"Brother, you should get some rest, get some rest." Chen Ermao mumbled a few words, then turned and ran off.
Chen Xiaobei waited until the footsteps outside had completely faded away, then with a clang, he threw the kitchen knife onto the ground.
His body slumped down, exhausted.
At that moment, Chen Qiao'er in the house was also startled and started crying loudly again.
Chen Xiaobei went back inside and spent some time soothing her. After he finally managed to calm Qiao'er down and get her to sleep, he found that he no longer had the slightest bit of sleepiness.
He went back outside, leaned against the big locust tree, and looked up at the starry sky, letting out a series of sighs.
What the hell have I crossed into?
Poor and destitute, with a burden to carry, and still needing to constantly guard against being robbed.
Even though I've luckily caught a few wild chickens and have a few hundred wen in hand, this money is barely enough to raise Qiao'er.
What can I even do in my current state?
After thinking it over, he suddenly slapped his forehead.
Right! I can do what Old Wu does—grow and sell vegetables.
In my past life, my family grew vegetables. When the greenhouse vegetables were in season, especially the off-season ones, I made a good amount of money.
Although it's not off-season now, Old Wu is selling his leafy greens for one wen per jin, which is quite a good deal.
With this plan in mind, Chen Xiaobei felt excited again.
At first light, he took Qiao'er back to Dachun's house, then rushed to the county town.
After wandering around the county until noon, he bought a large bag of oilseed vegetables, a jar of wine, and some marinated food. He then happily returned to Hetou Village.
The reason he bought wine and marinated food was because he planned to invite Dachun's family to drink tonight.
Dachun's wife, Cuihua, had also returned from her family's home, just in time for this opportunity to improve their lives.
As they sat down to a table full of wine and food, Aunt Xiumei, however, didn't make a move with her chopsticks. "Xiaobei, if there's something you need to say, just say it."
Chen Xiaobei picked up his bowl of wine and said to her, "Aunt Xiumei, I don't mean anything by it. It's just that Qiao'er has caused you trouble these past few days, and I want to thank you."
Dachun, smiling, raised his bowl and clinked it with Chen Xiaobei's. "Xiaobei, it's no big deal. If you're busy in the future, just let Qiao'er stay at my place. I'll treat her like my own sister."
Chen Qiao'er fluttered her big eyes. "Brother Dachun is right. I'm your sister."
Her words made everyone laugh, and the atmosphere in the room instantly lightened.
After drinking the bowl of wine, Aunt Xiumei brought up the old topic again, talking about Cui Hongyu.
"Today I saw the village head. He said that your situation has already been settled in the village. He arranged for people to help you tidy up the house, and let Cui Hongyu move in."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei sighed helplessly. Women only slow down my ability to make money.
Besides, there's really not much to tidy up in this house.
The next morning, the village head, Chen Anbang, really did bring a few people.
Some people cleaned the yard, others helped organize the firewood in the shed, and a few more grabbed bamboo poles to clear away the spider webs in the corners of the house.
What surprised Chen Xiaobei even more was that Chen Anbang's wife actually brought him two new quilts.
With such a generous investment, Chen Xiaobei couldn't understand why everyone was so eager for Cui Hongyu to marry him.
In less than an hour, the house was all tidied up. Chen Anbang stood in the middle of the yard, looking around, then said to a middle-aged man, "Sanqiu, you can write, right? Afterward, write a couplet and put it up. It's a wedding, after all, the house should have a festive atmosphere."
After giving his instructions, he turned to Chen Xiaobei and gave him a long lecture, telling him to treat Cui Hongyu well, not to hit or scold her.
Chen Xiaobei knew that if he didn't agree, today's situation would definitely not end, so he simply agreed to everything.
Once he had successfully gotten rid of the village head, Chen Xiaobei quickly grabbed the oilseed vegetable seeds he had bought and headed to the unused land outside the village.
This piece of land was over an acre in size.
Since it was not far from Chen Xiaobei's home, Chen Qiao'er often went there to gather wild vegetables, and the villagers had tacitly accepted that this land belonged to his family, so no one else came.
The reason for this tacit agreement was that the land was close to the river and was sandy, which made it unsuitable for growing crops, but perfect for wild vegetables.
The sandy land, however, was perfect for growing vegetables.
Chen Xiaobei used a hoe to dig a few simple furrows in the ground, then slowly scattered the oilseed vegetable seeds and covered them with soil.
Using the newly bought iron pot, he fetched water from the river and watered the freshly planted seeds.
Perhaps the iron pot never expected that, in addition to cooking, it would unlock a new function.
The next day, by mid-morning, there was a commotion outside Chen Xiaobei's house.
Many children were running around, shouting songs and playing.
Chen Xiaobei was also called over by the village head, who hung a big red flower across his chest.
Chen Xiaobei felt helpless, but right now he couldn't resist.
He stood at the door for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before finally seeing a carriage approaching in the distance.
The carriage stopped about a yard away from Chen Xiaobei, and the rear of the carriage, where the sedan was, made it difficult to see what was going on inside.
The village children, excited, gathered around the carriage, eagerly shouting to see the bride.
When the carriage was just a yard away from Chen Xiaobei, it stopped. Aunt Xiumei quickly stepped forward, lifted the sedan curtain, and helped someone out.
The person who emerged was dressed in bright red, but there was no red veil covering her head. She simply stepped out of the carriage.
Cui Hongyu—this was the legendary Cui Hongyu.
With willow-leaf-shaped eyebrows, a small cherry-red mouth, and a pair of big, sparkling eyes, she truly fit the description: "Her eyes were like pools of water, her smile enchanting."
Cui Hongyu was even more beautiful than the rumors had described.
But Chen Xiaobei wasn't happy at all.
After all, she had already outlived three husbands—just thinking about it made him shudder.
Aunt Xiumei helped Cui Hongyu over to Chen Xiaobei, and with a soft cough, she said, "Xiaobei, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and bring your bride into the house."
Cui Hongyu, however, was poised and graceful. She came in front of Chen Xiaobei, gave a slight bow, and said, "Please take good care of me, my husband."
Chen Xiaobei snapped back to reality. "Oh, then come with me."
He turned and started walking back. His indifferent attitude made Cui Hongyu a little nervous, so she followed him closely, step by step, into the yard.
Once inside the yard, Cui Hongyu's face showed some surprise. Perhaps she hadn't expected the house she was marrying into to be in such a dilapidated state.
At this time, Aunt Xiumei was already directing the neighbors to help bring in the wedding gifts that had been sent along with the carriage.
There were quite a few silk fabrics and satin, but seeing all of this, Chen Xiaobei couldn't help shaking his head.
Fancy, but impractical. Wearing beautiful clothes, shining with silk and satin is useless if your stomach is empty.
Finally, the carriage driver entered.
He bowed to Chen Xiaobei and said, "Greetings, son-in-law."
Then he turned to Cui Hongyu. "Miss, I'll head back now."
Cui Hongyu nodded. "Uncle Axiang, tell my mother I'm fine here."
After speaking, she looked at Chen Xiaobei.
From the look in Cui Hongyu's eyes, Chen Xiaobei noticed a hint of pleading.