The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

"Let's be honest. Chen Xi has become a heartless kid. Not to mention helping his uncle, he even ignores outsiders."

Zhou Xuemei was offering advice from the side, with a hint of helplessness in her words.

Although Zheng Cuihua understood it in her heart and said that she was afraid of having to explain herself, she was actually more afraid that after things went wrong, those who had given them the gifts would come to her house to ask for their gifts back. Who could easily swallow such a frustrating feeling of watching the benefits they had obtained fly away?

"How come Chen Xi has suddenly become a different person? In the past, when she was in the Chen family, no matter how dirty or tiring the work was, she always rushed to do it and never complained. She was such an obedient child. After that incident at the village entrance, she actually started to have her own opinions." Chen Zhenwu was also confused by this, and his heart was full of confusion and worry.

When Chen Xi's name was mentioned, Old Lady Chen's brows twisted into a knot involuntarily, and a trace of anger flashed in her eyes.

"Oh, if I had known that her mother would be pregnant for ten months, I should have been ruthless and put an end to her anger when she was about to give birth, so that I wouldn't have to endure her anger every day. It's really making my heart hurt."

The people sitting in a circle became even more emotional after hearing this. They spoke one after another, wishing they could tear Chen Xi's image to pieces with their words, in order to vent their pent-up dissatisfaction and jealousy.

Just as everyone was talking excitedly, there was a clear and rhythmic knock on the door outside the house.

Old Mrs. Chen's heart tightened, and she muttered to herself, "Could it be that they came to our house to accuse us? What should I do?"

Thinking of this, a guilty look appeared on her face.

Seeing this, Chen Zhenwu, who was closest to the door, stood up tactfully and walked quickly towards the door, straightening his clothes as he walked, ready to greet the unknown visitor outside.

The door slowly opened, and standing outside was the auntie who had come to ask for help in the morning. The three of them looked expectant.

"Please come in, please come in!" Chen Zhenwu put on a smile on his face, with a bit of deliberate enthusiasm in his tone, trying to dispel any awkward atmosphere.

Aunt Xiong walked in and asked politely but eagerly, "Mrs. Chen, how is the progress of the task I asked you to do this morning? Is Miss Chen Xi willing to teach us some herbal medicine knowledge?"

Aunt Yuan followed closely behind, her eyes flashing with a calculating light: "Yes, if Chen Xi agrees, we can go up the mountain to dig herbs early tomorrow morning, and we can make more money from selling them and live a more comfortable life."

Facing the eager gazes of the crowd, Old Lady Chen felt mixed emotions. She knew she couldn't hide it anymore, so she carefully considered her words and spoke slowly, "This... Chen Xi, that girl, ah, how can I put it, she rejected our request and drove us all out, saying that she wanted to draw a clear line with us, even her uncles refused to help, she is really an ungrateful person."

After saying that, she wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve in a serious manner. Although there were no tears, her acting skills were so superb that if she were in modern society, it would be a pity not to act. She might have won several Best Actress trophies.

These words were like a drop of cold water on their faces, instantly making the aunts who were originally full of expectations go crazy.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier? You went through so much trouble, are you treating us like three-year-olds?"

Aunt Jiang has a straightforward personality and her expression changes faster than the turning of a page in a book.

"Didn't you pat your chest and assure me that there would be absolutely no problem? We trusted you so much!" another aunt took over, her tone full of disappointment and blame.

Aunt Yuan was a person of such high character that she would never admit defeat so easily. When she heard that the plan had fallen through, her face immediately darkened and she responded sharply, "Come to think of it, the incident between you and Chen Xi at the entrance of the village even alarmed the county magistrate and cut off all ties with him. Haven't Chen Xi and her brother suffered enough in the Chen family over the years? They finally got their freedom, so how could they still be willing to care about us? If it were me, I would also avoid you."

At this time, Zheng Cuihua, who had been watching quietly, finally couldn't help but speak.

"Sister Yuan, you didn't have this attitude when you came to my house this morning. You changed your attitude before the matter was done. I'm afraid even the widow Wang at the east end of the village would be inferior to you in terms of her facial expression changing skills. After all, we are from the same village. Even if things are not going well, we should talk about it in a friendly manner and not hurt the harmony."

Seeing the situation, Chen Zhenwu quickly stepped aside to smooth things over, smiling and easing the tense atmosphere, hoping to calm this sudden storm.

Who can't say a few nice words to suit the situation in front of others?

Especially that moment in the morning when you receive the gift with a smile on your face, that warm feeling you feel.

"If you can't do the job, don't accept our gifts." These words condensed in the air, carrying a bit of bone-chilling coldness.

"That's right," another person said, his tone almost overflowing with impatience, "Return the things. How dare you hold on to our things when you haven't done your job? Come back quickly, don't let us waste time here!"

They stood in a circle, as if silently declaring their determination.

Old Mrs. Chen sat in the house, a hint of indifference in her eyes that showed she had seen through the world.

She was mentally prepared for the impending dispute, so she didn't show too much surprise.

He just shook his head gently, as if lamenting the fickleness of human nature and the cruelty of the world.

In comparison, Zhou Xuemei's reaction was much more intense.

In her opinion, there is no point in asking for something back once you give it away. This is a matter of principle and cannot be compromised.

"You guys came to our door so early in the morning. We didn't force you to come. Once you sell something, how can you take it back? Aren't you afraid that it will get out and people will laugh at us for being petty?"

After saying this, she pretended to cover her mouth and chuckled, with a hint of sarcasm in her laughter.

Seeing the Chen family was so determined, the other party couldn't help but sneer, "Hey, you want to cheat, right? Then don't blame us for being rude. Today, let everyone see what your family's true colors are like!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already reached out to open the door, as if ready to make the matter known to everyone.

Just as the tense atmosphere was about to explode, Old Lady Chen spoke slowly, her voice low and firm, "Wait, Xuemei, take the things back to them."

This sudden decision shocked Zhou Xuemei, "Mom!?"

"Go quickly." There was a barely perceptible tremor in Old Mrs. Chen's voice.

Although she was reluctant, Zhou Xuemei still obediently placed the gifts back on the table one by one, revealing a hint of reluctance in her movements.

"Everything is here, take it yourself. Harmony brings wealth to neighbors. We will see each other again in the future, so there is no need to ruin the harmony over this."

There was a hint of helplessness in Mrs. Chen's words.

Those people looked at each other, and finally stepped forward and silently took back their belongings. Holding them in their hands, the sense of relief of having regained what they had lost softened their attitudes a little.