Chapter 31 Getting Ready to Make Perfume
Du Wanchun stood there stunned, staring at him with her round eyes. At that moment, her heart seemed to stop, she couldn't breathe, and her mind went blank.
Zhou Ruiyuan seemed to be lost in thought as well, holding her hand tightly and looking at her quietly.
Under the moonlight, in a farmhouse courtyard surrounded by lush greenery, two people gaze at each other silently.
There were no precious pens or ink, no gorgeous clothes, only a flickering oil lamp and meager moonlight, but at this moment, both the falling withered leaves and the gentle breeze were sweet.
Zhou Ruiyuan was the first to react. He quickly let go of Du Wanchun's hand, turned his face to the side, and said with his ears red, "It's getting late. I'll teach you again tomorrow night."
Du Wanchun snapped out of her daze, turned to the side, and whispered, "Yes, husband, you should rest early too."
After she finished speaking, she got up like a frightened little rabbit and ran back into the house.
Once inside, her face was flushed crimson, and her heart was pounding in her chest.
Despite the cool night air, she felt an inexplicable heat. Her body trembled with extreme tension. She quickly took off her outer garment and snuggled into her blanket, covering her head and face with it. Her mind was filled with Zhou Ruiyuan's profile and warm breath.
She clutched her chest, a wave of emotion washing over her.
That night was another sleepless one.
In spring, the days get brighter and brighter.
Du Wanchun vaguely felt that she had just fallen asleep when it was already dawn.
She vaguely smelled a faint floral fragrance, slowly got up, put on her clothes, and went outside.
There, we saw Aunt Zhou tending to the flowers and plants.
Du Wanchun came over and asked, "Mother, what is this?"
Aunt Zhou smiled and said, "These are flowers I just picked on the mountain, and I'm going to use them to make fragrant dew."
Du Wanchun exclaimed with delight, "Mother, can these flowers be used to make fragrant dew?"
Aunt Zhou nodded, "That's fine, but I didn't pick many flowers. It would be great if I could pick more."
Du Wanchun picked up a flower, smelled it, and said with a smile, "Mother, I'll go pick some with you later."
Aunt Zhou turned around and took out the cornbread she had made earlier from inside the house, smiling as she said, "You should eat your breakfast first."
Du Wanchun took the cake, glanced into the room, and asked, "Where are my husband and the others?"
Aunt Zhou glanced at the backyard and said, "Ruiyuan is chopping firewood in the backyard."
Then she glanced outside again, "Zhao'er took Feng'er to the fields."
As she was speaking, she suddenly remembered something, "Wanchun, your stepmother gave birth."
Du Wanchun was slightly surprised. "When we went there yesterday, she hadn't given birth yet."
Aunt Zhou whispered, "She was born after you left yesterday. I heard from the villagers that she was born a girl, and she has six fingers."
Du Wanchun sighed, "My father has always hoped for a son, but it seems his wish will not come true."
"It's more than just a disappointment; he was so angry that he abandoned the child to your aunt to raise." Aunt Zhou said, her brows furrowing, utterly disgusted by Du Dajiang's behavior.
“You say they’re all your own children, how come he doesn’t know how to cherish them?” She shook her head, got up and put all the flowers she had collected into the basket next door.
Du Wanchun quickly finished her cornbread, took a basket from the backyard, and followed Aunt Zhou up the mountain.
The mountains around Changliu Village are not high, just small hills, but they are densely forested and often frequented by wild animals, so few people go into the mountains.
On their way to the mountain, Du Wanchun and Aunt Zhou ran into the Meng family from the village.
The Meng family were well-known local gentry, owning dozens of acres of fertile land and a large mansion.
Two years ago, the eldest son of the Meng family met Aunt Zhou once and had been longing to take her as a concubine ever since.
Aunt Meng was an illiterate peasant woman, but she was a strong-willed person. After hearing about this, she made a scene at Aunt Zhou's house, crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself, causing chaos in the household.
Aunt Zhou never considered becoming someone's concubine. She only wanted to live a peaceful life here with her three sons, so she never agreed to it.
Grandpa Meng refused to let go, and it was only after Grandma Zhou threatened to kill herself that he finally gave up the idea.
After this incident, she offended not only Aunt Meng, but also Uncle Meng.
The couple often caused trouble for the Zhou family when they had nothing better to do, which made life difficult for the Zhou family in Changliu Village.
Grandpa Meng and Aunt Meng were returning from their daughter's house when they saw Granny Zhou. They stopped their carriage and called out to her, "Granny Zhou, where are you going?"
Aunt Zhou ignored them and pulled Du Wanchun along, quickening her pace.
Aunt Meng sneered from inside the carriage, "So what if she has a nice face? She's still a widow, what's there to be proud of!"
Grandpa Meng sat beside her, not daring to speak.
Aunt Meng kicked him, "Hurry up and get out of here!"
Grandpa Meng quickly pulled on the reins and continued driving the carriage forward.
The two stopped abruptly when they arrived at the Zhou family's land.
Aunt Meng poked her head out and said, "Grandpa, I heard from the Chen family that they returned the land to the Zhou family. Let's go see what they've planted in the land."
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