adbindia Chapter 374 - 198: Third Wheel
Chapter 374 - 198: Third Wheel
The next day, when a huge, bustling crowd flooded into Juhua’s family’s large courtyard, she glanced over the group and almost burst out laughing—they had actually left her second uncle’s wife, Mrs. Lin, at home to watch the house. Her first and second uncles, along with her first uncle’s wife, had come leading Liu Fugui’s family.
’Oh my! That woman must be furious—this was a slight she had never experienced since marrying into the family!’
Her opinion of her second uncle, Yang Dezhi, instantly improved. She went up to greet him, calling out, "Second Uncle!"
Laicai also darted out from behind her, shouting, "Dad! How come Mom didn’t come?"
Yang Dezhi looked a little embarrassed. He had argued with his wife last night and refused to let her tag along today, leaving her to watch the house instead. For one, he was afraid she would come and make a scene, especially since his sister’s in-laws were visiting today.
He put on a stern face and chided, "Your mom’s at home watching the house. Have you been behaving? If I find out you’ve caused Sister Juhua any trouble, see if I don’t give you a good thrashing!"
Juhua quickly interjected, "Second Uncle, Laicai has really turned over a new leaf. He’s been very obedient. Even if he causes a little trouble, it’s just because kids are naturally active. He can’t change overnight; it has to be a gradual process. Right, Laicai?"
Laicai nodded eagerly.
Although he was trying his best to change, old habits died hard. It wasn’t so easy. So when he accidentally knocked over a bowl of food at breakfast and his grandmother had scolded him angrily, Sister Juhua hadn’t blamed him at all. She had only reminded him to be more careful in the future. He had been so moved he felt like he could have stood facing a wall all day as penance.
Seeing that his son really did seem more composed, Yang Dezhi finally broke into a smile.
The group exchanged pleasantries in the courtyard, trading a stream of polite words before finally entering the house with a round of "After you," "No, please, after you."
Juhua glanced at Liu Yungen and, seeing his evasive eyes, was secretly amused. Ignoring him, she smiled at Liu Yunlan and said, "Sister Yunlan! Let’s go to my room—it’s too crowded out here."
Liu Yunlan was wearing a brand-new, rose-red jacket and grey trousers. Though made of coarse cloth, the outfit highlighted her shy, blushing face, and her eyes sparkled with a joy that was impossible to hide.
Hearing Juhua’s invitation, she quickly glanced at a certain tall, upright figure in the crowd before following Juhua into her room, her heart filled with sweetness.
Juhua had her take a seat, setting out tea, melon seeds, and other snacks, and asked if she was tired from the walk.
Liu Yunlan looked around Juhua’s room and smiled. "I’m fine. With so many people to talk to, we arrived before I knew it. Juhua, you... you still read books?"
Liu Yunlan had spotted two books by the head of the bed and asked with some hesitation.
Juhua laughed. "My brother taught me to recognize a few characters, so I just read for fun. When you move in, he can teach you too. You’re so smart, you’ll be able to learn it in no time."
Liu Yunlan’s face flushed at her words, but she couldn’t suppress a slight smile. ’I’ll have a chance to learn how to read, too.’
The two of them chatted and laughed softly for a while before Juhua said, "Sister Yunlan, I need to go help Mom with the cooking. You can stay here and rest for a bit, or you could go sit in the main hall and listen to the others talk."
’The best person to keep her company would be my brother,’ she thought, ’but these blasted customs...’
Liu Yunlan quickly said, "Let me help Auntie with the cooking too!"
Juhua shook her head. "Nonsense. You’re a guest today, how could we possibly let you cook? If you’re bored, you can come with me to the kitchen and watch."
Juhua led her out of the room just as Mrs. Yang came in to refill everyone’s hot tea. Seeing the two girls, she smiled and said, "Qingmu, you and Juhua should take Yunlan for a tour so she doesn’t get bored cooped up in the house. You young people don’t like listening to us adults talk anyway. Juhua, your grandmother, your first aunt, and I are enough to handle the cooking. You go and show Sister Yunlan a good time."
Juhua’s first uncle chimed in, "Go on, go on. The old folks will keep the old folks company, and the young will entertain the young."
The crowd broke into laughter at his words.
Liu Fugui and his wife watched Qingmu, their eyes crinkling with delight. ’This son-in-law of ours not only has an excellent character but is also capable and outstanding in every respect.’
He was secretly thankful that he had swallowed his pride back then and apologized to Yang Defa, admitting his foolishness. Only then did they agree to let the matter go and renew the engagement. He knew he wasn’t a particularly capable man; if his actions had prevented such a wonderful daughter from marrying into a good family, he would have died of shame.
And so, Qingmu rose with a smile and led Juhua and Liu Yunlan outside. Liu Fugui’s wife, Mrs. Zhang, went with Juhua’s first aunt to the kitchen to chat, while the men stayed to keep Liu Fugui company.
Liu Yungen was left with no one to entertain him, so he had to play with Laicai. But Laicai didn’t want to play with him either and ran off to the backyard with Laishou to find Juhua.
Once the three of them were outside, Qingmu smiled, glanced at Liu Yunlan, and said, "I’ll show you the house and the yard first, then we can go outside and see the small river, and the fish Juhua and I are raising."
Liu Yunlan was overjoyed to hear this, nodding at him with a blush on her cheeks.
So, the three of them first toured the rooms on the west side of the house. Juhua made a point of showing Liu Yunlan Qingmu’s room. As she gazed at the books, brushes, ink, and paper on the desk, she couldn’t help but look at Qingmu with admiration. When she saw him watching her with a gentle smile, she smiled back shyly.
She understood that this part of the house was for Qingmu to use after he married, meaning it would be where she would live in the future. She joyfully looked all around, unable to conceal the delight on her face.
Qingmu stood to the side, watching her with a smile, not saying a word. His gaze seemed to ask, ’Do you like it here?’ and her eyes clearly told him that she liked it very much.
After seeing the house, they went to the backyard. Qingmu would occasionally murmur explanations about the vegetable garden, the pigsty, the chicken coop, the cattle pen, and the fruit trees, and Liu Yunlan’s eyes sparkled as she listened.
Juhua watched the young couple and smiled wryly to herself. ’They get along so harmoniously,’ she thought. ’I’m just a third wheel tagging along behind them.’ But leaving the two of them alone here wouldn’t be proper, either. Liu Yunlan’s parents were still in the house, and it would be terribly impolite.
’Sigh! Customs, oh, customs!’
So, this giant third wheel had no choice but to keep shining between her brother and Liu Yunlan.
Just as she was thinking this, Laicai arrived in the backyard with Laishou, who called out in a high, childish voice, "Sister Juhua!" She turned and picked him up, complaining playfully, "Laishou, you’re getting so heavy! I can barely lift you anymore."
Laishou just giggled happily.
Laicai, being considerate, said to Juhua, "Put Laishou down. Let him walk by himself!"
Juhua replied, "He’s still so little. His legs would probably give out after just a few steps."
Hearing this, Qingmu turned, took Laishou, and placed him on his shoulders. "Come on," he said to Juhua and Liu Yunlan, "let’s go outside."
Juhua held Laicai’s hand and walked beside Liu Yunlan. They took a stroll along the river, familiarizing her with the area around Juhua’s home, before arriving at their family’s fish pond.
Qingmu watched the two of them and couldn’t help but smile. In the past, he only ever had his sister to look after. Now, he had two people to care for. ’If we were climbing a mountain,’ he thought, ’I’d have to hold one with each hand.’
Liu Yunlan noticed some withered, yellow lotus leaves in the pond and asked, "Do you grow lotus roots in this pond too?"
Juhua nodded. "Yes! We planted a few lotus roots last year, but they didn’t grow much. They’ll probably do better this year. Sister Yunlan, don’t underestimate this pond. We’ve stocked it with lots of fish, Ni Qiu, and Huang Shan. I’ve been feeding them constantly, and we didn’t catch any at the end of last year. By the end of this year, we should be able to harvest quite a lot of fish."
Liu Yunlan listened with great interest, occasionally glancing at Qingmu and smiling to herself.
When Laishou heard there were fish in the pond, he got very excited. He started pointing and shouting from Qingmu’s shoulders, squirming around to look everywhere.
Afraid he would fall, Qingmu quickly grabbed the boy’s little hands to steady him. He then said to Liu Yunlan, "I’m planning to dig this pond out a bit bigger. On one hand, it’s so we can raise more fish and shrimp. On the other, it’s so we can plant fewer crops. Our family is already raising pigs, chickens, and ducks, so we can’t manage all this land by ourselves."
Liu Yunlan listened, thinking about everything she had seen. Their family was raising so many pigs, chickens, and ducks, and they had all that farmland. ’Juhua must be exhausted just managing the household,’ she thought. ’The fields must rely entirely on Uncle Zheng, Aunt Zheng, and Qingmu. How tiring that must be!’
She quickly said to Qingmu, "You should definitely plant less. It would be terrible if you worked yourself to exhaustion."
His heart warmed to hear her words, and he smiled and nodded at her.
Juhua laughed. "Raising fish is also productive. This pond can yield a lot of things. Not to mention fish and shrimp, we can also harvest some lotus roots, and even some water gourds—my brother dug those up from another pond at the end of last year. We’ve planted some water bamboo shoots, too."
Liu Yunlan looked at the bare surface of the water and, listening to Juhua’s description, could imagine what the pond would look like in the spring and summer. She turned to the adjacent wheat field, where the lush green seedlings swayed gently, as if greeting their new mistress.
Seeing her looking at the wheat field, Qingmu quickly added, "We were busy building the house last year and short on time, so we only planted three mu of wheat."
Liu Yunlan stood gracefully at the edge of the field. Throughout the tour, Qingmu and Juhua had shown her the house, the yard, the livestock, the farmland, and the fish pond, and she had gazed out at the fields. Her initial thrilled excitement had gradually settled into a quiet calm, and a deep sense of belonging filled her heart.
She had been managing her own household from a young age, worrying not only about the fields and family finances but also about her parents and her younger brother. Now, finally, someone was here to shoulder the burdens of life for her, to face its difficulties alongside her.
Qingmu looked at her and said softly, "Let’s go back."
She nodded and obediently fell into step beside him.
The group made small talk as they slowly walked back. The warm sun shone down on them, and everything felt so warm and harmonious. Even Laicai was quiet, holding Juhua’s hand and listening to the three adults talk.
When they returned to the courtyard gate, Qingmu looked up and saw someone in Zhang Huai’s field. He smiled at Juhua and said, "Come on, let’s go say a few words to Huai Zi."
Liu Yunlan stopped hesitantly and looked at Juhua. ’It doesn’t feel right for me to be meeting outsiders,’ she thought.
Qingmu smiled at her. "Huai Zi is a good friend I grew up with. I want to introduce you to him."
Liu Yunlan’s face turned red, but she was overjoyed. ’He even wants me to meet his best friend. He really does see me as his wife.’ (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)