Chapter 26 Thoughts

When the soaking was almost over, Xiao Yu prepared to leave. He glanced back at the bed and breathed a sigh of relief. The young lady was already lying down and must be asleep.

Xiao Yu carefully stepped out of the bathtub.

She had a new piece of clothing she had bought before that she hadn't worn yet, so she found it and quickly put it on.

I was about to take the clothes I had just changed out of and the ones I had changed into yesterday out to wash.

I searched everywhere, but where are the clothes I changed out of yesterday?

It was clearly placed in this wooden basin.

Xiao Yu searched the surrounding area again. The house was only so big, and she searched almost everywhere except the bed, but she still couldn't find it.

We can't exactly do it in bed, can we?

That seems unlikely. Why would a young lady hide her dirty clothes for no reason?

That's strange.

The rustling sound startled the person on the bed. Song Luoning tensed up, then calmed down and asked, "Husband, what are you looking for?" Her voice was as clear and melodious as ever.

"I don't know where my clothes that I changed out of yesterday went. It's so strange. I remember putting them in the wooden basin." Xiao Yu continued searching.

"......"

Song Luo Ning was taken aback, then breathed a sigh of relief. She squeezed the hairpin in her hand, her expression somewhat unnatural. She turned over so her back was to Xiao Yu and said in a low voice, "Then husband, please search carefully. I'm going to sleep now."

"Okay, my wife, go to sleep first. I'll look for it some more," Xiao Yu said.

Song Luoning didn't answer. She pursed her lips, slowly closed her eyes, and the image of Chen Ergou suddenly rushing over and hugging Xiao Yu's leg flashed through her mind.

She bit her lip.

How could I possibly find it? I threw it away yesterday. What's the point of keeping dirty clothes?

After searching for a while and still not finding it, Xiao Yu had no choice but to take the clothes that she and Song Luoning had just changed out of to the kitchen.

......

Half a month has passed, and because more people have been hired to do the work, the original one-month project has been shortened by half. The house is basically completed and can be moved in as soon as it is finished.

The mud-brick house was also demolished, and a new courtyard was built. An archway separates the new house from the mud-brick house. Xiao Yu plans to build a stable here. With the mud-brick house demolished, the space is naturally larger. Earth hullers and other equipment are placed here. Fans generate a lot of dust when used, so they are not suitable to be too close to the living environment.

The stone mortar was placed opposite the stable, in the original location of the kitchen.

The original owner's mother had an oxcart, so Xiao Yu simply borrowed it. He originally planned to go up the mountain to cut some timber, but just as he was driving the oxcart out the door, Song Luoning called him back.

"Husband, where are we going?" Song Luoning asked from outside the carriage.

The two of them temporarily squeezed into the carriage for the next few days.

“I plan to go to the mountains and cut down a tree,” Xiao Yu said.

The trees at the place where we picked mushrooms last time were quite good. Xiao Yu had her eye on them then, and if it weren't for the fact that she needed to build a house and had nowhere to put them, she would have gone and cut down the timber long ago.

Hearing that she was going to cut down trees, Song Luoning was taken aback, but she didn't show it on her face: "Husband, have you forgotten that according to Baisheng Law, unauthorized logging is a serious crime?"

Serious...serious crime?

Xiao Yu was stunned.

“Baisheng is located in the north, and the temperature is lower than in other countries. Especially in winter, every household needs charcoal for heating, so the logging and charcoal production have always been managed by the imperial court.” Song Luoning raised her eyes, her clear eyes smiling, but with a hint of inquiry beneath the smile.

These days, my emotions have settled down. The person in front of me is not only not the spendthrift the villagers talk about, but also seems to be hiding a secret.

For example, she didn't know the laws that everyone in Baisheng knew.

Xiao Yu recovered from her shock, still feeling somewhat dazed. The timber for building the house was sent over by her stepmother, and she hadn't thought much of it at the time.

The young lady wouldn't lie to herself about something like this.

The question then becomes, where do we buy the timber?

Song Luoning strolled closer and said, "The sale of timber requires government approval. Perhaps you could make a trip to the county government office, sir."

Xiao Yu nodded. If what the young lady said was true, then he would have to go to the county government office.

Xiao Yu pondered for a moment, then drove the oxcart to the door.

"Thanks to my wife's reminder, I'll go to the county town now. Is there anything you'd like to see?" I don't go to the county town often. After deducting the money for building the house, I still have quite a bit left. It wouldn't be bad for the young lady to have some snacks at home when she's bored.

Song Luo Ning shook her head: "Luo Ning doesn't want anything, husband, you don't need to worry about Luo Ning."

Xiao Yu thought that the young lady must be embarrassed, so he didn't ask any more questions. He waved to Song Luoning and drove the oxcart to the county government office.

She ran into Liang Chengqiu, who was returning from an official business, as soon as she arrived at the county government office. Liang Chengqiu was not surprised to see her. He had a cold expression and his hair was tied up high, giving people a sense of distance and unapproachability. She asked a few routine questions and then took Xiao Yu to process the approval.

Upon receiving the approval document, Xiao Yu said gratefully, "Thank you very much. If there is anything you need from me, Officer Liang, please let me know, and I will do my best to help."

Although I didn't have much contact with Liang Chengqiu, after two interactions, I realized that although Liang Chengqiu seemed cold and intimidating, he was actually a very responsible and kind person.

Liang Chengqiu didn't say anything, but led her to the timber trading office: "This is it. Go in by yourself. I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."

After saying that, he turned around, leaving behind a cool and aloof silhouette.

He's such a kind person, so aloof.

Xiao Yu selected some pre-cut timber, loaded it onto the oxcart, bought some carpentry tools, went to a bookstore, bought a stack of the latest storybooks, and visited a pastry shop. When he left the pastry shop, he had many bags in his hands, containing osmanthus cake, mung bean cake, peach blossom cake, and poria cocos cake, all of which were the most popular pastries at the time.

By the time they finished, it was already noon. Song Luoning was home alone, so Xiao Yu drove the oxcart home. Unlike a horse-drawn carriage, the oxcart didn't arrive until after 1 p.m. The young lady hadn't even had lunch. Xiao Yu felt both guilty and heartbroken.

As I approached my house, I saw a man standing at my door. Just as I was about to go over, the man walked towards my neighbor's house.

By the time she got closer, the man had already pushed the door open and gone inside.

"......"

Xiao Yu was startled and realized what had happened. A lump formed in her throat. If she remembered correctly, Song Luoning had secretly gone to the neighbor's house once at night when she first arrived. The person who came out to see Song Luoning off was a man.

So, what exactly is the relationship between Song Luoning and that man?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and the more aggrieved she felt. Xiao Yu drove the oxcart into the yard, where Song Luo Ning was standing by the carriage. Seeing her return, she smiled gently and asked, "Why are you back so soon?"

? !

Xiao Yu choked. Was she blaming her for coming back too early? For interrupting her good time?

Xiao Yu put the storybook and snacks on the carriage, and when she turned around, her eyes were red.

"Husband, what's wrong?" Song Luoning frowned, stood up and walked over.

What's wrong?

Xiao Yu felt a lump in her throat. How dare she ask her what was wrong?

But there's no evidence to prove anything.

Xiao Yu felt extremely wronged: "It's nothing, I'll go cook."

She didn't make it back in time for lunch. Song Luoning doesn't even know how to start a fire, let alone cook. She must still be hungry.

Xiao Yu stormed into the kitchen. The kitchen was newly built, and the dishes and chopsticks were all newly provided by her stepmother.

The original ceramic bowls have been replaced with exquisite porcelain, with delicate orchids adorning the porcelain, appearing lifelike.

Xiao Yu was furious. She stir-fried some bok choy, which she had planted earlier and had grown to an edible size. Her main dish was flatbread, which was leftover from breakfast.

"Song Luoning, come and eat." Her tone was full of hostility.

Song Luoning frowned, got up and went into the kitchen. Xiao Yu didn't even glance at her, and turned to leave the moment she entered.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Song Luoning called out to her.

"You eat, I'm not hungry." I'm so angry I'm full, I don't have the energy to eat.

Song Luoning watched her departing figure, her brows furrowed. She was certain that she was angry with her.

She was fine when she left in the morning. After thinking for a while, Song Luoning really didn't know what she had done to offend her, so she just let her be.

After leaving the kitchen, Xiao Yu unloaded the timber in the yard, took out the drawings she had made before, drew the shapes of the parts on the timber, and then sawed off the excess parts little by little. By the time she stopped, it was already dark.

The rest can only be done tomorrow.

After finishing her work, Xiao Yu thought about the unpleasant things that happened today, and her heart was still heavy, especially Song Luoning's attitude of pretending to be stupid.

I entered the courtyard with mixed feelings; there was light inside the carriage.

Xiao Yu approached, stood outside the carriage, hesitated for a moment, and pursed his lips: "Wife, reading at night is bad for your eyes."

"Yes, I understand." The young lady's usual clear and melodious voice came from inside the carriage. After a while, the carriage door opened, and Song Luoning stepped out, her lips curving into a smile: "Husband, are you done with your work?"

"Mmm." Xiao Yu responded softly, her eyes almost overflowing with grievance, as if she wanted to comfort me.

Song Luoning paused slightly, feeling a bit of a headache. She couldn't figure out what this lecherous man was complaining about.

Even coaxing them was impossible.

"Husband, did you encounter anything interesting in the county town today?" Song Luoning asked with a sigh.

"I met Liang Chengqiu, and I'm so grateful for her help with these procedures," Xiao Yu replied listlessly.

Song Luo Ning rubbed her forehead; it seemed nothing had happened in the county town.

"Officer Liang is indeed a good person, someone worth getting to know better."

Um?

What?

Without saying anything herself, why did Song Luoning think Liang Chengqiu was worth getting to know better?

Xiao Yu glared at Song Luoning and said with dissatisfaction, "My wife is wrong. How can you judge whether someone is worth getting to know based on just one thing? So, my wife is too naive and too trusting. You can't understand a person just by looking at the surface. Some people seem honest, but they are actually full of bad intentions. They could sell you out without you even knowing it."

For example, are you very familiar with the man next door?

"You can't judge a person by what others say; you have to feel it for yourself."

For example, my sincerity towards you right now is plain to see.

Xiao Yu spoke a whole bunch of things in one breath, but it's unclear whether the young lady understood them.

He carefully observed the young lady's reaction and saw her frowning, which made him feel uneasy.

Song Luo Ning took a deep breath, but still couldn't figure out what was making Deng Tu Zi angry.

Oh well, let her be.

"My husband is right. Luo Ning is thinking too simply." Following her lead is the right thing to do.

Hearing her say that, Xiao Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the young lady had taken her words to heart, and all her efforts in thinking this through were worthwhile.

Xiao Yu felt that in the past 22 years, he had devoted all his thoughts and energy to the young lady.

Hopefully, the young lady can truly understand her good intentions.

Xiao Yu adjusted his mindset; it was getting late. "Wife," he said, "I'll go cook dinner."