Chapter 46 Take a rest Zhou Ye put the bench aside and said: Sit here and take a rest
Lin Shu listened to Xiao Pu's words, but her reaction was quite calm. "Just tell me. It's true that I'm delicate and afraid of the heat. It's also true that my mother pities me. It's also true that Brother Ye cut down these bamboos today. She's not the only one who saw it. Even if she didn't say it, someone else would have said it."
Lin Xiaopu looked at her elder sister who was wrapped around her brother A Ye's arm like a vine, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
If Aunt Ma only said these, she would not be the village's Big Mouth Ma.
Not only did she like to gossip, she also loved to exaggerate. A lot of the gossip in the village was spread by Aunt Ma.
Neither Sister A'ye nor Brother A'ye realized how intimate their posture was at that moment. When Aunt Ma told everyone about it, the villagers didn't know what to do with the two of them!
Lin Shu saw her frown, the worried look of a young woman. Then she glanced at her own body hanging on Zhou Ye's arm and immediately understood. She squeezed the sweaty little hand she was holding and said jokingly, "You're not that old, but you have so many things to worry about. Don't worry, it's just a small matter. Just wait and see."
Lin Xiaopu looked confused. What was he looking at?
She soon understood what her sister wanted her to look at.
When they met another talkative village woman on the road, Lin Shu repeated her familiar remarks, concluding with great enthusiasm, "After making the bamboo bed, there's still a lot of bamboo left. I'm planning to make some small bamboo toys. Auntie has children too. Forget about the common bamboo dragonflies, but these bamboo water guns and slingshots—even a girl as old as Xiaopu loves them, not to mention the playful little kids. I saw you today and felt we got along really well. I'll make a couple more sets of these toys and Xiaopu and I will send them to your house."
"This...this is so embarrassing, Ah Shu girl, you are so polite!" Before the woman had time to sigh that Lin Shu knew how to enjoy herself, she heard the following words, and immediately all thoughts disappeared, and she was only flattered.
"Auntie, why are you being so polite? They're just worthless little things. I've seen them a lot since I was little, and I like tinkering with them, so I can make them myself. It just takes some effort. If you really want to thank someone, thank my brother Aye. He cut down all these bamboos."
Zhou Ye was caught off guard when he heard the voice "My brother A Ye" and his eyes trembled suddenly.
There was only one more "I" than usual, but for some reason it made his scalp tingle.
As Lin Shu was speaking, she suddenly let out a "hiss" sound, and her dark eyebrows were furrowed. Even the pain on her face made people feel pity for her.
"What's wrong with Ah Shu?" the woman asked hurriedly, looking concerned.
Lin Shu explained, "I'm sorry to have made fun of you, Auntie. I accidentally twisted my ankle when I went up the mountain to pick mushrooms, so I had to support Brother Aye and Xiao Pu."
As she spoke, she wiped the non-existent tear marks at the corners of her eyes with her fingers. "It's all my fault for being too delicate. I sprained my ankle and can't walk. My foot hurts so much after taking a few steps. I can only lean on Brother Aye, borrowing his strength and walking slower. That way I can feel better."
Zhou Ye and Lin Xiaopu were stunned by the whole conversation, but they both knew what to do and kept their mouths shut without interrupting.
"Oh, oh, oh, brother Aye was going to carry me on his back, but he's already taken my backpack and is carrying so many bamboos, so he doesn't have any hands free. I don't want to make him walk more than once, and I don't want to cause any trouble for anyone. Besides... well, I'm worried the villagers will gossip about me behind my back."
The woman had just received a verbal favor from Lin Shu, so she immediately sided with her without a second thought. "I don't know who in the village dares to gossip about Ah Shu. If anyone dares to say anything nonsense, I, your aunt, will tear her mouth apart!"
Lin Shu looked at her with a touching expression, "Auntie, you are so kind. Look at me, I have said so much to you, but I have delayed you from going home. Let's talk later."
The woman then said goodbye to her and left with a basket full of mushrooms.
After the people had gone far away, Lin Shu turned to look at Xiao Pu and asked, "Sister, who is this aunt from?"
Lin Xiaopu was at a loss for words and hurriedly introduced to her which family this aunt came from.
Lin Shu listened, her eyebrows raised slightly. "See? Just by promising a few small benefits, she can easily pull people into her camp. This aunt looks like a tough one. With someone who knows the 'truth' and helps speak for her, the gossip of others is just gossip."
Lin Xiaopu nodded vigorously. "Sister is really smart. Aunt Ma had better stop talking nonsense, otherwise she will be asking for trouble."
Although many women in the village like to gossip, gossiping does not mean talking nonsense. If someone talks nonsense and ruins someone else's reputation, she will be despised by other people in the village.
As the two sisters were talking, Zhou Ye couldn't help but glance at Lin Shu's feet several times and asked, "Does it really hurt? You didn't act like you were faking it just now."
Lin Shu was slightly startled and quickly replied, "Why does it hurt? It's just a short distance up the mountain. The last time Xiao Pu and I went up the mountain, we walked a longer distance."
Zhou Ye looked at her without saying a word. His eye sockets were slightly deeper than those of most people. When he stared at her silently, with his thick eyebrows slightly drawn down, he looked particularly solemn.
Lin Shu felt guilty when he looked at her, and laughed dryly, "Okay, I'll be honest with you. Maybe the straw rope thread of the straw sandal got pushed out somewhere and rubbed my foot, so it does hurt a little, but it's just a little bit, it's not a big deal."
Sore legs and feet are just a small matter. Lin Shu can endure any hardship or fatigue, but she really can't bear the pain. She was afraid of pain in her previous life, which led to her crying like she was beating up zombies one time, and being laughed at by the team for a long time.
It wasn't that she wanted to cry, but she accidentally dislocated her hand that time and the pain made her cry, and she couldn't control the tears at all.
Zhou Ye was silent for a while, not knowing what to say. He just said to her, "Hold on steady, and walk slowly behind you."
"Not really, I'm not that delicate."
However, Zhou Ye did not listen to her and slowed down his pace in the second half. Xiao Pu was like a porcelain doll to her. It was obvious that she was holding Xiao Pu's hand at the beginning, but later on, Xiao Pu was the one supporting her.
Let's go down the mountain. Lin Shu quickly let go of Zhou Ye and Lin Xiaopu, and jumped twice in front of them. "It will be much better on the flat ground. Please don't hold me up, otherwise my parents will worry if they see me."
In the courtyard, He Guixiang had already cooked thick porridge and was picking a basket of vegetables to wash and stir-fry two side dishes. Today's breakfast was ready.
"Mother—" Lin Shu shouted, "Look what we brought back!"
Zhou Ye first put the long bundle of bamboo on the ground, and then took off the basket of mushrooms on his back.
He Guixiang was as shocked as the other villagers who went up the mountain to pick mushrooms.
"What are you going to do with all this bamboo?"
Lin Xiaopu quickly replied, "Mother, my sister said she can make bamboo beds, bamboo chairs, and bamboo stools. She said, if Brother Ye can make them, we don't have to spend money to ask Grandpa Gao!"
He Guixiang was pleasantly surprised when she heard this, "Ashu is really capable!"
"Sister, you've got something even better! Look at these mushrooms, Mom!" Lin Xiaopu lifted the cedar branches covering the backpack and showed her the bamboo fungus, chicken mushroom, and blue-headed mushroom inside. "Sister said these are all edible mushrooms, and they taste really good."
He Guixiang was terrified. These mushrooms looked more beautiful than each other. Could they really be edible?
But thinking of her daughter's wide knowledge and experience, she forced herself to convince herself.
"Don't worry, mother. They are all edible mushrooms, especially the chicken mushroom and bamboo fungus. They are rare wild delicacies and very nutritious." Lin Shu knew what she was thinking when she saw her reaction and immediately gave her a reassurance.
"Mother, take a rest. Xiao Pu and I will make these mushroom dishes. And Brother Ye—" Lin Shu called out to Zhou Ye, who had already sneaked to the gate of the courtyard, "Where are you going?"
Zhou Ye thought about the gossips that the mother, daughter and three children were saying, and it would be inappropriate for him to stay in the yard, so he wanted to go to the back of the house to continue building the fish pond, but he was suddenly stopped by Lin Shu.
"Although it's good to have work to do, Brother Aye, you've been exhausted from all the way, so take a break before you continue working. Once I finish cooking these mushroom dishes, we can have breakfast. You can just sit in the yard and wait. If you really can't sit still—" Lin Shu smiled, narrowing her eyes, "Why don't you take over the work from A'niang and me and cook these dishes yourself?"
He Guixiang was just about to tell her she was being ridiculous, saying Ah Ye didn't know how to do this, and that the men in the village never hung around the stove, saying this was women's work. Unexpectedly, before she could finish her words, Ah Ye nodded directly, "Okay, you tell me, and I'll do as you say."
Zhou Ye readily agreed, walked into the main room, brought out a bench, and placed it behind Lin Shu, "Sit here and rest."
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The author has something to say: Guys, the novel will be released tomorrow, and will start from chapter 25. Those who have read it, please don’t buy it again, because I will give you a big chapter at that time. After the novel is released, I will continue to maintain the quality and quantity, and update a lot. I hope you will continue to support me!
Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, there will be a lot of red envelopes dropped in these three days, as a reward for the little angels who have been following the reading.
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