Sun and Chen Zhanliang both thought that those few acres of land would be best for growing sugar beets, but their parents-in-law absolutely refused to agree.
She thought that if she casually mentioned it in front of Wu Baoan, her mother-in-law would agree, but she didn't expect Old Mrs. Chen to refuse so decisively, not giving her any face at all.
Sun was on the verge of collapse. "Mother, those four acres of sandy land in the western mountains don't grow any crops at all. Planting sugar beets is better than leaving it barren!"
"You're not in charge of the Chen family yet. I said I won't plant it, and that's final. Don't say anything more."
"If we don't want to plant, then we don't want to plant. It's not just me who's suffering from hunger."
Mrs. Sun wiped away her tears and turned to clean up the leftover food on the table.
Chen Qingqing understood Sun's good intentions, but she was powerless to help. Without saying a word, she turned around and left the Chen family without looking back.
Seeing this, Wu Baoan couldn't help but sigh, "Auntie, Qingya is advocating for planting sugar beets for the sake of the villagers. It's a way to earn more income, so why are you turning down money!"
Old Mrs. Chen curled her lips in disdain, "Village head, I don't like hearing what you're saying. Even if we planted sugar beets, wouldn't it be Qingya who makes the lion's share of the profits, while we just suffer the hardship?"
Besides, who in the surrounding villages has ever grown that stuff? What if not a single seedling sprouts? Who's responsible then?
"You're overthinking it. Qing'er has already assured me that if the beets don't grow or she doesn't buy them, she'll compensate me with a subsidy of 300 copper coins per mu. If you don't participate in this good deal, you'll miss out on it."
"What the heck? You pay me even if you can't grow it!" Old Mrs. Chen was completely dumbfounded, and said with a hint of disbelief, "Security guard, there's no such thing as a free lunch. You're not kidding me, are you?"
Old Chen was itching to try it, and he couldn't hold back any longer. "Old woman," he said, "I think this is a good idea. Our few acres of sandy land in the western mountains don't grow crops. Why don't we plant sugar beets?"
"Just stay put, why plant sugar beets? This brat is just trying to fool people, you actually believe her lies."
Old Mrs. Chen glared at him fiercely, then smiled at Wu Baoan.
“Security guard, as you know, my son Zhancai is now a scholar, and he will be exempt from taxes from now on. Whether my family grows sugar beets or not will not make much difference. I will wait and see. If the villagers have a good harvest this year, I will consider whether to grow sugar beets next year.”
Wu Baoan shook his head helplessly. He knew that saying more would be pointless, so he gave up. "Fine, do as you please. Take good care of Zhancai, I won't bother you any longer."
After saying that, he turned and left...
Night falls.
The hustle and bustle of Nanshan Village returned to tranquility after a day of activity.
Sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), Old Chen glanced at Ruhua, a burly woman with cow dung smeared on her face, and frowned.
Is the third son blind? How could he marry such an ugly woman?
Although that aspect is wonderful, it's also disgusting to look at, and no one could bring themselves to do it!
Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged people are everywhere. Any random one is better than this thing.
The more Old Man Chen thought about it, the more suffocated he felt. His face darkened, and he adopted a fatherly authority, shouting sternly at Chen Zhancai, who was standing to the side.
"Zhancai, you unfilial wretch, kneel down right now!"
At this moment, Chen Zhancai was calculating in his mind that more than an hour had already passed, and if he could just hold on a little longer, he could wash his face clean.
Then, I'll spend a wonderful spring night with Ru Hua and experience the intoxicating "Eighteen Deadly Squats."
That squat is truly enough to melt bones, two squats to melt the soul, and three squats can almost determine the fate of the world.
After a long period of adjustment, he barely managed to get through the fourth squat.
Strive for an exceptional performance today and get through the fifth squat...
Lost in his daydreams, he was startled awake by Old Chen's shout. He replied irritably, "Dad, why are you making such a fuss? What did I do to deserve this punishment?"
Sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), Old Mrs. Chen couldn't understand why her son would take a fancy to such a genderless creature. Not only was she ugly, but she was also a prostitute from a brothel. It was truly shameful.
Before Old Man Chen could speak, she began to scold him angrily.
"What do you mean? I don't object to you taking a second wife, but you can't bring back a prostitute. You've completely disgraced the Chen family. How will your father and I ever face anyone again!"
Chen Zhancai was taken aback. He had thought that after redeeming Ruhua from Chunfeng Tower, no one would know where she came from.
Who knew he would inexplicably lose his mind and blurt out everything so clearly, now there's no way to hide it anymore.
His face, smeared with cow dung, showed no expression, but his tone was resolute.
“Mother, what does it mean to be a courtesan? Although Ru Hua came from a brothel, she remained chaste and was a kind and righteous girl.”
She's good to me and willing to share both joy and sorrow with me; for that reason alone, I have to take responsibility for her.
If you have any objections, or think that my marriage to Ruhua has brought shame upon you, then I'll move out tomorrow and never come back to Nanshan Village to cause you any more trouble.
Chen Zhancai dared to say this because he had already grasped the essence of the old couple's lives and was certain that his parents would never want him to leave.
He guessed correctly; upon hearing these words, Old Mrs. Chen's face instantly filled with smiles.
"What nonsense are you talking about, child? Since she's a good girl and you genuinely like her, then just let her stay."
"Thank you, Mother." Chen Zhancai grinned happily, but his face, smeared with cow dung, looked awful no matter how you looked at him.
At that moment, Ru Hua was moved by these words. Her eyes reddened and tears streamed down her face, creating two furrows on her face covered in cow dung.
"Thank you, my husband. I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Don't worry, no matter what the future holds, whether you are rich or poor, as long as you betray Ruhua, Ruhua will never betray you."
After saying that, she raised her hand to wipe away her tears. The cow dung that had just dried turned into a paste again, and her hands were covered in cow dung. Disgusted, she vomited.
Chen Zhancai didn't mind at all and quickly stepped forward to pat her back, "Hua'er, are you alright!"
Ru Hua shook her head. "I'm fine, it's just that this thing is disgusting, I want to go wash it clean."
"Don't rush. That brat said it needs to be applied for two hours. Let's be patient a little longer, or we'll both suffer for nothing."
"Okay, I'll do as my husband says."
Watching the two exchange glances, Liu Fengjiao felt no emotion, only disappointment and disgust towards Chen Zhancai. She got up and pulled Chen Jiye beside her, saying, "Son, let's go back to our room and sleep."
"Wait a minute." Chen Zhancai stopped Liu Fengjiao. "My wife, today is my big day. You and Jiye will have to make do and move to the side room. Ruhua and I will sleep in the west room."
"What? You want me and Jiye to sleep in the side room?"
Liu Fengjiao froze, her eyes filled with astonishment.
"The western annex has been uninhabited since the eldest son's family moved out. It's dirty and messy inside. If you want to live there, you can. Jiye and I will never move you."
......
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