and organized. She was probably no ordinary person and would surely become rich and noble in the future.
He smiled faintly, "Alright, I'll be Qing'er's witness. If anyone tries to blackmail you about this in the future, I'll clear things up for you."
Chen Qingqing nodded slightly, "Thank you very much, Uncle Village Head."
Wu Baoan nodded. "Auntie, are you planning to give Zhan Shan that piece of land?"
Old Mrs. Chen frowned and thought for a while, "The two acres of land on the western hillside belong to the eldest son's family."
"The land over there in Xishan is all sandy. Two acres of land probably wouldn't even be enough for a family of five to eat!"
Old Mrs. Chen curled her lip in disdain, "Considering the bond between mother and son, it's already an act of kindness on my part to give them two acres of land."
Chen Qingqing knew that the two mu of land given by Old Lady Chen was sandy land. If the year was good, it would be bearable, but if there was a drought, not only would there be no harvest, but she would probably also lose the money for seeds.
However, she wasn't worried. As long as she had money, if her parents wanted to farm, she could simply earn enough to buy a few acres of fertile land.
“Dad, we’ll take whichever piece of land Grandma gives us. Don’t worry, you and Mom are blessed people. Even sandy land can grow a bountiful harvest.”
Chen Zhanshan swayed, his heart bleeding. "Mother, not a single crop has grown on our two mu of land in Xishan this year. Are you trying to starve your son to death?"
Old Mrs. Chen rolled her eyes at him, her words full of sarcasm.
"Didn't your precious daughter say that you'll become rich after the family splits up? With that said, why are you afraid of starving? Just wait and enjoy a life of luxury with your precious daughter!"
Liu Fengjiao gave a disdainful smirk.
"Brother, don't you think about Chen Han and Chen Feng? One day, Zhan Cai will pass the imperial examination and become a Xiucai. They are both his nephews. How much glory will they benefit from it?"
Is it worth making a scene over a girl? You should apologize to your mother right now and marry Qing'er off, so she won't starve to death if the family splits up.
Chen Zhanshan was so angry that his eyes turned red and tears were about to fall. "Stop talking. I will not marry Qingya to Butcher Li."
"Fengjiao, don't try to persuade him. Your brother is made up his mind; he's been bewitched by that brat," Old Madam Chen said coldly, her face stern.
"Village head, we don't have many houses, so I won't give them to the eldest son's family. Instead, give them the two cowsheds next door for temporary shelter."
Furthermore, since I gave birth to him once, and he crawled out of my intestines, he must give me one tael of silver a year as support. If he agrees, you can write the document.”
Wu Baoan hesitated for a moment, then asked again solemnly, "Auntie, if you insist on separating the family, once it's written down, you'll be two separate families. Have you thought it through?"
"I understand all this, so please don't try to persuade me."
Wu Baoan nodded and looked at Chen Qingqing, "Zhanshan, Qing'er, do you agree to the alimony of one tael of silver per year?"
Chen Zhanshan looked troubled. "Mother, I'm willing to pay for your care, but isn't one tael of silver a year too much?"
Old Mrs. Chen gritted her teeth and glared, then opened her mouth to curse, "You heartless bastard! I gave birth to you and raised you, and you still complain that one tael of silver a year is too much? If I had known you were this ungrateful, I should have strangled you the moment you were born!"
Chen Qingqing knew her father's concerns. Ordinary farming families couldn't even save two taels of silver a year, and Old Lady Chen was asking for one tael of silver, which was clearly an exorbitant demand.
As children, they have an obligation to support their elderly parents regardless of the era. As long as the Chen couple don't cause trouble for her family in the future, she will accept the one or two taels of silver.
“I agree. I’ll give you one tael of silver a year, but not now. My father will send it to you every Spring Festival.”
......
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