Chapter 476 - Chapter 476: Chapter 468: The Cunning Monster_1 (1/2)

Chapter 476: Chapter 468: The Cunning Monster_1

At this moment, Xu Zhenchang cut a somewhat diminished figure of a hero.

Even heroes find it hard to overcome the allure of a beautiful woman.

This year, due to the persistent insect disaster, Xu Zhenchang’s farming suffered heavy losses, and he bore immense financial and mental stress. Affected by the insect disaster, the amount of labor required to farm an acre of land could potentially triple.

For instance, after sowing the seeds, there were costs for the seeds themselves, tilling the soil, not to mention watering, applying base fertilizer, digging holes, and weeding—all of which could not be skipped.

In the end, just as the seeds began to sprout, they were voraciously consumed by the insects.

To give up at that point would leave one grudgingly dissatisfied.

People always hold on to a stroke of luck, so he sowed a second batch of seeds.

This time, to prevent the insects from eating them, he took extra precautions. He guarded them day and night.

Under normal circumstances, it would take three to five days for seedlings to emerge after sowing, and then about ten days later, the first round of fertilizer would be applied. By then, weeds would also have started to grow and needed to be removed quickly, because once the crop seedlings grew taller, weeds would barely grow in the field anymore.

All that was needed then was to manage the fertilization and water, and to prevent insect damage.

But because the first sowing’s seedlings were completely eaten by insects, there was a need to replant a second batch. This led to weeds growing wildly before the new seedlings had a chance to become established.

In such cases, much more time would be spent on weeding.

This increased the amount of labor quite unexpectedly.

Having toiled for a long time in the second half of the year, Xu Zhenchang’s efforts ended up fruitless, which obviously left him physically and mentally exhausted.

It’s said that poverty brings a thousand woes to a marriage.

After exhausting himself outside, he would inevitably quarrel with his wife at home over the family income. It was during such times that Zhao took the opportunity to seduce Xu Zhenchang, who was eight or nine years her senior.

Even if Xu Zhenchang was the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, he would have fallen into the trap.

Eventually, he started an affair with Zhao.

With men, the thrill of cheating is known to become addictive.

One time leads to another.

In the end, Xu Zhenchang met with a tragedy. He unwittingly ended up generously “giving” the little money he had at home to Zhao.

Put plainly, it was no different from visiting a brothel.

The money spent was naturally impossible to reclaim.

“How much did you spend on Zhao in total?”

Qin Niu asked.

“Almost seventeen or eighteen taels, and I secretly borrowed nine taels of Silver Money without daring to tell my wife.”

Xu Zhenchang revealed a shocking number.

“You borrowed so much? How could you still borrow money to be with her? Your wife isn’t ugly either! With such a huge hole, I doubt you could fill it even if you farmed for another year.”

Qin Niu was taken aback.

He had thought that at most, Xu Zhenchang would have spent seven or eight taels, but he had gone mad with Zhao, borrowing such a significant amount of Silver Money for her.

“Ah, I don’t know why I was so silly; every time Zhao dragged me into a haystack or the sorghum field, and after it was over, the moment she opened her mouth, even if I had no Silver Money, I would find a way to gather some for her. Sometimes I even think about castrating myself. Whenever I see Zhao, it’s like I’m bewitched. Every time after I give her the money, I swear I won’t get entangled with her again. But a few days later, as soon as I see her again, I lose control.”

As Xu Zhenchang spoke about this, he appeared profoundly distressed and full of self-blame.

“I think you really should castrate yourself!” Qin Niu quite agreed, with a touch of disappointment. “Zhao alone has extracted so much Silver Money from you, and yet her house is still those few dilapidated earthen houses, and her clothes aren’t nice either. Where on earth does she spend all that money?”

Those involved are blind, while the bystanders see it clear.

Qin Niu sensed something was amiss.

If Zhao was simply unfaithful for the sake of extorting a bit of money from men, then that should be sufficient.

Frankly, Xu Zhenchang’s high expenditures were more than what one would spend in the city’s brothels.

“I don’t know. She only told me her mother was seriously ill and needed a lot of money for treatment.”

“Alright, I’ll look into this matter when I have the chance. With so much debt, what do you plan to do in the future?”