Northeast: My Absurd Woman

Chapter 44 No Cursing Your Father

Zhang Changyao stood at the intersection and instructed Guan Yutian, "This kid is simple-minded and honest; he doesn't know how to mince words."

Every time he argued with Guan Lin, he would inevitably get a beating.

Guan Yutian nodded without saying a word; he had always listened to Zhang Changyao since he was a child.

He knew his third uncle wouldn't lie to him, saying he was doing it all for his own good.

After parting ways with Guan Yutian, Zhang Changyao went straight home.

She was spotted by Zhao Xiulan, who was waiting for her with the door open, as soon as she entered the courtyard.

"Changyao, call Wuni over. Your father and I have been waiting for you to come home for dinner."

"Oh!" Zhang Changyao saw Zhang Kaiju behind Zhao Xiulan and didn't refuse, so he went back to his room.

"Wu Ni, my dad and Aunt Xiu Lan are inviting us over for dinner."

Although Zhang Changyao said that, he remained seated on the kang (a heated brick bed) without moving.

He took out the money he had earned that day from his inner pocket and handed it to Yang Wuni, telling her to put it away safely.

"Zhang Changyao, tell me, are your dad and Aunt Xiulan trying to curry favor with us because they're after the money you're making?"

Yang Wuni put the money away, then slapped her thigh as if she had guessed correctly.

"Where would we get any money? If they're really after our money..."

I told you they didn't issue it. Even if you want pension payments, you have to wait until the autumn harvest, right?

I heard that Aunt Xiulan is very rich, so I doubt it.

"Let's go, let's eat. I have no money, but you can take my life."

Zhang Changyao grabbed Yang Wuni and dragged her to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

He knelt down and helped her put on her shoes, and the two of them went out of the house.

Upon entering the main room, Zhao Xiulan and Zhang Kaiju were already sitting cross-legged at the table.

Sorghum rice, potato sauce, dried cabbage—nothing special.

Zhang Changyao felt much more at ease when he didn't see any meat or vegetables.

He pulled Yang Wuni to take off her shoes and get onto the kang (a heated brick bed), where they sat to the left and right of Zhao Xiulan and Zhang Kaiju, respectively.

The food was already served, and Zhang Changyao was hungry, so he picked up his bowl and started eating.

"Changyao, are you tired from work today? How about Aunt Xiulan has a couple of drinks with you?"

Zhao Xiulan took a bite of food, looked up and spoke to Zhang Changyao.

"Aunt Xiulan, Zhang Changyao has had a stomachache for the past few days and can't drink alcohol."

Yang Wuni's first reaction was that things were going to go wrong, so she quickly came up with an excuse to help Zhang Changyao get away with it.

"Yes! Aunt Xiulan, Wu Ni is right. My stomach has been hurting badly these past few days, and I can't drink a drop of alcohol."

Zhang Changyao's skill in climbing up the pole has improved.

Before Zhao Xiulan could speak, he repeated Yang Wuni's words.

With food still stuck in her throat, Zhao Xiulan laughed as she kept making "Ula ula" noises.

"My dear son, Wu Ni, your Aunt Xiulan invited you two over to discuss farming."

There are two people in your family, and there are two people in our family too.

Our family should work together to farm without exchanging more than a few words.

Your Aunt Xiulan and I have enough money for seeds, and we don't lack manure either, but we don't have any livestock.

I think if you work at the grain depot, you'll have enough money to buy a livestock when it's time to farm.

We'll give you our extra manure for free, and you can borrow our livestock for a few days.

If we make do like this, we'll both save a lot of money.

When autumn comes and we have more money, we'll buy a donkey or something.

That way, our two families can share a set of equipment, and farming won't be a problem.

Zhang Kaiju spoke methodically, clearly having already planned it out in his mind.

"Okay, Dad, whatever you say goes. Anyway, Wu Ni and I aren't very good at farming."

"Farming with you and Aunt Xiulan is better than having to learn from someone else first."

Zhang Changyao agreed without even looking up, ignoring Yang Wuni's attitude as she watched him.

"Also, if Wu Ni has a child, your Aunt Xiu Lan will have to take care of it."

"Then, with the three of us working together, we won't fall behind the others."

Zhang Kaiju made another condition, which Zhang Changyao did not agree to directly this time.

He turned to look at Yang Wuni, wanting to know what she was thinking.

"Dad, whatever you say goes. I don't really want to coax the kids anyway."

Yang Wuni pressed her head against the rice bowl, and the words she spoke were barely audible, barely audible, like the buzzing of a mosquito.

Zhao Xiulan and Zhang Kaiju did not understand what was being said.

She stared blankly at Zhang Changyao, wanting him to tell her Yang Wuni's answer.

"Dad, Wu Ni agreed. She said she just didn't want to take care of the children."

Zhang Changyao shoveled the rice out of his bowl and smiled as he helped Yang Wuni translate.

Yang Wuni had lost her appetite and stuffed the rest of the rice into her mouth in large mouthfuls.

Then he got out of bed, put on his shoes, and ran back to his house without looking back.

"Aunt Xiulan, please don't blame Wu Ni. She gets like this whenever the topic of children comes up."

Zhang Changyao explained that he also needed to go down to the fields and go home.

"Changyao, these are the clothes and pants that Aunt Xiulan made for you."

Take this back. A man can't go out without a decent set of clothes.

Seeing that things were going smoothly, Zhao Xiulan found that Zhang Changyao and Yang Wuni had no objections.

Only then did he hand over the clothes and pants he had bought that day to Zhang Changyao.

"Aunt Xiulan, this...this must have cost a lot of money, right?"

Zhang Changyao held the clothes and pants, his eyes shining.

I've been patching and patching for so many years, I'm used to it by now.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say to express his gratitude to Zhao Xiulan.

"Go back to sleep now, so you can be well-rested for work tomorrow morning."

Stop messing around, your wife is heavily pregnant.

Zhang Kaiju's words were kind, but they made Zhang Changyao feel embarrassed.

He didn't respond to Zhang Kaiju's concern, turned around, pushed open the door, and left.

"Kaiju, why do you say such things as a father?"

What a couple does in bed is none of your business as an old man.

That kind of thing isn't something that can be said or not.

As long as his health doesn't collapse, that man won't want to settle down.

Zhao Xiulan punched Zhang Kaiju, playfully scolding him.

Zhang Kaiju couldn't resist this; his body went limp instantly, and he got off the bed, locked the door, and wanted to...

"You old fool, you were just telling your son not to cause any trouble."

"Now you can't control yourself from talking nonsense, don't you even look outside to see if it's dark yet?"

Zhao Xiulan pushed him away, stood up, and pulled the window curtains shut.

The two of them made a creaking sound in the room, kicking the dining table all over the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Zhang Changyao, I told you your father and Aunt Xiulan are no good people."

Whenever they invite us to dinner, they always try to take advantage of us.

Those two old foxes are always scheming against us two yellow-mouthed girls who haven't completely lost their youthful vigor.

"Aren't we afraid that one day, lightning will strike them dead?"

Yang Wuni panicked, so she didn't hold back and cursed everyone.

"Yang Wuni, I don't care if you insult Aunt Xiulan, an outsider."

If you dare to talk back to my dad, I won't tolerate it.

A daughter-in-law should act like one; disrespecting her elders will only make her a laughingstock.

Seeing that Yang Wuni's insults were getting increasingly outrageous, Zhang Changyao immediately glared at her and stopped her.

"That's what my sister-in-law said. It's disrespectful to elders to use something as a mat."