When Old Man Chen heard that the sandy land couldn't be sold in a short time, and thought of Butcher Li's fierce face, he was immediately terrified. If he couldn't raise fifty taels of silver, it would be the death of him!
He looked panicked. "Village head, please help me think of a way. We must sell that land as soon as possible."
Wu Baoan shook his head with some difficulty, "I know you are in a hurry to get the money, but time is short. I am somewhat confident if it is good farmland, but everyone in the village knows what's going on with those few acres of sandy land in the west of the village. I'm afraid no one will want it!"
The smile vanished from Old Mrs. Chen's face; she wouldn't have sold it if it weren't for the sandy land.
But she couldn't bear to sell Liangtian, and now she was at her wit's end.
She looked at Old Man Chen for advice, "Old man, what do you think we should do?"
Old Chen couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, complaining, "If you hadn't taken it upon yourself to separate the eldest son's family, would we be in this mess today? You ask me what to do, but I'd like to ask you what to do."
Old Mrs. Chen instantly flew into a rage, "You old fool, now you're trying to pin this on me? Where were you back then? Why didn't you stop me?"
"Can I stop you? Will you let me speak?"
"Did I sew your mouth shut or gag you? When did I ever stop you from speaking?"
"You, you're being unreasonable."
......
Seeing the two start arguing at the drop of a hat, Wu Baoan, whose head was throbbing from the noise, quickly tried to persuade them, "Uncle, Aunt, what's done is done. Don't regret the division of the family property. Instead, think about which piece of land is the best to sell so that you can resolve the current difficulties."
Upon hearing this, the two rolled their eyes at each other and stopped arguing.
Old Mrs. Chen was still angry. She glared at Old Mr. Chen and said, "Tell me, which piece of land should we sell? How about we sell those four acres outside our yard?"
Old Chen said with a sullen face, "Those four acres of land outside the yard are the best farmland in our village. They are in a good location and close to home. Our family depends entirely on that land for our grain. If we sell it, we won't have enough food to eat."
"Nonsense, how could I not know that's the best land? Our family urgently needs money right now, and we can't sell our land in other places in a short time. Only good places will have people scrambling to buy them."
Old Chen felt heartbroken and his liver ached. He had farmed all his life, and he truly couldn't bear to part with such good land.
What can be done? If they can't pay back the money, they'll be sued. Now they have no choice but to reluctantly give it up. They hope that the third son won't disappoint them and will pass the imperial examination as soon as possible, so that the Chen family can hold their heads high.
He nodded helplessly and agreed, "Alright, let's sell those four acres of land at the edge of the village!"
Grandma Yang breathed a sigh of relief and smiled with satisfaction. "Village head, since no one wants the sandy land in the west of the village, let's sell the four mu of land outside my yard. Do you think you can sell it as soon as possible?"
Old Chen quickly chimed in, "Village head, those four mu of land are among the best in our village. According to market prices, they're worth more than fifty taels of silver, aren't they?"
Wu Baoan nodded. "That's right. Normally it would be worth sixty taels of silver, but you're in a hurry to sell it, so it's a bit risky to sell it for more."
"Oh dear, my family has suffered a huge loss!" Old Man Chen looked at Old Woman Chen beside him. "Old woman, that's a difference of a full ten taels of silver!"
"Alright, let's not worry about those ten or eight taels of silver. We need the money urgently, how can we not suffer a loss?" Old Mrs. Chen was anxious. She was afraid that Butcher Li would lose his temper and act recklessly, and she wished she could return the money to him immediately.
"Alright, then let's sell it!" Old Chen lowered his head and said no more.
Old Mrs. Chen was in high spirits, feeling relieved. "Village head, then I'll trouble you to take care of it."
"Auntie, don't be so polite. As the village head, this is what I should do."
"Alright, alright, then I'll wait for your good news." Old Mrs. Chen said politely again, then got up to take her leave.
At this moment, Old Mrs. Chen was overjoyed and wished she could jump up and shout a few times.
She finally breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as she sold the land and had the money, she would immediately send it to Matchmaker Zhao.
Even if I were to be diagnosed with smallpox, I would never associate with that beastly butcher Li again. He's utterly despicable and a complete scoundrel.
Just as she was feeling smug, she suddenly saw Chen Qingqing walking towards her.
She looked at him as if he were her enemy, her face darkening instantly. "Old man, look! That heartless brat is coming!"
Old Chen frowned, looking rather disgusted. "Old woman, ignore her, let's go."
Old Mrs. Chen's eyes blazed with fury, and she gritted her teeth. "Shameless brat! I really want to go up there and strangle this wretched girl right now. If she had obediently married someone else, I wouldn't have had people blocking my door and demanding money at my doorstep, and I wouldn't have sold those four acres of good land outside the yard."
"Alright, old woman, we're two separate families now. Don't get angry with her. When our third son becomes successful and a high-ranking official, we'll teach those heartless bastards a lesson."
"You're right. I'll make sure to get my revenge and make that brat kneel down and kowtow to me."
After Old Mrs. Chen finished speaking, she saw that Chen Qingqing had come closer and sneered disdainfully, "Shameless bastard, don't be so happy today. You'll be held accountable in the future. You'll be in for it."
Chen Qingqing had already seen Mr. and Mrs. Chen come out of Wu Baoan's house. She didn't want to pay them any attention, but Mrs. Chen dared to provoke her to her face. Did she really think she was a pushover?
She stopped in her tracks, her eyes devoid of any warmth as she looked at Old Mrs. Chen. "You old hag, who are you calling names?"
Old Mrs. Chen was extremely arrogant. "You brat, I can curse pigs, dogs, and even the air. I can curse whoever I want. It's none of your business!"
"Old woman, you'd better watch your mouth. If you dare to spew filth again, I won't hesitate to make you mute."
"What, what are you going to do?" Old Mrs. Chen was frightened by Chen Qingqing's gaze and aura, and involuntarily took a few steps back.
"What am I going to do? Guess!" Chen Qingqing waved her fist and stepped forward with a sneer. "Old woman, you better not mess with me, or don't blame me for being impolite."
"You, you dare..." Old Mrs. Chen was so frightened that she didn't dare to breathe, and her mouth stammered.
Old Chen was furious. That wretched old woman, her mouth is so foul! Everyone should just go their own way; why does she have to curse at people for no reason? She's just looking for trouble.
This time, they've really backed down. They can only bully me at home. At their age, aren't they ashamed of themselves?
We need to drag her away quickly; if outsiders see this, they'll laugh their heads off.
"Old woman, stop talking and let's go."
"Let go of me, why are you pulling me like that?" Old Mrs. Chen pretended to be a little unwilling. "I have to have a good talk with her today. Did I curse her? I cursed a dog!"
"Alright, shut up already. Where else are there dogs besides me? Come home with me right now." Without another word, Old Man Chen grabbed Old Woman Chen and started walking away.
Although Old Mrs. Chen was unwilling, she knew that Chen Qingqing was not someone to be trifled with, so she had no choice but to swallow her anger.
He silently vowed to himself that he would teach her a lesson when he got the chance...
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