Transmigrated Farmgirl's Scheme to Get Rich - Chapter 224
Heart Disease
Ze Wu sent Mo Yan back home, and he must have told Chi Jie about her condition when they returned, because Chi Jie and Zhou Liangsheng arrived within the hour.
As it was improper to meet with guests lying down, Mo Yan leaned on the bench in the living room.
Zhou Liangsheng went over and said, “Sister, why do you look so unwell recently? Are you ill, and have you seen a doctor?”
Chi Jie patted his shoulder, “I’m afraid her illness can’t be cured by medicine.”
Mo Yan lightly sighed, “Nonsense, I’m not ill, I’m just deficient in blood. My body only got better in the first place because Lu Junming took me out to exercise every day and made me eat smoked meat. Liangsheng, remember to send me some smoked meat every day, Chi Jie, please help me buy a horse. I need to get better as soon as possible so I can go to the border to look for Lu Junming at the soldiers’ encampment on horseback.”
Chi Jie said, “I can buy you a horse, but your body is too weak and you can’t eat too much meat in one go. How about you let Zhao’er stay here for a few days to help you strengthen your body, then have Liang Lan come over to accompany you for a few days to take care of you.”
“There’s no need for so much hassle, it’s not like I’m about to die, my life isn’t that fragile! I’m not dying anytime soon.”
Mo Yan tasked Zhou Liangsheng to look at the accounts in the commercial firm, and the only two people left in the house were her and Chi Jie.
“This is good, with no one looking at us, we can talk about whatever we want.”
“Yes, what do you want to talk about, whether there’s a way to leave this place or not?”
Mo Yan smiled and shook her head, “If there was, would you still be here?”
“If I find a way to go back, are you willing to go with me?”
Mo Yan looked outside the window, “It depends on fate!”
“Do you like him?”
“Who?”
“You clearly know who, don’t play dumb.”
“I promised him that I’d send him meat and wine if he went to join the army, I can’t renege on my promise.”
“Alright, I’ll accompany you there when you get better/”
Chi Jie went back, and asked Ze Wu to send Zhao’er over. Zhao’er had just placed one foot across the front door when Liang Lan and Cao Zhang came over together. Seeing Mo Yan’s white face, Liang Lan sighed, “When a person loses their soul, it’s useless no matter what kind of medicine and food they eat.”
Mo Yan joked, “Then I’d like to ask Godmother Wu over to help me call my soul back.”
“If you can still joke around, you’re probably fine. Get better soon, so we can travel and sell goods together.”
“Alright!”
“I still need to take care of the matters of the storefront, so I can’t stay here the entire day. It’d be better if you had a person here accompanying you full-time, I’ll help you look for one when I go back.”
Cao Zhang hadn’t said a single word from when he had went inside, and just looked at Mo Yan from the side, like he had something to say but it was inconvenient to speak now.
“I’m fine here, Sister Lan, you should go back early! Don’t let aunt and uncle worry.”
Liang Lan saw that it was getting late, so could only get up and return home. Zhao’er went out to buy groceries, so only Cao Zhang remained inside the house.
Mo Yan asked, “Young Mr. Cao, do you have something to say?”
However, Cao Zhang said he didn’t, so Mo Yan sat up and said, “Then you should go back too! I can’t keep you here any longer.”
When he left the house, Cao Zhang turned back to ask, “Yan’er, is it for him?”
“Who?”
Cao Zhang didn’t want to say his name, and only said, “He’s fated to belong to the battlefield, but you require peace and tranquillity.”
Mo Yan saw glints of coldness in his gaze, and she slowly opened her mouth to say, “My heart is sufficiently tranquil, and doesn’t need to be comforted by anyone. Sir, please travel safely.”
Cao Zhang turned and swiftly left, while Zhao’er returned with the groceries, and the two made dinner together.
“Sister, does Brother Cao Zhang like you?”
“What do you children know, stop speaking nonsense!”
“How have I been saying nonsense, he always talks about you at home. I’ve even heard master’s wife quietly suggest to master that they should follow his wishes and propose an engagement with your family. Your mother would definitely agree.”
Mo Yan’s heart stopped. How could she have forgotten than girls in ancient times had entirely no authority over her marriage, and had to obey her parents’ wishes and the matchmaker’s words? If the Cao family went to propose an engagement and Ms. Liang agreed, wouldn’t I be in big trouble?! No, I have to think of a solution.
Money, Ms. Liang loved money, as long as she told her she wouldn’t be able to get money from her after she got engaged, she would definitely refuse the engagement.
With an idea in mind, Mo Yan decided to return home for a visit the next day.
Early the next morning, she asked Zhao’er to go to the workshop to borrow Chi Jie’s carriage, but Zhao’er came back and said Chi Jie and Ze Wu had gone to the Upper Valley. How could they have left without saying a word, did something happen at home? They might come back in the next two days.
Since she couldn’t walk home, she asked Zhao’er to borrow a carriage. Now she had a sister-in-law at home, she couldn’t go back empty-handed, so she also asked him to prepare some gifts.
When she returned, the door wasn’t closed properly, so there were probably people at home, but she didn’t see anyone when she entered the courtyard. She heard people talking outside of the house, it was Ms. Liang and Xiuying. Walking to the southern gate, she saw Ms. Liang and Xiuying loosening the dirt there.
“Mother, sister-in-law, what are you doing?”
Xiuying said, “Yan’er, you’ve returned, we felt like it was a pity to leave this courtyard empty, so wanted to loosen the dirt to grow some vegetables.”
Mo Yan handed over the presents in her hands, “These are just some snacks, perfect for sister-in-law to snack on!”
After that, she handed a few silver taels over to Ms. Liang, “Mother, I’ve gotten some extra wealth recently, so I’d like to give you a few silver taels to help out at home.”
Ms. Liang took the silver, “You’ve become more sensible recently!”
Mo Yan said, “People grow older every day, and eating is for naught. Speaking of, as a daughter, the days I can be filial to my parents diminish day by day. When I get married in the future, it won’t be easy for me to be filial anymore.” [1]
These words struck Ms. Liang’s vitals, “Isn’t it so? Look at your sister, ever since she got married, she hasn’t gone back to her natal family more than a few times. How can I expect her to be filial?”
Xiuying said, “Don’t you still have Yan’er? Look at how filial she is.”
Mo Yan knew that her goal had been achieved, so immediately took her leave, “Mother, there’s still work I need to do at the storefront, I’ll go back first.”
When she left her family’s house, she felt a sudden bout of dizziness go about her. It was thanks to Zhao’er helping her up that she didn’t fall over.
The carriage left the village, and when it passed the fruit garden beside the village, she faintly heard a girl crying inside the fruit garden.
The fruit trees in the garden were still flowering, so there wasn’t a need for daily patrolling yet. If there was the sound of a girl crying inside, was there a villain in there who had kidnapped some family’s daughter and wanted to do something immoral?
“Zhao’er, stop the carriage!”
She followed the sobs to the small house inside the fruit garden, where the crying originated from. Mo Yan bravely called out, “Who’s inside, who is it!”
The sobbing inside the house stopped, and a young girl wearing threadbare clothing came out from inside, and stood there timidly. Seeing that there probably weren’t any villains, Mo Yan let out a breath, “Young girl, why were you crying inside?”
The young girl wiped her tears and said, “What other reason is there for crying, I’m sad!”
“Were you beaten by your parents, or are you hungry?”
“Even worse, my father is about to sell me, sell me to a rich family to act as their slave. He says I’ll be able to eat and dress well, but who knows what kind of owner I’ll meet? If I get beaten every day, I can only bear it.”
“How much are they selling you for?”
“Twenty silver taels, because I know how to work, they’re selling me for more. If I had known that, I would’ve not learnt anything at all.”
“Which family’s child are you, and how old are you?”
“I’m called Jin’er, and I’m ten years old. My family lives in the east of the village, and my father is called Chen Ruhuan.”
P.S. Exams are in a week and a half. I’ll try to translate another chapter between then and now, but no promises.
[1] I think I bastardised an ancient Chinese proverb, but ah well. I hope you know what I meant.