Northeast: My Absurd Woman

Chapter 52 Five Years of Famine

Zhao Xiulan saw that Yang Wuni agreed to pay for the car and the plow.

He immediately changed his attitude, leaned in and whispered something in her ear.

"Aunt Xiulan, where did these mushrooms come from if it hasn't rained?"

The grove of trees to the north is dense; those who keep men as concubines love to go there.

Yang Wuni perked up her ears and started gossiping with shining eyes.

"Wu Ni, let's go inside and talk, without letting your father and Zhang Changyao hear."

Zhao Xiulan knew that what she was about to say would displease the father and son.

He then pulled Yang Wuni into his father's room and made her sit on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Wu Ni, let me tell you, this Zheng Meizhi just emerged from the woods."

Then I saw Guan Lin, your second brother, come out from inside.

Both of them had flushed faces, and it was obvious they had just finished spouting nonsense.

Only my family's stable gave birth to this silly boy who doesn't know.

Now, everyone in the village knows about their relationship.

If I had known that Zheng Jingren's daughter would turn out like this...

"We absolutely cannot let her be the mother of our son."

Zhao Xiulan handed the basket containing the peanuts to Yang Wuni.

He sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), grabbed a handful of nuts and started tapping them, then threw the nuts directly on the ground.

"Aunt Xiulan, I dare not say this. If Zhang Changyao hears it, he will be angry."

He's only close to his aunt's family; don't mention it again.

Yang Wuni grabbed a handful of peanuts and popped one into her mouth.

Then he reached out and tapped Zhao Xiulan's knee to tell her to speak softly, afraid that Zhang Changyao might hear him from under the window.

"Wu Ni, Dad and I are going to Second Brother's house. Hurry back to your room and boil some hot water for me."

Zhang Changyao heard everything but pretended not to, and called out to Yang Wuni to come back from the window.

"Coming, coming." Yang Wuni got up and went back to her room.

Zhang Changyao and Zhang Kaiju did indeed go to Guan Lin to buy the rubber cart and plow; he had connections there.

After studying it for a long time, the three of them still felt that the two-layer rubber cart was too expensive, and that it was more cost-effective to buy a three-layer rubber cart.

The next morning, Zhang Changyao and Guan Lin went to a large courtyard in town.

The owner of this courtyard is an old carpenter surnamed Tan, who has been working independently since then.

So he started making and selling two-stage glue carts, three-stage glue carts, and plows.

This person is good at business; he gives away a complete set of car-mounting tools to anyone he brings along as a gift.

They have stuffed buns, splints, saddles, back pockets, and even whips.

Zhang Changyao followed behind Guan Lin, looking at the three rubber carts with great interest, touching this and that.

"How much is it?" Guan Lin knew the proper etiquette and asked the price in front of Zhang Changyao.

"Five hundred yuan for the whole set." Tan the carpenter held out his calloused palm to Guan Lin.

"Five hundred yuan?" Zhang Changyao asked, his mouth agape in surprise.

"Young man, five hundred yuan is a special price for family; others would pay five hundred and fifty without a penny."

Tan the carpenter noticed that Zhang Chang seemed a little unhappy, tilting his head and glancing at him sideways.

"How many years until it's all done?" Guan Lin ignored Zhang Changyao and continued to ask Tan the carpenter.

"Pay back in five years. Pay 200 yuan upfront, and then pay 60 yuan every autumn thereafter."

Tan the carpenter answered Guan Lin's questions very seriously. He could tell that Zhang Changyao was not knowledgeable, so he stopped paying attention to him.

"Changyao, it's not expensive. Pay two hundred yuan, and we'll give you sixty yuan every autumn thereafter."

Guan Lin turned to Zhang Changyao and told him, even though they weren't far apart, he was still afraid that Zhang Changyao wouldn't understand.

"That's more like it. I thought they'd give it to you all at once."

Zhang Changyao took out two hundred yuan from his pocket, which Yang Wuni had wrapped in a piece of floral cloth.

"Second brother, we haven't bought the plow yet?"

Zhang Changyao thought of the plow, and couldn't bear to hand over the money in his hand.

"Why buy a plowshare? Just buy a plowshare and make your own plowshare at home."

Guan Lin took the cloth bag from Zhang Changyao and handed it to Tan the carpenter.

Tan Mujiang counted the papers, took out a completed contract, and asked Zhang Changyao and Guan Lin to put their fingerprints on it.

"The car is yours now. You can either push it away or come back to pick it up in a few days."

Tan the carpenter took the paper into the house and never came out again.

"Second brother, I think it's safer to push it back. If we pull it back, it might not be used to it at first."

Zhang Changyao couldn't make up his mind, so he could only discuss it with Guan Lin.

"That works too. If I can't walk, I can sit for a while."

Guan Lin nodded in agreement; that was why the two of them had come all this way.

Perhaps it was because he was happy to have acquired new things, but Zhang Changyao didn't feel tired at all while pushing the three-ply cart.

When going downhill, Guan Lin would ride on it, and they would quickly reach a flat area at the bottom of the slope.

"Second brother, I...I wanted to ask you something?"

"You and Zheng Meizhi are really together, isn't that right?"

When Zhang Changyao reached the uphill section, he switched to pulling the cart along.

He pondered for a while, but couldn't help asking Guan Lin.

"Yeah! It wasn't me who wanted to mess with her, she just threw herself into my arms."

That woman is no pushover; she only slept with me twice and she already wants me to buy her clothes.

If I had known sleeping with her would cost so much money, I wouldn't have forced her to do it.

Guan Lin's earlier cheerfulness vanished, his face scrunched up, clearly showing that he was indeed distressed about the money.

"You and I are different. I didn't spend any money when I was with her."

She would occasionally steal money from her father for me to spend.

Zhang Changyao wasn't saying this to brag about how great he was.

He only realized now that Zheng Meizhi truly cared for him.

Thinking of this, he felt a pang of pain in his heart, his hand trembled, and he involuntarily slowed his pace.

"Changyao, I'm not trying to be mean, but don't regret it. You can't keep this woman."

She's a womanizer and a scoundrel; she'll cheat on every man she marries.

Such a woman is only suitable for casual flings; she's not suitable for marriage and settling down.

Don't look at her like that; she'll sleep with whoever gives her money or gifts.

However, it's difficult to even touch the man on her own kang (heated brick bed).

When Ma Pengsheng wanted to sleep with her at night, it was like catching a pig.

Ma Hai's wife said under the big tree that the couple would curse at each other every night and try to lift up the roof.

"Only when the stable boy begged for mercy and kowtowed could he get a chance to win a prize," Guan Lin said smugly.

The more he said this, the more uncomfortable Zhang Changyao felt.

He always felt in his heart that if he had a hundred dollars...

When Zheng Meizhi is with me at night, things can't be like this.

"Changyao, your wife's belly is quite big, why hasn't she given birth yet?"

Guan Lin glanced at Zhang Changyao and knew he was unhappy.

I quickly found another topic to pique his interest.

"Second brother, there's something I've always found strange."

I don't think there should be a baby in my wife's belly.

I talked to my aunt about this a while ago.

My aunt also thought her stomach looked a bit abnormal.

Logically speaking, given the size of her belly and the length of her pregnancy, she should be due to give birth soon.

When asked what she needed to prepare, she stammered and couldn't answer.

I sensed something was amiss, so I didn't press her further.

Now that we have horses and carriages, I'll go to her parents' house tomorrow to ask her about it.