Chapter 41: Waiting At The Door
“Wait.” Su Yaoguang said, “Mom, let’s go in first and talk.”
Zhang Zhaodi asked them if the marriage certificate was written and if they had gone to the government office to draw up the marriage contract.
Su Yaoguang directly displayed the marriage certificate.
“Here, this is my name, this is Wangshu’s name, here it writes our two people’s birth charts…”
Zhang Zhaodi was illiterate, so Su Yaoguang explained the contents of the marriage certificate to her in detail.
Zhang Zhaodi teared up: “Good, good, good.”
Su Yaoguang handed the marriage certificate to Zhou Wangshu: “Keep it safe first; it’ll be very useful later.”
Zhou Wangshu took the marriage certificate and put it in the room.
Zhang Zhaodi continued to ask: “You just said wait, wait for what?”
“Wait for them to lose their patience.” Su Yaoguang said, “In a bit, we’ll let out word that we’re selling the farmland for twenty-five taels of silver.”
In the afternoon, the Su family waited left and right but didn’t see Zhang Zhaodi and her daughter come to the door. Instead, they heard that they were asking around everywhere if anyone wanted to buy their family’s farmland, and several households already had this idea. They lost their patience and immediately arranged for Grandma Su to come to the door to talk business. Grandma Su brought Su Guilan along, since this matter still needed her to step in.
“I say Yaoguang’s Mother, I heard your family is selling land, come on tell me about it, maybe I’ll have a burst of kindness and buy your family’s land.” Zhong Lanhua said, pinching her orchid finger.
Zhang Zhaodi looked at her with disgust: “Even if I’m completely desperate, I won’t sell the land to you, get lost, I feel like vomiting just seeing you.”
Zhong Lanhua put one hand on her hip and spoke in a shrill voice mockingly: “Oh my, disaster is at the door and you’re still so stubborn! In this village, who besides me can come up with silver?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Grandma Su appeared cursing, “The whole village, only you have money, everyone else is poor as dirt! What big talk, aren’t you afraid of biting your tongue?”
Zhong Lanhua sneered: “Weren’t you the ones who usually curse this mother and daughter the harshest? Now you’re pretending to be good people. Hmph, treating good intentions like a donkey’s liver and lungs.”
Seeing the Su family had arrived, Zhong Lanhua knew she couldn’t gain any advantage and didn’t waste time there. She twisted her slim waist and left, muttering in her mouth about how it was a pity for that good land.
If she really wasn’t so reluctant about that land, she wouldn’t have come to find Zhang Zhaodi with a stiff upper lip. She thought if Zhang Zhaodi was desperate for silver, maybe she’d be willing to sell the land to her. Who would have thought this country bumpkin even at the end of her rope still had such a hard mouth and wouldn’t bow to her.
Jiang Yihuan was coming down from the mountain, with a sturdy man beside her. That man was a young man from the village, tall and big-built, just a bit ugly. At this moment, having him help her chop firewood was just right. If it were any other time, she’d be cold and indifferent to him.
“Brother Dachun, you’re such a good person, I never noticed how good you were before.”
Zhang Dachun said embarrassedly: “Sister Yihuan, don’t judge me by my looks, I’m actually very easygoing. This fierce face of mine is just how I was born, don’t dislike it.”
“Brother Dachun, you don’t look fierce, you just don’t smile much, that’s why I’m a bit scared. From now on smile more, you look good when you smile.”
“If Sister Yihuan likes me smiling, I’ll smile often from now on.” Zhang Dachun said, then grinned wide.
Jiang Yihuan covered her mouth and laughed: “Brother Dachun is so cute.”
Urp, so ugly.
But no matter, she could endure it.
As long as he was willing to help her with work, saying a few nice words wouldn’t cost her any flesh.
Seeing Jiang Yihuan and Zhang Dachun appear at the same time, Zhong Lanhua smiled and walked over: “Oh my, Dachun, sorry to trouble you. My girl has a weak body, luckily she has you to help her.”
“Auntie, if there’s any heavy work in the future, just call me, don’t let Sister Yihuan tire herself out.” Zhang Dachun patted his chest and guaranteed, “I have plenty of strength.”
“Men are still the best, look at that build, so strong, no wonder you have so much strength. From now on when I look for a son-in-law, I’ll find one this strong.”
Zhang Dachun looked at Jiang Yihuan excitedly, his eyes full of brightness.
Jiang Yihuan said coyly: “Mom, why say these things…”
Zhang Dachun carried the firewood into the wood shed and said to Zhong Lanhua and Jiang Yihuan: “Auntie, Sister Yihuan, it’s still early, I’ll go up the mountain again to chop some more firewood.”
After Zhang Dachun left, the smiles on Zhong Lanhua and Jiang Yihuan’s faces disappeared.
“Mom, it’s making me so sick.” Jiang Yihuan pouted, “Does this kind of man not own a mirror?”
“Men, ugly ones have their uses, good-looking ones have theirs.” Zhong Lanhua said, “As long as they’re useful to you, saying a few nice words to coax them won’t cost you any flesh.”
“That’s true. Otherwise we’d have to fetch water and chop wood ourselves, that would be so tiring!”
“Tomorrow find someone to plow the field.” Zhong Lanhua said, “Don’t find this Zhang Dachun. You need to let those men know there are many men showing solicitousness around you, make competition arise between them, that way more people will come to show solicitousness. When a family has a girl, a hundred families seek her; only an outstanding girl will have so many men pursuing her.”
Jiang Yihuan played with the loose hair by her ear: “Got it.”
After Grandma Su and Su Guilan came to the door, they wanted to go in to talk, but Zhang Zhaodi didn’t let them in.
“Eldest Sister-in-law, I heard your family has some trouble. Whatever difficulties you have, just tell us, we’re family, we argue on the surface but at key moments we’re of one mind.”
Zhang Zhaodi’s eyes reddened: “You’re not here to see the joke?”
“Heaven and Earth as witness, you are my eldest sister-in-law. Even if we have misunderstandings usually, those are small matters. If something happens to you, how can we explain to Elder Brother?” Su Guilan said, “Tell us your difficulties, we’ll think of a way together. More people, more ideas, maybe it’ll just be solved like that!”
“Really?”
“Really. If you don’t believe me, I’ll swear.” Su Guilan raised her fingers.
“Then swear, if you’re deceiving me, your whole family dies horribly.” Zhang Zhaodi looked at Su Guilan.
Su Guilan: “…”
This disaster star dares to curse them.
“You’re not swearing, you’re thinking of how to harm us, right? Sure enough, I said you wouldn’t be so kind-hearted.” Zhang Zhaodi said angrily and turned to leave.
“I swear, I swear.” Su Guilan raised her hand and swore, “If I deceive my eldest sister-in-law, harm my eldest sister-in-law, our whole family dies horribly.”
“And Yaoguang too. If you deceive me and Yaoguang, your whole family dies horribly.”
Su Guilan gritted her teeth and repeated it once.
“Alright then, come in!”
After Su Guilan entered, she found Su Yaoguang wasn’t there and asked: “Where did Yaoguang go?”
“She went to my maternal family to borrow money.” Zhang Zhaodi cried, “This time I owe one hundred taels of silver, really don’t know what to do. I was thinking of selling the farmland, selling the house, maybe scrape together thirty taels of silver. If really no way, I’ll sell myself, go be an old maidservant for a wealthy family, can sell for three to five taels.”
