Reborn in the 80s, Get Rich by Eating Melons

Chapter 75: Chapter 75 Return to Hometown

Tong Yao didn’t know what He Fang was thinking. After selling all her milk tea, she packed up and went home, dropped He Fang off at her house, then headed to the dormitory, only to run into He Fang’s husband. Aqiang seemed to recognize her, staring at her as they crossed paths.

Assuming that He Fang had already put away her supplies, she didn’t think much more of it. However, shortly after she began to walk, she bumped into Si Chen, who had come to pick her up.

Tong Yao felt a warm sense of appreciation. As an officially married couple with positive intentions towards each other, who would be foolish enough to reject such attention from a husband?

Having experienced their previous shopping trip together, Si Chen slowed his walking pace considerably this time, adjusting to Tong Yao’s rhythm and walking alongside her.

"My mother called today and asked us to visit her."

"Funnily enough, I have a couple of days off from selling milk tea. If you have time, let’s go. If you don’t have time, I can go by myself." Tong Yao agreed readily. If Lin Fengying asked them to come back, then there’s no harm in visiting. It wouldn’t cost them anything.

No matter how unrefined the countryside may be, it’s still Si Chen’s home. It’s completely normal to occasionally go back to one’s roots.

Si Chen looked at Tong Yao with surprise. "If you don’t want to go back, it’s fine."

Tong Yao was straightforward. "I don’t hate the countryside. It’s just inconvenient to take baths at home. During my previous stay there, I used to bathe in a basin at night, and Boyi had to help with heating the water and emptying the basin. It felt very awkward."

Whether it was her or the previous homeowner, neither had experienced this kind of life before. The reality of daily bathing with hot water in a basin was inconvenient, and not at all private.

There was a glint of understanding in Si Chen’s eyes. "I’m off work tomorrow, too. We’ll leave early in the morning and not stay over at home."

It was understandable that city dwellers would find it hard to adjust to the conditions in an impoverished rural village. The fact that Tong Yao hadn’t openly mocked, thrown tantrums, or acted inappropriately was unexpected to Si Chen.

Before she became his wife, Si Chen thought that Tong Yao would definitely throw a tantrum and demand to return to Kyoto as soon as she came here.

However, during her first stay, even though Si Xiaohui accused her of laziness, she never made a fuss about returning to Kyoto.

For a girl brought up in luxury like her, to have adjusted this well was already admirable. How could Si Chen possibly ask for more?

She was born to be cherished and should certainly be looked after delicately.

"Okay!" Tong Yao had already agreed to go back. Now, having heard Si Chen’s considerations, she was as content as if she had eaten candied fruit. Her joy lasted all the way back to the dormitory, and her smile didn’t fade.

They strolled leisurely, just like they were out for a walk.

On arriving home, before they could unlock the door, Li Nuanchun cheerfully came over with a large bag full of things, including vegetables and sanitary pads. Seeing Si Chen there, she hurriedly disclaimed any involvement.

"Little sister, I told you, it’s a waste to buy these when you’re pregnant. Since you insisted, I bought them for you. The sanitary pads are 80 cents a pack, and together with the vegetables, the total is 5 yuan."

"Thank you, sister-in-law." Tong Yao accepted the items, paying Li Nuanchun 5 yuan and 20 cents.

Seeing the small bag full of money that Tong Yao was carrying, Li Nuanchun stared in astonishment. "Little sister, why are you carrying so much loose change?"

Tong Yao answered unflinchingly, "I deliberately exchanged it with someone."

Li Nuanchun did not suspect her at all and kept smiling. "Little sister, you guys should quickly go home and cook! I also need to go home to cook."

"Alright."

After Li Nuanchun left, Tong Yao sat on the bed, counting her money with unabashed joy. Looking at the stack of cash, her sparkling eyes danced. This was the happiest she’d been counting money since she started her business. There was a special thrill to not having to count money on the sly but being able to do it openly.

She had saved several hundred yuan recently. Once she saved up to a thousand, she would buy a fridge to sell cold drinks. Then she wouldn’t be afraid of anyone trying to compete with her business.

Making milk tea was too simple and monotonous. Even if there was no competition, students would eventually tire of it. After all, even if one ate gourmet food every day, they would want a change.

...

A good night’s sleep ensued.

The next morning, after breakfast, they both set off to return to Shanghe Village. It was only then that Tong Yao found out that Si Chen actually had a bicycle, and she wondered why he never used it, always preferring to walk instead.

Tong Yao found the ride on the bumpy countryside roads rather jolting, feeling as if her rear was being split in half and her legs going numb. She endured the discomfort all the way to Shanghe Village. By the time she jumped down from the bike, her legs felt as if they were not her own, not responding to her commands.

Si Chen noticed something was wrong. He helped her sit at the village entrance before entering, allowing her some time to recover.

The villagers saw that Si Chen had returned and greeted him enthusiastically from afar, considerably more warmly than they would their own fathers. On the other hand, they ignored Tong Yao, looking at her with contempt as if she was filthy. Tong Yao huffed and strode home, ignoring all the villagers.

She didn’t need the villagers to acknowledge her, and she certainly didn’t care for their acknowledgment either.

Thinking about it, she found it puzzling. She hadn’t had any quarrels with anyone since she arrived, so she had no idea why the villagers had such hostility towards her.

Seeing that Tong Yao had walked away, an elderly woman from the village pulled up to Si Chen’s bicycle and asked nosily, "Xiaochen, is your wife well-behaved in the city? I heard she doesn’t do anything when she’s at your house, sleeps all day, and runs around the streets whenever she can. She is always hanging out with Jia Qing. Is Jia Qing a good person? Everyone knows the kind of person Jia Qing is around ten miles, you better keep an eye on her, don’t spoil her too much."

Si Chen’s eyebrows knitted as his expression turned unreadable. Once the old lady finished talking, he asked in a low voice, "Auntie, your eldest son has been in jail for several years now, right? He should be released soon, right?"

At these words, the old woman’s face turned sour. She was 62 years old and had five sons. All except her eldest had been honest farmers. Her eldest son, who was irresponsible and jobless, hadn’t found a wife by his thirties and ended up assaulting his youngest brother’s wife while he was away.

To keep her eldest son out of jail, she had kneeled before her fifth daughter-in-law begging her not to report to the police. However, her fifth daughter-in-law was stubborn, reporting her brother-in-law to the police and moving back to her parents’ house. She later remarried in a matter of months.

The sins of her eldest son were well-known in the village. For a while, wherever they went, they were greeted with finger-pointing and gazes of disdain. Over the years, the villagers gradually forgot these events, however. Si Chen bringing it back up in present discussion was like salt on a wound.

The old woman’s face lost all its color. The minute before, she was gossiping, but now she retorted irritably, "I disowned that son long ago. That damned animal probably died in prison for all I care."

Having said this, she picked up her basket and left.