Jing Taihe’s brows were slightly furrowed, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, his mind seemingly preoccupied with thoughts, and for a long ti he said nothing.
Hua Xiaomai was anxious and flustered, yet it wasn’t fitting to rush him, so all she could do was secretly twist her thigh over and over again.
Brother, what more is there to consider? Your wife has spoken; why aren’t you hurrying ho with her—is this so kind of joke?
Monts passed, and finally, Jing Taihe began to speak at a leisurely pace, "I thought Chen Huosheng’s visit yesterday was rely due to pressure from his aunt, an obligation he couldn’t avoid, but unexpectedly, he turned up again today, this really..."
His words suddenly halted there, as if he were carefully choosing his next words, and after a long while, he continued, "It’s indeed quite inappropriate!"
A wave of frustration almost choked Hua Xiaomai.
His sluggish pace was quite literally deathly irritating!
"Isn’t it just?" she quickly interjected, "Brother-in-law, you toil all day at the blacksmith’s shop, and at ho, it’s only and Second Sister—two won. With him—a man—frequently coming and going, what does this look like? So, you’d better hurry up..."
Jing Taihe appeared very cautious, and without letting her finish, he turned his head, a light smile on his lips, whispering, "Little sister, has Second Sister truly abandoned the idea of this marriage proposal? Was it her who sent for to co back, right?"
Hua Xiaomai was so frustrated she could scratch her own heart out. If it weren’t for the fact that he was her sister-in-law’s beloved husband and had always treated her well, she would have felt like greeting him with a solid punch to his jaw.
"Yes, it was Second Sister who sent !" Unable to contain herself, she finally stamped her foot, "Brother-in-law, can we hurry back? Chen Huosheng is actually back at our place digging up the fields. If we delay any longer and let him finish the work before sending him away, it will only be worse, giving rise to gossip!"
"Just like your Second Sister, always so impatient," Jing Taihe looked at Hua Xiaomai with a resigned smile, "Don’t worry, I’ll co with you right away."
Greatly relieved, Hua Xiaomai followed him back to the blacksmith’s shop, wishing she could clear all obstacles out of his way, and then...
Then she watched as he cheerfully bid farewell to Great Saint, locked up the shop with his asured pace, and finally set out on the village path in no hurry whatsoever.
When passing by the sa field ridge as before, Hua Xiaomai made a point to look around but did not see Guan Rong. Presumably, her weak and frail body couldn’t withstand prolonged weeping, and she must have already gone ho to rest.
For so reason, Hua Xiaomai felt as though she had narrowly escaped a disaster, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
Upon their return to the west of the village, before even stepping into the Jing Family’s courtyard, Hua Xiaomai and Jing Taihe could hear the sowhat awkward voice of her sister-in-law.
"That... Huosheng, take a break. It’s not yet ti for sowing, and I’m not in need of that particular piece of land. You’ve been here half a day without even a sip of water. How could I be at peace with that?"
"It’s nothing, I’m not tired," ca the slightly muffled reply from Chen Huosheng behind the house, mixed with a couple of hearty laughs.
Hua Xiaomai stuck out her tongue and dashed into the courtyard like a rabbit, speeding back to the west room to close the door and peering out through the window.
She saw her sister-in-law and her husband murmuring a few words together, and then Jing Taihe shook his head, walked under the window of the west room, and in a hushed tone gave a command, "Little sister, don’t co out," followed by a loud call, "Brother Huosheng, stop your work for now. My family recently acquired so tea leaves; they are quite sweet and fragrant, and you should try them too."
Chen Huosheng finally set aside his hoe and ca out, awkwardly wiping his palms on his pants, his face breaking into a smile, "Big Brother Taihe... you’ve co back quite early today."
Jing Taihe had Guan Rong brew a pot of tea with the leaves that Mr. Zhao of the Chunfeng Restaurant had sent, and invited Chen Huosheng to sit in the courtyard, chuckling, "I don’t know much about tea myself, but from what people say, this is genuine Yangxian purple bamboo tip tea. Even if it’s last year’s batch, it’s still not cheap outside. I’ve only received this small box and have only tasted it once; the flavor is indeed sweet, refreshing, and its color is a bright and clear green, a delight for the eyes. I heard that your family has relatives who grow tea, so you must know more about it than I do."
Chen Huosheng, indeed, lifted the cup to take a small sip, and with an embarrassed smile said, "My third uncle does grow tea, but the ones he grows are just ordinary ones, nowhere near comparable to this Yangxian purple bamboo tip. My uncle told that growing this tea requires high standards for soil, climate, and rainfall. Our Fuzhe County really isn’t capable of easily producing it."
The two then engaged in a cordial and friendly conversation about the cultivation thods of the Yangxian purple bamboo tip tea. They talked so long it took the ti it takes to drink half a pot of tea. Inside the west room, Hua Xiaomai, anxious and agitated, wished she could knock on the window to remind Jing Taihe to focus on the matter at hand. Her sister-in-law stood by, and though she did not join the conversation, her expression revealed she was struggling to hold back, quietly reaching out to tug at Jing Taihe’s sleeve.
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