Ugly girl only wants to farm

Chapter 315 The Calm Lake (55)

Supported by her daughter, Grandmother Meng hopped in, leaning on a cane, while muttering about her great-grandson and searching for Zhang Qiao'er.

Xu Chaoyan's eyebrows twitched upon hearing that annoying voice. It seemed this old woman was everywhere; her arrival would likely cause chaos again. The shop had clearly suffered a significant loss today; she was truly having the worst luck imaginable.

Zhang's mother's face lit up with joy, and she quickly came over to help the old lady, asking with concern, "Grandma, we heard that you injured your leg before, and we haven't had time to go see you. Are you feeling better? Today you must stand up for my Qiao'er."

Grandmother Meng stared intently at Zhang Qiao'er's belly, her eyes shining, and slapped her daughter: "What are you standing there for? Xiuzhi, quickly help me over there."

Her old face scrunched up with a smile: "Qiao'er, why didn't you tell me you were carrying my great-grandson? If there's anything, Grandma will definitely take care of it for you today. Please don't get angry and ruin your health."

Zhang Qiao'er got up and gently helped her to sit down: "Grandmother, you are so good to me. But Brother Meng doesn't admit it at all, saying that we fooled him."

Meng Jiuhe was also having a headache. His wife was already unhappy because the Zhang family had come and made a scene, and now, his grandmother, having somehow heard the rumors, had also come to join in the fun. Now things were even more complicated. He secretly glanced at Xu Chaoyan's face and, seeing her unreadable expression, he couldn't figure it out either.

Grandmother, feeling ignored, sternly banged her stick against the doorframe, her voice ringing: "You wretched child, kneel down right now! You call yourself a scholar? How could you do such a thing? Since Qiao'er is carrying your child, you should have gone through the proper betrothal and wedding ceremony to welcome her into the family. This barren, ugly woman should be divorced as soon as possible."

She had already planned to divorce that ugly woman, Xu, and her whole family would settle down in that courtyard. The only complaint was that there weren't enough rooms. It seemed a bit cramped when Chunyu and the others arrived.

She also heard that the shop under her name was a joint venture between two families, but in her opinion, it was basically Xu who was in charge of planning and strategizing, and that the Zhang family would be driven out as well.

This big courtyard is where their son-in-law will be, and he shouldn't look down on them anymore. He can manage this shop in the county and live a good life. Then they can find a wife for their grandson—life couldn't be better!

Then we can just let Meng Jiuhe marry Zhang Qiao'er and move into her house.

I heard Zhang Qiao'er owns some property and her family is quite well-off. They can help their daughter's family out sometime. It's all thanks to Xiuzhi's cleverness; she's always up to no good. She just happened to run into this mess on the street today. After going back, the two of them quickly decided to come and keep Qiao'er here first.

Grandmother was banging away, but Meng Jiu didn't even glance at her and just stood there, exuding a cold aura: "It just so happens that my grandmother and the others are here. Did I get injured last year? You can find out by asking her."

The Zhang family was also hesitant and looked at a loss. Zhang Qiao'er's eyes darted around as she weighed the veracity of the matter.

She originally thought that Meng Jiu was at least handsome and talented, and now he was a scholar. She had heard that he was quite good at studying, and that his life after high school would definitely be much better than it was now.

Now that she's a widow, people are constantly trying to take advantage of her. And the unbearable loneliness of the nights—she simply can't stand that kind of life anymore.

But when he mentioned kidney yang deficiency, she hesitated again. Would she be forced to live a life of widowhood? She still had a long life ahead of her; she couldn't possibly spend her whole life with such a good-looking but useless man.

Grandmother Meng, not understanding, simply nodded: "My grandson did suffer some injuries last year, but after a period of rest, he recovered completely. You and your daughter don't need to worry. Look at him, isn't he quite robust? He's full of energy now."

Xu Chaoyan couldn't stand it any longer and, seeing the noisy crowd, pulled Zhang Rongrong along, intending to leave.

Zhang Rongrong looked like she hadn't had enough: "Why don't we watch some more? It's so exciting right now! And whose child is that woman in her belly? Is your husband any good? Should we get him some folk remedies to try? My mother-in-law has a ton of folk remedies, including one that guarantees a son. Want me to get you a few to try?"

Xu Chaoyan's face almost fell down: "You really haven't had enough to drink by yourself, do you want me to drink with you too? Are you trying to poison me? If you're so sure about having sons, why don't you have more?"

Zhang Rongrong smiled sheepishly: "You guessed it! As the saying goes, we share joys and sorrows. You can't just watch me drink that bitter medicine by myself. How about we watch it a little longer?"

Xu Chaoyan pulled her outside directly, saying, "What are you looking at? What's so interesting? I lost a lot of money today, but I'll settle accounts with him after this is over." She said these words through gritted teeth.

Seeing Xu Chaoyan about to leave, her grandmother quickly stretched out her stick to stop her: "Xu Shi said she wanted to divorce you, why are you so angry and ashamed? Are you thinking of sneaking back to pack your bags and leave? Let me tell you, those valuables in the house have nothing to do with you. You'd better know your place."

Meng Jiuhe quickly ran over to stop her: "Wife, don't leave me to fight alone, okay? When husband and wife are of one mind, their strength can break metal. Don't go, I'll take care of it right away."

Xu Chaoyan pointed at the people in the shop: "Take care of all these troublesome things of yours and don't let them affect my ability to make money. Just looking at them gives me a headache."

"Yes, my wife, I'll take care of it right away."

Then Meng Jiuhe addressed the Zhang family again: "You just heard my grandmother say that I was seriously injured last year. I was bedridden for more than half a year and still hadn't recovered. You know in your hearts whether this child is mine or not. I don't want things to get too ugly, so I'll still give you some face. If you continue to make trouble, then I'll report you to the authorities. Who's afraid of who?"

After saying these words, Meng Jiu ran outside to call out to a carriage driver. No one knew what he was up to. They saw him mutter something to himself for a while and then hand over some money.

“Grandmother, Aunt, I have already hired a carriage for you and paid the fare. Now I will take you back to the village.”

Grandmother Meng opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Meng Jiuhe interrupted her.

“Grandmother, don’t say your legs aren’t fully healed. Go home and rest slowly. We can’t afford to serve you, you’re such a big shot. I’m living off my wife these days. This whole mess you’ve made has cost me a lot. We don’t even know where our food money will come from tomorrow.”

Meng Xiuzhi was so anxious that she tugged at her mother's clothes, her words becoming somewhat stammering: "Mother, Mother, please think of something quickly. I don't want to go back, I don't want that bastard to beat me again."

After hearing her daughter's words, Grandmother Meng rolled her eyes and was about to use the same trick to faint again.

Meng Jiuhe rushed over to catch her before she fainted, and then signaled the driver to come and help her up.

"Grandmother has already used the same trick once, that's enough. The driver will take you directly to the village. And don't come looking for me again unless it's absolutely necessary. Didn't your aunt promise to take care of you in your old age and see you off in your final days?"

Meng Xiuzhi looked self-righteous and said, "Where did I say I was going to take care of your grandmother? Now that your parents are gone, it's your turn to serve your grandmother. Why should it fall on me? I'm a married woman."

Seeing his self-righteous attitude, Meng Jiuhe clenched his fists so hard his fingers cracked, and his voice became completely devoid of warmth.

"Don't you know what Grandmother did back then? Fine, I'll take care of her in her old age and see her to her death. You just have to give me back my wife's dowry bit by bit and I'll pretend this never happened. It's just a matter of a coffin; I can afford it even if I sell everything I own."

Meng Xiuzhi, her neck stiff, continued to shout: "What did your grandmother bring? She came here wearing only one set of clothes, and I had to take pity on her and make her several sets of clothes. She was fed and cared for. Now you're living a good life but don't care about your grandmother anymore. And you still want to study for the imperial examinations? I think all your education has gone to waste."

Meng Jiu, not wanting to argue with her, simply pressed her grandmother down onto the cart. Then she pushed Meng Xiuzhi onto it as well and told the driver to hurry up and leave.

“Aunt, if you come here to cause trouble and interfere again, we’ll see you in court. My wife’s dowry items all have markings on them, like the bracelet on your wrist and the hairpin in Grandmother’s hair.”

Meng Xiuzhi quickly pulled her hands behind her back, and her arrogant and domineering aura weakened a bit.

"Fine, let's go back then. Why are you being so fierce? At least prepare some dry food for us. You can't let us starve to death, can you?"

Grandmother chimed in, "That's right. Even if you want to send us back, you should at least give us some food and money. By the way, it would be best to take Qiao'er back too, as she's carrying your child. Our Meng family would never do such a shameful and immoral thing."

Meng Jiuxia's hand was originally reaching for the money bag, intending to pour out some copper coins for them to use for a meal or lodging on the road. However, after hearing her words, she simply put the money bag back in her pocket.

"You don't even have enough money for your meals and lodgings along the way, so get as far away as you can. If I see you again in the county, don't blame me for disregarding family ties. The young master's son has a good relationship with us." He stopped there.

The mother and daughter reluctantly rode the cart all the way to the village. Meng Xiuzhi never expected that she had come here to get some benefits, but in the end, she was sent away by her nephew.

Now that they've been sent away, it probably won't be so easy for them to come back and refuse to leave. They sighed and lamented the whole way, regretting their actions.

Grandmother slapped her several times across the face: "It's all your fault for coming up with such a terrible idea! Look at us now, we're like stray dogs, driven back home. We'll be starving. I wonder how many more scornful looks your deadbeat husband will give me? You're such a jinx, you persuaded me to do such a terrible thing, and now even my grandson doesn't listen to me anymore. I even boasted to people that I was going to enjoy a life of luxury in the county, and look at me now!"

Meng Xiuzhi was slapped a few times by her mother, but she did not fight back and just endured it.

Later, her mother got more and more into it. She wasn't one to take it lying down either. The two of them started wrestling and fighting all over the cart. The driver quickly found a spacious spot to stop the cart and waited for them to finish fighting before stopping.

The Zhang family watched helplessly as the mother and daughter left. They had initially thought someone had come to stand up for them, but Meng Jiuhe dismissed them with just a few words, leaving them feeling somewhat guilty.

Zhang's mother quickly moved closer to her daughter and whispered, "My dear daughter, whose child is this in your belly? Tell your mother quietly and I won't tell anyone."

Zhang Rongrong covered her mouth and laughed, "Do you think Zhang's mother is out of her mind? Isn't she just burying her head in the sand? Everyone outside the shop could hear her mooing like that."

Zhang Qiao'er immediately scolded, "Mother, what are you saying? It's definitely Meng Jiuhe who's right."

"My lady, I've seen my aunts off. Please calm down."

After whispering to his son for a while, Zhang's father resumed his threats with a smug and arrogant demeanor.

“Meng Jiu, if you don’t marry my daughter, we’ll report you to the authorities. Think it over carefully. If you still have this attitude after a quarter of an hour, don’t blame us for being ruthless.”

Meng Jiu looked at him expressionlessly: "No need, go now."

A group of people walked out of the shop. Zhang Rongrong looked worried and asked, "What are you going to do if he really did this?"

Xu Chaoyan was much calmer than her: "What can we do? Just let it be."

"Sister-in-law, you go ahead, I'll watch the shop. My sister and the others will be back soon," Xu Chaoyan said, patting her hair to comfort her.

"Don't worry, we're fine."

Zhang Qiao'er lagged behind and walked rather slowly. Her mother carefully supported her, but she seemed somewhat absent-minded and stepped on her skirt several times.

Meng Jiuhe followed behind his wife at a distance that was neither too close nor too far. Whenever he got too close, Xu Chao would glare at him.

"Hey, last month your doctor said your health wasn't good and the pregnancy wasn't stable, so you were told to keep taking the medication to prevent miscarriage. Why did you only come twice and then stop? That's very dangerous. You're not being a responsible mother at all."

Zhang Qiao'er looked a little flustered. She quickly raised her sleeve to cover half of her face and spoke in a muffled voice.

"Who are you? Are you sure you're not mistaken? I don't know you at all."

Xu Chaoyan and the others then looked over and saw a boy in his teens. He had a round, chubby face.

“What are you saying? Last month, you were the only pregnant woman to come to our clinic. My doctor specifically instructed me to get you some medicine to help with the pregnancy and told you to avoid heavy work. He told you to keep taking the medicine, but you only came twice and then stopped. I was worried that something might have happened to you. Besides, I'm not that old, and my memory isn't that bad.”

After saying that, he scratched his head and muttered to himself, "Could it be that I really mistook you for someone else? That's impossible. With your build, I wouldn't mistake you. You stayed in our clinic for about half an hour."

The two chapters are finally finished.