Farmer girl swaps husbands: buys a sickly villain and pampers him

Chapter 64 Be Strong
Zhong Lanhua walked in muttering to herself, and seeing that there was no firewood in the yard, she became furious and rushed into the room to find Jiang Yihan.

Jiang Yihuan is combing her hair.

After washing her hair, she needs to apply the best osmanthus ointment on her hair so that her hair will emit the pleasant fragrance of osmanthus.

When Zhong Lanhua pushed the door open and came in, she looked over puzzledly: "Mom, what's wrong?"

"That Zhang Dachun next door didn't fetch us any firewood, and you're just going to leave it alone? How are we going to cook without firewood?" Zhong Lanhua said unhappily, "If he doesn't fetch it, you have to do it. It's up to you to decide whether to coax a man into doing it with a few sweet words or do it yourself!"

"Don't worry, Mom. If Zhang Dachun doesn't choose, someone else will." Jiang Yihuan said confidently, fiddling with her hair, "They'll pick it soon."

After hearing this, Zhong Lanhua's expression softened with satisfaction: "You're smart. You know this man is unreliable and there's always someone else."

"I noticed that Mom didn't look too happy just now. Is there something else besides the firewood issue?" Jiang Yihuan put down the comb in her hand. "What happened?"

"That woman Zhang Zhaodi actually bought an oxcart. We have you and I doing embroidery work at home, and we can earn one or two taels of silver every month, but we didn't dare to talk about buying an oxcart." Zhong Lanhua said unhappily, "I can lose to anyone in my life, but I can't lose to Zhang Zhaodi. Zhang Zhaodi is not as pretty as me, her mouth is not as good as mine, and she is not as fertile as me, so she can't live better than me! When we were young, the embroidery workshop actually chose her instead of me. Why? And Su Dalang, why did he choose Zhang Zhaodi over me?"

Jiang Yihan was not surprised at all when she heard what Zhong Lanhua said. It was obvious that she had heard her say such things more than once.

Zhong Lanhua said she fell in love with Su Dalang at first sight, but he turned out to be the betrothal candidate for the Zhang family. Unwilling to accept this, she tried every trick in the book to attract his attention, but the wedding date remained unchanged. Zhong Lanhua refused to accept this, believing that if she could snatch a spot in Zhang Zhaodi's embroidery workshop, she could snatch her man. So, she also chose a family from the same village.

Originally, she had decided to get married on the same day as Zhang Zhaodi, but when Zhang Zhaodi was about to get married, her grandmother passed away and she stayed at home for three more years. Instead, she got married first.

She chose Dalang from the Jiang family, who was not as good-looking as Dalang from the Su family, but he listened to her. She wanted to prove that she would be happier than Zhang Zhaodi, and also to make Dalang from the Su family regret it and let him know what an excellent woman he had missed.

After marriage, she tried to seduce Su Dalang, but it was no use. The man was like a piece of wood and had no interest in beauty. As soon as Zhang Zhaodi's three-year mourning period was over, she married Su Dalang. But the good times didn't last long. Just two months after the marriage, the imperial court called for soldiers, and he was forced to serve in the army by the Su family and never returned.

Jiang Jia Dalang did not die from conscription, but from a severe cold. He did not see a doctor in time and passed away.

"I thought it was a small matter. Is it worth Mother getting so angry about this?" Jiang Yihuan said, "If we just buy a carriage, wouldn't that put us above them?"

There was a gleam in Zhong Lanhua's eyes.

But soon, the light went out and calmness returned.

"The cheapest carriage costs twenty taels of silver. How can we afford that much money?"

Almost all the money I earned over the years was spent on Jiang Yihui.

"Mrs. Li's wife loves peonies the most. I have embroidered a picture of peonies and will bring it to the Li family tomorrow. It will definitely sell for a good price."

Zhong Lanhua spotted the embroidery frame not far away, and on it was the peony painting. She couldn't let it go. Her daughter was prettier than she was, and had a better embroidery talent. She simply taught her what she had learned, and her embroidery skills surpassed hers.

"That's not even enough for twenty taels!" Zhong Lanhua said.

"I know the son of the horse market manager. I'll ask him to plead for us and give us the cheapest price. If that doesn't work, we can ask him to pay for us first."

Zhong Lanhua understood and looked at Jiang Yihan with more relief.

It's called a "payment", but how can a man who is willing to spend money on a woman ask her to pay it back? This "payment" is a non-existent thing, equivalent to giving it away for free.

"The manager's son, he should have some money, right?" Zhong Lanhua was interested. "You're fifteen years old, do you want to..."

"Mother, why are you in such a hurry?" Jiang Yihuan said, "I'm still young and can wait. Look, there are two scholars in the family. If my eldest brother passes the imperial examination, I'll be a daughter of an official and maybe marry into a better family. And there's Xiao Yanci. Even the teacher admires his knowledge. He has a great chance of passing the examination and he has great potential."

Zhong Lanhua understood that Jiang Yihuan was aiming for a higher position. The richest man around her was only a small business owner; how could he compare to a future official with such a promising future? If Jiang Yihui passed the imperial examination, he would need the support of his in-laws. Jiang Yihuan couldn't just marry anyone; she had to marry well.

There was a voice coming from outside, and it sounded like a man's voice.

"The firewood carrier is here," Jiang Yihuan said. "Mom, go deal with him. Those men won't think they can win my favor by helping me carry some firewood and water. I'm not some wild vegetable on the side of the road. How can they coax me into their clutches so easily?"

Zhong Lanhua said with satisfaction: "You are right, you have a bit of your mother's brain."

After the young man carrying firewood put the firewood away, he wiped the sweat off his face and looked towards Jiang Yihuan's room.

A coughing sound was heard from the room, followed by Jiang Yihuan's soft and sweet voice: "Thank you, Brother Huzi, for helping me. My mother and I are both weak women. Every time we do these rough jobs, we can't straighten our backs for days. Fortunately, there are kind people like Brother Huzi. Otherwise, my mother and I would not have a peaceful day in the village."

"Huan'er, are you sick again?" Yang Hu said distressedly, "Don't worry, I'll go get Doctor Lin for you."

"Don't go. I've already got the medicine." Zhong Lanhua stopped him. "My daughter is just too soft-hearted. She's always thinking about doing more work for me, without even considering whether her body is suitable for work. It's also my fault. My body isn't in good shape either. I'm in pain all over. She just feels sorry for me, so she has to force herself to do it."

"Auntie, from now on, let me carry the water and chop wood. I'll do it. Don't let Huan'er do it." Yang Hu said, "Huan'er also needs to do embroidery, which is too harmful to her health."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work." Zhong Lanhua said, "Wait until she feels better before we do it again."

Yang Hu received some praise from Zhong Lanhua and left in a happy mood.

When he went out, he met Zhang Dachun from next door who was coming back from the field. He walked past Zhang Dachun proudly, as if he had defeated a rooster.

(End of this chapter)