bookcurios Chapter 125 Discovering Gao Sun
Chapter 125 Discovering Gao Sun
After soaking in hot water, Xu Chaoyan's feet felt very comfortable. Meng Jiuhe, who had been forcibly pulled over by her, was sitting upright and looked puzzled when she suddenly said she wanted to go back.
"Is something wrong, sister-in-law?" Meng Jiuxia was grimacing from the hot water, her instep was red and swollen.
Xu Chaoyan picked up the ladle and naturally scooped some cold water into her bowl.
"It's nothing major, just going back to take a look around and find a few craftsmen. You should know them, right?"
Meng Jiuhe nodded: "There are a few in the village, it depends on what kind of craftsman you are looking for."
Xu Chaoyan's feet were anything but well-behaved; she stepped directly on his instep. He frowned but ultimately remained silent and let her step on him.
Xu Chaoyan thought for a moment and carefully considered her words before revealing her plan: "I plan to find a few people and take on some work. It's not a long-term solution to do manual labor like this every day. It's hard work and the pay isn't much. Our family still needs to eat."
After listening for a while, Meng Jiuxia understood and tilted her head to ask, "Sister-in-law, is this method reliable? There are a few people in the village who used to have a good relationship with my family, and their families are bricklayers or similar workers."
After saying all that, he didn't plan to soak his feet anymore, but Xu Chaoyan gave him a look and told him to give up: "Summer is the best time for health preservation. Don't waste your brother's good intentions. Just soak your feet for a little while longer."
The little girl pouted and reluctantly continued soaking in the water.
After learning of her idea, Meng Jiuhe looked disapproving: "These days have been hard enough, why do you have to do all this nonsense? I've already said I'm not going to study anymore. I'll earn money to support the family from now on. You and your little sister can stay at home."
Xu Chaoyan patiently explained to the brother and sister, "I've inquired around, and there's a shortage of manpower everywhere lately. Some places are even lowering prices. I'm thinking of taking a few people with me and just making a profit from the difference. I want to settle down in this town."
After hearing this, Meng Jiuxia's eyes became somewhat resentful: "Sister-in-law, do you look down on our family? Do you think we're too poor and want to go back to our home in town? Didn't your father already move away?"
Originally, they planned to wait here for Meng Jiuhe to recover from his injuries and then return to the village in a few days. However, after hearing what Xu Chaoyan said, they felt somewhat unhappy.
Xu Chaoyan glanced at the silent Meng Jiuhe and sighed softly: "What are you thinking? I was planning to send your older brother back to the village to study, but it's too much trouble and we can't make any money from it. Besides, I don't want you to be reminded of the past."
She glanced at the brother and sister, and seeing that they looked normal, she continued, "Husband, Father always hoped that you would study hard and make something of yourself. You must fulfill this wish so that he can rest assured."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jiuxia's expression darkened, her small face fell, and her voice became somewhat sad: "Big brother, sister-in-law is right. We must continue our studies so that people won't look down on us, especially my aunt and second uncle's family."
Meng Jiuhe's eyes were somewhat dim. Every time her aunt came back, she would take away many things from the house. She would say many times that if it weren't for the dowry she gave when she got married, her father wouldn't have had the opportunity to study and become an accountant, and the family wouldn't have such a good life. She said it was only right for her to take some.
Seeing that he did not object, Xu Chaoyan continued to persuade him: "I plan to send you to the county school in the future. The teachers in this town are limited in ability and we cannot delay your future."
The three of them were lost in their own thoughts and remained silent. Xu Chaoyan knew she needed to give them some time to process these things, and Meng Jiuhe didn't utter a sound until they went to bed at night.
The weather was getting hotter and hotter, with no sign of coolness. Xu Chaoyan was feeling restless and irritable, unable to fall asleep. A few mosquitoes buzzed around her head, making her want to curse.
With a "smack," she slapped her face. That annoying mosquito should be dead by now, right?
Meng Jiuhe got up and walked outside, while she carried a palm-leaf fan and an oil lamp, moving around the room.
As soon as Meng Jiu entered the room, he saw Xu Chaoyan hunching over and swatting at him with a fan. A slight smile appeared on his lips as he suddenly remembered how his mother used to shoo away mosquitoes in his room when he was a child, and his heart warmed.
Xu Chaoyan, covered in sweat, started talking to herself after he returned: "I'm going to buy a new mosquito net tomorrow. This one is full of holes and it's killing me with mosquito bites."
Meng Jiu carefully carried a basin over and placed it on the ground: "I just lit some dried herbs to repel mosquitoes. Why don't you go to sleep first? It'll be fine in a bit."
Xu Chaoyan said coquettishly, "Why didn't you take this out sooner? It made me run around the house like a monkey."
She herself was unaware that her voice carried a hint of coquetry.
Meng Jiuhe: "What does this have to do with the stars? There are no stars tonight. I only just remembered that it was given to me by Brother Zhang's family before."
Xu Chaoyan climbed onto the bed, not forgetting to leave a comment: "Give some to your sister-in-law and put it by her window. She'll have a face full of bites by tomorrow."
"Yes, I've already ordered."
Despite the dim light in the room, Meng Jiuhe could still see Xu Chaoyan's fair and delicate arms. Because of the heat, she was wearing a sleeveless dress, and her two fair and delicate arms were dazzlingly white.
Meng Jiuhe unconsciously pursed his lips, then directly covered her with a thin blanket, making sure she was completely covered up. Xu Chaoyan only had her head sticking out, and she protested with a dissatisfied expression: "Do you want to suffocate me so you can take a second wife? I can just make room for you, why do you have to make things so difficult for me and try to make me die of heat? You have such a vicious mind."
Meng Jiu was speechless, choked by her self-righteous words. He was not good with words to begin with, and his face turned even worse.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Why are you taking a second wife? Can't you think of anything useful all day? You can't even handle one person."
The next day, they slept in late, a rare occurrence. By the time they finished eating and tidying up, it was already around 9 AM.
As Xu Chaoyan walked, she complained to Meng Jiuhe, "You woke up a long time ago, why didn't you wake me up? It's so late, I don't know what time it will be when we get there."
The thought of having to travel such a long distance made Xu Chaoyan wilted like a frostbitten eggplant, completely lacking in spirit.
Meng Jiuhe calmly packed his things: "I wanted you to rest a little longer. There's no rush to go back right now. We can rest for the night."
Xu Chaoyan hurriedly checked to make sure the chickens were properly locked, and added extra food in case they didn't return until tomorrow.
Before leaving, she asked her sister-in-law to bring the wheelchair she had been using, saying that she could sit down for a while if she couldn't walk anymore. She also glanced at Meng Jiuhe after saying that.
Meng Jiuhe's expression darkened further. His leg had long since healed, so what did this mean? Did they still think he was crippled?
Meng Jiuxia glanced at her older brother and saw that he looked unwell, so she quickly ran away.
In the end, the wheelchair was pushed back, with some food on it, which saved some effort.
Meng Jiuhe kept a straight face and ignored everyone the whole way, and he didn't say a word even when Xu Chaoyan said a few words to him.
Meng Jiuxia quickly whispered, "Big brother is angry. He thinks we still consider him crippled. Look, it's all your fault for insisting on bringing this back. Even pushing a wheelbarrow would have been better."
Xu Chaoyan glanced at the person in front of her with a dark expression before explaining to Meng Jiuxia, "I was just worried that he was too tired from walking and needed to rest for a while. Although his leg has long since healed, he has been working outside with us these past few days. I often see him massaging his leg at night, and I'm afraid he hasn't fully recovered yet."
"As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. His injury is so severe, he'll need at least two hundred-day recovery periods."
Meng Jiuxia sighed: "You know my older brother is very concerned about his reputation. You could have just explained it clearly, but now it's even more difficult to explain. Look at his face, it's as black as charcoal."
Xu Chaoyan chuckled: "Your older brother has indeed gotten a bit tanned these days, but he doesn't look like a lump of charcoal. Alright, alright, don't say anything more and he'll get upset if he hears you."
The three of them continued along the road back to the village. When they passed a small ditch, Xu Chaoyan stopped and wiped the sweat from her face: "I'm going to wash my face. Wait for me for a while."
"Ah?" A sudden scream pierced the sky.
Meng Jiuhe, disregarding everything else, rushed over, panting, and asked, "What happened?"
He thought the person had fallen into the ditch, and the water was quite deep in some parts of the river.
Xu Chaoyan broke off a water chestnut and held it in her hand, looking delighted: "Look, there are water chestnuts here."
Meng Jiuhe breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her standing there unharmed.
Meng Jiuxia said calmly, "It's just bamboo shoots. You've never seen anything like it before. You're making a big fuss and almost made me step into the water."