Farming Happiness: Husband, Come and Plough the Fields

FH Chapter 19 : 官差上門

Government corvee (in a Yamen)’s visit

Liu’s mind was in turmoil and speak without careful diction, “That Counselor Qin probably would not live long after he is provoked or angry, If you let Qiu Ju marry him, she will remain unmarried all her life after the death of her betrothed.”

 

As a mother, she wants her daughter to have a good home to return to; permanent home or final settling place, and she has only one thought in mind, Qiu Ju can’t be waste on that dead old man. 

 

“You think I want that?”

 

Old Madame Li was so furious. It was her own wishful thinking to make Qiu Ju as a stand in, but the other side or the Qin family may not necessarily going to agree too. Now, the other party is certain that Li Haitang is not that easy to deceive. 

    

“Oh that’s right, Mother, let’s catch that little brat, Jin Hu, I don’t believe that Li Haitang won’t come back!”

 

At the critical moment, Liu finally got wise and remembered what her niece had said, that the only one Li Haitang cannot be at ease; cannot rest assured about was her own little brother, Li Jin Hu. 

 

“What do you know?!”

 

Speaking of this, Mrs. Old Li was furious. In order to threaten Li Haitang, she had sent Li Jin Hu to Liu’s parent’s house to look after him, but it turned out that Liu’s parent’s family did not care about him at all and let the little boy escape, after Li Haitang enter the horse carriage, Li Jin Hu also dissapeared without a trace. 

 

Mrs. Old Li thought carefully about it, her heart went cold. All the signs indicated that the two siblings had colluded, otherwise there would not be so many coincidences so they’ve both been tricked!

 

In the final analysis, it was Liu’s family who were negligent and couldn’t even guard the little guy!

 

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are in a sorry plight; in a terrible fix, but they dare not say a word to the official who is like the god of the gate.

 

When Li Haitang escapes from the arranged marriage, the villagers are the first to receive the news and are surprisingly relieved in their heart, they do not hold in contempt or make little of the Li family’s behavior.

 

Grandfather, grandmother, relationship between cousins with the same grandfather or great-grandfather, they are obviously the closest people to each other yet they are relatives of tigers and wolves, who robbed the family of their money and even forced their siblings to die. What a world!

 

“Ai yo, hello, it’s obviously a happy day, but why are the officials here?”

 

Sun’s widow, who has a grudge against Liu, is the first to come and watch the fun; after her son Sun Xing gets married, her family has a maid to do the work therefore she has finally come to the end of all her years of hardship, finally bitterness finishes, sweetness begins (idiom); the hard times are over, the good times just beginning. She is happy to be able to talk to the villagers, listen to them and try to be friendly with them, no need to mention how beautiful or how happy she felt in her heart. 

 

She had lost her man at a young age, but that was fine. The key is his son makes a good showing so when the widow thought of this, she automatically ignored her daughter-in-law who has a back like a tiger’s and a waist like a bear’s—tough and stocky figure. 

 

“Widow Sun, what are you doing by coming here?”

 

When enemies come face to face, their eyes blaze with hatred. Liu was immediately aroused to fight, patting the dust on her chest and saying sarcastically, “I haven’t congratulated you on your blessed daughter-in-law!”

 

The so-called fortunate was a mockery. Since Sun Xing’s marriage, the widow had bought food twice in a row.

 

People in the village guessed that the daughter of the rice shop owner was a rice bucket (a big eater). She would eat more than ten bowls of cooked rice at a time.

 

In fact, the guess is not far, at least she was able to eat, as she was the daughter of a rice shop owner and had never been short of food.

 

When she married into Sun’s family and ate coarse food grain (e.g. maize, sorghum, millet, etc. as distinct from wheat flour and rice), Sun Xing’s wife was not used to it and the couple had a quarrel over it, which ended with bloody nose and swollen face—badly battered. 

 

Now, Liu had stabbed Sun’s widow’s sore spot or where it hurt. Widow Sun was simply shameless as she said angrily, “That’s not as fortunate as your Qiu Ju, who will be the wife of Qin Counselor in the future!”

 

Li Haitang escapes from an arranged marriage, Qiu Ju is just right, otherwise, the Li family would not have been able to report it to Mr. Qin if they did not give back the money, they all would have to go to jail.

 

The officials on one side, glare like a tiger watching his prey and Liu is shivering with fear, as a village woman, she has never seen such an occasion.