Chapter 69 - 068 Zhong Liangcai
Before Tian Sisi could speak up, Granny Zhao did, "Zhong Liangcai, what do you mean by this? You come to the doorstep of the Tian Family to discipline your daughter? Is this teaching your daughter a lesson or showing a face to the Tian Family?"
Zhong Liangcai’s complexion changed, and he paused with the wooden stick in his hand, and with a forced smile said, "Auntie of the Tian Family, how dare I come to make a display in front of the Tian Family? It’s just that this little beast has driven me mad. Sorry, so sorry, Auntie of the Tian Family, don’t be angry."
Zhong Liangcai was somewhat thin and small in stature, not only unlike his brother Zhong Shancai in character but also in appearance. Zhong Shancai was tall and burly, honest and simple, while Zhong Liangcai was crafty and malicious, which made him not so popular in Yuequan Village. His wife, Wang Yueyue, was the same, needing to rush home even just to pee. Speaking of which, there’s a story about her.
Although Wang Yueyue was quite good-looking, as the saying goes, the daughter takes after the mother; Zhong Yuying later became a very successful mistress, so surely her looks weren’t bad. Hence, Wang Yueyue was somewhat of a beauty too. However, she was rather thin and small—according to the rural standards, no matter how pretty your face is, if you’re not broad-shouldered and plump-bottomed, you’re not considered a good girl; no one would want to marry you. In the countryside, taking a wife also meant bringing in half a worker, and a pretty face can’t be eaten as food. Besides, once the lamp is blown out at night and it’s pitch dark, don’t all women look the same? It’s better to have a robust one to hold—it’s more comfortable!
Therefore, despite Wang Yueyue’s flower-like appearance, no one was willing to take her. Later, someone introduced her to Zhong Liangcai, who was also struggling to find a wife because of his thin body, so the two of them ended up as a couple. Zhong Liangcai was actually quite reluctant; he wanted a strong woman because of his own frailty, but in the end, he still brought a reed-like bride home.
However, an incident later made Zhong Liangcai very pleased with Wang Yueyue. At that time, the Zhong Family had not yet divided their household, and everyone would go out to work together. Wang Yueyue urgently needed to pee, and so did the wife of Zhong Shancai and another young bride from a family neighboring the Zhong Family’s fields. The three young brides went to look for a place together. Wang Yueyue was the most desperate, but after finding a secluded spot, she refused to pee despite her face turning red with the effort, saying, "All this pee would fertilize a patch of land, I have to go home to pee," which made Zhong Shancai’s wife and the other young bride laugh. They didn’t bother with her and went on to relieve themselves, but Wang Yueyue had to run back home to pee, barely making it without wetting her pants.
This matter was later turned into a joke by that young bride and spread around. Soon, everyone in Yuequan Village knew that Zhong Liangcai’s wife was overly frugal, even holding her pee to save it for home. Although others mentioned it with a hint of sarcasm, Zhong Liangcai was quite delighted, feeling he married the right woman. Though not strong enough for heavy labor, she sure knew how to save money!
And so, after Zhong Liangcai and Wang Yueyue divided their own household, the two of them were thrifty and scheming, accumulating over a dozen acres of land and quickly becoming small landlords. However, good times didn’t last long before they encountered land reform, ending up labeled as middle farmers because of those acres, something they never anticipated.