Chapter 4: Starting a New Life from Scratch
"That's not the case, it's mainly because I'm handsome!" Chen Hui said with a smile.

Chen Xiaoqiao glanced at Chen Hui and nodded affirmatively: "To be honest, you are really handsome, almost catching up with me."

The two men smiled at each other, pouted at each other, and returned to the village chief's house boasting.

Chen Hui changed into his own shoes, pushed Chen Xiaoqiao's bicycle and left with the wooden barrel and bamboo basket.

After returning home, Chen Hui freed up the water bucket and gave the red snapper a place to live alone.

Then process the fish and sea cucumbers that you want to eat, clean them, and place them next to the water tank.

There is no running water in every household in Chenjia Village.

The villagers all use mountain spring water at home, which is brought into the homes via hoses or thin bamboo tubes and then connected to a large water tank in each household.

Because of the abundant water vapor and water flow, the area next to the water tank is the coldest place in the room.

Even if it's almost summer, it won't go bad if you leave it here overnight.

After processing the fish, Chen Hui returned to his room with the oil lamp.

The bachelor's room had not been cleaned for years. A faint strange smell permeated the air. The bed was very hard and creaked when he turned over.

Chen Hui originally thought that he would not be able to sleep, but unexpectedly, he fell into darkness as soon as he turned over.

I had a dreamless night and when I woke up, the sky was already slightly bright.

Chen Hui sat up and moved his shoulders, then got up and moved around again.

After sleeping on the wooden bed all night, I didn't feel any soreness in my waist or legs, and there was no discomfort anywhere in my body.

My mental state is also very good. I feel full of energy after completely releasing all my fatigue. It is unlike before my rebirth, when I would still feel very tired in the morning after a night's sleep.

Chen Hui sighed: "It's great to be young!"

I went to the kitchen and thought about making a fire to cook the fish, oysters, snails and sea cucumbers that I had prepared yesterday.

The very first step in the game stumped him.

I found that in the pile of firewood behind the stove, there were only some firewood that was not used up from last winter.

Most of the time in the year, Chen Hui's family has no firewood.

Only after autumn came would he go up the mountain to chop some firewood and collect some hay, which he would use to boil hot water for washing his face and taking a bath in the cold winter.

In the past few years since the incidents at home, he has not cooked a proper meal for himself. When he is not hanging out in the town or in the neighboring villages, he goes to different houses in the village to eat.

We are all from the same hometown, and although we are all poor, we can still eat a meal occasionally, so Chen Hui can always get a free meal.

But if you do it too much, you're bound to be disliked.

The villagers didn't say it on their faces, but they all disliked Chen Hui in their hearts. Those who were too shy to show their respect forced themselves to smile, while others turned gloomy and looked gloomy as soon as they saw Chen Hui walk in.

However, Chen Hui was much thicker-skinned than them. He would just leave after eating without any psychological burden, and he never asked to help with farm work or anything like that.

"This really is starting from scratch, no joke at all."

Chen Hui sighed, took the basket of fish and snails, and walked towards the village chief's house.

The village chief and An Wenjing's deceased father had some relatives who helped the three of them a lot on a daily basis, and their living conditions were the best in the village.

The only way to bring these fish and snails in and out is to bring them to his house and cook them.

It was just after breakfast, and Chen Hui met several villagers on the road who had just finished breakfast and were about to go up the mountain to work.

Several people walked past in a hurry, afraid to make eye contact with Chen Hui.

"Brother Chen Hui!"

Chen Xiaoming, who lived opposite Chen Hui, saw him and waved and called him with a smile.

Before Chen Hui could respond, Chen Xiaoming exclaimed, "Ouch!"

His mother Wang Hongmei glanced at Chen Hui hastily, lowered her head and yelled at Chen Xiaoming: "You want to die, why are you calling him? He will come to our house and eat the eggs you are reluctant to part with, so don't piss yourself."

"I won't."

The little boy, about seven or eight years old, already has some gangster spirit, but is still completely ignorant.

Chen Xiaoming shook off Wang Hongmei's hand, ran to Chen Hui and asked, "Brother Chen Hui, do you like eggs? I just touched them this morning." Chen Hui smiled and touched Chen Xiaoming's head.

"No, I have something else to do. Keep the eggs. I'll exchange them with you for a big fish next time."

Chen Hui had no dissatisfaction with Wang Hongmei's attitude.

Because her home is close, she has been the one that Chen Hui has eaten at most often over the years.

Wang Hongmei is a person with a cold exterior but a warm heart. Although she always has a cold face, she always lets Chen Hui eat his fill before leaving.

Now that I have the ability, I should improve my relationship with my neighbors.

"Great, fish tastes better than eggs!" Chen Xiaoming clapped his hands happily.

"Go away, stop eating all day long and don't care about life at all."

As Wang Hongmei was talking, she pulled Chen Xiaoming up the mountain, and acted as if she didn't hear Chen Hui's words about bringing fish.

Chen Hui didn't care and quickly arrived at the village chief's house with his things.

Chen Xiaoqiao had already left for the neighboring village to pick up his wife and children. Everyone else at home had also gone out. The old village chief and his wife were chatting and eating rice porridge with pickles.

Seeing Chen Hui coming in, the old village chief asked him to sit down with a fake smile, and asked his wife to serve Chen Hui a bowl of white porridge.

"Xiaohui, I heard from your uncle Xiaoqiao that you and Wenjing have reached a deal?" Yuan Chuanfang brought porridge to Chen Hui and couldn't help gossiping.

"Thank you, aunt."

Chen Hui had just sat down when he hurriedly stood up and took the porridge with both hands.

He smiled and said, "Auntie Lin has no objection. We can pick a date and do it after Wen Jing is discharged from the hospital."

"Yo!?"

Yuan Chuanfang looked at his empty hands, was a little surprised, and then laughed.

Because Chen Kaiming loved to preach, Chen Hui would always wait for Chen Xiaoqiao to be there every time he came to eat. When he came, he rarely paid attention to the two old men and just pulled Chen Xiaoqiao aside to chatter.

This is the first time he has such a good attitude and stood up on his own initiative.

"Not bad, you are worthy of being a man who is going to start a family."

"Your uncle Xiaoqiao told us about this yesterday. We were worried that you would continue to live a lazy life and ruin the life of your well-behaved daughter Wenjing." Chen Kaiming also laughed.

This smile looked much more genuine than before.

"I won't do that anymore. I will live a good life with Wen Jing."

"Please help me cook this, auntie, and bring it to Wen Jing at the county hospital later."

"I'm out of firewood at home." Chen Hui put down the porridge and handed the bamboo basket beside him to Yuan Chuanfang.

Yuan Chuanfang looked at the things in the basket and said to Chen Kaiming with emotion: "No wonder they say that men become sensible after they get married. Wen Jing will be blessed in the future."

After saying that, she smiled and took the basket brought by Chen Hui to the kitchen, added wood to the stove, and started the fire again.

"Eat quickly. You can bring the sweet potato rice with you to the county town, so we don't have to make another trip."

Chen Kaiming took another piece of steamed corn from the back pot for Chen Hui.

"No need for corn, I'll just have some rice soup." Chen Hui declined.

Everyone’s family is poor, so normally they cook according to the number of people.

If he eats this corn, someone else will not be able to eat it.

"That's a lot of progress. You now know how to be polite."

"Eat it. Your uncle Xiaoqiao specially saved it for you. I don't know how he guessed it, but he said you would definitely come." Chen Kaiming said.

"Uncle Xiaoqiao left it for you? Then I won't be polite."

Chen Hui took the corn and put it aside. He picked up the bowl and drank the rice soup. He picked up the chopsticks and scooped the few rice grains at the bottom of the bowl into his mouth.

It’s a bit thin, but it’s much more delicious than yesterday’s sweet potato rice.

(End of this chapter)