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Chapter 127: Chapter 121 Final Results
The Shen Family was in a noisy turmoil for several days, but Shen Yeqing and his spouse ultimately could not withstand their child’s insistence and opened up to agree to her marriage with Fang Chengjian. Due to the urgency, the Shen Family simply invited relatives for a meal a week later, which was considered the wedding for the two.
However, a revolution also broke out within the Shen Family. The two daughters-in-law demanded a division of the family after learning about their sister-in-law’s affair. After thinking for a whole night, Shen Yeqing decided to divide the family.
Then Shen Zhijie and Shen Zhiwen divided the household. The elder Shen had not treated them unfairly; he had secured residential plots for each of them in the village. They could start building a granary by autumn, but for the moment, they still lived at home. n𝚘vp𝚞𝚋.com
Similarly, the elder Shen said that since Shen Yunxiu was getting married, she would move out after the banquet, and if there was no place for her to live, not even if it meant sleeping in a shed, he would not care.
Of course, the elder Shen couldn’t really watch his own daughter become homeless, something not even the matriarch of the Shen family would do. So, the final decision made by the Shen family was to rent a house for Shen Yunxiu in Gaijiatun, right inside the production brigade. It had a kang and a stove—sufficient for temporary living. This place used to host the work team during campaigns; at this time, it was to the benefit of Shen Yunxiu and her partner.
The Shen’s matriarch took a quilt and two sets of bowls and chopsticks for her, and that was how Shen Yunxiu left her home without a dowry or bridal gifts.
A week later, the Shen Family hosted two tables for a banquet, inviting relatives over for a meal, which was considered the wedding for the pair.
On the day the Shen Family hosted the guests, Shen Yunfang also went. After all, she was a relative. Although she somewhat despised the situation, she still had to give some face to the elder Shen. So she went to the wedding banquet with a yuan tucked away.
Seeing Shen Yunxiu dressed in red, Shen Yunfang could only sigh at how shameless one must be to be utterly invincible in this world. Everyone understood what this marriage was all about; how could Shen Yunxiu act as if nothing had happened. And to make things worse, she even took the effort to show off to her. Shen Yunfang was speechless—caught in an adulterous act, forced into this wedding banquet, what was there to brag about?
It was the first time Shen Yunfang really got a clear look at Fang Chengjian; last time, he was too disheveled to count. He seemed decent enough, about five feet nine inches tall, wearing a Sun Yat-sen suit with a steel pen pinned to his chest, appearing scholarly. But judging by what he’d done, he was nothing but a cultured scoundrel. Shen Yunxiu, being as brainless as she was, wouldn’t even know if she was sold off being with such a man.
Throughout the whole process, only Shen Yunxiu was in high spirits; the rest of the attendees ate with a sense of suppression.
At the dining table, Shen Yunfang noticed some other unpleasant occurrences. The second aunt and the second aunt-in-law were making faces at her. Shen Yunfang was puzzled but soon understood from Dapeng’s provocations. It turned out to be because during New Year’s when she visited the army barracks, she had brought gifts only for the elder Shen’s family but had forgotten about the second uncle’s family and the second aunt-in-law’s, and now they were making an issue of it.
Look at how Zhao Peng said so righteously, "Why did you buy candies for the kids in my uncle’s house and not for me? Just you wait, I’ll show you what I can do in the future."
At the women’s table, everyone, adults, and children alike, heard Zhao Peng’s unreasonable and domineering words, yet not a single person rebuked him, allowing him to curse at Shen Yunfang freely.
Shen Yunfang had initially planned to simply walk away, but thinking of the kindness Elder Shen had shown her, she finally held back. She finished her meal indifferently, handed Elder Shen’s wife a one yuan note, offered a few congratulatory words, and then went home.
She still felt out of place getting involved in these social niceties, believing she was better suited to living her simple life by herself. Hmph, she thought, next time she goes out, she won’t be buying things for anyone.
It was undeniable that Shen Yunfang was somewhat lacking in social graces. She hadn’t given it much thought. After all, if she had brought gifts for everyone in Elder Shen’s family, how could she have missed out on the few items for Second Elder Shen’s family? It had simply not occurred to her.
But no matter what, what was forgotten was forgotten. It had been so long, and to make up for it now just wouldn’t be the same. However, this incident taught Shen Yunfang a lesson: either buy for no one or buy for everyone. There’s truth in the saying, "better to offend a group than to offend an individual."
After the hottest month of July passed, the busiest harvest season arrived.
Shen Yunfang was busy yet fulfilled these past few months, working in her own fields in the morning and evening, herding sheep and foraging wild vegetables for the family’s pigs and chickens after starting her day job, as well as taking care of the many animals on the mountain slope. To feed all these mouths at home, she really was working from dawn to dusk.
This year, she was raising more pigs and chickens than last year and therefore was even more exhausted. Fortunately, her body had been strengthened by Essence of Life. She had more strength and was more agile, making her work much more efficient compared to last year; otherwise, she really couldn’t have managed so many hungry mouths on her own.
Since getting a bicycle, she had to go to the county to sell eggs several times a month. Of course, this was just a cover. She could collect more than fourteen hundred eggs a month, but she only sold about two hundred. The rest she stored in her space, waiting for a chance to go to the big city and sell them for a high price.
Also, this year she placed the beehives at her secret base. She wasn’t sure if she was raising them incorrectly or if there were just too few flowers nearby, but after such a long time, she had only harvested about thirty pounds of honey. Considering the sugar she fed the bees over the winter, beekeeping turned out not to be a lucrative business.
The honey harvested from one beehive was barely enough for her own consumption, and that was if she was careful with her usage. Of course, mindful of those who helped her, after extracting the honey, she sent two pounds to Jian Hui. It wasn’t much, but it was a token of her appreciation.
Under her meticulous care, the bees had increased in number over the year. One hive was no longer sufficient, so she sneaked over to a neighboring village and found a carpenter, planning to secretly slip him some money to make another beehive for her. It was only then that she learned that, although private transactions were not permitted in this era, carpenters could still take on private jobs making furniture and the like for others. Otherwise, where would all the people getting married go to buy beds and cabinets?
Furthermore, it was permissible for farmers to raise bees privately, but the honey harvested could only be consumed by themselves, not sold privately. Shen Yunfang suddenly felt as if she had made a fool of herself. Hiding and sneaking around only to find out that nobody cared – it was quite the situation.
But this was even better for her. Shen Yunfang openly made arrangements with the carpenter for two beehives. Beehives weren’t complicated and didn’t require much material, so when provided with the necessary wood, the carpenter only charged her three yuan each. Shen Yunfang gladly agreed.
After taking the beehives home, she immediately split one colony into two. She stashed the spare hive away in her space, anticipating that come next year, she would surely need it.
