stingy landlady

Chapter 212 Sending Osmanthus Fragrance to the Wasteland (2)

Gui Xiang smiled and said to Gui Zhi:

"Third sister! You really are a child! Going from one family to another isn't that easy! If everything were as simple as you say, wouldn't all the moral order and ethical norms be in chaos!"

Guizhi then asked Guixiang with concern:

"Life is so hard, when will you be able to live a better life? Sister! When will this hard and heavy work end?"

Gui Xiang answered while ladling boiling water:

"Third sister! Just hang in there! Our family was poor before, but we all made it through like this, didn't we? Eldest sister has accepted her fate!"

Gui Xiang and Gui Zhi brought boiled water to Jiang Hongliang's room. Da Zhu sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and Jiang Hongliang sat beside him on his usual reading stool. After Jiang's mother was helped up by Xiao Yu, the two of them didn't leave and stayed in the room to listen to Da Zhu and Jiang Hongliang's conversation.

Dazhu was still looking around at the furnishings in the room. The room was practically bare. There wasn't even a cabinet, just a quilt and Jiang Hongliang's clothes and books.

Dazhu saw Guixiang enter the house and asked:

"Gui Xiang! What happened to the silver and clothes you brought? It seems like you brought quite a lot!"

Gui Xiang glanced at Granny Jiang but didn't dare to say anything. She simply poured a bowl of water for Da Zhu first.

Granny Jiang, quick-witted, said:

“My dear in-laws! Guixiang’s bundle is quite valuable, so I’ve locked it in the cupboard for her! There isn’t a single cupboard with a lock in this house, what if it gets stolen!”

Besides, Guixiang and Xiaoyu go up the mountain to collect firewood every day. Their nice clothes get torn from all the hard work. Let's keep them! We can wear them when we go out later!

"My in-laws have no idea how poor we are; of course, we try to save wherever we can."

Gui Xiang nodded haphazardly in agreement.

"Father! Third Sister! Aunt Jiang is keeping it for me!"

Dazhu felt aggrieved for his stubborn eldest daughter and turned to ask Guixiang:

"Alright! That's no big deal! Guixiang! Are you sure you don't want to go home with Dad?"

Gui Xiang looked around, but before she could speak, Jiang Hongliang reached out and grabbed her, saying:

“Father-in-law! Gui Xiang is mine now, how can she go back to her parents’ home with you? Isn’t that right, Gui Xiang!”

"You can't always be running back to your parents' house. We have so many things to do at home! We can't do without someone! Guixiang! Besides, I can't do without you either!"

Dazhu was so angry at Jiang Hongliang's shamelessness that he laughed.

"Fine, fine! Since both of you are in love, forcing us apart would be like tearing apart a loving couple! Guixiang! Since you are so heartless, your father cannot be so unjust!"

After Dazhu finished speaking, he took out a land deed from his pocket, which had Wang Guixiang's name on it.

"This is fifty acres of wasteland for you, originally intended as part of your dowry! But since you haven't completed any formalities and are struggling financially, we'll give it to you for now!"

Gui Xiang! You know our family only started living a good life after buying wasteland! Don't look down on us! Fifty acres of land can yield a lot of grain, and we don't have to pay taxes for the first few years!

Plant as many as you want, and you'll reap a net surplus! Don't let your father's good intentions go to waste!

Gui Xiang and the Jiang family members were stunned. The three members of the Jiang family could see the ecstatic joy between each other.

Gui Xiang took the land deed in disbelief, muttering to herself:

"My father gave it to me, my parents didn't abandon me! Waaaaah!"

Dazhu patted Guixiang on the shoulder:

"Children! You are all flesh and blood of your parents, how could we not feel sorry for you! Live your lives well! Whether you are poor or rich, it is the path you chose!"

If Jiang Hongliang really passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, all your land under his name will be exempt from taxes! The good days are yet to come!

Jiang Hongliang quickly took the land deed from Guixiang and examined it carefully! It was indeed Wang Guixiang's name, and he confirmed it was fifty mu of land. He hurriedly bowed.

"Thank you so much, Father-in-law! Thank you so much, Third Sister's employer! Thank you so much!"

Da Zhu, kneeling obsequiously before Jiang Hongliang, didn't want to say much. Seeing Gui Xiang, he sighed and finally spoke softly:

"Alright! We're going back! We have a ton of things to do at home! As long as you treat Guixiang well, do you think your family won't help you in the future?"

After saying that, she led Guizhi outside. Guizhi held Guixiang's hand and said:

"Big sister! Please see my father and me off!"

Gui Xiang followed without thinking. The Jiang family members followed closely behind, afraid Gui Xiang would get on the carriage. Gui Zhi pretended not to know their ulterior motives and shouted loudly to Gui Xiang:

"Big sister! You know where to find us! If you need anything, have someone pass on a message! If anyone dares to mistreat you, you know what I'm capable of!"

Whoever this person is, they're just asking for a beating! Even if I can't kill them, I can cripple them, right? From now on, forget about studying or working; they can just lie on the kang (heated brick bed) and wait to die!

"He'll choke even when he drinks water! Humph!"

Jiang Hongliang and Granny Jiang simultaneously recalled the beating they received in Huanghua Village. Naturally, they dared not mistreat Guixiang; at most, they would make her do more chores. Jiang Hongliang smiled apologetically at Guizhi and said:

"Third sister!"

Gui Zhi's face hardened.

"Who are you calling 'Third Sister'?! Who's your sister?! You have no respect for hierarchy! Call me 'Third Miss'!"

Jiang Hongliang choked, but dared not offend Guizhi. Ping An, standing beside him, held a riding whip and stared intently at them, as if waiting for Guizhi's command to crack the whip.

Jiang Hongliang had no choice but to bow his head:

"Master! Miss Master! Don't worry! How could I dare to treat your elder sister badly! I'm only doing this work because we're poor, I have no choice!"

Guizhi snorted and got into the carriage. Dazhu followed her in, looking at Guixiang and saying:

"Take care of yourself!"

He then said to Ping An:

"go!"

Ping An suddenly cracked the whip in front of Jiang Hongliang, startling him. After the carriage drove away, Jiang's mother went straight to retrieve the land deed.

"Guixiang! You don't have a cabinet in your room, so put it in mine! Otherwise, someone might steal it!"

Gui Xiang had become numb to Granny Jiang's actions and went into the stove to cook without objecting.

Jiang Hongliang and his two companions entered Granny Jiang's house. Jiang Hongliang said:

"Mother! This much land must be worth a lot of money, right?"

Xiaoyu asked tremblingly:

"Mother! Brother! How can we possibly cultivate all this land? I couldn't even manage to cultivate our own one acre of land before!"

Granny Jiang rolled her eyes at Jiang Xiaoyu:

"With so much land, who told you to farm it? I'd be grateful if you could even take good care of your own little plot of land!"

Tomorrow I'll take the land deed to town and sell it for money! They all know nothing! I told you that one was a golden goose!

Are you worried about not being able to get money back from her parents' home later? As long as they still acknowledge her!

Xiaoyu asked curiously:

"Mother! What if Guixiang's family doesn't acknowledge her?"

Granny Jiang opened and closed her lips and said:

"If her family doesn't acknowledge her, we won't raise her for nothing! Once your brother passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, what kind of woman can't he find? If she gets in the way, we can sell her to a brothel. That petite figure and pretty face should be worth quite a bit of money!"