Chapter 145: Chapter 82: Huai Zi’s Mother’s Painstaking Efforts (Part 2)

Mrs. Yang said enthusiastically, “You should nurture him well. Who knows, he might just make you a scholar’s wife one day.”

Mrs. He was even more delighted. “It’s not that I want to be a scholar’s wife. I just think that if he passes the exam to become a Scholar, his own life will be much better, won’t it?”

Mrs. Yang nodded in agreement. Everything people like them did, all the hustle and bustle, wasn’t it all for their children?

Mrs. He glanced at Juhua, who was shelling peanuts, and continued, “Who doesn’t want a better life? The other day, a family from my parents’ village who had seen Huai Zi took a liking to him. They secretly sent someone to ask about him, wanting to marry their daughter to him. They even said they wouldn’t ask for a bride price. Wouldn’t you say that’s an offer you couldn’t even pray for? But Huai Zi, when he heard, just turned his head, snapped ’I don’t want to get married,’ and ran off without a trace. Heh, that boy!”

’She’d finally figured it out recently. Her son truly wanted to marry Juhua. But with the Zheng Family’s current circumstances, if her own family didn’t earn more silver, they couldn’t even dream of proposing the match.’

’It wasn’t that Zheng Changhe and his wife would be greedy about a bride price. The problem was the gossip that had spread after Huai Zi said he didn’t want to marry Juhua. Now that he’d suddenly had a change of heart, the villagers wouldn’t bother thinking about his reasons. They would just assume he saw the Zheng Family’s fortunes improve and was trying to latch onto their success.’

’Mrs. He saw her son spending all his time around the pigpen lately, checking on the two new piglets. He also cut down bamboo with his father to weave chicken coops for raising poultry next year. She knew then that he was worried about the Zheng Family’s financial situation.’

’Now, they absolutely could not go to the Zheng Family to propose marriage unless they built up some wealth. Otherwise, she feared even Zheng Changhe and his wife would doubt their sincerity.’

’A bitter feeling filled her heart. It was all because her son was so pig-headed, saying something like that. Only she, his mother, knew he hadn’t meant it. Other people didn’t care; they all just said Huai Zi looked down on Juhua. Still, her son really had been against marrying Juhua at first, which was why he had blurted out those words. The trouble he was in now was his own doing.’

’That foolish boy deserves to suffer a bit. Juhua is such a diligent and capable girl,’ she thought resentfully, finding that the more she looked at Juhua, the more she liked her.

’That was why she didn’t dare state Huai Zi’s intentions plainly. She could only casually mention his refusal to marry, hoping to pique Juhua’s interest.’

But Juhua showed no reaction at all. She just kept shelling her peanuts while listening to her and Mrs. Yang’s conversation, and even seemed to be enjoying it. A look of disappointment crossed Mrs. He’s face.

’Little did she know, Juhua found listening to all this domestic chatter quite fascinating—perhaps it was a woman’s natural inclination for gossip. Listening to idle talk about daily life, the kind without any personal attacks, made her feel the warmth of living. Compared to the fast-paced urban life of her past life, this had a leisurely charm all its own.’

Who would have guessed that just as Mrs. He found Juhua more and more agreeable, Mrs. Yang felt the exact same way about Huai Zi. Although there was no longer any hope of him becoming her son-in-law, her heart still skipped a beat when she heard that someone wanted to marry their daughter to him, and her ears perked up instantly. When she heard that Huai Zi had refused, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief, feeling an indescribable sense of comfort.

Mrs. Yang asked, “Did he look down on the girl, you think?”

’She was so desperate for a son-in-law that she’d completely forgotten Juhua was still there; otherwise, she would never have asked such a question. It wasn’t that she wanted to marry Juhua off right away, but she had high standards. She felt her Juhua was so sweet and well-behaved that no ordinary boy was good enough for her. Only a young man with the looks and character of someone like Huai Zi would be a worthy match.’

’If Juhua knew what her mother was thinking, she would have laughed at her for being like Granny Wang, hawking her own melons. With this big scar on her face, it was a wonder her mother still thought she was such a great catch. It seemed that in the eyes of any parent, their own children were perfect. And if there were any flaws, only they were allowed to point them out—never anyone else.’

Seeing Mrs. Yang’s question, Mrs. He replied, “How could that be? He’s never even met her. He just wants to save up more money to build a better life. Right now, he and his father are completely focused on those pigs. He even wove two huge cages for raising chickens next year. I told him, ’Huai Zi, why don’t you be more like your little brother and read more? Look at you, so busy with all this, you’re going to forget every word the master taught you.’ And you know what he said? He told Yangzi to read his lessons out loud in the yard so he could listen while he worked. When Yangzi finishes, Huai Zi recites it all back to him, without ever stopping his tasks. Early in the morning, the whole yard is filled with the sound of their reading. The two brothers make quite a lively scene.” As she spoke, she couldn’t stop laughing with pride and satisfaction.

Mrs. Yang was happy to hear that the Zhang family’s two brothers were so promising. “That’s a good thing,” she said. “My Qingmu thinks the same way. Maybe Huai Zi and Qingmu planned it together.”

Mrs. He said, “He’s right to do so. If you’re dirt poor when you get married and then have a bunch of kids, life just gets harder. You raise the children like a litter of puppies, and they just grow up poor, too. It’s better to grit your teeth, build up some wealth, buy some more land, and then get married and have children. That way, the kids won’t have to suffer from poverty when they grow up.”

Mrs. Yang smiled. “That’s the right way to think about it. Have you started hatching chicks?” She asked this because she’d heard Mrs. He mention Huai Zi weaving coops.

While she scooped the toasted rice from the wok into a sieve to cool, Mrs. He poured a little more sesame oil into the wok and said, “Not yet. But my mother is hatching some ducklings, and she said she’d give me a few to raise. I was just thinking, our house is right in the middle of the village, nowhere near the water, and ducks love the water. Besides, we don’t have anyone to take them out to pasture. They won’t grow well if they’re just cooped up in the yard. Ducks aren’t like chickens. So my Huai Zi said, ’Why not take them over for Little Sister Juhua to raise?’ Your house is right by the Little Qing River, isn’t that a perfect place for ducks? Juhua, what do you think? Once the ducks are grown, their salted eggs are delicious. Huai Zi’s maternal grandmother sends us some of her green-shelled salted duck eggs every year. When you steam them, the yolks get all rich and oily. They taste amazing.”

Thank you to my readers for your support. Please subscribe and vote! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep