The Cultivator's Reborn to 1970s-Chapter 170 - 142

Lan Tian’s words didn’t specify anyone, but with only the three of them in the house, who else could it be that hadn’t attended school besides Yanhua?

Chunhua is a junior high school student. In Mo Village, not to mention the neighboring ten miles and eight villages, she could be considered highly educated, able to claim to be an intellectual and secure a teaching job at some rural school.

Not to mention Lan Tian, who had gone to high school in Shanghai.

Chunhua snorted a laugh, continued to read her medical book, and thought it best not to stoop to that level, to not demean herself.

Yanhua’s face turned red, then pale, then green. She didn’t understand what Lan Tian meant by propriety or shame, but she did understand the part about not having been to school. Who else in the room hadn’t gone to school? And with Chunhua laughing like that, it surely wasn’t anything nice, it must be Lan Tian cursing her.

"What’s so great about having gone to school? Still just like me, stuck in the countryside. I haven’t gone to school, but at least I managed to snag a city man. Unlike some people, turning into old maids, wanting a man but unable to find one," she shot a hateful glare at both of them, tossed aside the medical book, and left, stomping off angrily. fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

Yanhua’s departure was abrupt, leaving Chunhua trembling with rage, unable to voice her frustration, her chest tight with pent-up anger she almost couldn’t breathe. She turned to Lan Tian and asked, "Who was she talking about? Who’s the old maid? Who can’t find a man?"

Lan Tian’s temples twitched as she watched the near-hysterical Chunhua. She pulled her to sit down to console her, "Alright, calm down. You know what she’s like. It’s not worth it to get angry with her. Don’t upset yourself over it. She got herself a city man before and thought she was better than everyone else, parading around with her nose in the air, clueless. She badmouthed my uncle’s medical skills outside, and now she’s shamelessly clinging to my uncle. If I were to get angry at her, goodness knows how many times I’d have died from rage."

Chunhua thought about it, and it made sense. In this house, if anyone was to be annoyed, it was Lan Tian. Yanhua came to her home every day, putting on a show of sisterly affection, whereas she herself hardly came every few days.

The next day, Yanhua acted as if nothing had happened and visited Lan Tian’s house again. She casually picked up a medical book and sat reading by the fire barrel, seemingly engrossed for the entire day, not having turned more than a few pages.

Chunhua nudged Lan Tian, who, engrossed in her reading, looked up at her blankly. Chunhua motioned for her to look at Yanhua, and Lan Tian turned her head to see.

Yanhua was clearly preoccupied, her attention elsewhere, flipping the same first couple of pages back and forth.

Lan Tian glanced over, then looked away and shook her head at Chunhua, signaling her to ignore it and they both continued to read.

The television was installed and could receive three or four channels, two local channels and one central channel. Grandma Sun and Zhao Li would watch anything that was on TV whenever they were free, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Once it hit 7 p.m., the national news would broadcast on the central channel, and Mo Yuanle would appear on time.

Around the 25th or 26th of the lunar calendar, every family started to get busy, preparing to slaughter pigs, make tofu, process rice cakes, and clean their homes to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. Yanhua had to stay home to help out too, finally giving her family some peace and quiet for a few days.

Lan Tian worked alongside Grandma Sun and the rest, and while everyone knew Lan Tian could use Immortal Law, nobody had actually thought to ask her to use it for chores. The point of New Year’s preparation was to enjoy the bustling atmosphere, the whole family busily working together. A bit of hardship and fatigue didn’t matter—the happiness was in being together as a family.

Grandma Sun was rather particular about customs and wanted Lan Tian to go back to her maternal home to lend a helping hand there.

"Girl, after lunch, go back to your maternal home. That family is always busy around this time every year. Go back and help out with some work."

Lan Tian glanced at Zhao Li, who shot a sidelong look back at her, "What are you looking at me for? Your grandma is making sense."

Lan Tian then looked over at Mo Yuanle, who didn’t say a word. However, Lan Tian guessed that lounging around at home wasn’t an option for him.

"Alright, I’ll go over after lunch."

Once the home tasks were nearly finished, Lan Tian paid a visit back to her in-laws’, and Wang Guiyu, knowing she came to help, smiled a broad and weathered smile.

"You don’t have to, Lan Tian. This little work will be done quickly with so many people at home. As for your grandma’s house, there’s only three of you, so there’s too little help. You should go back and assist there. Your grandma is also getting on in years; it’s better to have her work less and not get too tired. Once we’re done here, I’ll go over and lend a hand."

Lan Tian, fair and delicate like a porcelain doll, didn’t seem cut out for such rough tasks. Everyone in the village knows she was pampered from birth, not even having touched a bowl in her daily life. It was enough that Wang Guiyu had her intentions, but it wouldn’t be proper to ask her to work.

"Eh, mom, I’ll head back first then. And don’t you and dad overexert yourselves," Lan Tian said before leaving.

Chunlai’s wife wasn’t home and had no idea Lan Tian had come back. Jun Guo’s wife was in the kitchen when she heard voices outside, and as she stood up to look out the window, she saw only her mother-in-law and father-in-law.

"Why have you come back?" Grandma Sun asked upon seeing Lan Tian return.

"I’m not needed there, there are plenty of people."

Grandma Sun paused, said nothing; it would have been futile anyway. She had long realized that the girl didn’t like staying at her in-law’s; even after marrying Hua Zi, she still preferred staying at her own home.

Luckily, the two families lived close to each other, and there wasn’t any gossip in the village.

Zhao Li opened her mouth, then seeing the attitude of the grandmother and granddaughter, she simply kept quiet. Nothing she would say could change Little Tao’s nature; she was capable of anything.

Lantian returned home searching for something in the storeroom. After rummaging for a while and not finding what she wanted, she glanced towards Zhao Li at the doorway, "Auntie, where are those extra jar lids that showed up at home last time? I haven’t seen them."

"What do you need jar lids for?" Zhao Li was busy making tofu and didn’t have time to come over, so she asked Lantian loudly from where she was.

"Grandpa’s old friends saw his tea plant and thought it was beautiful, they wanted one for themselves. I’m thinking of planting a few to take over," Lantian didn’t say that the flowers weren’t free but were to be sold, to prevent Grandma Sun from scolding her if she found out.

Zhao Li thought for a moment, then said, "Go look around the dry hay pile in the backyard left corner. I think your uncle took them there last time."

Lantian went to the backyard, fiddled through the hay pile, found several empty jar lids, took them all to use as flower pots, dug up some soil from the backyard to fill them, carried them to the front yard, and transplanted a mutated tea flower tree into one of the jar lids. She stored it in her Sleeve Universe, ready to take it back to Shanghai.

On the thirtieth, Lantian returned to Mo Junhua’s family, where Chunlai’s wife looked at her with a face full of disdain. The household had been extremely busy for these past days, everyone on their feet all the time, while Lantian hid away at her mother’s house and only returned for the New Year. Mr. Mo and Wang Guiyu pretended not to notice and didn’t reprimand her when they saw Lantian return. This was exactly what Chunlai’s wife disliked most about Lantian.

"Why even bother to come back? If you can’t bear to leave your grandma’s house, you might as well just stay there for the New Year."

Lantian gave her a cool look and said, "Older sister, if you want to go back to your parent’s house for the New Year, it’s no use telling me. I don’t have the authority; it’s something you have to discuss with Dad and Mom. If they agree, you can go."

Chunlai’s wife was infuriated. It’s not like everyone’s family is like hers, staying frequently at her parents’ house after getting married, not to mention waiting until the thirtieth to return.

In the late afternoon, firecrackers started popping intermittently around the village, signifying the end of the firecracker festivities followed by the family reunion dinner.

Lantian spent one night in Mo Junhua’s family, and early on the first day of the New Year, after having breakfast, she leisurely returned to her home, staying there until the eighth day. In the afternoon of the eighth, she went back to Mo Junhua’s family, telling Mr. Mo and Wang Guiyu that she would be going to Shanghai on the ninth. The morning of the ninth, Mo Yuanle took her to the county seat to catch transport to Shanghai.

"Master, Master, I want to go with you, Master, please take me with you, please take me along!"

Little Tao was aware that Lantian was heading to Shanghai without her, and she pestered Lantian incessantly in her Sea of Consciousness, more tiresome than a monk chanting scriptures, annoying Lantian to the point of cutting off their connection unilaterally.

On the evening of the eighth, Lantian specially communicated with Little Tao for a long time, worried that after she left, Little Tao might cause trouble at home and attract the villagers’ attention. She promised it that when she was on summer break, she would definitely come back to take it to Shanghai, just barely stopping short of swearing a blood oath.

Grandma Sun and Zhao Li prepared several sacks; just for the vegetables, there were three, all harvested from the backyard garden, leaving the plot two-thirds empty.

One sack was filled with pomelos, another with peanuts, and yet another with mountain products, plus dozens of jars of mustard and chili sauce.

Chunhua did not leave with Lantian. Zhao Li’s leg had improved significantly and he was up and about, so he didn’t require Chunhua’s constant care. Besides, she was not a nurse from the military, and it was not good to stay in the barracks all the time. After discussion, the unit decided to offer her compensation and find another nurse from the Military District Hospital to replace her.

On the ninth, when Lantian was leaving for Shanghai, Mo Yuanle drove her to the county seat. Mr. Mo and Wang Guiyu walked with her to the entrance of the village, but Lantian told them not to and asked them to go back. Chunhua wanted to accompany her to the county seat, but Lantian also refused, reluctantly hugging her at the village entrance.

"Lantian, trust my brother. He would never do anything to wrong you. He really likes you, he really does. The thing about Nurse Zhou going with my third brother must have been arranged by the military. My brother has never been interested in her at all; she’s the one who shamelessly threw herself at him," Chunhua whispered in Lantian’s ear.

Lantian was taken aback, not expecting Chunhua to know about it too, "Don’t worry, I’ve never taken it to heart."

Because she had never liked Mo Junhua in the first place, so none of these matters concerned her. Who Cha Junhua liked, and who liked him, were none of Lantian’s business.

Hearing Lantian say this, Chunhua felt relieved. Even though Lantian treated her third brother coldly on ordinary days, deep down she must trust him, which is why she had never been concerned about Nurse Zhou’s affair, knowing that her brother would never do something to betray her.

"Take care of yourself when you’re alone out there. Don’t work too hard on your studies, just doing okay is enough. Your uncle and the others aren’t expecting you to come back as the top scholar."

"I know, little housekeeper," Lantian teased Chunhua by flicking her nose.

She wondered to herself, Zhou Yuwei’s association with Mo Junhua was known to everyone in the military; what exactly was Zhou Yuwei’s motive? Was she trying to build a bond of shared adversity with Mo Junhua? Or attempting to play the heroine saving the hero, to reform Mo Junhua, and thereby worm her way into his heart?

Given Mo Junhua’s nature in this life, it seems a bit tough, haha, Zhou Yuwei is going to have a hard time grinding it out.

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om