The news that Chen Qingqing had successfully made sugar spread quickly throughout Nanshan Village.
The villagers found it novel and crowded around the courtyard, craning their necks to peek inside.
The subtle, delightful aroma of sugar in the air is simply intoxicating.
Immediately, voices of jealousy, envy, and surprise filled the air.
"I never expected sugar to taste like this, it smells so good."
"Yes, I didn't realize Qing'er had this skill. I've lived most of my life and never heard of making sugar from vegetables. It's unbelievable."
"What good deeds did Zhan Shan and his wife do in their past lives to have such a capable daughter? They're destined to make a fortune!"
"That goes without saying. Sugar is a rare commodity, and its price is outrageously high. If you take it to town to sell, you can become a tycoon in less than six months."
"Oh dear, then Zhan Shan will become a rich man."
"Yes, that's all thanks to Qingya. If it weren't for such a capable daughter, their whole family would be begging for food."
"That's right. Don't you think Qingya is like a completely different person? She used to be so timid that she would bow her head to everyone and would cry at the drop of a hat. But ever since we separated from the family, her life has been getting better and better."
"What's so strange about that? When people get rich, they'll find big gold ingots tripping them up. I think Qingya is a lucky person."
......
Old Mrs. Chen in the crowd looked on with envy, her teeth practically grinding to powder with rage.
That brat! I never knew she had such abilities.
If I had known that beets were used to make sugar, I would have insisted on sneaking back a few bags last night to make some sugar to satisfy my craving.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; it'll probably be harder to steal from here again.
It's all that brainless old man's fault. He sent him to steal beets, but instead, he went into the mountains like an idiot to rescue people.
What does saving lives have to do with him? He can't even tell which is more important; he's just a dim-witted old fool.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and the angrier she became, the more upset she got.
Seeing Old Man Chen craning his neck and peering inside, he was truly furious and slapped him.
He gritted his teeth and cursed, "You old geezer, what are you peeking in for? It's all your fault."
Old Chen was stunned for a moment, somewhat confused. "Why did you hit me? I didn't do anything to you!"
"You still have the nerve to say that? If you hadn't been so promiscuous last night, we probably would have been able to have candy too."
"Oh, my old woman, so that's what you wanted to know!" Old Chen frowned, feeling displeased. He'd lived most of his life, and this old woman's gluttonous habit was still incurable; now she was blaming him for it.
If it weren't for stealing beets to satisfy her cravings, he wouldn't have been forced to go to Wolf Valley in the middle of the night to suffer that bastard's torment, and his old back still hurts now!
Although indignant, he dared not say anything, and could only swallow his anger and cautiously defend himself.
“Old woman, you can’t blame me. Who knew we’d run into Wu Baoan last night? If I hadn’t gone to find Zhanliang, what would the villagers have said about me? I was just thinking about our family’s reputation.”
Although she knew his words made sense, Old Mrs. Chen still felt unhappy. She glared at him fiercely and persisted.
"I'm not trying to be mean, but you used to do plenty of petty theft. Why are you getting dumber as you get older?"
Couldn't you have avoided them a little? Even if you ran into them, couldn't you have at least lied? Why did you have to be so stupid and follow them up the mountain?
Do whatever I tell you to do. An idiot like you deserves to be worked to death; nobody will pity you.
Old Chen was getting annoyed by the nagging. "You, you're going too far! It's just that I didn't get to eat any beets. You call me an idiot and a moron. I'm a man, how can you insult me like that!"
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Chen's anger flared up instantly. "You still have the nerve to call yourself my man? Even a male dog is better than you!"
"Then, go find the dog!"
"You old geezer, you've gotten so tough, haven't you? You want me to slap you?"
"I...I can't be bothered with you." Old Man Chen's heart skipped a beat. He knew he had said the wrong thing and was afraid that he would anger Old Lady Chen and she would hit him without thinking. That would be embarrassing. So he quickly moved closer to Chen Ruolan.
At this moment, Chen Ruolan was consumed by jealousy. How could this brat have such abilities? She was practically a different person!
First, they cured people's illnesses, then they dug up ginseng, and now they've brought back a bunch of ugly lumps to make candy.
Is this brat destined for wealth and privilege?
Can they learn anything on their own without a teacher, mastering it in no time?
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
She's just a worthless person, why is she better than Chen Ruolan in every way...?
She gritted her teeth in hatred, and when she looked up, she saw Old Mrs. Chen glaring at her with bared teeth. Chen Ruolan rolled her eyes at her, annoyed.
"Grandma, calm down for a bit. My grandpa is so old, and you still want to hit him all the time. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
"He just deserves a beating!" Old Mrs. Chen resisted the urge to do anything, but the anger in her heart could not be dissipated, and she couldn't help complaining, "It's been eight lifetimes of bad luck to be married to this wimp like him. Nothing can satisfy me."
Old Chen found these words particularly offensive and immediately retorted, "If you're so capable, why don't you find someone who satisfies you? Look at your ugly face, who else but me would be blind?"
"You, you old geezer, you've really given me too much credit."
Seeing that the old couple was about to start arguing again, Chen Ruolan stomped her foot in anger, "Shut up, are you two ever going to stop? If you're so capable, go argue with my uncle. What kind of ability do you have by trying to be tough here?"
Old Mrs. Chen shut her mouth sullenly, ignoring Old Mr. Chen, and craned her neck to look into the yard. "Ruolan, do you think that brat really made candy?"
Chen Ruolan's eyes burned with jealousy. "It can't be wrong. The smell coming out is definitely sugar."
"Oh, this smells so good, I wonder what it tastes like?" Old Mrs. Chen sniffed hard.
Old Chen couldn't help but say, "It should be similar to sweet straw, and taste sweet."
“I didn’t even know it was sweet, why are you being so nosy?” Old Mrs. Chen rolled her eyes at him. “If you care about me, hurry up and go into the yard and steal a couple of beetroots for me.”
Old Chen shook his head, "No, no, the villagers are all watching."
After saying that, he turned to Chen Ruolan and said, "Ruolan, you should quickly persuade your grandmother to stop thinking about stealing beets. It's not a good time to do it now."
"Grandpa, Grandma is right, you should go into the yard and take a look."
"Huh? You want me to steal beets too?"
"What are you stealing beets for? You're all getting more and more senile as you get older." Chen Ruolan had an idea. If Chen Qingqing could do it, she could do it too, and maybe even better...
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