At this, Hua Xiaomai only smiled without speaking. However, Zhou Yunyun, being a kind-hearted girl, couldn’t bear to listen and timidly said, "Auntie, saying this... seems a bit inappropriate... "
"What’s inappropriate?" ng Laoniang glared, "I’m just telling the truth! It’s quite possible that the Huang family doesn’t realize how troubleso her illness is, I..."
Before she could finish, laughter from Guan Rong’s mother next door wafted over.
"Oh, I know it was rushed to set the date, but there was no other way! The young man is not getting any younger, and his family is pressing hard. We think they suit each other well, and it had to be done sooner or later, right?"
ng Laoniang was simply too annoyed and looked around before moving a stool under the yard wall and stepping right on it.
"Mom, be careful!" Hua Xiaomai called out hastily.
ng Laoniang turned her head and pouted: "Keep your voice down, don’t shout, I’m perfectly stable!"
On the other side of the yard wall, Guan Rong’s mother continued to prattle on.
"Yes, yes, thank you for your good wishes. Once my daughter’s wedding is settled, her father and I will have nothing left to worry about..."
As she was speaking joyfully, she inadvertently turned her head, and the chirping noise abruptly stopped.
On top of the yard wall, ng Laoniang’s head was visible, her eyes bulging like cowbells, staring straight at her with an expressionless face that sohow looked both fierce and sinister, as if ready to tear her apart and devour her at any mont.
Even in broad daylight, Guan Rong’s mother felt a chill, as if she had seen a ghost. "My goodness," she scread and dashed into the house, fleeing in a panic.
Although Hua Xiaomai had not seen this scene herself, she could guess what had happened and was shaking uncontrollably from laughter in her chair, which frightened Zhou Yunyun into reaching out to support her. Just as she was enjoying the laughter, she suddenly heard another voice.
"Auntie, I’m really sorry, my parents have been overjoyed these past few days and might have been a bit loud. Did we disturb you?"
Guan Rong?
Hua Xiaomai’s smile instantly faded.
Bold, aren’t she? Her mother was so scared, yet she dared to co out?
ng Laoniang on the yard wall frowned and snorted, not picking up on her cue.
But Guan Rong seed still to be smiling, her voice soft and gentle: "Auntie, is Xiaomai sister at ho? Can I see her?"
"Why do you want to see my Xiaomai?" ng Laoniang bared her teeth and said irritably, blocking her without needing Hua Xiaomai to speak, "She has nothing to say to you, and she’s busy. Aren’t you supposed to be getting married? Your mother is rushing things so much; I doubt there’s even enough ti to embroider your dowry. Why aren’t you busy with that instead of bothering us?"
"Auntie..." Guan Rong’s tone carried a hint of pleading, "I an no disrespect, it’s just that I haven’t seen Xiaomai for a long ti, and I fear it will beco even more difficult to et in the future. I just want to speak with her for a mont. Could you please call her out for ? I’ll wait at the door; I really appreciate your help."
Having said that, she didn’t wait to see if the old lady agreed and went straight to the courtyard door.
Old lady ng looked down at Hua Xiaomai and sternly said, "Ignore her. If she wants to stand outside, even for a whole night, what is it to us? You and Yun’er should continue with what you were doing. Weren’t you just talking about making mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival? Rember to make a couple more with the osmanthus lotus seed filling, I like that flavor."
Hua Xiaomai pursed her lips, thought for a mont, and then smiled slightly, "I’ll still go and see what she really wants. I won’t step out of the yard; I’ll just stand inside. Otherwise, if she keeps standing there, and the villagers see her, they might think our family is mistreating her."
As she spoke, she rose and walked slowly to the courtyard entrance. When she looked up, she saw Guan Rong standing there, smiling nervously at her.
It had been a long ti since they last t, and the girl seed even more frail than before, her face so gaunt that it was almost misshapen. The light purple shirt she wore seed new but only made her complexion look paler.
"What do you want?" Hua Xiaomai glanced at her coldly.
"Xiaomai, why are you standing so far away? Are you guarding against ?" Guan Rong’s face showed a trace of hurt, "What could I possibly do to you?"
Nonsense, if not guarding against you, who else? What if you push and sothing happens, who would I seek justice from?
"I’m afraid of touching you!" Hua Xiaomai chuckled, "You are like a porcelain doll, if I were to bump you and cause a crack, I definitely couldn’t afford to compensate!"
The words were not polite, but Guan Rong, it seed, didn’t mind at all, still smiling as she surveyed Hua Xiaomai up and down: "You seem to have gained so weight, and you appear to be showing a little now too!"
Hua Xiaomai rolled her eyes internally.
How could she not gain weight? Old lady ng stuffed her with various delicacies every day – how could she not put on weight? As for her belly, at nearly four months, it was indeed ti to start showing, and it would only beco more obvious as ti went on.
"If you have sothing to say, just say it. If it’s just small talk, there’s no need." She frowned slightly.
"Could you co out?" Guan Rong lowered her head, biting her lower lip, "I know you have never forgiven . There are so things that I’ve never found the right opportunity to say to you. My mother is arranging this marriage for . Although I’m not pleased, I will end up marrying him. I don’t know when we will et again, and I don’t want to keep these thoughts bottled up..."
"You might as well keep it to yourself." Hua Xiaomai took a step back, "Just because you want to say sothing, it doesn’t an I have to listen. Do you want to forgive you so that you can feel better? Sorry, but I never intended to do so, and I’m not that kind-hearted. I’ll say it again, if I can’t confront you, I can certainly avoid you; beyond that, we have nothing else to say to each other."
With that, she turned around and headed back into the courtyard.
Unexpectedly, Guan Rong took a step forward and reached out to grab her.
Old lady ng, already wary, had been watching closely from not far away. Startled, she sprang forward like a cannonball, shoving Guan Rong far away, and shouted loudly, "Have you gone mad, daring to lay a hand on her?!"(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welco to visit Qidian (qidian) to cast a recomndation ticket and a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian to read.)
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