Chapter 162: Covered Up
“It doesn’t hurt.” Chu Xu shook his head. “They didn’t use much force.”
He was just a bit unaccustomed to it.
Shang Wan said, “The first time everyone meets, they’re always a bit enthusiastic. It’ll be fine later. When I took Yuan Yuan out before, it was the same—just showing my face would get me a pile of vegetables.”
“You can get vegetables just like that?” Chu Xu widened his cat-like eyes, instantly feeling like he’d missed out. Why didn’t he have anything like that?
A child’s thoughts were simple, and all his emotions showed on his face. Shang Wan teased him on purpose. “Otherwise, should I take you around again?”
“No no no no no!” Chu Xu shook his head and hands together. He didn’t want to be a mascot again just for some vegetables!
At the fork in the road, Shang Wan suddenly handed Yuan Yuan to Chu Xu and pointed to another path. “I have something to do. You take Yuan Yuan that way, and I’ll meet up with you at the Yuan Family in a bit.”
Without Shang Wan, Chu Xu had no sense of security, especially with a baby in his arms. He said awkwardly, “I’ll just wait here for you.”
Shang Wan still wanted to conduct a sting operation.
—Reluctant to part with Chu Xu, unable to lure out the assassin.
Dealing with a proud little kid, one trick was enough.
She looked him up and down. “Are you scared or something?”
“Who says I’m scared?!” Chu Xu bristled instantly. “I’ll go by myself then!”
He strode off without the slightest hesitation.
Provocation tactic, always effective.
“I’m not scared at all.” Chu Xu stared at the ground beneath his feet and muttered, walking a good distance before stopping to sneak a glance back.
Where was Shang Wan’s figure at the fork in the road?
He jolted in alarm, hugging Yuan Yuan tightly with both arms, looking left and right suspiciously, afraid an assassin might suddenly pop out from somewhere.
“Brother!”
A chubby little hand patted his face, and Yuan Yuan called out “brother” clearly and properly.
Chu Xu froze, forgetting his fear as his spirited cat-like eyes fixed on the little baby girl. “What did you call me?”
“Brother!” Yuan Yuan called again.
Chu Xu was the youngest at home and had never been called brother before. Yuan Yuan’s call made his sense of responsibility surge instantly. He straightened his little body at once, feeling like even if an assassin jumped out, he could hold his own for a couple of blows.
Chubby Yuan Yuan was no lightweight, and Chu Xu was starting to struggle after holding her for a while. He shifted her to his back and carried her that way, coaxing the little baby girl to call him brother as he walked.
After obediently calling twice, Yuan Yuan ignored him, tugging his ear one moment and his hair the next, making Chu Xu yelp loudly.
Meanwhile, Shang Wan went to the Lin Family.
These past couple of days had been busy with her own affairs, so she didn’t know if the Lin Family had brought Liu Yuzhi back.
Arriving early was not as good as arriving at the right time—the Lin Family was quite lively at the moment.
Lin Jianshui lay unconscious on the bed. Liu Shi, worried that Chen Guifang would follow Gui Shi’s example and cuckold them, was teaching her daughter-in-law the rules.
In the courtyard, Chen Guifang washed clothes while crying. Liu Shi gripped a feather duster and cursed beside her. Wei Lao Tai sat on the bench watching the show, occasionally chiming in to help Liu Shi scold Chen Guifang a couple of times.
Zhou Shi in the room couldn’t stand it, came out to advise, and ended up not only failing to help but getting herself covered in trouble.
Perhaps because Zhou Shi had stood firm once before, Liu Shi’s scolding was somewhat polite, but still unpleasant. Zhou Shi couldn’t take it, turned, and went back inside.
Liu Shi snorted, then turned to Chen Guifang with a nose not a nose and eyes not eyes, nitpicking from head to toe.
Shang Wan listened and secretly sighed that Chen Guifang was tolerant. If it were her, she’d have dumped the clothes and water right on Liu Shi’s head long ago.
Liu Shi was probably tired of cursing and sat down next to Wei Lao Tai. The mother and daughter started chatting idly.
From their conversation, Shang Wan gathered that Liu Yuzhi had been brought back but was locked in a room and not allowed out.
Shang Wan looked carefully and saw that the men of the Lin Family, except for the bedridden Lin Jianshui, were all out, seemingly handling some matter.
After waiting a while, aside from overhearing some cursing at the daughter-in-law, she heard no other useful information. Shang Wan quietly left and went to the Yuan Family to meet the two little ones.
She had been keeping an eye on Chu Xu’s situation the whole time. Now both children had reached the Yuan Family, but unfortunately, no assassin had been lured out.
It had been two days already—surely those assassins hadn’t run off?
·
Three days later, the new house was completed.
Red brick and black tiles. Entering the gate led to a large courtyard, with the main hall in the center and kitchen, woodshed, and two bedrooms on either side.
In the corner were the outhouse and pigsty, with the outhouse behind the pigsty.
Further back were three bedrooms and a study room. Outside the study room was a small garden, still bare for now, where flowers and grass could be planted later.
A small pond was dug in the corner for Yuan Yuan to keep turtles in. Shang Wan pondered planting a couple of lotus plants in it.
The large courtyard in front could be used to raise chickens and ducks.
Shang Wan planned to build a flower stand by the wellside and plant a few grapevines, where they could sit in the shade below and eat melons.
Against the wall was a pretty round-leaf tree that Shang Wan had transplanted from the mountain with roots intact—sturdy trunk and branches, lush foliage, each leaf as big as a palm.
A swing could be hung from it, or even a treehouse.
At the corner of the main hall roof connected to the woodshed, they built a fan-shaped small platform where a ladder can be set up to go up. It’s very practical whether drying herbs or drying dried radish.
The family strolled around the new house twice and each claimed their own room.
Shi Tou wanted to live in the front room adjacent to the woodshed, reasoning that it would be convenient to go to the toilet at night.
The others lived in the back. Shang Wan and Lu Chengjing lived in the largest one, Yuan Yuan temporarily lived in the side room, and Xiao Huan lived in the room next to the next one, adjacent to the study room.
Settle the wages as agreed.
Because Master He and his disciple did a good job and also helped the family a lot in between, plus they had some extra money on hand, Lu Chengjing and Shang Wan discussed giving the master and disciples three people two taels of silver as reward money.
He SIZhi thanked them repeatedly. After spending so much time together, it was inevitable to feel a bit sad when parting.
Shi Tou directly hugged Ma Jieyong and cried bitterly, as if they were parting forever.
Liang Liang was also reluctant to part. He made many friends in the village and played with them every day, but after going back, he would be alone again.
Li Xiaoshan, Er Pang, and a few other children came together to see Liang Liang off. They gave him their favorite marbles, as well as a slingshot, grass-woven grasshopper, dragonfly, pretty stones, even two wild duck eggs, and a cake.
“Come play often in the future. Don’t forget the tips I teach you for using the slingshot.”
Li Xiaoshan rubbed his nose and hugged Liang Liang.
“You’re under my protection. Don’t let anyone bully you when you go back. If anyone dares to bully you in the future, hit him with the slingshot. If you can’t beat him, come find us, and we’ll help you beat him.”
“Right, we’ll help you beat him.”
Liang Liang hugged the gifts, instantly turning from tears to laughter, and nodded heavily, “Mm!”
Yuan Yuan raised the little turtle and bumped it against his little face, softly calling out in a glutinous voice: “Bro! Play!”
Liang Liang lowered his head and rubbed his forehead against her soft little face, softly saying thank you.
“Don’t cry anymore. It’s not like we won’t see each other again. It’s getting late, hurry and hitch the cart to send Master He and the others into the city.”
Shang Wan helplessly patted Shi Tou’s continuously shaking shoulders.
How is this young man so sentimental? Even Xiao Huan isn’t as crybaby as he is.
