"Ah? Wasnât Uncle Number Two going to handle this? Why is his wife still making a fuss?"
"My dad has been out lately, he isnât at home," said Wang Pingtao. Otherwise, his mother wouldnât be causing trouble now. She was thinking about using the time when his dad was away to break him and his wife up, then taking the opportunity to make him marry Xiaoqing. By the time his dad returned, it would be a done deal, beyond changing.
"So where did Uncle Number Two go, and when will he be back?"
At this moment, Ye Ziâan was incredibly sympathetic to his cousin. Having a mother like that was truly awful. Every wife has her own feelings, yet his mother insisted on breaking them apart. That old lady really had a problem with her mind.
"Your Uncle Number Two, he wonât be back until summer. He said thereâs road construction at the county government office, they provide wages and cover food and lodging, so he went there."
Ms. Wang then said, "Your Uncle Number Two is also someone who canât stay idle. He always wants to work. He was even reluctant to go help out at the shop when your dad asked him to."
"Wasnât Uncle Number Two in partnership with Uncle Number One doing some business? Why isnât he doing that anymore?" Yang Chuxia remembered it that way. The two families would trade goods from other places and sell them in Quanya, making some silver throughout the year. Why would Uncle Number Two need to go out and work?
Hearing his familyâs matters being discussed, Wang Pingtao said, "The business is all being taken care of by my eldest uncleâs family. Ours doesnât handle it anymore, we just get some silver each year. When Iâm at home, I go with Eldest Uncle to trade goods. My dad is someone who canât stay still. Whenever he finishes the household chores, he looks for work wherever itâs available."
"I see."
"Yes!" Speaking of this, Wang Pingtao was truly frustrated. "I didnât know he was leaving, otherwise, I wouldnât have let him go no matter what. Once he left, my mother started her antics. She even brought Xiaoqing home and is trying every day to couple us together. Itâs so annoying."
"Thatâs not right, cousin!" Yang Chuxia laughed. "I clearly remember you used to like Qian Xiaoqing, so why do you feel this aversion now?"
She remembered that when they were younger, it was said that Wang Pingtao himself liked Qian Xiaoqing, and thatâs why Ms. Liu of Wang Family didnât stop Ms. Qian of Wang Family from wanting to marry Qian Xiaoqing to Wang Pingtao.
"Hey, big cousin, donât tease me about that, okay? Wasnât that just me being young and ignorant?" Wang Pingtao felt quite embarrassed when he brought up the past.
"Thatâs right, you little devil, why bring up the past?" Ms. Wang also spoke up. "Letâs go eat first, we can chat slowly after eating."
But what she hadnât expected was that Ms. Qian of Wang Family was so persistent. It seemed she had calculated that Wang Pingtao would come to Yangshu Village, and sure enough, the next afternoon, she arrived at Yangshu Village with Qian Xiaoqing.
Having not seen Qian Xiaoqing for many years, Yang Chuxia was surprisingly find that Qian Xiaoqing hadnât changed much from before, and didnât have any of the worn looks of a widow.
Oh, but that was wrong; this girl has always been fierce. Marrying a disabled man in replacement marriage, she probably couldnât wait for him to die early, so why would she feel worn out by it?
Qian Xiaoqing was also surprised to see Yang Chuxia. She had always heard that Yang Chuxia and Ye Ziâan had gone to take up positions, and didnât expect her to be back now.
If she had known, she wouldnât have come, to avoid Yang Chuxia seeing her and laughing.
"Qian Xiaoqing, long time no see!" It was customary to greet an acquaintance when one met them.
"Hehe," Qian Xiaoqing laughed but didnât speak, just stood behind Ms. Qian of Wang Family.
However, Ms. Qian of Wang Family had always harbored grievances against Yang Chuxia for not helping Wang Yunlian with the selection process in the past and was quite displeased with Yang Chuxia.