When Ronghua returned home, he was stunned when he saw Xu Shi. After all, it had been so long since he had been alone at home. He had been doing all the work in the greenhouse and raising chickens and pigs at home without anyone's help. He had gotten used to being alone.

Seeing Xu Shi now, he was still a little unaccustomed to it: "Mother, why are you back?"

Madam Xu rolled her eyes at Ronghua: "Don't you know why your mother came back? If you had put your mother at ease, she wouldn't have come back so soon!"

Rong Hua was completely baffled: "What happened to me? He didn't do anything wrong!"

Madam Xu: "What's wrong with you? You're in big trouble! Come inside, I have something I want to tell you!"

Ronghua followed Xu Shi into the house, poured her a cup of hot water, and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) waiting for Xu Shi to scold him. In his heart, he was filled with dread, knowing that his ears were going to suffer and that Xu Shi would definitely nag on and on for a very long time.

Madam Xu: "I've heard about what happened between you and Han Chan. I won't say anything, I just want to ask you, what are your thoughts about Han Chan? Do you like her, even just a little bit?"

Ronghua: "...Mother, this is something we can say at home, but don't say it outside, or Miss Han's reputation will be ruined!" Ronghua was a little flustered and didn't directly address Xu Shi's question.

"I don't need you to lecture your mother!" Madam Xu said coldly. "Just tell your mother, what are your thoughts on Miss Han? Do you like her or not?"

“I…” Rong Hua hesitated. He didn’t like Han Chan before, but he saw her as a pitiful person and wanted to help her. In addition, Sheng Bao had said that the siblings were too pitiful, and Han Tao was quite dependent on him, so he wholeheartedly helped the siblings. But he didn’t really have any special thoughts at the time.

But after this experience, he developed some feelings for Miss Han. Every day, his eyes followed her, wanting to see if she was happy or not. Every time he saw that Miss Han didn't smile, he felt very sad and indescribably frustrated. It was the first time he had ever truly experienced such a feeling.

Now that he heard Xu say this, he thought, he must like Miss Han, right? If he didn't like her, he wouldn't want to see her all the time.

After seeing Miss Han, they no longer followed her closely, wanting to know her every move.

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean'? Tell me quickly!" Madam Xu really liked Han Chan and felt that Han Chan was very suitable for Rong Hua.

Ronghua said, "Mother, I don't know what it feels like to like someone, but my feelings for Miss Han are definitely different. At least I've never felt this way with any other girl."

There's hope!

Very good!

Then we can put our plan into action and get them together as soon as possible.

"Since you have different feelings for Miss Han, why do you watch those gossipy women bully her?"

“At that time… I hadn’t realized that I liked Miss Han…” Rong Hua said truthfully.

Upon hearing Ronghua's words, Madam Xu was so angry she almost wanted to beat her up. "How important is a young lady's reputation? I won't even mention your behavior back then, but you even told the village head about it, causing them to reprimand the people of Shanggui and Xiagui villages. Didn't that make the people of Shanggui and Xiagui villages resent Miss Han? If it weren't for Miss Han, would they have been scolded? So Ronghua, think before you act, and don't ruin a young lady's reputation!"

"...I didn't expect..." Rong Hua really didn't expect it. At the time, she only thought that the villagers of Shanggui Village and Xiagui Village were too hateful. She just wanted the village head and village chief to talk to them and make them change their bad habit of gossiping. That was all.

Unexpectedly, although Miss Han seemed to be fine, she had actually hurt her badly.

No wonder Miss Han didn't want to pay attention to him.

"You! You're such a pig-brain!" Madam Xu said with exasperation, "Since you like Miss Han, then let me ask you, how much of your intention is to marry her?"

"Marry Miss Han?" Ronghua had never thought about this question before, nor had she ever thought deeply about liking someone. Now that her mother had suddenly brought up the topic of marrying Miss Han, Ronghua was stunned and didn't know how to react.

“That’s right! Marry Miss Han! Eldest son, you know that your mother likes Han Chan very much. Her family is indeed struggling, but I think Han Chan and her brother are hardworking and ambitious! I have never had any concept of social status, and I have never looked down on families that are struggling just because our family is doing well! So if you want to marry Miss Han, you must remember what I said!”

Madam Xu began to speak earnestly to Ronghua about Han Chan's good qualities: she was very hardworking, had excellent judgment, and was very generous in her words and actions, unlike some girls from other families who were petty and narrow-minded. She was a girl that Madam Xu greatly admired.

Han Chan especially liked Rong Hua, really liked him, but Rong Hua, that idiot, never realized it.

Ronghua didn't jump up in surprise: "Mother, why are you saying these things? Miss Han and I haven't even reached that point yet, and you're suddenly saying these things. If Miss Han hears this, how embarrassing would that be! Besides, marriage is a big deal, not just talk. Even if Miss Han and I reach that point, we still need to see if we're suitable for each other. Just like when you married Father!"

When Xu married Rong Dong'an, she put a lot of effort into testing his character, often making him do chores to ensure that their values ​​aligned and that both families agreed before they got married.

He likes Miss Han, but Miss Han might not like him back. It's too early to talk about marriage now!

Xu knew it was too early, but many people already had their eyes on Han Chan, so she had to strike first!

Otherwise, Han Chan would belong to someone else!

“Eldest son, if you like Miss Han, then try your best to win her favor, or spend more time with her. Only then will you know whether you two are truly compatible,” Madam Xu said. “Anyway, I really like Han Chan. Sheng Bao also said that she feels very comfortable seeing you and Han Chan together! She always feels like you’re family! So, eldest son, do you understand what I’m thinking?”

"I know!" Rong Hua didn't make things difficult for her; she felt a little expectant.

Even if Han Chan doesn't want to talk to him now, he is powerless to do anything about it.

Xu looked at Ronghua speechlessly. Han Chan didn't want to talk to him. Didn't he know how to get close to Han Chan? There was even a greenhouse to act as a matchmaker.

But her son was too slow-witted, so Xu could only help: "I came back from the county town today with a lot of things. Go and invite Han Chan to our house for dinner!"

Rong Hua quickly stood up: "I'll go right now!"

Xu did not stop her. She watched Ronghua leave home, then took out the things she had brought back from the county town, including the things she had brought for Han Chan. They weren't anything special, but Xu thought that Han Chan would probably like them, as most girls couldn't refuse them.