20 years of restarting life

Chapter 3748 Qiao Yan's Joke

Seeing that Zhao Chang'an remained silent, Qiao Yan had already convinced him and continued smugly, "I haven't even mentioned scorpions, centipedes, wasps, and other poisonous insects. There used to be a lot of centipedes, scorpions, and wasps around the tea plantation, and every year tea pickers would get bitten. But in the last two years, many idle men in the town have heard from my husband's relatives that centipedes, scorpions, and wasp nests can be sold for money. So they fish for centipedes and scorpions in the crevices of the rocks around the tea plantation, and they also collect those big wasp nests hanging in the trees and those ground urn nests built underground. They dry them and sell them to them every year when it's time to pick tea."

"Speaking of getting a minor itch, every year in rural townships, there are more or less one or a few people who get a few packets of medicine from the commune doctor. They open their eyes the next day and are already cured. They can even have a feast in the village while they're still asleep. It all depends on luck and fate."

"I don't even know what to say about what you've said."

Zhao Chang'an was just mentioning it casually, since even if someone gets bitten by a tick, it's a low probability event if it happens to be a poisonous one.

However, the large-scale catching of centipedes at this time is disrupting the ecological balance, which is clearly not a good thing.

At the same time, Zhao Chang'an regretted telling Qiao Yan these things, giving her the opportunity to chatter on and on about him. Moreover, judging from the flush on her pretty face, she was obviously enjoying the chatter, which could be considered a kind of perverse pleasure.

"So in our rural areas, everything boils down to two things: first, survival, that is, not freezing or starving to death; second, having a son, which can be summarized in four words: carrying on the family line. If a son isn't good enough, the father-in-law will help; if an older brother isn't good enough, the younger brother will help; if the older brother dies, the younger brother will take over. These kinds of things are just not said outright. The feelings you've been deceived for several years are worthless in the eyes of us rural people. You only lost money, but life goes on, and you can always earn money. Or maybe he took your virginity, but in the eyes of us rural people, as long as you can get a wife and have a son, who cares if she has that kind of thing?"

Qiao Yan chuckled and said, "At worst, we can prepare some chicken blood beforehand. It's not a big deal. Why are you making such a fuss?"

Qiao Yan's words jumped around and she suddenly started to kindly persuade Lin Xiaojie. Zhao Chang'an could accept it, but the fierce and ruthless words she uttered made him click his tongue.

As expected, women who have given birth are like little girls; they are no longer as reserved and shy about matters of the heart as young girls.

-

After Zhao Chang'an and Qi Xuan'er reunited, they continued their journey.

Xiang Yong was still driving, with Zhao Chang'an sitting in the middle of the back seat. To his left sat Lin Xiaojie, whose eyes were still closed, and to his right sat Qiao Yan, who was holding her daughter.

"Xiang Yong, President Zhao Chang'an wants to poach me. Do you agree or not?"

As soon as the car started, Qiao Yan, like the wind in the proverb "no wind, no waves," insisted on stirring up some waves.

"Dig you up? How do you mean that? What do you mean?"

This time, Xiang Yong was smarter and didn't dare look in the rearview mirror. He drove honestly and asked questions.

Zhao Chang'an used the hand on Qiao Yan's side to pat Qiao Yan's leg, trying to shut her up, meaning that if she said anything more, he wouldn't be polite.

Since you've already refused, what's the point of bringing it up now? Aren't you bored?

But Qiao Yan freed one hand and pressed his hand, which he had only intended to pat lightly, firmly against her thigh, preventing him from moving, while pinching his hand hard.

Thus, Zhao Chang'an's hand was forced to remain on Qiao Yan's thigh. "How do you think we'll dig? Like digging sweet potatoes or potatoes! He just wants to hire me at a high salary to work for him, are you happy or not?"

Qiao Yan said with a smile, "If you're willing to let him poach me, I'll hand over the hotel, the tea plantation, and my daughter to you. I'll go out with President Zhao and enjoy the glamorous world. Oh, and don't even think about me giving your family another son to carry on the family line anytime soon."

In Qiao Yan's view, this last sentence was the trump card against Xiang Yong and his family.

Xiang Yong's parents had been making arrangements for this matter for over a year, taking care of all the necessary connections and even preparing the fine in advance. Everything was ready, and they were just waiting for Qiao Yan to get pregnant.

So she said those things just to get revenge for being treated so lightly by Zhao Chang'an, and subconsciously she also really wanted to tease him.

Zhao Chang'an felt a bit of pain from being pinched; even with his thick skin, he felt the pain, showing that Qiao Yan was really going to pinch him.

He wasn't one to be trifled with either, so he quietly reached his large hand onto her two thighs, which were pressed and pinched by Qiao Yan's small hands. His large hand felt like a snail carrying a small, light, yet incredibly heavy magnolia flower hand.

Since you're so unscrupulous, don't blame me, Zhao Chang'an, for not showing you any mercy. Respect me and keep climbing the ladder.

"So it turns out that General Manager Zhao took a liking to Qiao Yan, who majored in tea at the agricultural college, and wanted to recruit her. What do you mean by poaching? You always speak so rudely, making people misunderstand and think that General Manager Zhao wants to poach you."

The car drove along this flat and mostly straight country road. On both sides were paddy fields reflecting the sky, rapeseed fields, and alfalfa fields. In northern Hubei Province, the Dabie Mountains blocked the cold air from Henan Province to the north. While the peach, pear, and apricot blossoms north of the mountains were still in bud, the fruit trees in this village had already burst into bloom.

As Xiang Yong admired the beautiful scenery along the way with a literary and artistic perspective, his mind was filled with Lin Xiaojie's slender and graceful figure, her pretty, snow-white face with tears in her eyes, a sight that evoked pity.

Having clearly understood the true meaning behind Qiao Yan's crow-like mouth, which was deliberately stirring up trouble, he suddenly felt that it wouldn't be unacceptable for her to go to work in the mountain city.

This way, he could finally be freed from her constant complaints, grumbling, and nagging. Moreover, he could take charge of everything at the hotel and tea plantation, and his parents, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew could come from their hometown. With his sister, the whole family could be reunited.

The hotel and tea plantation require my parents and brother and sister-in-law to worry more. My daughter is in the care of my mother and sister-in-law. Without her as a troublemaker, how happy can the family be?

Qiao Yan was shocked by Zhao Chang'an's shamelessness and audacity. She immediately forgot about pinching him and took a defensive stance, covering him with her hands to prevent him from succeeding.

On the surface, both men sat upright and calmly, but in the shadows they were engaged in a fierce and silent contest, so much so that they had no energy to pay attention to Xiang Yong's words.

Seeing that Zhao Chang'an and Qiao Yan remained silent, Xiang Yong, who was driving, said after a moment of silence, "This is a good thing. Qiao Yan, haven't you always complained about being cooped up in Qiao Family Mountain and wanted to go out and explore the world? I can't selfishly tie you down like this. Just go and work hard. I'll have my brother and sister-in-law come and help run the hotel. The tea plantation will be managed by me, my brother, my parents, and me, so you can rest assured. My sister-in-law, my mother, and my sister can take care of the child after get off work. It's much better than you being busy with the hotel and taking care of the child right now."

The pain in Zhao Chang'an's hand immediately disappeared. He couldn't help but turn his head to look at Qiao Yan, only to see that the smile on her lips hadn't disappeared but had frozen, and she was staring at Xiang Yong's back with astonishment and shock, her eyes blazing with fire.

The scene was almost unbearable to watch, and Zhao Chang'an felt a pang of regret for his earlier outburst.

(End of this chapter)