Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 154: Old things

At this moment in the mule cart, Liu Yu had been watching Lu Chengxiao for quite a while.

Under her gaze, Lu Chengxiao finally broke his composure and was the first to give in. He looked at Liu Yu and asked, “What do you want to say?”

Liu Yu’s eyes flickered, and she suddenly leaned closer to Lu Chengxiao. “I was wondering, do you care about it?”

What she was referring to, naturally, was the relationship she had with Chen Sheng in the past.

Lu Chengxiao unconsciously cleared his throat. “It’s not that I care, but I used to feel quite bitter about it.”

He didn’t hide the fact that he had been jealous before.

Even though they were already married, whenever he thought about how, if it weren’t for Liu Shi’s repeated scheming, Liu Yu might have ended up as part of the Chen family, Lu Chengxiao couldn’t help but feel a pang in his heart. The mere thought of her marrying someone else made him want to cut off that idea immediately.

He couldn’t allow himself to think about it.

Seeing his expression, Liu Yu found it somewhat amusing and said, “You know that it’s all in the past. We won’t have any interactions with him in the future, so why do you still speak of him like that?”

She didn’t feel there was anything inappropriate, just that it wasn’t necessary. When it came to Liu Shi, Liu Yu was justified in her indignation, but as for Chen Sheng, she had indeed intended to use him in the past.

Lu Chengxiao naturally knew that Liu Yu was referring to his comment that “false affection is the cheapest.”

He didn’t need to see the aftermath to know that Chen Sheng would be deeply hurt by it.

But did Lu Chengxiao wrong Chen Sheng? Not at all.

Looking at Liu Yu’s face, Lu Chengxiao’s feelings were undeniably complicated.

Did Chen Sheng like Liu Yu? He certainly did, and it was likely that he would never forget her or move on.

Thinking about the past, Lu Chengxiao pressed his lips together. He held Liu Yu’s hand in his own, taking a moment to calm his emotions before saying, “Empty affection, not a single word was unjust. If he had any responsibility, you wouldn’t have been humiliated by his mother. If he had any skill, he could have persuaded his family, and you wouldn’t have fallen into the water.”

That day, if Lu Chengxiao hadn’t also arrived at the riverside, he didn’t dare to imagine what kind of situation Liu Yu would have faced. Did Liu Shi have some other plan in place, or was she truly so malicious as to leave Liu Yu’s fate to chance?

Lu Chengxiao was holding Liu Yu’s hand so tightly that it hurt a little, but she noticed his tension and gently squeezed his hand back to comfort him, which made him relax a bit.

“His so-called affection, apart from bringing you danger and trouble, I haven’t seen anything else. As for calling his feelings false…” Lu Chengxiao paused.

Liu Yu finished his sentence for him, “Even though he knew I was already married, he still kept pestering me right in front of you. If you weren’t so open-minded, or if you minded it a lot, Chen Sheng’s actions would only have caused me more trouble, right?”

Lu Chengxiao couldn’t help but laugh. Wasn’t that obvious?

He said, “There’s no harm in giving him a reality check.”

Chen Sheng was unwilling to give up, and with Liu Shi’s nature, it was inevitable that she’d make a scene. Lu Chengxiao didn’t want to get tangled up with that mother and son.

Liu Yu nodded and didn’t say anything more. Instead, it was Lu Chengxiao who suddenly thought of something. His eyes flickered as the thought circled in his mind a few times before he couldn’t resist asking, “There’s one more thing…”

Liu Yu looked at him.

Lu Chengxiao’s eyes sparkled as he glanced toward the front of the carriage, then leaned closer to Liu Yu and softly asked, “I’ve never asked before, but how did you choose between me and Chen Sheng back then?”

He knew that Liu Yu had deliberately approached him with a purpose, but he really didn’t know how she had picked him and Chen Sheng out of everyone.

Liu Yu didn’t expect him to be curious about this and found it amusing. She glanced at Lu Chengxiao. “Do you really want to know?”

Lu Chengxiao eagerly nodded.

Liu Yu smiled. Between husband and wife, there was nothing that couldn’t be said. She explained, “Actually, before meeting you, I hadn’t been to Changfeng Town much. Time was tight back then, and I didn’t have the ability to find the right person so quickly…”

She leaned in and whispered to Lu Chengxiao about how she had found Lin Jiuniang and how Lin Jiuniang had pointed out five candidates to her.

Lu Chengxiao was momentarily stunned.

“Five?”

It was rare to see such an expression on his face. Liu Yu wanted to laugh but quickly suppressed it, saying, “Most of them were just to make up the numbers. She charged me five strings of coins at the time. How could she justify taking my money without giving me a few more options? That was all the money I had back then.”

What Liu Yu didn’t say was that Lu Chengxiao had also been included by Lin Jiuniang as one of the filler candidates. However, unlike the other two candidates, he was considered a high-quality filler.

Lu Chengxiao couldn’t tell if he felt more heartache or bitterness, but he was so stifled with emotion that he pulled Liu Yu into his arms, and only then did the dull ache in his heart ease slightly.

“Then I should really thank her. She’s our matchmaker in name and fact,” he said, raising his voice to call out to Babao, who was driving the carriage outside. “Babao, stop by the pastry shop and then take a detour to our fabric store.”

Babao didn’t know the reason but cheerfully complied.

Liu Yu withdrew from Lu Chengxiao’s embrace and looked up at him. Lu Chengxiao smiled and said, “Before we return to the county, I’m going to send a proper thank-you gift to our matchmaker.”

He was serious about preparing the thank-you gift. Six kinds of pastries, and he bought two bolts of fine fabric from their store, then, with eight items in total, he went to Lin Jiuniang’s house.

Lin Jiuniang never dreamed that the little bit of information she sold for money would end up making her Liu Yu’s matchmaker. The Lu and Liu families had already given her a generous matchmaker’s fee, and now the groom himself was bringing such a grand gift to thank her. Although he didn’t say it explicitly, his vague words made Lin Jiuniang understand that he was thanking her for selling that information to Liu Yu back then.

Lin Jiuniang’s expression was something to behold; it was hard to tell if she felt more embarrassed, excited, or thrilled.

How had she stumbled upon such a fortunate event? From start to finish, with Liu Yu, the Lu and Liu families, and Lu Sanlang, she had been paid four times!

She realized that the earnings from the eight successful matchmaking efforts combined didn’t compare to what she had earned from this single couple.

Lin Jiuniang’s smile was so wide that it seemed like it would never fade. She kept showering them with compliments, as if they cost nothing, and naturally offered them tea. In her excitement, she even called for her daughter-in-law to kill a chicken, wanting to keep Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yu for a meal.

But there was no way Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yu would actually stay for dinner. They mentioned they were in a hurry to get back to the county, thanked her profusely several times, and then finally bid farewell to Lin Jiuniang.

Lin Jiuniang and her two daughters-in-law looked at the box of pastries and the two bolts of fabric—one of fine cloth and the other of silk—and exclaimed, “The Lu family is so generous!”

The daughters-in-law were unaware that Liu Yu had bought information from Lin Jiuniang. They just thought the Lu family had sent a gift in addition to the matchmaker’s fee.

Lin Jiuniang, however, knew the truth, but she didn’t say a word about it to her daughters-in-law.

This concerned her own reputation as well as Liu Yu’s.

So, she kept the secret to herself, feeling quite pleased.

~

Back in the county, all the clothes and personal items were naturally moved into the room Lu Chengxiao lived in at the back courtyard of the Lu family house. Liu Yu and Lu Chengxiao went to the shop in the front to see Lu Xun and then returned to the embroidery shop, Ruyi Embroidery House, across the street.

Lu Chengxiao accompanied her, entering through the side door at the back.

Once they arrived at the embroidery house, Liu Yu was so busy that she didn’t even have time to feel tired, let alone pay attention to Lu Chengxiao. It wasn’t convenient for him to stay in the front part of the shop either.

When Wei Shi heard that Lu Chengxiao had also come, she greeted him at the back of the shop, leaving the shop in Liu Yu’s capable hands.

With the Liu brothers absent, Lu Chengxiao met with Wei Shi, his eldest aunt, before taking his leave. Instead of returning to the Lu family house, he inquired around town about which clinic and which doctor specialized in women’s health and went to consult them.

Lu Chengxiao had been keeping Liu Yu’s words from the day she returned home in mind. After paying the consultation fee, he asked the old doctor about the ideal age for women to have children.

The old doctor, who was in his sixties, found it quite unusual—this was the first time someone had paid him just to ask such a question.

Seeing that it was an unusual inquiry, he asked Lu Chengxiao, who appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old, “Are you married?”

Lu Chengxiao nodded.

The old doctor smiled and said, “There are many women who give birth at fifteen or sixteen, but the risk of complications is indeed higher at that age.”

Lu Chengxiao’s face paled slightly. “Then at what age is it safer?”

The old doctor chuckled, “There’s no absolute safety, but compared to fifteen or sixteen, the chances of a smooth delivery are much higher at seventeen or eighteen.”

Seventeen or eighteen, Lu Chengxiao noted.

Seeing how serious he was about the matter, the old doctor added, “If you’re really concerned about your wife, make sure she stays active. A good physical condition naturally reduces the risks compared to someone who hardly ever leaves the house.”

Lu Chengxiao’s eyes lit up. “Would practicing martial arts help?”

The old doctor laughed. It was rare for young women to enjoy martial arts, but it would indeed help. So, he nodded, “Yes, practicing martial arts would be beneficial. Actually, any activity that keeps her moving would be good.”

“Great, thank you, doctor.”

~

Because of this conversation, Lu Chengxiao started making plans. He knew Liu Yu wouldn’t be keen on wielding swords or practicing martial arts, but practicing basic martial arts seemed just right.

He also recalled that Liu Yu had been practicing calligraphy with Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan, so he decided to add calligraphy practice to the schedule.

A walk after meals, calligraphy practice in the evening, and martial arts practice in the morning—Lu Chengxiao thought it was a perfect plan.

When Liu Yu returned to the Lu family house after the embroidery shop closed for the day, had dinner, and was pulled outside by Lu Chengxiao for a few laps, she returned home to find him setting up ink and paper. Only then did she realize what he had in mind.

Practicing calligraphy was fine. Although Liu Yu had learned to read and write in her past life, she hadn’t had much time to practice, so her handwriting was only average.

But martial arts practice???

Liu Yu looked at Lu Chengxiao, her face full of questions.

Meeting her gaze, Lu Chengxiao pressed his lips together briefly before explaining that he had consulted a doctor earlier in the day.

“You need to stay active; it’s good for you.”

Liu Yu never imagined he would go to a doctor to ask about this, but she responded, “Just staying active is enough, right?”

Lu Chengxiao nodded.

Liu Yu smiled and said, “Then there’s no need to practice martial arts.”

Seeing him look at her, she decided to move around a bit, performing a few basic dance moves that she usually practiced.

Her graceful and skilled movements left Lu Chengxiao stunned. Without stopping, Liu Yu smiled at him and said, “Actually, I love dancing. I’ve been figuring it out on my own since I was young. Before we got married, I would do these exercises every night before bed.”

It was only after marrying Lu Chengxiao that her routine was disrupted.

She had always loved dancing and knew that it was good for her body. Now that she had heard that staying active could reduce the risks during childbirth, she was even more determined to keep it up.

Watching her impossibly flexible waist, Lu Chengxiao’s thoughts drifted back to their wedding night.

His ears turned slightly red. What had seemed unimaginable at the time now made perfect sense.

Liu Yu, who had been sitting for a long time in the carriage earlier and had spent the entire afternoon busy in the cutting room, found stretching and moving her body to be incredibly enjoyable. However, Lu Chengxiao suddenly felt that the room was getting warmer, and his throat felt a bit dry. He instinctively tugged at his collar, hoping to cool down a bit.

Unaware of the effect she was having, Liu Yu asked him, “This is just as effective as practicing martial arts, isn’t it?”

Lu Chengxiao nodded in agreement, unable to keep his eyes on her. He quickly moved to the desk and picked up a book, though his gaze kept drifting back to her, and he found himself unable to turn the page for quite some time.

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