Finally, the farce was brought to a close, and everyone was seen off. Before leaving, the village headman signaled to Tian Yu not to get too close to Chen Chong, as it would have a negative impact. Tian Yu explained that Chen Chong had helped her, so she invited him to her home for a simple meal, firstly to express her gratitude, and secondly, hoping he could teach Tangyuan some kung fu, promising to be more careful in the future. Tian Yu could see the grievance and resentment of Zhao Si's wife, as well as Zhao Jinxiu's dissatisfaction. She felt that more trouble might arise in the future, but for now, she could only let things be. For Tangyuan's sake, she should be more careful in the future. This time, the village headman hadn't made things difficult for her because of the Zhao family, but that didn't mean she would be so lucky in the future.
Back inside, Tian Yu saw Tangyuan obediently reciting ancient poems. She hugged him tightly, but Tangyuan comforted her first, saying he would protect her when he grew up and wouldn't let anyone bully her. Hearing this, Tian Yu felt it was all worthwhile. Chen Chong was still waiting outside. Remembering the village head's words, he said he was a little tired today and wanted to rest, asking him to go home first. Chen Chong didn't disturb her further, watching Tian Yu go inside, finish her remaining work, and then quietly left. In the evening, Tian Yu arrived at Old Mrs. Zhao's grave and found that someone had indeed come to pay their respects. It seemed the person Zhao Tieshu had mentioned might really be him.
A few days later, Tangyuan ran home with a bruised face. Tianyu asked him what happened, and Tangyuan mumbled that he had fallen while fighting with the village children over something. Tianyu didn't take it seriously, telling him to be more careful in the future and protect himself. She then busied herself digging for wild vegetables and tidying up the wasteland near the west, preparing to plant some vegetables when the weather warmed up. But the next day, Tangyuan had new injuries on his face. After Tianyu pressed him repeatedly, she learned that the village children had called her a vixen, saying she seduced married men. Tangyuan naturally wouldn't allow others to insult her, which was why she had fought with them. Tianyu was furious and wanted to confront them, but Tangyuan advised her against it, fearing she would suffer. But thinking about how she was now all alone and the village was all in cahoots with them, even if she confronted them, what could she do? The situation would only escalate. The village head helped her last time, but the rumors still wouldn't stop. As the saying goes, rumors stop with the wise. Nowadays, it's better to avoid trouble and focus on making money. She comforted Tangyuan, telling her to be more open-minded and not to argue with them. The rights and wrongs of the world can't be explained in a single sentence.
In the following days, Tangyuan helped Tianyu clear the wasteland and plant crops, but every morning when she woke up, it felt as if someone had already cleared the wasteland for her, which she found strange. Who was so kind as to do that? In the end, they even turned the soil over for her. Tianyu thought that everyone in the village was on the other side, and in the end, it could only be Chen Chong, but she couldn't see him. It seemed like they were deliberately avoiding him. There was also a plot of farmland in front of the village that belonged to Tianyu and her family, but Tianyu wasn't feeling well and hadn't taken good care of it. She was anxious because she wanted to plant something too, but because she had so many other things to do, she didn't think much of it. Looking at the place where Chen Chong lived in the distance, she felt grateful and continued to busy herself with planting.
Time flew by. Tian Yu ignored the gossip outside. Occasionally, when she ran into other women in the village by the river, she would hear them talking about her, but she pretended not to hear and went about her life, busy with farming and educating Tangyuan. Just as Tian Yu finished preparing the fields, the rainy season began. It rained every day, and the house leaked, forcing Tian Yu and her mother to hide all over the house. But Tian Yu didn't feel bitter. Instead, she finally had time to stay at home, reciting poems with Tangyuan, counting, and teaching him basic knowledge—things she had only had time to teach him in the evenings before. Tian Yu started with the *Three Character Classic*, ancient poems, and Sudoku. Over time, she added the *Tao Te Ching* and various ancient Chinese philosophies, history, and culture, including Taoism and Confucianism.
On the third day of the rain, Chen Chong came by. Seeing that their house was leaking, he didn't say a word, but just found some things to put on the roof, repaired it, and left. Tian Yu didn't even have a chance to thank him, and he refused to come inside, seeming preoccupied and sulking. The rain was too heavy, so Tian Yu thought she'd talk to him again when the weather improved. Although the house couldn't be repaired, some rainwater was still seeping in, but it was much better than before. They could only wait for better weather to renovate it again.
After more than half a month, the rainy season finally ended, and the weather gradually warmed up. The first thing Tian Yu did after the rain stopped was to go to the village head's house. The village head's family lived in the center of the village, in a large courtyard house. The family consisted of six people: their daughter Zhao Jinxiu, their second son Zhao Jincheng, their eldest son's family, Zhao Jinxin and his wife, and a cute three-year-old grandson named Xiaodouzi. Zhao Jinxin was an honest man who hadn't received much education, making a living by farming and hunting with other villagers. It was clear the village head didn't value him much. Tian Yu went to see the village head to thank him for upholding justice for her last time, and also to ask him if it was legal for her to cultivate the wasteland around the courtyard. The village head said a small amount was fine, but if the area was too large, it would need to be reported. However, it was simple; he would have someone measure the land Tian Yu wanted to cultivate, write an application, and report it to the county. The family was generally easygoing, especially Zhao Jinxin's wife, Wen Hong, who was kind and simple. Only Zhao Jinxiu seemed to still have some resentment towards her, angrily going into her room when Tian Yu arrived. After agreeing on the terms and repeatedly thanking the village head, Tian Yu took Tangyuan and prepared to leave. Before leaving, she inquired if there were any professional house repairmen in the village. The village head said there weren't, but there were a few skilled house repairmen who could be hired. His eldest son also did some repairs and often helped with house repairs in the village; he could help find two or three people to help. However, she would have to prepare the materials herself. When she asked how much she would be paid, the village head smiled and said that meals weren't necessary, as they were all from the same village and should look after each other. Tian Yu readily agreed, asked what materials were needed and where she could buy them, and arranged with Zhao Jinxin to start construction in two days before leaving the village head's house.
After returning home, Tian Yu realized she hadn't seen Chen Chong in a long time. Now that she had time in the afternoon, she should go and talk to him. After lunch, Tian Yu took a basket and Tangyuan to Xishan to dig for wild vegetables, intending to visit Chen Chong along the way. The wild vegetables in the fields had become much greener and plumper after the rain. Before even reaching Chen Chong's place, Tian Yu had already filled a basket with vegetables, and both of their shoes were covered in mud. They knocked on the door for a while, but no one answered. Tian Yu assumed Chen Chong wasn't home and was about to go home with Tangyuan and come back another day when the door opened. Chen Chong appeared behind the door, looking haggard. Seeing it was the mother and daughter, he tried to close the door, but Tian Yu stopped him. She asked him what was wrong, why he was avoiding her, and whether he was sick. He wouldn't answer, just looking at Tian Yu with a resentful and pained expression. Seeing his condition, Tian Yu didn't care about anything else. She grabbed his hand and felt it was very hot. She touched his forehead and found he had a fever. She and Tang Yuan helped him to bed, covered him with a blanket, and gave him some water to drink. She told Tang Yuan to keep an eye on Chen Chong and not let him get up. She then asked who the village doctor was and where he lived, and said she should hurry and fetch him. Chen Chong refused to let her go, saying that he had caught a cold and had a fever from being in the rain, but he was much better now and just felt a little dizzy and weak. He said he would be fine after a nap. But Tian Yu touched his forehead again and felt it was even hotter. She felt that this was not good and still persuaded him to fetch a doctor. Chen Chong still disagreed, saying that he had medicine at home and asked her to brew it for him. Having no other choice, Tian Yu had to do as Chen Chong said and find the medicine in his house to start a fire in the kitchen to brew the medicine. She asked Tang Yuan to watch over Chen Chong, but Tian Yu felt that the medicine would take a long time to brew. However, he was still burning, which meant that he must have caught a cold from the rain while helping her repair the house. What should she do? The more she thought about it, the more worried she became. She rummaged around in the kitchen and finally found a jar of wine. She asked Tang Yuan to watch the medicine stove.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
