Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 24

“Hmph, are you going to say this silver was hidden by Baobao? Lu Jiafu, you should have some shame. I’m embarrassed for you.” Xu Jiaoniang points at her husband and then mercilessly tucks the pieces of silver into her pocket.

Lu Baobao still keeps smiling.

Boohoo, she has saved up her secret stash for a long time! Today, her elder sister generously gives her a piece of silver after earning a large sum and also helps her consolidate her scattered copper coins.

She hasn’t even had the chance to properly touch those beautiful silver ingots.

Now it is time for the couple’s internal conflicts. Lu Jiafu ruthlessly drives both Tang Dingyuan and Lu Baobao out.

“I won’t.” Outside the door, Tang Dingyuan says to Lu Baobao very seriously.

Second uncle has promised this beautiful girl to him, and when she grows up, she will become his wife. Tang Dingyuan assures her that he will never hide private money like second uncle does behind second aunt’s back.

“Oh.” Baobao Lu looks at him with resentment. She would!

This child is still too young to understand the joys of hiding private money, but just now, her joy has vanished.

“Xiao Yuan, you’re still young; there are some things you don’t understand.” Baobao Lu sighs and tries to tiptoe to pat Tang Dingyuan on the shoulder. Unfortunately, the height difference between them is significant. Thankfully, Tang Dingyuan, being considerate, squats down so that Baobao can reach his shoulder.

“You don’t have to take what my parents say to heart. Life is short. You should repay those who have done you a favor, but your life shouldn’t be bound by obligations. You should be happy—that’s the most important thing.”

Baobao Lu looks up at Tang Dingyuan sincerely, feeling that his words are very wise. He is so young; how can he understand what love is? Just because her parents help him, he promises his future to her? Lu Baobao fears that he might regret it later, and then they would end up resenting each other, which is not what she wants to see.

Little does she know that her serious expression and faux maturity only make her seem cuter in Tang Dingyuan’s eyes.

In addition to being pretty, the beautiful girl also seems very smart.

Tang Dingyuan discovers another quality in Baobao. Despite her silly sweetness, she is actually a perceptive little girl who understands people and situations well.

“Lu Baobao, you have to call me Brother Yuan.” Tang Dingyuan tugs at Lu Baobao’s pigtails. This little girl is two-faced—she calls him Brother Yuan in front of others but refers to him as Xiao Yuan when they are alone.

Such a little rascal!

Tang Dingyuan genuinely likes how she treats him. She can speak her mind and express her true thoughts. Does this mean she is starting to get close to him?

Hmph! Lu Baobao angrily snatches her braid back. This Little Yuan isn’t smart at all. She is going to find her big cousin to play; she wants to cling to her big cousin’s golden thigh and regain her joy.

Tang Dingyuan watches Lu Baobao run away with a hop and a skip, and the smile on his face never fades.

He still hasn’t forgotten his parents, but he has learned not to dwell on his sadness. Tang Dingyuan thinks that he might never forget the pain of his parents’ passing, but he will definitely become happier and happier.

******

Lu Jiahou accompanies Liu Lanhua back to the Liu family, and by now, the sky is already dark.

Lu Laotou has spoken: unless she can bring back five taels of silver, she should never come back to the Lu family. At that moment, Liu Lanhua feels both tired and hungry, and as she looks at her increasingly familiar family home, her heart sinks deeper into despair.

Liu Lanhua knows that her chances of retrieving the silver are nearly zero.

In fact, Liu Lanhua is well aware of her family’s nature. Before she got married, the hardest and most exhausting work was always shared by her and her sisters. During busy farming seasons, men sweat profusely in the fields while the women toil away on the few acres of barren land belonging to the Liu family.

She has grown up in such a family, where her parents drill into her that women live miserable lives, born to atone for their sins. She owes her family from her previous life, and so she feels she has to work like a cow and a horse in this life to make amends. Her brothers are all promising, and she believes that once they become successful, they will treat her well.

Over time, Liu Lanhua and her sisters begin to accept their fate and resign themselves to their circumstances.

Being favored by Lu Jiahou and marrying into the Lu family marks a turning point in Liu Lanhua’s life. She notices a change in the way her parents and brothers treat her. Her parents are more affectionate, and her brothers regard her as a true sister. Each time she returns to her parents’ home, she enjoys the treatment of a distinguished guest.

From that moment on, Liu Lanhua feels they are her true relatives. For these hard-won family ties, she begins to give generously, reveling in the kind of familial love that can only be sustained through constant giving.

Old Butcher Lu asks her to go back to her parents’ home to ask for five taels of silver, which completely wakes her up from her dream.

However, when Old Butcher Lu asks her to return to her parents’ home to request five taels of silver, it completely shatters her dream. Liu Lanhua understands that she can never retrieve the five taels.

“Jiahou, I’m sorry.” Standing at the entrance of the Liu family’s yard, Liu Lanhua lowers her head and apologizes. She clenches her fists, her expression pained, feeling utterly lacking in the courage to step inside.

“Lanhua! brother-in-law! Why are you here so late at night? What are you standing there for? Come in quickly, I’ll pour you some tea.”

Eldest sister-in-law Liu comes out of the house to pour the water for washing feet onto the ground. With the moonlight, she can see the two people outside the yard.

“Why does Lanhua look so pale? Did something happen?”

The eldest sister-in-law Liu’s gaze drifts over Liu Lanhua and Lu Jiahou’s hands, noticing they aren’t carrying anything back, and she purses her lips in dissatisfaction. However, thinking about all the things this silly sister-in-law has sent home over the years, a warm smile returns to her face.

Unlike her short-sighted brother-in-law, who thinks that because his family has a recipe that can earn them a fortune, he doesn’t need to please his sister anymore. Eldest sister-in-law Liu understands better. She doesn’t care about money; as long as this silly girl continues to contribute to the family, she is happy to be her supportive and caring sister-in-law.

Besides, if Liu Lanhua can provide a way for the family to make money, there is potential for her to do so again, maybe even a second or third time—who would ever complain about having too much money?

“Sister-in-law.” With her presence noticed, Liu Lanhua has no choice but to enter. “Are my parents asleep? I need to ask them something.”

Liu Lanhua grits her teeth, reminding herself that she is still her parents’ daughter. Could they really stand by and watch her face a divorce?

“They’re not asleep yet; I’ll go call them for you right now.” Eldest Sister-in-law Liu was curious about what had prompted her sister-in-law and brother-in-law to visit at such an hour.

The Liu elders are roused from their warm bed. Liu Lanhua initially intends to communicate privately with her parents about the silver, but the other brothers in the Liu family worry that Liu Lanhua is bringing benefits, which could create complications when those things end up with one of the brothers later. As a result, they all pretend not to notice Liu Lanhua’s expression and shamelessly stay in the elders’ room.

“I, I…” Liu Lanhua stammers, struggling to find her words.

“What’s the matter?” The Liu family members wait anxiously.

“If Lanhua can’t say it, I will,” Lu Jiahou interjects. He bluntly states that his family already knows Liu Lanhua has stolen the recipe and demands that the Liu family pay five taels of silver as compensation. He says that this formula is effectively sold to them.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Lanhua, have you lost your mind? That formula was clearly developed by your brothers themselves! You traitorous girl, you’re helping your in-laws bleed your own family dry!” Old Lady Liu screams, lurching toward her daughter and grabbing her, twisting her arm mercilessly.

Liu Lanhua silently sheds tears, enduring the onslaught. She has turned against her conscience to help her mother’s family, yet now finds herself condemned by both sides. She accepts the scolding from her husband’s family, but to be treated this way by her own family truly breaks her heart.