Ugly girl only wants to farm

Chapter 185 Embarking on an Unknown Path

Meng Jiuhe pushed open the door and came in. A gust of cold wind blew directly in, making Xu Chaoyan shiver. She saw that Meng Jiuhe was still bent over the desk organizing the accounts.

Meng Jiuhe came over and added some more charcoal pieces, then cautiously asked, "Wife, why don't we rest for a bit? We can sort out these accounts tomorrow. It's rather cold outside, do you need me to warm you up?"

Xu Chaoyan checked the accounts one last time before closing the ledger, rubbing her tired eyes, and tossing the charcoal block aside. She really wasn't used to writing with a brush; her handwriting looked like scribbles.

As the year draws to a close, businesses across all sectors are starting to take stock of their accounts. Some of the materials for building this house were provided by the homeowner, while she had paid for some of them in advance. Now she also needs to settle accounts with her business owners.

As she picked up another book to carefully check the details again, Meng Jiu pressed his slender fingers against the paper and said with a pained expression, "My lady, it's late at night. Look how red your hands are from the cold. How about I help you organize them tomorrow?"

Xu Chaoyan gently brushed his hand away and sighed helplessly: "Today's work must be done today, and there will be tomorrow's work. The weather is getting colder and colder. We can only leave with peace of mind after all the uncles and elders have finished their work and returned to the village safely. I wonder how my aunt and the others are settling in over there, and whether they are adapting well."

After hearing what she said, Meng Jiuhe didn't say anything more. He went to the kitchen to cook her a bowl of sweet fermented rice balls and helped her check the accounts one by one. By the time the two of them were almost done, it was almost midnight.

Xu Chaoyan rubbed her slightly sore neck, pounded it a few times, and looked relieved: "Finally, I've finished all these things for today."

She thought for a moment before speaking: "By the way, there's something I'd like to discuss with you. After we've finished up our work, it'll be almost Laba Festival. I'm planning to cook a big pot of Laba porridge. Everyone has worked really hard these past six months, and we've made a small profit. I was thinking of giving everyone a red envelope and some snacks. What do you think?"

Meng Jiuhe took her hands and rubbed them until they were warm before speaking: "You can arrange things however you want. You don't need to discuss these things with me, but..."

Meng Jiuhe hesitated for a moment before speaking: "You're sending food and red envelopes, won't people think you're a sucker? We haven't made much money from this anyway."

Meng Jiuhe roughly knew the character and personality of each family in the village. Some people couldn't stand seeing others do well, and their ugly faces would be revealed when they saw others doing better than them.

He didn't want Xu Chaoyan to be in danger, so he pulled her to the bedside and turned back to tell her, "Sit down for a while, I'll go add some charcoal to make the room warmer."

Xu Chaoyan's slightly tired voice came over: "Remember to leave a gap in the doors and windows for ventilation."

Once the two were lying in bed, Meng Jiuhe picked up where he left off and explained, "You know our family's situation in the village. Although we're doing well right now, some people might be envious and jealous. As the saying goes, 'Don't flaunt your wealth.' So, how about we just give them the red envelopes? Give them some snacks to take back to the children."

Upon hearing his words, Xu Chaoyan suddenly understood. She had forgotten about this matter. When she was working here before, she treated those people quite well, thinking that since she had earned money, she should still improve their welfare. Now that the matter was over, giving out red envelopes and gifts would indeed cause a stir in the village.

With so many mouths around, it's impossible for anyone to let something slip, so Meng Jiuhe said it's good to keep your wealth hidden.

Xu Chaoyan snuggled closer to him and poked at his chest twice with her finger: "Hmm, my husband, you're so smart. I didn't think of this side of things. The world is so treacherous, and people's hearts are so cruel. I really didn't think things through. Thanks to you for reminding me. On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, let's cook a big pot of Laba porridge so everyone can have a hot meal. We'll also buy some cakes to share with everyone. Let me, as the boss, give everyone one last benefit!"

She only thought about how these people worked hard, and as the year was approaching, she wanted to give them some New Year's goods, but she forgot about how they would survive after they went to the county town.

Meng Jiuhe grabbed her mischievous hand, gently squeezed it, and leaned down to ask in a hoarse voice in her ear, "Wife, aren't you tired enough already?"

Meng Jiuhe's warm breath brushed against Xu Chaoyan's ear, making her feel itchy, and her hands didn't stop moving, continuing to draw circles.

Meng Jiu bit her ear with a hint of punishment, then flipped her over and pinned her down. His eyes were filled with lust as he looked at Xu Chaoyan and said, word by word, "It seems my words just now didn't have the desired effect. It's too late for you to take it back now."

The two seemed tireless throughout the night, until Xu Chaoyan couldn't help but beg for mercy before Meng Jiuhe let her go.

Xu Chaoyan had originally planned to get up early to tidy up the yard, but she couldn't get up. The craftsmen had chopped a lot of firewood for them, and it was still neatly stacked there.

As noon approached, Xu Chaoyan, supporting her aching back, looked at the neatly stacked firewood with a pained expression.

"It's such a waste that so much good firewood can last for a long time."

Meng Jiuhe was picking up some vegetable leaves to feed the chickens. Xu Chaoyan planned to hire a car to take all the chickens with them when they went there, as they were the result of her hard work.

She had turned all the rabbits she had raised into preserved meat. Meng Jiuxia left in a hurry, taking only some necessities with her. The rest of the rabbits would need to be taken by the two of them.

They say plans can't keep up with changes, so Xu Chaoyang bought all the ingredients for making Laba porridge in advance and coaxed Meng Jiuhe to get up early in the morning to help her.

Before the two could even open the door, a torrential downpour began, with wind and rain lashing down on the yard and eaves.

The doorway and windows were soaked by the rain, making it difficult to walk. Xu Chaoyan looked at the wind and rain outside with a worried expression.

"What should we do? Our uncles are stuck at home right now. We promised to make Laba porridge for them yesterday, but now we can't even get a sip of hot water."

Meng Jiuhe quickly slammed the door shut, then pulled her back to bed. "Why don't we go to bed and warm ourselves up for a while? This storm isn't going to stop anytime soon. We can get back to work after this rain stops."

Xu Chaoyan still couldn't cook the Laba porridge. The craftsmen understood that with such heavy rain, they built a fire in the Zhang family's courtyard and roasted some sweet potatoes to fill their stomachs.

After the rain stopped, Xu Chaoyan divided the ingredients for Laba porridge into more than a dozen portions, one portion of ingredients, one portion of cakes, and one portion of pine nut candy for each person. Originally, the plan was that after eating Laba porridge today, everyone could go home tomorrow. However, because of the rain, the road back to the village was difficult to walk, so everyone stayed behind.

Xu Chaoyan and the others stayed for two more days. On the tenth day, the weather was clear and the sun broke through the clouds early in the morning. The two of them set off for the county town.

Meng Jiu sat there silently the whole way, while Xu Chaoyan nestled in his arms. Looking at his longing eyes, she knew that he must be sad to leave the place where she had lived for more than ten years.

She gently nuzzled her head against Meng Jiu's chest twice and whispered, "Husband, we will come back when we have the chance. We're just leaving temporarily. If you miss home, you can come back to visit anytime."

Meng Jiuhe held her hand tightly and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead: "Thank you for being there for me through the darkest period of my life. I'm just feeling a bit emotional. It hasn't been easy along the way, but thankfully I had you."

The two hired a donkey cart, on which were some belongings they hadn't taken with them. Several chickens were also hung on the back of the cart, clucking incessantly along the way, making quite a commotion. She kept telling the driver to slow down and not to rush to find a place to camp for the night.

Meng Jiuhe hugged Xu Chaoyan tighter, pulled the cloth over her head, and whispered in her ear, "Thank you for accompanying me through these difficult years. I was wrong before, my wife, I shouldn't have judged you by your appearance."

After saying that, he turned his face away somewhat awkwardly. Xu Chaoyan, as if she was going against him, reached out and turned his face back, looking cunning.

"What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly."