Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 285

Seeing this, Zhu Yufeng said irritably, "You blockhead, this is no excuse at all. Jinxi helped Jinxiao find a good family, which is what I wanted to see too. Forget it, let me tell you."

"Jin Xiao brought back a gold necklace from Qiqihar. It's heavy and big, and it could sell for several thousand yuan outside. Jin Xi has been worried about her son's dowry these days. It's probably only a few thousand yuan short. Jin Xi wanted to borrow money from Jin Xiao, but Jin Xiao refused to lend it to her. Jin Xi felt that she had helped Jin Xiao a lot, but Jin Xiao refused to lend her money, thinking that Jin Xiao was an ingrate."

Cheng Rongguo was stunned after hearing this. He exclaimed in shock, "Jin Xiao's gold necklace is worth several thousand yuan! But I've never heard her mention it."

Seeing that Cheng Rongguo was so stubborn, Zhu Yufeng angrily tapped Cheng Rongguo on the head, "Don't you think about it? If you had a few thousand yuan more, would you tell others about it? So many people are eyeing it. Jin Xiao has her own little schemes."

After listening, Cheng Rongguo nodded in agreement, finding it perfectly normal. If he had that much money, he wouldn't have made a fuss about it.

Zhu Yufeng continued, "If you ask me, why should Jinxiao lend all her money to Jinxi? Our family has helped Jinxiao a lot. Look, she eats, lives, and does everything at our house. This money should be given to Jinxiao's family. Why should she lend it all to Jinxi?"

Cheng Rongguo didn't think there was anything wrong with it. "This is Jinxiao's money. As her older brother, it's not appropriate for me to take her money. Just say less. Jinxiao just got divorced not long ago. Besides her family, she has no one to rely on. However, the conflict between Jinxi and Jinxiao is difficult to resolve. Both of them are my sisters, so I can't say anything. Taking sides won't be good for the other side. Let's not get involved in this matter."

Zhu Yufeng thought about it and agreed. After all, the family wasn't short of money, so there was no need to compete with Jinxi or make things difficult for Jinxiao, which would only make things awkward for everyone.

But Zhu Yufeng's true intentions lay elsewhere. Instead, she said, "Rongguo, I think we must find Jinxiao a good family after the New Year and marry her off as soon as possible."

Cheng Rongguo rubbed his feet, which were sore from a long day's work. He said, "Don't worry about this. Didn't Jinxi say she would take care of it?"

Zhu Yufeng shook her head and said, "I think it's difficult. Jin Xiao and Jin Xi are having a fight now, and Jin Xi is probably too angry to help Jin Xiao find a good family. I think it's better to leave this matter to me."

Cheng Rongguo found it a bit strange. In his impression, Zhu Yufeng wasn't the type to take the initiative to handle things. "Are you really willing to help Jinxiao find a good family after the New Year? Don't you have any other intentions?"

Zhu Yufeng chuckled and gently nudged Cheng Rongguo. "Think about it. Jin Xiao is good-looking, but he looks a bit haggard right now. He'll recover with time. When he does, we'll find him a good family and ask for a dowry. Who will that dowry go to? Of course, it will go to his maternal family. And you're the eldest brother. You're in charge of this family now, so you should keep the dowry. As the saying goes, the eldest brother is like a father. Dad passed away a few years ago, and Mom is bedridden and can't help much. The elders can't help much either, so we have to help arrange the blind date."

“Jinxiao is my little sister after all. I will definitely help her find a reliable, capable, and family-oriented man, preferably from a well-off family. And when my little sister gets married, it won’t be long before it’s our son’s turn to go on blind dates and get married.”

The younger son is currently staying at Zhu Yufeng's parents' house, while the older son works in the county and only comes back for the Chinese New Year.

Since they're getting married anyway, and both require a wedding house and a bride price, Zhu Yufeng needs to make plans early. If she gets Cheng Jinxiao's bride price, she won't have to worry about her son's bride price in the future.

Zhu Yufeng had this plan. When the betrothal gifts were collected, they would amount to at least several thousand yuan, which would definitely be more than the gold necklace.

Cheng Rongguo was somewhat tempted. "You're right. Jin Xiao is staying at her parents' home. When she gets married, the dowry money should go to her parents' home. And your own son will also be getting married, so the dowry money can be used then. Now that Jin Xiao and Jin Xi are having a conflict, Jin Xi definitely won't care about Jin Xiao's affairs. You'll have to pay more attention to it then."

Zhu Yufeng laughed and patted her chest. "You still don't trust me? I will definitely help Jinxiao find a good family."

It would be better to act as a matchmaker myself and help Cheng Jinxiao arrange her marriage, so that I can ask for more dowry money.

Evening

When Zhao Da'e returned to his aunt's house, he saw his aunt with a dark face, cooking. The sound of the spoon hitting the iron pot was loud and clear, and the sound of chopping meat was loud and clear, as if she was venting her anger.

Zhao Da'e felt a little scared and went outside to avoid upsetting her aunt.

Zhou Chunwen and Zhou Chunhong were also standing outside the door. Zhao Da'e asked, "Big cousin, second cousin, what's wrong with Aunt? She seems very angry."

Zhou Chunwen shook her head. "I don't know either. Mom came home like this. But I saw that she came back with red eyes. I went over and asked her what happened. She scolded me and said that I would grow up to be an ungrateful person. Then she kicked me out."

Zhou Chunhong nodded and said, "Mom has a terrible temper now. When I'm hungry, I go to the kitchen to eat something, and Mom scolds me for only knowing how to eat. She also says that I will definitely be an ungrateful person in the future, and then I get kicked out."

Zhao Da'e felt a chill run down her spine, relieved that she would be working in the kitchen tomorrow, but she was also a little confused. What on earth had happened?

the other side

Cheng Jinxiao has returned from the county with a bankbook. She has already sold the gold necklace for a full two thousand yuan. With this money, she feels at ease, no longer worried that others will see the gold necklace around her neck and covet it.

When Cheng Jinxiao got home, she was a little confused. Cheng Jinxiang said to her, "Little sister, your older sister had a fight with Mom just now. Do you know why? Mom cried in her room for a while. Go in and see Mom. She can't even eat right now. She spoiled you when you were little. Go in and talk to her. No matter how angry she is, she has to eat something."

Cheng Jinxiao immediately thought that her older sister had argued with her mother because of her borrowing money.

Cheng Jinxiao's feelings were somewhat complicated. "I understand, Second Sister. I'll go in and see Mom."

Upon entering the room, Cheng Jinxiao saw Wang Shi staring at the ceiling with red eyes.

"Mom, I'm back."

As Cheng Jinxiao spoke, she walked over to Wang Shi and took her hand. Wang Shi's skin was dull and loose, and Cheng Jinxiao felt sorry for her. In her memory, her mother was not like this when she was a child. At least she was still healthy back then. She had only been married to someone from another place for a few years, and her mother's health had deteriorated so much.

When Wang saw Cheng Jinxiao return, she couldn't hold back her tears. With trembling hands, she patted Cheng Jinxiao's hands and choked out, "Jinxiao, tell your mother the truth, do you have a gold necklace on you? It could be sold for several thousand yuan."

Cheng Jinxiao was stunned for a moment, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She knew that she was right; her mother already knew.

Cheng Jinxiao choked up, "Mom, I..."

Before Cheng Jinxiao could finish speaking, Wang interrupted her, "Tell me, do you actually have this gold necklace on you?"

Cheng Jinxiao lowered her head with red eyes and choked out a "yes". "Yes, I took it to the county to sell it and put it in my savings account."

Upon hearing this, Wang immediately asked, "Then let me ask you, how much money did you exchange it for? Tell me the truth."

Cheng Jinxiao pursed her lips and saw her mother's anxious and red-eyed appearance. She choked up and said, "I took it and exchanged it for two thousand yuan."

Hearing this, Wang finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her mind was filled with the complaints her eldest daughter, Cheng Jinxi, had made to her. She asked herself honestly, and realized that her eldest daughter had been very good to her all these years, yet she had said such harsh words to her. Wang felt a pang of regret.

But the youngest daughter isn't having an easy time either. She has no husband's family and no children. She doesn't know if she can make it through next year. If she leaves, the Cheng family will become the eldest son Cheng Rongguo's home. Will the eldest son still let his youngest daughter live in the Cheng family? The eldest son might be soft-hearted, but based on his understanding of his daughter-in-law, he would start to drive his youngest daughter away in less than a year. Where will his youngest daughter go then?

It's good that her youngest daughter has this money; at least she won't have to worry about running out of money. She can rent a house in the county for a few dozen yuan and find a job to make ends meet. Wang doesn't expect Cheng Jinxiao to marry into a good family in the future. She's been married before and is getting old, so she knows very well that relying on herself is worse than relying on anyone else.

On one side was her eldest daughter, and on the other was her youngest daughter. If she asked herself honestly, Wang would worry more about her youngest daughter and her future. Her eldest daughter was already married, and her eldest son was about to get married, while her youngest daughter had nothing. At least she could protect her youngest daughter while she was here. But after she was gone, who would protect her youngest daughter?

Wang had many concerns, and the more she thought about it, the redder her eyes became. Finally, she sighed, reached out and patted Cheng Jinxiao's hand, choking back tears, "Jinxiao, you have to keep the money you have. I know your eldest sister has asked you for money. You can borrow a few hundred, but you must not lend it all. Right now, the only thing you can rely on is the money you have. Listen to your mother's advice, you can't do without money. You must keep some money on you and not lend it all out. Leave yourself a way out."

Cheng Jinxiao's eyes were touched. She gripped Wang's hand tightly and choked out, "Mom, I understand all of this. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. It's not that I don't want to lend it to my eldest sister. I think the same way you do. I can lend her a few hundred yuan, but I can't come up with all of it. My eldest sister has a son and two daughters to rely on in the future, while I may only have these two thousand yuan to rely on."

Wang felt a pang of self-reproach. She said guiltily, "You've suffered so much, child. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have let you marry so far away. You wouldn't be suffering like this now."

Cheng Jinxiao shook her head and said, "Mom, I don't blame you. If anyone is to blame, it's myself. I misjudged people, and everything is my own fault."

Wang felt heartbroken listening to this, and she choked up as she said, "Silly child, don't say that. You have a long life ahead of you. You don't necessarily have to rely on a man in the future. You can always make a living by farming and raising livestock. Perhaps you can go to work in that county town. I heard that you can earn more money working in the county town, and girls can do it too. You've been smart since you were little, so it's just right for you to go there."

Wang gave her instructions, fearing she wouldn't have the chance to do so again. She worried about Cheng Jinxiao's future and only hoped to live to see the day she could see Cheng Jinxiao happy.

Cheng Jinxiao nodded with emotion and said, "Mom, I understand. In the future, I will definitely work hard, support myself, earn some money, and then use it to support you."

Wang smiled with relief, but there were still some things she wanted to comfort her with, saying, "Jinxiao, don't blame your eldest sister. She hasn't had it easy either. She was just a bit anxious, which is why you had a conflict. When you came back, it was your eldest sister who asked Tianfu to pick you up. She was also the one who wanted to find you a good family, afraid that you would be bullied in the future. Your eldest sister still cares about you. In the future, if your eldest sister has any difficulties, try to help her as much as you can. I want you sisters to get along well, help each other, and stay united, so that our lives can get better and better."

Cheng Jinxiao couldn't help but cry, "Mom, I understand."

After saying that, Cheng Jinxiao threw herself into Wang's arms. "I remember what you said. I will help my eldest and second sisters if they have any difficulties. Don't say so much. You're making me feel like you're entrusting your affairs to someone before you die."

Cheng Jinxiao had a bad feeling, as if something big was going to happen after the New Year.

Madam Wang gave a bitter smile. She forced herself to stand up and patted Cheng Jinxiao's back with difficulty. "Silly child, every mother worries about her children. Right now, you're the one who gives me the most peace of mind. Sometimes I think Jinxi is right. If you meet a good family, you should get married. At least you won't have to live such a tiring and difficult life, and you'll have someone to rely on when you're old. But if you don't want to get married for the time being, Mom will respect your decision."

Cheng Jinxiao wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and choked out, "Mom, how did you know what I was thinking?"

Cheng Jinxiao didn't want to get married this year. She wanted to focus on making money so she could feel secure. Besides, she was getting married for the second time, and finding a normal person would be very difficult, especially in this day and age.

Wang gave a bitter smile. "No one knows a daughter better than her mother. I raised you, so how could I not know what you're thinking?"

"Whatever you do, Mom will support you. As long as you don't regret it and are happy, Mom will be content. As for the future... we'll talk about the future later."

These were all Wang's heartfelt words. Cheng Jinxiao felt heartbroken. She threw herself into Wang's arms and choked out, "Mom, don't worry, I will live a good life and never let anyone look down on me. You must also take good care of yourself and be able to see the day when I become rich and make money."