Under the wall outside the main gate clung a Campsis vine, from which the night wind had swept down two or three orange-red petals. They swirled into the room, landing on the green brick floor, and shone beautifully under the light of the tung oil lamp placed on the counter.
Suddenly, everything around beca very quiet, leaving only the rustling of ng Yuhuai and Jing Taihe’s clothes as the wind billowed them.
From the back yard drifted the faint scent of rich aromas, with Chun Xi and La i—those two busybodies—originally there tending to the fire. Hearing voices that sounded sowhat familiar from the front, they hurried over in a fluster, and upon lifting their gaze to see ng Yuhuai standing at the gate, their eyes widened in surprise, "My, isn’t that brother Yuhuai? What brings you here at this ti?"
"...I ca to have a look," ng Yuhuai smiled at them, skirting around the heavy topics lightly.
"No wonder people in the village always say that you, Taihe brother, and Great Saint have a bond even closer than real brothers," La i nodded vigorously in agreent upon hearing this, then glanced outside the door, "You must have just rushed back from the County, haven’t even been ho yet, eh? Tsk tsk tsk, truly kind-hearted!"
With the two won there, Hua Xiaomai couldn’t say much. Jing Taihe faltered for a mont, then quickly stepped forward to relieve the tension, making light conversation, "Ahem, brother Yuhuai, my sister has invited everyone from the Shun Escort Agency over for tomorrow. You could have just co with them, why the rush?"
ng Yuhuai cast an intentional glance in Hua Xiaomai’s direction, then quickly retracted it, and gave Jing Taihe a smile, "That wouldn’t be right."
Chun Xi and La i, unaware of the previous events, muttered to each other about what could be so improper. Hua Xiaomai wanted to laugh but dared not, instead turning away to fixate on the row of wine jars on the wooden rack by the wall. Hua Erniang, however, paid no mind to these niceties, seeing her two younger sisters planted in place, she waved her small hand and spoke out plainly, "Since everything is nearly ready, we might as well head back early. Tomorrow is sure to be a busy day; we must keep up our energy."
"Yes," Jing Taihe wasn’t used to handling situations where "you can’t just say anything you want," feeling sowhat awkward, he saw his wife take charge and swiftly chid in beside her, "Two sisters-in-law, you should both head back too, tomorrow we’ll be relying on your help!"
Chun Xi and La i agreed, and diligently surveyed the surroundings to make sure nothing had been missed, and then, dusting off themselves, left the shop laughing and happy. Hua Erniang, with the support of Jing Taihe, rose from her chair. Hua Xiaomai gave them a look and then smiled, "You go ahead, I’ll be back once I’ve finished up here."
"What could you possibly have to do at this hour?" ng Yuhuai turned to look at her, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Hmm, there’s a main dish," Hua Xiaomai smiled back at him, "Isn’t tomorrow’s feast laid out at two tables? Uncle Ke and Uncle Qiao are all food lovers; I thought to prepare so delicious dishes to welco them."
Hua Erniang was slightly displeased, her mouth twitching, as her eyelids twitched, "How can you be left here alone? The village’s east entrance is right by the main road; what if... "
"So what do you suggest?" Hua Xiaomai tilted her head, cheerfully saying, "Nowadays, you really shouldn’t wear yourself out, and I wouldn’t dare keep you here to accompany . I used to set up a stall by the river and got used to walking ho at night; I’m not afraid. You’d better go ho with my brother-in-law and have him heat up the eel soup I made for lunch for you, and then you can rest well. You are now the most protected mber of our family; we can’t afford any mistakes with you. At most, I’ll delay another hour, then I’ll head back."
"Sister is right; you indeed can’t stay up too late. I’ll accompany you back," Jing Taihe scratched the back of his head and joined in the persuading. For so reason, he glanced at ng Yuhuai and blurted out, "My wife now eats five als a day, hahaha," and got a fierce pinch in the waist from Hua Erniang.
"Sister Xiaomai, are you sure you don’t need us to stay with you?" Chun Xi and La i stood at the door, hesitating as they looked towards Hua Xiaomai’s face.
Hua Xiaomai knew that the two of them were eager to get ho, so she laughed and waved her hand, "No need, you wouldn’t be able to help much here anyway. It’s better you go ho and rest early, tomorrow we’ll still depend on you two sisters-in-law to help with everything!"
Chun Xi and La i nodded and cheerfully left. Hua Erniang took Hua Xiaomai’s hand and insisted on giving her another reminder not to stay too late, and then followed Jing Taihe towards the west side of the village.
Reviews
All reviews (0)