The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 886 - 885: Unaccustomed

Tian Wuhu forced a smile and thanked the neighbor, then said, "I know that place, Uncle, thank you! I understand your good intentions. I don’t have much to repay you with now, just my strength. If there’s anything you need help with at home, just call for me from Cauliflower Alley—"

After speaking, he nodded to the neighbor and slowly disappeared into the night.

The neighbor shook his head, "What a sin—" he sighed and went back home.

Tian Wuhu naturally knew where Cauliflower Alley was. Before he was ten years old, he couldn’t be more familiar with it.

It was where the Tian Family first settled when they arrived in the county town. At first, they rented a yard, but later, as business flourished, they bought it.

Later, as the business grew even bigger, the Tian Family moved out of Cauliflower Alley and bought two adjoining yards. When the second son was about to get married, Shopkeeper Tian wanted to show their financial strength and arranged a good marriage for his second son, buying the house they now lived in.

In Tian Wuhu’s memory, the days in Cauliflower Alley were the happiest. Although life was a bit tougher back then, his parents cared about him and didn’t neglect him. Thinking back now, even the beatings then were happy!

Tian Wuhu wiped a tear, lowered his head, and walked out of the alley entrance.

Then he heard a familiar voice: "Dear—"

Looking up, it was Lady Chen.

Lady Chen, holding the package she took when leaving in the morning, squatted in the corner. Upon seeing Tian Wuhu, she rushed over. Having squatted for too long, her legs went numb, and she nearly fell to the ground.

Tian Wuhu hurried forward to support Lady Chen: "Why did you come? Didn’t you go home? You’re out here alone so late, you..."

Lady Chen, holding Tian Wuhu’s arm, quietly said, "I couldn’t stop worrying about you and was concerned about how your parents might scold you at home. So, I thought once it was completely dark, I’d sneak in through the back door to see you—"

In that moment, Tian Wuhu felt a warmth in his heart. No matter what, there was still someone like Ah Fang in this world who cared about him.

He then helped Lady Chen up, grabbed the bundle, and the couple supported each other as they slowly walked forward.

"Dear, where are we going? Aren’t you going home?" Lady Chen asked cautiously.

"I’ve already asked my parents to divide the family property. They’ve given me the house in Cauliflower Alley and ten acres of land. Ah Fang, are you willing to endure hardship with me?"

"I’m not afraid of hardship!" Lady Chen answered resolutely.

To her, having a place to live and fields to work was already good enough. Life couldn’t be worse than it was with the Tian Family.

Lady Chen was originally a farm girl. Her family was short of Silver to marry off her brother when the Tian Family came seeking marriage out of the blue. The Tian Family’s business wasn’t big at the time and finding a good match wasn’t easy, so they approached the Chen Family.

Promising to double the bride price, they successfully brought Lady Chen into the family.

Lady Chen, already a diligent girl, took on all household chores after marrying into the Tian Family, including laundry, cooking, and caring for the entire family.

Since bringing in this daughter-in-law, Zhang Qiuju hadn’t worked at all.

Lady Chen had to get up before dawn and could only rest late into the night. Even an iron body couldn’t endure such a strain.

She survived day by day like this, especially after the second son married; there was another person to serve.

Now, just being able to live behind closed doors with her husband, even if it meant hard labor in the fields and utter exhaustion, it made her heart sweet.

Lady Chen secretly glanced at Tian Wuhu, who was holding her hand, and recalled what the Wang Family lady had said.

The Wang Family lady told her to just show her grievances, stand up for her husband appropriately, and best to provoke him to leave the Tian Family, then she’d let them be.

Unexpectedly, before she did anything, her husband himself asked for the family division.

Now that the family was divided, any future matters of the Tian Family should have nothing to do with them, right?

Lady Chen pondered uncertainly.

※※※

News that the Tian Family’s rouge and powder were problem-free quickly spread in Jing County.

Most people breathed a sigh of relief, thinking how could a decades-old reliable brand do such an unethical thing? It must have been nonsense.

However, a few smart ones, especially those who witnessed several prominent Madams examining the goods themselves on the day of the incident, suspected otherwise. Those distinguished individuals wouldn’t have smashed the shop in anger otherwise.

What’s more, those Madams remained silent afterward and didn’t speak up for the Tian Family, leading the few wise ones to catch on to some clue.

After all, people aren’t fools.

Some even went to ask Old Master Qin at Peace Clinic.

Old Master Qin, candid as ever, said he could only confirm that the rouge and powder sent for examination were fine.

After hearing this, some people went back and asked for their own beauties to be examined, only to be refused by Peace Clinic. freewēbnoveℓ.com

Soon, all pharmacies in Jing County refused requests to examine any powder or rouge.

The Tian Family’s shop had been so wrecked that even the walls seemed gone, needing thorough renovations to reopen. In addition, the Shopkeeper and Shop Assistants were injured and needed recovery.

Shopkeeper Tian knew that although the matter seemed to have passed, it could potentially lead to a downfall if not handled carefully.

Therefore, he kept a low profile, only stating that the shop needed restoration and gave the Shopkeeper and Shop Assistants a holiday, temporarily closing the Rouge Shop.

He also brought back Tian Sihai and Lady Fang, who were hiding at the estate. Lady Fang had become so sick she vomited water, food, and almost her soul.

Tian Sihai considered finding a Doctor for Lady Fang but was stopped by Zhang Qiuju, who claimed every pregnant woman went through this. Additionally, she asserted the greater the reaction, the more likely it was a son. Only boys were this mischievous towards their mothers.

If she startled the baby and it changed from a boy to a girl, what then?

Hearing this, Tian Sihai deferred to his mother’s advice, trusting she was correct.

He also wished for a son. Only then would he solidify his place as the successor in the Tian Family.

Moreover, while the Rouge Shop incident appeared resolved, other Tian Family businesses were affected, prompting Shopkeeper Tian to involve him in managing those affairs.

Confidently entrusting Lady Fang’s care to Zhang Qiuju, Tian Sihai was busy and rarely at home.

Zhang Qiuju, used to being served by Lady Chen, suddenly found herself without anyone to care for her. With a new pregnant woman to look after, she felt disoriented.

After only two days of service, she grew impatient, finding everything about Lady Fang intolerable. If not for the child she carried, she would have quit.

Having no other choice, struggling through for days, and unwilling to part with money, Zhang Qiuju hired a maidservant at a low wage for house chores, cooking, and laundry.

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