Ugly girl only wants to farm

Chapter 308 The Calm Lake (48)

After hearing what he said, Zhang Xuyang rolled his eyes at the man.

"What do you mean? What are you implying? What was with the look you gave me just now? You look down on me, don't you? And you look down on my mother too. I knew you were going to call my mother a shrew. But so what if she's a shrew? A shrew's public rant might not look good, but there are exceptions for every situation. My mother is worth two, oh no, no, she's worth three. Look at the way you're looking down on me, why don't you send your mother over there?"

Zhang Xuyang stammered for a long time without saying a word, but Shen Siheng beat him to it. After he finished speaking, Zhang Xuyang looked at Shen Siheng.

"Are you done talking?"

"That's all for now. I have nothing to add. Let me think about it some more, or maybe I should call my aunt next door. She's a real expert at arguing, just as good as my mother. She's got real fighting spirit."

Zhang Xuyang took a deep breath and silently told himself, "I won't bother with this brat; he's just a brainless idiot."

“I didn’t say anything just now, but you kept talking like a torrent of beans. I didn’t mean to say your mother was a shrew. I just wanted to say that this is a family matter, and it wouldn’t be good to involve your mother.”

Shen Siheng nodded in agreement, a rare occurrence: "It is indeed a bit inappropriate, an insult to civility. But if the three of us grown men were to fight, wouldn't that be even more insulting to civility? Besides, those old women are very shrewish, and I'm afraid I can't beat them. What if they pull my hair and scratch my face, ruining my handsome face? How am I supposed to get a wife then?"

Speechless, Zhang Xuyang looked up at the sky, grabbed Meng Jiuhe, and dragged him forward, cursing at him.

"Fool."

"Hey, you two wait a minute. Zhang Xuyang, who are you calling an idiot? You're the idiot, your whole family are idiots."

Zhang Xuyang: "By the way, Jiu, what's going on with you and your wife? You two seem a bit off. Talk things over calmly. Don't just jump to the level of divorce. That night I thought I overheard your aunt and the others whispering about divorce or something like that, so be careful."

Meng He quickly explained, "My wife and I have had a misunderstanding. I will definitely explain it to her properly after this matter is resolved. I will also send my aunt and the others back as soon as possible. Staying here is always a hassle."

Zhang Xuyang nodded: "Some things are better left unsaid, so you don't regret it later."

The old woman's eyes widened with anger as she watched Jiang Xinyi and Xu Chaoyan chatter on and on, complaining about how she couldn't take good care of the child.

"What makes you think I can't take good care of the child? Have you never taken care of a baby on your own since you were born? I've done everything for you, and you still have the nerve to criticize me? Don't take advantage of me and then act innocent. You'd better give me the money for these two months right now, or else..."

Xu Chaoyan glared at her: "Otherwise what can you do? Can you eat us? I'm telling you, you old lady, don't be so hot-tempered. Be careful not to get a heart attack from anger. You haven't even had a grandson yet, have you? With your temper, you'd be better off having a hammer."

"You, you actually dare to curse me! You little whore, you ugly monster, with your shameless and ugly appearance, you will never get married in this life. Even if you pay those peddlers and laborers, they won't want you. They'll throw up their dinner from the night before."

Jiang Xinyi, enraged by the woman's cursing of Xu Chaoyan, launched into a tirade of abuse: "You old shrew, you old abuser! You've raised Bao'er to this state, and you still dare to argue with us! How many times have I told you that clothes must be washed separately, especially Bao'er's and yours. Children's skin is delicate. Look at the way you smell all over, and look at your thighs, all scratched and bleeding. Can you even stand to look at that? I'm taking Bao'er away right now!"

The old woman blocked her way: "This is my granddaughter from the Yu family. What right do you have to take her away? If you dare to take her away today, I'll kill myself right in front of you."

Jiang Xinyi's expression changed, unsure of what to do. Xu Chaoyan gently patted her hand, comforting her, "Don't worry, I'll talk to her."

“I won’t argue with you right now. Bao’er is so sick, we need to see a doctor. Also, she’s a girl, so don’t dress her in open-crotch pants all the time. There are all sorts of people living in this alley. You need to be more hygienic. How can you live with yourself raising such a young girl like this?”

The old woman felt a little guilty; she did indeed like to throw all the family's clothes together to wash. Sometimes they would even air dry in the shade, too lazy to even put them in the sun.

She's had this habit for decades and she's still doing fine, hasn't she?

She stubbornly shouted, "I've been fine for decades, but she's just a little girl making a fuss." Although she was still shouting, her momentum had weakened somewhat.

Xu Chaoyan took Bao'er and was about to carry her outside: "Whether you live or die is up to you, but don't die in front of me, I think it's bad luck."

The old woman remained unyielding and wouldn't back down: "What are you going to do with that brat? Let me tell you, I have no money, just my worthless life."

After she finished speaking, she stood in front of them, blocking their way.

"You unwanted, ugly woman, if you dare to step out of this courtyard today, I'll smash my head against the wall and die right there," she continued, forcing herself to speak.

Xu Chaoyan, used to such shrewish women, didn't even glance at her, pointing to the wall over there: "Go ahead and bang your head against it, that wall is the sturdiest. It'll save you trouble by not hurting yourself."

Just then, Meng Jiu and the others arrived and overheard the old woman's words. He was somewhat angry: "What right do you have to curse my wife? You're the ugly one, your whole family are ugly."

“Yes, yes, your whole family are ugly, uglier than the pigs in the pigsty. No, even the pigs are better looking than you.” Shen Siheng chimed in from the side.

The old woman was so angry at being pointed at and insulted that she gritted her teeth and grabbed a stick to hit the person.

Some onlookers who had some acquaintance with the old woman could only casually chime in after being given several winks: "After all, they're neighbors, and we shouldn't let them bully us. Let's stop them too."

At this moment, Sister-in-law Yu Er stepped forward: "I say, everyone, don't make things worse. This is a family matter. It's only natural for the daughter-in-law to come back and take care of the child. Besides, my sister-in-law didn't take good care of the child. Look how sickly the child is, and she won't take him to see a doctor. The mother took him to see a doctor herself, what's wrong with that? You all shouldn't make things worse."

The old woman had gained some confidence after seeing everyone's support, but then that person came out to cause trouble: "Second son's wife, why are you siding with outsiders? Be careful, or I'll have my mother deal with you."

Undeterred by her threats, Second Sister-in-law Yu patiently persuaded her, "Sister-in-law, can't you be reasonable? What's wrong with a mother coming back to see her child? You won't take her to the doctor, are you really going to let her suffer until she dies? Only then will you feel better."

The old woman was speechless for a moment.

Finally, we found a clinic and spoke with an experienced doctor about the symptoms. He prescribed some anti-itch ointment, instructing us to apply it three times a day. He said it would heal in a few days once the scabs formed, and that we mustn't get it wet or scratch it. Children are naturally mischievous, and the doctor repeatedly emphasized that we absolutely mustn't scratch it, otherwise it would get worse.

Jiang Xinyi held the child with a worried look on her face. Seeing her like that, Xu Chaoyan quickly went over, pulled her up, and went back.

"What are you worrying about here? Just take him back to the yard and let him heal properly before we think about anything else."

"But wouldn't that be too much trouble for you? I was already living with Miss Xia and taking over her room. If Bao'er comes along, it will be even more troublesome."

"It's alright. I'll go back and get you a bigger bed, or maybe a small bed for Bao'er. It's tough on you, but the Yu family won't let this go. Once Bao'er is healed, you should send her back and try to get the child back through legitimate means."

Jiang Xinyi nodded, her eyes slightly red and her voice choked with emotion: "Thank you, I'm so glad I had you all."

Xu Chaoyan patted her hand: "Don't be so sentimental. Hurry back and give Bao'er a bath and apply the ointment."

After everything was mostly settled, Xu Chaoyan gently touched her aching brow. These past few days had been truly awful. She had originally planned to find the person who wrote the letters to prepare the divorce papers. It seemed that this wouldn't be possible today.

Meng Jiu carefully placed a cup of tea in front of her.

"Wife, are you tired? How about having some tea to soothe your throat?"

"What's there to drink? What's there to soothe your throat? Seeing you makes me even more tired. Get as far away from me as possible. I'm not in the mood for this nonsense today. Tomorrow I'll definitely get my hands on the divorce papers."

Meng Jiuxia and Zhang Yueniang were busy in the back room at the moment. They were extremely busy today because the two of them were not here, and there were quite a few bowls and chopsticks piled up in the back room.

Meng Jiuxia suddenly poked her head out: "Big brother, what are you two doing? Are you arguing again? I think I heard something about divorce."

Meng Jiuhe pressed her head back down: "What did you mishear? What divorce? Your sister-in-law said she likes that tabby cat. I'll go find one for her when I have time."

"Really? Sister-in-law, you like tabby cats? You should have told me sooner! I would have gone to Granny Wang's house next door and gotten one for you. Her cat has had several kittens. They look so fluffy and cute."

Meng Jiuhe pulled Xu Chaoyan outside, as it wasn't convenient to talk there. He was also afraid they'd overhear them if they went home, so he decided to talk to his wife properly outside.

Xu Chaoyan shook off his hand: "Just talk, don't get physical."

There were very few pedestrians on the street at the moment, and they stood in an inconspicuous corner.

“My dear wife, I was truly wrong. I shouldn’t have gone to the widow’s house without permission, and I certainly shouldn’t have drunk with them. Please forgive me for my terrible mistake. I swear there’s nothing between us. I’m completely clean, and I’ve washed myself dozens of times. You can smell me if you don’t believe me.”

"You were unwilling to marry Meng Jiu and me. Now that your childhood sweetheart and your ideal love have come back, I will grant your wish. This will save you from some detours in the future. I am not only ugly, but also shameless. I have a thin waist and small hips, so I can't bear you a son. Let's cut this Gordian knot and not drag things out. I don't want to ruin your future."

Meng Jiuhe frowned even more deeply: "Wife, what are you saying? Without you, where would my future come from? What do you mean by childhood sweetheart and white moonlight? I've been childhood sweethearts with her for a year, and we rarely see each other more than two or three times."

"Why do you think seeing me two or three times a year isn't enough? Why don't I go back right now and pack your things, and you can just move in with them and become their son-in-law?"

Meng Jiu was speechless. No matter what he said, it was his fault, so he simply stood there without saying a word.

Five or six days passed, and Xu Chaoyan still ignored him.

He slept on the small couch in the study every night. Every morning when he got up, his back ached and he had dark circles under his eyes. Shen Siheng teased him about it several times.

Bao'er stayed in the courtyard, spending all her time with her mother, and her smiles became more frequent. Ya Ya was also overjoyed to have a new playmate; before, she had always pestered Qi Yu to teach her to read.

Qi Yu was still a little unaccustomed to it these past two days, and spent her time alone reading a book while watching the two of them play.

"My lady, where is my sky-blue dress? I can't find it."

When Meng Jiuhe saw her come out, he quickly went over and asked her a question.

Xu Chaoyan walked away without turning her head, carrying the wooden basin, leaving behind a single sentence.

"Are you coming to take it from me? Are you new here?"