Farmer lady of fortune ,imperial concubine,don't be too sweet

114

Chapter 114.1
The parcels brought over were placed on the floor of the hall, and Mrs. Chen unwrapped them one by one. They contained quite a few valuable items. There were several pieces of muslin that were very expensive at a glance, and delicately packaged snacks and candies, dried meat, cooked ham, white sugar, dried fruit, and so on.

Mrs. Chen spoke, "How much money did these cost?"

"They said they're mostly from other people..."

"If someone else gifted them, you have to return the gift later. It's all a favor, you can't owe it."

Seeing that Mrs. Chen was putting up a stance to reprimand her parents, Liu Zhixia immediately gave Liu Yusheng a wink.

Liu Yusheng caught on. She rolled her eyes, tilted her head up, and smiled sweetly at Mrs. Chen. "Grandmother, why aren't my uncle and the others home? Isn't cousin Changdong on vacation too? They're not here. Have they gone out to play?"

Mrs. Chen's attention was immediately diverted. "How could they be out playing? It's already mid-afternoon; they went down to the fields early."

Speaking of this, Mrs. Chen groaned once more. "You came over early in the morning, right? Are you hungry?I'll first go and give you a bowl of noodles to pad your stomach. Wait for dinner and I'll make you something delicious."

Chen Xiulan quickly rolled up her sleeves ready to help in the kitchen, and whispered to Liu Dalin, "I'll go give my mother a hand. Stay here with father and chat with him. Don't just sit here like a bore."

"Huh, I know. Go ahead."

As soon as the ladies left, the hall became a bit deserted. Mr. Chen was a typical old man. He was serious and not very talkative. Liu Dalin was also simple and honest in nature. How could these two really engage in chitchat? How could they bother to make a noise?

It was still Mr. Chen who spoke first, "Someone in the village heard quite a few rumors in town that the young child of the Liu family in Xinghua Village is skilled in medicine, and even boasted as a young miracle doctor. Nannan, the little miracle doctor they're talking about is you, right?"

Liu Yusheng grinned in embarrassment. "Grandpa, they should be talking about me. I do know a little bit about medicine."

"Medicine is a craft of healing and saving people. It's something that can't be done carelessly. It's fine if you really know medicine. But if it's half a bucket of water sloshing, you can't just give medical treatment randomly, or you'll be responsible for anything that goes wrong. Besides, you are a girl. You're still young, so just stay at home in peace. Leave this money-making exposure to the public to your father and your brother."

"I know Grandpa", Liu Yusheng nodded, and didn't defend herself.

This was far away from Xinghua Village. She had grandparents and parents over there who spoiled and pampered her. Of course, she wouldn't be constrained from whatever she wanted to do.

So even if she didn't agree with her grandpa's ideas, she didn't need to harden her temper and refute him. She just had to get the conversation over with.

After all, not everyone was like her grandparents. Most elders in this era were still very closed-minded and couldn't stand girls making public appearances.

In their cognition, girls should know their place and never leave the house. When girls were old enough, they should marry into a good family, take care of their children and husband, run the household and be a good wife and mother.

Liu Dalin and Liu Zhixia also made no objections to the old man's words. At this point, the father and son both coped surprisingly in sync. Whatever the old man said, they just listened.

Mrs. Chen in the kitchen was also teaching her daughter. "Your family runs a winery with that Young Master of the Qians, so business should be quite good, right?" Chen Xiulan nodded. "Not bad. We can earn enough for subsistence."

Mrs. Chen snorted. "You're still acting dumb in front of your mother. Such a large winery can only earn a subsistence; who are you fooling? I'm not asking you for the money. Why are you so nervous? Also, are you interested in what I've told you before?"

"Mother, the Young Boss' family actually owned that winery, and we have little to do with it. It's Nannan who took the credit for the fruit wine recipe and was given a little share from the Young Boss' family. When the winery earns a profit, it gives us dividends according to the shares. It's not much, but it's better than Dalin going to town and doing laborious part-time work."

"Regardless if you're earning more or less, you have to remember what I said, or you will be the one to suffer later." Mrs. Chen counseled, "Nannan is a girl. It's not appropriate for her to be in the limelight. Besides, she's seven years old now. That Young Boss is a boy, right? They get together every day, more often than not, and people will surely gossip about them. It's also ruining Nannan's reputation."

"It's your responsibility as a mother to watch over her. Hold the shares in your hand and give them to Zhixia later. It's not that I prefer boys to girls. Nannan will eventually marry in the future. Are you going to let her marry someone else's family with those shares, and let them capitalize on it?"

"Zhixia is your son! You will rely on him for the rest of your life! If he's well off, you'll be well off too. Whatsmore, your  mother-in-law's family is rich and strong-willed. So, when your daughter gets married, she won't be belittled. Isn't this good for everyone? You have to listen to me. Get this done as soon as you get back. Do you hear me?"

Chen Xiulan lowered her head and worked without uttering a word.

This matter has been going on since two years ago. Every time she went back to her parent's house, her mother would nag her once.

She didn't like her mother's thoughts, but she was after all an elder. She couldn't be stubborn and argue with her, so she simply ignored it and didn't utter a word.

But this time, it seemed that Mrs. Chen wasn't going to let her go. She simply grabbed her hand to stop her from working. This gesture undoubtedly was awaiting an answer.

Chen Xiulan sighed helplessly and looked up. "Mother, the reason why Xinghua Village has this winery and can do business with rich and influential people is because of Nannan's contributions. Without her, the Liu family wouldn't be what they are today, and our Chen family also won't be living such a rich life."

"Those things in the winery are what Nannan deserves, and I won't ask her to hand them over to Zhixia. Zhixia, who can study safely today, is also in light of Nannan. As a man, if he doesn't even have the ability to support himself in the future after reading so many books, it's his own incompetence."

"However, he has no right to steal from Nannan! He would be ungrateful if he really went for it. I, Chen Xiulan, don't have such a descendant, and neither does the Liu family!"

Hearing her arguments, the old woman's face went blue and white. She was exasperated that her daughter didn't live up to her expectations. "Why are you such a blockhead? You ... you really make me mad. Do you think I'm doing this for myself? Do you think I'm greedy? I'm doing this for you and Zhixia!"

"What about Nannan?" Chen Xiulan retorted. "You're thinking about me and Zhixia. What about Nannan? She earned everything with her own two hands. All of us failed to help her a little bit, and instead took advantage of her. Yet at the end of the day, you want me to snatch everything from her?"

This was the first time her daughter had questioned her so sharply, even looking at her with disappointment in her eyes. Mrs. Chen felt her face burning a little.