The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

Old Mrs. Chen witnessed this scene and finally couldn't hold back any longer. Anger and disappointment mixed together. She clenched her fists and while scolding, she beat her chest hard, as if this could ease the pain in her heart.

"Stop it right there! Do you have to wait until my old bones fall down before you stop? Do you still have me, your elder, in your eyes?"

Seeing this, Chen Zhenwen's heart tightened. He quickly stepped forward, carefully supporting the old man, his eyes full of worry.

"Mom, are you okay? Sit down and rest for a while, drink some water and relax."

As he spoke, he gently helped the old lady to a chair, his movements showing filial piety and tenderness.

Then he poured a cup of warm water and handed it to the old lady's lips, while using his other hand to gently pat her back to help her calm down.

The old lady sighed and said sadly, "Alas, Chen Xi has already upset me enough, why don't you just stop? Do you have to make my old heart sick?"

Seeing this, Zheng Cuihua hurried forward and coaxed the old lady in a flattering tone, fearing that her dispute with Zhou Xuemei would affect Chen Zhenwu's opinion of her.

"Mom, please don't be angry. We will never quarrel again. It's not worth it to get sick from anger."

Chen Zhenwen also took the opportunity to speak up, trying to ease the atmosphere: "Yes, mother, if anything happens to you, Chen Xi might be hiding somewhere laughing. Let's not give her the chance to be proud."

The old lady's expression brightened when she heard this, and her previous weakness seemed to disappear in an instant.

"Just don't make me angry. Chen Xi is still young. I'll teach her a lesson tomorrow. The more she wants to stop us, the more I want to find out."

Chen Zhenwen recalled the disturbance caused by Chen Xi last time, and a trace of worry rose in his heart, so he tactfully declined: "Mom, I have to get up early to work tomorrow, and I really can't spare the time to accompany you. Why not let Xuemei and Zheng Cuihua accompany you, they can also take good care of you."

After hearing this, Old Mrs. Chen became energetic and a confident smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

"Just go do your thing and don't worry about me. Can't I take care of that girl Chen Xi?"

The old lady's words were so powerful that the whole room fell into silence. Everyone couldn't help but think secretly in their hearts, looking forward to what would happen tomorrow but also feeling a little uneasy.

In a blink of an eye, the warm afternoon sun has lazily spread over the entire valley, and the mountain road has become lively. The villagers have finished a day's hard work, carrying heavy harvests on their shoulders, their faces filled with satisfaction and joy, and they have set out on their way home.

Chen Xi's home is not spacious, but it is clean and tidy, revealing a simple warmth.

Since the Xie family did not have a necessary tool like a scale, Chen Xi cleverly asked Xu Gaoping for help.

Xu Gaoping came hurriedly with his own scale, a kind smile on his face, and was obviously happy to be able to help.

The two were faced with mountains of mushrooms. These gifts from nature were indeed not something that could be easily measured by one person, so cooperation became the most natural choice.

Chen Xi carefully recorded the weight of mushrooms from each household while watching Xu Gaoping operate the scale skillfully.

They had agreed on the price in advance. Each household provided 50 kilograms of mushrooms, which, calculated at the fair price of three cents per kilogram, was exactly 150 cents. This not only reflected the mutual assistance among neighbors, but was also a small fortune.

At this moment, Old Mrs. Chen was sitting restlessly at home. Curiosity drove her to quietly approach the Xie family. Through the sparse fence, she glimpsed the scene.

Every villager who left held in their hands the copper coins earned with sweat and had a smile on their face. The scene was just as the rumors in the village said, picking mushrooms became a good way to quickly exchange for silver.

Thinking of this, the old lady secretly decided in her heart that she would join the mushroom picking army tomorrow no matter what. She was calculating in her mind that once the mushrooms were in her hands, Chen Xi would be embarrassed to refuse her participation.

The old lady's plan seemed thorough, but she had never anticipated Chen Xi's innermost thoughts.

As it got darker, the villagers gradually dispersed, and Old Lady Chen also retreated cautiously like a thief, fearing that she would meet Chen Xi head-on and cause unnecessary disputes.

Little did she know that Chen Xi had already discovered her whereabouts through the gap in the window, but he just didn't expose her.

When the busy work finally came to an end, the villagers went home in twos and threes, and Chen Xi couldn't help but reveal a tired expression.

At this time, Chen Rong looked at the mushrooms and fungus piled up like a hill in front of him, his eyes full of confusion.

"Sister, we have so many mushrooms and fungus at home, can we really finish them all?" he asked.

Chen Xi chuckled upon hearing this, and there was a hint of warmth in her laughter, "How can we finish eating them? My idea is to dry them and preserve them. This way, they will not only not spoil easily, but can also be used at any time. Just soak them in water and they will be fresh again."

After hearing this, Chen Rong nodded in sudden realization.

While the afterglow of the setting sun had not yet completely disappeared, Chen Rong rolled up his sleeves without saying a word and prepared to start.

He knew that his brother-in-law had physical disabilities and as the only labor force in the family, he had the responsibility to help his sister share the heavy work.

Chen Xi was naturally not idle either. Together with Chen Rong, they carefully sorted the mushrooms and fungus and placed them neatly.

Time passed quietly as they were busy. By the time all the mushrooms and fungus were properly processed, night had quietly fallen, with only a faint purple haze remaining on the horizon.

On this quiet and slightly cold night, there was a clear knock on the door.

Chen Xi couldn't help but feel alert. She put down the mushrooms she was sorting and quickly looked at the wooden door.

I thought to myself, it's so late now, except for the occasional barking of dogs in the distance, the whole village has already fallen asleep, who could be visiting at this time?

Pushing open the creaking wooden door, the scene before him instantly turned his doubts into emotion.

Outside the door, the moonlight softly sprinkled on Mrs. Xiong's kind face. She was carrying an exquisitely woven basket filled with all kinds of fresh vegetables.

"Chen Xi, I saw that your family has collected a lot of wild mushrooms these days. I thought that your family must be very busy and may not have had time to prepare dinner. So, I picked some fresh vegetables from the garden and made some simple and nutritious meals. Everyone, just eat it."

Chen Xi felt a warm feeling in his heart when he heard this.

"Mrs. Xiong, you are so thoughtful. We really don't know how to thank you. We were really too busy today to think about dinner, and the children are crying with hunger."

Although meat is not scarce in this small village, what Mrs. Xiong personally delivered was not just vegetables, but also the precious warmth and mutual assistance between neighbors.

Mrs. Xiong's life is not easy. A few years ago, her husband passed away due to illness, leaving her alone to raise her young son with great difficulty. She barely makes a living by making handicrafts with her skillful hands.