Chapter 11
Qiao Mei was a little disappointed but she soon felt relieved.
It was also a good thing to adhere to the laws of nature. Otherwise, if she could make plants immortal, then as the owner of the jade pendant, she would continue to absorb energy and remain young. Then wouldn't she be taken to the laboratory to be dissected alive?
Besides, even if she was immortal, wouldn't it be sadder if she had to send her friends and family off time after time?
On second thought, Qiao Mei felt very lucky.
When she saw the seeds that had scattered on the ground, Qiao Mei's eyes instantly lit up. At the speed at which this plant grew, wouldn't she be rich if she planted something?
This was practically a treasure tailor-made for her!
It was more useful than a portable space.
So what if she was given a space? It would always be smaller inside the space than outside and it also would not satisfy her desire to grow many plants. The function of this jade pendant was better!
We're rich, we're rich!
Qiao Mei cried out excitedly and started experimenting with other plants.
She found another tree and focused her thoughts on it. The sprouts on the tree branch started to grow at a speed that shocked Qiao Mei and she quickly ended the experiment.
She then picked a small wild strawberry seedling.
After focusing on it for a few rounds, the ground was filled with red strawberries. They were very eye-catching and smelled really fragrant.
She took a bite and the fresh and delicious taste made her whole body feel comfortable. This fruit had the unique sweet smell of strawberries as well as an additional hint of freshness.
This was simply a magic fruit!
The fragrance was simply too tempting to Qiao Mei. She only remembered that she was supposed to lose weight after eating a big bunch of them, so she resisted the urge and found a large branch to dig up a hole to bury all the fallen fruits.
It was still early spring, so the appearance of these fruits could raise suspicion in anyone who saw them.
Delicious! Delicious!
Suddenly, a voice appeared in Qiao Mei's mind.
Who's there? What is it?
I want more, I want more!
A voice came from the strawberry bushes that had grown to her knees and had waving leaves.
Are you the one speaking?
Qiao Mei probed.
Yes! It's me! I want more!
The leaves in the strawberry bushes continued to wave.
Qiao Mei froze on the spot. Why was this plant so different from what she had seen before?
How could it speak? Was this also a function of the jade pendant?
Then why didn't the other plants speak?
Qiao Mei's eyes lit up. She thought that it might be because this plant had exchanged a lot of energy, resulting in high spirituality so it could speak.
If other plants exchanged less energy, it would be difficult for them to resonate.
She picked up a nearby bush and tried again and she found that it was the same thing.
After a few moments, fruits fell from the bushes and it shouted,
I want more, I want more!
Okay, okay, okay.
Qiao Mei answered casually and buried its fruits in the soil. Then, she used mind control to absorb the energy of the strawberry plant and bush in front of her, allowing the two trees to return to their original state.
In a moment, the two trees quickly became bare again, blending in with the trees beside them. There was nothing that looked out of place at all.
They stopped yelling and looked aggrieved.
Qiao Mei skipped down the mountain happily.
When she reached home, she found two people standing in the courtyard.
Two middle-aged women stood in the field, both of them holding hoes used for weeding. The woman with the cleaner clothes stood to the side giving instructions while the other woman, dressed in dusty clothes, bent over to work.
Qiao Mei stood at the door and was stunned for a moment. She had to recall her past memories to remember who these two people were.
The one who was dressed more nicely was Third Grandpa Qiao Zhuang's eldest daughter-in-law, Liu Ying. The one with tattered clothes was his second daughter-in-law, Jiang Ye.
Seeing them, Qiao Mei thought of Qiao Zhuang's family.
Qiao Zhuang was Qiao Qiang's younger brother. He was sent to a relative's house when he was young but that family did not discipline him properly, which resulted in Qiao Zhuang's arrogant and domineering personality.
When he was young, he forcefully married a woman who then gave him three sons.
The eldest son was called Qiao Fu, the second son Qiao Gui, and the third son Qiao Wang.
After that, Qiao Zhuang had another two daughters who ended up being sent away the moment they were born. After a few years, he had another two more sons, their names were Qiao Qiang and Qiao Gang.
Lastly, he had his youngest daughter, Qiao Yu, whom he kept by his side.
Qiao Mei could not help but laugh as she thought of the Qiao family.
Chapter 12
Hey, Mei Mei, you're back?
Qiao Zhuang's eldest daughter-in-law shouted.
The way she called 'Mei Mei' carried a different tone, as if she was mocking her.
Qiao Mei did not even bother to look at them. She walked through the door, past the courtyard and prepared to enter the room. This was how the original owner of the body treated Qiao Zhuang and his family, like she could not be bothered.
Eh, what's so smelly?
The Qiao second daughter-in-law covered her nose and shouted.
The Qiao eldest daughter-in-law also smelled it. She took out a handkerchief from her pocket and covered her nose, then she looked at Qiao Mei with disdain.
You're already an adult, but did you soil your pants? Why do you smell so bad?
Actually, Qiao Mei could also smell the odor coming from her body. Every time she used the jade pendant to absorb a plant's energy, her body seemed to get purified and some dirt and grease in her body would surface.
After an entire afternoon, her whole body was already stinking .
The smell was really awful. Otherwise, she would not have rushed home.
Qiao Mei continued to ignore them. After entering the house, she went to boil water to take a bath.
However, Qiao Zhuang's eldest daughter-in-law refused to give up. She stood at the door and nagged,
Mei Mei, you're already an adult yet you're still soiling your pants like a three-year-old. If outsiders find out about this, I can't imagine how they are going to laugh at you. It's so embarrassing.
After she finished talking, she seemed to find it so funny that she stood at the door and laughed non-stop. She planned to go to the village later to gossip with other people about this.
Qiao Qiang's granddaughter was almost 18 years old but she was still soiling her pants.
Hahahahahaha!
The Qiao second daughter-in-law, who was not very clever, also stood at the side grinning foolishly.
Qiao Qiang heard the laughter outside and his face turned black. He walked out and stared at them pointedly while Qiao Mei continued to boil water in the kitchen as if there was no one around.
The Qiao eldest daughter-in-law laughed a few times but stopped when she felt Qiao Qiang's terrifying glare. Only the second daughter-in-law stood at the side and continued giggling non-stop.
What are you guys doing at my house?
Qiao Qiang asked with a displeased expression.
By now, the brainless second daughter-in-law seemed to sense that the atmosphere was not too right and stopped laughing.
Eldest Uncle.
The eldest daughter-in-law smiled embarrassedly.
Isn't it already the beginning of spring? Your family's field is still all empty. It's too much of a pity so we're here to help loosen the soil.
Is this something you would do? How could you be so kind?
Qiao Qiang mocked.
The eldest daughter-in-law had an awkward expression on her face, but then she thought that since the old man was about to die, it was not a big thing to be chided by him. It was more important to occupy his land when he was gone.
This piece of land was located in a mountainous region. It was not easy to develop a piece of land in such an area so it would be great to be able to get one that was ready for use.
You should hear yourself. If you don't believe me, you can go and ask around. Who doesn't praise me in and around this village?
Hehe, who in the village dares to talk about you? If anyone dares to say that Qiao Zhuang's family isn't good, their house will be burned down and snatched away!
Qiao Qiang said.
When the eldest daughter-in-law heard this, she did not feel ashamed at all but looked proud instead. There was a smug look on her face. Their family had many sons and they were thriving. There was nothing others could do even if they were envious!
No more talking, no more talking, let's go to the fields!
The eldest daughter-in-law ignored Qiao Qiang and turned around to drag the second daughter-in-law to get to work.
Everyone knew that Qiao Qiang had gastric problems. Even the doctors in the city said that he would not be able to live for long. If they were to loosen the soil, remove the weeds and sow the seeds, wouldn't the field eventually belong to them?
Qiao Qiang stood at the door and tapped the walking stick in his hand, feeling miserable.
These people are bullying him because he is sick. In the past, they would not dare to talk to him like this. Now that he is about to die, he is unable to subdue them anymore.
They already dare to behave like this whilst he is still alive. Once he is gone, then Qiao Mei…
Qiao Qiang looked at Qiao Mei with pity, not bearing to have to part with her.
Qiao Mei looked at the scene in front of her and recalled what had happened before. Now, she could see the reason why the two of them were so eager to render help. Or rather, it was not their intention but Qiao Zhuang's.
Bah!
How shameless.
Grandfather, help me keep an eye on the fire in the stove. I'm going out to deal with them now!
Without another word, Qiao Mei picked up a wooden stick and walked out.
Qiao Qiang nodded and walked into the house to watch over the fire.
He was not worried that his granddaughter would be at a disadvantage. This granddaughter had been strong since she was young and had a tough personality. She had never let herself fall into a disadvantageous position when fighting with others.
Qiao Qiang laughed coldly. These two people were so eager to take over his land that they had forgotten the kind of person his Mei Mei was.
Chapter 13
Seeing Qiao Mei running towards them with a wooden stick in her hand, Big Auntie Qiao and Second Auntie Qiao suddenly remembered that this granddaughter was not one to be bullied.
The two of them had not fought with Qiao Mei for too long and had forgotten about it.
Goodness, what do you think you're doing?
they shouted, picking up their hogs as they retreated.
Qiao Mei drove the wooden stick in her hand into the ground and said with a glare,
You two don't need to worry about my family's land.
Her aura was strong, but her voice was weak and she sounded more like she was acting coquettishly. Fortunately, her body was dark and fat, making her look quite formidable.
Otherwise, not only would the two people not be frightened by her, they would even laugh.
Big Auntie Qiao remembered that she was punched in the back by this girl a few years ago and the spot still felt painful now.
They cannot use force, they can only use their wits.
You're such a stubborn child. We didn't say that this isn't your home. It's just that your land is empty now, so Aunt came to help you loosen the soil.
Nothing grows in my land in spring every year but you only come to plow this year. You didn't see the same thing last year? Are you blind?
You wretched girl, why are you talking to your aunt like this?
Big Auntie Qiao did not like it when people talked back to her like this and got a little angry.
Don't think that I don't know what you're thinking. If you come over to plow now, later you will come over to sow the seeds. After that, wouldn't it be easy for you to just take over the land? By then, won't grandfather and I need your permission to eat the vegetables from the land?
Big Auntie Qiao was surprised to hear this. She did not expect this girl to be able to see through their intentions.
It was not as if they could be blamed for this. If there was anyone to blame, it would be that Qiao Qiang's place was too attractive.
As Qiao Qiang was an old war hero, the piece of land that the village gave to his family was one of the largest in the village and the land was flat and fertile.
The courtyard of her house wasn't even half as big as Qiao Qiang's, yet it had to cater to ten people. It was just not enough!
By the time they finished plowing the land and sowing the seeds, Qiao Qiang would be dead. The vegetable harvest and the land around the courtyard would all be theirs.
Even if the courtyard was not given to them, the vegetables in the courtyard should not be harvested by other people right?
However, she could not say her thoughts out loud. Big Auntie Qiao said unwillingly,
How can that be? The land is yours, naturally you can eat whatever you want here. We're just here to help loosen the soil.
There's no need for you to put on an act.
Qiao Mei pulled out her wooden stick and stood on the land in front of them, saying,
You guys can level the ground here right now. Don't think that you can come over to pick vegetables later by pretending to loosen the soil now.
Qiao Zhuang's family had always been unreasonable and shameless. She wanted to block off any chance of them ever coming over to harvest the vegetables.
Auntie Qiao looked surprised. Good grief, this girl even thought of this point… It could not be Qiao Qiang guiding her, so it appeared that she was actually quite smart.
Even Qiao Qiang, who was watching over the fire in the kitchen, listened to Qiao Mei's words in surprise. His granddaughter had grown up suddenly!
Seeing that the two people were still standing where they were, Qiao Mei rushed up with her wooden stick.
Why aren't you leaving? Do you want to fight with me? My wooden stick doesn't have eyes!
She was so strong that when she swung the wooden stick, it made an intimidating whooshing sound.
Big Auntie Qiao and Second Auntie Qiao were scared out of their wits and did not dare to say anything else. They quickly picked up the hoes and did as they were told.
Soon, they had leveled all the soil they previously dug up.
As she walked out of the door, Big Auntie Qiao turned her head around and stared at Qiao Mei. She scolded angrily in a low voice,
Wretched girl, I'll let you show off now. You'll get what you deserve later.
Qiao Mei did not look at them anymore. She walked into the house and said,
Is the water ready, grandfather?
Yes, yes.
Okay, okay. I'm going to take a bath now.
Qiao Mei swiftly moved the large basin in the courtyard into her room and took a clean towel with her.
It was a simple and crude setup at the house, there was neither a bathroom nor a bathtub. What she was using was the big basin she had used to wash clothes.
After filling the basin with water, Qiao Mei closed the room door. She stood in the basin and used a towel to repeatedly wipe off all the dirt on her body. It would have to do for now. When she had money in the future, she would build a big house and then she would have her own bathroom.
After slowly washing up for 40 to 50 minutes, she finally cleaned off all the dirt on her body. She only felt comfortable when she could no longer detect any weird smell on her body.
She looked at her arm and felt that she looked a little fairer.
It was really great!
Chapter 14
Sheknew how to lose weight, but she had no way to make her skin fair. It was something impossible which she had been worried about, but now it seemed that she need not worry anymore.
The jade pendant is indeed awesome!
Qiao Mei picked up the jade pendant and kissed it hard. She suddenly thought of the owner of the jade pendant and the intimate contact between the two of them that night. Her face instantly blushed red.
Mei Mei, Mei Mei!
Suddenly, a panicky female voice came from outside the house. The voice was very shrill and it sounded as if something very important had happened.
Mei Mei, leave quickly! My whole family is here!
As soon as the words ended, the door was pushed open from outside and a skinny little girl rushed in.
The little girl was wearing tattered clothes with floral prints. She was about 16 or 17 years old and had two long braids. She looked at Qiao Mei in panic.
She looked alright, but she was way too thin. At the age of 16 or 17 years old, her chest was still flat and there was nothing to be seen.
Qiao Mei's eyelids twitched as she recognized her.
Xiao Yu, you're here.
Qiao Yu was Qiao Zhuang's only daughter and she was only 17 years old this year. Her two older sisters had been sent away, leaving her the only daughter left. However, she had not been raised with care.
She always had to do all types of washing and scrubbing around the house and she was not valued at home. She was a year or two younger than Qiao Mei, so she was always tagging along with the original owner of the body.
She was good with her words and she knew how to please the original owner of the body. She always had
Mei Mei
on her lips and the original owner of the body would always bring her some food from home. After a while, the two of them became very close.
Heh!
Qiao Mei sneered.
Get out now. Don't you know how to knock before entering? Who taught you to be so rude?
Qiao Mei quickly covered the jade pendant with her hand and carefully hid it under her clothes.
She could not let this cheat-code be seen by her. The concern of a thief was more dreadful than action. In her past life, the fact that Qiao Yu was willing to spend money to buy the jade pendant showed how much she cared about it.
After all, those few dollars were from Qiao Yu's secret savings.
However, this action still managed to attract Qiao Yu's attention. Although she did not see the jade pendant, she saw the red string around Qiao Mei's neck.
What was that?
Qiao Yu stared at her, still standing at the same spot, as if she did not understand what Qiao Mei meant.
Qiao Mei, hurry up and run. My brothers and a few nephews are all here with weapons!
Qiao Yu said nervously.
Why should Mei Mei run away when they are the ones coming to my house?
Qiao Qiang suddenly asked from outside.
Qiao Yu seemed frightened by the voice. She lowered her head and stood there, not knowing what to say as she grabbed the corner of her clothes with her fingers.
However, the moment she lowered her head, Qiao Mei saw her eyes lit up and her lips curled upwards.
Qiao Qiang stood outside the door, angrily tapping his walking stick.
Qiao Mei suddenly remembered that there seemed to be such a scene in her past life.
In her past life, a few months before her grandfather died, Qiao Yu would come from time to time to preempt her to leave the house quickly. Qiao Qiang's sons also came over often to make trouble.
All these, coupled with the gossip in the village, made Qiao Qiang very worried and caused his health to deteriorate. If not for the fact that Qiao Mei was pregnant at that time and he wanted to wait for her to give birth, he would have died earlier from all that anger.
So this was their plan. How wicked!
Tell me, why should I run? This is my house, why aren't you saying anything? Are you going to stand here like a mute?
Qiao Mei reached across and slapped her.
She had already reduced her strength, but Qiao Yu was still knocked over by the slap.
She hunched on the ground and started crying.
Qiao Qiang witnessed this scene wordlessly. Qiao Mei had had this temper since she was young. She was always fighting with people her own age. She hit Qiao Yu even more often and there was no one who could stop her.
Besides, Qiao Yu did not have much of an opinion so no one came to help her.
At this moment, a few sets of footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard, making their way over vigorously.
Qiao Mei walked out of the door and went forward without a word.
Second Grandpa Qiao, uncles and brothers, you are here to see my grandfather right?
Qiao Mei stood in the courtyard with a smile and spoke before they could.
Qiao Zhuang and his family were stunned on the spot. For a moment, they were a bit confused. It seemed to be the first time they ever saw Qiao Mei's big smile.
As the saying goes, one does not slap a smiley face. Hearing Qiao Mei's sweet voice coupled with her big smile, she actually looked quite friendly.
15
Qiao Zhuang's family stopped in their tracks and their imposing manner changed.
Yeah, we're going to…
Qiao Zhuang started speaking.
I know, grandfather already told me.
Qiao Mei continued on for him.
Grandfather said before that the two of you are biological brothers. A family never has any overnight enmity. Now that he is sick, you guys would eventually come to visit him. How can you not turn up when outsiders have already come to visit?
Other than the easy-going second son of the Qiao family, everyone else's expression changed. They looked at Qiao Qiang who was behind Qiao Mei. Could it be that he had taught this black bear girl to bully them?
It had been two months since Qiao Qiang came back from seeking treatment in the city. It was a fact that almost everyone in the village had come by for a visit, except their family.
The two families did not have a good relationship to begin with, considering that Qiao Zhuang was even taken away by another family when he was young. Qiao Qiang and Qiao Zhuang did not see eye to eye with each other and could not get along at all.
However, for the past two months, they did not come over to visit not because they did not want to come, but because they had not discussed who would get Qiao Qiang's house.
Qiao Zhuang's youngest son was about to get married and his older grandchildren were getting close to marriageable age, so it was difficult to decide how to split the assets.
Qiao Qiang was a little surprised when he heard this and he looked at Qiao Mei with a spark in his eyes.
Qiao Mei had never been someone who knew how to say things in a nice way. She was the type who preferred to solve problems cleanly and violently with her fists. It was really surprising to hear her speak those words.
But so many good things had happened today that his heart was actually quite numb.
He stood behind Qiao Mei and did not speak. He wanted to see what other surprises his granddaughter had up her sleeves.
If Qiao Mei knew how to strike while it is hot, then Qiao Zhuang knew how to launch an attack through a barrier.
He looked directly at Qiao Qiang, who was behind Qiao Mei.
Today, your two nieces-in-law kindly came to help you remove weeds and plow the earth. Why aren't you willing to let them do that? Are you afraid that they won't do it well? Even if they don't, then one of your nephews should be able to do it properly, right? You're sick so your own family needs to come and help you.
Let them help you with the planting this year alright? Go, go, go. Go do some work for your uncle.
Qiao Hong waved his hand to command his sons and grandsons behind him.
Hearing what he said, the few people behind him immediately picked up their hoes and rushed into the field to start work noisily.
Qiao Mei's expression darkened. This bunch of people are really like bandits. They can't justify themselves so they are going to just snatch what they want?
Qiao Mei smiled sweetly and asked loudly,
Second Grandpa Qiao, we're relatives. If you're here to help with farming, you won't charge us for it right?
Look at this silly child. What nonsense are you spouting? We're such close relatives, why would we charge you?
Qiao Zhuang glared at Qiao Mei and continued to speak.
Qiao Mei smiled.
If you don't accept money, then when the crops are ripe, you won't righteously come over to take the vegetables right? When the time comes, you'll say that you guys did the planting? Or that you are coming to borrow some vegetables and will return them another time?
Before Qiao Zhuang could say anything, the people from the Qiao family working in the field stopped what they were doing. They looked at Qiao Mei in shock as they did not expect her to think of all these.
It's fine if you are willing to help me, but let me say this upfront. You can help, but you can't have the vegetables. After all, the 10 of you don't eat as much as me alone. My family doesn't have any vegetables to lend to you,
Qiao Mei said.
Hmph! Why don't you eat yourself to death?
The Qiao family's eldest daughter-in-law put her hands on her hips and said,
Mei Mei, you're already an adult and can get married anytime. You can't keep eating like this. Otherwise, which family can support you?
When people hear about Qiao Mei's size and appetite, no one was willing to marry her. She could not be sold for a good price.
The family of a fool living in the mountain area, who's looking for a wife for him, wants to find one who is hardworking and has a small appetite!
When it comes to Qiao Mei, she doesn't know how to do any chores but is especially proactive when it comes to eating. She can probably eat someone's family out of house and home in a few months, let alone bearing children for the family?
Who would want her?
However, Qiao Mei did not look at her. She only stared at Qiao Zhuang and waited for his reply.
Now is not the time to let that woman cause a distraction and change the topic.
Second Grandpa, will you come to my house in the future to ask for the vegetables?
Qiao Zhuang remained silent.
The Qiao family's eldest daughter-in-law curled her lips and said loudly,
Everyone, quickly come and judge. Look at what this girl is saying! Going by what she's saying, the act of sharing vegetables between relatives becomes a demand from us. Does it mean that the people in our family are beggars?
Chapter 16
Qiao Mei's village was in a mountainous area, so all the neighbors were located far away from one another.
However, the aggressive manner in which Qiao Zhuang and his family rushed to Qiao Mei's courtyard meant that the act was witnessed by many people.
These people did not crowd around to join in as this was a family matter between Qiao Qiang and Qiao Zhuang and both of them had strong personalities.
If this was happening at someone else's house, the busybodies would have come over to add their few cents' worth.
However, what Qiao Mei said was indeed not very appropriate. In that era when village life was pure and simple, it was very usual for people in the countryside to take food from one another. It was not considered as being demanding.
Auntie, your words are really interesting. Relatives sharing vegetables?
Qiao Mei's expression darkened and she said mockingly,
In the village, who doesn't know that my family doesn't have enough vegetables to eat? We still go out to buy vegetables every month, so which one of your families are we supposed to share vegetables with? When I was young, I went to pick vegetables at your place and even got kicked out with a beating!
This incident happened five years ago. At that time, the original owner of the body was going through puberty.. When there were no more vegetables left in the house, she was so hungry that she ran to Qiao Zhuang's vegetable garden to ask for a bunch of vegetables, but was kicked out in the end.
Big Auntie Qiao also felt a little embarrassed when she thought of this matter, but she still continued to say stubbornly,
Your family has two people, but our family has more than ten people. How do we have food for you?
Yes! That's the logic!
Qiao Mei said loudly.
In that case, my family also doesn't have enough food. Why should I let you pick any?
This sentence completely shut Big Auntie Qiao up, her own words being used against her in such a manner that she could not rebut.
Qiao Zhuang's family looked at Qiao Mei and then at Qiao Zhuang. The atmosphere had become awkward.
Qiao Zhuang stared at Qiao Mei wordlessly.
The neighbors who had come over looked at Qiao Mei in surprise. They could not imagine that these clear and logical words were coming out of the mouth of this simple-minded person.
Qiao Qiang stood at the back with his eyes slightly red.
Qiao Mei looked at Qiao Zhuang and said in a straightforward manner,
Second Grandpa, if you really want to help us, then grandfather and I will always remember this kindness. But if your intention is to use this reason to come over and take my family's land, then that's impossible!
As soon as she said that, everyone was stunned and fell silent.
Qiao Zhuang sized Qiao Mei up, no one knew what he was thinking. In the end, he shouted,
Go! Let's go back!
His voice was curt and his words clearly revealed his intentions. His motive was to seize this piece of land.
Although, based on his character, it was not as if he needed to hide his intentions. After all, he was the biggest bully in the village. Did bullies need self respect?
Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhuang's family collectively put away their hoes and followed Qiao Zhuang out.
Before leaving, they glared fiercely at Qiao Mei.
Qiao Zhuang had five sons in total. His third and fourth sons had moved out while the other three sons still lived with him.
As long as they still lived with him, they would not be able to get a share of land in the village.
The eldest son of the Qiao family had three sons, the second son had three sons and two daughters and the youngest son was 25 years old and still unmarried.
With more than 10 people living in a small house, the vegetables they grew at home was truly not enough to feed all of them.
They were just waiting for Qiao Qiang to die so that they could take over his land.
Wait!
Qiao Mei suddenly shouted.
The Qiao family stopped in their steps and Qiao Zhuang turned around, frowning at Qiao Mei.
Second Grandpa, as you know, my grandfather is sick. The relationship between our two families isn't too good so there is no need for you all to visit him in the future! Otherwise, I will think that you have evil intentions and want to use this opportunity to anger my grandpa to death so that you can seize my family's land.
These words were so brutally frank that they caused the entire atmosphere to freeze up immediately.
Qiao Zhuang glared at Qiao Mei fiercely with menace in his eyes.
However, Qiao Mei was not afraid at all. In her other life, she was a lawyer who specialized in criminal cases. What kind of difficult situations had she not seen before?
In the few years when her career was going well, the cases she worked on got more and more high profile. All the defendants she had encountered were vicious and evil people, no less worse than Qiao Zhuang.
In comparison, Qiao Zhuang's gaze was not threatening at all.
As for those vicious and evil people, they still ended up at her mercy and were all sentenced to death. Hence, everyone in the industry had called her the
Sword of Justice
.
Qiao Zhuang furrowed his brows. He never thought that the previously silly Qiao Mei would be so bold.
Qiao Zhuang turned to look at Qiao Qiang and said,
Big brother, does that mean that you're not going to acknowledge me as your younger brother?
When Qiao Qiang heard that, he looked over with inscrutable eyes and said,
It's been 65 years and I finally hear you call me Big Brother. How rare it is.
Qiao Zhuang's face sank.
Chapter 17
Qiao Zhuang was sent away as soon as he was born. His foster parents passed away when he was 18 years old so, in order to survive, he returned to the Qiao family. However, he was not close to the Qiao family, pulling a long face all day as if he had a grudge against them.
I don't want a brother like you who's looking forward to my early death!
Get lost!
The wrath of an experienced battle-hardened veteran was not something that a village bully can handle.
Qiao Zhuang remained silent and turned around to leave.
The neighbors who were watching the commotion also looked at this scene in shock. In the end, they looked at Qiao Mei in disbelief and left as well.
Qiao Mei quickly helped her grandfather back into the house. She looked up and saw Qiao Yu still standing outside the door.
Why isn't she leaving yet?
Qiao Yu's mouth was wide open as she looked around the house in shock.
When did Qiao Mei's pigsty house become so clean?
And… what about the man who asked for directions last night?
Sister Qiao Mei, last night there was a big brother who came to your house. Has he left?
Qiao Mei looked up and saw that she had a shy expression on her face with flushed cheeks.
Ha, big brother?
Who told you to call me sister?
Qiao Mei immediately asked and raised her voice angrily.
Although I'm older than you but in terms of seniority, I still have to call you aunt, right? How can I be your sister?
Besides, aren't you ashamed to call a stranger big brother?
These questions were too much for Qiao Yu, whose face instantly turned red, as she hurriedly tried to explain herself.
No, no! Yesterday, he happened to run into me when he entered the village and asked me for directions, so I brought him to our house. Have you forgotten?
Qiao Mei really had no recollection of this.
However, she did not feel any embarrassment from having wronged Qiao Yu.
What do you mean by 'our house'? This is my house. It has nothing to do with you. Your father and the rest just left in anger. You quickly get lost too!
Qiao Yu's eyes reddened and she did not say anything as she walked out.
However, she did not take Qiao Mei's words to heart. Every time Qiao Mei was in a bad mood, she would take it out on her. But after a while, Qiao Mei would forget everything after a little coaxing.
What a busty brainless fool.
Stop!
Qiao Mei suddenly shouted and stopped her.
What's wrong, Sister Mei Mei?
Hearing this, Qiao Yu immediately turned around and smiled sweetly at Qiao Mei.
Did you hear what I said to them just now? It applies to you too.
Qiao Mei picked up an axe on the ground.
If you dare to step into my house again, you will end up like this piece of wood!
With that, she picked up the axe and hacked at the wooden block on the ground.
In an instant, the block of wood was split open and the wood fragments flew a few meters away from the force.
Qiao Yu already knew that Qiao Mei was full of brute strength, but when she saw the conviction in Qiao Mei when she said those words, she fixed her gaze on Qiao Mei for a while and left quickly without saying anything.
After the group of people left, the courtyard became quiet and Qiao Mei started to prepare dinner.
Dinner was again cabbage stewed with carrots. After the two of them finished eating happily, Qiao Mei went to work.
She did not want anyone else to touch the land in the courtyard. Naturally, she wanted to personally cultivate this piece of land so that it could fulfill its greatest potential.
Guarding their own vegetable field was naturally the most important thing.
After an entire afternoon, she already knew that the energy of the jade pendant could improve the quality of vegetables and fruits and increase nutrition in them. It could even do healing.
How could she bear to let Qiao Zhuang and his family eat vegetables of such quality? She was not even willing to give them a single wild vegetable that came from the soil.
Qiao Qiang also joined her in manual labor. He felt much better today and was in an exceptionally good mood. He picked up the hoe beside him and started to flip the earth.
He even got unhappy when Qiao Mei did not allow him to do it.
…
When Qiao Zhuang and his family got home, the atmosphere was no longer as pleasant.
Why did this Qiao Mei suddenly become smart?
Qiao family's eldest daughter-in-law, Liu Ying, asked.
Maybe she didn't become smarter.
Jiang Ye, the second daughter-in-law, said,
Maybe she was quite smart in the past, it's just that we don't know.
Qiao Yu was the only one from Qiao Zhuang's family who was closest to Qiao Mei. It was Qiao Yu who reported that Qiao Mei was stupid and lazy, the rest of them actually did not know the real situation.
When Qiao Mei was young, they still saw her around but later on, she started to stay in the house all the time and no longer came out.
Who cares if she's smart or not? Just think of a way to get rid of her,
Qiao Zhuang said to his daughters-in-law.
How's the thing I asked you to do? Why is there no news?
Chapter 18
Eldest daughter-in-law Qiao hurriedly replied,
Earlier, we contacted a few families in the mountains. We were about to reach an agreement, but after they asked around about Qiao Mei, everything turned sour. Their family only has this fool, yet they are still so picky!
Although she said that, she also felt that the fool's family did the right thing. They were not stupid enough to let him marry the dark fatty Qiao Mei.
Qiao Zhuang immediately looked towards his third daughter-in-law.
The third daughter-in-law scratched her head and said honestly,
It was the same thing in our village. When the family of Idiot Liu from the village heard that the matchmaker wanted to introduce Qiao Mei to them, they were so angry that they threw a hoe at her. It's really infuriating.
Qiao Zhuang glared at her. This third daughter-in-law of his was the most infuriating one.
From the beginning, he had planned out his sons' marriages.
The eldest son was ruthless but not smart enough, so he found him a capable woman.
The second son was the most simple-minded, so he found him a smart wife.
The third son was too smart, so he found him a stupid woman.
The fourth son was most like him, so he found him someone like his mother who had a weak personality and a kind heart.
And the fifth son was the one he thought was most geared for success. That was why he had been picky and not married yet.
It seemed that his choices had all turned out to be quite suitable. However, this third daughter-in-law of his could be really infuriating sometimes.
Qiao Zhuang looked at his second daughter-in-law. This was the daughter-in-law that he valued the most and the one he was most wary of.
The second daughter-in-law of the Qiao family was 39 years old this year. There was nothing special about her face, but she looked fresh with her short hair. She was neat and tidy and with her professional attire, she looked like a city dweller.
She was the village accountant.
Sensing her father-in-law's gaze, she ran her fingers through her hair and said mildly,
I also don't have any suitable candidates, and I feel that even if we choose someone, Eldest Uncle will not agree to marry Qiao Mei over.
As she finished, she pursed her lips and seemed a little resigned.
The people in this family are not afraid of Qiao Qiang causing trouble. They even hoped that Qiao Qiang would come and cause trouble, it would be best if he collapsed and died from anger.
But she is afraid!
Qiao Qiang is a retired veteran. Although he can't cause trouble for others, it will be easy for him to deal with her. If he makes a trip to her office, she can easily lose her job.
She is really unwilling to take up this matter to find an idiot husband for Qiao Mei!
Besides, these people at home are so stupid. By finding an idiot for her, their intentions are so obvious. Is there no better way to get rid of her?
What do you plan to do?
Qiao Zhuang focused his attention upon hearing her words.
The Qiao family's third daughter-in-law straightened her clothes and continued,
My maternal family's neighbor is a man who's 32 years old this year. He's strong and capable. It's just that his wife died and left behind three children and he is a little poor. If you are to introduce him as a match for Qiao Mei, I think Eldest Uncle may still consider it.
Qiao Zhuang lowered his eyes and thought for a moment before asking,
How many brothers does he have?
He has three. He's the eldest and the other two aren't married yet.
Qiao Zhuang knitted his brows. If there were too many brothers at the in-law's side, it would not be good if they came over to fight for the land as well.
They wanted Qiao Qiang's land. Logically speaking, the piece of land belonged to Qiao Mei. If Qiao Mei was unwilling to give up, the two families would have to fight over it. They might even end up actually physically fighting for it.
If that happened, the most important thing was to have people who knew how to fight.
The Qiao third daughter-in-law seemed to have guessed her father-in-law's thoughts.
That family won't want our land. After all, they have their own fields. It'll be fine as long as we don't accept any betrothal gifts.
Of course we won't!
the Qiao family's second daughter-in-law immediately shouted.
With Qiao Mei's obese appearance, who would want her? Even if you are willing to pay people to take her, still no one would want her.
Qiao Zhuang was still a little worried.
The third daughter-in-law thought for a while and said softly,
That man's mother is famous for being mean and that man really likes beating his wife. I heard that his previous wife was worked to the bone and beaten to death…
Oh my, oh my!
The second daughter-in-law immediately cried out in surprise. She opened her mouth wide and said,
This won't do. If she was really beaten to death, Eldest Uncle would come and kill us.
The third daughter-in-law rolled her eyes and remained silent.
Chapter 19
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Qiao family said,
Why not? With Qiao Mei's dark and fat appearance and her strength, how will she die before Eldest Uncle? Between her and that family, who knows who will be the unlucky one! Oh right, don't say anymore.
She continued happily,
This Qiao Mei and that family are simply a match made in heaven, truly everything has its vanquisher!
A mean mother-in-law and abusive husband?
Qiao Zhuang heard all that, but he was still hesitant and said,
Don't they mind Qiao Mei's dark and fat appearance?
Second daughter-in-law, Wang Qin thought for a while and said in a low voice,
It's not something that they will mind. Once Qiao Mei gets to their house, they naturally have ways to make her slim down. If she doesn't want to work, they can hit her. If not, they can just sell her…
What did it matter that Qiao Mei was dark and fat and ugly? Anyway, she did not require a dowry so she was as good as free.
When the time came, they just needed to tidy Qiao Mei up. If he could use her, he would keep her. If not, he could just sell her to another family's fool and then use the money to take another wife. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Who would turn down such a good deal?
When the eldest and third daughter-in-law heard this, their eyes widened. What kind of family was able to come up with such an idea?
But Qiao Zhuang only looked at Wang Qin. Ordinary people would not be able to come up with this idea, but Wang Qin could!
Wang Qin's expression was indifferent. She was actually the one who had suggested this idea and that family had gone along with it, but what did it matter? Was there a problem?
Qiao Zhuang finally nodded in agreement. He knew that Wang Qin was a scheming person.
Since that's the case, you don't have to bother about this matter anymore. Get that man to find a matchmaker to propose marriage on his behalf. Don't reveal our part in this,
Qiao Zhuang said.
It must be fast. Send someone over the day after tomorrow… or tomorrow. At the latest, we have tol get Qiao Mei married off in half a month's time!
Any later and the season would have passed, then there would be one less harvest from Qiao Qiang's land.
…
The next day, Qiao Mei ran up the mountain again. This time, she came to collect some energy to nourish her body and also to find some vegetables and fruits to eat.
She ate cabbages and carrots every day at home. A diet of only vegetables was neither beneficial for her grandfather to recuperate, nor good for the development of the children that she was carrying…
Qiao Mei touched her stomach softly with a gentle expression on her face.
She had just walked out of the yard when she turned the corner and ran into a boy of around 14 or 15.
When the boy saw Qiao Mei, he was stunned for a moment before turning around to one side.
Until he turned around, Qiao Mei did not notice that he was carrying a small piglet in his arms.
Qiao Mei's eyes lit up and she shouted,
Wait, wait!
The boy was shocked and wanted to run away.
What are you afraid of? I won't snatch your piglet. When have I ever snatched anything from you?
These words made the boy stop in his tracks. That was true.
Although Qiao Mei was not well liked in the village and she was greedy and lazy, had mood swings and liked beating people up using her brute strength, he had never heard of her snatching other people's things.
I just wanted to ask where you bought this piglet from? My family also wants to buy one,
Qiao Mei quickly said.
The boy heaved a sigh of relief to know that that was all.
Qiao Mei was famous for her strength in the village. The kids who fought with her had never ever thought of taking revenge on her, so most people avoided her when they saw her in order not to get into trouble.
There are two more in Uncle Wang Wu's house,
said the boy.
During this period, business dealings were no longer as strictly monitored as they used to be. In the countryside, piglets birthed by sows owned by the villagers could be bought and sold at will.
Thank you!
Qiao Mei left after saying that.
The boy looked at her in surprise and stood rooted to the ground.
What was going on? Qiao Mei actually thanked him. Did the sun rise from the west?
She even had a carrying pole with hanging baskets and looked like she was going up the mountain to work. Wasn't she the kind of person who would not be bothered even if everything collapsed?
Tsk tsk tsk, seeing is believing.
So she was not such a lazy person after all.
20
Qiao Mei stayed at home all the time. There was no way that her grandfather would badmouth her, so all the rumors about her were actually spread by Qiao Zhuang's family based on what Qiao Yu told them.
Qiao Mei continued her way up the mountain. Now, she had another reason to go up the mountain and that was to earn money.
As a villager, how could her family not be cultivating some agricultural products?
The eggs laid by chickens every year would be enough for a family's cooking expenses.
As for pigs, they were indispensable in the countryside. Selling a pig would make some money, slaughtering another pig would be enough for a family to eat for half a year.
A piglet would cost more than ten dollars.
Chickens and ducks were usually hatched from eggs at home. However, as she did not have a mother hen, she had to buy chicks and ducklings.
One would cost about thirty cents. If they wanted to raise more than ten, it would only cost around three dollars.
But right now, there was not even three dollars in the house, Qiao Mei thought as she did the calculations.
Although her grandfather held the purse strings in the family, the original owner of the body only wanted to eat all day long, so he spent all of his retirement salary every month. They had no savings at all.
Even if her grandfather still had money, she also did not want to rely on him. She wanted to be self reliant!
Earn money! Earn more money!
Qiao Mei walked forward excitedly with the carrying pole on her shoulder. Her steps were swift like the wind and she was filled with motivation. She really liked this feeling of working hard on her own!
As she reached the mountains, waves of energy washed over her, causing every hair on her body to stand on end.
Qiao Mei did not stay in one place for too long as she was afraid that the plants would exchange too much energy and bear fruit in advance.
She stepped onto a small path and headed deeper into the mountains where there was a hot spring area.
This place was located in the most northeastern region of the country. It was a continuous stretch of mountains and deep within the mountains was a geothermal region.
The straight road did not seem to stretch far, but by the time she reached the area, it was already noon.
There was a small hot spring here. Pools of all sizes formed a large pool and the surroundings were misty like a fairyland.
Qiao Mei did not dare to get too close. The original owner of the body did not know how to swim, but even though she knew how to swim, she did not know if she would be able to swim with this body weighing more than 200 pounds.
Besides, she was pregnant with two babies so she did not dare to take the risk.
Qiao Mei observed her surroundings and found that the plants here were indeed more lush than in other places. The surrounding aquatic plants had already grown to half a foot tall, the little flowers beside them had also bloomed and new leaves were emerging from the big trees next to them.
She immediately saw a fruit tree.
Qiao Mei walked towards a relatively lusher place where all kinds of wild vegetables grew. She used the energy from the jade pendant to accelerate the process of ripening, harvesting, maturing and re-harvesting. Soon, she filled half the basket.
When she was done, she looked up and saw that there were only a few birds chirping around her. It was silent all round and there was no one around.
It was now already peak springtime which was a busy period for farmers. The villagers had all gone to work and no one had the time to come to the mountains to dig for wild vegetables and soak in the hot springs.
Qiao Mei was worried. She walked to a deep bush and squatted down so that her body was hidden by the lush grass. She then pushed aside the weeds on the surface of the soil, revealing the dark soil.
Finally, she planted a sweet potato seed. Very quickly, the sweet potato seed turned into a sweet potato seedling and then matured and bore fruit.
Just like that, Qiao Mei collected more than ten sweet potatoes, each weighing more than one pound.
Then, she planted a pumpkin seed and soon harvested three big pumpkins. Each of them weighed more than ten pounds, filling up the two baskets she brought.
Qiao Mei then pulled a few layers of weeds and covered up the baskets securely.
After that, she stood by the side of the hot spring, took out a towel that she carried with her and wiped her entire body several times.
In just half a day, another layer of black mud had surfaced on her body. It was so smelly!
After cleaning up, she changed into her clean clothes and carried the pole down the mountain.
At the village entrance, she met a group of villagers who were rushing back home after finishing their farm work. When they saw her carrying two loads of things, they stared at her in surprise.
Qiao Mei, where did you go?
The village officer, Zhao Liang, could not help but ask in the end.
Oh, it's Uncle Zhao!
Qiao Mei put on a big smile and said,
Isn't my family planning to raise a little piglet this spring? I cut these pigweeds for it. Otherwise, it won't have anything to eat.