CH 47

“Using the word spirit again.”

Wang Cui has recently heard many rumors and gossip, all about the Yang family in the village.

This Yang family doesn’t refer to the household of Yang Dashui; it’s about the well-known village idiot, Yang Hongjin.

Yang Hongjin married Cheng Yun in the village, which became the talk of the town at the time. It became a topic of discussion for everyone after meals, including the Wang family.

The reason behind it was simple. A long time ago, there was a joke going around about Wang Cui marrying Yang Hongjin. Back then, Wang Cui strongly disliked the idea and even beat up anyone who mentioned it. Even children of the same age were too afraid to talk about it, but the joke continued to circulate in the village.

Wang Cui’s father was a well-known butcher in the village, a rough and tough man with a loud voice. His hands were often stained blood-red from slaughtering pigs. The village children were afraid of him, and just a glance from him would give them nightmares.

Wang Cui was raised by her father alone since her mother had passed away. Her father was busy earning a living to support the family, so he was lenient in disciplining her. Combined with his influence in the village, Wang Cui became a dominant figure from a young age, and children of the same age regarded her as their leader.

Because of this, Wang Cui had very few male suitors. Any normal boy would be scared of her. Throughout the entire village, only clueless Yang Hongjin dared to speak to her.

At first, Yang Hongjin didn’t know that Wang Cui was fierce. Wang Cui would roam the village with a group of children, picking fruits from others’ trees and causing mischief. One day, when they reached the entrance of Yang Hongjin’s house, he happened to be there as he was assigned by Li Fengjiao to do some work.

Yang Hongjin didn’t recognize Wang Cui, but he envied the group of children following behind her. He had never played with children of his age before, and his contact was mostly with Yang Hongcai. Seeing so many peers at once, his eyes were filled with longing.

Wang Cui, not knowing that Yang Hongjin was an idiot, asked him what he was doing. Yang Hongjin honestly replied.

Wang Cui realized that Yang Hongjin, at such a young age, knew so many things she had never encountered before. She became interested and asked a few more questions. Unfortunately, a male student who had a rivalry with her witnessed this and started teasing, saying that Wang Cui was going to marry the Yang family’s idiot.

Having been bullied for a long time, Yang Hongjin instinctively became scared when he saw others teasing him. Seeing his reaction, Wang Cui finally realized that he was the village idiot everyone was talking about.

Wang Cui felt both embarrassed and angry. She immediately fought with the male student. Being accustomed to such fights, she disregarded everything and beat him up. The boy cried and ran away. When he returned home, he spread the news throughout the village that Wang Cui was going to marry the village idiot. This rumor has persisted until today.

When Yang Hongjin married Cheng Yun, some people made fun of Wang Cui again. Wang Cui smiled on the surface, but she cursed them inwardly. She wondered how those people could say such things. They said that her previous “suitors” had already married, but she was still unmarried. They also said that the most worthless Ge’er had also married even jokingly asked her if she should consider serving both Cheng Yun and his husband.

Wang Cui almost punched the person’s face, but later, no one dared to mention this matter again. However, the thorn remained in her heart, leaving her feeling unsettled.

Nevertheless, Wang Cui never really cared about this marriage. After all, Cheng Yun had a terrible reputation in the village. In this day and age, who would want to marry someone who couldn’t bear children? And since the husband was a fool, their union seemed appropriate, as they couldn’t produce another fool to harm others, right?

After understanding this, Wang Cui felt a little better. No matter how fierce she was or how bad her reputation was in the village, she was, after all, a woman. She was inherently superior to Cheng Yun, who couldn’t have children. It was she who looked down on the fool, not the fool who refused to marry her.

Recently, Cheng Yun’s vegetable harvesting in the village drew attention from all the households. Even the village chief spoke on his behalf. Wang Cui’s family didn’t rely on farming and had no involvement in this matter, however, others wouldn’t miss the chance to gossip.

“Cui’er, do you know about Cheng Yun’s recent vegetable harvest? They have done very well. They even formed a relationship with Yueqiong Tower in the town. They have become the upper class of our village, and their appearance and clothing are different.”

“I never expected Cheng Yun to have such a day. In the past, nobody wanted to marry him.”

“That’s right, even that Yang fool joked about marrying Cui’er. I think Cheng Yun got lucky.” (Siv: I tried and I don’t get this sentence too (´･ω･`)?)

“Cheng Yun seems to have a good temperament, but even though he has earned so much money, he still lives in the small house assigned by the Yang family. He doesn’t seem to be good at managing a household.”

“If Cui’er had married him, maybe she could have saved up money and moved to the town. It’s a pity, such a pity…”

“Does Cheng Yun really earn a lot? I think it would be better for Cui’er to marry the fool. After all, we watched her grow up. She is definitely better than Cheng Yun, who suppresses vegetable prices.”

“Why are you talking nonsense? Who would want to marry that fool?”

“You shouldn’t say that. I think recently that fool seems quite normal. Maybe he used to be mentally disturbed due to his stepmother’s mistreatment, but now that he’s married, he seems much better.”

“Yes, that’s true. The other day when I went to sell vegetables, I saw him counting money, and he was getting faster and more skillful with his movements.”

⊱ ━━━━.⋅ εïз ⋅.━━━━ ⊰

Similar conversations have been happening almost every day in front of Wang Cui. It’s unclear whether these people have been earning money easily and they simply have more free time. With nothing else to do, they sit in the courtyard, chatting away.

At first, Wang Cui didn’t pay much attention to it. After all, she truly despised that couple. But as everyone continued speaking without her refuting them, their talks became more enthusiastic. It started to seem like there might be some truth to it, as they painted vivid pictures of what it would be like if Wang Cui married Yang Hongjin.

After hearing it repeatedly, Wang Cui occasionally wondered if Cheng Yun was truly someone who only knew how to make money and couldn’t manage a household. People said he had a kind and gentle temperament, but if she married him, it would be like pairing a soft persimmon with a fool. Then, what would happen to her belongings…

However, this thought only crossed Wang Cui’s mind occasionally. She didn’t actually want to marry a fool. But once this idea took root in her mind like a seed, it started to grow and sprout…

During these days, Cheng Yun had been busy with the work at Yueqiong Tower. Initially, they struggled to meet the high demand for supplies a few times, but eventually, they managed to fulfill all of Liu Wen’s requirements. As things gradually fell into place, the demand from Yueqiong Tower started to stabilize. Cheng Yun then entrusted the task of pickling to Cheng Bao’er and Aunt Wang.

The vegetables in the backyard had ripened. This time, Cheng Yun didn’t use the Word Spirit to cultivate them. Only three types of crops survived, and he carefully harvested the fruits, unlocking three illustrated cards and earning six points. Together with his previous points, he now had a total of sixteen points, which was exactly enough to upgrade the system to the second level.

After unlocking each illustrated card, Cheng Yun could see the system’s upgrade in his consciousness. Now, the effectiveness of his Word Spirit was at 20%, with backlash reduced to 80%. He could also exchange for a level one or level two crop.

He carefully examined the available items in the level two crop exchange. After the incident when Yang Hongjin was unexpectedly injured, Cheng Yun had learned to keep a backup plan. Both the monthly Word Spirit and the special crops exchange, which could only be done once per level-up, were crucial. He couldn’t use up all the opportunities at once and had to reserve something for future contingencies.

Among the level one special crops, the Hemostatic Grass, and among the level two crops, the Sharp Onion, Healing Melon, and Pain Relief Fruit were the items that caught Cheng Yun’s attention. The others, like the Beautiful Pill and Joyful Vegetable, paled in comparison.

Last time, Cheng Yun exchanged the Smart Beans for Yang Hongjin to eat, but the effect didn’t seem significant. This time, if he wanted to continue experimenting, the only other option was to exchange for a Sharp Onion.

However, the name… Cheng Yun pondered for a moment and decided that it was less appealing than Smart Beans.

After careful consideration, he decided to temporarily save the exchange points and use the Word Spirit directly on Yang Hongjin in the future.

With his plans in mind, Cheng Yun didn’t waste any time. After storing everything away, he returned to the room with Yang Hongjin.

Remembering the backlash he experienced after using the Word Spirit before, Cheng Yun specifically chose the time before going to bed at night to use it.

He asked Yang Hongjin to lie down on the bed, and after extinguishing the candle, they both slept side by side.

“My wife is so early tonight.” Yang Hongjin continued talking after lying down. Recently, he had become accustomed to Cheng Yun staying up late to prepare the goods. He usually stayed up with him, so it was strange for Cheng Yun to go to bed so early today, and it made him unable to sleep.

Cheng Yun covered him with the blanket and tucked himself in as well. In the darkness, he lightly pinched Yang Hongjin’s cheek and said, “Wife is feeling a bit uncomfortable tonight. Shall we sleep early?”

“Where does wife hurt?!” As soon as Yang Hongjin heard Cheng Yun’s words, he sat up straight.

“It’s not a physical pain,” Cheng Yun reassured him, gently pulling him back down, “I’m just a little tired. How about we sleep early together, Hongjin?”

Yang Hongjin lay back down suspiciously, trying to observe Cheng Yun in the dim moonlight coming through the window. He couldn’t see clearly, but it seemed like Cheng Yun really had no problem. Only then did he let go of the anxiety that had been weighing on his heart.

He seemed like a little adult as he tucked Cheng Yun’s blanket, just like Cheng Yun used to do for him. He gently patted his chest, saying, “Wife is obedient, rest early.”

Cheng Yun was amused by his behavior and responded with a soft “Hmm”, urging him to close his eyes.

The room was peaceful and quiet. Cheng Yun made an effort to stay awake until he heard the steady and rhythmic breathing from beside him. Then, quietly and cautiously, he propped himself up halfway.

He placed his hand on Yang Hongjin’s forehead and lightly stroked it twice. With utmost concentration, he recited:

“Instantly restore the intelligence of Yang Hongjin, turning him into an exceptionally intelligent and normal person!”