Chapter 25: The Principal Speaks

Cough cough—

Hua Youcai deliberately coughed loudly to alert those gossiping inside before opening the door and entering.

“Everyone’s here! Brother Wang, your life is getting better and better!”

“Hahaha, my son is filial, so I’ll just take it.”

No matter who came, Uncle Wang would repeat this without getting annoyed.

He detailed how much the TV cost, its size, and how his son insisted on buying it…

“What were you all chatting about just now? Continue.”

Everyone…

“Hehe, nothing much.”

Aunt Zhao, shook her head like a rattle, but her grandson didn’t cooperate.

“Grandma, didn’t you just say that the girl from Old Hua’s family is unlucky?”

“You little rascal, why can’t you remember your lessons?”

Hahaha, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

“So you were talking about our Old Hua family’s business. Let the old man tell you all about it…”

Hearing that Hua Youcai, the principal, was going to talk about his own affairs, everyone’s eyes widened like copper bells, their ears perked up, afraid of missing anything.

“You’ve all seen my daughter, right? Her looks go without saying; in the ten miles and eight villages, she’s the prettiest…”

“Not only is she pretty, but she also has a good personality, a very good temper.”

“She’s also diligent and never idle at home. She keeps the house spotless, and her needlework is even better than a sewing machine.”

“And her cooking! Even if it’s just cabbage, radish, and salted vegetable lumps, you can’t get enough of it.”

…

Hua Youcai seized this opportunity, boasting to the heavens.

Her beauty wasn’t an exaggeration.

Hua Yuanyuan rarely went out, staying home most of the time, but many people saw her at the mountain fair.

She had a fair complexion, bright eyes, and a beautiful smile.

After praising his daughter, he cursed the scoundrel Wang Changjiang.

“That damn thing, he was blind back then, causing my daughter to marry such a scoundrel…”

“Five years! Five whole years. He left a few days after the wedding and hasn’t returned home in five years.”

“My daughter worked like a dog for the Wang family, while he was out there getting promoted and making a fortune, and we didn’t even know.”

“Now, he sends a letter back saying he wants a divorce.”

“Isn’t he a scoundrel? If you don’t want to be with my daughter, you should have said so earlier.”

“It’s not like I’m clinging to him, Wang Changjiang…”

Wang Changjiang had been in the army for five years, never returning home for family visits, and kept his promotions and advancements a secret from his hometown.

Even his wife didn’t know, neither did the Hua family.

Is this something a normal person would do?

Even if it was an arranged marriage without feelings and he didn’t want to continue, that’s understandable.

But couldn’t he have said so earlier, instead of wasting the girl’s time?

Wang Changjiang’s actions were despicable.

He was handsome and talented, a modern-day Chen Shimei (a historical figure known for abandoning his wife).

Even such a beautiful woman like Hua’s daughter was abandoned, so what does that mean?

It means he climbed a higher branch.

Women are realistic when choosing a husband, and the same goes for men.

Frankly, people are realistic; life isn’t easy for anyone.

Who doesn’t want an easier life?

When Hua Youcai left the store, his mouth was dry, his throat was smoking, but his heart was incredibly relieved.

Wang Changjiang was a bastard, but it wasn’t Hua Youcai who said it first.

Hua Youcai single-handedly shattered the dreams of the village girls.

Any girl with aspirations would be warned by others.

“That Captain Wang is no good. He’s heartless, he wasted five years of Old Hua’s daughter…”

“Forget about him, given our family’s circumstances.”

…

The news reached Li Chunlan and the others.

Some villagers questioned the story, saying they couldn’t just believe Old Hua’s words.

Whenever someone tried to speak up for Wang Changjiang, they were met with facts and reason.

Did Captain Wang really not go home for five years?

This could be easily verified.

Leaving his wife in the village, ignoring her for five years without visiting, was truly despicable.

Upon further investigation, it turned out Hua Yuanyuan had caused a commotion in the army, around the time of the divorce.

After analyzing the situation, everyone concluded that Old Hua’s story was mostly true.

Hua Youcai didn’t hide this from his children, preparing them so they wouldn’t be surprised when they heard about it outside.

Yuanyuan’s mind was on her vegetable business, so she just hummed and hawed in response to her father.

She didn’t care what outsiders said.

On the third morning, after breakfast, Hua Youcai entered the greenhouse and noticed something different.

He knelt down to examine it carefully; the seeds had sprouted!

“Daughter, son, come and look!”

He shouted at the top of his lungs, wondering if his old eyes were deceiving him.

His loud voice startled Hua Yuanyuan, who thought something had happened.

They were cleaning up the dishes when they dropped everything and ran out.

“Dad, what’s wrong?”

“Come and see, have the seeds sprouted?”

…

The three of them half-squatted, their heads almost touching the ground.

“They’ve sprouted!”

“They really have!”

After getting confirmation from his children, the wrinkles on Hua Youcai’s face deepened.

“Dad, is this considered half a success?”

“Daughter, we’ve succeeded.”

“Dad, I have something to say.”

The first step was successful, it was time to move on.

“Daughter, I also have something to say to you.”

“Dad, you go first.”

“Alright, the seeds are planted and have sprouted. Your dad and Xiao Fang want to go out and find some work.”

“Hauling goods?”

“Yes.”

“Dad, wait a little longer. Since the greenhouse can really grow vegetables, I want to plant more…”

Hua Yuanyuan had no choice; the yield from her space was too high, and the vegetables in the yard could only produce so much.

She needed to expand the scale so she could slowly transport the vegetables from her space without being discovered.

Hua Youcai’s legs were numb from squatting, and his daughter still hadn’t finished.

So, the three of them moved to the house to continue their conversation.

Hua Fangfang watched her sister’s mouth moving non-stop, she could really talk…

Hua Yuanyuan’s idea was to plant more greenhouses.

They had done an experiment in their yard, and now that the seeds had sprouted, they could expand.

She wanted her father to ask around the village if they could rent land to build more greenhouses.

The number of greenhouses would depend on the money Hua Yuanyuan had on hand.

…

After a long time, her father still hadn’t spoken, and Hua Yuanyuan felt a little uneasy.

She started thinking about her strategy; what if her father didn’t agree?

Should she just give up or try to persuade him?

Before she could decide, Hua Youcai spoke.

“Daughter, I can only try my best, I can’t guarantee I’ll succeed.”

“Dad, you agree?”

Hua Yuanyuan smiled like a little fox.

“I agree, do whatever you want, daughter.”

“Dad, Xiao Fang, don’t worry, nothing will go wrong, trust me.”

“Don’t worry, you forgot, your dad’s luck is always good.”

“Sister, I believe in you.”

In Hua Fangfang’s eyes, her sister was amazing, even more amazing than their father.

While Hua Youcai was at the store asking Uncle Wang for information, Hua Yuanyuan was restless, unsure if her plan would work.