Chapter 24 Mysterious

On the other side, after Xiao Yu took the dishes out, she immediately went back to the courtyard. She hadn't seen her all morning, and her mind had already flown to the young lady. She wondered if the young lady had eaten properly that morning.

Without her watching over me, I definitely won't have any appetite.

That's just how pretentious and dependent the young lady is.

Xiao Yu felt a sweet warmth in her heart just thinking about it. Sigh! After a busy morning, she finally had some free time. She quickened her pace and went into the house to take a look at Song Luoning. Good, the young lady was reading a book.

Her porcelain-white skin had a healthy blush under the sunlight, and she leaned against the bed curtains, her slender waist adding to her delicate appearance.

Xiao Yu only glanced at it, really only glanced at it, then hurriedly cleared away the dishes and went into the kitchen, clutching her chest, her heart pounding like a deer, her voice a little noisy.

The young lady's eyes alone are all alluring.

Who could stand this?

Song Luoning gently put down the book in her hand, her brows furrowed. What kind of look was that lecherous man giving her?

In the past, she would have loved me so much that she wanted to stick her eyes on my body. What's wrong with her today? She looks at me as if I'm some kind of monster.

That's infuriating.

Xiao Yu paused for a moment, then took out the mushrooms she had picked yesterday. She could stir-fry a plate of them later. She had also washed the rice last night, so having rice for lunch would be fine too.

Xiao Yu first steamed the rice. He would stir-fry the vegetables when the rice was almost cooked, otherwise they would get cold. After the rice was steamed, there was a fire in the stove, so no one needed to watch over it. Xiao Yu then prepared to dry the remaining mushrooms to save for later.

The yard was small and there wasn't much usable space. She checked that the bamboo strips she had chopped earlier were already dried, and cleared the space so she could use it to dry the mushrooms.

After finishing the work, the rice was steamed. Lifting the lid, the rich aroma of rice filled the entire yard. The mushrooms were stir-fried, and they were also incredibly fragrant.

Before long, she attracted several villagers who were working, who spoke to her through the low wall.

"Xiao Yu, what are you making? It smells so good!" a villager said.

Xiao Yu frowned. She didn't like being watched like this, but since everyone was there to help, she didn't know what to say. She forced herself to say, "It's nothing, just some home-cooked food." As she spoke, she put the stir-fried dishes into a ceramic plate.

"It smells so good! How much oil must have been used?" A villager shook his head, looking regretful.

"My wife can't bear to part with him."

“What do you know? Even your wife’s cooking doesn’t smell this good,” another villager joked.

"You're still talking to me? Who in your family would be willing to do that with their wife?" the villager said, somewhat unconvinced.

"......"

In the end, it all boils down to her being a spendthrift.

Xiao Yu chuckled dryly, picked up the food amidst the sounds of others swallowing, and said, "Everyone, rest first, I'm going to eat." A flash of disdain crossed her eyes, and she turned and walked into the house without paying any more attention to them, shutting out the murmurs behind her.

"Wife, come and eat. There are your favorite mushrooms." Xiao Yu placed the food on the table, then skillfully walked to the sink, soaked a towel, wrung it out, and was about to help Song Luoning wipe her hands after she sat down.

Song Luoning stiffened, and her hands fell into a pair of slightly cool palms. She subconsciously tried to pull them back, but they were held by her.

"Don't move, let me wipe your hands before you eat."

"......"

A blush spread across Song Luoning's face, gradually reaching the tips of her ears.

She turned her face away and took a deep breath.

This lecherous man is trying to take advantage of me again.

"Eat quickly." Xiao Yu turned around, draped a handkerchief over the wooden basin, and sat down next to Song Luoning.

Song Luoning: "......"

"Wife, come and taste it, how does it taste?" Xiao Yu leaned closer.

"......"

Song Luoning froze, clenching her palms, even feeling the warm breath spraying over her cheeks, burning her skin.

You've given her too much credit.

Coming to her senses, Song Luoning subconsciously reached into her sleeve pocket, only to find it empty.

Damn it, the hairpin was hidden under my pillow.

Who would have thought that this lecherous man would dare to take advantage of me in broad daylight?

If she dares to come any closer, I'll bite her to death.

Xiao Yu had no idea what Song Luoning was thinking. Seeing that she was hesitant to eat, he picked up a mushroom and held it to the young lady's lips.

"Be good, open your mouth," Xiao Yu said softly.

"......" Who are you trying to fool?

Song Luoning's breath hitched. After hesitating for a moment, fearing that she might do something even more outrageous, she closed her eyes, opened her lips, and took the food. Her feelings were indescribable.

Watching her chew slowly, Xiao Yu looked satisfied.

"Isn't it delicious?"

Song Luo held her breath and focused on the food, trying to ignore the discomfort Xiao Yu caused her.

A single meal can offer a thousand different flavors.

Xiao Yu enjoyed the pleasure of being fed and also got up close and personal with the young lady.

Time always flies by, and before they knew it, it was time to start work again. Xiao Yu glanced at the young lady with reluctance before leaving the courtyard. In the morning, a lot of sand had been dug, and a straight row of foundation stones had been dug.

Seeing her approach, Chen Ziyi wiped his sweat, draped the towel over his shoulder, and said, "We need stones to lay the foundation. This afternoon I'll take a few people to haul stones, and the rest of you can continue digging the foundation."

Xiao Yu hadn't recovered from the emotional turmoil of parting with the young lady, and looked listless. He glanced at the few people still working and saw that they wouldn't finish digging here anytime soon. Since he also needed a large rock, he thought he might as well go and take a look. Maybe he could find a suitable one.

Xiao Yu: "I'll go with you." Suddenly, she thought of something: "By the way, are there any idle people in the village? If anyone wants to work and earn money, we can call them over."

"Let me ask again, they should have it," Chen Ziyi said.

Xiao Yu nodded.

To haul stones, one needs an oxcart. The families Chen Ziyi found all had oxcarts, and Xiao Yu didn't take advantage of them, paying them an extra ten coins for each oxcart driver.

“Ayu, you’ve already given enough. You don’t need to pay more. You can’t earn this much in a day outside,” Chen Ziyi said.

“Yes, the oxcart fare is the same as theirs, twenty coins.” Another villager echoed.

"yes."

"yes."

Nobody has it easy. Earning twenty coins a day is already a good job for them. Why ask for more? The others echoed this sentiment.

Xiao Yu smiled, feeling a warmth in her heart from everyone's sincerity. This was the first time since she had transmigrated that she had felt kindness from strangers.

However, she also had her own principles. She didn't belong here to begin with, and she didn't know when she would leave. It was better not to owe this favor.

The place to haul the stones was by the river at the foot of the mountain. It took about half an hour to go upstream along the small river next to Xiao Yu's house.

The stones here were left behind when the mountain collapsed during a heavy rain. The soil was washed away by the river, leaving only these stones. At a glance, there are stones of all sizes, some of which have even had their edges smoothed by the water.

The group parked the oxcart by the river, rolled up their trousers, and went into the water to start moving stones. Xiao Yu followed along for a while. There weren't any really big stones; most were stones that could be moved with two hands. They were just the right size for building walls, but not suitable for making mortars.

Xiao Yu wanted a large stone, preferably made of granite or similar material, which would be hard and make a sturdy mortar.

Looking around, there were no stones as expected.

"Is it almost all packed?" a villager called out.

"It'll be ready soon." The others made several more trips back and forth, filling the oxcart to the brim, and prepared to head back.

Xiao Yu pulled Chen Ziyi aside and asked, "Are there any large, hard stones here?"

Chen Ziyi didn't understand why she suddenly asked this. After thinking for a moment, he pointed to the mountain behind him: "If you walk further in along the river, you'll reach the foot of the mountain. The rocks there are too big for the river to flow through. What do you need that for?"

When Xiao Yu heard that the rocks over there were big, she was somewhat tempted. Although she didn't have high hopes, she was already here and might as well confirm it. Besides, she knew the way back.

He immediately said to Chen Ziyi, "You guys go back first, I'll go take a look."

“I’ll go with you.” Chen Ziyi pulled her back and handed the oxcart to another villager: “You’re not familiar with this area. Anyway, they’ll be back soon, so we can wait here.”

That being said, Xiao Yu pondered for a moment and then didn't refuse. This was fine too. If they couldn't find a suitable one, they could ask him again. He refused to believe that such a big place couldn't even find a large rock.

"Then I'll have to trouble you," Xiao Yu said.

Chen Ziyi chuckled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head with one hand: "Don't be so polite, we'll all be family from now on."

Xiao Yu: "..."

Well, Xiao Yu frowned. Actually, she was a little disgusted by those words. Although the two families were discussing marriage, Chen Yu hadn't married Chen Ziyi yet, so it was a bit premature to say that.

What if?

There's always a chance of something going wrong.

"One thing at a time. We should still be polite when necessary. Even close brothers keep clear accounts." Xiao Yu didn't say anything more. After all, the other person had indeed helped him a lot, and saying anything harsh would hurt their feelings.

However, this incident further solidified his determination to repay the favor, not only for himself, but also because it involved the original owner's cousin.

The two quickly reached the foot of the mountain, and indeed, as Chen Ziyi had said, the rocks here were very large, and the mountain had been eroded by rainwater for a long time, exposing the entire rock formation.

Surprisingly, the entire mountain was made of granite.

Xiao Yu was thrilled. After what had just happened, she hadn't held out much hope for this place, but unexpectedly...

What a pleasant surprise!

Xiao Yu selected a smooth granite piece, pointed to it, and asked, "Can this stone be transported back?"

Following the direction she pointed, Chen Ziyi was taken aback. This stone weighed at least seven or eight hundred pounds. He could pull it back, but what did she want such a big stone for?

"Can't it be transported back? I think an oxcart should be enough, but I don't know how many people it would take to lift it," Xiao Yu pondered to himself.

“It can be transported back, but... what do you need such a big rock for?” Chen Ziyi couldn’t help but ask.

Who would bring such a big rock home for no reason? It takes up space, and he really can't think of any use for it.

“I’m useful.” With that, Xiao Yu smiled at Chen Ziyi.

His tone was upturned, full of youthful pride.

Chen Ziyi didn't quite agree, but he didn't ask any more questions. He looked at the stone from left to right, but couldn't figure out what it could be used for.

"Let's go see if they've returned yet." Xiao Yu couldn't wait to move the stone back.

Chen Ziyi glanced at the stone one last time, then followed Xiao Yu back. His gaze fell on her light steps, and he couldn't help but frown. He really couldn't understand why she was so happy about just a stone.

Anyone who didn't know better would think she'd struck gold.

Xiao Yu and Chen Ziyi returned to the riverbank where they had been loading stones. Not long after, the villagers returned in their oxcart.

Xiao Yu first led them to move the large rock he had his eye on onto the cart, then filled the rest of the oxcarts before heading back.

After returning, Xiao Yu did not let them move the stones into the open space, but instead unloaded them outside the courtyard gate.