Chapter 773 - 398: Take It As It Comes

Chapter 773: Chapter 398: Take It As It Comes

Huai Zi couldn’t help but laugh. "How can you spend all day thinking about this and that? Isn’t life just about taking things as they come?" Seeing her confused expression, he added, "It doesn’t matter who you are, everyone has plenty of ideas in their head. But those ideas have to be useful to be worthwhile—thinking about useless things is just a waste of effort, isn’t it? I mean, to put it jokingly, I used to dream of becoming the Prime Minister. But if Mr. Zhou hadn’t come to our village, I probably wouldn’t have even managed those two years of schooling. Me, wanting to be Prime Minister? Wasn’t that just daydreaming?"

Juhua asked softly, "Now that our family is doing well, have you never thought about striving for something more?"

Huai Zi cut her off with a laugh. "Dad always said, ’The grass is always greener on the other side.’ Later, when I went to school, I heard my teacher warn us to never be satisfied and to always keep our feet on the ground. See? Even though Dad can’t read, what he says is the same principle the teacher taught. So, no matter what I might think in my heart, life is about taking things as they come. When the time comes, everyone has to decide for themselves how to act and what to choose."

Juhua nodded, very pleased that he wasn’t overly ambitious. ’Take things as they come.’ It was a rustic saying, but it had the same beautiful sentiment as ’go with the flow.’

Huai Zi’s interest seemed piqued. He continued, "When I was little, your brother and I dreamed of making big money so we could eat and dress well. Later, when I started school, I thought about making a name for myself. But if I had kept studying, our family definitely couldn’t have afforded it. Then, when the village started the workshop, your brother and I put our hearts into planning it. We hoped to build a wealthy family business and make a name for Qingnan Village. But then the corrupt officials came, the workshop was sold, and everyone’s spirit was broken. We went right back to how things were before. But life is different now. I have you with me. We’re farming and raising pigs, and we’ll raise Cong and Banli well. Isn’t this the good life we dreamed of when we were kids?"

Juhua smiled, pressing her lips together. After a moment, she teased, "I only ask because I was afraid you might not be content. Most men want to build a grand career. Our family was poor before, but now we have some capital. You’ve also studied. I thought you might prefer to go out and make your way in the world, especially since you’d have Yangzi to look out for you, which would make things easier."

Huai Zi’s expression turned solemn. He looked at her seriously and said, "When I say we should take things as they come, it doesn’t mean I lack ambition. It means that between gain and loss, one must make a choice! Putting everything else aside, if I went out to do business and had to leave you at home, I couldn’t bear it. Even if I built the greatest fortune, what’s the point if I can’t be with my wife and children every day? Besides, with us working together now, it’s not like we can’t build a great enterprise of our own. Why take the roundabout way? Taking things as they come is better than having great ambition but little talent."

Juhua gazed at his rugged chin, lost in thought for a moment. This farmer, this man she had watched grow from a boy, shedding his simple honesty and immaturity, had become so steady and composed. And as he transformed, she felt she had changed too—she had grown more attached to him.

Yes, as he grew more mature, it was as if she had become smaller. She would sometimes find herself acting cute and coquettish with him, and he, in turn, doted on her more and more. This was a rare occurrence in the past. She was never used to acting that way, always presenting herself as a gentle and virtuous wife.

For instance, right now, listening to his simple words—which contained few sweet nothings but filled her with a sense of peace and security—she couldn’t help but want to lean in and kiss him, then snuggle against him for a while. But Pu Pao was still sitting right there! ’See, being waited on comes at a price—your freedom is compromised.’

Seeing his wife’s dazed expression, Huai Zi chuckled. "Juhua, you don’t look down on me for ’lacking ambition and being content with a little wealth,’ do you?"

Juhua shot him a look and didn’t reply.

After joking around for a bit, Huai Zi looked at the sun and said to Juhua, "Come on, let’s go home and eat." He stood up as he spoke, pulling her up with him.

Pu Pao, who had been looking around listlessly, heard him and quickly got up. She dusted herself off, held out her arms, and said to Huai Zi, "Master, let me hold Cong."

Huai Zi said, "No need. The path on this mountain isn’t easy to walk. You just watch your own step. Your Young Madam and I will follow behind."

Pu Pao said no more and skipped on ahead, leading the way down the mountain.

Huai Zi held Cong with one arm and Juhua’s hand with the other, chatting leisurely as they walked.

Juhua looked at the newly planted bamboo and said, "Planting trees and bamboo on the mountain is the safest bet. Otherwise, heavy rain could cause landslides. Besides, raising chickens in the bamboo grove can bring in a lot of extra income, no worse than planting peanuts. Huai Zi, shouldn’t we get a few more dogs? It’ll be easy for weasels to get the chickens in the bamboo grove otherwise!"