novelraw Chapter 87 The Corn That Was Choosing a Different Approach
Chapter 87 The Corn That Was Choosing a Different Approach
Zheng Meizhi saw Zheng Jingren navigating between the two older women with ease.
He lowered his guard, told his father the truth, and sought Zheng Jingren's opinion.
"Meizhi, don't talk nonsense. Get down from the ground and come home with your father."
Zheng Jingren also saw Zhang Kaiju outside the house and had no choice but to push Zhao Xiulan away from his arms.
He climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and pulled Zheng Meizhi, who was too afraid to get off, up from inside.
"Ouch... Dad, touch me gently, it hurts."
Zheng Meizhi dared not straighten her back; the place where Yang Wuni had hit her was still very painful.
"Meizhi, did the stable boy hit you? Let Daddy see where he hit you!"
Zheng Jingren felt sorry for his daughter and touched his clothes, trying to figure out where Zheng Meizhi was in pain.
"Zheng Jingren, why aren't you leaving yet? My father will come in soon, and I'll tell him about you hugging my Aunt Xiulan."
Yang Wuni felt guilty; she was afraid Zhang Changyao would find out that she had beaten Zheng Meizhi.
Zheng Jingren was indeed feeling guilty. Hearing Yang Wuni's threats, he didn't say anything, but pulled Zheng Meizhi away.
Before leaving, he couldn't help but glance at Yang Wuni sideways.
"Zheng Jingren, what are you doing at my house?"
Zhang Kaiju pushed open the door and came face to face with Zheng Jingren. His smiling face immediately turned cold.
"Do absolutely nothing!"
Zheng Jingren grumbled and said something in an annoyed tone.
He pushed aside Zhang Kaiju, who was blocking the door, and slammed the door shut as he left.
"Xiulan, what's that scoundrel Zheng Jingren doing at our house?"
Zhang Kaiju looked at Zhao Xiulan, who was still wiping away tears, and asked in bewilderment.
"Zhang Kaiju, why are you asking this? Do you suspect me?"
"Your sister, son, and daughter-in-law are all here, what can Zheng Jingren do?"
Zhao Xiulan turned the tables and questioned Zhang Kaiju first, leaving Zhang Kaiju speechless.
"Auntie, let's go!"
Zhang Changyao didn't want to stay in this room any longer.
He pulled Zhang Shuhua, who was so angry that she was stunned and speechless, back to his own little house.
"Wu Ni, have Chang Yao go see your older brother tomorrow to discuss farming."
Both of our families have donkeys, but yours has nothing.
We, as elders, shouldn't be too forceful with them; you should talk to them yourselves.
That way, your elder brother and sister-in-law wouldn't have the heart to see you unable to farm.
Don't go asking for help empty-handed; buy the two children something to eat.
Just as Yang Wuni was about to go home with Zhang Changyao, Zhang Kaiju called her back.
"Hmm!" Yang Wuni reluctantly squeezed out a single word through her nose.
Feeling uncomfortable, he turned around and went into his little room.
"Wu Ni, what did Daddy say to you?"
Zhang Changyao only heard Zhang Kaiju call out to Yang Wuni, and didn't know what happened afterward.
"Auntie, do you think my dad and Zhao Xiulan are bullying us?"
Not only did that old couple lose our chestnut horse, but they also...
They're about to start planting, and they still want us to go and talk to my older brother and sister-in-law ourselves.
That guy is too busy watching the fun with the corn.
How could they possibly agree to let our family use their two families' donkeys to farm the land?
Yang Wuni sat on a small stool at the entrance of the stove and said to Zhang Shuhua, "Poke the wall of the kang (heated brick bed) with the fire poker as hard as you can."
"Wu Ni, you two go! Your sister-in-law will agree."
Zhang Shuhua couldn't bear to see Yang Wuni in such a predicament, so she said something.
"Auntie, how did you know?" Zhang Changyao couldn't help but wonder.
"Changyao, don't ask those questions. Nothing is more important than farming."
Fearing she might let something slip, Zhang Shuhua immediately got up and went home.
"Zhang Changyao, I have a feeling that Auntie is hiding something from us."
Yang Wuni hadn't thought of anything at first, but Zhang Changyao's question made her suspicious.
"Wu Ni, I see that Dad has divided up all the corn kernels in our family."
Let's go to my sister-in-law's house right now and ask. If she won't do anything for us, we'll have to figure out a solution quickly.
Zhang Changyao changed the subject, not wanting to think about those baseless rumors anymore.
"Zhang Changyao, Dad said we can't go empty-handed, so he told us to buy some food for the kids."
Yang Wuni knelt down on the kang (a heated brick bed), took out a dollar from her floral cloth bag, and put it in her trouser pocket.
The two went to the convenience store and bought a bag of roasted fruit.
There was also a handful of candy, which cost a total of ninety-five cents.
"Here, try it, is it good?"
Zhang Changyao took a piece of roasted fruit from the wrapping paper and stuffed it into Yang Wuni's mouth.
"It's delicious, fragrant and sweet. Zhang Changyao, you should have a piece too."
Yang Wuni held the food in her mouth, reluctant to swallow, and nudged Zhang Changyao, urging him to steal a piece as well.
"I won't eat it. There aren't many pieces left. If I eat it, there won't be any left."
Wu Ni, when we have money in the future, I'll buy you things every day.
"Swallow it quickly, and let my sister-in-law see if she'll lend us the donkey."
Zhang Changyao poked Yang Wuni's cheek with his finger to make her swallow.
"Wow! Is the sun rising in the west?"
They even know to buy food for the kids; that's really rare.
As soon as Sui Yu saw Zhang Changyao open the oven and distribute the fruit to the two children, she pursed her lips and said sarcastically.
"Sister-in-law, we are uncle and aunt, isn't it normal for us to buy food for the child?"
You're making it sound like we're both incredibly stingy.
"When we have money in the future, we'll buy our child whatever he wants to eat."
Yang Wuni sat down next to Sui Yumi, trying to ingratiate herself, and whispered among herself.
"Changyao's wife, I heard that Zhai Qingming got married."
Did you buy candy for the kid they brought?
I thought your family and Zhai Qingming were brothers back then!
Sui Yumi had no intention of avoiding the issue, and her words became increasingly harsh.
"Sister-in-law, I bought candy for Zhai Qingming's child because the thermos I bought was broken."
The candy was a replacement from Zhou Fengmei. If I had paid for it, I would never have been willing to spend that money.
Today, Changyao and I bought some candy for the kids too.
Yang Wuni took all the candies out of her coat pocket and placed them in front of Sui Yumi.
"That's alright. At least you two still have a conscience and know where you're going."
Sui Yumi, who had been deliberately picking a fight, finally smiled.
"Sister-in-law, you know that our chestnut horse is missing, right?"
"We're about to start planting, and we'll need to use your family's and your father's donkeys. Your father sent us to tell you."
Seeing that the time was right, Zhang Changyao immediately asked about the important matter.
"Changyao, Wuni, it's not that my sister-in-law is being unreasonable, it's just that my donkey needs to eat hay while working."
"You can't just stand there doing nothing, using our livestock for free, can you?"
With a stern face, Sui Yumei seriously negotiated terms with Zhang Changyao.
"Sister-in-law, as long as you let us use the livestock, our family will provide the fodder for the farming season."
"It won't take many days. How much can a donkey eat?"
Zhang Changyao had anticipated that following Yu Mi would make things difficult for him, and had already devised a countermeasure.
"Changyao, what are you saying? You're in charge of the fodder for the crops every few days?"
According to you, livestock should not be fed hay in advance to fatten them up.
"If you feed the animals only when they need it, will they have the energy to work?"
As Yumi's face darkened, she slapped the candy in front of her onto the kang (a heated brick bed).
"Sister-in-law, just say what you mean directly. If you keep playing riddles like this, we'll both be completely confused."