Chapter 22: An Encounter with Old Mrs. Tong

The girl in the blue dress, knowing her friend's personality well, teased, "Shuangling, I heard the Tong family hasn't even agreed to this yet; it was just something the elders said in passing. Besides, why choose him? Why fixate on a sickly weakling?"

Tong Shuangling, who held a very high opinion of Luo Hui'an, was unwilling to hear such remarks. "He is perfectly fine—better than anyone else in this village."

"But he doesn't treat you well," the girl in the blue dress immediately retorted, refusing to back down.

"He will treat me well," Tong Shuangling said, her eyes burning as she watched Luo Hui'an’s retreating figure, radiating a determined confidence.

In the distance, Luo Hui'an seemed to sense something. He suddenly stopped and looked back, his gaze quickly locking onto Tong Shuangling.

Tong Shuangling met his eyes openly, showing no fear under his scrutiny.

Luo Hui'an did not linger; he soon turned his gaze away and continued walking toward Tong Chuxue’s house.

Stubborn, provocative, proactive, and optimistic—Luo Hui'an saw so much in Tong Shuangling’s eyes, yet his memory held no record of any past interaction with her.

Who was this girl?

By the time Tong Chuxue and Xu Jinniang arrived home, it was already pitch black. Ordinarily, they should have invited their helpers to stay for a meal, but as two women alone in the house, it felt inappropriate to press the matter, so they let it go.

After dinner, as Tong Chuxue was organizing the items to be moved to their new home the next day, Xu Jinniang suddenly remembered something. "We haven't prepared for the housewarming banquet, nor have we invited anyone or set a date."

In Tong Chuxue’s experience, rural families always consulted an almanac to pick an auspicious day for moving, but they didn't have one.

"Mother is right. Why don't we go to the village head tomorrow and ask for his help in picking a date? Then we can invite the guests," Tong Chuxue suggested.

"That sounds good." Xu Jinniang looked at her daughter with relief, marveling at how Tong Chuxue had quietly become capable of handling both big and small matters on her own. "By the way, we have those chickens in the backyard. Let’s save the eggs from the next few days to use for the banquet."

Tong Chuxue sighed. She knew Xu Jinniang’s frugal nature wouldn't change overnight. Aside from the vegetables others had gifted them and the rice they had just bought, they had very little in the way of nutrition, which was why she had insisted on taking a chicken from Old Mrs. Tong in the first place.

Eggs were the most basic source of protein they could afford, but she knew that explaining this to Xu Jinniang would likely fall on deaf ears.

"Mother, tell you the truth—forget eggs. In the future, even if we eat a pound of meat every day, we will be able to afford it," Tong Chuxue promised, patting her chest.

She wasn't lying. Once her mass cultivation of Dendrobium officinale succeeded, the silver would flow in steadily. By then, they wouldn't just be eating meat; they could afford to drink ginseng tea every single day.

"You silly girl, we are farm folk. How much can we make farming all year round? Not to mention we only have one acre of land. That acre only produces enough grain for us to survive. One must be grounded and not entertain such wild thoughts." Xu Jinniang spoke with earnest guidance, then suddenly, as if struck by a thought, she gripped Tong Chuxue’s arm, looking stern. "Let me tell you, no matter how poor we are, we must never do anything that would make people point fingers at us!"

Tong Chuxue was bewildered by the sudden gravity in her mother's tone.

Seeing her daughter’s blank expression, Xu Jinniang clarified, "We must not... mess around with men... don't you believe anything people tell you..."

Realizing what her mother meant, Tong Chuxue sighed helplessly. How could Xu Jinniang even think of that? The idea that she would trade her virtue for money was absurd.

Still, Tong Chuxue understood. For a girl from a poor family at this age, it was all too easy to be lured away by someone offering a bit of money.

Tong Chuxue hugged her mother’s arm and coaxed, "Mother, what are you thinking? I would never be that kind of person. I just want to stay by your side and live our lives together."

"Silly girl, what are you saying? You'll end up an old maid," Xu Jinniang protested.

Tong Chuxue knew that changing such deep-seated mindsets wouldn't happen overnight.

"Mother, who should we invite to the banquet? Should we invite Grandmother and the others?" Tong Chuxue asked.

Deep down, she had no desire to invite the Tong family. They had long since stopped treating her as one of their own, so why should she grovel for their presence?

"We have already separated from the family. Technically, we are two separate households now," Xu Jinniang replied.

Tong Chuxue was somewhat surprised to hear this. She had worried that Xu Jinniang might still value the Tong family too much, leading to further entanglements, but it seemed her mother had finally given up on them completely.

It was not entirely surprising; the Tong family’s actions had long since broken Xu Jinniang’s heart. No matter how long she had endured their abuse, there was bound to be a breaking point.

Perhaps the issue of her daughter's marriage had been the final straw.

The next day, Tong Chuxue and Xu Jinniang moved their belongings to the new house. Fortunately, they were mostly soft goods, so even as two women, they managed to finish in a few trips. Afterward, they went to the village head’s house.

When they mentioned the housewarming banquet, Tong Shan was happy for them. He brought out his almanac and chose an auspicious date three days later.

In addition to the village head, Tong Chuxue invited Wu Zhenzhen. She had a good impression of the girl, and upon hearing that Wu Zhenzhen was not from Qingshan Village and would be leaving soon, she insisted that she attend.

Leaving the village head’s house, the two headed toward the Luo family’s home.

Unexpectedly, they ran into Old Mrs. Tong on the road. It was strange, as the old woman usually preferred staying home and rarely ventured out.

As the saying goes, enemies meeting face-to-face see red; their relationship with Old Mrs. Tong was no different.

Sure enough, as soon as Old Mrs. Tong saw them, she spat on the ground, her eyes fierce. "How unlucky. I run into two jinxes the moment I step outside. I suppose I’ll have to avoid this road from now on."

Tong Chuxue couldn't care less; she was in a good mood today and couldn't be bothered to argue.

But Old Mrs. Tong was relentless. She turned her vitriol toward Xu Jinniang, cursing, "The Tong family had the worst luck marrying you. First you cursed your husband to death, then you cursed my grandson. You two are of the same ilk, two sluts who bring ruin to everyone around them!"

The words were truly vicious. Tong Chuxue could no longer remain silent. With a surge of anger, she spoke up: "Grandmother, I don't know what my mother or I have ever done to deserve such hatred from you. Why don't we settle this once and for all in front of everyone? That way, you won't have to keep being so snide and hurling false accusations every time you open your mouth. If people from other villages heard you, they would think all the elders in Qingshan Village are as disrespectful and morally bankrupt as you, driving their own daughter-in-law and granddaughter to the brink."