As soon as Chen Ermao and the others entered, Qiao'er immediately got scared and hid behind Cui Hongyu. "Sister-in-law, they are bad people. They want to take me away and sell me."
Seeing Chen Ermao and the others, Cui Hongyu also felt uneasy. Everyone in the nearby villages knew the infamous names of Chen Ermao and her group.
Hearing Qiao'er's words, however, Cui Hongyu suddenly found strength within herself. Protecting the weak was a natural instinct for any person.
"Chen Ermao, you're not welcome here. Leave."
Chen Ermao chuckled, "Cui Hongyu, don't look at me like that. You're just a weak woman with a burden. If I really wanted to make a move, you wouldn't be able to fight back."
Cui Hongyu refused to back down. "So what? If it comes to it, I'll trade one life for another."
Just then, from the next yard, Aunt Xiumei heard the commotion and immediately shouted, "Dachun, hurry over and see if some scoundrels are bullying Hongyu again!"
Hearing Aunt Xiumei call for Dachun, Chen Ermao immediately panicked, giving Monkey and the others a look. They quickly ran off.
Seeing them run away, Cui Hongyu let out a long sigh of relief and turned to pick up Qiao'er.
"Qiao'er, don't be afraid. The bad people are gone."
At that moment, Aunt Xiumei, who had been peeking over the wall, couldn't help but laugh out loud. "These scoundrels are as cowardly as mice. As soon as they heard Dachun's name, they ran away."
Aunt Xiumei was delighted, but Cui Hongyu still felt uneasy. After waiting for a while in anxiety, Chen Xiaobei finally returned, each hand carrying a heavy bundle of wild eggs.
Nearly two hundred wild eggs were incredibly valuable to this family.
However, Chen Xiaobei understood that with so many wild eggs, they wouldn't be able to eat them all in the summer, and they would spoil quickly. This reminded him of his past life, when he had salted duck eggs at home.
Yes, he thought, tomorrow I'll go to the county and buy some salt. I can pickle these wild eggs, and they'll last a long time.
After dinner, Cui Hongyu cleaned up the table and began to arrange the beds.
There were two beds in the room—one for Qiao'er and one for Chen Xiaobei.
Since Qiao'er was still young, she pulled Cui Hongyu's hand and, with a hint of pleading, said, "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, can you sleep with me tonight? I'm scared."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei almost wanted to step in and explain to his little sister, "Wife is mine. How could she sleep with you?"
Cui Hongyu smiled and patted Qiao'er on the head, agreeing to her request. Then, finding a moment, she softly said to Chen Xiaobei, "Husband, please understand, Hongyu has been carrying a red thread for the past few days, which has caused some inconvenience. Once I cleanse myself, we can share the bridal chamber."
Well then.
Chen Xiaobei could only helplessly agree, not wanting to fight this to the bitter end.
That night, Chen Xiaobei couldn't sleep. Lying still and staring at the ceiling, his mind raced, filled with a thousand conflicting thoughts, all swirling around.
What kind of crossing is this? After finally having a wife delivered to my door, I can't even touch her.
So many stories about crossing—either the protagonist is a prince, a king, or sometimes a young master with countless wives and concubines.
Is it because I've read so many of these novels that the heavens want to give me a different kind of experience?
But soon, another thought occurred to him: Perhaps Cui Hongyu didn't want to marry him, and she was being forced into it.
With that thought, he felt more at ease. After all, a reluctant marriage is never sweet. It would be better to be open and honest with Cui Hongyu and let her seek her own happiness.
At that moment, Cui Hongyu was also awake.
Her mind was in turmoil.
If it hadn't been for the previous three unfortunate incidents, she would have at least married into a moderately wealthy family, living a life without want, focusing on supporting her husband and raising children in peace.
But now, Chen Xiaobei's family was poor, and on top of that, Chen Ermao had barged in today. The things he said made her uneasy.
Why did Chen Ermao dare to be so bold? Wasn't it because he thought her family couldn't be relied upon, and Chen Xiaobei was an orphan, alone and helpless?
In a daze, she turned over, and the bed creaked.
The sound startled Chen Xiaobei, and after a moment's hesitation, he quietly asked, "Hongyu, are you awake?"
Cui Hongyu softly responded, "Husband, you're awake too?"
"I can't sleep. I want to tell you the true situation of my family."
Chen Xiaobei slowly sat up. "I won't hide it from you. My family has only two acres of land, and it's rented out to others, giving us only two hundred jin of grain a year."
"This is the only source of income for my family. The two hundred jin of grain may not even be enough for my sister and me to eat."
"By the way, I've planted some rapeseed on the wasteland behind. If we're lucky, we might be able to sell it in the city for some copper coins to help with the household expenses."
"So you need to think carefully. If you stay with my family, you might not even be able to eat enough in the future. We'll have to tighten our belts and live frugally."
"Of course, I will go to the mountains and try to find some wild chickens or something. If I can sell them in the city, I might be able to make some money, but how much I can earn is uncertain."
Chen Xiaobei finished explaining the situation of his family in one breath, and he felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.
While Chen Xiaobei felt relieved, Cui Hongyu was on the verge of tears, feeling utterly wronged.
"I, Cui Hongyu, am a woman of some standing in these parts. I can do everything, from sewing and stitching to working in the fields. I've even learned my father's medical skills."
"But what use is all that?"
"I married into the impoverished family of Chen Xiaobei, and now I'm being criticized for coming here and eating their food, causing them to go hungry."
But, where else could she go? As she thought about her departure, she remembered the look of excitement on her father's face when she left. She knew that the home she came from no longer belonged to her.
Although she had brought a large dowry of fine silks and satin, it had all been earned through years of hard work, helping her father with his medical practice.
In other words, her father had cast her out, indifferent to whether she lived or died.
Now, with no other options, she had no choice but to stay with Chen Xiaobei.
With these thoughts in mind, she switched to a pleading tone. "Husband, you don't need to worry. When I left, my family gave me a lot of silks and satin. I'll sell them in the county and exchange them for grain. You don't have to worry. As long as I'm here, I promise I won't let you and Qiao'er go hungry."
Hearing Cui Hongyu's words, Chen Xiaobei felt a deep discomfort in his heart.
He didn't want to send her away, he just wanted to be clear about his family's situation. But he didn't expect that Cui Hongyu had misunderstood.
He quickly changed his tone. "I don't mean to send you away. I just wanted to explain the situation."
However, his sudden change of tone made Cui Hongyu mistakenly think that Chen Xiaobei had decided to keep her because she was planning to sell her dowry to buy grain.
Cui Hongyu's heart sank, and her fondness for Chen Xiaobei quickly diminished.
Little did Chen Xiaobei know, that without realizing it, he had become the "scumbag" in Cui Hongyu's heart.