Chapter 653: Five-Zero Mother-Way System (10)

Qiu Caohua did not yet know that her home had been raided; she was still standing outside the front courtyard, stomping her feet and cursing.

A villager passing by said, "Mother of Mingcheng, why do you keep pounding on Xiao Xie's door? She isn't home; I saw her head up the mountain. Besides, haven't things been settled between her and your family?"

"Settled, my foot! My son wired her six hundred! That dead girl took it all without a word!"

"We know about that. My son even went to the township to act as a witness! Isn't that what your family was supposed to give her?"

Although everyone behind her back envied Xie Yun's daughter for getting six hundred yuan from the Old Zhuang Family.

If anyone else had six hundred in savings, wouldn't they be strutting around with their tail in the air?

But thinking about it carefully, she had worked like a horse and ox for the Old Zhuang Family for a full ten years. Looking at how sallow and thin she was—not to mention whether she had developed any chronic illnesses—she left with nothing but a few rags. It didn't feel like easy money; it was no better than being a long-term laborer for a landlord back in the day.

Besides, the six hundred wasn't entirely paid by the Old Zhuang Family; three hundred of it was left behind by Xie Yun.

If the Old Zhuang Family hadn't been so heartless back then, and had followed what Xie Yun said—using those two gold bars to hire a matchmaker, betroth her properly, and treat Xie Yang as a legitimate daughter-in-law—they wouldn't have to pay out an extra three hundred now.

It can only be said that the Old Zhuang Family was greedy enough to try and swallow an elephant, and they ruined a perfectly good girl's ten years of youth for nothing.

If she had married normally, her children would be running around by now.

Thinking of it this way, the Old Zhuang Family really deserved it.

"..."

Qiu Caohua couldn't best the villager in an argument, and seeing that Xie Yang still wouldn't open the door, she angrily turned back home, wailed loudly, and cursed while she cried.

First, she cursed Xie Yang for being an ungrateful wretch, saying if she had known she was so heartless, she shouldn't have brought her back in the first place and let her see how she would survive on her own.

After cursing Xie Yang, she cursed her son, calling him a fool for not knowing to wire the money home instead of giving it to an ungrateful wretch.

After cursing her son, she cursed her husband, calling him spineless for being able to sit still at home even after being bullied and ridden over.

Zhuang Laotou, who had just woken up from a deep sleep, was so embarrassed and angry that he snapped, "Enough! It's because you're always tormenting people. If you had treated her well and treated her like a proper daughter-in-law, would our family have been labeled with 'buying a Child Bride'? You don't reflect on yourself and instead go around causing trouble, which already cost our son his official position. Do you want to cost him his job now too?"

Qiu Caohua shrieked, "You old man, even you are blaming me! I did it all for this family! Besides, whose daughter-in-law hasn't suffered like this? A daughter-in-law becomes a mother-in-law after thirty years of suffering. When I first entered your house, wasn't I tormented by your mother too?"

"Bullshit! My mother never made you starve, freeze, or sleep in the woodshed!"

"You're the one talking bullshit! Did your mother torment me any less? Before the family split up, she would come knocking on our door every morning as soon as the rooster crowed. Before dawn, she would rush me to feed the chickens and pigs, then start the fire, cook, and wash clothes. Your mother couldn't sleep, so she couldn't stand to see me sleep more. Of course you don't remember; you were still snoring away at that hour!"

"My mother never made you eat nothing but dishwater, never left you without food, and never made you sleep in the woodshed without a cotton-padded jacket!"

"It wasn't any better. The ladle for serving food was always in your mother's hand; what she gave me was always the clear soup from the top, while the thick porridge at the bottom was all for you lot."

"..."

The face-conscious couple erupted into the biggest argument they had ever had, their voices so loud that the neighbors didn't even need to press their ears against the wall to hear every word clearly.

While arguing, they wished they could strip each other's secrets bare.

After the argument, they regretted it, fearing the villagers would laugh at them, and they truly didn't dare to step outside for several days.

This actually gave Xie Yang some peace and quiet for a while.

She found two large stones in the mountains suitable for making a millstone and transported them home via the Aircraft Cargo Hold.

The recovery Task for this plane had already been completed, and the bound Farm Game System could complete tasks as if it were child's play. Once she reached the max level, she could unbind and leave, so Xie Yang didn't plan to waste any more points on Physical Fitness Potion.

As for daily life, with the Farm Game System, there was basically nothing to worry about.

The malnutrition caused by years of hunger was being gradually treated with diluted Spirit Spring Water and nutritional supplements like Nanyang Bird's Nest.

Her physical fitness was being improved by the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden Technique, and if she really needed to move heavy items, she could use the Aircraft Cargo Hold as a cheat.

And so, she easily brought the two large stones home, then used the Interstellar Cutting Tool she had exchanged for with points to quickly process the two stones into a set of stone mills.

She was now like a retired old lady living out her twilight years; the one thing she had in abundance was time.

It took three or four days to finish the stone mill, which she then polished smooth with sandpaper and installed in the back courtyard.

Just in time, another round of Wheat was ready for harvest. After Xie Yang harvested it with one click, she used the stone mill to dehusk and grind it into flour, then stored it in the Farm Warehouse.

Anything produced by the Farm Game, even after being taken out and processed, could still be stored in the Farm Warehouse.

This saved her from wasting her own Storage Space.

Xie Yang had to taste the flour ground from the Wheat grown by the Farm Game.

That evening, she used the freshly ground new wheat flour to steam a pot of white, fluffy, blooming steamed buns.

Whether it was because the new wheat flour was just fragrant or the quality of the seeds provided by the Farm Game System was good, they were exceptionally delicious; she ate three in one go before stopping, still wanting more.

She stored the remaining buns in the Aircraft Cargo Hold while they were still hot, so they would still be steaming when she took them out later.

Just like that, Xie Yang stayed at home. When the weather was good, she would carry her recliner to the back courtyard to sunbathe, practice her technique, harvest crops, and grind wheat flour. When the weather was bad, she would stay on her bed inside, meditating, practicing, and operating the Farm Game in her sea of consciousness.

Occasionally, she would carry a basket to the mountains to wander around and bring back a bundle of firewood.

The impression she gave others was that her legs hadn't fully recovered yet, so she couldn't go out often, and going out every few days was just to pick up firewood.

Shili Village was located north of the Qin-Huai River; after winter set in, the river would freeze over.

However, this year seemed to be a warm winter. It was already early December, but as long as the sun was out, it was still quite warm at noon, and the thin ice on the river would basically melt by midday.

Every time Xie Yang went to the mountains to chop wood, she would pass by the small river on her way back. If no one was around, she would place her basket in the river and use diluted Spirit Spring Water to lure some small Fish and Shrimp, bringing them home to stew a pot of mixed fish, which made for a decent wild vegetable dish.

During this period, Cao Guihua and other township Cadres came to visit her several times, bringing apples, bananas, Canned Food of oranges, and other rare comfort items of the time.

Because the county had made an example of the Zhuang family case, the higher-ups attached great importance to it, and the village Cadres were also very attentive to her. The village secretary even specifically talked to Zhuang Laotou several times, which had some effect.

In short, during this time, the Zhuang family members were quite well-behaved, and even Qiu Caohua didn't come out to cause trouble much.

Of course, the main reason was probably that Zhuang Mingcheng had written to warn them, telling the old couple to behave and stop holding him back.

Qiu Caohua wasn't afraid of the village secretary, but she was afraid of her only son turning against her.

Therefore, no matter how stifled she felt inside, she could only endure it and not come to cause trouble for Xie Yang.

Xie Yang was happy to be at ease.