CHAPTER 417: CHAPTER 410: OBEDIENTLY SWAPPING FIELDS

Gao Yuzhu, who couldn’t stop having stomach pains after eating crab, was carried back by his eldest son Gao Xinjie. According to neighbors from Gao Yuzhu’s house, Gao Yuzhu spent a full two hours squatting in the latrine after returning home, completely drained from diarrhea.

After recovering, Gao Yuzhu actually wanted to come and demand medical and nutritional expenses from the Tian Family, but he didn’t dare to come alone, afraid of Tian Manjin’s pole; and his two sons were unwilling to accompany him. Plus, his mother, Mrs. Gao, came over and scolded him fiercely, so the claim for compensation just fizzled out.

From there on, Gao Yuzhu’s reputation in the village worsened. As soon as anyone saw him carrying his medicine box out the door, they would ridicule him: "Gao Yuzhu, off to poison some crabs again?"

Of course, Gao Yuzhu didn’t dare to poison the crabs anymore, and even less to poison the fish pond, although he really wished he could poison those fish and crabs.

Ever since the incident with Gao Yuzhu, Tian Manjin watched over his own fish pond even more closely. He didn’t care about the crabs in the rice fields, as those crabs were just raised to make use of the space and didn’t require much effort. But the fish were different - he had worked hard from dawn to dusk to attend to these treasures, and now that they could finally bring in some money, he certainly didn’t want his efforts to be ruined by some villain.

However, having one’s land adjacent to Gao Yuzhu’s was inevitably problematic. Even though he wasn’t afraid of Gao Yuzhu’s mischief, seeing Gao Yuzhu every time he went to the field was truly annoying.

It was essential to find a way to exchange for Gao Yuzhu’s land. Tian Manjin made up his mind and went to discuss it with his eldest brother and second brother.

Tian Manmu listened to Tian Manjin’s idea and shook his head, "I’m afraid it will be difficult. That bastard Gao Yuzhu has made up his mind to oppose you, and I reckon he won’t agree to exchange his land with you."

"Can’t I just buy it with money? Doesn’t Gao Yuzhu love money? As long as he makes an offer, if it’s not too outrageous, I’ll just swallow the loss."

Tian Manjin couldn’t stand another day being neighbors with Gao Yuzhu, and was willing to take a loss if necessary, especially since he was not short on money right now.

"Okay, I’ll have Tian Chusheng go ask for you," Tian Manmu agreed and went to find Tian Chusheng.

Tian Chusheng was quite enthusiastic. He had also heard about Gao Yuzhu’s shenanigans in Tian Manjin’s field, and he truly looked down on this brother-in-law. When approached by Tian Manmu to handle this matter, he immediately agreed without hesitation.

A few days later, Tian Chusheng came back with a response. His face was full of shame, as if he couldn’t bear to face Tian Manmu.

"Man Mu, I am truly sorry, I was unable to handle the task you gave me properly. That bastard Gao Yuzhu really isn’t good for anything. He... he... he..."

Tian Chusheng could not continue; he was too ashamed to relay these words to Tian Manmu, feeling utterly discredited to have such a brother-in-law.

"What did Gao Yuzhu demand?" Tian Manmu was not surprised at all. It would be surprising if Gao Yuzhu didn’t make any demands.

"He says that if Man Yin pays two thousand yuan, he’d be willing to exchange the land; otherwise, he won’t." Having said that, Tian Chusheng couldn’t even lift his head, appearing as if he had let down his brother.

Two thousand yuan? That Gao Yuzhu really dares to ask for a lot! Tian Manmu was not angry but laughed instead. He patted Tian Chusheng on the shoulder, consoling him: "Don’t be like that, Brother Chun Sheng. Gao Yuzhu is Gao Yuzhu; his doings have nothing to do with you. Don’t feel bad. I should be thanking Brother Chun Sheng for taking the trouble to run this errand for me!"

"It’s a pity that I couldn’t get it done!"

Tian Chusheng felt somewhat better with Tian Manmu’s comfort, but he was still troubled inside. The Tian Family had helped his family so much; the one time he was asked for help, he couldn’t get it done. How could his family have the face to ask for the Tian Family’s help again in the future?

Tian Chusheng couldn’t help but feel resentment towards his sister, Tian Chunfang, thinking that if Tian Chunfang could keep her husband under control, Gao Yuzhu wouldn’t have been so arrogant.

As a result, Tian Chusheng later stopped defending Tian Chunfang as he used to, and their relation cooled significantly.

Upon hearing Gao Yuzhu’s demand for two thousand yuan, Tian Manjin immediately became so furious that he leapt up. Originally, he had planned to accept if Gao Yuzhu asked for a compensation of five hundred yuan or less, but now this bastard actually wanted two thousand?

He must be dreaming!

"Not a cent will be given. If I had that much money, I’d rather spend it on bridge and road repairs to accumulate good deeds! I won’t give him a single penny."

Tian Manjin huffed and puffed in anger, but soon he calmed down. Just thinking about still having to be neighbors with Gao Yuzhu was distasteful to him.

Originally, the field owned by Gao Yuzhu’s family wasn’t large, but it was inconveniently located right in the middle of Tian Manjin’s, like the cream filling in a sandwich cookie, with Gao Yuzhu’s field being that filling.

Sisi saw Tian Manjin’s persistent frown these past few days and felt it too, but she couldn’t think of a good solution. She could certainly come up with two thousand yuan, but she simply didn’t want to let Gao Yuzhu off so easily.

When Tian Xinhua called, Sisi mentioned the issue to him. She was just venting, not expecting Tian Xinhua to come up with a solution, but Tian Xinhua chuckled.

"Ah Nan, don’t worry, I have a great idea that will ensure Gao Yuzhu willingly exchanges the land without us spending a dime."

"Really? What’s the good idea?" Sisi was somewhat skeptical. Xinhua was so far away, what good idea could he possibly have?

"Don’t rush. Ask Uncle Four to take the call; I’ll talk to him," Tian Xinhua teased.

"Why can’t you just tell me?" Sisi was not pleased.

"No, I can’t discuss this with you," Tian Xinhua firmly refused, remaining silent no matter how much Sisi asked.

Sisi hung up the phone irritably, deciding to deal with Tian Xinhua when she saw him next. Tian Manjin was also dubious but came to listen to the call. Actually, he was not very convinced either, but remembering how his nephew had always been full of ideas since childhood, he thought Tian Xinhua might really come up with a good plan.

After listening to Tian Xinhua’s call, Tian Manjin was so happy he couldn’t stop smiling. He hung up quickly, eager to return home.

"Dad, what idea did Brother Xin Hua come up with?" Unable to contain her curiosity, Sisi asked Tian Manjin.

However, Tian Manjin, who normally would answer any of his daughter’s questions, was tight-lipped like a mutted gourd this time, refusing to divulge anything no matter how much she prodded, leaving Sisi so frustrated that she turned and left in a huff. Tian Manjin followed her, persistently trying to appease his daughter with sweet words.

After Tian Manjin returned, he went to Tian Manmu’s house, and not long after, both of them emerged, smiles abundant.

Subsequently, the situation took a dramatic turn; Gao Yuzhu exchanged his land with Tian Manjin without asking for any money, and in return, Tian Manjin gave Gao Yuzhu a similarly sized plot of land.

Moreover, from that point on, Gao Yuzhu seemed a lot more subdued and no longer dared to speak ill of the Tian Family behind their backs. Whenever he saw Tian Manjin and his brothers, he was like a mouse that had seen a cat, scared out of his wits.

With this unexpected twist, Sisi was completely confused, as were Donghua and Qinghua. The adults at home kept silent about the matter, always telling them they were still young, and it was not their business, leaving them even more frustrated and wishing they could grow up faster.