Reborn in 1994: Starting from the Autumn Harvest

Because they had to go to work and take care of their child, Zhuang Chengzhu and his wife left after dinner.

No sooner had they left than Chen Hongqiang walked in.

The aroma of stewed meat made me stop in my tracks. Yesterday we ate ribs, today we have stewed meat. What decent family lives so extravagantly? They'll be starving in the future.

Chen Hongqiang pursed his lips and continued walking inside, his expression instantly changing drastically as he called out to the house with unusual friendliness, "Yo~ Stewed meat!"

The voice, like sandpaper scraping against a wall, was highly distinctive, and the five people in the room instantly knew who had arrived.

Chen Mian has covered her ears whenever she hears this sound since she was a child, and has been scolded by her parents many times as a result.

In my memory, Chen Hongqiang was known for being ruthless, always looking out for people when he needed them and never visiting unless he was taking advantage of his own family.

Thinking of this, she poked her dad with the tip of her chopsticks and whispered, "Dad, you've got to do something again."

Tang Xiuyun patted Chen Mian's head, urging him to eat quickly, and then gave her husband a wink, telling him not to do anything foolish and suffer losses again.

But since they were relatives, Chen Hongguo and his wife treated them to a meal out of courtesy.

He also told his two sons to get bowls and chopsticks. Chen Liang obediently got up, but Chen Mian was too sluggish and pretended not to hear him, eating by herself while smiling and looking at her uncle.

Chen Hongqiang was the eldest son of the Second Master's family, but he took the position of the eldest son in the family ranking. It is said that the Second Master specially bought several strings of firecrackers that day, which made him very happy and festive, which made the eldest master so angry that he couldn't sleep all night.

However, according to the traditions passed down from the older generation, no matter how young the eldest son was, he was still the eldest grandson, so it didn't matter anymore.

Chen Hongqiang was the pride of the Second Master, so he was pampered since childhood and never suffered any grievances. The only time he was beaten in his half-life was by Chen Mian.

After a few months of rest and recuperation, he was able to go out again. Ever since then, he would avoid Chen Mian's family whenever he saw them, feeling both guilty and afraid.

Seeing that her uncle was dressed neatly and properly, and even had a synthetic leather belt around his waist, Chen Mian guessed that he was about to go out on business.

He racked his brains but couldn't recall anything about Chen Hongqiang that day, and couldn't help but sigh.

Chen Hongqiang looked at the empty bowls and basins, feeling no appetite at all. He also had to go to a party later, so he needed to save room for meat and alcohol.

With his purpose clear, he waved his hand and said, "I've already eaten, I've already eaten. Don't bother with anything else, I just came over for a chat and will be leaving in a bit."

He stopped Chen Liang, figuring the family would need to get to work as soon as they finished eating, and he didn't want to delay them any longer.

He then said to Chen Hongguo, "Here's the thing, your sister-in-law and I have to go on a long trip because of some urgent business. We'll be out there for the next couple of days and won't be able to come back."

"Our two families have a few plots of land next to each other, and the weather is unpredictable. Hongguo, could you help us clear the ditches while you're at it?"

Upon hearing this, even though Chen Hongguo and his three companions were somewhat wary, they were still taken aback. Without any preamble, he stated his purpose directly.

"spit."

Chen Mian spat out a small bone at an inopportune moment, winked at her father, and said, "See, I told you so, we've got work to do."

Chen Hongguo glanced at him sideways, pretending not to see it.

But Tang Xiuyun nudged Chen Mian from behind, signaling him to be more sensible. Even if he was annoyed, he shouldn't show it in front of others. After all, she was an elder, and if word got out, people would say he had no manners.

Then she called her daughter-in-law to pack their things and go out, but Liu Xiaocui looked at her husband's honest and simple appearance and couldn't help but feel sorry for him and helpless.

Chen Liang is the type of person who can't say no; he'll do whatever you ask him to do.

It's one thing to do it for one's own family matters, but when outsiders need help, they just ask and immediately lend a hand, even if it's just for nothing.

He never mentioned learning from Chen Mian's strengths; he never suffered any loss or unnecessary hardship.

After eating and drinking her fill, Chen Mian stood up, burped, and said first, "How can I manage? I have to do all the ditch clearing myself now. I was thinking of asking my uncle for help."

Chen Hongqiang is now a little afraid of this nephew. He used to be unreasonable and would talk back if he didn't like what he was told. He had no respect for elders and was spoiled by his grandparents.

I don't know where he learned to be so eloquent now, I can't argue with him anymore.

Therefore, he chose to ignore Chen Mian, thinking it unnecessary for children to interfere in adults' discussions, and looked directly at Chen Hongguo: "Fifth Brother, what do you think?"

Chen Hongguo didn't really want to agree either. A few acres of land wasn't a small job, and he was already too busy with his own family to care about others.

Just as she was thinking about how to refuse in a better way, Chen Mian simply started off well.

"Brother, I shouldn't refuse you since you've already asked, but the situation at home really can't be turned around right now."

"Da Liang and I are busy digging melons in Xiwa. The ditch clearing work is all done by Er Mian himself. We have to go back after eating. We can't keep up with the work." Chen Hongguo said with a troubled expression, stating the facts.

At this moment, Tang Xiuyun spoke up from the main room: "Uncle, what could be more important than farming? Let's get the land sorted out first before we worry about anything else."

The couple's back-and-forth banter made Chen Hongqiang frown; why had this family suddenly become so difficult to talk to?

His gaze shifted back to Chen Mian, looking at her innocent-looking smile, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

After thinking for a moment, he grabbed a stool and moved closer to Chen Hongguo, speaking earnestly, "What's the rush to dig melons, Fifth Brother? Is it so difficult for your elder brother to ask you for a favor these days?"

"Back when we were kids, life was so tough. We only had one pancake at home. I secretly broke it in half for you behind your second uncle's back. Luckily, Grandma arrived early, or your second uncle would have beaten me half to death."

"If you don't want to help, just tell your brother directly. He'll turn around and leave without causing any trouble for his brother. I'll never set foot in this door again."

Chen Hongqiang spoke, shaking his head, his voice trembling. He was on the verge of tears, but he couldn't squeeze them out no matter what he did.

When Chen Mian saw her father lower his head, she couldn't help but rub her temples. Here we go again.

That old bastard really knows my dad's Achilles' heel. Whenever something happens, he starts reminiscing about the past and trying to talk about feelings. Damn it, he's been paying back half a pancake for almost half his life and he still hasn't finished.

My dad is the kind of person who never learns from mistakes. He always gets carried away by these words, and when he realizes what he's done, he just sighs and gets scolded by my mom.

Seeing that the conversation was getting out of hand, Chen Mian immediately interjected, "What's Brother Chen He busy with?"

Chen Hongqiang was leaning over the edge of the table, reminiscing about the past, when he heard Chen Mian's words, he straightened up.

Looking at Chen Mian in astonishment, he thought to himself, "How did this kid know?"

After discussing the cotton-picking business that day, Liang Chuncheng introduced a temporary job. Lao Si, who worked in the township, didn't want the job, so the three families each contributed a small four-wheeled tractor to haul bricks for people.

These days, you rely entirely on connections and networks when you go out, and the end of August isn't exactly the peak season for the rural construction industry. You can't just find work by suddenly deciding to haul bricks and make money.

Liang Chuncheng had acquaintances at both the brick factory and the construction site, so the three families didn't have to worry about anything. All they had to do was haul bricks and drive trucks. They could earn about 30 or 40 yuan a day. Although it was only for half a month, the income was quite considerable.

These days, most workers in the county town only earn 200 yuan a month. This daily wage is much more than what non-agricultural workers earn, so all three families are very happy.

After earning extra money for half a month, he went back to work in the fields without any delay. He also became more and more convinced of Liang Chuncheng and paid more attention to the cotton handling business.

Although this deal is aboveboard, it's a bit awkward to talk about it at this time. Since they're all relatives, they've left Chen Hongguo out; if word gets out, they'll lose face.

But he couldn't understand why Chen Mian had suddenly said that.

Was it a lucky accident, or was it a rhetorical question?

This matter was only settled yesterday, so how did Chen Mian know about it?

The more Chen Hongqiang thought about it, the more confused he became, and he couldn't quite grasp it, so he simply resorted to his usual tactless ways: "When adults are talking, why do you, a child, keep interrupting?"