Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 26.1: Lu Chengxiao, you are crazy!

Liu Zhang was utterly confused by Lu Chengxiao’s reaction. He quietly returned the cream puff he had brought to his mouth back to the plate, glancing at Lu Chengxiao and then at Lin Huaigeng. Wasn’t it just mentioning that girl last time? Why such a strong reaction from Chengxiao?

Lin Huaigeng was also stunned. Last time, wasn’t it said that it was irrelevant?

Both of them sensed the same bewilderment in each other’s eyes. Naturally, they had to respond to the question. Liu Zhang stumbled with his words, “It’s, um, the girl you chased after last time, the one you got the purse back for. We saw her near Ji Xian Zhai when Chen Sheng went after her to talk.”

“On the morning you found me, was it?”

Lu Chengxiao’s voice was so calm that it was almost impossible to detect any emotion. However, Lin Huaigeng and Liu Zhang, who had grown up with him, could sense a different tone. It was a kind of forced calmness.

They had never seen Lu Chengxiao like this before, and they hesitated, not daring to nod.

Lu Chengxiao didn’t need them to nod. He just couldn’t believe that Liu Yu could be so capable.

Was she acquainted with Chen Sheng early on, or did she lose interest here and could move on to Chen Sheng the next day?

Discovering either possibility made him extremely uncomfortable.

So uncomfortable that it was difficult to conceal his emotions in front of Lin Huaigeng and Liu Zhang.

Lin Huaigeng glanced at Lu Chengxiao, who was tightly gripping the porcelain cup, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lu Chengxiao put down the teacup, picked up the warm towel placed on the side, and silently wiped the tea that had touched his fingertips. He lowered his eyes and, after a while, reluctantly uttered the words “nothing.”

In his current state, no matter how you looked at it, it didn’t seem like nothing. Lin Huaigeng tentatively asked, “Chengxiao, do you like that girl?”

Like her? If emotions were controllable, he would definitely not like her. Unfortunately, feelings were never under his control.

Lu Chengxiao tightly pressed his lips together and remained silent for a while.

Seeing this, Lin Huaigeng didn’t need any more clues. He advised, “If you like her, go after her. You didn’t stay in Changfeng Town and came to Anyi County for a reason. Chen Sheng has some capital; don’t let him snatch her first. If you miss it, you’ll regret it for a lifetime.”

Liu Zhang nodded in agreement from the side, “Exactly. The Chen family has some family background, and he’s their only child. In our town, who knows how many families with eligible young girls are keeping an eye on him. Don’t miss out; you’re quite popular.”

After saying this, he felt something was off and added, “Of course, he’s not as good as you. The Chen family used to be ahead of yours, but now the gap has widened.”

This addition was like a precision strike, right on the mark!

In one sentence, it was clear that she first picked him, and now, if “he” didn’t work out, she would switch to Chen Sheng?

Lu Chengxiao thought, it turned out he had this “honor,” and he had to thank his father for surpassing the Chen family in business.

He silently wiped his hands, which were already clean, and just when Lin Huaigeng and Liu Zhang thought he wouldn’t say anything more, he calmly said, “I don’t like her.”

He wouldn’t like a woman who was so calculating, admiring the rich and disliking the poor.

Even if he liked her now, with time, he would surely be able to let go.

~

These days, Liu Yu visited Ji Xian Zhai twice—once to pick up an embroidery sample and once to return it.

It had to be said that Chen Sheng, the young boss of Ji Xian Zhai, would probably be much easier to win her over than Lu Chengxiao. At least, on their second meeting, he took the initiative to introduce himself.

Reflecting on it, if she hadn’t chosen Lu Chengxiao, a hard nut to crack, from the beginning, the current situation might not have been so tense and passive in terms of time.

Due to the lesson learned from Lu Chengxiao’s place last time and the waste of a lot of time, Liu Yu dared not be too careless this time. After comparing the three candidates recommended by Lin Jiuniang, she excluded the one nearing fifty and with flawed character. She added another widower whose original wife had passed away to her conquest target. While being a stepmother might be challenging, it was still better than the tough life in the brothel.

This man surnamed Li, according to Lin Jiuniang, was twenty-eight years old this year. His original wife was frail, and her health had been poor since giving birth to their son. Despite seeking medical help and taking medicine for nourishment, she passed away after a few years. Li had dutifully cared for his ex-wife for three years. Now, the elderly members of his family were considering finding him a new wife.

He had a dignified appearance, no apparent vices, and although the Li family didn’t own any shops in Changfeng Town, they managed several farms. Relying on the produce from these farms, they appeared modest, but in reality, the family was quite well-off. That’s why he was considered a desirable match among the matchmakers in town.

Liu Yu wandered around the vicinity of Li’s residence several times, but unfortunately, despite trying for several days, she couldn’t find an opportunity to meet Mr. Li. After discreetly inquiring from a child nearby, she heard that he was currently out and hadn’t returned.

Liu Yu absentmindedly worked on her thread, silently pondering if there was any other way. Today, Wen Shi was working with Liu Yu, practicing the embroidery techniques Liu Yu taught her while Liu Yu focused on her thoughts.

Wen Shi used to treat her step-sister’s embroidery work as merely a formality, but spending time with Liu Yu had gradually changed her perspective. Liu Yu, in order to secure more time for herself, controlled the pace of teaching Wen Shi. However, Wen Shi was unaware of Liu Yu’s past life and the circumstances of her repeating a year. To her, the progress Liu Yu made in teaching embroidery seemed remarkably fast.

Learning skills from others is never an easy task. Wen Shi combined Liu Yu’s talent with her overall evaluation and concluded that her step-sister was genuinely generous in sharing her knowledge. Liu Yu taught her as much as she could, without any reservations.

Wen Shi asked herself if she had such a skill, she would never be willing to teach it so generously. Culinary skills, in particular, should be kept tightly under control.

Wen Shi was well aware of the intentions of her father-in-law and Wu Shi. While her father probably expected her to teach, Wu Shi seemed to have set her sights on Liu Yu. Wen Shi couldn’t help but smile at Lin Shi’s naivety. Liu Yu, at her age and with her beauty, could be married off at any time. Who knows when she might marry into another family? What could be more valuable than what Wen Shi was currently learning?

As for the idea of her teaching even after Liu Yu was married, Wen Shi would indeed do so, but whether others could understand her teachings was another matter.

Because of her strategic thinking, Wen Shi appreciated Liu Yu even more for her openness in teaching.

It was afternoon, and Wen Shi, seeing no one around, quietly moved her stool closer to Liu Yu, lowering her voice to ask, “Elder sister, have you noticed anything unusual lately?”

Liu Yu’s heart skipped a beat, but she maintained an innocent expression, looking at Wen Shi with a puzzled gaze. She shook her head slightly, then lowered her voice, asking, “What does Third Sister mean?”

Wen Shi, seeing that Liu Yu was still unaware, felt a bit sorry for the young girl enduring such difficulties in this household. She said, “I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I just feel that something’s not quite right.”

Wen Shi wanted to warn Liu Yu to be more careful, as she felt it might be related to her. But without any evidence, she wasn’t sure how to bring it up. After some thought, she said, “This morning, as soon as you left, I saw Eldest Sister sneakily follow you out. If it weren’t for the lady from her natal village who happened to come looking for her, I think she intended to follow you.”

As she spoke, Wen Shi observed Liu Yu’s expression. She was curious to see if Liu Yu knew anything about this situation, as she herself was in the dark.

Liu Yu’s heart tightened. She realized that Wu Shi might be suspicious of her intentions, questioning why she went to the town every day. Wu Shi probably wanted to follow her to find out.

It seemed she needed to be more cautious lately.

Although she thought this, Liu Yu maintained a calm demeanor, appearing as if she was completely clueless about the situation.

Observing Liu Yu’s reaction, Wen Shi understood that Liu Yu might be even less aware than she was. Realizing this, Wen Shi decided not to pry further and gave a piece of advice, “Although I don’t know what she’s up to, I always feel it’s not a good thing. Sister, you taught me embroidery, and I can’t be ungrateful. Let’s keep in touch, and you should be careful on your own.”

Living together with several sisters-in-law under one roof, Wen Shi was most reasonable.

She’s clear about it—when it comes to cunning, no one in this household surpasses Wu Shi. She’s not an easy character to deal with.

Teaching Wen Shi embroidery was initially a way for Liu Yu to gain leverage and freedom of movement. Unexpectedly, she received a bit of goodwill from Wen Shi. Even though Liu Yu had a very unfavorable impression of the people in the Liu family, she accepted Wen Shi’s kindness today and nodded, saying, “Thank you, Third Sister-in-law. You’ve saved me some trouble.”

Seeing Liu Yu accept her kindness, Wen Shi felt content. Today’s words weren’t said in vain.

Liu Yu also acted nonchalant, as if she genuinely didn’t know what was wrong with Wu Shi’s behavior. Wen Shi had put in the effort, and the two continued their work without mentioning it.

It wasn’t until the sun began to set, and the room darkened, that Wen Shi put away her needle and thread and returned to her own room. With only Liu Yu left in the room, she finally let out a sigh, putting down the entangled threads. The setting sun painted the window red, but Liu Yu couldn’t see the light. She felt as if lurking dangers were everywhere, ready to swallow her whole. One wrong step, and she would be consumed, trapped once again in an irreparable situation.

Sansukini: I feel that Lu Chengxiao’s ego was just hurt because she schemed against him. But personally, he should be flattered that a beautiful girl created so many opportunities to approach him. Meanwhile, time is running out faster for Liu Yu because the villains are now getting suspicious.

Still a very long chapter, stay tuned for the second update. If you find any mistakes, please point it out nicely. Thanks.

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