Chapter 23 Repairing the Ox Cart
Chen Yongnian looked at her, rummaged in his pocket for a while, and pulled out a package wrapped in oil paper. He placed it in Wan Qiqi's palm and said, "Wife, eat!"
Wan Qiqi suspiciously opened the oil paper, inside which was a piece of candy that was almost melting. Her doubts deepened.
Seeing that she wasn't eating, Chen Yongnian quickly took out two more from his pocket. "Those are yours, and these are for Pingping and An'an."
Wan Qiqi then remembered that her family rarely went to town, but every time they came back, Chen Yongnian would use the money he earned from hunting to buy a piece of candy for the two little ones, and this time was no exception.
This time, Chen Yongnian bought one extra pill!
A villager standing nearby remarked, "Eldest son of the Chen family, you still have spare money to buy candy! You'd be better off buying half a pound of rice instead of these three pieces of candy!"
In ancient times, sugar was a luxury item, sometimes even more expensive than grain, so ordinary people rarely ate it.
They watched Chen Yongnian take money to buy candy and couldn't help but feel a little jealous.
On second thought, this must have been Wan Qiqi's idea; only she could have done something like this!
Wan Qiqi had just put the candy in her mouth when she heard this sentence, and she couldn't help but be startled.
Three candies cost eight or nine coins! Why don't these people just rob them?
However, sugar was a luxury item in ancient times, so it's normal for it to be expensive.
For a moment, she fell into deep thought.
After listening to the villagers' words, Chen Yongnian explained, "I promised the children I would bring them candy back."
"Oh, he's just a kid, he doesn't understand anything, why bother with these things."
"That's right, half a pound of brown rice mixed with wild vegetables is enough for your family to eat for two days!"
"Eldest son of the Chen family, you must keep a close eye on things and make sure your money isn't swindled!"
Wan Qiqi didn't understand. She hadn't done anything, so why were these people bringing up the topic of her?
Does she seem like someone who would scam money?
The Chen family was almost starving, and it was the items she exchanged that alleviated the crisis. What could she possibly be willing to scam?
Wan Qiqi disdained arguing with these people, feeling that Chen Yongnian's words were not unreasonable. Promises made to children should be kept, and children should not feel that their parents are lying to them, as this would have a negative impact.
After all, I had been fooled by my family before, and I knew how unpleasant that feeling was.
"No, my wife is fine." Chen Yongnian's answer was simple, and he looked at Wan Qiqi with a bright smile.
The oxcart lurched violently, and everyone swayed to the side, falling to the ground in the direction the cart tipped over.
Wan Qiqi didn't feel any pain from the fall because Chen Yongnian shielded her immediately, becoming a human cushion.
The people around were not as lucky as Wan Qiqi. They fell flat on their faces, groaning in pain, and some even scolded Sun Qian.
As the carriage overturned, the contents of Wan Qiqi's basket spilled out. Some sharp-eyed people noticed the pork in the basket and looked surprised.
"Didn't they say the Chen family was receiving grain? Look at what's in her basket!"
"My God! The Chen family can actually afford pork!"
"I don't know where they got the money!"
"She didn't say a word after falling into the water; she might have secretly gone back to her parents' home to extort money!"
"The Wan family is truly unfortunate! Chen Wangshi is also suffering because she has such a daughter-in-law."
Wan Qiqi "..."
They don't even bother to hold their tongues when they're badmouthing people; it's truly outrageous.
It was just a piece of pork, yet people were able to make up so many stories out of thin air. She didn't know if these people were just being gossipy or if the original voice was just too annoying.
At this moment, Chen Yongnian had already helped Sun Qian pick up the overturned oxcart, but because the wheels were loose, he could no longer take the people back to the village normally.
Sun Qian couldn't help but sigh, "This has been going on for two days in a row. Heaven is trying to cut off my path to survival!"
One day in a row?
Wan Qiqi pressed further: "Did your second younger brother and his wife also ride in your oxcart yesterday?"
Sun Qian hesitated for a moment, then slapped his forehead and said, "Yes, yesterday they rode in my oxcart back to the village." He looked at the surrounding mountains and slapped his thigh again, shouting, "It was around here that my oxcart broke down!"
After he finished speaking, a murmur of discussion arose.
"There's a cemetery not far from here, could it be haunted?"
"I heard that someone died in that cemetery a few years ago..."
When Wan Qiqi heard the talk of ghosts and gods, she choked on the words she was about to say.
It's obvious someone is up to something, trying to get the villagers who are returning to the village to act alone.
So, the robbery of Chen Yongxing and Li Chongniang's grain yesterday might not have been caused by bandits, but rather by people from some village.
The newcomer covered Chen Yongliang's face, perhaps because he was afraid Chen Yongliang would recognize him.
Wan Qiqi concludes that the people who stole the grain were probably from Lianhua Village, and today they were using the same old trick to try and steal supplies from the people returning from the town.
With this conclusion, Wan Qiqi was no longer afraid.
Walking up to Chen Yongnian, he looked at the loose oxcart wheels and said with a hint of encouragement, "Yongnian, why don't you help Uncle Sun repair the cart? We have a lot of stuff, and it'll be tiring to carry it back."
"Okay." Chen Yongnian agreed without hesitation, and then he and Sun Qian began to figure out how to arrange the wheels.
Wan Qiqi watched for a while, then looked up at the sun, picked up her basket, and walked towards the big tree next to her.
The other villagers had already taken shelter under the trees to cool off. When they saw her coming, they immediately turned their faces away, as if they were afraid that she would come after them.
Wan Qiqi didn't pay attention. She found an open space to sit and leaned against a tree trunk to see if there was anything special in the system.
The villagers went from the Chen family to the Zhao family, and then to the neighboring village, their chatter never stopping.
The only people who ever repaired oxcarts were Sun Qian and Chen Yongnian.
Fifteen minutes later, someone couldn't wait any longer and urged, "Uncle Sun, is your car still usable? If it can't be fixed, give me a refund and I'll walk home myself. I have a lot of chores to do at home!"
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