"You good-for-nothing, so you finally know how to come back!"
As soon as Chen Dabao stepped into the yard, he was met with a barrage of insults from Old Mrs. Chen.
"You don't do anything productive all day long. What kind of spell has that brat cast on you? You're even doing chores for others now. It's getting more and more outrageous..."
The flame of joy in Chen Dabao's heart was instantly extinguished.
He frowned, didn't even spare her a glance, and turned to go inside.
Old Mrs. Chen was so angry that her anger rose in waves, and she followed her inside.
When Mrs. Sun saw her eldest son return, her face lit up with joy, and she quickly said, "Da Bao, what brings you back?"
"Mom, I came back to see Dad." Chen Dabao said, looking at Chen Zhanliang sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed). "Dad, how are you feeling? Does your leg still hurt?"
"I'm much better now. Don't worry. Just work hard with your sister Qingqing and don't let her down."
"I know, don't worry!"
"Why aren't you helping out there? What are you doing back here?" Chen Zhanshan asked again.
Madam Sun casually asked, "Yes, Da Bao, Er Bao told me that your sister Qing Qing made some brown sugar. I wanted to go and see, but I haven't had the time yet. Is it true?"
Before Chen Dabao could answer, Old Mrs. Chen snorted coldly, her tone full of disdain.
"What does it matter to you whether it's true or false? If she earns money, will she give you a tenth of it, or will she give you two ounces of sugar to try?"
Sun rolled her eyes without any politeness. "You don't need to send me any to try, nor do you need to give me any money. As long as it's real, I'll be happy for Qing'er."
Old Mrs. Chen was speechless, and she pursed her lips and remained silent.
Chen Dabao glanced at Old Lady Chen with a cold face and said, "Mom, my sister Qingqing is amazing. Not only did she sell out all the sugar she made, but even the sugar she makes in the future has been pre-ordered by Manager Liu from the town."
Liu smiled and gave him a reproachful look, "Since you're so busy, why did you come back?"
"Here's the thing, we're a bit overwhelmed right now. Sister Qingqing wants to hire a few people, and my aunt wants you to come and help out. It's ten coins a day. She asked me to come back and ask you if you'd like to go."
Upon hearing this, Madam Sun's face lit up with joy. "Really? Ten coins a day?"
"It's true, ten coins a day, settled at the end of each month."
“Okay, I can go to work today.” Without hesitation, Mrs. Sun immediately agreed.
If you can earn ten coins a day, you can buy three liters of millet, and then your family will have food to eat.
Chen Dabao smiled and reminded her, "Mom, don't rush. Let's make sure Dad is settled first before we go."
"Yes, yes, yes, look how happy your mother is, she's even forgotten about your father." Madam Sun said with a smile in her eyes.
Chen Zhanliang was also happy from the bottom of his heart. "Cuiqin, don't worry. Since Qingya asked you to do the work, she won't leave you waiting."
"Yes, Zhanliang, you're right." Sun was a little worried and couldn't help but remind him, "Dabao and I are going to work. Don't go to the fields alone. I'll put the chamber pot by the edge of the kang for you. You can relieve yourself in the room. I'll come back early tonight."
"Cuiqin, don't worry about me, go quickly!"
"Okay, I'm off then."
Seeing Sun turn to leave, Old Mrs. Chen's face darkened instantly, and she shouted sternly, "You stop right there! Who told you to go to work? Don't you even respect this old woman like me?"
Sun paused, turned around and looked at Old Madam Chen with a puzzled expression. "Mother, I'm going to work and earn money, not to enjoy myself. With money, I can buy food. Aren't I doing this for the good of the family?"
"No need. Just stay home and take good care of Zhanliang. You don't need to worry about anything else."
“Mom, what are you doing? You should know our family situation better than I do. You secretly sold all our grain so that our third son could go to school. Now there’s almost nothing left. If I don’t go to work, our family will really go hungry.”
"That's not your concern. If you go out to work, who will do the housework and cook three meals a day? You can't expect an old woman like me to do it for you!"
“But, Mother…” Madam Sun felt a pang of sadness.
"No buts. What's so great about that brat? Why should she work for me? Don't embarrass me. You just stay home."
Old Mrs. Chen looked at Chen Dabao with a gloomy face.
"And you, stop doing nothing all day long and just being a laborer for that brat. We're running low on firewood, so go up the mountain and get two bundles of firewood later."
"You go if you want, I'm not going," Chen Dabao replied coldly without hesitation.
Old Mrs. Chen stomped her feet in anger, "How dare you talk to me like that!"
Chen Dabao's temper flared up instantly, and he stubbornly refused to compromise, "I'm not going! Why should I have to do whatever you say!"
The atmosphere inside the room immediately became tense and confrontational.
Chen Zhanliang's face darkened, and he finally spoke angrily, "Mother, say less. Let Dabao do whatever he wants. It's a good thing that Cuiqin is working. Isn't it all to earn money to supplement the family income? Please don't stop her."
Grandma Chen wouldn't let Sun go to work, entirely because she was worried that there would be no one to do the housework.
If she went out to work, all the household chores and daily meals would fall on Old Mrs. Chen's shoulders alone, which would surely exhaust her.
Furthermore, at ten coins a day, that's only three hundred coins a month. It would take forever to earn two hundred and fifty taels of silver.
She had been secretly observing Chen Qingqing for the past few days and had basically figured out her daily routine.
Everything was ready except for a dark and stormy night.
Let that brat run wild for a few more days.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
