Chen Dachun waved his hand and patted Chen Xiaobei's shoulder lightly. "I've told you before, I don't want rent. If you keep insisting, you're treating me like an outsider."
Alright, with that, Chen Xiaobei gave up.
"Well then, Brother Dachun, if you need help with anything in the future, just let me know. By the way, when I go to the county town, I'll stop by your house too."
By the time they came back from the field, the sun was already setting, and Cui Hongyu had started preparing dinner.
When she saw Chen Xiaobei returning, Chen Qiao'er hopped up to him with excitement. "Brother, Brother, Sister-in-law said tonight we're eating the vegetables we grew ourselves!"
Chen Xiaobei looked at Cui Hongyu in surprise. The vegetables from the field were ready so quickly?
Cui Hongyu walked over, looking a little uneasy. "Husband, I'm sorry I made dinner without waiting for you. I thought, since we'll be selling them in the county, we should try them first to see if they taste good and are safe to eat. Otherwise, we wouldn't feel comfortable selling them."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei smiled.
"That's perfectly normal. What do you mean by making decisions on your own? Remember, from now on, for any big or small matters at home, you can make the decisions without asking for my opinion."
"Right, your opinion is my opinion."
When Chen Xiaobei said this, Cui Hongyu looked up at him, wide-eyed in disbelief. Soon, she realized, and shook her head furiously like a rattle, her hands waving in front of her.
"No, no, no, everything still has to be decided by you, husband. I…"
Chen Xiaobei stepped forward, holding her hand, and said emotionally, "Hongyu, we are husband and wife, we should discuss everything together, so your opinion is my opinion."
Cui Hongyu's face turned even redder.
Looking at her rosy cheeks, like a red apple in autumn, Chen Xiaobei couldn't help himself and pulled her into his arms, planting a kiss on her cheek.
At that moment, Chen Qiao'er was delighted, clapping her hands and shouting loudly, "Shame, shame, shame, Brother kissed Sister-in-law!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaobei let go of Cui Hongyu and turned to chase Chen Qiao'er. "You little brat, let me see if I don't spank you."
Chen Qiao'er screamed, running around the big locust tree twice before leaping into Cui Hongyu's arms.
Seeing this scene, Cui Hongyu's heart warmed, and a blissful smile spread across her face.
Chen Xiaobei was completely different from what she had heard in the past. Now, she was completely at ease. He was a man worthy of entrusting her life to.
After calming Chen Qiao'er down, Cui Hongyu turned and went into the kitchen. After a moment, a tempting aroma filled the air, and a steaming plate of stir-fried vegetables was ready. Cui Hongyu added some lard, making the dish even more delicious.
As they ate, Chen Xiaobei teased Cui Hongyu with a smile. "Now, are you at ease? The vegetables are safe to eat and not poisonous."
Cui Hongyu nodded in agreement, her face once again glowing with a happy smile.
To be honest, after marrying into Chen Xiaobei's family, the quality of food she had was no worse than what she had at home; in fact, it was even better.
For example, pork fat—back home, she couldn't have it every day.
But the standards were still not enough for Chen Xiaobei. Cui Hongyu's actions of trying the vegetables that night reminded him.
He had been so focused on going to the county town every day to sell herbs.
Although he also bought food to bring back home.
But what did he buy? Rice, bread, pork fat, bones. He had never really thought about buying vegetables.
In the mornings, they ate fish if he caught any; if not, they ate a few pieces of pickled vegetables. He certainly hadn't treated Cui Hongyu properly.
With this thought, he silently made up his mind: tomorrow he would go sell vegetables, talk to Old Wu, and exchange some vegetables he didn't have. He would make sure that every meal for Hongyu and Qiao'er had vegetables.
The next morning, Chen Xiaobei woke up before dawn.
He took his umbrella net and went to the riverbank. He wanted to try his luck again. If he was lucky enough to catch two fish, it would add to his income.
Even catching a few small fish would allow him to treat Hongyu and Qiao'er to a little something special.
Today, his luck seemed to be quite good. Not long after, he caught a big fish—this fish was really big, about one and a half feet long.
Chen Xiaobei was secretly pleased when he saw the fish. The large water pouch he had prepared was finally put to use.
By the time the sun came up, he had caught two more fish, one nearly a foot long and the other half a foot long.
Chen Xiaobei ran back home, took the large water pouch, and went to the river. He quickly filled it with water, then carefully placed the two larger fish inside. The smallest one he simply carried back home in the umbrella net.
When Qiao'er saw there was fish to eat, she became excited, hopping and jumping.
Cui Hongyu, however, frowned and waved her hands repeatedly. "Husband, since we have the water pouch to carry live fish, even if they're smaller, the restaurant might still take them."
Chen Xiaobei shook his head firmly. "No, I won't sell them, even if they take them. These fish are for my wife to eat."
Faced with this blatant show of affection, Cui Hongyu seemed a little uncomfortable. Her face immediately turned red.
Looking at her flushed face, Chen Xiaobei found it hard to resist.
In his previous life, he had been a Dionysian.
But he also had emotions and desires. He had once studied under a master in that small, dimly lit house, learning various skills.
And now, despite having all these abilities, he couldn't make use of them.
Yes, the root cause of his current predicament was his little sister, Chen Qiao'er, a burden he couldn't get rid of.
He looked at Chen Qiao'er and helplessly shook his head.
Before reinforcing the house, he'd probably have to endure a few more days.
Today's trip to the county town had been a pleasant one. Chen Xiaobei leisurely leaned against the donkey cart.
The large water pouch was hung on the donkey's back, ensuring no water would spill out, and as for the Lingzhi and ginseng, they had to be kept in front of him for safekeeping.
He was walking along casually when the entire Heitou Village was in an uproar.
"Look at Chen Xiaobei, who's uneducated, yet he married a good wife!"
"Who says otherwise? Cui Hongyu brought so many dowries, and the silks alone filled an entire cart."
"Right, and now Chen Xiaobei has even bought a donkey cart."
"In our village, we only have three donkey carts. Tsk tsk."
Hearing the villagers' chatter, Li Chang Chen Anbang wasn't feeling good.
With a gloomy face, he muttered, "This wasteful Chen Xiaobei will soon ruin all of Hongyu's dowry."
After saying this, he wasn't satisfied and cursed a few more times. The villagers, seeing his displeasure, dared not say more and dispersed.
At that moment, an unexpected guest arrived at the village entrance.
It was a young man who seemed a bit thin.
The guard on duty at the village entrance, named Chen Daqiang, immediately shouted, "Who are you, and what are you doing in our Heitou Village?"
The young man smiled and cupped his hands, "Brother, I'm here to visit relatives. Chen Yutian is my uncle."
Upon hearing that he was Chen Yutian's nephew, Chen Daqiang smiled, "Ah, you can go in. Just follow the path, and when you reach the tree ahead, turn right."
At this moment, Chen Daqiang did not realize that an event was about to unfold that would change the entire situation of Heitou Village.