Spring comes to the desperate place

Chapter 121 Conspiracy

"That won't do!" Aunt Wang couldn't help but raise her voice and shouted, "If the Feng family really wanted to marry our Ning'er, why would they resort to such dirty tricks? I can't let Ning'er be forced to marry like this. No, I must pick a good family for Ning'er."

Uncle Wang: "Then you have to hurry up. If you don't hurry up, the Feng family will cause trouble again."

Zhou Ning, who was standing by, couldn't help crying when he saw his aunt and uncle both worried about his marriage. Aunt Wang couldn't help but bring up the past when she saw him like this.

"There are so many men of marriageable age in this area, but Auntie is still most satisfied with the Song family. Otherwise, how about I go to the Song family and mention it?"

Zhou Ning thought about how he had complained about the Song family's troubles that day, and now he was in a mess, and he couldn't help feeling ashamed.

"Aunt, forget it. I refused it myself at the beginning. How can I have the nerve to go to the Song family again now? In the surrounding villages, if there is anyone of similar age and clean family, rich or poor, even beggars, I am willing to marry them. I only ask Aunt to help me. When I think of them forcing me to marry into the Feng family, I would rather die than do what they want."

Having said this, Aunt Wang and Uncle Wang looked at each other and saw helplessness and heartache in each other's eyes.

"In that case, you can stay with me for two days and keep your two younger brothers and sisters company. As for your uncle and his family... I will go and talk to them. You don't have to worry. Auntie won't let you get married without knowing the reason."

Zhou Ning wiped away her tears and nodded. This was all she could do for now.

This year the stalls were open ten days earlier than last year, so Song Dazhuang arrived at the street office early and waited there. As soon as the door opened, he went in to queue up for the draw. This time, the stall he drew was neither high nor low, right in the middle. The rent was also one guan cheaper than last year. Song Dazhuang paid the money and took the sign home.

Song Chunlin looked at the location and thought it was okay. Based on how popular their jam was last year, there would definitely be many old customers coming this year.

On the first day of setting up the stall, just as Song Chunlin had expected, their stall was the most popular. One of the young men came to buy jam with a chubby baby in his arms. Since there was no purchase limit, he bought twenty bottles at once. He also bought ten sets of family snack gift boxes, intending to give them as gifts during the Chinese New Year.

The young man held the fat baby and said to Song Dazhuang with a smile: "Last year, my wife ate your jam and gave birth to a white and fat baby. Look, isn't it cute?"

The fat baby was not afraid of strangers. It seemed that he was often held up like this by his father to show off. He showed the Song family a toothless smile, which immediately amused everyone around him.

Song Dazhuang thought that his wife was also pregnant, so he was particularly fond of the little baby and gave the little baby a bottle of jam as a gift.

The young man didn't expect such a pleasant surprise, so he laughed and thanked the man, saying that his son was a lucky man.

With the young man as the first old customer, other old customers also bought ten or twenty bottles at a time, which amazed some customers who had never bought before.

"You bought so much of such expensive jam, it must be delicious!" With such thoughts, many people came over and bought a bottle of both kinds of jam.

The Song family did not have any tastings this year, and there were no discounts on jam, but with last year's experience, the jam sold very quickly. They had prepared two full trucks of goods, but they were all sold out in the afternoon. Not only the jam, but even the 300 bags of snacks that they had put out for trial selling were all sold out, leaving those who came after hearing the news to beat their chests and stamp their feet in front of the empty stall.

"Boss, can't you stock more goods? Look around here, whose stall is as clean as yours?"

Song Dazhuang pointed to the cars behind him. One was his own horse-drawn carriage, and the other was a rented ox-drawn cart from the village. Both were loaded with goods when they came. He never thought that he could sell so much on the first day.

"Two cars, I've sold out all the stuff I brought. How about you come earlier tomorrow?"

Those people looked at the empty cart and then at the empty stall, and thought that they should go earlier tomorrow as the jam was selling out too quickly.

After packing up the stall, Song Dazhuang headed back home with his two sons. On the way back, they happened to meet Aunt Wang and Zhou Ning. The two of them went to the town, one to buy New Year's goods, and the other to see what kind of family the Feng family was like. They didn't expect to miss the agreed time and had to walk.

When Aunt Wang saw Song Chunsheng driving the ox cart, her eyes lit up. Zhou Ning also saw it and lowered his head with some guilt. Seeing him like this, Aunt Wang could only take the initiative to talk to Song Dazhuang.

"Brother Song, can you give me and my nephew a ride?"

They were all from the same village, and Song Dazhuang had a good impression of Aunt Wang, so he suggested that the two of them ride in a horse carriage. However, Aunt Wang waved her hand and said that they could just ride in an ox cart.

"This place is not too far from the village. This ox cart belongs to my second uncle, right? My home is close to his, so I'll trouble Chunsheng to take my mother and me back to the village."

Aunt Wang's words made sense. Song Dazhuang thought it was true, so he asked Song Chunsheng to drive slower and more steadily.

Song Chunsheng agreed readily, and Zhou Ning was forced to sit on it. He didn't dare to look up at Song Chunsheng the whole time. Song Chunsheng just thought that this guy was shy and didn't think about anything else. However, Aunt Wang was very talkative and kept chatting with Song Chunsheng about family matters.

Song Chunsheng didn't talk much to the stranger, but he listened carefully and didn't seem impatient. Aunt Wang was very satisfied with this and couldn't help asking what the Song family was going to do in the capital this time.

Song Chunsheng thought there was nothing wrong with his family selling jam, so he told Aunt Wang that his family had set up a small stall in the temporary market in the capital to sell homemade jams and snacks.

When Aunt Wang heard that they were still doing business on their own, she felt even more satisfied and turned around to talk to Zhou Ning again.

"Don't you guys like snacks? Why don't we go to your uncle Song's place later and buy some, and bring them back for you kids to share."

When Song Chunsheng heard that business had come to his door, he did not doubt it and started to promote his own products. He happened to have a small bag of fried dough twists in his arms, which he had originally planned to eat to fill his stomach when he was hungry. Since Aunt Wang wanted to buy it, he simply took it out and let the two of them try it.

Aunt Wang took the paper bag and casually stuffed it into Zhou Ning's hand. Holding the paper bag that still had Song Chunsheng's body temperature, Zhou Ning's ears turned red. He didn't dare to take it out to eat.

Fortunately, Aunt Wang was thick-skinned. Seeing that Zhou Ning didn't make any move, she simply opened the bag herself, stuffed a small twist into Zhou Ning's mouth, then picked up one to eat herself, praising the twist for being well made while eating.

Zhou Ning held the fried dough twist in his mouth, not knowing whether to swallow it or spit it out. After struggling for a long time, he finally ate the fried dough twist while Aunt Wang and Song Chunsheng were talking.

The three of them were riding in a ox cart and moving slowly. Song Dazhuang and Song Chunlin were riding in a horse carriage and walking in front, and they were unaware of what was happening behind them.

Apart from this little gossip of Song Chunlin, he knew that the young man sitting on the ox cart was Aunt Wang's nephew, and he was the one who was supposed to be seen by Song Chunsheng. However, after the Liu family made a big fuss at the Liangfang Banquet, the matter was left unresolved.

Song Chunlin always thought that this boy named Zhou Ning should be betrothed to a good family, but now seeing Aunt Wang's enthusiasm, it seems that it is not the case. Could it be that they haven't found the right one?

Considering Zhou Ning's family background, it is really possible. Zhou Ning is an orphan. In ancient times, this was considered a hard fate and unlucky for relatives. No one who was particular would be willing to marry such a boy or girl.

Song Chunlin didn't know whether Zhou Ning was in the same situation, but seeing Aunt Wang's enthusiastic attitude, he thought it was probably the case.

Song Chunsheng was a blockhead. Even though the young man had already sat on his ox cart, he didn't think about that. He was only focused on promoting his own products, from fried dough twists to French fries to jams. His eloquence was not very good, but his attitude was sincere, which really made Aunt Wang want to buy some.

As soon as the price was mentioned, Song Chunsheng became a little hesitant.

"Aunt, although this jam is expensive, it tastes very good. You will know it once you have tried it." Song Chunsheng also knew that his own things were expensive, so they had never sold them in the village. The living conditions of the people in the capital were better than those in the village, so they were naturally willing to spend money. But he was not sure about the people in the village.

When Aunt Wang heard the high price, she felt a little painful. Zhou Ning gently tugged at her clothes and shook his head. He also felt that it was a bit expensive. For farmers, every penny counts. A small bottle of jam costs one hundred coins, which is more expensive than meat.

Aunt Wang also thought so, but in order to give Zhou Ning a chance, she gritted her teeth and asked Song Chunsheng to park the ox cart in front of the Song family's door.

Song Dazhuang was naturally welcoming business. He asked Song Chunsheng to wait at the door. Aunt Wang gritted her teeth and bought a bottle of peach jam and a bag of French fries. Song Chunsheng then sent the two back to the village.

Zhou Ning walked back with Aunt Wang, carrying a big bag of French fries. After returning home, Aunt Wang closed the door and asked Zhou Ning what his impression of Song Chunsheng was.

Zhou Ning hesitated, not knowing how to answer. He didn't dare to look at Song Chunsheng along the way, but he remembered Song Chunsheng's voice. His voice was clear and his tone was gentle, which made people relax just by listening to him.

Aunt Wang looked at the expression on his face and felt that he was not opposed to Song Chunsheng, so she tried to persuade him earnestly:

"I'm not urging you, auntie, but Song Chunsheng is better than that ignorant eldest son of the Feng family. Besides, his family is in the village. I can take care of him if you marry him. You've also met Auntie Song. She's a kind-hearted person. And I see that they are all literate. Although they don't have much money, they are all hardworking people. I've never seen the French fries in your arms before. And the sweet potatoes and potatoes, if it weren't for them, we would never have seen such good things in our lives. Believe me, auntie, Song Chunsheng will definitely be a good match for him. Would you please consider it again?"

It has to be said that Zhou Ning was somewhat convinced. Considering the strong pressure from his two uncles at home, Song Chunsheng was indeed the best choice. However, he could not get over the hurdle in his heart after all.

"Aunt, I have thought a lot these days. The Feng family is not a good family. They resorted to such despicable means just to force me to get married. Even if it is not the Song family today, but another family, can I really get rid of this matter if I marry into their family? If so, then my sin is great. If I cannot solve the trouble of the Feng family, even if I really get married, I can only bring disaster to the other party. It is better to just forget it. I will not marry anyone. I can even go to the Taoist temple to be a registered Taoist priest. The Feng family can't really go to the Taoist temple to arrest people, right?"

When Aunt Wang heard her nephew say he wanted to become a Taoist priest, her eyes immediately turned red. This damn Feng family, and those two traitors in the family, have forced the child into what he is now!

Aunt Wang gritted her teeth and said, "Ning'er, please don't say such hurtful words. When your parents were alive, they loved me very much. If they hadn't had a miserable life and passed away early, you wouldn't have been forced into this situation. Don't worry, your aunt won't let you really become a Taoist priest, and she won't watch you jump into that fire pit."

Zhou Ning looked at Aunt Wang's expression and felt that his aunt was going to do something big. He was about to ask her, but Aunt Wang told him to relax and that the elders like them would take care of the marriage matters.

From that day on, Aunt Wang went out early and came back late. Even Uncle Wang didn't know where she went. He only knew that his wife was going farther and farther away. As the New Year was approaching, Aunt Wang still had nothing to show for it. The Zhou family had sent people over several times to urge Zhou Ning to go back for the New Year, but they were all sent away by Uncle Wang.

Aunt Wang got off the ox cart tiredly again, and just in time saw her cousin and nephew walking towards her home. Her heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously moved to the side and hid under the wall of another house.

She pricked up her ears and listened to her cousin and his son cursing softly.

"This Wang guy is really nosy."

"Dad, keep your voice down. Let's go back and talk about it. We don't have much time. Let's go back and discuss it with uncle and the others."

"What are we still discussing? Just tie him up when the time comes. It will save trouble. He will be buried anyway, so why bother to be nice to him..."

Aunt Wang could no longer hear what the two said afterwards. Her mind was now filled with the words, "It has to be buried anyway."

What did they mean by that? What did they mean by burying him anyway? Did they want to bury Zhou Ning?

Thinking of this possibility, Aunt Wang felt cold from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. She sat on the ground with weak legs, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses. After she came to her senses, she got up from the ground trembling, staggered to the door of her house, took deep breaths for a long time, and only dared to push the door open when she felt better.

At night, after the children had gone to bed, Aunt Wang dared to pull Uncle Wang into the house quietly and tell him the words she had heard when she came back.