Jiang Xiaoman was utterly dumbfounded!
Jiang Yu, standing to the side, blushed furiously. He probably hadn't expected his mother to scheme against his three granddaughters in front of his best friend, showing him absolutely no respect.
If word gets out, Chen Sao will fight him and Shan Yan to the death.
Originally, he and Shan Yan genuinely intended to raise the three sisters as their own daughters.
His mother's comment made it seem like he had three walking ATMs!
Especially the second son, Shan Guo.
When did he agree to marry Shanguo to his elder brother's son?
Seeing that he looked like he was about to flip the table at any moment, Jiang Xiaoman was stunned for a moment, but then she instantly sobered up.
"Haha~ Your aunt is also thinking about your and Yan's future. However, these three girls are still young, so we'll see what happens in the future."
"Besides, Jiang Yu's opinion alone isn't enough. Auntie, you should also tell Brother Shanyan what you're saying."
As she spoke, Jiang Xiaoman patted Jiang Yu's arm, signaling him to calm down.
Grandma Jiang is dreaming; it would require his and Shan Yan's cooperation.
Putting aside Jiang Yu, Shan Yan's temper was so bad that his expression changed when Jiang Xiaoman got within half a meter of Jiang Yu. Who the hell would dare to use his daughter to exchange for a marriage?
Isn't this like going to the outhouse with a lantern, or looking for trouble (to die)?
Upon hearing Jiang Xiaoman mention the mountain rocks, Jiang Yu chuckled.
Yeah! What's the point of him flipping the table and making a scene with his mother here?
When these words get out, who knows what Aunt Chen will think of him and Shanyan.
Why not let Shanyan handle it... hehe! Anyway, his mother has always been afraid of Shanyan.
Sure enough, when Jiang Xiaoman mentioned the mountain rocks, Old Lady Jiang immediately fell silent.
"Mom, I came with Xiaoman to see Uncle Huazi about the boat today. If there's nothing else, I'll take him there first."
As she spoke, Jiang Yu picked up Shan Guo with one hand and Shan Hua with the other, and fled from her home with Jiang Xiaoman as if her life depended on it.
After the group had walked away, Jiang Yu smiled wryly and said to Jiang Xiaoman—
“Xiaoman, what my mother just said was all made up. Shanyan and I have no intention of using these three children as a cash cow, so don’t take it to heart.”
The Camellia Sisters were adopted with the help of Jiang Xiaoman. If he and Shan Yan really dared to do that, Jiang Xiaoman would definitely be blamed by Aunt Chen in the future, and the two families might even become enemies. Of course, Jiang Yu couldn't let his good friend down like that.
"Do you even need to tell me?" Jiang Xiaoman rolled her eyes and passed on her secrets to dealing with elders to her friend—
“Let me tell you, that’s how it is in the countryside. There’s a generation gap between the elders and us. If what they say makes sense, just go along with it. If it doesn’t, just ignore it. Do you think your mother can snatch someone away from Shanyan?”
"Besides, don't you think about it? When the three sisters, Shan Guo and her sister, grow up, to put it bluntly, it's not certain that your aunt will still be around."
"Don't think I'm cursing your aunt, but the age difference between her and Camellia and Fruit is obvious. If she wants to scheme against them, she'll have to see if she can even do it."
Jiang Xiaoman's attitude was very clear: Jiang Laotai was Jiang Yu's biological mother. If she argued and disobeyed her in front of everyone, the villagers would definitely scold Jiang Yu, the son.
Moreover, if the two of them start arguing, and word gets out about Old Lady Jiang's scheme, Aunt Chen will definitely come looking for Jiang Yu and demand the three Camellia sisters back.
It's better to leave it ambiguous. What Grandma Jiang thinks is her own business. Anyway, as long as Shan Yan doesn't agree, Jiang Yu can play the bad cop and hide behind Shan Yan to go against his mother!
Thinking of scheming against the Camellia Sisters? First, consider your own age and see if you can live to see them grow up!
Chapter 120
"Xiaoman, you're so smart! It seems that going to university is really useful. Yan-ge and I will definitely support Shancha and the others to go to university in the future!"
After listening to Jiang Xiaoman's "theory of family harmony," Jiang Yu was very impressed and attributed it all to Jiang Xiaoman's university education.
Jiang Xiaoman smiled but didn't say anything.
Let's just assume that's what Jiangyu thinks.
That being said, if the three Camellia sisters really do get into university and then all work and settle down in the city, then Grandma Jiang's plan will have completely failed.
Jiang Yu, standing nearby, imagined his mother's exasperated yet helpless state after the three Camellia sisters all got into prestigious universities, entered large companies in the city, and even passed the civil service exam. He was overjoyed!
It's decided! Let's do it!
He then invited Xiaoman's uncle, Principal Jiang Baichuan, to dinner to ask for advice on how to raise a child to be a top student like Jiang Xiaoman.
Shan Guo and Shan Hua are still young and can't understand what Jiang's father and Xiao Man's uncle are saying. However, seeing the two adults laughing happily, the two little girls are also very happy.
Jiang Yu led Jiang Xiaoman to the home of Jiang Zhonghua, whose ancestors had been boat makers in the village. Everyone in the village called him Uncle Hua. Langshan is a mountainous area with many rivers and numerous hydroelectric power stations of all sizes along the river. Many people also contract reservoirs to raise fish. Uncle Hua's family has made a fortune by building and repairing boats for others, and now they are considered one of the wealthiest families in the village.
Hearing that Jiang Yu was planning to go down the mountain to buy land and build a house, and even pick up his ancestors' fishing skills again, Uncle Hua Zi wholeheartedly agreed. However, his points of agreement were somewhat baffling—
"You and Shanyan are both men, why should you act like a submissive wife and listen to him?"
"If you ask me, Xiaoyu, you should have done this a long time ago. You should have let Shanyan come down to the river with you to catch fish!"
As he spoke, he led them to his backyard.
Uncle Hua's backyard is particularly large. This piece of land was rented by his family specifically for building boats, and several small fishing boats that have already been built are placed in the shed.
"They're all made of old cedar wood. If you're going to fish along the riverbank and don't go too far, this 4.5-meter one should be enough!"
“We’re all on the same side, so I’ll charge you the cost price. For this kind without a canopy, just give me two thousand two hundred yuan. If you want one with a rain canopy, it’ll be two thousand six hundred. I’ll also throw in two life jackets, a life ring, and a paddle.”
Since they were all from the same village, Jiang Yu knew the price range of Uncle Hua's fishing boats. This price was definitely a friendly price, and they even gave away so many freebies. Jiang Yu nodded, and Jiang Xiaoman knew that this price was a good deal.
He readily transferred two thousand six hundred to Uncle Hua and asked for a covered boat.
On the way here, the two of them had already discussed it and decided that the boat would be registered under Jiang Xiaoman's name for the time being.
Otherwise, if it were under Jiang Yu's name, given his mother's opportunistic nature, borrowing a boat from him would be a small matter; she might even ask him for fish.
If I were to take advantage of him in any way, that would be one thing.
Jiang Yu's biggest fear now is that Old Lady Jiang will use this as an excuse to ask him for his boat and fish, and then bring his elder brother's son over to forcibly "cultivate feelings" with Shan Guo. That would make him so angry he'd vomit blood.
Jiang Xiaoman thought what he said made a lot of sense.
However, he did not ask Jiang Yu to pay for the boat.
“I’ll provide the boat, you provide the labor, let’s partner up!” Jiang Xiaoman readily paid the money.
Before launching a fishing boat, there are some preparations to be made, such as choosing an auspicious day and offering sacrifices to the water god. All of these are to be prepared by Uncle Hua. The process is similar to when city dwellers buy a new car and pick it up, especially for luxury cars, the handover of the keys at the 4S store is very ceremonial.
Both parties agreed to come back once the date was set. The ceremony would be held at the shipyard, and Jiangyu would be responsible for renting a vehicle to take the fishing boat back.
After finishing his business, no matter how unwilling he was, Jiang Yu had no choice but to take Jiang Xiaoman and the two children back to his own home.
Now that he's "married out," if he doesn't go to his parents' home for a meal, the villagers will gossip about him.
When he got home, he heard his mother scolding his sister-in-law again. Upon closer listening, he realized it wasn't anything serious. His mother was just complaining that her daughter-in-law didn't know how to manage a household and had actually taken out freshly laid eggs to cook.
"Can't you just flip it over and take out the egg underneath to eat?"
"I'm going to take the new eggs on top and sell them for money!"
Grandma Jiang gave her eldest daughter-in-law a thorough dressing-down over the sake of three eggs.
Jiang Yu couldn't stand it anymore and stormed into the kitchen, giving his mother a piece of his mind.
"If you don't like me, I won't come back!"
"If I don't come back, you criticize me. Now that I'm back, you're throwing pots and pans and yelling at people. Isn't that insulting your sister-in-law? I think you're just making veiled accusations!"
"It's just a few eggs. If you can't bear to part with them, just cook a pot of the meat and tofu I brought back and make do. Do you think I'd argue with you over a meal?"
The mother and son had a big argument in the kitchen. Jiang's eldest sister-in-law took the opportunity to slip out. When she looked up and saw Jiang Xiaoman standing in the yard with the two children, her face immediately turned red.
"Don't take it to heart. Xiaoyu is just trying to help you. I think your aunt just likes to pick on the weak. Sister-in-law, you shouldn't let her scold you. Anyway, you've already given birth to your son, so what are you afraid of? Just stand up to her! Do you think they'd be willing to divorce you after paying for your marriage?" Jiang Xiaoman couldn't help but give her a few words of advice.
If he were in Jiang Dasao's position, he would rather take his children and go to the city to work!
Even if you work as a nanny, you might be able to save some money each month after paying for your child's daycare.
Unlike in the Jiang family, where I didn't have a penny to my name and would get scolded by my mother-in-law if I used two extra eggs in my cooking.
It's unclear whether Jiang's eldest sister-in-law listened or not, but after having lunch at the Jiang family's house, Jiang Xiaoman went back with Jiang Yu.
However, he now understands why Jiang Yu was willing to live with Shan Yan in the deep mountains and forests.
Having such a suffocating family background, if it were him, he probably would have run away to the city and never come back.
Before leaving, Jiang Yu spent over two hundred yuan to buy several shrimp traps, a fishing net, three large fishing rods, and two landing nets.
It has to be said that these fishing gears are really cheap in their "place of origin"—this whole bunch of stuff only costs a little over two hundred!
If you were to buy them in the city, those fishing rods alone would cost more than this.
"These are all cheap stuff. We can take these fishing rods back and use them for fun. The fishing nets are the most expensive. When the boat arrives, we'll go to the river to catch some big fish!"
"I can't fish, and I can only swim by doggy paddle. You should go fishing with your brother Yan. Otherwise, if I fall into the river and you have to fish me out and give me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, your brother Yan will kill me!" Jiang Xiaoman teased him.
"It's not like I'd kill you, I'd just give you a beating." Jiang Yu laughed heartily.
So it's not unreasonable that he likes to play with Jiang Xiaoman.
Jiang Xiaoman has a really likable personality; no matter what, he can always find a way to make people happy.
After leaving Maoli Village, they did not immediately return to Laoshan Aozi, but instead took a car to the town to buy some things to take back with them.
The river fish will be coming down the mountain in a few days, but the mountain rocks will still be going back up the mountain frequently, so we can't run out of the daily necessities at home.
Jiang Yu has to take care of two children, so it's inconvenient for him to go out shopping. Luckily, Jiang Xiaoman is here today, a free and strong laborer. So he decided to take advantage of this opportunity and let Jiang Xiaoman accompany him from the east side of town to the west side, buying a lot of things along the way, such as laundry detergent, dish soap, soybean oil, salt, sugar, rice vinegar, and so on.
Because they had so much stuff, they had to hire a van to take them all the way to the foot of the mountain, and then call two porters to help carry it up the mountain.
On the way up the mountain, we unexpectedly encountered Shanyan and Ahu!
Both of them were carrying large baskets filled with fresh red mushrooms they had just picked that day.
This year, red mushrooms are selling well, and people from nearby villages are flocking up the mountain to pick them. Shan Yan is quick-witted; in addition to leading his apprentices to pick mushrooms, he also buys mushrooms picked by others and sells them in the city to make a profit. By doing this back and forth, he has already earned more than 20,000 yuan in just a few days.
"You guys hurry down the mountain, the sooner you go, the sooner you come back. Xiaoman and I bought a lot of meat and vegetables today. Yan-ge, invite Qingshan and the others over for dinner tonight!" Seeing that it was getting late, Jiang Yu urged Shanyan and the others to go down the mountain to sell mushrooms, so they wouldn't miss the last bus and have to spend money to rent a car.
Back home, Jiang Xiaoman herded Jiang Yu up the mountain: "While it's still early, hurry up and pick some tea leaves. I'll cook dinner; I need to reshoot the tea-frying scene tonight."
“Then those two…” Jiang Yu hesitated as she looked at the Shan Guo sisters.
"Little Fish Dad, you go ahead and do your work, I'll play with my little sister." Shan Guo thoughtfully ran to the eaves and dragged Shan Hua's walker over.