Chapter 405: Four hundred and four, a midnight fright Chapter 405: Four hundred and four, a midnight fright Along the way, Luo Shu and her companions finally ca to understand what’s ant by “ddleso matchmakers and gossipy relatives.”
“Juanjuan, are these all your classmates?” A girl clad in a floral blouse and black cotton pants ran over, eyeing Luo Shu and her group with envy. Their clothes were so pretty; she longed to own a piece like that, too.
“Mmhm!” ng Yujuan nodded with a faint smile. She didn’t have any intention of introducing Luo Shu and her group to the girl. ng Xiaohua used to bully her when she was less attractive.
ng Xiaohua didn’t seem to mind; she followed along with ng Yujuan’s group, “Are you all studying at Jinchen University?” The last ti ng Yujuan ca ho for the New Year, the village chief asked her to take two girls from the village with her to Jinchen. It was said they were doing quite well now.
If she could only get on good terms with these city girls, maybe they would take her to Jinchen, too. Then she could live the life of a city person and even find herself a city lad, just like ng Yujuan.
“Yep!” The others weren’t keen on speaking with ng Xiaohua. When they saw her, that look of greed in her eyes was off-putting.
“Is Jinchen pretty? Are there cars all over the streets?” ng Xiaohua, seemingly oblivious to everyone’s chilly deanor, kept trying to ingratiate herself with the group.
“ng Xiaohua, you should go back ho; my place is too small to accommodate so many people,” ng Yujuan said, trying to send her away. ng Xiaohua has always been vain, two-faced, which ng Yujuan found quite dislikeable.
“Yujuan, your house has so many guests; your aunt and the others must be really busy. I can co over and help out,” ng Xiaohua said with a smile. She wouldn’t miss the opportunity to et these city folk.
“We already have people helping out at ho,” ng Yujuan said bluntly. She simply couldn’t stand ng Xiaohua; that’s why she had refused when the village chief asked her to take ng Xiaohua to Jinchen. Why would she want to burden herself with ng Xiaohua?
“I’ll go have a look, and if you really don’t need any help, I’ll go back ho,” ng Xiaohua said and then dashed into the yard.
ng Yujuan frowned and led the group into the house.
Li Hui was enjoying tea with ng Yujuan’s father and Big Uncle, and when he saw ng Yujuan’s group co in, he greeted the elders with a smile and stood up to et them.
“You all ca!” Li Hui greeted them with a smile.
“Li Hui, congratulations!”
“To land soone as good as our Yujuan, you’re one lucky guy.”
“You’d better treat our Yujuan well, or we won’t stand for it,” the group teased with laughter. They were already familiar with Li Hui, so there was no need for reserve in their speech.
“Of course,” Li Hui said, nodding with a smile. The more ti he spent with Yujuan, the more he appreciated her goodness.
“You all must be Juan’s friends, right? Co inside and take a seat,” ng Yujuan’s father and Big Uncle ca out and warmly invited everyone in with a smile.
“Thank you, Uncle!” everyone thanked him and followed ng Yujuan and Li Hui into the house.
The house was already set with stools, benches, and square stools.
“Please take a seat! Take a seat!” ng Yujuan’s father said with an honest smile. He had never imagined his daughter could have a day like this; not only did she go to Jinchen University to study, but she also found a city boy and made so many city friends.
Just as everyone had settled down, ng Yujuan’s mother, Big Aunt, and the third auntie ca in with bowls of sweet soup, “Thank you for looking after Juanjuan. Here in the countryside, we don’t have much to offer to welco you all, so please don’t mind.”
In this place, sweet soup was already considered the best they could offer to guests.
“Aunt, you’re too kind! This sweet soup is really delicious,” they responded.
“I like drinking it too.” Everyone had already ntally prepared themselves before coming here, and when they befriended ng Yujuan, it was her heart they connected with, not her family background. So no matter what ng Yujuan’s family served them, they would never look down on it.
Upon hearing everyone’s words, ng Yujuan’s family felt relieved and put their minds at ease. They had heard that girls from the city were delicate and had been worried that they might disdain them and not associate with Juanjuan.
“Yujuan, this is the gift I prepared for you. It’s said that wearing red is festive for an engagent.” Zhang Qi took out a red dress from her luggage, smiling as she handed it to ng Yujuan.
“I’m a bit more old-fashioned; I’ve prepared a red envelope,” Xiao Yan said, producing a red envelope she had already prepared.
“I did the sa.” The other people also took out their red envelopes and handed them to ng Yujuan.
“You’ve all co from so far, and that’s already been a lot of trouble. How could I accept your red envelopes and gifts? No way! Please take them back,” ng Yujuan quickly refused, shaking her hands.
“What, do you not consider us as friends?” Zhang Qi asked with a straight face.
“Of course, I consider you my friends,” ng Yujuan quickly replied. Becoming friends with them was the luckiest thing in her life.
“If you consider us friends, then keep it. If you don’t, we’ll be upset.”
“Exactly!”
“Alright! Thank you, all!” ng Yujuan said with a grateful smile, her eyes slightly reddening.
“Enough with the politeness! Just take it,” the people said, stuffing the gifts and red envelopes into ng Yujuan’s hands.
ng Xiaohua looked at the scene unfolding in the room, her face full of envy. ng Yujuan’s friends were so generous; she wished she could beco friends with them too.
The engagent was scheduled for noon the next day, and under the arrangents of ng’s family, Luo Shu and his group stayed at the ng residence. Fortunately, it was sumr, and sleeping on mats laid on the ground was enough.
The Sumr Breeze gently blew in through the open windows, the chirping of crickets and the calls of frogs from the distant rice fields were especially clear in the silent black night, like a beautiful symphony, lulling one unknowingly into slumber.
“Ahh!” Suddenly, a dreadful cry from afar shattered the mont of peace!
In no ti, lights were switched on in every ho.
Doors were opened one after another, and every villager who rushed out held tools used for tilling the soil in their hands.
“Has the monster co out to eat people again?”
“Whose child got into trouble this ti? Let’s hurry and take a look.”
Luo Shu and his group, hearing the commotion, walked out of the house to see ng Yujuan’s father and big brother, both holding hoes, running towards the open square outside.
“What happened?” everyone asked, turning toward ng Yujuan, who had a trace of fear on her face.
ng Yujuan collected herself before saying, “Recently, a monster that specifically eats children has appeared in the village; several kids have already been eaten.”
“A monster?” Everyone looked at ng Yujuan in shock. This was the first ti they had heard of such a thing.
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