Chapter 170

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

"If I'm staying long-term, I'd rather go home," Zhou Fang said calmly.

Chai Mi was stunned.

"Go home?" Chai Mi was made to doubt her life by Zhou Fang's words.

Chai Mi knew what Zhou Fang's old home looked like: two tu pi fang houses, with the back wall nearly collapsing... Occasionally passing by, one could clearly see the house on the verge of collapse.

Only two houses in total.

One had already collapsed.

The other was about to collapse soon.

How could anyone live in such a house?

"You must not have been home for over ten years and don't know the situation at home anymore. Your courtyard—your Second Uncle uses it as a sheep pen, keeping sheep in it normally," Chai Mi said with concern. "The sheep droppings in the courtyard are probably a foot thick by now. You know your Second Uncle's health isn't good, your Second Aunt isn't right in the head, and although your few female cousins are smart, their health isn't good either. Your courtyard basically has no one to tidy it..."

Not only was no one tidying it, but after becoming a sheep pen, the sheep dealt a destructive blow to the courtyard.

Sheep are actually a particularly strange animal.

Lively and active...

And lively and active to a hair-raising degree.

Cows are at least somewhat picky about what they eat; eating straw or grass also requires some care. Sheep won't do that—sheep eat anything.

And they dig three feet into the ground.

When sheep eat wild grass, they eat the roots too; when they eat tree leaves, they gnaw the bark as well.

Bored rams butt walls during the day and fight at night.

So the courtyard where Zhou Fang used to live could be described as ruins...

And as mentioned before, the back wall of Zhou Fang's house was just a circle of elm trees. Now only bare tree stumps remain, not a single leaf left, and the gate had long since shattered...

Chai Mi even heard that the Zhou family genealogy, the only one left in the house, had been more than half gnawed away by the sheep.

Even the ancestral tablets originally enshrined in Zhou Fang's home had been gnawed by the sheep...

Anyway, it was quite miserable.

Chai Mi explained all this, then said: "You've been away so many years, you probably don't know much about your Second Uncle's situation. If you suddenly go back, you probably won't have a place to stay. I advise you to go to the county town and find somewhere to live. If you want to live in the old house, wait until later to talk about it."

"Or, I could crash at your place for a night?" Zhou Fang suddenly blurted out.

Chai Mi was stunned, her eyes full of an attitude wanting to knife someone.

"Sorry, I misspoke." Seeing Chai Mi's bad expression, Zhou Fang hurriedly apologized.

But Chai Mi ultimately didn't discuss with Zhou Fang where he should stay anymore.

After all, that was Zhou Fang's own problem.

The two soon reached the melon field; the car hadn't broken down, just run out of gas, with a few villagers watching nearby, and everything was peaceful.

Later someone brought some gasoline, poured it into the car, and the car drove off.

But Chai Mi ultimately didn't go out to eat with Zhou Fang, casually found an excuse, and returned to the village.

When evening came, Chai Mi and Song Qiushui were gnawing on ice cream Song Qiushui had bought on credit from Second Uncle's small shop, sighing about life.

Song Qiushui gritted her teeth at Chai Mi: "Chai Mi, that guy looks serious and proper, but says that kind of thing—too frivolous. How can he casually say he'd stay at your house? If this gets out, it's not good."

Chai Mi nodded, her mind not here, saying somewhat absentmindedly: "This weather is hard to bear. During the dog days, if the crops don't get rain for four or five days, they dry up. When will there be a downpour? Only then will I feel relieved. There's been too much going on lately, no clue at all. For half a day, I need to have my father plow the family land, tidy it up, then go bring my mother home. My younger sister's full-moon celebration... only a few days left..."

"Didn't you say the sixteenth of the fifth month? And... hiss, there are still three or four days. How do the days pass so fast?" Song Qiushui was somewhat surprised: "I don't feel anything, the days just swoosh by. The problem is, I haven't earned any money, haven't gotten any freebies, I feel so stifled..."

Chai Mi rolled her eyes at Song Qiushui: "How to get freebies? Get any more freebies, and your Second Uncle will be bald."

Song Qiushui hehe laughed: "Just call me if there's work, anyway I'm idle at home."

"Okay."

Chai Mi chatted a few more words with Song Qiushui, then got up and went home.

When she got home, she found her father Chai Youqing tending the fire, seemingly preparing to cook.

Chai Xiu seemed to still be lying on the kang in the west room reading comic books.

Chai Mi's mood today wasn't good, and she was thinking of eating a proper meal, but didn't expect her old man Chai Youqing to be so "fake diligent"...

Chai Mi walked over, snatched the pot ladle from Chai Youqing's hand, and directly persuaded him to leave: "Dad, go do what you should do. Do what you can do, don't do what you can't, the more you do, the worse. The cow hasn't been fed, the sheep hasn't been fed, you don't go feed them. You run over here to pretend to cook... You cook, can Xiu'er eat it?"

"I'd rather starve than eat..." Chai Xiu said softly from the west room.

Chai Youqing was somewhat at a loss.

Chai Mi pointed to the cow mooing outside: "Add some grass for the cow."

Chai Youqing then went out to add grass for the cow.

Chai Mi shook her head, somewhat helpless.

Chai Youqing was indeed always like this—pretending to be busy.

Proper work, he almost never did.

Mother Su Wan wasn't home; Chai Youqing that day also pretended to go to the fields, but no one saw him do anything, and afterward he still left early and returned late.

But the grass in the fields— not a single blade was missing.

Chai Mi truly didn't know what Chai Youqing was busy with...

He was busy to the point of making people annoyed and upset!!!

Chai Mi added firewood, went to the vegetable garden in the courtyard and picked some beans, washed them after picking, then dug a few potatoes, added some vermicelli—this northeastern big-pot dish was done.

Although Chai Mi's cooking skills were excellent, the family's conditions were what they were — just one big pot — so she could only make stewed dishes.

Stewing is universal.

Anyway, in the Northeast, a big pot can stew anything, and people don't much care about the variety of vegetables; whatever you have, you throw it in, and once it's stewed done, it's fine.

Put in a bit more meat, and it'll be delicious.

Although in terms of flavor, it's naturally not as refined as stir-frying, it's suitable for eating often.

After the pot heated up, Chai Mi slapped on a few corn flour cakes, then washed her hands, walked to the West Room doorway, lifted the door curtain, and looked at Chai Xiu: "Xiu'er, I've discovered you've been having a bit of a problem lately?"

"What's up, Sister?" Chai Xiu looked completely bewildered.

Looking at Chai Mi who seemed like she'd eaten gunpowder, Chai Xiu somewhat at a loss hid the comic book behind her back.

"Nothing." Chai Mi also felt she seemed a bit strange.

Then she went out again.

Recently the weather was scorching hot, the blazing sun baking down plus her mood wasn't great, so Chai Mi had a bit of fire in her.

Chai Mi sat on the small wooden stool in the courtyard thinking for a while, glanced at Chai Youqing who had fed the cattle but hadn't given them water...

Gave him a white-eye glance.

Silently recited in her heart: I'm not angry... ending up with a dad like this isn't my fault!

Chai Mi sat by herself for a while, then took the water bucket, carried some water to give the calf and Lao Qingniu a drink.

Then gave the sheep water too.

After finishing the fuss, she finally put the food on the table to eat.

After eating dinner, Chai Mi found a book she'd read before from her own trunk, took it out and handed it to Chai Xiu: "Xiu'er, don't just look at comic books all day; autumn's coming up, and when the new school term starts in autumn, I'll send you to study. This is the addition-subtraction mnemonic and multiplication table, this one is Hanyu Pinyin and some simple characters, you take a look yourself."

Chai Xiu's face showed unwillingness, but she didn't dare disobey Chai Mi's meaning, just said somewhat dejectedly: "Sister, you're not teaching me characters, how can I learn by myself?"

"Cut that out." Chai Mi knocked on Chai Xiu's head: "You can understand comic books, there's no way you can't handle this little thing; you only fool our mom with that."

Chai Mi felt Chai Xiu was indeed exceptionally clever; many things, she'd get after just one look. But Chai Xiu's nature was rather soft and weak, and she didn't like to speak much, so even though she was remarkably clever, the family previously all thought she wasn't material for studying.

But Chai Mi now felt it was precisely the opposite.

Chai Xiu was the cleverest child Chai Mi had ever seen, not just simple cleverness, but Chai Xiu could almost never forget anything she'd seen.

Like some things Chai Xiu had heard or seen, as long as Chai Mi asked about them, Chai Xiu could recall them exceptionally clearly.

Even though Chai Xiu didn't know many characters.

For instance, Chai Mi now forgot which day the vegetables were planted, but Chai Xiu remembered exceptionally clearly; what time what was said, she remembered clearly.

"Xiu'er, I'll ask you something."

"Mm."

"How many letters has Zhou Fang written to me?"

"One thousand seven hundred and fourteen letters." Chai Xiu said unhurriedly: "But Sister, you only need to read one. The content he writes is basically all repetitive, even more watered-down than those novel writers, all kinds of flood-irrigation padding... summed up it's just: Chai Mi, are you doing well? I'm not doing well; Chai Mi, are you shivering in the North's bitter winter? I'm frozen stiff in the South's damp cold overcast days; Chai Mi, is the food in your hometown tasty? Southern food tastes a bit like the swill we feed pigs; Chai Mi, I've grown taller, are you still the original dark and short one..."

Chai Mi gave Chai Xiu a white-eye glance: "Dark and short — did you add that? I remember his adjective was Xiao Dou Ya..."

"No... sometimes the description is Xiao Hei Dan..."

Chai Mi was puffed up with anger, cursing Zhou Fang a round in her heart: Bless you, kid, may you get beaten the moment you step out the door...

"You go study your books; later I'll send you to school to properly discipline you." Chai Mi said somewhat dissatisfied: "Let the teacher properly clean you up."

"Oh. Sister, you're angry..." Chai Xiu said carefully: "I heard Zhou Fang came back this way. Doesn't he always write letters saying he'll treat you to a meal? I remember over three hundred letters all wanting to treat you to a meal, asking when you'd return — he's back, can't afford the meal?"

Chai Mi pondered a moment; she just didn't really want to go eat with Zhou Fang anymore.

After so many years not seeing each other, who's still their original self, hard to say.

Chai Mi turned and went out, boiled some hot water, washed a bath, only then felt a bit more comfortable.

The sweltering weather indeed made one irritable and restless.

In the evening, Chai Youqing told Chai Mi that yesterday Chai You Fu got beaten, and because the Old Song Family had many people and great influence, even Chai Zhongxiao got beaten too.

The reason...

There wasn't any reason at all!

Even Wang Huirong got slapped a few times...

In the countryside, the natal family is the strongest backing for a married daughter. Especially for prominent families, the family's relatives old and young, the younger uncles and elder uncles, even uncles eight poles away — if they see their family's daughter being bullied, they go up and just beat them.

Simple and direct.

No fancy frills whatsoever.

The main product is just beat first, talk later.

So, Chai You Fu was beaten by the other side's natal family until his mouth was crooked and eyes askew, his hip bone protruded, yet he still didn't know why he got beaten...

Even Song Qiuping didn't know why...

After all, Song Qiuping hadn't gone home to file a false accusation. Although Song Qiuping had fought a battle with the Chai Family Laozhai, it was very obvious she hadn't suffered a bit of loss; the one beaten was Wang Huirong...

Although Song Qiuping disagreed with Chai You Fu's promise to give Wang Huirong one thousand yuan, the money was in Song Qiuping's hands; she only needed to not hand it over, and that was that.

No matter how much Chai You Fu bragged outside, at home the financial power — he didn't have a say in a single cent. So even though Chai You Fu promised Chai Zhongxiao, saying his own mother was beaten by his own wife, this money he'd put up, but he was just saying it; anyway he didn't have it.

So, during the process of Song Qiuping and Chai You Fu quarreling, the Old Song Family's natal family arrived, arrived and it was a round of beating.

Very plain and unadorned.

Beaten until Chai You Fu's lumbar disc protruded, he walked with a limp, face bruised and swollen, shoulder hurting badly too.

Mainly his face — don't know who hit him with two lightning palms, directly beaten into raccoon eyes, still lying at home now, can't go to work.

As for Wang Huirong and Chai Zhongxiao, they were beaten by the Old Song Family's natal family with a dazed look on their faces.

No why.

Just don't like the look of you!

After Chai Youqing finished saying these, he rather awkwardly reminded Chai Mi: "Chai Mi, your grandparents got beaten quite scorching this time. Afraid they won't let it rest..."

"Hmm?" Chai Mi raised her head absentmindedly. "It wasn't me who hit them, so it's got nothing to do with me. If those two have the ability, let them go reason with the Old Song Family, see if they'll reason with them."

"You've been getting close to Song Qiushui lately. I'm afraid Grandfather and Grandmother will suspect it was you stirring the fire outside, which made the Old Song Family people so angry."

"Oh." Chai Mi smiled. "Even if it was me, what can they do to me? Father, you'd better worry about the crops in the fields. It hasn't rained for several days. Tomorrow let's go check the fields. If after checking it still hasn't rained, we'll have to think about irrigating."

"If it doesn't rain that day, who has any method..." Chai Youqing argued back.

Chai Mi frowned. "If there's no method, think of one. Don't say those useless things."

Chai Mi had no interest in the nonsense Chai Youqing spoke.

Whether it rains or not is Heaven's business, but the crops in the fields suffering drought — thinking of ways to fight drought is the key point.

What use is saying those useless words?

"Stop studying my grandfather and grandmother all day. What's the point of studying them? They still owe us two thousand yuan and haven't paid. If you want to study something, study that. The old man's words were upright and proper at the time, I remember he said it clearly. It's been three days now, where's the money?" Chai Mi demanded. "I went out on business, and you just stayed home? Grandfather promised, the money was to be settled tonight. Does he not plan to give it? Tomorrow you go demand it."

"Then how come you also..." Chai Youqing just wanted to say something.

Chai Mi directly became displeased. "No nonsense. If you won't go demand the money, don't nag at me. Annoying to death, day in day out..."