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Chapter 163: A Husband-Prospering Destiny
Chapter 163: A Husband-Prospering Destiny
Naye Village.
After finishing breakfast, Zhang Xiuping, with nothing much to do, decided to visit her close friend, Ou Guohua, carrying two large bunches of lychees that her father-in-law had picked the day before. She waddled over, her belly protruding.
It was the sixth month of the lunar calendar, and the lychees in Bobai County were entering their peak ripening period. Although lychee trees were not as abundant in Naye Village during this era, there were still a few. They just couldn't compare to the numbers in the future.
The Deng family, aside from the thousand Guiwei lychee trees on Lychee Mountain, also had one lychee tree that Zhang's grandfather had planted in his youth. After nearly a century of growth, this tree, grown from a single lychee seed, had become a towering giant. Every year, when it bore fruit, the entire lychee season would be filled with lychees for the family. With such a large tree, the yield could range from a thousand pounds in good years to several hundred pounds in lean years. They definitely couldn't finish all of it themselves, so they often gave lychees to their relatives.
Unfortunately, the old lychee tree had long passed its prime and no longer bore fruit every year.
The two houses were not far apart, so Zhang Xiuping quickly arrived at her friend's place.
Ou Guohua was sweeping the floor when she saw Zhang Xiuping approaching with the lychees. She immediately set down her broom, took the lychees with a grin, and quickly peeled one to pop into her mouth. As she chewed, she said, "Sister Ping, you sure have a comfortable life!"
She had been married for about half a month and was still in the adjustment period with her in-laws and older brother and sister-in-law. As a new bride, she had to put in extra effort, so she hadn't had much time to chat with her close friend.
Zhang Xiuping smiled and said, "Don't envy me. I heard from Brother Tai that your husband, Ah Yuan, successfully made a standard large vat a few days ago. All he needs now is some more practice. Once he can consistently produce standard vats, he'll become a master vat craftsman, and your life will be just as good."
Ou Guohua couldn't help but laugh. She was quite satisfied with this. After she married into the family, it seemed as if Ah Yuan had suddenly gained insight. It didn't take long for him to master the key techniques of vat-making and successfully produce a standard large vat.
This proved that she, Ou Guohua, had a husband-prospering destiny.
Just as they started chatting, Deng Changyuan's older sister-in-law came out with a bucket of clothes. Seeing Zhang Xiuping, she greeted her with a smile, "Aunt Tai!"
Zhang Xiuping also greeted her with a smile, "Sister-in-law, have some lychees."
Ou Guohua handed over one of the bunches.
The older sister-in-law picked a few and said, "Aunt Tai, Sister Guohua, you two chat. I'll go wash these clothes."
After a few more pleasantries, the older sister-in-law carried the bucket to the river. In this era, there was no tap water in the countryside, and it was impossible to carry water from the well to wash clothes. So, the village women would take their clothes to the river to wash them.
Seeing the older sister-in-law walk away, Zhang Xiuping asked, "Guohua, how are you getting along with your sister-in-law?"
Ou Guohua pondered for a moment and replied, "So far, it's been okay. We get along on the surface, but we need more time to really know each other."
Zhang Xiuping advised, "You live in the same house and see each other every day. Even if you don't get along well, you have to maintain a good surface relationship."
"I know. Right now, the most annoying part of being married is dealing with these relationships."
Ou Guohua peeled another lychee and popped it into her mouth, munching it as she spoke, "Sister Ping, when you mention this, I can't help but envy you!"
Zhang Xiuping laughed, "What's there to envy? You're just not used to being newly married. Give it some time, and once everyone gets to know you better, things will get better!"
"I hope so!"
With that, Ou Guohua changed the subject, "Sister Ping, the college entrance exams are over. Has Uncle Yunheng returned yet?"
Zhang Xiuping replied, "He should be back soon!"
Ou Guohua said, "Uncle Yunheng has always been such a good student. He should have no problem getting into college. It looks like your family will produce the village's first college graduate!"
In front of her childhood friend, Zhang Xiuping didn't hold back. She nodded and smiled, "You're right. If nothing goes wrong, my little uncle will indeed be the village's first college graduate. I just wonder if he'll be satisfied with a regular college."
Ou Guohua’s eyes widened, "Sister Ping, are you kidding me? Just being accepted into college is a huge honor. How can anyone not be satisfied? Besides, what's a regular college? Aren't all colleges pretty much the same?"
It wasn't her fault for lacking knowledge. In this era, let alone in the future, many uneducated villagers had no idea which universities were good and which were not.
A famous example from the future was a village where a wealthy but uneducated man’s son got accepted into a mediocre college in Beijing. When he saw the words "Beijing" on the acceptance letter, he thought it was an incredibly prestigious university. Proud of his son's achievement, he threw a grand celebration, setting up dozens of tables, making more of a fuss than if his son had been accepted into Tsinghua or Peking University.
Naturally, it became a laughingstock in the village. While people might not say anything to his face, the gossip behind his back was inevitable.
Zhang Xiuping laughed, "There are so many universities in the country. Some are better, and some are not as good. But being 'not as good' doesn't mean they're bad; they just have a bit more to improve compared to the best ones. My little uncle has high standards. He might not be satisfied with anything less than the top few universities in the country."
Ou Guohua was utterly amazed, "Oh my, people who are good at studying are truly impressive. If it were someone else, they'd be over the moon just to get into college. Who would be so picky?"
Zhang Xiuping agreed, "That's true. People who excel in their studies have different goals. For most, just getting into college, let alone a vocational school, would be a huge cause for celebration."
Ou Guohua nodded in agreement.
They chatted about this for a while. Then, looking at the sky, Ou Guohua said, "Sister Ping, I can't chat anymore. I need to wash some clothes. After I'm done, I still have other things to do. I'll come find you later when I'm free!"
Zhang Xiuping nodded, "Sure, go ahead and take care of your chores. I'll walk around the village."
With that, she strolled around the village, her belly protruding.
Once her friend had walked away, Ou Guohua peeled a few more lychees and ate them before putting the remaining fruit back inside. She then quickly swept the floor clean and carried a bucket of clothes toward the river. Since they hadn't separated households yet, she, as the new daughter-in-law, couldn't afford to be lazy. She had to do her share of the work to avoid any gossip from her in-laws or her older brother and sister-in-law.
(End of Chapter)
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