Linxia

Chapter 198, Trivia

A few days later, Fang He came over and said that Meng He agreed to get married first.

The marriage between Fang He and Meng He was somewhat of a premeditated one, as they wrote to Xiaohe Village afterwards.

When the second uncle's family came over, the second mother, Fang Wang, had some complaints about the marriage, but after the second uncle, Fang Zhonggui, got to know Meng He, he expressed his approval.

The wedding was held in Huai'an City, and my second uncle and his family returned home after the wedding.

After marriage, Meng He's mother Meng Chang and his brother Meng Jiang said that they did not want to be a burden to Meng He, so they did not live with the young couple and lived separately.

When Fang Lin's family found out, they all said that the Meng family was reasonable.

In the next two or three months, the Fang family often invited Fang He and Meng He to come over for dinner. It was obvious that after Fang He got married, he changed and washed clothes more often with a woman at home, and he also gained some weight than before. It was obvious that he was enjoying his life.

Isn't Meng He's brother Meng Jiang working at the dock? Father Fang's help made things much easier for him. Because of this relationship, and the fact that Tian Xuan has a gentle personality and a smart mind, she gets along quite closely with Meng He.

Fang Lin's family thought that Fang He and Meng He were a harmonious couple living a good life, until one day Meng He came crying and said that she could no longer live with Fang He.

"Xiao He, if you have anything to say, sit down and talk slowly." Tian Xuan pulled Meng He to sit down, knowing that many things would ease a lot if they were talked out.

Meng He wiped her tears and said, "After marriage, he is still used to living alone. Every day when he comes back from the bookstore, he just reads novels and does nothing. He doesn't even help to pick up the fallen broom. I wash clothes, cook, and clean by myself... This is what I should do. I owe him. No matter how dissatisfied he is with me, why should he vent his anger on my family?"

"What do you mean?" Fang Lin didn't want to interrupt, so Tian Xuan, who was listening nearby, asked.

Meng He started from the beginning: "My parents-in-law asked the caravan to bring two chickens from Xiaohe Village, one male and one female. I was very happy and praised them for being pretty. I decided to raise them. He was also very happy. He stroked them and said, 'Take good care of them. When they lay eggs and hatch a nest of chicks, they will be really pretty.'"

——The caravan she mentioned was the caravan led by Ji Guangxiang when Fang Lin and his party returned the year before last. As Fang Lin's status became higher and higher, the other party wanted to please him. Every time they went to Haining County for business, they would make a special trip to Xiaohe Village to bring something from Fang Lin's family to the old Fang family, or from the old Fang family to the provincial capital. Fang He and Meng He, the young couple, also benefited from Fang Lin's help.

"I kept those two chickens like this until one day when the shop was closed and I went out to buy food. The two chickens were stolen from my house... What a pity! They were such good chickens!"

Meng He still feels extremely upset when he talks about it now: "When he came back that day, his face was terribly gloomy. No matter how I talked to him, he ignored me... I don't blame him at all. This chicken was sent by my parents-in-law. They sent it from Xiaohe Village so far away. He liked it so much, so of course he was sad to lose it."

"I thought it would be fine in a few days, but he kept ignoring me. I tried my best to please him, but he just ignored me."

"What exactly is this for?"

Meng He said, "I ask myself, the chickens were stolen, it was my fault, but I didn't want to do that. I can't turn against my husband and wife just for two chickens!"

"It's best to ask clearly about things like this and talk it out." Tian Xuan said.

"Yes, I think so too."

Meng He said: "That day, I cooked a good meal and sat down with him. I said, 'Can you tell me why you ignored me for so long? Are you having troubles? Just tell me and we can share our worries, okay?'"

"He said 'what's going on', I waited for him to continue speaking, but he refused to speak. I asked again, and he said 'I'm going out to eat' and left."

As Meng He said this, he shed tears for a while, hiccuping sadly, and felt totally at a loss as to what to do. The person who used to be so decisive now looked so pitiful.

Tian Xuan was beside her, holding her hand and patting her back to comfort her.

Meng He paused for a moment and continued, "Once, I couldn't help but grab his hand, crying and saying, 'Tell me, how long are you going to hate me?' He said nothing and walked away."

"That's how it is. Every day when we come home, we don't talk. The couple get along worse than strangers. The good thing is quietness, but the bad thing is silent misery. Home doesn't feel like home anymore."

Fang Lin and Tian Xuan looked at each other. They didn't expect that the couple were pretending to come over both times. It wasn't that they were slow to react, but the couple came over to eat in a hurry every time and didn't have much time. The couple also tacitly agreed not to let the family's dirty laundry be made public.

It can only be said that every family has its own problems. Who knows what the family looks like inside? It is rare to find a couple like Fang Lin and Tian Xuan.

"Today, my brother came and brought a chicken and a pound of meat. He said he was going to cook, and I was very happy, thinking that the incident was finally over. He was stir-frying vigorously in the kitchen, one, two, three times, and the sound was getting louder and louder. I felt something was wrong, so I went to check, and just in time I heard a bang... I was shocked, it turned out that he smashed the pot with a spatula."

"There was a bowl-sized hole in the iron pot, and the stewed chicken fell into the hole... When I saw what he did, I felt dizzy and I had to hold on to the door to avoid falling down."

Meng He choked up and said, "I sat down dizzy, and my brother was also aware of what was going on. He called him outside and said, 'Brother-in-law, sit down.'"

"They sat down, and the elder brother said, 'Maybe you are upset because I came here, so you smashed the pot. I rarely come here, I come at noon and leave in the afternoon, why are you so angry? If my sister dies of anger because of you insulting her like this, I will never let you go.'"

"My brother said, 'What's wrong with my sister? Why do you treat her like this? She has to work and do housework, such as washing clothes, buying groceries, cooking... She also takes care of the family's clothes, shoes and socks. That day, I came over and she asked you to help twist the quilt. She begged you for a long time, but you refused to help.'"

"He listened, said nothing, got up and just slipped away."

Meng He started crying again as she spoke: "Yes, I owe him. He paid for my mother's medical treatment, but he can torture me however he wants. Why does he want to humiliate my family? I, I can't live like this anymore."

As they were talking, Fang He came over.

Fang Lin pulled him aside and asked, "What's going on between you two? Aren't you a person who doesn't know your limits?"

Fang He said nothing.

Fang Lin didn't ask any more questions. He just waited and looked directly into Fang He's eyes.

Fang He seemed to feel an invisible pressure. After a while, he finally stammered, "She sold the chickens to support her family. Why can't I do the same?"

Fang Lin understood. It turned out that Fang He didn't believe that the two chickens were stolen at all. He thought that Meng He secretly sold the chickens to subsidize her mother's family.

"Is there any evidence for this?"

"No."

"So that's just a guess?" At this moment, Fang Lin felt that Meng He was really wronged. "You, the Meng family wouldn't do that. I think the Meng family is poor, but they have backbone and are unlikely to do such a thing. If the Meng family really wanted to plot, would they separate from you two? Would her brother come to visit and bring a chicken and a pound of meat?"

"Besides, if you have doubts about this kind of thing, why don't you just ask Xiao He and talk about it openly?"

"I..." Fang He lowered his head and said nothing.

Fang Lin knew that Fang He was probably trying to save face and was embarrassed. When he was fishing on the way to the county town, he saw this in him. He was a bit like his father in the past. He sighed and asked, "Why did Brother Xiao He smash the pot when he came today?"

"When I saw the chicken, I got angrier and angrier, so I just..."

'really! ’

Fang Lin shook his head slightly and said, "Even if you have doubts, you can't just smash the pot when Brother Xiao He comes. Is this the way to treat guests?"

"Besides, if there is anything going on between husband and wife, it's better to talk it out instead of keeping it in your heart and torturing each other for the sake of saving face."

However, many people are like this. Fang He is also a first-time husband. He is far from mature enough, does not know how to love, and does not have the ability to manage a marriage.

Relatively speaking, Meng He is more mature. If she were the same as Fang He, this family would have broken up long ago. Second uncle Fang Zhonggui probably recognized Meng He as his daughter-in-law because he saw this point.

Meng He knew the whole story and took a deep breath, "No wonder you are like this, you suspected that I sold the chickens. My family is poor, but if I sold chickens, I would definitely tell you the truth. I would never sell them secretly and then lie to you."

She was filled with grief and indignation: "I just realized that you see me this way. After we got married, you took your wages and I paid for all the expenses at home. I didn't think much about it and was grateful to you for buying medicine for my mother. Now that I think about it, I'm afraid you were just guarding against me... I owe you for my mother's affairs. I will pay you back for all the money I spent on her in the future. Let's get divorced!"

These decisive words finally made Fang He regret his actions, and he looked to Fang Lin for help.

"If I had known this would happen, why would I have done this in the first place?"

Fang Lin sighed inwardly and didn't bother to care about this trivial matter. However, Tian Xuan couldn't bear it and stepped forward to persuade him. Finally, Fang He admitted his mistake and the couple reconciled and went back.

……

Life is just about the daily necessities of life, and time passes by in the midst of these ups and downs.

During this period, heavy rains hit the Jianghuai area in midsummer. Fortunately, the embankments had been reinforced after the floods the previous year, so no disaster occurred.

Despite this, a decrease in grain production is inevitable, and grain prices in the city have increased slightly.

Compared with the heavy rainfall in the Jianghuai area, there is still drought in the north this year, but it is milder than in the previous two years and the harvest is also not good.

Fortunately, sweet potatoes have been promoted on a pilot basis in the north, which has alleviated some of the difficulties.

Generally speaking, compared with the severe droughts and floods in the past two years, this year's Daxia can be considered to have "good weather and good harvests". This year can be considered a rare period of stability. Daxia is like a tired old man who has had a short rest.

……

This day.

Fang Lin went to the weaving workshop. On the way, he saw many more people than in the city last year.

Because of the annexation of land by large households during the disaster years and the poor harvests in the past two years, the land could not support people, so many people in the villages under the capital had to go out to work.

A few years ago, a policy similar to the "One Whip Law" was implemented to liberate the people from the land. At that time, the people's concept was still inseparable from the land, and they were unwilling to come to the capital to work. There was even a "labor shortage" in the capital for a time, and the big families had to coax and deceive people, just like Fang Lin and his group of people...

Nowadays, under the pressure of reality, people's concepts have changed, and more and more people come to the capital to work.

This may not be a good thing.

In the early years, workers like Fang Lin who came to the provincial capital were treated well. They earned money and could save a lot after eating and drinking.

But what about now?

The world is in a bad state, and people are flocking in. The expansion speed of the reservoir of this emerging industry cannot keep up with the speed of the influx of people, resulting in the docks and factories completely taking the initiative.

After all, there are so many people. If you don't do it, there are plenty of people who will. Some people think the wages are too low, while others don't.

The Gu, Ma, Shao and Duan families were happy. Finally, they no longer had to care about Fang Lin's "malicious salary increase" and no longer had to compete with the First Quality Weaving Workshop. They showed their fangs and began to gradually cancel benefits and reduce wages.

The workers in these factories were miserable because the grain harvests had been poor in the past two years, grain prices had risen, and wages had decreased. The increase and decrease made their lives increasingly difficult. They could barely make ends meet after working hard all day, and the slightest accident could lead to the destruction of their families.

There were also rumors that Fang Lin's First Quality Weaving Workshop was going to reduce wages, and people were in panic, so he came this time to stabilize people's hearts.

'My weaving workshop supplies the Nanyang Fleet and Brother Xu's fleet. With stable cooperation, we can make a profit. Although the Yang family has lost part of the profits from the Nanyang Fleet's overseas business, the remaining profit is still quite good, which is also a profit... In this way, even if we don't exploit the workers and improve some welfare, the expenditure is slightly higher, it is still quite profitable.'

"But at present, we still cannot build more workshops and expand production capacity blindly, because the fleet has reached its limit. We still have to wait until we have our own fleet. Chuanhui is still short of some... My weaving workshop can only accommodate a limited number of people, and more people can't help."

'It's fine even if it's just like this. Only with comparison can one feel superior. Only after seeing the misery of workers in other factories and seeing many people who want to work in factories but cannot, will the workers in my factory cherish this job more and be more grateful to me.'

Fang Lin thought so and came to the weaving workshop.

"Mr. Fang, welcome to our inspection, please!" The party leader had been waiting at the door for a long time. When he saw Fang Lin, he bowed and came forward to greet him.

To be honest, this person is really a talent. He knows how to get things done, has good abilities, and can flatter people, making them feel comfortable both physically and mentally. He even understands why so many emperors favored treacherous ministers.

Under Fang Lin's instructions, the factory workers were quickly gathered together to listen to his lecture.

'My next move is to completely bind the factory workers to myself.'

Fang Lin looked at the workers, standing on the platform, and said, "I know that people in the factory have been in a panic recently. They are talking about reducing wages and canceling benefits. I will respond to this issue that everyone is concerned about today."

"I declare that no matter what happens in other factories in the city, my First Quality Weaving Workshop will not reduce wages or cancel any benefits."

As soon as these words were spoken, the workers in the factory finally put their minds at ease after having been worried for days. The atmosphere instantly exploded and they all cheered.

Fang Lin put down his hands to quiet everyone down, and continued: "Not only that, there are more benefits available today..."

……

(End of this chapter)