Chapter 187 The Chen Family's Choice
After two days of sleet, the sky finally showed signs of clearing up.
Chen Yongliang seemed to have lost his soul, moving things, setting up his stall, going to the Wan family to inquire about news, and returning home disappointed.
He was in a daze the whole way, his eyes filled with worry, and he didn't even respond when the villagers called to him.
"I have a feeling that the third son of the Chen family has been absent-minded these past two days, as if he has lost his soul."
"I also think it's possible that something happened to the Chen family?"
"I haven't heard of that! I've also heard that the eldest son of the Chen family made contributions in suppressing bandits, so maybe the Chen family is about to turn its fortunes around!"
"Yes, Yongnian's wife hasn't been home, has she? I heard she went to Yuzhou."
"Yuzhou, that's a big city. She's even expanded her business there?"
The villagers were talking about it, a hint of envy in their eyes, and even Aunt Zhang and her family who were passing by were envious!
Recently, perhaps because Yunniang had made money with the Chen family, Aunt Zhang was already wearing new clothes even before the New Year.
Some people even noticed that Aunt Zhang hadn't gained weight in the decades since she married into the Chen family, but she's gained quite a bit recently.
Aunt Zhang noticed the gaze directed at her, a hint of disdain in her eyes, and hurriedly walked home.
Grandma Chen was warming herself by the fire with her great-grandson when she heard chickens crowing outside. Thinking someone was trying to steal the chickens, she grabbed a broom and went outside, looking like she was going to catch a thief.
She saw the chicken coop's burly body and swung her broom at it.
"Ouch, ouch! Who dares to hit my old lady!" Aunt Zhang shouted as she dodged. When she looked up, she saw it was Old Mrs. Chen. She hurriedly said, "Mother... Mother, it's me! I'm your daughter-in-law!"
Old Mrs. Chen stopped when she recognized the voice. She stared at the person in front of her for a long time before saying irritably, "It's you! I thought it was a thief!"
After saying that, he turned to walk back, threw the broom in the corner, and pushed the door open to enter the main room, but suddenly stopped in his tracks.
She turned and looked at Aunt Zhang for a long time. "You've gained a lot of weight recently. You didn't secretly eat the eggs, did you?"
As she spoke, she turned back to check if there were any newly hatched eggs in the chicken coop. "Let me tell you! These eggs are for my great-grandson. If I find out you're stealing any, I'll break your legs!"
Aunt Zhang rolled her eyes at Old Mrs. Chen's back, winked and made faces for a while, and then put on a smile the moment Old Mrs. Chen turned around, "How could I? I would never steal food!"
Only after seeing Old Mrs. Chen finish her examination and enter the house did her face fall.
Hmph! It's just an egg. I have plenty of money now, do you think I need your egg?
She went into her room, secretly bolted the door, then took out the key hidden in her clothes and opened the box hidden under the bed.
Inside was a ten-tael silver coin and a few pieces of loose silver.
Their net worth is in no way inferior to that of the Chen family.
Nowadays, without Wan Qiqi, the Chen family has to pay wages after selling sweet soup and baked cakes every day, and at most they have three taels of silver in hand.
Upon seeing Chen Yongliang return, Chen Yongxing immediately went forward to unload the goods.
After taking down the empty basket, he frowned. "Third brother, didn't you say you were bringing back flour and sugar today? We've run out at home, and you didn't buy any. How are we going to set up our stall tomorrow?"
When Chen Yongliang heard someone call his name, he raised his eyes slightly but did not answer for a long time, as if he had not heard what the other person was saying.
Chen Yongxing noticed that his third brother had been acting strangely since yesterday. He ignored the unloading and tied up the mule, then pulled Chen Yongliang toward the woodshed in the backyard.
"Third brother, tell me the truth, has something happened?"
Although we can learn about things happening in the county from the villagers, it's not a comprehensive picture.
Chen Yongliang's current state is highly suspicious, as if something has happened to either his elder brother or sister-in-law, making Chen Yongxing feel uneasy.
Chen Yongliang's gaze remained vacant as he stared at Chen Yongxing, remaining silent for a long while.
He didn't know how to tell his family, but he was extremely worried and had lost all interest in doing business!
If something really happens to his sister-in-law, how will he explain it to his eldest brother? And how will he tell his mother and second brother?
Chen Yongxing had a general suspicion based on his reaction, but he dared not confirm his suspicion, fearing the bad news.
But with his elder brother gone, he was now the head of the family, and he had the right to know what had happened. "Third brother, tell me honestly, has something happened to sister-in-law?"
Upon hearing the words "sister-in-law," Chen Yongliang completely lost control of his emotions, and tears welled up unexpectedly.
"Second brother...second brother...sister-in-law...sister-in-law, she..."
Unable to contain his fear and worry any longer, Chen Yongliang buried his face in Chen Yongxing's shoulder and wept uncontrollably, like a child.
In fact, in everyone's eyes, Chen Yongliang is also a child. Apart from Pingping and An'an, he is the youngest in the family.
Chen Yongxing's heart skipped a beat; he felt a sharp pain, and his hands trembled uncontrollably.
He forced himself to remain calm and asked, "What happened to my sister-in-law?" Even as he tried to control himself, he couldn't stop his voice from trembling.
Chen Yongliang cried with snot and tears streaming down his face. He wiped his face with his hand, trying to speak, but couldn't help choking up.
"Sister-in-law... Sister-in-law has been captured by bandits from Lianshan!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Yongxing's hand, which was on Chen Yongliang's shoulder, slipped limply, and his face turned pale instantly.
At the same time, there was a loud bang outside the woodshed, as if something had fallen to the ground.
The two brothers exchanged a glance, their faces suddenly darkening, and they rushed out.
Wang lay on the ground, her face pale, and she was unconscious.
Chen Yongxing didn't have time to ask about Wan Qiqi. He hurriedly carried Wang Shi back into the house and asked Sun Yin to check on her. He was relieved to hear that she had fainted from fright.
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