Zhou Chenyu and Baoyu walked back to their stall, bickering and teasing each other. Chen Tongsheng, who had been waiting there, came up to them and asked anxiously, "Sister Chenyu, has the misunderstanding been cleared up?"
Zhou Chenyu thought of Yang Xi's cold face; if she persisted any longer, he might lose his temper.
"Well, we've made things clear, but I don't know if he'll forgive me?" She bit her lip, looking worried.
Chen Tongsheng smiled and reassured him, "Yang is a very good man, how could he hold a grudge against you? You can rest assured."
Zhou Chenyu smiled, her eyes crinkling, "Well, that's good."
Looking at his sister's behavior in public and in private, Baoyu sighed helplessly and reminded her, "Sister, it's getting late, we need to go buy the roof tiles as soon as possible."
"Roof tiles?" Chen Tongsheng asked in confusion. "Why are you buying roof tiles? Did the heavy rain yesterday break through the roof tiles?"
Zhou Chenyu tried to stop Baoyu from telling the truth, but it was too late.
Baoyu blurted out, "Yes, the roof leaked a lot of rainwater into the house. Fortunately, the weather cleared up today, so we managed to get through the day. I'll replace the roof tiles as soon as possible, and then we won't be afraid of wind and rain anymore."
Chen Tongsheng sized up Baoyu's physique and laughed loudly, "Your family consists of an orphan and a widow, and you, Baoyu, are only a teenager. How can you, with your small frame, do such work? This kind of thing should be left to us men. Anyway, I have nothing to do tomorrow, so I might as well help you clean up the leaks."
"This?" Baoyu looked at his sister with difficulty, unsure whether to respond or not.
Zhou Chenyu rolled her eyes and asked him teasingly, "Brother Chen, how did you know about our family of orphans and widows?"
Chen Tongsheng realized he had let something slip and hurriedly explained, "I heard that your father passed away a few years ago, leaving you and your child as orphans and widows. I was just doing nothing anyway, so I thought I'd help out."
As he spoke, noticing Zhou Chenyu's tense expression, Chen Tongsheng became increasingly hesitant, fearing he might offend her. "Chenyu, I didn't mean to pry into your affairs, I..."
Zhou Chenyu interrupted him with a smile, "Since Brother Chen says so, then we have no choice but to respectfully comply. We look forward to your arrival tomorrow."
Chen Tong hadn't expected things to go so smoothly, and his mood instantly shifted from disappointment and tension to joy. "Great!"
After they parted ways with Chen Tongsheng, Baoyu said hesitantly, "Sister, this Brother Chen came to help us search the leaky house, and his intentions are so obvious. How can you agree to let him come to our house?"
Zhou Chenyu scolded him, "Wasn't it you who said it first?"
“I…” Baoyu was speechless.
Zhou Chenyu walked out of the market, surprisingly calm. "If I don't let him come this time, he'll definitely find another opportunity. Let him come if he wants."
Baoyu exclaimed in surprise, "Sister, this is a big deal! If the villagers find out that you two are both unmarried, there will definitely be a lot of gossip. Then you'll be in deep trouble."
A vast expanse of golden rice paddies stretched out before them outside the market. Two or three farmers stood on the ridges, shoveling open the drains to completely drain the water from the paddies.
Where there used to be a flat open space, a shed has been set up to sell tea.
Summer is the busy season for farming, and that's when we're thirsty.
Others sell tea, so could she also sell some... sweet soup?
She's an expert at making sweet soups!
Zhou Chenyu raised an eyebrow, regretting that she hadn't noticed this when she went to the market that morning; otherwise, she would have bought some red beans and mung beans to make soup.
Seeing his sister's indifferent expression, Baoyu tried to provoke her: "Sister, do you not like Yang Bantou and want to marry Brother Chen instead?"
"Who said I don't like it?" Zhou Chenyu immediately perked up when she heard the name Yang Ban Tou. Bao Yu stared at his sister's startled expression and couldn't help but laugh.
He casually dusted off his clothes and said nonchalantly, "I'm such a wimp. Sister, you're not worried at all, so why should I be nervous? I think Brother Chen is quite good. Mother will definitely like him when she finds out."
Upon hearing the last threat, Zhou Chenyu suppressed his urge to hit her and said, "This woman married the wrong person, and her life is ruined. If you all force me to marry Brother Chen, I'll do it. Anyway, if I'm unhappy in the future, I'll just have an affair and find another man."
"Red... Red apricot over the wall?" Baoyu thought he had misheard. "Sister, you can't do such a thing!"
Zhou Chenyu tossed her hair, becoming increasingly incoherent, "After I cheat on my husband, things will be better. At most, people will call me a fickle woman. On the other hand, I'll be drowned in a pig cage."
Baoyu's eyes widened in shock and fear. He kept looking around, afraid that others would hear what he was saying. "Sister, please stop talking. What man is more important than your own life? I'll take care of everything."
Zhou Chenyu said she didn't feel anything, but she was amused by his appearance.
She pinched his arm, suppressing a laugh, "Alright, stop making such a fuss. Although I don't like Brother Chen, he's such a good person, I'll handle this. Just stand on my side tomorrow and give me some support."
When Baoyu saw his sister laughing heartlessly, he knew he had fallen for her self-inflicted injury trick again.
"I won't help!" he snorted, patted the spot where he had been pinched, quickened his pace, and moved further away from the woman.
Back home, Zhou Chenyu wanted to have a peaceful night, so she waited until dawn the next day before having Baoyu tell Li Xiuju about Chen Tongsheng's help.
For the first time, Li Xiuju was angry with Baoyu, "Baoyu, how can you be so ridiculous? Distinguished guests have come to visit, such an important matter!"
Zhou Chenyu, always eager for drama, said, "Exactly! Such an important matter, and you're only bringing it up now? What if we neglect our guests?"
"I...!" Baoyu looked at his sister, who stood by uninvolved, clenched his teeth, and swallowed his bitterness. "Mother, I forgot..."
"One stir-fried egg with chives, and one stir-fried green beans." Li Xiuju hastily came up with two dishes, but felt it wasn't enough, and paced around anxiously. "How can we have just vegetables without meat? We must kill a chicken too! That would make sense!"
Domestic chickens are raised for a long time and are few in number. They are usually eaten only during festivals or to entertain guests who come from afar.
As expected, Li Xiuju was overjoyed, as if she wanted to bring out all the good things in her house to entertain her prospective son-in-law.
Zhou Chenyu followed her words, saying, "Grandma, how can a man eat without wine if he only has meat?"
The bamboo strips that were woven yesterday hadn't been cleaned up yet. Looking at the mess, Li Xiuju picked up a broom and started sweeping. "It's only summer, not yet time for brewing wine. It's also the middle of the year. Where in the village would there be any wine left?"
"Leave it to me!" Zhou Chenyu patted his chest and laughed, "Since you're such a distinguished guest, I'll personally make a trip to the market to buy some rice wine for Brother Chen."
personally?
Li Xiuju looked up in surprise. It was rare to see Zhou Chenyu take the initiative, so she immediately smiled and said, "Okay! Then you have to be careful by yourself. Come back soon. By the way, wine alone is not enough. We also need some roasted peanuts. Chenyu, buy another pound of peanuts."
"no problem!"
Zhou Chenyu winked at Baoyu, then, acting as a hands-off manager, ran out the door alone before Chen Tongsheng arrived.
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