Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 33

When Lu Baobao overhears the conversation between the two little fat kids, she quickly deduces the little girl’s identity. When Tang Xiuyuan appears and the girl calls him “big brother,” her guess is confirmed.

However, Lu Baobao is still a bit surprised by why Tang Xiuyuan is at her house, spending time with her cousin.

“What is this?”

“What is this used for?”

“You can even make this? You’re really amazing!”

Unlike the lively exchange between the two little fat kids, this pair seems more like Tang Xiuyuan is putting on a one-man show. He speaks ten sentences while Lu Xiuyu responds with just one or two.

But Tang Xiuyuan doesn’t seem to mind the lack of engagement; instead, he chatters away with enthusiasm.

Lu Baobao feels both hungry and full.

Hungry because the two little ones keep saying they’re hungry, and full because she feels as if she’s been inundated with an unseen abundance of dog food.

She could swear on Tang Dingyuan’s character that the young owner of the Tangshui Shop must have feelings for her sister.

Lu Baobao touches her chin, falling into deep thought. Her sister seems too oblivious to notice this. Should she remind her or pretend not to know?

At this moment, she begins to regret not recalling her prophetic dream clearly. After waking up, the details fade quickly. In a short time, aside from the final fate of her parents, she almost forgets everything that happens in between.

Over the past few years, she has been trying to remember and has made some progress. 

She recalls that her cousin has an official match in the book. For a time, the heroine of the time-traveling farming novel frequently encounters an injured prince, an amnesiac emperor, or a general hiding his identity as a hunter in the countryside. The book featuring her cousin as the heroine follows this pattern. Lu Baobao can’t recall the other party’s specific identity, but she remembers that he should also be someone of great power.

In the early stages, her cousin focuses on her career and deals with various challenges; in the middle, there is a sweet romance; and in the later stages, the healed male lead takes her cousin back to his family, which is the most painful part for the female lead. After all, how could a powerful family easily accept a butcher’s daughter as their matriarch? 

Even if she makes a lot of money and possesses wisdom and skills equal to any rich girl, her identity alone is enough for those people to look down on her.

Of course, the story must end perfectly. The in-laws, sister-in-law, and other family members all accept and recognize the heroine. They have lovely children and live happily ever after.

As a reader, Lu Baobao enjoys this story, but as a younger sister who has been cared for by her cousin for many years, she doesn’t want her cousin to experience so much unhappiness.

Others only see that she is smart and could be accepted by her in-laws from a powerful family, but what about her struggles, her grievances, and her efforts?

Lu Baobao only wishes she could remember the timeline and know when the male protagonist will appear. 

Now standing next to her cousin, Tang Xiuyuan, she does not know whether he has a role in the original story and how significant it is. At present, it seems that the two of them together are not inconsistent but rather a good match.

In just a few seconds, many exciting scenarios flash through Lu Baobao’s mind, such as the domineering senior and her junior, or the female president and her little wolf dog.

******

“Why does the young master of the Tang family send you back?” After Tang Xiuyuan and his sister leave, Jiang Bai’e, who has been holding back her words, finally can’t contain herself any longer.

“Didn’t Baoyin go with you to meet that young scholar?” Upon hearing this, the rest of the family realizes that Lu Xiuyu has just gone to meet the youngest son of the village chief from the neighboring village.

“Mom, if the matchmaker comes to the door again, please help me refuse it. This marriage isn’t suitable.” Thinking of that arrogant man who speaks as if he knows everything, Lu Xiuyu can’t help but frown.

“Why isn’t it suitable? Don’t you know how many families are begging to marry their daughters to him?” Jiang Bai’e is anxious. Her daughter has finally softened her attitude, but how can she change it after just a glimpse of the boy? Didn’t everyone say he is handsome and gentle? Could it be that her daughter doesn’t like such a person?

“He recognizes me the moment he sees me.” Lu Xiuyu looks at her mother. “He’s quite direct. He comes right out and tells me that he doesn’t like women who show themselves off, and once I marry him, I have to hand over my shop and my business to his mother.”

Lu Xiuyu’s gaze turns cold. “We haven’t even settled the marriage yet, and he’s already so brazenly ordering me around. Mother, do you really think this is a good match?”

She feels that the man is not only arrogant but also quite foolish. He makes such an annoying demand without even securing the engagement first. Lu Xiuyu can essentially sentence him to failure in the future.

“How… how could this be?” Jiang Bai’e opens her mouth, her mind a tangled mess. “Could it be that you misunderstood?” She mumbles hesitantly, feeling that it is inappropriate for that man to say such things, but she is reluctant to let go of a suitor she somewhat favors.

The marriage proposals they receive are usually from the second sons of small merchants or farmers. Scholars tend to look down on the Lu family’s traditions and disapprove of Lu Xiuyu’s ostentatious and ambitious character in business.

Jiang Bai’e is somewhat fixated on this; she always compares herself to the second branch and wants to find a scholar for her daughter to ensure her daughter’s status as an official’s wife.

Now that she realizes the man comes for her daughter’s money, she still feels uncomfortable about giving up on this candidate.

“Listen to your eldest daughter; we are not worthy of such a family.” Lu Jiafeng returns from the fields after collecting pigs, still smelling of the barn. He doesn’t care that the weather has turned cold; he directly fetches a bucket of water from the well and splashes it on his face. “As a mother, you should be clearer than our daughter. If a family like that really does end up in a position of power, there’s no way our daughter will sit in the position of an official’s wife.”

Lu Jiafeng’s standards are not as high as his wife’s. As long as the other party is honest and sincere and his daughter likes him, that is enough for him.

Their family is not lacking in money or resources. What matters is that the children can live harmoniously—that’s enough. 

As for the second brother getting such a good son-in-law, it is simply their good fortune. After all, the second son is the first to think of recruiting him as a son-in-law when his mother expresses a desire to adopt Yuan Ge’er.

The second brother is just that lucky. He does nothing his entire life, yet has everything he needs. Perhaps this is the blessing he earned in his previous life.

Her own husband also stands on their daughter’s side, and while the in-laws haven’t spoken up, their attitude clearly shows they don’t think highly of the match. Jiang Bai’e can only sulk alone. With the whole family opposing her, how can she force her daughter to go to that man’s house?

******

“Hmph, my sister-in-law is competing with our family.”

After dinner, Lu Jiafu returns to the room, lying on the kang like a master. He picks his teeth with a reed in his left hand while resting his head on his right hand, crossing his legs comfortably.

“What is sister-in-law competing with us about?”

Xu Jiaoniang climbs onto the kang, pushes Lu Jiafu aside until she feels she has enough space, and then settles in comfortably.

“Son-in-law! With Yuan Ge’er standing in front, my sister-in-law’s standards for picking a son-in-law have risen. She worries she won’t choose well and will be outshined by our good boy.”

Lu Jiafu shakes his head. “Tsk tsk, they laugh at us and look down on the husband we choose for our good boy. At that time, they disliked Yuan Ge’er because he had no parents and no family property. They think that if they promise their daughter to such a man, they will suffer in the future. Haha, they are not as smart as Mother, who has already calculated this for us.”

Even now, Lu Jiafu believes his mother’s suggestion to adopt Tang Dingyuan is a hint for him to make Tang Dingyuan his son-in-law.

“It was a relief for us when Yuan Ge’er passed the entrance exam to Tianxia Academy a few years ago. In recent years, he consistently ranks among the top three in the small exams. With such literary talent, how could he not pass the scholar examination?”

Lu Jiafu swings his legs, his face filled with pride. He is now a solidly established scholar father-in-law, and in the future, he might even be promoted to the position of juren (successful candidate) father-in-law.

“With Yuan Ge’er supporting our branch, our future fortune will be even greater.”

Lu Jiafu is once again grateful that he understands his mother’s intentions and decisively chooses to make Tang Dingyuan his son-in-law.

“It’s normal for the eldest sister-in-law to be unhappy. Over the years, she and my brother work so hard, practically treating themselves like cattle for labor. Even the children in their family are very hardworking. Not to mention the eldest girl; our old Lu family hasn’t produced a smart child like her in hundreds of years. The two brothers, Baojin and Baoyin, are also down-to-earth and work hard to make their way in life.”

As he speaks, Lu Jiafu’s expression gradually changes.

“She only sees her family working themselves to the bone for money; she has no idea…”

Lu Jiafu’s gaze deepens, and his expression grows more mysterious.

Xu Jiaoniang’s heart tightens. She has never seen her husband like this before. What does he want to say? 

Could it be that she has always misunderstood him? His laziness and greed over the years have just been an illusion. In fact, he has been secretly planning something all along?

Xu Jiaoniang clutches the quilt tightly, her eyes wide with anticipation as she awaits the second half of her husband’s sentence.

Lu Baobao initially intends to ask her mother for some embroidery thread to fix the loose threads on Xiao Yuanzi’s clothes, but she doesn’t expect to overhear such thrilling content at the door. 

She imagines countless spy dramas in her mind. Could it be that her father is the rumored powerful man who pretends to be a pig to eat the tiger?

Xu Jiaoniang is shocked, while Lu Baobao is excited, both eagerly anticipating Lu Jiafu’s next words.

“How could she know…” Lu Jiafu’s expression remains inscrutable. “Life without effort is so happy, fufufufu——”

Proud Lu Jiafu lets out a series of honks, showing just how pleased he is. Under such strong emotion, his throat can’t even produce a normal sound.

Xu Jiaoniang feels a tinge of disappointment. Her man is still the same, but after reflecting on it, she realizes that what her husband says is indeed quite reasonable.

“Jiafu, you are so smart.”

As Xu Jiaoniang considers how she has relied on her parents and brothers for the first ten years of her life, and on her parents-in-law for the next few decades, it dawns on her that in her old age, she will still rely on her daughter and son-in-law. She has never truly worked hard, yet her life has been smooth and happy.

The two of them chuckle oddly in the room. Lu Baobao bends down to pick up the old clothes that have fallen to the ground in shock.

No, these aren’t just old clothes; they are clearly her shattered hopes.

Sure enough, she is the naive little fool who believes her father could be pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger.