54 Chapter 54

◎ Guier wants to marry again◎

Green peppers and tomatoes both have a unique taste. They fell in love with them as soon as they came into contact with them. It took Yu a few times before she got used to them.

For Cheng Mu, eating these home-cooked dishes that she never tired of during her student days was enough to comfort her homesickness.

Xiaoliu asked her if she wanted to take these to town and sell them to restaurants.

Cheng Mu suggested that she could give it to the restaurant owner to try first. Whether it sold or not didn't matter; if he wanted to buy it, he would naturally place an order. Xiaoliu's eyes darted around, and she said she wanted to deliver it to the owner herself.

While the mother and daughter were talking, Yu suddenly picked up a broom and hit Gui'er.

Gui'er didn't dodge or evade. Yu hit her strong back again and again without making a sound.

What happened again? Cheng Mu had a feeling that something was wrong, so she asked Xiaoliu to go to the main room to accompany Xiaoqi to read and write, and to close the back door.

Seeing Xiaoliu obediently close the door, Cheng Mu went to grab Yu's broom, "Auntie, let's talk it over nicely."

Yu's face flushed with anger as she accused Gui'er, "Listen to what she said." Afraid her voice might reach Xiaoliu and Xiaoqi, she lowered her voice, "She's actually thinking of taking another husband."

Cheng Mu looked at Gui'er, who didn't feel ashamed at all. She actually spoke frankly to Yu.

Are you serious?

She had this idea only two or three days after getting married, and Cheng Mu thought she was just thinking about it.

Yu cried, "Madam Cheng, this child has always made you laugh."

It's not that she laughs, but she definitely admires her. The heroine must be extraordinary and dare to think and act. Cheng Mu can only admire her.

Yu said sadly, "Madam Cheng, she has always listened to you. Please help me persuade her not to embarrass herself in public."

Yu's legs went limp, and Cheng Mu thought she was going to kneel down and beg, so she quickly supported her. "Aunt, go back to your room and calm down. Those men who marry wives and concubines don't think it's shameful. This is not a shameful thing."

Yu looked at her in disbelief, "Madam Cheng, you——"

Cheng Mu said hurriedly: "This is a shocking thing, and people will talk about it, but it doesn't matter, everyone is envious."

The color on Yu's face changed several times. She was not stupid and could tell that Madam Cheng would not stand on her side at all. "Madam Cheng, you agreed when Gui'er wanted to marry a son-in-law. Now you agree to take a husband?"

If you are so open-minded, why do you still want to raise a son and a daughter alone?

"Aunt Yu, wasn't it horrific when Gui'er avenged her father and brother by killing their enemies? Your daughter is not an ordinary woman, so naturally you can't ask her to do the same as an ordinary daughter. If she wants to marry, then so be it. I'm telling you it's a clear path forward. Whether you agree or not won't affect her ability to find a man."

This actually shocked Yu. Gui'er was stubborn. If she didn't agree, she wouldn't look for him? Then it would be neither legitimate nor justifiable, which would be a joke.

Yu stopped talking, pushed away Cheng Mu's hand, cried sadly, and went to the main room.

Guier came over with a smile, "Madam Cheng, I heard everything. Speak for me."

Cheng Mu shook her head and used her finger to poke her forehead on her mother's behalf. "I see that you keep thinking about this matter no matter what you think about. It would be better if you give up on it as soon as possible. Just go ahead and deal with the matter between men and women."

Gui'er grabbed her hand and said, "Madam Cheng, I've been working these past few months and rarely visited him. Every time I visited him, I felt unhappy. I suggested finding someone else and he agreed."

"He agreed? Did he really agree or did you force him?"

"I really agree. He can't take care of the bottom when he's busy with the top, and can't take care of the top when he's busy with the bottom. He can't do it three or four times after doing it once or twice. He needs someone to help him share his worries. Why wouldn't he agree? He even helped me find someone."

Cheng Xi was stunned.

"Madam Cheng, Wu Yong is good at talking and doing things, while Chen Huque'er is big and strong. Which one do you think I should choose?"

"Stop! Stop!" This was not what she should hear, this was not what she wanted to hear, Cheng Wei stopped her, "Don't tell me this, wait until your mother's anger subsides, then do whatever you want, don't tell me this anymore."

"Then I'll tell you about it after I've tried it."

Don’t tell!

After hearing that, Cheng Mu could no longer look directly at the men on the hill behind.

She had a premonition that these men would be Guier's possession in the future.

If it rains, it will rain; if a slave marries into her wife's family, let him do as long as he continues to work for her.

Xiaoliu was quite active in delivering fresh food. She first delivered it to Mr. Zhao's house. Later, she got some more and sent it to Zheng Lizheng's house. The more she got, the more she would send to the restaurant in the town. She had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

Cheng Mu knew that she was going to do something. If she hadn't forced her, Xiao Liu would have kept it a secret from her this time.

"Selling snow cheese?"

Last summer, Cheng Mu made it for them. They would take out the ice cubes stored in the cellar in winter and crush them into ice when it got hot in summer. They would pour milk and chopped dried fruits over it and eat it half-drink to cool down and quench their thirst. At that time, Xiaoliu asked if it was possible to freeze the milk into milk bricks and then directly crush them into milky ice. Of course, they could. Cheng Mu and her brainstormed together and came up with many different kinds of snow yogurt.

Xiaoliu did just that this year. She froze the milk bricks, collected the raisins that Cheng Mu usually gave her, and even went to ask Widow Xu for advice on how to make red beans.

She also asked Zhao Datian to make her an ice bucket for the ingredients.

It's a good idea, but she is still very young.

"Mom, Aunt Gui'er will accompany you. I will sell it in the restaurant owned by Hu and won't run around."

Xiaoliu tugged at her dress and looked at her pleadingly.

Cheng Mu asked, "Are you trying to earn money for Xiao Qi's education?"

Xiaoliu's eyes flashed and he shook his head, "I want to do it."

Cheng Mu looked at her suspiciously. If she really took the responsibility of Xiaoqi's education on herself, Cheng Mu would not allow it no matter what she said. There was no reason for her to let a four or five-year-old child earn money.

Xiaoliu begged, "Mom, I really want to sell things. I want to try."

"Then go ahead."

"Great! Mom, I'll buy you a gift!"

Xiaoliu smiled happily and went to prepare.

Outside the house, the sound of horse hooves came from far away.

Cheng Mu went out to see, and saw two horses coming, with County Magistrate Huang and his entourage on board.

Why is Mr. Huang here?

County Magistrate Huang dismounted and handed the reins to his attendant. Cheng Mu asked him to lead the horse to the shed to drink water and eat grass.

"Please come inside and sit down, sir."

County Magistrate Huang glanced at the house and asked Cheng Mu, "Why don't we take a walk outside?"

Seeing that he had something important to say, Cheng Mu pointed to a big tree in the distance and said, "Then move two chairs under the tree to enjoy the cool air."

County Magistrate Huang came today to inform Cheng Mi that he had received an imperial order and would soon go to the capital to report on his work.

"The new emperor is from Yanbei and has been in charge of nine of the sixteen states of Yanyun for many years. After ascending the throne, he first investigated the officials in Yanbei. In fact, the officialdom in Yanbei has long been purged in the past two years. I suspect that this time when he enters the capital, he will receive a transfer order. Now that the south is in chaos, it is very likely that he will go south."

"My Lord is leaving..."

To be honest, Cheng Mu was very sad about this news. The fact that she could live so comfortably here was largely due to the kindness of the villagers and the sensible local officials in the nearby towns and the county.

Lord Huang and she both came from the future, so their relationship was extraordinary. He had also protected her a lot here over the years.

"Your Excellency has been diligent and hardworking, and has made considerable achievements in Puyang. You will surely be promoted. Cheng Mu would like to congratulate you in advance."

Huang Nian'an looked at her face which was lost but trying to force a smile.

The sunlight and the shadows of the leaves dotted her fair face. The wind made the leaves rustle, and the little spots of light swayed along with them. Her dark pupils seemed to hold a light of hope.

"The journey is long and arduous, and I don't know when we'll meet again. Why don't you come with me?"

When Master Huang invited her to go with him, Cheng Mu didn't think much about it and subconsciously asked, "Now? To the capital, to the south?"

There's a house and shop that Mu Yun bought in the capital, so he has a place to stay. Maybe he can run into Mu Yun in the south? Cheng Mu was thinking seriously for a moment.

Huang Nian'an smiled and said, "I'm serious. You're a widow, I'm a widow, and we each have a pair of children. You're gentle and lively, and I have a clean background and open-minded ideas. If you want to do something big in the future, I'll fully support you. If you're willing to come with me, that would be great."

Etc. He didn't seem to mean what she understood.

Cheng Mu suddenly realized what was going on and her face turned red.

Did Master Huang have feelings for her? Did he really like her, or did he just think they were a perfect match?

She had never thought of developing any other relationship with County Magistrate Huang. He was for the adults and she was for the people. The adults were wholeheartedly for the people, and they had the same goal of not letting the people go hungry. It would be good if this kind of relationship could last for a long time.

When she was in school, her roommate told her that to judge whether or not to be with a man, you must like him physically, that is, you don't mind his touch and you are willing to be close to him.

Just thinking about doing something more intimate with Mr. Huang makes me feel like I can't go on.

She thought briefly and soon had the answer.

"I already have a hundred acres of land and property here, and my two children are still young. I can't just leave whenever I want, and I currently have no intention of falling in love or getting married. You are a very kind person with a bright future ahead of you. I hope that when we meet again, you and I can still help each other as before."

A flash of disappointment passed by, and the light in Huang Nian'an's eyes dimmed. He was rejected.

He had been extremely hesitant to begin with. After his first wife's death, many people came to him as matchmakers, his parents and relatives wrote to him, and he was courted by both the well-established families of Yanbei and the high-ranking officials of the capital. Carefully selecting a woman with a suitable family background and character, and someone whose father-in-law could rely on, to secure a patron for his career, was the norm for men of that era.

After all, he had been cleansed by new ideas and was unwilling to compromise.

The reason for his hesitation was that he and Madam Cheng had a purely revolutionary friendship, and she had always respected him as a senior, so it seemed very abrupt for him to say such things.

Only souls from the afterlife would consciously refuse to seek support by using their identity as a woman.

This is her.

"In that case, I have come here today to say goodbye to you."

Mr. Huang didn't stay any longer and was about to leave with his horse.

When Xiaoliu heard that Mr. Huang had arrived, he quickly told Xiaoqi. Xiaoqi hurried to stop Mr. Huang and told him about his current progress.

In order to get Mr. Huang to stay a little longer, Xiaoliu quickly brought out a bowl of snow yogurt that he had made.

Although Huang Nian'an was rejected by Cheng Mu and felt a little embarrassed to stay for long, Xiao Qi was thirsty for knowledge. Considering that it was inconvenient for him to take the imperial examination here, this opportunity for guidance was very rare for him, so he couldn't bear to leave.

A real man can bend and stretch, and Cheng Mu only said that she doesn't want to consider it at the moment. Maybe she will reconsider it in the future for Xiaoqi's future?

Thinking of this, he sat down on the chair brought by Xiaoliu with peace of mind and tested and guided Xiaoqi on what he had learned.