Farm Tough Girl

Chapter 137 - 137 138 Like a Bandit_1

?Chapter 137: Chapter 138 Like a Bandit_1 Chapter 137: Chapter 138 Like a Bandit_1 “What’s this?” Madam Zhao caught sight of the big hemp sack by Madam Liu’s side and, without waiting for Madam Liu to speak, rushed over to rummage through it.

Madam Liu hastily blocked her, “It’s nothing, just got some food for the kids.”

But it was already too late. Madam Zhao knew she had just been to Muniang’s house; these goods were surely given by Muniang. What shoddy things could Qiao Muniang give out?

Indeed, as soon as Madam Zhao pulled open the hemp sack, round watermelons tumbled out, her eyes nearly popping out in shock. This was… watermelon! She’d never had the fortune to taste watermelon in her life, and there Muniang was, giving away a whole sack!

Madam Liu’s expression darkened in an instant, “Mother, these are for the children to eat.” She was obviously noting the greed in Madam Zhao’s eyes, declaring her rights word by word.

However, Madam Zhao looked at her disdainfully, “For the kids to eat? Can they finish all this? You’re so heartless and selfish, don’t you know to honor your parents-in-law with good things? What, you afraid I’ll steal from you or something?”

Though she spoke thus, her hand immediately went fishing into the sack. Madam Liu was speechless. When had she ever failed to honor her parents-in-law? Whenever there was anything good in the house, hadn’t she always sent it their way?

“What are these little things?” Madam Zhao asked curiously, glancing at the watermelon radishes, clearly unable to identify the variety.

“I’m not too sure either.”

Madam Zhao glared at her: “Who are you showing that face to? Don’t think you can do anything you want just because you’ve split the household. If you dare to show me attitude, I believe I can have your third brother divorce you right away!”

Madam Liu was enraged, the old lady was just like a bandit!

Madam Zhao walked off with two large yellow watermelons and eight watermelon radishes, leaving Madam Liu with only one yellow watermelon and two watermelon radishes. She muttered about taking some to Qiao Yuanzhen, not giving a single thought to whom these things actually belonged.

Madam Liu didn’t want to quarrel with the old woman over this kind of issue; otherwise, it would be another round of arguing. She was honestly tired of it and marched into the house huffing with the watermelon in her arms.

As soon as Qiao Yuanming saw Madam Liu come in, he poured her a bowl of cold water, “It’s hot outside, isn’t it?”

Then, catching sight of the watermelon Madam Liu brought in, he exclaimed in surprise, “Where did this come from? These are quite rare.”

“Muniang gave them,” said Mrs. Liu, her tone flat.

Qiao Yuanming responded with an “Oh,” then said joyfully, “Muniang is really generous these days, giving away watermelons just like that.”

Madam Liu’s face grew grim, “Yes, Muniang gave us a whole sack of watermelons, now only three are left. Mother has been guarding our doorstep, as if afraid she’ll miss out on the good things I bring back from Muniang’s house.”

Qiao Yuanming’s face turned pale and then he appeared somewhat embarrassed, “Father and Mother have never tasted such delicacies in their lives. Just honor them.”

Madam Liu looked at him coolly, “Yes, should I not have brought these three back as well? Why don’t you hurry and take them all to them? So they can eat their fill. Never mind us and the children. It would be so unfilial for them to be displeased, wouldn’t it?”

Her words were clearly mocking Qiao Yuanming, who now looked displeased as well. His wife had been cold to him in the past days, treating him like a stranger. Even if he was slow, he could see the reason for it, but he couldn’t fail to honor his parents, nor could he bear to see his wife so aggrieved. Both were dear to him; it was truly a dilemma.

Madam Liu sighed, not expecting Qiao Yuanming to make any changes, simply saying, “Let’s build a separate house outside.” She wanted to completely split the family and live separately. As long as they all lived in one courtyard, Madam Liu would have to endure Madam Zhao’s cold looks and nastiness every day.

Qiao Yuanming was stunned before he said, “But where will we get the money from?”

Madam Liu simply said, “Don’t worry about that, just tell me whether you agree or not. We only have two rooms in the west wing—one for us and one for the four children. But now, the children are getting bigger. Tianniu is almost ten years old; how can several kids cram into one room? It’s impossible to expect dad and mom to give us more rooms, so building a new house can’t be delayed anymore.”

Qiao Yuanming felt that there was some truth in what she said. As the children grew older, it wasn’t suitable for siblings to share a room anymore. They might become the subject of gossip. However, Madam Liu’s obvious reluctance to tell Qiao Yuanming how much silver they had at home did hurt his feelings. His wife was really being cautious around him.

How could Madam Liu not be cautious? Knowing Qiao Yuanming’s nature, if Madam Zhao shed a few tears to him and complained about her hardships, he might just hand over whatever amount of silver she asked for.

“Alright, whatever you say,” Qiao Yuanming mumbled and then went out with his hoe, his departing figure looking lonelier than ever.

Madam Liu breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she could have her own house. She could at last detach herself from this family.

——-
In recent days, Jin Feng had specifically gone to town to invite a doctor to treat Erliang’s illness, naturally to no avail. The doctor always said the same thing, “Whether he can recover or not still depends on fate.”

Muniang had already guessed this outcome. Such amnesia couldn’t be cured with medical technology even in modern times, let alone in ancient times.

Jin Feng was in a gloomy mood. “What if the General’s injury never heals?”

Muniang looked at him with some sympathy, “Don’t worry, what’s meant to be will not escape you. Didn’t the doctor say so? It’s all about timing. Isn’t this what ancient people believe in?”

But Jin Feng scorned Muniang, “You actually believe in such superstitions.”

A black line formed on Muniang’s forehead. She was actually being scorned by someone from ancient times.

However, Jin Feng was very devoted to the grand cause of helping Erliang recover his memory. He followed Erliang around all day, telling him all kinds of muddled stories. Mrs. Lin saw this and pulled Muniang aside, “Erliang’s older cousin really cares about him a lot.”

Muniang almost laughed out loud. She hadn’t stopped Jin Feng from sticking to Erliang’s side. After all, his martial arts skills were quite good, and he could protect Erliang if anything happened. The incident of Erliang nearly losing his life on the mountain had truly left Muniang with lingering fears.

As for whether Erliang would recover his memory or not, Muniang had decided to be at peace with it and let nature take its course. She had been sensitive in the past, so she always questioned the nature of Erliang’s feelings for her. But after Erliang risked his life for her the last time, even if she were foolish, she could see the naked sincerity in Erliang’s love for her. Whether he had amnesia or not, she was his wife, and she believed in him.

——-
One day, Muniang specifically sought out Jin Feng, which gave him quite a shock, especially when he saw the curved smile in her eyes; he found it eerie. Their interaction over the past several days told him this could not be good news!

“You’ve been living here for so long, and I haven’t charged you for food or lodging or anything like that. As they say, we should repay kindness with kindness—”
Jin Feng quickly said, “Just tell me what you need.” He dared not offend her, could he? Otherwise, if she kicked him out, who would he turn to?

Muniang smiled. She liked sensible kids like him. “I want you to help me investigate someone.”

“Who?”

“Xia Bing.”