Gateway to Happiness - Chapter 74
Chapter 74: Going To Lu Family’s House
Zhou Yuan coughed and said, “You can’t tell this to anyone. I’ll tell you because we’re brothers now. But, Xiao Shu insisted this must not be told to others, so you…”
“I most certainly will not!” Lin Fang rolled his eyes.
Under his intense glare, Zhou Yuan had no choice but to tell the entire story to Lin Fang. Lin Fang had pressed him for details, he was even forced to confess about what had happened on the day of the temple fair.
After he finished listening to the story, Lin Fang couldn’t contain his laughter, and made fun of him.
Although he was ambiguous during his story-telling, Lin Fang clearly knew how close Xiao Shu and her sister was. She was smart and good in martial arts, it would be unusual if she went easy on him! Zhou Yuan must have suffered a lot from her!
Hehe, great! My anger has been vented off by listening! My frustration is all gone now!
Zhou Yuan was upset at being laughed at by him, he sarcastically said, “Don’t laugh at me, from what I’ve seen today, hehe, Xiao Shu isn’t really happy with you either…”
That was the bane of Lin Fang’s life, and Lin Fang immediately stopped laughing.
Zhou Yuan triumphed over his misfortune, and said, “You must have done something to upset her! And, you don’t seem to have figured it out yet?”
Lin Fang gazed at him, without speaking. He thought to himself secretly: Did I accidentally upset Xiao Shu? But I haven’t seen her for such a long time, how could I upset her…
Zhou Yuan glanced at Lin Fang who was trapped in his deep thoughts. He was delighted before saying kindly, “Why don’t you tell me, maybe I can tell you why!”
“You?” Lin Fang despised.
“Of course!” Zhou Yuan added, “Those who are involved can’t see the clear picture, but the bystanders can!”
Lin Fang didn’t want to tell him at first, but he couldn’t resist not telling him.
As a result, just like how he had forced Zhou Yuan, he even vaguely shared the embarrassing cockfighting story. He told Zhou Yuan he had been at home since that day. He didn’t have time to come out to see her until today. Who knew that she would be upset with him…
Zhou Yuan also couldn’t contain his laughter. Lin Fang’s face darkened. His lips were pressed together without uttering a word.
“No wonder.” Zhou Yuan added, “I think she must have been furious that day.”
Lin Fang rolled his eyes and secretly thought: Duh, I told you that just now!
Zhou Yuan said, “Unfortunately, I think she must have misunderstood you! You didn’t explain to her at that time, and you ended up disappearing for a long time without talking to her! Think about it, you reappeared out of a sudden, how can she not be upset? She must have thought that you don’t value her as much!”
“Really?” Lin Fang was stupefied, “But I wanted to explain it to her that day, but I didn’t have a choice. My brother……”
“But she’s not aware of this!” Zhou Yuan asserted, “In her point of view, you did it on purpose! You didn’t take her seriously, and left without any explanations. You appear as you wish and vanish as you wish, how can she stand it?”
“…” Lin Fang moved his lips and was speechless.
Zhou Yuan gave a pat on his shoulders and comforted, “But it doesn’t matter anymore. Now that you know the root of the problem, you can now explain yourself to her! As long as it’s explained clearly, this problem will be resolved!”
Lin Fang had actually believed him to a certain extent, but he stubbornly insisted, “Then I’ll have to see if this is really the case…”
Zhou Yuan secretly rolled his eyes, but he nodded and agreed, “You’re right, you have to make sure… By the way, are you coming tomorrow?”
“Of course!” Lin Fang added, “I’ll pay their house a visit tomorrow! It’s normal for me to drop by their house when I’m free since I’m close with them!”
Zhou Yuan was envious of him, “Then could you wait for me? I will go with you…”
He awkwardly uttered when Lin Fang gazed at him, “Two is better than one, don’t you think so?”
Lin Fang gave it a thought and finally nodded his head, “Okay…”
Zhou Yuan was overjoyed, he couldn’t resist fawning upon Lin Fang. The two agreed on a time to meet each other before saying goodbyes.
When Lu Xiao Shu got home, she noticed her mother came out of the house with a relaxed look and a big smile on her face. She said with a smile, “Little girl, where have you been all morning?”
“I didn’t go anywhere…… Mother, you look radiant and especially jolly today! Mother, did something good happen? Tell me!” Lu Xiao Shu grinned cheerfully and rubbed against her.
“Go away, go away! It’s hot!” Miao Cui Lan got rid of her and smiled, “Go and get your face washed and have a rest! Oh dear, you’re so talkative! I’m not free today, you and your sister will deliver tea to your father later this afternoon. It’s our family and Aunt Li’s family’s turn to deliver!”
“Oh.” Lu Xiao Shu replied. She obediently washed her hands and entered their house.
Two deepwater sources were found deep in the forest. Mr Wu had drawn water from the water source according to the distribution of the farmland. These days, everyone was busy taking time by the forelock. The construction of a temporary reservoir was also going on simultaneously.
The weather these days was scorching hot as if the people could be burnt by the sun. Some experienced and observant farmers had already noticed the abnormal weather.
No one had the courage to take the canal-repairing work lightly.
When she entered the house, Xiao Xue grinned and asked, “You’re home. Are you thirsty? Drink some water!”
“Xiao Xue!” Lu Xiao Shu knew Zhou Yuan did not lie when she noticed the relaxed look on Xiao Xue’s face. As she was drinking water, she went near Xiao Xue and annoyed Xiao Xue about it.
Xiao Xue was so embarrassed that her face blushed. She was glad that this incident was finally properly solved. She whispered to Lu Xiao Shu, “I was unexpectedly lucky! The Zhou Family suddenly changed their minds, and Li Hua had returned the handkerchief. She also hinted that we can rest assured that the Zhou Family will not spread false news to the people. It’s good news, GREAT news!”
Xiao Xue still felt like she was dreaming.
“Great!” Lu Xiao Shu grinned, “This proves that people who are kind will be rewarded! Xiao Xue is a kind person, God will definitely not mistreat you! Xiao Xue will certainly meet your Mr. Right in the future!”
“Little girl, how dare you make fun of me?” Xiao Xue blushed. She pulled her and tried to tickle her. Lu Xiao Shu giggled as she ran away begging for mercy. The two giggled and played around together.
The next day, Lin Fang and Zhou Yuan went to Lu Family’s house.
Both of them were slightly nervous.
Lin Fang was anxious. He was afraid of getting a lesson from Lu Xiao Shu. I’m familiar with that brat’s bad temper! If that brat is still holding a grudge on me, who knows how long will she ignore me!
It was Zhou Yuan’s first time visiting his “mother-in-law’s” house. Why would he not be nervous? He didn’t even know how to properly function his hands and feet!
“Look, Lu Family’s house is just in front of the big courtyard.” Lin Fang muttered and nudged Zhou Yuan with his elbow.
“Oh, there it is! The location of this house is good… There are mountains behind the house, it should be pleasantly cool during summer……” Zhou Yuan said.
“There are canals flowing behind the yard. It’s too far away to see clearly from here…… The Lu Family are beancurd makers. Their beancurd are well-known in Gu Xi Town.” Lin Fang added.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Both of them walked as they gossiped about nonsense. Their footsteps unconsciously slowed down.
There was an indescribable hesitation in their conversation and footsteps.
In fact, Zhou Yuan was better than Lin Fang. This was his first time visiting them, and he had Lin Fang as a protective shield. Lin Fang’s heart was about to jump out, but he was embarrassed to stop, he had to force himself step by step towards Lu Family’s house.
Just as they were about to reach the doorstep, the front door was pushed open from the inside. Both of them were startled and they stopped.
They looked closely, the person who came out was a cleanly and smartly dressed middle-aged woman. It was Miao Cui Lan.
Lin Fang let out the breath that he was holding, and immediately greeted, “Aunt Lu!
“Hehe, it’s Lin Fang! I haven’t seen you for a long time!” Miao Cui Lan smiled.
“A…Aunt Lu!” An awkward smile was forced on Zhou Yuan’s pale chubby face.
“You are……” Miao Cui Lan was surprised.
Lin Fang replied with a smile, “Oh, this is my distant cousin Zhou Yuan. He visited my house and we had nothing to do. So he accompanied me to come out for a walk. By the way, is Lu Qi at home?”
The villagers of Gu Xi Town were all busy repairing the reservoir and canal recently. Lu Qi hadn’t been to the dock for a long time as he was also busy helping the villagers.
Miao Cui Lan suddenly realized what was happening, she nodded and gave Zhou Yuan a friendly smile, “Lu Qi and his father went into Da Qing Mountains along with the villagers. Xiao Xue and Xiao Shu went to deliver pancakes and tea for them, they just left! Hehe, please have a seat inside!”
“No, it’s okay!” Lin Fang was tempted to follow when he knew Xiao Shu had just left. He smiled, “Since we have nothing to do, why don’t we go to Da Qing Mountains to see if there’s anything we can help with!” Lin Fang suggested as he glanced at Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan repeatedly nodded and agreed.
Lin Fang asked Miao Cui Lan for directions.
Miao Cui Lan was familiar with him, she didn’t have doubts about him. She happily showed them the direction. When she glanced at their attire, she couldn’t resist smiling, “It’s a pity what both of you are wearing. Silks and satins are not for mountain-hiking. Be careful along your way. What a shame to scratch and damage your robe!”
Lin Fang smiled before leaving with Zhou Yuan.
Lin Fang didn’t feel a thing, but Zhou Yuan was breathless when they were just slightly out of the village. The deeper they went into Da Qing Mountains, the bumpier the road was to walk on. Zhou Yuan was being doted on like a precious treasure by his family since he was young. How would he be used to such roads?