Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 622 - 622 623 An Oversight Without Malice_1

Chapter 622: Chapter 623: An Oversight Without Malice_1 Chapter 622: Chapter 623: An Oversight Without Malice_1 Qiao Lianhua was already eighteen and yet remained unmarried. Too proud to settle for less, she had dragged on for these years without settling on a suitable match.

She held herself in high regard, unwilling to be a mere village wife; her heart was set on marrying up, ideally surpassing Qiao Muniang. Blind to her own worth, she had procrastinated until now. And still, she was desperately eager to marry, but there seemed to be no eligible suitors. At this moment, overhearing Muniang discussing Zhao Jiangshui with Madam Liu, she perked up—what she heard sounded rather promising!

Suddenly, there was a disturbance from inside the house; it was Qiao Yuanming’s voice, “Then I’ll head to Tupo Village right now to see just how seriously ill mother is.”

Upon hearing this, the mother and daughter were startled and hastily fled in panic.

Once outside the Qiao family compound, Qiao Lianhua excitedly tugged at Mrs. Ji’s sleeve, “Mother, did you hear that just now? To think there is such a good family! If I could marry into it, wouldn’t that be perfect!”

Mrs. Ji was also overjoyed, the family’s wealth and status aside, the fact that her brother was a sixteen-year-old Mr. Scholar, meant he was almost certain to take office someday! Once their household name shone in glory, not only would her daughter bask in honor, but she herself would also share in the blessings!

“I do think it indeed seems very suitable, yet that wretched little thing, Qiao Muniang, didn’t even consider you. You are her sister after all—doesn’t water flow towards its own field first!” raged Mrs. Ji.

“What’s the use of expecting anything from that ungrateful beast? Has she ever thought of us with all the money she makes? She’s nothing but heartless!” Qiao Lianhua joined in cursing.

The mother and daughter continued to hurl insults, one calling her a heartless beast, the other a white-eyed wolf, completely forgetting their own attitudes when Muniang had fallen on hard times.

“But I did hear Qiao Muniang mention some ‘elder brother’. Where would she get an elder brother from?” Qiao Lianhua suddenly asked.

Mrs. Ji huffed coldly, “Who knows? But the point is their conditions are good, and if we can secure this marriage for you, our family would surely rise to wealth and prominence.”

Qiao Lianhua voiced her concerns, “But Qiao Muniang will definitely not want to help us make the connection. This…”

“As if we can’t live without her?! I refuse to believe it! Let’s just wait and see!” Mrs. Ji declared resolutely and then hurriedly pulled Qiao Lianhua onto a donkey cart to rush back to the village, determined to get there before Qiao Yuanming and corner him for a sure amount of money.

Watching Qiao Yuanming leave, Madam Liu remained concerned and sighed heavily, “He has always been filial. Even though his parents do not care for him at all, I fear he will be taken advantage of when he returns this time.”

“Enough, your third uncle only brought thirty taels of silver with him; even if he gives it all away, it’s fine. We can’t avoid the Qiao family’s troubles, and you shouldn’t let these matters trouble you anymore. Doing your duty by showing filial piety is also good for the futures of the boys at home,” came the reply.

Madam Liu nodded, “That’s what worries me the most; I can’t let their futures be ruined.”

When Qiao Yuanming arrived in the village, the villagers quickly gathered around him, “Qiao Laosan, you’re finally back. Your family has been causing a huge uproar. If you don’t return soon, your parents will be harassed to death by your elder brother and his wife!”

Startled by their words, Qiao Yuanming responded at once, “My elder brother and his wife? What happened with them?”

“You don’t know? It was Qiao Yuanshan’s family that infuriated your mother, causing her to cough up blood. If you don’t return, I’m afraid the old couple won’t last much longer!”

Qiao Yuanming originally only heard from Mrs. Ji that his mother had fallen ill and taken to bed, but how could he have imagined it was actually the quarreling couple from the main room who upset her? It was outrageous that she even dared to point at his wife, cursing her as ungrateful and treacherous, when clearly she was the one who made his mother sick! If anyone could be called heartless and vicious, who could surpass her?

Even the usually mild-mannered Qiao Yuanming was infuriated now. How could there be such shameless people!

Qiao Yuanming did not dare to delay and rushed home immediately. The house was bustling, with people crowding around the doorway, inside and out. Doctor Chen had already been seeing Madam Zhao. Even if the people from the main room were heartless, the villagers could not just stand by and let her die, so naturally, they had called for a doctor early on.

Seeing Madam Zhao on the bed, gaunt and with a withered appearance, Qiao Yuanming could not help feeling a harsh pang in his chest. Although she had never been very kind to him, favoring his older brother since they were children, he still couldn’t neglect her. After all, she was his mother.

Qiao Yuanming also brought a doctor from town this time and hastily treated Madam Zhao, saving her life.

Just as Madam Zhao’s condition had stabilized, people from the main room arrived.

“What’s with all the commotion at the door? Can’t a person get some peace to be treated? What kind of people are these, hurry up and go away!” Mrs. Ji did not forget to chase away the onlookers first.

The villagers had no kind looks for her, scolding her a few times before dispersing.

“Oh, Mother’s illness is better now? That’s good. The doctor the third brother invited seems quite competent,” Qiao Yuanshan said with a chuckle upon entering.

Old Mr. Qiao raised his walking stick, intending to swing it at him, but alas, he was old and not so agile. Qiao Yuanshan, faster than a monkey, easily dodged, and Old Mr. Qiao naturally missed.

“Unfilial son! How dare you show your face here!” Old Mr. Qiao roared.

“What are you saying, Father? Why can’t I come? Am I not concerned about Mother as well? It was my daughter-in-law who found the third brother!”

“Ah, yes, third brother, come here quickly. I need to talk to you about Mother’s illness,” Qiao Yuanshan did not bother with Old Mr. Qiao any further and directly pulled Qiao Yuanming to the courtyard.

Qiao Yuanming did not look pleased, “Big brother, she is our own mother. How could you treat her like this? Look what you’ve made her become!”

“Ah, that was just an accident. She’s my own mother. How could I be heartless?” said Qiao Yuanshan, speaking as if he took a solemn oath, and Qiao Yuanming almost believed him.

“It was unintentional?”

“Yeah, it was all because of that awful wife of mine! She was the cause of the upset. I beat her up on the spot. Mother has always cherished me the most since childhood, how could I lack even a shred of conscience? When Mother fell ill this time, I was more anxious than anyone. I inquired around and was told that only the best ginseng could nurse Mother back to health, so I went up the mountain alone, hoping to try my luck at finding some ginseng to treat Mother. I didn’t find any ginseng, but I got attacked by a wild beast. Look at this wound. It hasn’t fully healed even now!”

As Qiao Yuanshan spoke, he rolled up his sleeve to show him the wrapped injury. In reality, it was a wound he got from causing trouble outside and getting slashed by someone,

but Qiao Yuanming was easily deceived, immediately responding, “Big brother, how could you take such a dangerous risk?”