Chapter 605 - 224: Conception Dream
Chapter 605: Chapter 224: Conception Dream
It wasn’t just Zhao Jing and Chen Wanqing whispering in the night; in the master bedroom of the main courtyard, Chen Song and Xu Su Ying were also murmuring to each other.
Chen Song had drunk quite a lot and was heavily intoxicated, but after returning to their room and being force-fed a bowl of hangover soup, his mind instantly regained a bit of clarity. Lying in bed, thinking about matters back in their hometown, he found it somewhat difficult to fall asleep. Tossing and turning, he woke up Xu Su Ying, who had already fallen asleep. The couple simply started chatting.
"Where do you think Chen Lin went?" Chen Song frowned, pondering his younger brother’s whereabouts. He thought it over but couldn’t make heads or tails of it, causing his brow to furrow even tighter.
Hearing this question, Xu Su Ying scoffed. "The world is vast; where couldn’t he go? As long as it’s a place, anywhere is better than Qingshui County for Chen Lin."
Chen Lin was currently a laughingstock in Qingshui County. Mrs. Li had taken up with a wild man, his son had married into his wife’s family, and his daughter had become an exiled criminal. If he were still in Qingshui County, he would be ridiculed wherever he went. Most importantly, if he were still there, he would have to shoulder the heavy responsibility of raising his son and providing for his parents. This was something agreed upon long ago when they divided the family property.
Would he be willing to take on these burdens? Absolutely not. Therefore, rather than staying in Qingshui County, being suffocated by these heavy burdens and the scornful looks of others without a moment to catch his breath, he was definitely better off leaving it all behind.
"If I were Chen Lin, I would have left there too," Xu Su Ying added.
The Zhao Village was a cage to Chen Lin. Leaving there meant stepping out into the vast world, where he could live freely and comfortably anywhere. But without Chen Lin, the old couple had no one to look after them, which was indeed a problem. They couldn’t die now—at least not in the near future. She was planning to go to the capital. If the old man died, their whole family would have to return for the funeral, which would delay things too much.
Xu Su Ying thought about this calmly, not feeling the least bit cold-blooded. That old man was like a workhorse, working his fingers to the bone for Chen Lin’s family his entire life, yet he owed Chen Song and Chen Bai so much. That house in the old residence was built by exploiting these two brothers. Unfortunately, neither of them even got a room there. It resulted in the two brothers suffering—one marrying into his wife’s family, and the other, refusing to let his children and grandchildren be treated like workhorses and trampled on, leaving the family with nothing but the clothes on his back, taking her along with him.
The old man was a pushover who tried to please everyone, but he was not good to his two eldest sons at all. He had committed his own sins first. For him to expect these two older brothers to take care of him meticulously as if he were a loving father—if that wasn’t a pipe dream, what was?
"Speaking of which, with the old couple falling into such dire straits, what has Chen Mei been doing?" she asked.
Chen Mei was the old couple’s daughter, seven years younger than Chen Lin. Because she was the youngest in the family and the only girl, the old lady doted on her endlessly. Chen Mei had married into the third branch of the Zhao Family to one of Zhao Jing’s cousins, making her nominally Qing’er’s cousin’s wife. But their relationship was mediocre. Previously, Chen Mei had said that if Qing’er and Zhao Jing got married, she would buy meat for Qing’er to eat. Later, Chen Mei simply acted as if this promise had never existed.
If there was anything good happening at Zhao Jing’s home, she would run over faster than anyone else and eat more than anyone else. But she was all talk and no action, never actually doing anything practical.
Xu Su Ying brought up Chen Mei because Chen Mei had married within the same village. She should be very clear about the old man and the old lady’s situation. They were her own parents. Going over when she had free time to help wash the bedding, bring some food, or cook a meal—that wasn’t too much to ask, was it?
Hearing Xu Su Ying mention this sister, Chen Song instantly felt disgusted.
"You can’t count on Chen Mei. She’s the type to forget all moral principles at the sight of profit."
If the old couple still clutched a large sum of money and Chen Mei had something to gain, you’d see just how fast she’d run over. Now that there was nothing to profit from, and with her fourth child being a girl—giving birth to four daughters in a row—she had no say in her husband’s family. She had a ready-made excuse for not going to serve the old couple. She would just say she felt guilty toward her husband’s family and needed to work like a horse for them. Even if the villagers criticized her in their hearts, they couldn’t say anything too harsh.
As for the old couple, they probably hated this daughter to the bone. Raising this daughter was like raising an ingrate. The old lady would definitely say that if she had known she couldn’t rely on her, she should have just drowned her in a chamber pot at birth.
The couple then talked about Yuzhu’s marriage, saying they should prepare for Yuzhu’s coming-of-age ceremony and engagement gifts in advance. They also mentioned that Chunyue was about to give birth. Since they might not make it back in time, they should prepare the gifts for the baby’s third-day washing ceremony and one-month celebration as well.
After finishing with these matters, the conversation abruptly shifted to Chen Wanqing. After the New Year, their daughter would be twenty-one. She had been married for almost two years but still didn’t have any children. Shouldn’t she go see a doctor?
Chen Song was the one who said this. When Xu Su Ying heard it, she couldn’t help but glare at him in the darkness.