Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 388

"Big Goose, you need to go pick up Master Chai and the others!"

Cheng Jinxiang called out from outside, saying it was almost noon. She told Zhao Dage to wait at the station, worried that Master Chai might not know the way after getting off the bus.

Zhao Da'e said to Wang Shi, "Grandma, I'm going out to do some work. I'll come back to see you when I'm done."

Wang nodded. "Big Goose, you go ahead and do your work. Your aunt is here; she can take good care of me."

Cheng Jinxiang stood in the yard, carrying Zhao Xiaojuan on her back. Now that she was staying at home, she didn't want to trouble Zhu Yufeng to help look after her child. Cheng Jinxiang thanked her and busied herself in the kitchen.

Zhao Xiaojuan was also very well-behaved, never crying or making a fuss. She would often stare blankly outside the yard, which made Cheng Jinxiang feel much more at ease.

"Big Goose, go wait at the village entrance. Don't let Master Chai and the others get lost when they arrive. That would be terrible. I'll cook a few dishes here; we'll have to entertain Master Chai and the others later."

After Cheng Jinxiang finished speaking, she seemed to remember something and looked up to instruct, "By the way, you should call your dad. Building a new house isn't just a matter for the two of us. Ask your dad to come out and help out."

Zhao Da'e called out into the yard, "I know, Mom, I'll take care of it."

As soon as Zhao Da'e left the yard, he ran towards the Zhao family home, where he encountered Wang Guixiang, who was washing dishes. When Wang Guixiang saw Zhao Da'e coming, she was surprised at first, but after she realized what was happening, she scolded, "You little brat, how dare you come back!"

"Hmph, you only came back because you couldn't stay in the Cheng family anymore."

"You ungrateful wretch! You freeloaded at the Zhao family's house for six years, and then ran off to the Cheng family, going around complaining about how I mistreated you. You little brat, you ungrateful wretch! How could I have a daughter like you!"

Zhao Da'e's lips twitched, and he retorted, "How have I ever eaten and drunk for free at the Zhao family? All the food and drinks were paid for by my parents. I haven't spent a single penny of yours. How dare you say that? Besides, I've asked myself honestly over the years at the Zhao family. I've done a lot of dirty and hard work. I haven't let the Zhao family down at all."

Wang Guixiang's eyes widened, and she suddenly became furious, unable to hold back her anger as she shouted, "You dare to talk back to me? You disrespectful elder, you're a disgrace to the Zhao family when you go out. I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of my second son!"

As she spoke, Wang Guixiang picked up a broom from the ground, intending to give Zhao Da'e a good beating. She had been living a very frustrating life for the past six months, and she was always thinking of teaching Zhao Da'e a lesson so that she would always try to oppose her.

Before the broom could even be used, Zhao Da'e dramatically covered his head and ran around the yard, shouting, "Ahhh, Grandma's gone crazy! She's going to hit me!"

Wang Guixiang's broom missed its mark, and Zhao Da'e deliberately ran to the side, "accidentally" breaking the porcelain bowl in the basin. A series of "crash" sounds rang out, indicating that the porcelain bowl had shattered.

When Wang Guixiang saw that a large number of the porcelain bowls she had bought for the New Year were broken, her heart shattered. These were blue and white porcelain bowls that she had spent a lot of money on! Now that three of them were broken, she was heartbroken!

Thinking of this, Wang Guixiang was furious. When she saw that Zhao Da'e still dared to run away, she was instantly enraged and continued to chase after Zhao Da'e and beat him.

"Why are you running, you bastard! I haven't even hit you yet, stop right there!" Wang Guixiang stood with her hands on her hips, clearly tired from running and no longer wanting to run, panting heavily.

Zhao Da'e turned around and made a face. "I won't listen to you. If I don't run, you'll definitely catch me. If I get caught, I'll get beaten up. I'm not that stupid!"

As Zhao Da'e ran, she would occasionally bang on the warehouse door, shouting, "Dad, if you don't come out soon, your own mother is going to beat your daughter to death!"

Zhao Da'e shouted loudly, and the people inside heard the noise and came out. When Zhao Tiesheng opened the door, he saw his own mother chasing after his daughter with a broom. He was shocked and quickly stopped her, saying, "Mom! What are you doing! Da'e is your granddaughter. How can you hit someone like this?"

Zhao Tiesheng rushed over, grabbed Wang Guixiang, and snatched a broom, throwing it on the ground.

Wang Guixiang said with exasperation, "Look at your daughter, all she does all day is try to annoy me!"

Wang Guixiang was on the verge of losing her temper. She had already let this little brat throw her into the fence before, but today she was being provoked by her. Did she really think she was easy to bully?

Wang Guixiang sat on the ground, wiped away her tears, and began to wail, "My life is so miserable! I gave birth to such a son, a son who doesn't care whether his own mother lives or dies, a heartless wretch! And this heartless wretch even gave birth to a little heartless wretch! He eats and drinks from the Zhao family, and even sent his own grandmother to the fence! I just wanted to ask her to come and do some chores, like washing dishes. Other people's granddaughters do all kinds of chores, but when it comes to mine, I'm just going to be driven crazy. People say that when you get old, you should enjoy the blessings of your children and grandchildren, but I don't think I'll get to enjoy those blessings before I'm about to be sent away!"

Wang Guixiang's wailing and crying gave Zhao Tiesheng a terrible headache. He said, "Okay, Mom, stop talking. You can handle the dishes yourself. Why bother Da'e? She's only seven years old. How can you be so heartless to make her do so much?"

On one side was his wailing and crying mother, and on the other side was his obedient and sensible daughter who could earn money at a young age. Moreover, Da'e had been separated from the Zhao family for many months, and Wang Guixiang cried in his ear every day, which annoyed him to no end.

He would only stand on the goose's side without hesitation when Wang Guixiang was facing off against the goose.

Upon hearing Zhao Tiesheng's remarks, Wang Guixiang immediately sided with Zhao Dage. She was furious and looked at Zhao Tiesheng in disbelief, about to lash out and call him an ingrate.

Zhao Tiesheng had anticipated this. He walked past Wang Guixiang, grabbed Zhao Dage's hand, and headed out, glancing back at Wang Guixiang as he did so. "Mom, I'm going out now. I'll apologize to you when I get back."

Rather than standing here waiting to be scolded by Wang Guixiang and listening to her crying and making a scene, it's better to go out and avoid her.

Moreover, Zhao Da'e came to our door at this time. Zhao Tiesheng had some things he wanted to ask. When they were quite far from the Zhao family's house, Zhao Tiesheng felt relieved and said to Zhao Da'e, "Da'e, why did you suddenly come to see me? Has your mother figured things out and wants to come back and live with me?"

Zhao Tiesheng's eyes lit up as he fantasized about Cheng Jinxiang returning and living a good life with him. During the day, he would go out to work in the fields, and she would stay home to cook and wait for him to come back. He hadn't experienced such a life for far too long.

Zhao Da'e was embarrassed. Her own father really dared to think of anything. She said slowly, "Dad, do you want Mom to come back and live with you in the barn? That barn that lets in drafts at night?"

Zhao Da'e spoke bluntly, and Zhao Tiesheng's face turned pale instantly. He slapped Zhao Da'e hard on the back, "What are you saying, child? I'm asking when your mother is coming back. Besides, where else can your mother go if she doesn't come back? You have to understand, the Cheng family is ultimately your maternal uncle's family. She can't stay there forever. That room is your future cousin's wedding room. No matter what, your mother will come back to the Zhao family. This is her root, and it's the place that can shelter her from the wind and rain."

Hearing this, Zhao Da'e wanted to laugh. "Dad, don't joke around. That wretched storage room of the Zhao family can't even be lived in. It's drafty at night and leaks when it rains. Do you remember last summer when it rained, the storage room leaked and half of the quilt got wet? We asked Grandma and the others to borrow quilts, but Grandma wouldn't let us. So at night, we just covered ourselves with our clothes to keep warm. Do you want Mom to go back with you and live a hard life?"

Zhao Da'e's words were like a slap in the face to Zhao Tiesheng, leaving him speechless. He couldn't refute Zhao Da'e's words, after all, it was the same thing last year. He suddenly felt a bit itchy to hit her; his daughter was always going against him, and he really wanted to hit her too.

Seeing that Zhao Tiesheng was speechless, Zhao Da'e couldn't help but click his tongue a few times, "Look, he's speechless now."

Getting back to the main point, Zhao Da'e didn't forget the purpose of her visit: "Dad, do you want Mom to come back and live with you sooner?"

Zhao Tiesheng nodded. "Of course I want to. I've been separated from your mother for months. Do you know what people outside are saying about me? They're saying really nasty things, that I can't even manage a woman properly, that I'm so embarrassing."

Zhao Da'e's veins bulged. At this point, what her biological father cared about most was his pride. It served him right that he could never please his mother. He could just stay single and be a bachelor for the rest of his life.

Of course, Zhao Da'e only thought about it and didn't say it out loud.

"Dad, I'll be honest with you. I came to see you today because Mom asked me to." Otherwise, she wouldn't have wanted to come. Who wants to see Wang Guixiang and then hear her call her an ingrate?

Zhao Tiesheng's eyes lit up. He grabbed Zhao Da'e's shoulders and asked excitedly, "What did your mother call you here for? What's it about? Has she changed her mind and wants to come back? Or does your mother miss me?!"

As Zhao Tiesheng spoke, he became more and more excited, his face full of surprise. Zhao Da'e's lips twitched, and he shattered Zhao Tiesheng's illusions with his voice, "None of them."

Zhao Da'e didn't mince words and said directly, "It's about building a new house. My mother and I found some workers in the county town, and they'll be able to come and build the new house today. She asked you to help me receive them outside the village, and then we'll have a nice meal at my uncle's house."

When the new house is built, if Zhao Tiesheng moves in, Zhao Da'e will have no reason to refuse. Not to mention that Cheng Jinxiang and Zhao Tiesheng have no reason, even the land where the house is built belongs to the Zhao family's backyard. It's unrealistic to not let Zhao Tiesheng live there, so it's better to let Zhao Tiesheng come and participate, contribute his efforts and money to build the new house together.

Cheng Jinxiang didn't want to watch the construction team all day and wanted to rest. Besides, she had a young daughter to take care of. She could hand over the work to Zhao Tiesheng. Why not?

Zhao Tiesheng's eyes lit up instantly. He clapped his hands and exclaimed excitedly, "That's right! And there's the new house! Once the new house is finished, your mother will come back to live here!"

How could he forget this? The reason Cheng Jinxiang didn't come back was because her mother was at home. That's not a good solution. Just don't let her live in the same room as her mother, and her wife will come back!

This new house must be built as soon as possible! Once it's finished, he can live with his wife! And no outsider will dare say he'll be a bachelor forever!

"Let's go quickly to the outside of the village to pick up the construction team. Don't keep them waiting too long! It would be best if this new house was built today!"

On the way, Zhao Tiesheng learned a little about the workers building the new house. Among them was Chai Zhiyong. When he heard this name, Zhao Tiesheng felt a little embarrassed. Wasn't this the same Chai Zhiyong who had caused a misunderstanding between Cheng Jinxiang and the other two when they met? His mother had suspected that the two were having an affair under the guise of building the new house. Later, when his uncle Zhao Tingming came out, he was scolded by his uncle, and Zhao Tiesheng realized that it was all a misunderstanding.

If Zhao Tiesheng had known that the workers coming to build this new house would be Chai Zhiyong, he would never have wanted to come now. It was so awkward, but he would still have to see him often after the new house was built.

Zhao Tiesheng wondered if he should do something to make amends, so he returned home and took some eggs and fruit, intending to give them to Chai Zhiyong so that he could forgive him and not hold it against him.

During this time, Zhao Tiesheng was caught by Wang Guixiang stealing fruits and eggs from the house. Wang Guixiang was terrified when she saw this and shouted, "What are you doing taking the fruits and eggs from the house!"

Zhao Tiesheng felt a little guilty for a moment, but then he thought about it. He was giving these fruits and eggs to the workers so they could work harder on their new house. It was no big deal to give them some. With that thought, Zhao Tiesheng suddenly became more assertive and said bluntly, "Mom, don't make a fuss. I'm giving these fruits and eggs to the workers. Have you forgotten that I'm planning to build a new house? The workers who are coming to help are coming soon. I was just thinking of giving them something to reward them."

Upon hearing this, Wang Guixiang exploded. She immediately snatched the basket of fruits and eggs, pointing at Zhao Tiesheng and cursing, "What an ingrate! This fruit and eggs aren't enough for even our own family, and you want to give it to outsiders? Let me tell you, dream on! I've had the worst luck in eight lifetimes since I gave birth to you. The daughter your wife gave birth to is my nemesis! She caused me to be imprisoned twice, and now you want to use our things to curry favor with outsiders? Let me tell you, as long as I'm in the Zhao family, don't even think about it! And don't even think about bringing that woman Cheng Jinxiang back to live with us. I'll kick her out every time I see her!"

Wang Guixiang couldn't get anything good from Zhao Dage, and now that her second son was going to give away the family's fruits and eggs to outsiders, she was furious and took it out on Zhao Tiesheng.

Zhao Tiesheng frowned, looking at Wang Guixiang in disbelief. "Mom, what you're saying is awful! What do you mean I can't bring Jinxiang back? Do you really want me to be a bachelor for the rest of my life?!"

"And these fruits and eggs, we clearly have plenty at home. We harvested a lot of fruits this month, and we can't possibly eat them all."