Chapter 566: Squandering Wealth

Eating and drinking is not a problem; as long as you have money on hand, you can buy white flour from the flour mill and rice from the grain and oil shop.

Paying the public grain, however, is a big deal.

Qin Han waved his hand largely, "That’s easy, I’ll cover your share of the public grain. I’ll pay for it. After all, I can’t let you farm your land for nothing."

Qin Jiang’s wife is non-agricultural, so she doesn’t have land and doesn’t have to pay public grain.

According to the current policy, children follow the mother’s household registration.

His son Qin Jianye follows his mother’s household registration and is also non-agricultural.

In the end, of the three members of their family, only Qin Jiang needed to pay public grain.

"Alright, let’s do it like this then."

The few people chatted as they walked, occasionally greeting villagers from Qin Family Village.

Their cheerful demeanor would surely earn them compliments on their brotherly bond and promising future from anyone who saw them.

For people in the village, isn’t life all about these two things? Harmonious brothers and a prosperous life.

In the eyes of the villagers, the Qin Family truly lived these two to the fullest.

Of course, there was an exception.

Ma Suyun emerged from behind a big tree with a basket, still watching the figures in the distance.

"Suyun, heading to your mother-in-law’s again," someone saw Ma Suyun and greeted her.

Seeing her carrying a basket, they jokingly asked, "What good stuff have you got this time? Your mother-in-law really dotes on you, you know. When you give her a chubby grandson, she might even give you all her savings from her coffin fund."

Mentioning a chubby boy, Ma Suyun straightened her yet-to-show belly, trying to look pregnant, slightly lifting her chin.

"Sister-in-law, what are you saying? It’s not even New Year yet. My mom is worried I can’t manage with the pregnancy, so she fried me some snacks. It’s nothing valuable. Besides, my Da Wen is the youngest and most filial among the brothers, so it’s only right to take care of him a bit."

"Oh, who wouldn’t agree? Your Da Wen used to be a government worker, and even now in the village, he stands out. He’ll surely have a promising future one day, especially now that you’re expecting a child. Anyone would take care of you."

The words made the smile on Ma Suyun’s face even more genuine, "I don’t expect my Da Wen to become a big success. Just living a steady life with him is good. Da Wen is smart, and if we teach our child well, he will surely be well-educated. I’m hoping my son can get into college and bring me happiness."

"Yes, yes, with Da Wen’s ability, he can surely raise a college student."

Hearing this, the fire stifling Ma Suyun’s chest suddenly dissipated completely.

She gave a glance of appreciation, for having a keen eye, lifted her basket proudly, and walked away.

But she didn’t notice that after she turned around, the other person’s expression also changed, from a smile to disdain, almost spitting on the ground.

Muttering quietly, "What’s with that, really thinking she’s something special? Anyone can have kids; I’ve had two already and haven’t been fussing about it, yet she’s constantly talking about having a son. I think she’s obsessed with having a son. Even if they have a son, with your Qin Wen, he’d probably turn out to be a scoundrel, pfft."

Ma Suyun naturally couldn’t hear these words and went home happily, but the sight of Qin Wen lying on the kang sobered her mood instantly.

Other men were all rising up; even Qin Jiang, whom she once looked down on, had become the director of the chicken farm. Only her Qin Wen had lost a good job because of those people.

"Don’t sleep anymore. Didn’t you say we’d set up some greenhouses to grow strawberries? I just asked mom; Qin Han earned a lot selling those two strawberry greenhouses. I heard last year’s strawberries fetched two yuan per catty."

Qin Jiang sat up in a flash upon hearing this, "Two yuan per catty? Did mom hear it wrong?"

"How could she hear wrong? I asked specially. Earlier, the strawberries were one yuan fifty per catty, and as the New Year approached, the price increased. I heard a single picking could earn hundreds. When transported, they were wrapped in quilts, just like wrapping a golden nugget. My goodness, two yuan per catty, more expensive than meat. I don’t know what kind of people could afford such pricey strawberries. It’s really extravagant."

Recollecting the recent scene, Ma Suyun continued, "When I was coming back, I saw the second family along with Lin Chuxia merrily heading east with your second brother. I heard the village cadres are over at the wholesale market today. That bunch is quite popular in the village. Your second brother too, probably can’t even tell who his real brothers are. He seems closer to those two than to you. This is exactly it; when you have money, even those who aren’t related stick around, while the penniless ones are ignored by their real brothers. We need to hurry and set up our greenhouse. Once we harvest strawberries, we’ll have money in hand. Let’s see who dares to look down on us then."

Qin Wen scratched his head in frustration, "Easy for you to say. Where do we have money now? You asked how much Qin Han sold the strawberries for, but didn’t inquire about the cost of a greenhouse. All the money I earned over these years was spent on your medication. Where am I supposed to get money for the greenhouse?"

These words weren’t pleasant for Ma Suyun, "It’s not like the medicine was just for me alone. The doctor said the problem mostly lies with you. If you had agreed to see the doctor earlier, we wouldn’t have wasted so much money."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Qin Wen’s temper flared, "Who said the problem is with me? Clearly, you’re the useless one. I took the medication just to soothe you. If I weren’t sympathetic, I could have divorced you and married someone else; maybe she would have had kids right away. Mind your foul mouth. Don’t spout this nonsense outside."

Huddled by Qin Wen’s shout, Ma Suyun recoiled slightly. This had been Qin Wen’s attitude since the doctor suggested he get checked.

Despite the facts, he remains like this.

But Ma Suyun knows this man has a strong ego. Now that there’s a child on the way, she doesn’t want to agitate him over this issue.

So she changed the topic, "Why don’t you borrow some money from elder brother? I heard from mom that elder brother’s watermelon sales were good. His son Jianjun works in the city and probably has saved a lot of money."

Qin Wen thought for a moment and nodded, "Hmm, I’ll talk to elder brother about it during the New Year."

...............

When Lin Chuxia and the others arrived at the office of the vegetable wholesale market on the east side of the village, most people were already there.

From afar, the room was filled with lively chatter.

For today’s gathering, the village chief invited a well-known chef from the village to cook, and the village chief’s wife, along with the security director’s wife and the accountant’s wife, came to assist.

Steaming buns, stewing meat, the whole courtyard was filled with a fragrant aroma.

The room was also heated warmly. As soon as you walked in, you felt the warmth, both from the heat and the lively atmosphere, which made people feel cozy.