After leaving the Wu family,
Chen Zhanshan was so angry that he was panting heavily. "What kind of person is this! He has no conscience at all. He's really infuriating. I absolutely cannot become in-laws with such a person."
Then she looked at Chen Feng and said, "Feng'er, it seems that Cuihua is not meant for you. We are not good enough for her."
At this moment, Chen Feng felt distressed. He and Cuihua had already pledged their lives to each other, and she would marry no one but him. They thought the marriage was a done deal, but they never expected Wu Shiren to make such an unreasonable request. Although he loved Cuihua, he would not bow down and compromise with Wu Shiren for her sake.
He nodded, forcing a relaxed smile, "Dad, don't worry, I know what to do."
"Alright, then you guys go back to the shop! Your mother and I will head back first." Chen Zhanshan shook his head helplessly and got into the carriage.
Lin wanted to comfort Chen Feng, but she opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. She got into the car and instructed Chen Qingqing, "Qing'er, persuade your brother. We'll go back first."
"Okay, Mother, please take care." Chen Qingqing watched the carriage drive away before turning back to Chen Feng and asking with a smile, "Big brother, I'll listen to you. As long as you agree, I'll give Wu Shiren the secret ingredients from our Ruyi Restaurant."
"No, we absolutely cannot give it to him." Chen Feng refused without hesitation. "Wu Shiren has no bottom line. If we really give him the formula, he will stop at nothing to ruin our Ruyilou. I will never let that happen."
"Then your marriage with Sister Cuihua is off the table."
"What's meant to be mine will come to me, and what's not meant to be mine can't be kept. Do your best and leave the rest to fate."
"Well done, bro. I didn't expect you to be so laid-back."
Chen Feng was taken aback, then said seriously, "What do you mean by 'Buddhist-like'? I never said I wanted to become a monk."
Chen Qingqing laughed at his words. "No, brother, that's not what I meant. Being Buddhist means going with the flow, accepting whatever comes, and pursuing a peaceful state of mind."
"What nonsense! I don't have the kind of enlightenment you're talking about. I just know that forced relationships don't last, and forced marriages don't work out."
“That’s what you think, but have you thought about Sister Cuihua, or how she feels?”
“I know she’s upset, but there’s nothing I can do. We can only let things take their course now. All I hope for now is that Wu Shiren won’t marry her off to Wang Tianba.” Chen Feng didn’t want to talk about it anymore. “Alright, Qing’er, let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s hurry back to the shop. We should use this time to do some work!”
"Alright, let's go." Chen Qingqing knew he was upset, so she didn't press him further and started walking towards Ruyi Tower.
Chen Family Old House
Chen Zhancai didn't sleep in; he got up early.
He had already made up his mind; he would go find Liu Fengjiao soon and ask for some money to rent a house in town.
He wasn't preparing for having a place to stay while teaching; he simply didn't want to stay at home for another second.
As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder; the more eager he was to sleep at night, the less room the old couple would make.
They barely said anything serious; it was all just trivial, old news.
They said I had to make something of myself in the future, that my parents would depend on me to support them, and that I had to find a way to earn money so they could sell grain and land to pay for my education...
Chen Zhancai's nagging was so annoying that in the past, he would have already lost his temper.
Now all I can do is patiently listen.
But in his heart he was cursing, thinking, "Old people are worthless, a burden and a nuisance."
Why can't we say what we want to say at any other time? Why do we have to keep babbling on and on in the middle of the night, making it hard for him to calm down?
The elderly couple talked until their throats were dry before slowly getting down from the ground.
Chen Zhancai suddenly perked up, wanting to enjoy a short break, but found that Ruhua was already snoring loudly.
He tried to wake her up for a long time but she didn't respond. Frustrated, he kicked her twice, but she still wouldn't wake up.
Having no other choice, I could only calm myself down and go to sleep.
"Ruhua, hurry up and get ready. We're going to town in a bit," Chen Zhancai said to Ruhua, who was folding her blankets.
"Okay, I'll go make breakfast now."
"What are you going to cook? I still have a few coins in my pocket. Let's go to town to eat."
"What will Mom and Dad eat?" Ru Hua asked.
Chen Zhancai was still angry when he thought about how he hadn't had enough fun last night. "They have arms and legs, they can eat whatever they want, why do you care? Hurry up and pack up, we'll be leaving in a bit."
"It'll be ready soon." Ru Hua quickly got out of bed to wash up.
Old Mrs. Chen rarely had a full meal, and she was so full that she couldn't sleep well all night. She got up early and ran to the outhouse.
After finishing, Chen Zhancai emerged from the room with a cloth bag slung over his shoulder, looking as if he were about to leave.
"Son, where are you going?" Old Mrs. Chen hurriedly stepped forward and asked.
Chen Zhancai said irritably, "Didn't I tell you yesterday that we're going to town today?"
"Right, right, look at my memory, I forget things as soon as I put my hands down. You should finish your meal before you leave!"
"I'm not eating, you guys eat!" Chen Zhancai shouted into the house. "Ruhua, are you done cleaning up? You're so slow."
"Coming, coming!" Ru Hua rushed out. "Let's go, husband."
When Grandma Chen saw Ruhua carrying a large bundle, she was taken aback. "Ruhua, where are you going?"
"Mother, Zhancai wants me to go to town with him. You and Father need to take good care of yourselves at home."
"What do you mean? You're not coming back, are you?!"
“Yes, Zhancai needs someone to take care of him when he goes to teach in town. We’ll come back to see you in a few days,” Ruhua explained with a smile.
Old Mrs. Chen's mind went blank for a moment. Everyone's gone. Who's going to do the laundry and cooking at home?
She looked at Chen Zhancai with a troubled expression, "Son, now that you're all gone, how will your father and I live?"
"Just live your lives as you normally would. It's not like you can't live without me."
“Even if it’s not my son, you know that I’ve never done any housework in my life. If you’re all gone, I won’t be able to manage all this work!”
"Oh my goodness, you're getting more and more clueless as you get older. What do you mean you can't do it? I think you just don't want to." Chen Zhancai stated his position without any politeness. "As the saying goes, mountains may crumble, people may run away, and it's better to rely on yourself than on anyone else. If you can do some things, then do them yourselves. Don't hold me back."
These words startled Old Mrs. Chen. "Son, what do you mean by that? Don't you want to take care of your mother anymore?"
"I have nothing now, how can I take care of you? Just stay at home and be good." After saying that, Chen Zhancai grabbed Ruhua and left.
Watching them leave the yard, Old Mrs. Chen felt a pang of sadness.
But then I thought about it again, and my son was right. He has nothing now, so why should he care about this wretched old woman...
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