She found herself unable to communicate with the mute, completely out of sync…
“Xiao Ran, tie your belt properly, don’t let it drag!” Madam Huang reprimanded.
Chen Xiao Ran, with her eyes half-closed from sleepiness, sat on the edge of the kang, lazily tying her belt.
Young ladies of noble families all had the habit of sleeping in, and Chen Xiao Ran was no exception.
But after sleeping at the old Yun family’s for a few days, she had adjusted…
Country folk all woke up early. Take Old Man Yun, for instance; he had already finished hoeing the fields and was now sitting by the roadside, puffing on his pipe.
Yun Da Man and Yun Er Man walked over, each holding a cucumber they had plucked from the fields, eating as they walked.
“Dad, what do you think we should do about this? I’m not saying I don’t want to go…”
Yun Er Man broke off half a cucumber and handed it to Old Man Yun, “Here, plucked from Li the Cripple’s garden!”
Yun Er Man still held a grudge against Li the Cripple for stealing two of their gourds last time.
“Put it there, after I finish my smoke!” Old Man Yun took off his straw hat and fanned himself. “If you don’t go, you’ll offend the Prefect. Don’t be so clueless, have some awareness…”
“Do you think that one spot is so easy to get? The Prefect is doing this for our family’s sake, isn’t he?”
“If you don’t want to go, there are plenty of people who would break their heads to get in!”
As he spoke, Old Man Yun kicked Yun Da Man, “What do you think? From the way Gui Hua sees it, she wants you to go. Do you have any thoughts on it yourself?”
Yun Da Man was stunned for a moment, then threw the cucumber end away. “I’m not going…”
No matter what his wife thought, he certainly had no intention of going.
He planted trees on Tuo Feng Mountain, leaving early and returning late. When he had free time, he could help the family with the fields.
Suddenly going to the prefectural city to be a yamen runner, he was a hundred percent unwilling…
It was so far from home. If something happened at home, he wouldn’t be able to rush back even on a fast horse.
Old Man Yun sighed, scratching a large mosquito bite on his forehead. “If neither of you goes, how am I supposed to explain it to Prefect Chen?”
“Alas, is he trying to help but ending up causing trouble?”
“Oh, Dad…” Yun Er Man plopped down on the ground and glared at his father. “Prefect Chen is doing this, isn’t it to curry favor with our sister?”
“If we were just ordinary villagers, and our sister didn’t help us, Prefect Chen wouldn’t even know our family name! Right?”
“Right my foot!” Old Man Yun punched him. “You idiot, you’re truly an idiot, you don’t know how to behave at all. Your words are even uglier than your wife’s!”
Yun Er Man: “…”
What did he say?
“Alright, you two carry the water buckets. I’ll go and humble myself to talk to the Prefect. All of you are so unpromising. Staying in this village, what kind of future can you have!”
Old Man Yun, with his pipe in his mouth and hands behind his back, muttered as he went home…
“Big brother, isn’t older sister-in-law planning to open a restaurant? You could take this opportunity to open one in the prefectural city. There are more people there, and it’s lively. With older sister-in-law’s cooking skills, she’s sure to make money!” Yun Er Man said with a smile.
Yun Da Man remained silent…
He had a strong attachment to home and disliked being too far from his parents and relatives.
Therefore, he rejected the idea of working in Shuo An City without even thinking about it. “Gui Hua is pregnant, and the house is being built right now. Harvest season is approaching. How could I leave?”
He knew his father’s rheumatism had relapsed recently, causing him backaches and leg pain every day, making him unable to do heavy work…
If he left, what would happen to those fifty mu of land?
“Then neither of us will go. Come on, let’s go home!” Yun Er Man patted his elder brother’s shoulder and went home with the water buckets.
East room.
Prefect Chen slept until almost noon.
Madam Huang, after pulling the quilt and pinching his nose, finally managed to pry him off the kang…
“No, what are you doing here? Take your daughter and go home quickly!”
Prefect Chen licked his dry, chapped lips. His throat was so parched it felt like it was about to smoke.
This woman was actually chasing him to the old Yun family’s place, which was truly improper.
Wasn’t she afraid of being laughed at?
“Daddy, Mom and I slept here last night. The kang is so warm…” Chen Xiao Ran said with a smile.
“Huh?” Prefect Chen suddenly looked at Madam Huang and nudged her hard. “What are you up to? Can’t you see they only have two kangs and not enough sleeping space? Why are you crowding in?”
This woman was truly out of control.
Madam Huang also felt a surge of anger and said indignantly, “Why are you yelling at me? You were almost drunk to death outside, how could I not care?”
“Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, you’re at the drinking table for three hundred days. If you don’t want to continue this marriage, let’s divorce early, and I’ll take our daughter back to my mother’s home…”
As she spoke, Madam Huang began to sob.
Prefect Chen frowned deeply, got off the kang, and put on his shoes. “You’re talking to someone who doesn’t understand human language. I can’t be bothered to talk to you!”
Liu Cui Rong peeked in from the doorway, having watched the entire spectacle. “Oh, the Prefect is awake? The kitchen saved some food for you. Do you want me to help you heat it up?”
“That would be troublesome…” Prefect Chen picked up Yun Da Man’s teacup and drank the remaining cold tea in one gulp.
Liu Cui Rong didn’t move. “Alas, it’s almost noon. No need to heat the food. Let’s wait for everyone to come back and eat lunch together!”
Asking her to heat the food? What a joke!
She herself was so hungry her stomach was growling.
Prefect Chen: “…”
Does this woman have some mental issues?
She seemed even more abnormal than his own wife.
Just then, Madam Gu led Xiao Xi Tian in.
The mother and daughter had bought two jin of small mixed fish.
They included loaches, crucian carp, mud carp, and more…
Fried mixed fish sauce was very delicious and went well with rice.
It was just that one had to be careful when eating it, as it could prick one’s mouth.
Last time, Yun Xiao Bao’s gums were pricked, which made Liu Cui Rong so distressed that she ate three extra bowls of rice.
“Sister Gu bought fish!” Prefect Chen greeted her with a smile, and didn’t forget to pinch Xiao Xi Tian’s cheek.
Chen Xiao Ran: “…”
Dad, you could have patted my head too.
It was as if sister Xi Tian was your biological daughter.
Madam Gu nodded. “We’ll make fried fish sauce later. Did the Prefect rest well last night?”
Anyway, Madam Huang had slept quite soundly, not getting up once during the night…
Before Prefect Chen could answer, Madam Huang said sarcastically, “How could he not sleep well? He just woke up and hasn’t even washed his face yet!”
What kind of Prefect was this? He was even sloppier than a county magistrate.
If he stayed in He Yang County any longer, he would completely turn into a bumpkin.
“Shut your mouth. Didn’t you just get up too?” Prefect Chen glared at her.
Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Neither should mock the other.
Madam Huang was extremely dejected and pulled Chen Xiao Ran towards the door. “Xiao Ran, let’s go home…”
“Mom, no, I want to play with sister Xi Tian!” Chen Xiao Ran squatted on the ground, refusing to move.
Madam Huang was even more dejected. “No, your father isn’t listening, and you’re causing trouble too? Hurry up and come back with me!”
“No, no, wuwuwu…” Chen Xiao Ran burst into loud sobs.
The sharp wails attracted Fu Da Qiang and his wife.
“Did someone slaughter a pig?” Fu Da Qiang rushed into the room.
Everyone: “…”