Little Peasant Wife - Chapter 3

Liu Jin smiled: “Grandma, you must have heard it wrong!”

“Damn girl, lao niang has good ears. Don’t you dare lying to me.” Yang shi pushed Liu Jin away and cursed towards the house: “Luo Xiaolan, don’t think that you hide in the house then you won’t have to pay back the money.”

“Mother, the money…I really don’t have it now.” Luo Shi walked out with a grimace.

Yang Shi put her hand on her  waist and said viciously: “Luo Xiaolan, you little bitch have finally come out.”

Liu Jin felt very upset when she heard Yang Shi scolding Luo Shi. She said coldly, “Grandma, don’t just open your mouth and curse people, isn’t it just owe you a few taels of silver? Is it necessary to go so far as to come to my house everyday?”

This Yang Shi  actually not her biological grandma, but her step-grandma.

Her biological grandma passed away not long after giving birth to his father, leaving Old Man Liu with her father alone. Old Man Liu was still young at that time and it was impossible not to marry, so Old Man Liu remarry within two years, he married Yang Shi.

Her father’s name was Liu Dagen. He was an honest and good person. In Old Liu’s house, he has been hardworking, even if he does not stop working every day, he never complained.

But good people were not always rewarded. Just two years ago, he went to the mountain to chop firewood and accidentally fell off the mountain. The fall was so terrible that he could not move his legs.

Seeing that her father’s legs could not move anymore, the stepmother not only refused to seek doctor for his medical treatment, but instead drove the family out of the old Liu’s new house and moved to this dilapidated old house at the head of the village.

Later, her father’s injury became more and more serious, and there was no money in the family to treat him, which caused him to die soon.

Just when her father was about to be bury, there was no coffin, so her mother had to plead with Yang Shi, crying and kneeling. Yang Shi was still not willing to take out the silver, but Old Man Liu show his prestige and had Yang Shi lend three taels of silver to her mother.

Thinking of this, Liu Jin’s eyes suddenly became cold.

Her father’s death has a great relation with Yang Shi. If it not Yang Shi refused to take out money for  his father’s treatment, how could her father passed away?

Yang Shi heard this, stick out her mouth, and said in dissatisfaction: “Oh! Look at what this damn girl said, a few taels of silver, take it out if you have the ability, as long as you pay back the money, lao niang will never come to your house again, save me from seeing you mother and daughter attracted bad luck.”

Liu Jin rolled her eyes. She saw that Yang Shi  who was full of bad luck. Did she think she wanted to see her?

In order to prevent Yang Shi from coming to her house everyday to make trouble, she thought for a while and said: “Within a month, I will pay you back the money.”

Luo Shi was surprised: “Jin’er, how can we have so much money in a month!”

“Mother, don’t worry, you just listen to me.” Liu Jin blinked at Luo Shi, signaling to let her be at ease.

But Luo Shi was not only uneasy, but even more anxious.

Yang Shi didn’t expected Liu Jin to say this, and he was immediately happy: “Danm girl, don’t lie to lao niang.”

“Grandma, if you don’t believe me, we can go find Lizheng* and write an IOU.”

*里正(Lǐ zhèng) A minor official that govern a village in a feudal society(village chief)

When Liu Jin finished speaking, Lizheng Zhao Qing walked in.

“No need, what IOU? I’m here to guarantee you.”

Zhao Qing had just taken a walk, and came here by accident. When he heard the noise, he walked over and took a look, but he didn’t expected that it was actually Yang Shi come to collect debt.

When he heard Liu Jin’s words, he was also shocked, not knowing why she dared to say such ostentation.

But seeing Liu Jin’s calm and unhurried expression which was extremely persuasive, he couldn’t help stepping forward to vouch for her.

Yang Shi was pondering, still looked like she didn’t believed in Liu Jin, which made Zhao Qing very annoyed when he saw it: “Why, you also don’t believe me as a guarantee?”

Zhao Qing actually despised Yang Shi from the bottom of his heart. He looked down on the stepmother like Yang Shi the most. After enslaving the stepson, she came to bully the stepson’s wife and daughter.

“There is Lizheng as guarantee, of course I believe it.” Yang Shi gave a flattering smiled.

Zhao Qing snorted coldly: “Since this is the case, then you go back.”

Yang Shi curled her mouth and glared at Liu Jin fiercely. Her eyes seemed to warn: ‘Damn girl, if you can’t pay back the money in a month, then see how this old lady going to clean you up.’

Liu Jin turned a blind eye to Yang Shi‘s eyes and said with a faint smile: “Grandma, you walk slowly.”

Seeing the smile at the corner of Liu Jin’s mouth, Yang Shi felt even more uncomfortable, snorted coldly, she walked away.

“Uncle Qing, thank you for today’s affairs!” Liu Jin saluted Zhao Qing slightly.

Zhao Qing rubbed his black beard and smiled: “You don’t have to thank me, this is what I should do. I am Lizheng, and my duty is to maintain the peace in the village.”

Liu Jin nodded: “Uncle Qing, since you are here already, why don’t you come in for a cup of tea?”

Liu Jin also just asked casually. Her family didn’t have any tea to entertained Zhao Qing. If they really have to entertained him, it would only be a pot of boiled water.

Zhao Qing shook his head. As Lizheng, he has many things to deal with every day.

“No, I still have things to work on.” Zhao Qing finished speaking, and  stepped out.

“Jin’er, why do you say that you will pay back the money to your grandma within a month?” Luo Shi couldn’t help but rebuked when Zhao Qing was walking away

“Mother, I said that I can pay it back, then I will be able to pay it back, don’t worry.” Liu Jin consoled Luo Shi.

She has a good cooking skills now, and she doesn’t pay much attention to these few taels of silver.

To say where her cooking skills came from, it was thanks to the ‘Wordless Book of Heaven’. The reason it was called the ‘Wordless Book of Heaven’ was because there really was not even a word in the book, it was all pictures.

*Okay, so this paragraph has explain this 无字天书(wú zì tiānshū’), I will use Wordless Book Of Heaven from now on

Thinking of the “Wordless Book of Heaven”, she felt that she had to go to see it.

Don’t know if it was still in the haunted house. If it was, she has to get it quickly, so as not to be taken away by others, and then learn exactly the same cooking skills as her.

“Jin’er, you caught a cold last night, don’t stand outside, it’s windy.” Luo Shi said with concern when seeing Liu Jin standing there thoughtfully.

Liu Jin returned to her senses, smiled and said, “Mother, my body is fine. I’m going to the mountain to pick some wild vegetables back. You don’t have to wait for me for lunch.”

The reason why she didn’t tell the truth with Luo Shi was because she was afraid that when Luo Shi knew the truth, she would not let her go up the mountain.

Because that haunted house was a very secretive and terrifying place for the entire Qingshui Village.

Liu Jin came to the kitchen, picked up a sickle and put it in the basket, and then walked out with the basket on her back.

Luo Shi looked at her, still not at ease, and hurriedly shouted: “Jin’er, your body are weak now, this mountain road is not easy to walk, you better don’t go.”

“Mother, my body is truly recover already, it’s okay, don’t worry.” Liu Jin replied, without looking back, speeding up and walking out of the village.

The fields outside the village were full of green fields, and colorful flowers bloom everywhere. The the smell of spring appeared in extreme saturation, it make people intoxicating by looking at it.

There were paddy fields on both sides of the field. Many farmers were working in the field. They either bend down and pull the grass, or pull the wooden plow to plow the field, or hold the shovel to release the water.

Seeing the scene in front of her, Liu Jin’s mood suddenly became happy.

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There’s haunted house mention, will it has some supernatural element in it?! (／。＼)