Reborn in 1994: Starting from the Autumn Harvest

Everyone glanced at Chen Hongjian, guessing that the land lease issue wasn't over yet.

Given Chen Mian's temperament, if she didn't hold grudges, the sun would have risen in the west by now.

This kid is really trying to put me in a bad light, and there's nothing I can say, since he's already in the right.

"Get up, you all have no sense of propriety."

"Your fifth aunt just came back from working in the fields and is still taking care of you."

"You've spoiled them! Get out, it's all unnecessary to have you come."

……

The elders scolded them one after another, leaving the younger generation of the four families speechless. They could only swallow their anger, admit defeat, and slink away.

Chen Hongguo and his wife hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over, even feigning anger and saying a few words to Chen Mian, saying it wasn't a big deal and there was no need to take it so seriously.

However, Chen Mian remained expressionless, his lips closed, his usual playful demeanor replaced by an unusually serious one.

He wasn't going to stop there. Now that his peers had finished speaking, it was time for the people on the kang (heated brick bed) to speak.

"What do you mean? Are you planning to eat here?"

Liang Chuncheng frowned. Had this kid taken a tantrum? Why was he coming at the old man right after saying "young man"?

His thuggish manner was so convincing, he was practically ready to kick people out.

How did Chen Hongguo and his wife raise their child? They have no manners at all and are completely disrespectful.

"How dare you speak like that!"

"How can you talk to your elders like that!"

Chen Hongguo and his wife symbolically rebuked them, saying that no matter how much they didn't get along, they had to save face and let it go, otherwise people would laugh at them.

But she was also surprised and confused by her son's unusual behavior. What was wrong with him today?

"It's alright, it's probably just a little misunderstanding that's making the child upset," Liang Chuncheng said, trying to smooth things over and stopping the child.

He didn't want to show up, but those families all had gloomy faces and didn't say a word.

This kid's sarcastic remarks are not to be taken seriously. If an elder were to argue with a junior, it would only make them look ridiculous, especially since they've come to his door asking for a favor.

Looking around at Chen Hongguo and Chen Hongjian, who both had stern faces, Liang Chuncheng sighed in worry.

If it weren't for dealing with cotton, I wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess. It's true what they say: I'm poor, so I'm right; the poorer I am, the more trouble I get into.

He came over yesterday afternoon and learned about Chen Hongguo's land contract. As soon as he heard about the 90 mu of cotton, he was immediately interested.

But after talking to them in detail, I realized that the two brothers were fighting over land and ended up having a falling out. They thought they could play peacemaker today, but now that I see it, I really want to curse them out.

"I've heard about what happened yesterday. Well... it's easy to act impulsively in the heat of the moment. We're all family, let's have a good talk."

As he spoke, he gave Chen Hongjian a wink, and the latter stood up helplessly.

Chen Hongjian was initially unwilling to come, but yesterday everyone gathered around to persuade him, and even his father spoke up, saying that they should do the right thing and not let the land contracting affect the cotton harvesting.

Smuggling cotton is not exactly aboveboard or legal. Chen Hongguo and his wife are honest and simple and wouldn't dare to cause trouble, but his second son, Chen Mian, is not so easy to deal with. If he were to break off relations and report them, things would really be bad.

Moreover, the boss there said that the demand is very high and everything is negotiable. Chen Hong's 90 mu of cotton is no small sum.

He went back and reflected on it carefully. He realized that he had really lost his temper and couldn't accept losing to Chen Hongguo, who had little ability and the worst conditions.

Since things have come to this, we might as well do some serious thinking, take his cotton and make our own money. What does it matter if we bow our heads for a moment?

He took a tape recorder out of his pocket and placed it on the table with a smile: "Chen Mian, if you need anything, just tell your fourth uncle and go home to get it. Don't be shy."

Then he immediately turned to Chen Hongguo: "Fifth brother, fourth brother was a bit tipsy that day, don't take it to heart."

At this moment, Chen Tietian slid forward a bit on the kang (a heated brick bed), and Chen Hongqiang and Chen Hongmin quickly moved to the sides to make room for the old man.

The old man leaned against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and said earnestly, "Hongguo, your second uncle wasn't in the house that day, so he couldn't see what happened."

"After listening to their conversation, I understand the gist of it. It was indeed your fourth brother who acted impulsively, but our family's discord is making us a laughingstock in the village."

"Here's what we'll do: have your fourth brother set up a table for the villagers to see. It's not a big deal; let bygones be bygones."

Chen Tietian was so serious that he had the air of a patriarch. Everyone listened quietly without interrupting, even the old man Chen Tiejun gave him face.

Generally, when the elders in the family set the tone, everything has to have a result. The words of the elders are heavier than anything else; whether they are right or wrong, they are right.

Because of the cotton-pouring incident, and because the whole village knew that his son was in the wrong, Chen Tietian lowered his stance; otherwise, he would have given the order directly.

He paid no attention to what Chen Mian looked like, because children had no right to interrupt when adults were talking; he only needed to wait for Chen Hongguo to think and answer.

However, to his utter surprise, while everyone else remained quiet, Chen Mian suddenly walked casually to the table.

"This needs to be made clear, otherwise it's easy for people to misunderstand."

He picked up the tape recorder and examined it; it still contained cassette tapes.

He pressed the button and fiddled with it, then looked up at Chen Hongjian, who was forcing a smile. "Chen Yu and I were guessing who would win in the brigade headquarters. I guessed my dad, and he guessed you. I won this thing."

"We're all brothers, what's the big deal about winning or losing? If you like it, just take it and play with it." Chen Hongjian said politely, trying to suppress his emotions.

"Yes, my second uncle has cassette tapes at home. We can just go home and get them."

"At Uncle's place..."

A group of people quickly echoed this sentiment, and even the two old men on the kang (a heated brick bed) spoke up, eager to suppress the matter.

Everyone could see that Chen Mian's words were never good. Since they couldn't get rid of him, they had to find a way to prevent him from having the chance to act recklessly.

Liang Chuncheng glanced around and realized there was more to the story. This family had truly surprised him time and time again.

Chen Hongguo and his wife only found out about this then, so they told Chen Mian to return the things. They felt obligated to accept the gifts, but they didn't really want them back.

Chen Mian ignored all stares and advice, placing the tape recorder on the wooden cabinet right in front of everyone. He believed he had won it himself, and even if the King of Heaven himself came, he was in the right.

Before she could finish speaking, she immediately looked at Chen Hongqiang and asked, "Uncle, did you not tell Grandpa and Grandfather about what happened before?"

"What's wrong...?"

Everyone looked at Chen Hongqiang with blank expressions. Liang Chuncheng, in particular, felt inexplicably uneasy. What other tricks were they up to?

Chen Hongqiang shifted his position with a livid expression, at a loss for words.

He didn't tell anyone about what happened last time, thinking it wasn't a big deal and that it would probably pass in a few days.

Moreover, this family has no intention of selling cotton, so there's no need to contact them anymore; it won't make a difference if they become another family.

But plans can't keep up with changes. No one expected that the fifth brother would suddenly contract land and grow 90 acres of cotton. His reputation soared like a rocket, much to everyone's surprise.

Yesterday, everyone was trying to persuade Chen Hongjian to consider the bigger picture. He hesitated to speak, so they didn't want to upset him further. They figured that since the two elders had stepped in, there shouldn't be any problems. They decided to take this opportunity to smooth things over with a meal.

But I really didn't expect Chen Mian to keep going like this and insist on stirring up trouble.

He sighed and awkwardly recounted the incident of clearing the ditch: "Back then, we were hauling bricks, so I..."