The old woman immediately objected, jumping up and cursing, "Am I wrong? Look at the short-lived child you're holding in your arms. He'll be hard to raise from birth. His early death will save the family food."
The child buried his head in Yu Niang's arms, his thin body trembling with fear.
The man beside him was caught in a dilemma, with his mother who gave him life and raised him on one side, and his wife on the other.
Who wouldn't want a healthy son? He saw how hard his wife worked and had tried to persuade her to give up many times, but Yu Niang was too stubborn. Her premature birth had damaged her health and she could no longer conceive. Adopting a healthy child from her elder brother's family was the best option.
Lin Yinan and the Yun brothers were dumbfounded; it was the first time she had ever seen someone scold their own children and grandchildren like that.
Liang Wen was really fed up with this family. They started causing trouble as soon as they came up the mountain, and after several years, they've finally come down.
"Old Liu, stop making a scene here. Cui Gensheng, since your mother is dissatisfied with Yu Niang and the child, and you can't protect them, then let's get a divorce. That way, everyone can live in peace."
A glint of shrewdness flashed in the old woman's cloudy, slanted, triangular eyes as she urged her son, "Gensheng, get a divorce! Divorce this woman who can't even lay an egg, and I'll find you a fertile wife who can give birth to a big, healthy son."
Cui Gensheng's eyes lit up, and he looked up at Yu Niang. Yu Niang, holding the child, turned her head away from him. After a moment, he nodded with difficulty.
Lin Yiheng quickly drafted the divorce agreement, making two copies. Both the man and woman put their fingerprints on it, and he stamped it with the seal of Longtan County.
The marriage was called off, and the man and woman went their separate ways from then on.
The man placed a bundle in front of Yu Niang, his eyes filled with reluctance, "Yu Niang, these are your things."
“These belong to the Cui family.”
The old woman tried to snatch it, but Yu Niang grabbed it and held it tightly, glaring at her fiercely.
"The matter is settled, so let's send them away." Lin Yinan didn't want to see this vicious old woman for even a second longer.
Yun Mo waved his hand at the guards, driving Liu's wife and her family out of Longtan County.
After the Cui family left, Yu Niang readily signed the contract.
Once outside the city, the Cui family remained indignant, with Old Lady Liu even spitting viciously at the city gate.
Upon seeing this, the guards on the watchtower shouted, "What are you doing? Get out of here right now, or don't blame us for being impolite!"
With a wave of his hand, several archers on the city wall drew their bows and aimed at them.
The Cui family members trembled with fear and, supporting Old Lady Liu, scrambled away.
"Mother, where are we going? Back up the mountain?" Old Mrs. Liu's eldest daughter-in-law asked, holding the hand of a sturdy child.
Old Mrs. Liu's face was gloomy, and she glanced back at Longtan County with her triangular eyes. "Going up the mountain is impossible. We finally managed to come down, and now that the Japanese pirates haven't come, we can follow this road to Yongqing City. We'll surely be able to beg for some food."
After Liang Wen and the others visited last time, Lin Yiheng had already had several rooms prepared for them to stay in, so that they could temporarily live in a large dormitory like the villagers.
As for their work assignments, Lin Yinan had them help with cutting grass, chopping firewood, turning the soil, and building houses.
At present, there is a need for land reclamation everywhere in Longtan County. Since it does not involve any confidential work, their team of over a hundred people can be dispersed and incorporated into various teams to play a role in mutual supervision.
The elderly people who still had opinions about Lin Yinan's management when they met him all shut up and stopped expressing their opinions when they saw the rows of neat, spacious and impressive courtyards behind the county government office.
Lin Yinan saw this clearly. Rules have always been a mercenary thing; the stronger you are, the more polite and friendly everyone will be to you.
When you are weak, everyone will point fingers at you, and all kinds of people can kick you while you're down.
Simply put, your ability determines how others treat you.
Time flies, and it's already late April.
Lin Yinan, nearly eight months pregnant, came to the edge of the field.
Everyone has plowed and leveled all the abandoned fields.
In the rice paddies, tender green rice seedlings sway gently in the breeze.
According to the book, when the seedlings grow to about three inches tall, they can be pulled up and transplanted.
Ding Gui and his son Chen San, along with Old Lin and many other skilled farmers from the village, rolled up their trousers and stood in the rice paddies.
The group looked at each other, hesitant to pull up the rice seedlings for fear of breaking them.
"You need to pull the seedlings with your backhand, not too many at once, just two or three. Remember to use a skillful force so as not to break them."
Lin Yinan stood on the ridge of the field, patiently giving instructions. In her previous life, when she was in junior high school, her parents were still working in another city. Every winter and summer vacation, her mother would send her back to her uncle's house in town.
My aunt brought over a small stool and let her sit in the rice paddy to help pull up the seedlings.
Back then, pulling up rice seedlings was her favorite chore.
Pulling out the rice seedlings one by one gave her a very therapeutic feeling.
Planting rice seedlings was her least favorite activity, because there were always blood-sucking leeches and finger-thick earthworms in the paddy fields.
After Lin Yinan explained how to pull up the rice seedlings, everyone tried to pull them up several times but then stopped. Some clever villagers even found sharpened wooden sticks.
"Anan, let's use this to dig!"
“No, digging like that will only break their roots more easily,” Lin Yinan said decisively.
She bent down to roll up her trouser legs, and Yun Mo quickly squatted down to help her, saying, "Let me do it."
"Help me in a bit," Lin Yinan said.
Lin Yinan walked barefoot into the rice seedling field. There wasn't much water in the field; just enough to keep the soil moist.
She glanced at the people in the rice seedling field and saw that Lin Shuo was there with Lin Yizhang and Lin Yisong. She smiled slightly and said, "Second Uncle, Cousin, A-Song and Chen Shi, come and see how I pull them up."
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