Ch 25: Daily Farm Life After Returning from Interstellar

Family Bond

For decades, Old Lady Wang had dominated Huayuan Village without encountering any opponents. As Su Mu’s words reached her ears, a premonition of trouble arose within her.

Before she could speak, the young girl spoke again, her tearful eyes filled with complaint: “Look, these vegetables were almost ready for harvest, but now they’ve been trampled by Grandma Wang’s cow! What am I supposed to do now?”

As Su Mu finished speaking, everyone’s gaze turned to the scattered and damaged vegetable fields, where leaves were strewn about and green vegetable juices stained the soil, no longer displaying their previous vibrancy.

It was said that farmers cherished their crops dearly, and the villagers who had once helped in the fields couldn’t help but feel distressed.

Old Lady Wang rolled on the ground, pounding her thigh and wailing, “There’s no justice! So many people ganging up on an old lady whose days are numbered, I can’t go on like this!”

Upon hearing this, the onlookers’ expressions turned grim. Even before the full story was known, they were being labeled as bullies of the elderly, and anyone would be angered by such an accusation.

An enthusiastic villager went to inform the village chief. When the village chief arrived, he heard Old Lady Wang’s cries and became even less pleased.

Old Lady Wang had been a troublemaker in her younger days and hadn’t settled down with age. She had caused a lot of confusion by relying on her age and stirring up numerous issues. Dealing with her disputes with fellow villagers alone had consumed more than ten instances of the village chief’s time, leaving him exasperated.

The village chief still held some authority, so Old Lady Wang’s wailing toned down a bit.

“Explain, what happened?” the village chief demanded.

Old Lady Wang was about to stand up, but the village chief interrupted, “Let Su Mu speak first.”

Old Lady Wang’s words were stifled in her throat. She seemed as wilted as a chicken that had its neck squeezed.

After courteously greeting the village chief, Su Mu began to recount the events.

Given Old Lady Wang’s previous actions, most of the villagers leaned towards Su Mu’s side.

After hearing her account, the village chief spoke sternly, “Grandma Wang, is what Su Mu said true?”

Old Lady Wang stubbornly protested, “Sure, my cow did eat a few of Su Mu’s vegetables, but it wasn’t intentional. I’m old and weak; it’s normal for me not to be able to control the cow. How can you blame me?”

Su Mu was about to counter, but she was stopped by Grandma Li, who stepped forward. With a determined look, Grandma Li turned her gaze towards Grandma Wang. “Grandma Wang, what you’re saying isn’t true, is it? I clearly saw you driving the cow into the vegetable field.”

Another villager also stepped forward. “That’s right, I saw it too.”

At the time, Grandma Li’s vegetable field was farther away, and she couldn’t intervene in time. The other villager had refrained from speaking earlier, fearing Old Lady Wang’s difficult personality.

Now, with both sides confronting Old Lady Wang, she was at a disadvantage. Even so, she tried to play the victim.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

The village chief turned his gaze to Old Lady Wang. “Grandma Wang, what do you have to say?”

“They’re all in cahoots, teaming up to bully me!”

“Alright, you’re old, so enjoy your retirement. If you don’t have the strength, just sell the cow. After all, your family isn’t farming anymore. You’ve ruined someone else’s vegetables. You should compensate Su Mu with a hundred yuan to settle this matter,” the village chief declared.

Old Lady Wang wanted to play hardball, but the village chief had a winning card up his sleeve. “I know you have money in your pocket, so take it out quickly! Otherwise, I’ll inform your son.”

Old Lady Wang’s son now worked in the city with a good salary. He had taken her to live in the city for a while, but her daughter-in-law there was difficult to get along with. They often quarreled, and Old Lady Wang found herself at a disadvantage. After staying there for some time, she insisted on returning to her hometown.

If her son knew about this incident, he would certainly take her back to the city. Old Lady Wang had no intention of living in the cramped conditions of the city or facing her disrespectful daughter-in-law.

Not only did Old Lady Wang’s finances take a hit, but Su Mu’s mood also worsened at this moment. Her vegetables were worth much more than a hundred yuan. Most of the damaged vegetables were bok choy, which she sold to Fu Da for fifty-nine yuan per kilogram. She estimated the losses were over ten kilograms, amounting to seven to eight hundred yuan.

However, at this time of year, when bok choy was abundant, the village chief wasn’t aware of the actual selling price. If it were regular bok choy, a compensation of a hundred yuan might suffice. Su Mu didn’t want the villagers to know the actual price, so she could only silently swallow this loss.

Seeing that Su Mu didn’t protest, the village chief breathed a sigh of relief. He waved his hand and said, “Alright, everyone, go about your business. Don’t crowd here.”

After the crowd dispersed, the village chief offered a few words of comfort to Su Mu before leaving.

Su Mu could only deal with this mess on her own. Fortunately, it was bok choy that had been damaged. If it were another vegetable, she’d have to make up for it.

As long as the roots of bok choy were intact, they would grow back quickly. Some were pulled out by the cow, so she had to replant the roots that were still intact.

When Father Su and Mother Su arrived, this was the scene they saw. They were immediately filled with heartache.

“Mu Mu, are you alright?” Mother Su helped her daughter up and carefully checked for injuries.

Father Su’s expression was full of worry as well.

“I’m fine. It’s just that all these vegetables have been ruined,” Su Mu lamented. She felt it was such a waste; those vegetables were worth money.

“That Old Lady Wang, she’s getting more and more senile!” Mother Su exclaimed, infuriated. She only regretted not being present when it happened.

“I’ll tidy up the vegetable field. You two should go back home first.”

*

Back at home, Su Mu had already managed to regulate her emotions. Now she had to console her sulking mother.

However, when everyone was awake, neither of them mentioned the morning incident, so as not to burden others with additional worries.

For breakfast, they had shrimp and millet porridge, which combined the freshness of shrimp with the fragrance of millet. It received unanimous praise from everyone.

After sitting for a while, Father Su returned from the vegetable field with a group of construction workers.

Wei Liu asked curiously, “Uncle, what are you up to?”

He grew up in the city and was curious about rural affairs, actively participating and trying to integrate into them. Father Su was simple and straightforward in his response: “Please help enclose the lychee orchard on the hill with a fence, so that we can raise some chickens and ducks up there.”

The materials for the fence had been ordered a few days ago, and the workers who had come were there to help with the installation.

“That’s a good idea, Uncle. Can I go up the hill with you to take a look?” Wei Liu’s face was full of interest.

“There are a lot of mosquitoes on the hill, and your outfit won’t work,” Father Su responded. Wei Liu was wearing shorts, short sleeves, and running shoes. With that attire, mosquitoes would suck him dry.

Father Su went to the storage shed and brought out a straw hat, along with a hoe.

As the son, Su Chen naturally needed to go as well. He, He Fu, and Gu Shi, having nothing else to do, also decided to join in the trip.

Father Su turned around and returned to the storage shed, and when he came out, he had brought several more straw hats.

The group set out with great enthusiasm, leaving only three women at home.

Su Mu brought out the porridge that hadn’t been finished from last night and took advantage of this rare moment of leisure.

With no outsiders present, she informed Mother Su about the substantial earnings she had made.

Mother Su found it hard to believe, but after last time’s orchid business with Wei Liu, she quickly regained her composure.

Su Mu smiled and said, “I plan to use this money to buy some land, build two greenhouses, and by the way, I also want to construct a small building next to our house.”

Mother Su unconsciously glanced at her daughter-in-law. After retracting her gaze, she said reproachfully, “You’re living well at home. Why build more houses?”

She and her husband had worked hard for half their lives to build the current house they lived in. They wanted to provide a warm shelter for their children. Furthermore, when their son bought a house in the city, they had also spent quite a bit of money. The property was registered under their son and daughter-in-law’s names, having no connection with their daughter.

In the countryside, inheriting the house wasn’t excessive for the daughter!

Naturally, Chen Mengzhi didn’t miss her mother-in-law’s glance. She smiled wryly and waved her hand, saying, “Mom, this has nothing to do with me. This is your younger daughter’s home. She can stay as long as she wants. I won’t have any objections.”

As long as she held the property in the city, she wouldn’t compete for this rural property.

Su Mu smiled helplessly. “Mom, sister-in-law didn’t say anything. I have another purpose for that house.”

After a round of discussions, Mother Su was finally appeased.

Su Mu took out a bank card from her pocket and handed it to Chen Mengzhi. “Sister-in-law, there’s five million yuan in here. I know you and my brother still have a mortgage to pay, and you’re also planning to have a child. This money might help ease some of your burden.”

Although Chen Mengzhi was tempted, she hadn’t intended to accept it. If she took it, her husband might give her a hard time.

However, Su Mu’s next words preemptively blocked her refusal.

“Sister-in-law, don’t refuse. Just consider it a gift for our future nephew/niece.”

Mother Su also advised, “Mengzhi, just accept it. This is what your younger sister should give.”

Mother Su’s words were indeed accurate.

Su Chen was seven years older than Su Mu. When they were young, their parents were busy, and young Su Chen took it upon himself to look after his little sister. He spent more time accompanying her than his parents did.

At that time, life was genuinely tough. Mother Su wasn’t in good health and often had to take medicine. The two siblings were in school, and the expenditure on their education was quite substantial.

As the elder son, Su Chen was very responsible. He suggested that he could stop going to school and go work instead, to support his sister’s education. In the end, Father Su had to swallow his pride and borrow money from relatives to cover the costs.

After Su Chen graduated from college, he almost single-handedly shouldered all of his sister’s expenses. It wasn’t until Su Mu graduated from college and was able to earn her own money that he stopped providing for her, but he still occasionally gave her some pocket money, fearing that she wouldn’t have enough money to spend.

Su Mu had always remembered this situation. Now, five million yuan meant little to her. Giving it to her brother and sister-in-law to help ease their burden was worth it.

“Then I’ll accept it on your behalf for now. The final decision still depends on your brother,” Chen Mengzhi didn’t want money to affect their relationship.

“Alright, sister-in-law. If my brother doesn’t want to accept it, just ask him to talk to me.”

With that matter settled, Su Mu started looking up information about greenhouses online.

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