Cui Hongyu walked out of the house with a relaxed expression, pulling Qiu Mei’s hand. She nodded emphatically, “The two elders have agreed. I’ve come to ask for your opinion.”
Qiu Mei’s cheeks flushed as she looked at Cui Hongyu, “Then I’ll have to trouble you, sister.”
Returning to her own home, Cui Hongyu didn’t rush to find Chen Dachun. Instead, she sat down to calm herself for a moment.
She would have to wait for Chen Xiaobei to return and see what he had to say about this matter.
She waited until the sun was setting, and Chen Xiaobei finally returned. However, seeing the troubled expression on his face, Cui Hongyu couldn’t help but worry. She stepped forward, took the horse’s reins, tied the horse to the gate, and helped Chen Xiaobei into the courtyard.
“Husband, did things not go smoothly? Why do you look so worried?”
“Alas, it’s not that it didn’t go smoothly, but they only found one of the two teachers. Fang Jun has agreed to be a teacher, but we still need one more.”
Chen Xiaobei recounted his visit to Princess Zhaoning. After listening to him, Cui Hongyu nodded.
“The princess makes a good point. Miss Liu would definitely be qualified.”
“However, it will take some time for the princess to come. I’ll see if I can fill in for now, starting tomorrow.”
Chen Xiaobei thought for a moment and nodded, “I think you can fill in for now. We’ll discuss it further once we find a suitable person.”
After discussing this matter, Cui Hongyu changed the subject, “By the way, about what you mentioned this afternoon, I tested the attitude of Dong Qiumei and the elders at home.”
“The two elders also know that it’s only a matter of time before Qiu Mei leaves. They can accept this marriage.”
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei nodded. This was beyond his expectations.
In this feudal society, chastity was highly valued. Remarrying so soon after her husband’s death would require courage from Qiu Mei, and even more courage from Li Dong’s parents to accept it.
The fact that the two elders could face this calmly indicated that they were kind-hearted people. Su Dan Novel Network
“I’ll go talk to Dachun later. He’ll have to treat Li Dong’s parents well from now on. The elders needed great courage to accept Qiu Mei leaving.”
Cui Hongyu also nodded in agreement, “Yes, Dachun must treat them well, otherwise he’ll be letting Brother Li Dong down.”
After a hasty dinner, Chen Xiaobei went to Li Dong’s home.
Old Man Chen quickly got up to greet him when he saw Chen Xiaobei arrive.
“Xiaobei, please sit down.”
After Chen Xiaobei sat down, Dong Mei served him a glass of water and then tactfully left.
Old Man Chen looked at Chen Xiaobei, pointed in the direction Qiu Mei had left, and said in a hushed voice, “Xiaobei, you’ve come for her, haven’t you?”
Chen Xiaobei nodded, “Yes, Hongyu just told me about it.”
“This is what I was thinking. Since you are willing to accept Dachun, why not have Dachun come over to kowtow to you two and recognize you as adoptive parents? That would make future interactions more convenient.”
Upon hearing this, Old Man Chen was first stunned, then became emotional, his hands trembling slightly, “Really? If that’s the case, will Dachun agree? This…”
Chen Xiaobei gently patted Old Man Chen’s arm and softly comforted him, “Don’t get too excited. If you’re willing, I’ll talk to Dachun. From now on, he’ll be responsible for taking care of you two in your old age.”
Old Man Chen raised his hand to wipe away the tears from the corner of his eyes, “I’ll leave it all to you.”
“Alright, I’ll go talk to Dachun now!” Chen Xiaobei stood up and left. Watching him go, Old Man Chen raised his head and murmured to himself, “Li Dong, Li Dong, don’t blame your father for being heartless and letting Qiu Mei marry so early. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Since her heart is no longer here, I’ll accept it as long as someone can take care of us in our old age.”
At this time, Chen Xiaobei had already arrived at Chen Dachun’s house. Seeing Chen Xiaobei, Chen Dachun probably knew why he was there.
It was evident that this matter had already been discussed in their household, so his second aunt, Xiu Mei, calmly invited Chen Xiaobei to sit down and served him a plate of dried fruits.
Chen Xiaobei looked at Cui Hua, hesitant to speak. Chen Dachun said frankly, “Brother Xiaobei, you can speak directly. There’s no need to hold back in my home. We’ll know everything sooner or later.”
Alright, since it had come to this, Chen Xiaobei no longer hesitated. He went straight to the point, “I just came from Li Dong’s house.”
“Li Dong’s parents are both open-minded people. They are willing to let Qiu Mei come over. We must not forget this kindness.”
At this, even Xiu Mei, who was standing nearby, nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes. Don’t worry, from now on, they will be like my own brother and sister-in-law, and I will visit them often.”
Chen Xiaobei didn’t respond directly but looked at Chen Dachun and said, “This is what I think: why don’t you officially recognize them as adoptive parents? That way, future interactions will be proper and aboveboard.”
“Great, that’s a good idea!” Chen Dachun couldn’t help but slap the table. Cui Hua, seeing this, quietly got up and went into the inner room.
Chen Xiaobei understood. When it came to such topics, Cui Hua was naturally the most upset.
Of course, the difficult days might still be ahead. Thinking of this, Chen Xiaobei gestured towards Cui Hua’s retreating back and said, “Second Aunt, I know you want grandchildren, but we cannot forget our roots.”
Xiu Mei certainly understood Chen Xiaobei’s meaning and nodded repeatedly, “I understand, I understand. Don’t worry.”
“Even after Qiu Mei enters my home, I will never wrong Cui Hua in the slightest!”
Chen Dachun also quickly nodded, “Yes, yes. Please be assured, I promise to treat them equally.”
Although Chen Xiaobei understood that treating them equally was impossible, at least on the surface, things had to be handled appropriately. After all, he was currently the village head. If things got too out of hand, it would be difficult for him to manage things, especially since he was the one facilitating this marriage.
Upon returning home, Chen Xiaobei shared his concerns with Cui Hongyu. After listening, Cui Hongyu gave him a gentle hug, “Husband, as the saying goes, do your best and leave the rest to fate. We have done what we can. The rest is beyond our control.”
Indeed, after hearing this, Chen Xiaobei couldn’t help but sigh softly. Cui Hongyu was right. He had done his best, and this matter had to be put behind them. There were more important things waiting for him tomorrow.
The next day, Chen Xiaobei woke up early. He had already discussed with Chen Dayong that the cabbages in the fields needed to be harvested starting today. To be on the safe side, they would harvest a hundred cabbages today and take them to the county town to check the market prices.
Of course, a hundred cabbages didn’t require a large labor force. Just bringing along two village guards would be enough.
As for selling the goods in town, Chen Xiaobei would have to do it himself. This way, he could get firsthand data.