Chapter 138: Chapter 140: Good News

It was just that some villagers were feeling jealous, like sour grapes, merely because Tang Zhijun was marrying a divorced woman. They thought the wedding wouldn’t be anything to write home about. But, when they saw the new motorcycle, festooned with a big red flower, used to pick up the bride, Zhang Xiangcao, they were dumbfounded. From the way she beamed in her fashionable red cotton-padded jacket, they could tell it was made of fine material. The jacket glittered under the sunlight, leaving everyone dazzled.

Zhang Xiangcao was ushered directly into the newlywed’s room. Villagers who went into the room kept expressing admiration for its quality and speculated about the cost of the furniture.

Moreover, Zhang Xiangcao—a divorcee with a child—now owned such a large courtyard. Despite her past, she was wedded anew and was now living in such a grand house.

The wedding that Tang Zhijun had thrown for his younger brother was even grander than his own. The money earned from selling herbs that year was almost entirely spent. But he didn’t mind, as he always felt that he owed his younger brother.

When Tang Zhijun got married, Sang Zhilan didn’t want to live with her brother-in-law. So, seventeen-year-old Tang Zhijun ended up living in a small hut in the field, without uttering a single complaint.

Despite his sister-in-law’s unreasonable behavior, he never lost his temper, always maintaining a good-natured nature. However, whenever his older brother was bullied, he was the first one to step up.

Now that he was married, as his older brother, no matter what, he must make sure his wedding was grand and splendid.

And indeed, it was. There were more than forty banquet tables, all serving fine food such as chicken and fish. The villagers, who came for the wedding wine, gorged themselves till their faces turned red.

As for how much money was spent, Tang Zhinian didn’t bother to calculate.

In his view, as long as he could save his younger brother’s face, no amount of money was too much to spend.

After the marriage, Tang Zhijun finally had a home. However, both families ate together. This was Zhang Xiangcao’s request, as she felt Tang Yuxin, a single man and also a farmer, couldn’t take care of her daughter alone. So, everyone ate together, which also made the house livelier.

Tang Zhijun initially disagreed—as a married man, he needed his own space.

But then he saw Tang Yuxin, who was barely taller than his waist. Finally, he swallowed his pride. Zhang Xiangcao was right. When the farm was busy, Tang Yuxin would really have nowhere to eat.

Previously, when they were busy, even their meals were prepared by Tang Yuxin, a young child.

So, for his daughter’s well-being, Tang Zhinian, as a father, finally learned to swallow his pride.

When they started planting in the field, it was troublesome, especially for the tomatoes. They needed to be combed and pollinated, and bamboo frames needed to be erected. There were only the two Tang brothers and Zhang Xiangcao, and they were so busy they wished they could sleep in the fields.

At such times, Tang Yuxin, the half-grown child, would prepare simple meals, and then carry the pot and bowls in one hand, pulling Sisi with the other hand, to deliver food to the adults in the field. Therefore, it was common to see Tang Yuxin leading a smaller child towards the field.

Tang Zhinian grew more and more satisfied with his sister-in-law. She was hard-working, could bear hardships, was good at household chores, and was caring towards his brother. Seeing her wipe off his sweat and give him water to drink, Tang Zhijun’s appearance had changed greatly since marrying.

His clothes were always clean, and everything was organized neatly. Although he was always busy with fieldwork, with scarce time to rest, his spirit seemed better each day. No matter how much work he did in a day, he never seemed tired.

As for Zhang Xiangcao, she felt hopeful about their days ahead. So, like Tang Zhijun, she didn’t mind any hardship they were enduring. They were young and could fight for a few more years. For their children and themselves, no matter how hard it was, it’s nothing big. After all, everyone had to endure hardships. People always say that going through hardships leads to greatness.

The two brothers were naturally good at farm work. Now with Zhang Xiangcao joining them, things were done even faster.

The tomatoes and cucumbers were bearing fruit and growing very well. Also, with the good fire in the stove, the vegetables in the field were thriving, and should be ready for sale before the New Year.

Something that made them even more excited was…

The town’s only vegetable wholesale market was going to move right across their village.

The outside of the village now had good transportation access, and a new road had been built. It was situated in the middle of several villages. In fact, the town had been planning to move the vegetable market over here for some time, but they had to wait for the road to be completed.

Now, with the road completed, the wholesale market could finally be moved.

The new market was being built quickly. The ground was entirely concrete, and the roof was made of green plastic tiles, so it could be built quickly. Based on the current pace, the new vegetable wholesale market should be operational before the New Year.

“Brother, this is really great,” Tang Zhijun rubbed his hands. “Once the wholesale market is built, it will be easier for us to sell our vegetables. We can sell freshly picked vegetables, which are fresh and attractive.”

In the future, they should buy a steelyard for their home. They could weigh the produce themselves. The tea at their home was so expensive, and if others weighed it, they might take more. It was more accurate to weigh it at home.

Tang Zhinian shared the same thoughts. He felt relieved.

Thank goodness he had decided to plant the vegetables.

If not, he would have missed such a good opportunity.

With the wholesale market across the road evolving day by day, and the Tang family’s field also changing daily, the tomatoes were growing bigger and cucumbers were growing well. In about a month, the cucumbers would be ready for sale. The tomatoes may take a bit longer, perhaps another half a month. Now, there were still two and a half months until the New Year, so they had a month to sell these vegetables.

Even before the Tang family’s vegetables were ready, the wholesale market across the road had already started operations. Many people came every day to buy wholesale vegetables, which gradually brought more people to the village.

Some people began considering starting businesses and restaurants.