Chapter 222

Mother Hu really couldn’t accept such flattery.

Obedient, filial, and capable—all attributes useful to others, especially when directed towards a potential mother-in-law, hinting that the daughter could work hard. This wasn’t praising her daughter; it was more like advertising goods for sale.

Qin Yilin, with her round face full of smiles, casually chimed in, “Oh? Then why isn’t she married yet?”

Aunt Zhang choked on her words, wanting to glare but not daring to.

Since the Ding family had provided medicinal herbs to cure illnesses, their status in the village had become more respected. After all, who doesn’t get sick from time to time?

One shouldn’t offend healers. Although the Ding couple weren’t doctors, they knew medicinal herbs and medical principles, which was as good as having a doctor for those who couldn’t afford one.

Zhang Chunhua saw her mother sweating with anxiety, not knowing how to respond. She swallowed and shyly said, “It’s just that my parents can’t bear to let me go, wanting to keep me for a few more years.”

Aunt Zhang’s eyes lit up, and she quickly echoed, “Yes, yes, Chunhua is so good. Once she marries, she’ll belong to someone else. How could we bear that?”

Qin Yilin laughed lightly, “Belong to someone else? Chunhua, your parents probably keep you to avoid you suffering elsewhere or to help out at home, right?”

Being a daughter-in-law was never as good as being a daughter, but that was only if the parents were good. Given the Zhang family’s situation, being a daughter wouldn’t be much better either.

Hearing this, Zhang Chunhua’s face turned ugly, and she glared at Qin Yilin.

Her parents might not treat her well, but outsiders shouldn’t comment on it.

Qin Yilin acted as if she hadn’t noticed, still smiling good-naturedly.

Aunt Zhang turned to Hu’s mother, chatting about various topics, just about to mention Hu Wenhua when there was another knock on the door.

She grumbled in dissatisfaction, “Who would come in this heat?” interrupting her business.

Zhang Chunhua was also unhappy, mainly because her mother hadn’t gotten to the point yet, and now someone else was here, making it harder to speak.

Shuiqing was curious too, wondering who it could be.

Before long, Li Dani brought in a group of women.

Wang Guifen led the way, smiling as she said, “We finished the housework and didn’t have much to do in this heat, so we thought we’d come and chat with you.”

“Your place is big, clean, bright, and comfortable. We thought we’d all come here to chat for a bit. We’re not bothering you, are we?” Aunt Li, seeing the people in the dining room, paused before asking Shuiqing.

The other women were also surprised to see Sun Jinhua and Aunt Zhang, two families usually at odds with Shuiqing, here at the same time, not knowing what was going on.

“It’s no bother at all, just chatting. Come, sit!” Hu’s mother, tired from chatting with Aunt Zhang, welcomed them warmly like seeing reinforcements.

Everyone sat down casually on the nearest stools.

Aunt Zhang and Zhang Xiaocao picked chairs farther from Aunt Zhang and Zhang Chunhua.

Second Aunt Zhang and Aunt Zhang were sisters-in-law, but since their husbands were unreliable, the women didn’t get along well either.

Aunt Zhang rolled her eyes, while Zhang Chunhua watched her cousin Zhang Xiaocao with a sense of crisis, suspecting they had the same idea as her family today.

Wang Guifen and the group didn’t come over just to chat in the heat, but with the unexpected company, they had to shelve their original topic. She picked a suitable one, “I wonder where the men delivering potatoes are now?”

Sun Jinhua’s two sons were among those earning money, so she wasn’t envious. Aunt Zhang’s family didn’t participate because Zhang Tuzi was too lazy to pull a cart in the heat, and Zhang Xiaogou was too young to handle it, which wasn’t anyone else’s fault.

Upon hearing about the potato delivery, the women started talking, “I wonder if the roads are okay? I heard there was a lot of water on the way to the provincial capital, and the roads were full of potholes where wheels could get stuck.”

“This time it should be fine. Three men to a cart, if it gets stuck, the other two can help lift it out.”

“The carts are heavy and hard to lift, but if it’s just labor, it’s not too bad. The real worry is the refugees turning into vagrants!”

“Yes, yes, my husband said that when he went to the provincial city, there were a lot of them! Each one of them was staring at them, looking quite frightening.”

Zhang Chunhua, listening anxiously on the side, didn’t care about these things because no one in her family was involved in transporting potatoes.

She turned her head to look at Hu’s mother but found that she was listening very attentively, with a worried expression on her face.

Suddenly, she remembered that Butcher Hu and Hu Wenhua were also on the road!

She had to suppress her anxiety and listened with a worried face, just like the others.

The dining hall was lively with many people. Ding Jiajia and Li Dani, along with three others, also came over to listen.

Hearing about the refugees, Zhou Yu said, “You in Guangning Prefecture are relatively better off. Over in our Nanning Prefecture, the situation is much worse. The provincial city is almost overcrowded, and it’s said that the wealthy families in the city are preparing to head north to avoid the disaster.”

A group of women, led by Li Dani, had always lived in the village and hadn’t been out much since the flood. They only knew about the outside world from the men who went out. Hearing Zhou Yu’s words, they asked in confusion, “Has your provincial city also been hit by the disaster?”

The provincial city is usually in the best location and rarely suffers from disasters.

If the provincial city was also affected, wouldn’t the entire Nanning Prefecture be flooded?

Zhou Yu patiently explained, “No, the provincial city is fine, but the surrounding villages have been severely affected. Many people died or lost everything, and those who survived have no choice but to go to the provincial city.

With so many hungry people, families in the provincial city are afraid of being robbed. The poor have nowhere to go, but those wealthy families have food, money, servants, and even carriages. They also have houses up north, so they are leaving.”

The people in the room sighed. The wealthy always have it easier, even in times of disaster. At least they can leave if they want to.

Something flashed in Shuiqing’s mind.

She quickly grasped it and looked up, asking, “If those wealthy families and rich households have left, who will the gathered refugees rob when they have nothing to eat?”

The women in the room were stunned for a moment and then asked dumbly, “Shouldn’t they rob the poor families?”

“But it’s useless to rob them. Those families can barely feed themselves, what could they get?”

Gulp.

Someone swallowed hard in shock.

“Our village has always been known for its poverty. They shouldn’t come to our village, right?”

“It has nothing to do with the past. The refugees might find our village while wandering around. Think about it, how many villages were not destroyed by the flood? They would target such villages as fat sheep to slaughter!”