孟瑜 paused for a moment.
“Is it far?”
In the original owner’s memory, she had never even been to the town.
After hearing this, 周斯年 looked at her with a hint of helplessness.
“You don’t want to suffer even a little bit?”
He could already see it clearly—this Meng Duoyu was just overly delicate.
What she was really asking was whether the road was long.
Caught on her thoughts, 孟瑜 blinked innocently.
“Is that illegal?”
周斯年: …
“It’s not.”
“Then is it far?”
She still had no concept of the distance to the town.
But joining the cultural troupe was a good opportunity—at least it matched her skills.
She was getting a bit tired of this life of eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating.
Even though she always told herself “why suffer when you can enjoy life,” she still felt a little guilty seeing her mother-in-law and younger siblings working themselves exhausted in the fields and still rushing home to cook and clean.
It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried to learn.
The result, however, was that she ruined one of the original owner’s only two sets of clothes while washing them.
周斯年 glanced at her.
“The town is about twenty li from Shijianzi Village. With your pace, it would take you a whole morning to walk there.”
The kind where you take one step and need to rest three breaths—she really was something.
When 孟瑜 heard this, her mind went blank.
That far!
“Then I’m not going.”
Twenty-some li just listening to it already made her feet hurt.
As expected, 周斯年 had already guessed her answer.
“Tomorrow I’ll talk to the village chief and take you to the town to have a look. Then you can decide.”
“I’m not going,” 孟瑜 refused directly. “If I have to walk more than twenty li every day, I’d rather just stay at home.”
Staying at home was boring, and watching everyone work did make her feel guilty, but compared to being exhausted, her thick-skinned nature could still handle it.
周斯年 didn’t bring it up again.
In the afternoon everyone went back to work. After work, 周斯年 went to the village chief’s house.
That night passed peacefully. At dawn, when the sky was just starting to brighten, 孟瑜 was shaken awake.
She was already used to sharing the room with someone, rubbed her eyes, and complained in a sleepy, soft voice:
“What are you doing…”
Outside, it was barely light.
And then her temper started to rise.
Naturally, 周斯年 noticed her expression and directly reached out to pinch her slightly sharp little mouth.
“Hurry up. I’m taking you to town.”
After a pause, he added:
“By ox cart.”
Her eyes instantly lit up.
She slapped his hand away.
“You could’ve told me yesterday that we could take an ox cart!”
She had been disappointed for nothing.
Looking at the spot she hit, 周斯年 muttered softly:
“Ungrateful brat.”
“What did you say?”
She hadn’t heard clearly and asked again.
“Nothing. Hurry up. The ox cart leaves at five in the morning. If you’re late, you’ll really have to walk.”
She didn’t dare delay at all and quickly got up to wash up.
樊翠香 had already prepared breakfast.
Seeing her eldest daughter-in-law, and thinking of what her son had told her the night before, she ultimately swallowed her worries.
After eating, since 孟瑜 barely did any work and had a small appetite, life in the countryside made her feel like her neck had stretched from lack of proper food.
She finished eating and quietly stared at 周斯年.
She didn’t speak or urge him.
But the look in her eyes was so eager it was like she was whipping him to hurry up.
Even 周斯年, who had always been composed, had no way to deal with her. He quickly ate a few bites and took her out.
At that time, 辛红梅 had just come out and curiously asked:
“Mom, where are big brother and sister-in-law going?”
樊翠香 sighed.
“Your brother is helping your sister-in-law find a job.”
Otherwise, if she stayed idle at home, who knew what trouble she might cause.
When they arrived at the village entrance, there was indeed an ox cart already there, with a few women sitting on it chatting.
When they saw the young couple, they all looked over curiously.
孟瑜 had grown up under spotlights and was completely unfazed by such looks.
And so was 周斯年.
They got on the cart, paid the driver four cents, and waited to depart.
It was the first time for 孟瑜 riding an ox cart, and she looked around curiously, full of energy.
“She really has no class—never even been on an ox cart.”
Someone muttered contemptuously.
She looked over—and raised an eyebrow.
Oh, it was her dear second aunt.
And this woman never learned her lesson. Even after suffering losses before, she still couldn’t control her mouth.
A bright smile appeared on 孟瑜’s face.
“Good morning, Second Aunt!”
“Second Aunt, what did you just say? That I have no class? You’re actually right—I really have never ridden an ox cart before.”
Her calm admission left the woman momentarily speechless.
Did she remember wrong?
Had she not just been mocking her, but actually praising her?
樊翠香 looked confused.
But 孟瑜, with the most innocent smile, was saying the most cutting words.
“Second Aunt, since you said I haven’t seen the world, then has Sister-in-law Hongxia ever ridden an ox cart? Has she seen the world?”
The others on the cart exchanged looks and quietly waited for the show.
The second aunt stared at her in disbelief.
“Shut up! Can you stop dragging my daughter-in-law into everything!”
As an elder, she said one sentence—and this girl responded with ten.
If it were her own daughter-in-law, she would have beaten her into obedience in three days!
But 孟瑜 just tilted her head.
“Second Aunt, you don’t understand. I keep you in my heart. After all, didn’t you also keep bringing me up, making sure everyone knows I’m not presentable and haven’t even ridden an ox cart?”
A battle of words with Meng Yu?
The young lady never suffered physically—but she also never suffered verbally.
Anyone who provoked her was basically kicking an iron plate.
After speaking, she even turned to look at 周斯年.
“Am I right, Zhou Sinian?”
Dragging him into it too.
周斯年 glanced at the second aunt, then nodded.
“Yes.”
The second aunt’s face completely fell.
“Zhou Sinian! What do you mean by that? Is that something a junior should say?”
So many people were on the cart, and yet this nephew showed her no respect at all!
But 周斯年 was not someone who could be morally pressured.
“Second Aunt, Duoyu is my wife. If you really want to lecture someone, you can get off the cart, run back home, and go lecture your own daughter-in-law.”
“As for my wife—I don’t even want to say a single harsh word to her. So on what basis are you constantly picking on her?”