allonlinenovel Chapter 313 Aunt Xiangqin's secret was exposed by her son.
Chapter 313 Aunt Xiangqin's secret was exposed by her son.
Aside from Cai'er, who was remarried, her son refused to marry anyone else, which immediately angered her.
"You fool, you're completely blinded by greed! What's so great about Cai'er that you're so disobedient to your mother for her sake? Do you know how hard it was for me to raise you? I've spent all the family's money over the years and dragged you down. I feel guilty, but now that we have money, we can't find anyone we want to marry."
"If we're willing to spend the money and hire a matchmaker, we can marry a young, unmarried woman in no time. Why are you ruining yourself by insisting on marrying a divorced woman? What about our reputation?"
His mother's words became increasingly harsh and excessive, until Shuisheng could no longer bear to listen.
His face darkened as he said, “Mother, stop talking about remarriage. If it weren’t for Brother Qingchuan and Sister-in-law Xiaotang’s family being willing to help me, we would still be penniless in Guihua Village. We wouldn’t be able to find anyone to marry, let alone a second wife. You can’t be so picky just because we have money now. Besides being married and having children, what flaws does Cai’er have that you can’t find?”
What outsiders think and say is their business. If we had listened to their gossip, we wouldn't have survived all these years. How could we have such a good life today? Why should we care about the opinions of our relatives and neighbors? Let them say what they want. We've had a tough time all these years. Have they ever lent us a hand?
To be honest, all those relatives were afraid of us being rich and looked down on us because we were poor. When we were poor, they were terrified of us visiting, afraid of us getting involved with them, avoiding us like the plague. Now that we're doing well, why should we care about those people who are practically strangers? The more they look down on us, the more we should live our lives well!
Aunt Xiangqin was so angry with her son that her chest heaved violently, and she couldn't find any words to refute him. She thought about it for a long time but couldn't think of any faults in Liu Cai'er. After all, Liu Cai'er was gentle and kind, never argued with anyone, and never even raised her voice. She was not only polite but also knew how to be modest. There was really no fault in her at all.
She exclaimed angrily, "She...she's older than you!"
Shui Sheng, holding back his anger, said without hesitation, "I like older women. Older women know how to care for others! As the saying goes, 'It's good to marry a woman three years older than you.' One is enough, but two is even better!"
"you you you……"
Aunt Xiangqin was shocked that her son was completely unsympathetic to her as his mother. He refused to listen to her at all, and she felt heartbroken and disappointed.
Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, “When your father passed away, I wanted to hang myself and follow him. If I hadn’t thought that leaving you alone in this world would only lead to you freezing and starving to death, I would have gone with him long ago. All these years, you and I have depended on each other. You always put your mother first, discussing everything with her, big or small. Now, because of Liu Cai’er, you’ve become so distant from me. What’s the point of me living, sob sob sob…”
Shuisheng frowned and said helplessly, "Mother, you said it yourself, we used to depend on each other and discuss everything, big or small. But now that we have money, and your son has a daughter he likes, why can't you just let your son have his way and instead oppose it like this? Do you think you're superior to others just because you have money, like some of our relatives?"
Aunt Xiangqin's expression immediately changed when her son touched on her secret.
She genuinely felt that her son was making money, and at this rate, he would save enough money in a few years to buy a small house in the county. Then she and her son would have their own home, and it would be fine for him to marry a decent girl. Why did he have to marry a divorcee?
She paused for a moment, then quickly covered up, saying, "You, you, you...you're talking nonsense. How could you think of Mother like that? Mother is so heartbroken."
Seeing his mother's hesitation and her hasty rebuttal, Shui Sheng realized that he had guessed her thoughts correctly.
He narrowed his eyes and suddenly thought of a good idea.
"I thought about it and felt that Mother was right. Although Cai'er is good in every way, she is beautiful and suitable for marriage, but she is five years older than me and has two sons. Right now, I can't see any shortcomings in her if I marry her, but those two boys will inevitably come after me in the future, so I still can't marry her."
But this deal belongs to Brother Qingchuan and his wife. Cai'er is his wife's older sister. It's really inappropriate for us to live under the same roof and see each other all the time. Today, I proposed to Cai'er at the dinner table, and now everyone knows about it. You even publicly opposed the marriage. We won't be able to get along with each other anymore. If his wife knows that we have hurt her older sister's feelings, she definitely won't agree. If we shamelessly stay, we'll only annoy people.
"Why don't we go back to the village and farm? While some people are still growing turmeric, let's go back and ask them to give us some seeds. We can buy the seeds, and we can manage. We have enough money to get married. We can always earn more when we run out. We can't afford to marry a divorced woman."
What?
The son wants to return to the village instead of doing business?
She suddenly became anxious and immediately tried to dissuade us, saying, "No, we can't go back to the village to farm. We'll only earn a few dozen taels of silver a year. What kind of future can we have? We can only make money by doing business with Qingchuan and our lives will get better day by day."
Her son worked for Qingchuan and earned a wage, while she helped her fourth brother sell breakfast and earned a wage. Qingchuan and his wife provided all the food and drink. Where else could you find such a good job?
I'm afraid you won't find another one like it in the entire Dushui County!
The mother and son finally had a chance to earn money, a job that many people couldn't find even with a lantern. How could they just go back to the village like that?
Seeing that his mother was reluctant to give up such a good job, Shuisheng thought to himself, "Just as I expected, scaring my mother with this matter will work!"
He continued, “Mother, we’ve made things this way. My sister-in-law is definitely upset with us because she feels sorry for her older sister. Qingchuan and his wife are a couple, and they’re relatives with Cai’er. They’ll definitely side with Cai’er. If we don’t go back, are we just going to wait for them to kick us out?”
Aunt Xiangqin, still somewhat unwilling to give up, said, "We've lived under the same roof for so long, how can they kick us out just because the marriage didn't go through? As the saying goes, even if a deal falls through, goodwill remains. Don't worry, trust your mother. With Qingchuan and Feng'er's honest nature, they would never kick us out."
Shuisheng pretended to be stubborn and said, "Mother, we're not stupid. If this marriage doesn't go through, how thick-skinned do we have to be to stay here? It's not like Brother Qingchuan can't find someone to work. He asked me to work because he was helping us. Now we've embarrassed Cai'er and hurt her feelings. Sister-in-law will definitely be angry. Would Brother Qingchuan be angry with Sister-in-law for our sake?"
"Since you've decided not to marry Cai'er, let's pack our things and go back quickly. We shouldn't stay here and get in her way. Cai'er has no home anymore. If we continue to stay here, Cai'er, being a woman, is easily embarrassed and will definitely leave. If that happens, it will be because we forced her to leave. We can't have that kind of reputation; what kind of people would we be?"
What the hell?
If Shui Sheng doesn't marry Cai'er, then the mother and son can no longer stay at the pig's trotter shop to do business.
Aunt Xiangqin panicked immediately. She asked incredulously, "Shuisheng, is this the only way? Isn't there a way to have the best of both worlds?"
Shui Sheng said sadly, "Yes, if I marry Cai'er, Brother Qingchuan and his wife will definitely let us do business with them for the rest of our lives. We can always get paid. When the next season's medicinal herbs are ripe, I can go back with them to buy them. But you don't agree with me marrying Cai'er, so we can only pack up and go home. Actually, it's not bad to go back to the village and farm a few acres of land. We can be content with what we have and make enough to eat after a season of hard work."
How much grain can you harvest after a whole season of hard work?
Besides the grain tribute, there was barely enough left to eat. If they wanted to sell some of the grain, they had to tighten their belts and eat wild vegetables instead.
If we really go back, my son won't be able to earn any money in the future. The people in the village are very snobbish. They can wear out the doorsteps of rich families by arranging marriages for them, but they don't even bother to look at poor families.
He didn't want his son to marry Cai'er because he wanted to find a better match for his son through a matchmaker in the county, not because he wanted his son to be unable to find a wife when he returned to the village.
She hurriedly said, "No, no, we can't go back. If we don't go back, we can still find a wife. If we really go back, who will introduce you to potential spouses?"
Shuisheng deliberately said, "Mother, don't worry. Before, no one arranged marriages for me because they thought our family was too poor to afford a dowry. Now that I've saved up some money, I can afford a dowry. Surely someone will come to arrange a marriage for me. If they won't arrange a good one, they can at least arrange a bad one. It doesn't matter if she's ugly, blind, or lame, as long as she can marry into our family."
What?
Ugly, blind, lame?
Aunt Xiangqin slapped her thigh and said, "No way! What's the point of marrying someone ugly, blind, or lame? She can't do any chores. Not only can she not help the family, but we'll have to take care of her. We're marrying a wife, not an ancestor."
Shuisheng asked, “Mother, didn’t you want to go back? It would be good enough if you could get a wife. Why are you being so picky? Don’t worry, I’m not young anymore. There might not be any old maids in the surrounding villages. I can’t find anyone ugly, blind, or lame. In the end, I won’t be able to get a wife at all.”
Aunt Xiangqin was instantly frightened by her son's words!
Yes, my son is not young anymore. Young girls like blossoming flowers are definitely not going to be available for Shuisheng. And older women are hard to find. In the village, it's only men who can't find wives, but there's no reason why girls can't get married. No matter if she's blind or lame, as long as she's still breathing, she can get married.
So, it's uncertain whether Shuisheng will be able to find a wife once he and his mother return to the village!
Even though Shui Sheng had earned several dozen taels of silver in the past six months, once he lost his way to make money, he would have to go back to the hard life he used to live.
Those short-sighted people, seeing that they've only been doing business with Qingchuan for half a year, definitely don't believe Shuisheng has actually made money. She can't exactly go out carrying money to show everyone the truth, can she? It wouldn't be worth it if she attracted thieves.
Ugh!
To be honest, she didn't want to cut off her son's opportunity to earn money and force him to go back to farming and live a hard life.
For a moment, Aunt Xiangqin was caught in a dilemma, not knowing what to do.
On one hand, there's the opportunity for her son to earn money and live a good life; on the other hand, there's her daughter-in-law who has given birth to two sons.
If you want to make money, you have to accept that Liu Cai'er, who has given birth to two sons, will marry your son. If you can't accept it, you can only go back to the village with your son, and maybe your son will never be able to find a wife in his life.
She hesitated for a long time, her mind in turmoil, and said, "We've saved up some money, can't we buy a clean girl to be your wife?"
Shuisheng never expected his mother to come up with such a terrible idea. He thought his mother was an ignorant woman who had been bedridden for many years and knew nothing about such things. He never expected that his mother would suggest that he buy a wife.
He sighed helplessly, "Mother, don't you think about it? A wife bought with money isn't truly married to me. How can she be of one mind with us and live a stable life? Once her family gets the dowry, won't she quietly run away after things calm down?"
"They escaped quietly?"
Yes!
Someone in the village had bought a wife before, but the woman was just a conman to swindle the bride price. Once the bride price was in hand and the wedding banquet was held, the woman ran away overnight when the groom's family relaxed their guard. The groom's family couldn't find her anywhere, and by the time they realized what was happening, her family had also vanished without a trace.
They're just trying to scam the bride price!
No, my son works tirelessly from dawn till dusk, and he's finally saved up a few dozen taels of silver. We can't let someone cheat him out of it.
Scammers exist everywhere, especially in this county where they are newcomers and don't know anyone. They might encounter scammers when they seek a matchmaker.
How can this be done?
Aunt Xiangqin was suddenly at a loss. She muttered to herself for a long time, but couldn't find a good solution.
Seeing that his mother was unsure, Shuisheng started to add more heat.
"Mother, don't just stand there, let's pack our bags quickly. Tomorrow I'll help Brother Qingchuan deliver some braised pig's trotters to the restaurant, and then I'll ask him to drive us back to Guihua Village in a carriage. Pack carefully, don't forget anything, or we'll have a hard time getting out after we go back."
Aunt Xiangqin's heart skipped a beat, and she felt extremely uncomfortable. She looked around at the furnishings in the room. The room was clean, the bed was in good condition, the cabinet was made of red lacquered wood, the chair had simple carvings, and the walls were painted white. Thinking of her old, dilapidated room at home, which still smelled damp, she felt like she couldn't breathe.
Do not!
They can no longer go back to the village; if they go back to farm, they'll never be able to turn their lives around and live a good life.
My son finally got a good opportunity to make money by following Qingchuan, and he's slowly saving up some money. How can he just go back like that?
She didn't want to go back to the miserable life where she couldn't afford medicine and her son couldn't get married. She was also fed up with the disdainful looks and sarcastic remarks from her neighbors.
“Shuisheng, we can’t go back. We’ve finally managed to get out of this mess. Once we’ve saved enough money, we can buy a small house and have our own home. If we go back now, we’ll have nothing left.”
Seeing that his mother was unwilling to go back, Shui Sheng smiled slightly, unable to contain his joy.
Because compared to marrying Liu Cai'er, her mother could not accept returning to Guihua Village!
Once a person has seen a bustling city and had the opportunity to stay, why would they want to go back to a place where they endured endless hardship? Once they have eaten white rice, why would they still like to drink brown rice porridge?
He feigned ignorance and said, "Mother, if I can't marry Cai'er, how can I have the face to stay? Especially you, today you publicly refuted my marriage to Cai'er, how will you face Cai'er and your sister-in-law in the future?"