Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 63: Come to your door

The family finished dinner, and Wei Shi tidied up the snacks they brought back today. Those that could last longer were put away first, while those that couldn’t were divided into two boxes. One box was placed in the main hall, suitable for the family or guests to enjoy, while the other box was to be sent to the western wing. Wei Shi said, “There’s only you, a little girl, in the house. This box will be placed in your room. You can eat and take as you please.”

Liu Yu, in fact, had been strictly disciplined in the Immortal Pavilion in her previous life. There was always a nanny watching over what she ate, so her appetite had become quite small. However, experiencing being pampered for the first time in two lifetimes, she didn’t even know the taste of those snacks yet, but her heart had already been sweetened. Learning to act cute all by herself, she said, “Auntie Wei is so nice.”

Wei Shi couldn’t withstand this, but nearby, Liu Yanan envied it greatly. He couldn’t help but think, if this little sister had been raised at home since childhood without being taken away secretly, how cute she would be. She would surely have been just as affectionate with him when she was young. With his thoughts wandering, he couldn’t help but imagine how adorable his sister must have been when she was young, undoubtedly very, very beautiful and cute.

The straight and envy-filled glances were noticed by Liu Yanqing and Liu Yanping beside them. The two brothers turned their heads away and hid their smiles.

At this moment, there was a knock on the courtyard door. It wasn’t yet time to rest, nor was the door locked. A fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy pushed the door open and asked, “Is Brother Yanping at home?”

Liu Yanping went out to meet him. It turned out to be the grandson of the village head, coming to inform him to attend the village meeting.

Only after the boy came in did he notice that Liu Yanqing was also at home. He hurriedly called out, “Brother Yanqing.”

Liu Yanping probably knew what was going on. He told Wei Shi, then prepared to go out. But just as he was about to step out, the boy’s eyes were still looking straight into their living room. Liu Yanping knew without thinking that this boy wanted to see someone. Without any politeness, he gave the boy a nudge on the shoulder and said, “Hurry up, don’t keep everyone waiting.” And he directly led the boy out.

Liu Yu glanced at Wei Shi. Wei Shi said, “Today is the nineteenth, the day after tomorrow is Xiaoman. There hasn’t been much rain this year, so we probably need to prepare for the offering to the gods and the water fetching.”

Liu Yu, having done plenty of farm work in his past life, knew what the lack of rain during Xiaoman meant. Planting rice during Mangzhong would become a big problem. Typically, in such situations, the village would offer sacrifices to the chariot god in advance, hold a water-fetching ceremony, and then irrigate the fields. It seemed that his second brother being called out was to discuss this matter in advance.

Wei Shi continued, “We’ll be busy for the next few days. Let’s all wash up and get to bed early to rest well.”

The Liu brothers lived in the outer courtyard. After fetching water and washing up, Wei Shi left two sons in the outer courtyard and took Liu Yu back to the inner courtyard, locking the door leading to the inner courtyard corridor.

It was a quiet night. As Wei Shi had said, after a night’s rest, the whole family started bustling the next day. Not only did they need to irrigate the fields, but peanuts were also nearing harvest and needed careful attention. Cotton needed replanting and gap filling, and both Liu Yanqing and Wei Shi, who normally didn’t work in the fields during the off-season, changed into old clothes and went to work in the fields.

Only Liu Yu wasn’t allowed by Wei Shi to work in the fields. She was left at home to take care of the household meals and the chickens and ducks in the backyard.

These were all things Liu Yu had been accustomed to doing in her past life and didn’t take up much time. With some free time, she turned her attention to summer clothes.

Both the Lu family and Cui Erniang made a living related to clothing, so the fabrics they sent were naturally excellent. Making the clothes stand out depended on color matching and detailed design.

After browsing through them, Liu Yu’s eyes fell on a piece of exquisite blue embroidered gauze. The dyeing of this gauze was excellent, the color was bright, and because the gauze was thin, it didn’t appear too heavy. The embroidery embellishments added a unique softness to it.

Liu Yu found a piece of light-colored thin silk, layered the blue embroidered gauze on top, and under the light color, the blue became softer, showing an incredibly beautiful color.

Liu Yu smiled. She already had an idea of what kind of clothes she wanted to make and began to prepare for it.

Another day passed quietly. The next day was Xiaoman. Liu Yanqing had gone back to the county seat last night for duty. Wei Shi, Liu Yanping, and Liu Yanan got up early after breakfast and were about to go to the fields when they unexpectedly encountered two unexpected guests.

Wei Shi and Liu Yanan recognized Babao in the mule cart approaching. As expected, when the cart stopped, the person who got out of the car was Lu Chengxiao, whom they had seen the day before.

Liu Yu was originally there to see off her elder aunt and brother. She was taken aback when she ran into Lu Chengxiao. Wei Shi asked, “Why are you here at this time?”

She couldn’t hide her surprise in her tone, but she didn’t go out anymore. Instead, she called out to Lu Chengxiao and then realized that both the master and servant were wearing rough short jackets. They were dressed exactly like Yanping and Yanan when they were about to go to the fields for work. Wei Shi had a fleeting thought in her mind, but she didn’t dare to believe it entirely.

Liu Yanping raised his eyebrows and glanced at Liu Yanan. He saw Liu Yanan nodding slightly towards him.

So, this was Lu Chengxiao?

Lu Chengxiao bowed to Wei Shi in greeting, greeted Liu Yu and Liu Yanan, and then his gaze fell on Liu Yanping. He smiled and said, “You must be Second Brother Liu? I am Lu Chengxiao.”

Liu Yanping, carrying a hoe, couldn’t offer a formal greeting, so he just gave a slight salute and introduced himself, “I’m Liu Yanping.”

However, his gaze had already scrutinized Lu Chengxiao up and down several times.

Meanwhile, Wei Shi invited Lu Chengxiao inside again. Lu Chengxiao followed her in, and Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan didn’t leave either. Inside the courtyard, Lu Chengxiao said, “Auntie, don’t rush to entertain me. I thought that with the busy farming days ahead, I could lend a hand.”

Really…

Wei Shi didn’t have a daughter, yet suddenly, she seemed to want to enjoy the treatment of a prospective mother-in-law. Subconsciously, she looked at Liu Yu.

Liu Yu’s face turned red instantly.

Liu Yanping was stunned. This guy had such thick skin!!!

His sister hadn’t even been promised to the Lu family yet, and he was already here helping with the work. Liu Yanping wanted to say no way, but he saw his mother smiling and saying, “That works too, but have you ever done farm work before?”

She actually agreed!

Lu Chengxiao nodded, “Yes, I have. I used to help out at my maternal grandparents’ house when I was young.”

And so, early that morning, Wei Shi didn’t need to go to the fields, and Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan each brought along a newcomer. Lu Chengxiao, despite wearing rough clothes, still attracted attention. Liu Yanping was repeatedly asked who he was along the way.

Liu Yanping wouldn’t let Lu Chengxiao get involved with his sister so soon. He smiled and said, “He’s Big Brother’s friend, knowing that our family is busy, he specially came to help.”

Then Lu Chengxiao received countless praises about how handsome he was! Even some villagers joked, “Are you engaged already?”

It wasn’t until they reached the Liu family’s fields that things calmed down.

But there were advantages too. These master and servant were really efficient at work, especially Lu Chengxiao, who seemed to have endless strength. By noon, they had already finished their work and returned home. During the morning that Liu Yanping spent with Lu Chengxiao, one was deliberately probing, and the other was intentionally cooperating, so they managed to gather all the information they wanted to know about Lu Chengxiao.

After the interaction, as his elder brother had said, the initial impression was not bad. However, this was a big deal for his sister’s lifetime. Liu Yanping wasn’t so easily convinced. He kept his reservations but remained polite to Lu Chengxiao, observing him closely.

Wei Shi and Liu Yu were busy for half the morning and prepared a sumptuous lunch. Of course, many of the dishes were brought by Lu Chengxiao in the morning, so Wei Shi didn’t have to bother with preparations.

Due to Liu Yu’s age, they needed to avoid suspicion, so they naturally separated the men and women at the table. Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan entertained Lu Chengxiao and Babao.

It was only at this moment that Lu Chengxiao realized the difference between the Liu family and ordinary peasant households. The elder aunt, Wei Shi, was a skilled cook. How should he put it? She was extremely delicate. Many of the dishes didn’t seem like something that could be prepared by a small rural household but rather something you’d find at a banquet.

And the etiquette of the Liu family members, which he had observed last time with Liu Yanqing, Lu Chengxiao didn’t think much of it. But this time, sitting with Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan, he realized that even Liu Yanan, who seemed relatively relaxed, still had excellent table manners.

In the afternoon, there was still work to be done, but because they could rest for an hour before going out again, Liu Yanping still brought out some wine for his guest, though they only had a light drink. Men, even young ones, tend to converse more smoothly with some wine on the table. Liu Yanping subtly asked, “Don’t you need to manage your family business now? Spending time in our fields, won’t it affect your work?”

In just half a day, Lu Chengxiao had already realized that this future second brother was much more difficult to deal with than the other two brothers, but he didn’t show it on his face. He smiled and replied, “To be honest, before returning to Anyi County, I accompanied my adoptive father and adoptive brother on a trip to Suzhou Prefecture. In Shengze Town, Wujiang County, which is known for its silk production, there are nearly a thousand silk shops along the riverbanks. My adoptive father went there to buy silk, then sold it in Hongdu Prefecture and Yuanzhou City, making a considerable profit. Because of this, I became interested in trading. So, when I returned home, I only helped manage the shop and learn some things from the shopkeeper. I haven’t actually dealt with any business transactions at home yet. I also plan to do some trading for a few years first to gain more experience.”

A fine young man naturally desires to explore the world. Liu Yanan was already captivated by Lu Chengxiao’s story. As shrewd as Liu Yanping was, he too was drawn in by Lu Chengxiao’s description of Shengze Town. He asked, “Nearly a thousand silk shops in one town?” It was hard to imagine.

Lu Chengxiao nodded, “Silk production thrives around Suzhou and Hangzhou. Shengze Town has convenient waterways, and I heard that initially, there weren’t many residents there. It was the silk industry workers who settled there, gradually forming a scale. Most of the silk fabric woven by nearby villages is sent there for sale.”

Liu Yanping was very interested in this and asked, “So, do you also plan to trade silk fabrics from there to our place?”

However, Lu Chengxiao shook his head and said, “Silk fabric requires too much capital. Since it’s my first time trading, I’m thinking of starting with the linen fabrics produced here and trying to transport a batch to other prefectures. Then, I’ll bring back specialty products from there to sell in our Yuanzhou City. But I haven’t decided on the specific destination yet.”

At this moment, whether it was due to romantic feelings or not, Lu Chengxiao was reluctant to leave. Wei Shi, who was listening outside, chuckled to herself, realizing that her usually astute second son had been completely taken by the third son of the Lu family without even realizing it. She went back to the kitchen, boiled water, and only when she saw Lu Chengxiao being led to the parlor did she smile and call Liu Yu, asking her to brew some tea and take it over.

When someone visits, it’s not really about wanting to do farm work, but rather wanting to see someone special. Wei Shi was quite open-minded about this. After approving of Lu Chengxiao, she didn’t take the matter so strictly. Liu Yu was now much closer to Wei Shi, so she didn’t feel awkward and prepared the tea tray and brought it over.

Before entering the parlor, Lu Chengxiao had already heard footsteps approaching. He stopped talking and looked towards the door of the parlor. Sure enough, he saw Liu Yu coming in. The calm demeanor he had while talking to Liu Yanping vanished in an instant, and he instinctively stood up, “Miss Liu.”

Liu Yu smiled, “Please, sit down. You’ve worked hard today.”

After placing the tea tray down, she handed a cup of tea to Lu Chengxiao.

Standing there, Lu Chengxiao didn’t dare to sit. He wanted to take the tea but was afraid of being impolite, so he just said, “Thank you.”

Liu Yu smiled and handed the other two cups of tea to her elder and younger brothers. Then, instead of leaving as expected, she smiled and asked, “Did you enjoy the lunch?”

Lu Chengxiao quickly praised the lunch dishes.

At this moment, Liu Yanping knew that his sister intended to have a few words with Lu Chengxiao. While feeling a bit sour, he also understood that Lu Chengxiao hadn’t just chatted casually with the Liu brothers during lunch. This situation actually worked in his favor. Liu Yanping, who had been wary of him in the morning, didn’t give him a hard time now. Of course, he also noticed his sister’s intentions.

After taking a symbolic sip of the tea handed to him by Liu Yu, Lu Chengxiao made an excuse and left with a smile, followed by Liu Yanan. As for Babao, he was sensible enough to slip out to the courtyard after finishing lunch.

Now, there were only Liu Yu and Lu Chengxiao left in the Liu family’s living room.

This was the first time Liu Yu had seen Lu Chengxiao in rough clothes, and the contrast with his usual refined appearance was quite stark. She couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

With Liu Yu’s laughter, Lu Chengxiao’s lips also curved up. All the fatigue from the morning seemed to disappear in this moment, leaving only a heart filled with joy and contentment because of that smile.

Sansukini: Way to go Lu Chengxiao!

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