Chapter 43: The Ugly Ger’s Farming Story

“Changfeng, come and bring the dishes!”

Xu Qing’s voice came from the kitchen, and Li Changfeng quickly stood up. “Let’s eat first, we can talk later.” Chen Qi nodded. He could smell the aroma of the food in the air, and he was starting to feel a bit hungry. He hadn’t had much appetite for breakfast this morning, and after walking so much, he was indeed feeling hungry now.

“What happened?” Xu Qing asked Li Changfeng as he poured water into the pot. “The marriage between the Chen family and the Ma family was called off, but Chen Hong insists on marrying Ma Fugui.” Li Changfeng really couldn’t understand what Chen Hong was thinking.

Xu Qing was also stunned. He never expected that Chen Hong would actually listen to the news about Ma Fugui and still want to marry him. “Forget it, it’s their family matter. Let’s eat first. Today, I made braised fish, your favorite.”

By now, it was already noon, and smoke was rising from the chimneys of the rural households. However, the Chen family’s kitchen remained cold and empty. Old Man Chen returned after finishing his work and saw his wife sitting expressionless in the courtyard. “Still angry? Did you cook?”

“Cook? What’s there to cook? I’m so angry, none of them are easy to deal with!”

Old Man Chen placed the hoe aside and listened to his wife’s words. He glanced at the room where Chen Hong stayed. “Hasn’t Xiao Hong come out yet?”

Chen Ama was furious. “Not only him, even Chen Qi and his wife have disappeared! It’s already this late, and they’re still quarreling. They are all so troublesome!”

Chen Hong sat in the room, facing a vibrant red garment. His slender fingers skillfully moved through the red fabric, and there was calmness in his expression. He was making his wedding dress. Actually, when he agreed to the marriage with the Ma family, he did have some thoughts of disillusionment. He didn’t care much about breaking off the engagement with the Ma family either.

But… but Big Brother said so … that it was Li Changfeng who told him. If Li Changfeng deliberately informed Big Brother about this matter, then maybe in his heart, he still held a special place. If that’s the case, he was willing to make mistake after mistake, just to gain a trace of concern from Li Changfeng.

After finishing lunch, Chen Qi went to Anle Village. He wanted to find his own wife. As a husband, there shouldn’t be anything they couldn’t talk about. He needed to figure out what was bothering his wife so much that he returned home.

After pouring some fine pig feed for the piglet, Xu Qing looked at the fifteen chicks hopping around in the chicken coop and suddenly noticed that one of them seemed a bit lethargic. Carefully avoiding the other chicks, Xu Qing picked up the sluggish one.

“What’s wrong?” Li Changfeng turned his head and saw Xu Qing crouched on the ground fiddling with something. He approached and saw Xu Qing trying to keep hold of the chick that was desperately trying to escape. “I noticed it wasn’t looking too well, so I took a look. Could you bring some water?”

Once Li Changfeng brought the water, Xu Qing carefully placed the chick down and held its little head, bringing it closer to the water. But the chick didn’t cooperate at all; it struggled even harder. “Let me do it.”

Li Changfeng directly placed a basin filled with water, which was not commonly used, into the chicken coop. Then he released the chick that Xu Qing was holding, letting it join the other chickens. “With more of its kind around, its fear will dissipate.”

Xu Qing watched as the chick returned to the group and started drinking water with the others. He listened to Li Changfeng’s words and thought it made sense. “Don’t you still have unfinished work? Go and take care of it.” While Li Changfeng was occupied with his task, Xu Qing took the opportunity to drop a drop of spiritual spring water into the basin. The chicks sensed that the water was different and soon the basin was surrounded by the little chicks, eagerly drinking the water.

“Changfeng, after you finish this, let’s go to the mountain.” Xu Qing remembered that there were quite a few redwood trees on the outskirts of the mountain. They were excellent materials for making furniture. The wood had a uniform color, with orange-colored heartwood and light reddish-brown to dark reddish-brown colors. The dark grain patterns were distinct, and the wood had a glossy texture. The grains were interwoven and clear, the material was hard, with high strength, wear resistance, and durability.

Li Changfeng, with his head buried in sanding the wooden board, nodded. “Okay!” After all, there wasn’t much farm work to be done at the moment, and occasionally going around with his wife to explore was also a kind of pleasure.

This season was the perfect time for wild fruit trees to bloom in the mountains. The pink blossoms were apricot flowers, peach flowers, and wild cherry blossoms. Wild cherries had a slightly bitter taste but were one of the favorite fruits among the village children. With limited resources in rural households, few families would specially bring snacks for their mischievous children. Only some fruit trees on the outskirts of the mountain provided the children with yearning year after year.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Li Changfeng and Xu Qing arrived at the back mountain, and Xu Qing was dazzled by the patches of red and pink throughout the mountains. “I have to admit, it looks really beautiful.” Li Changfeng nodded and added, “The fruits they bear are also delicious.” He planned to pick more when the time came. Li Changfeng remembered that Li Ama and Li Xiao’er loved eating wild fruits. As for him and his brothers, they used to have a sweet tooth when they were young, but as they grew older, their interest diminished.

Zeng Ama was accompanying his husband, who was dragging and chopping pine logs. He heard the voices of the two behind him and exclaimed, “Oh, isn’t this Brother Qing and the new Xu family member!”

Upon seeing Zeng Ama, Xu Qing recognized him. It was through this person that he spread the story of his “treatment” at the Lin family pharmacy. “Changfeng, this is Zeng Ama from the village. Their family also works with wood.” Li Changfeng nodded politely to Zeng Ama and remained silent.

“Zeng Ama, what are you doing here?” Xu Qing looked at the pine logs in front of Zeng Ama and felt a bit envious. Zeng Ama’s husband was involved in woodworking, so it seemed like they had come to the mountain to find wood.

Zeng Ama smiled and stopped his work, adjusting the perfectly placed silver hairpin on his head. “Uncle Zeng took on a few more projects! We ran out of wood at home, so here we are, checking it out.”

“Why, can’t handle it anymore? I should have come instead!” A short and chubby middle-aged man holding a knife said to Zeng Ama. His tone was quite gentle. This was Zeng Ama’s husband.

“How can that be! I just stopped to chat with Brother Qing and the others!” Zeng Ama let his husband take what he was holding. “Sorry for making you laugh. My husband, he just can’t bear to let me do more work! It’s really annoying!”

Listening to Zeng Ama’s exaggerated tone, Xu Qing’s mouth twitched slightly. This person…

“We’re just strolling around the mountain, so we’ll go ahead. Feel free to visit our place sometime. Our sons have all gotten married, so it’s not as lively as before!” Zeng Ama’s husband, with his round face and a gentle smile that resembled a laughing Buddha, seemed to be engaged in a small business at home. With his appearance and demeanor, it was hard to dislike him.

Zeng Ama and his husband only had two sons, both of whom got married and left. Now, only the two of them remained in the house. Zeng Ama wasn’t used to the days without gossiping. It wasn’t as lively as when he was with Sun Ama.

“Yeah, don’t find us annoying when the time comes,” Xu Qing said, feeling a bit embarrassed. Among all the households in the village, only the Zeng family worked with wood. People in the village often sought their services. If Xu Qing’s family started their own woodworking business, they would become competitors!

Watching the old Zeng couple walk away, Li Changfeng looked at Xu Qing thoughtfully. “Do you really want to visit their house?” Xu Qing: “…………”

Rosewood was just a general term for a type of wood. Xu Qing was specifically looking for Sourwood, which could be classified into three types: Black Sourwood, Red Sourwood, and White Sourwood. The trees they found in front of them were Red Sourwood.

Xu Qing remembered that the teacher mentioned in class that Sourwood was the primary material used in redwood furniture during the Qing Dynasty. Furniture made from Sourwood, even after several hundred years, would still look new as long as it was properly polished and coated with lacquer. This showcased the excellent quality of Sourwood and garnered attention from people throughout the ages.

Sourwood came in two colors, deep red and light red. It had a superior quality with distinct and varied patterns. Sourwood furniture, after being polished and lacquered, appeared smooth and lustrous, exuding a modest and understated beauty. Not only was it abundant in quantity, but the wood quality was also excellent, and the craftsmanship was exquisite. In the modern perception, it was considered genuine redwood furniture.

“Changfeng, make a mark on these trees.”

These trees were relatively old and had better wood quality. Xu Qing could envision their future home, and he didn’t want furniture that wouldn’t match the house.

Following Xu Qing’s instructions, Li Changfeng made marks on the designated trees. Afterward, the two ventured further into the outskirts of the mountain. While Xu Qing was looking around for the trees he desired, he suddenly had his mouth covered by Li Changfeng’s large hand, and Li Changfeng held him from behind, crouching down.

“Shh, don’t speak. There’s someone!” Li Changfeng whispered near Xu Qing’s ear. Xu Qing was utterly confused. What’s the big deal if someone was there? Did they really need to hide like this? Just as he was about to remove Li Changfeng’s hand, Xu Qing heard some noises not far away.

“Be gentle, damn it!”

“What do you mean by ‘gentle’? Don’t you like it when I’m rough?”

“You’re annoying! Ah…”

They had clearly stumbled upon a couple engaged in outdoor intimacy! Xu Qing obediently stayed still in Li Changfeng’s embrace, afraid to make any noise. If they were to make any sound while leaving, it would be awkward for everyone involved.

Li Changfeng was concerned that Xu Qing’s legs would get tired from crouching, so he slowly sat down, allowing Xu Qing to sit on his lap. “Don’t look!” Li Changfeng used his hand to cover Xu Qing’s eyes, not wanting those things to taint Xu Qing’s vision!

Xu Qing’s attempt to steal a glance was mercilessly thwarted by being covered up. Just as he was about to use his hand to remove the obstructing hand, Li Changfeng, who understood him without a word, caught his hand. “Behave!”

Just as Xu Qing was about to struggle, they heard voices from the other side.

“How does it feel? Am I making you more comfortable than your man at home?” The voice sounded rather frivolous, but the implications of their conversation indicated that these two were engaging in a secret rendezvous?!

“Well, does your wife serve you better than mine does?” This voice was as shameless as the plump matchmaker who came to their doorstep back then!

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Thingyan: Damn, who could be so shameless doing such deeds in the open, especially in such feudal society