There have been several heavy snowfalls in a row. People tend to be lazy when the weather is cold. Yang Donghu and Zhao Luochuan sometimes don't even go out for a whole day. Even though Zhu Cuilan's house is nearby, they have been going out less recently.
There was nothing for the two of them to do in the house, so Zhao Luochuan sat by the fire and told Yang Donghu the legends he had heard when he was a child.
From the snake spirit in Changbai Mountain to the man-eating bear, we know that these imaginary things like spirits and monsters are not to be believed, but they always sound scary.
Zhao Luochuan was being mischievous, deliberately trying to scare him. When he got to the scary parts, he would even imitate the way goblins chew food. Originally, their place was close to the mountain, and in the hot summer, after dinner in the evening, they would sit in the yard to enjoy the cool air and hear the howling of wolves coming from the mountains and forests.
The more Yang Donghu listened, the more frightened he became. The more frightened he was, the more he wanted to listen. He listened attentively. When Zhao Luochuan got to the end of the story about the bear woman hiding behind a man with her bloody mouth wide open, she suddenly let out an "Ah", which scared Yang Donghu so much that he shrank back into his arms.
Zhao Luochuan tightened his arms and smiled softly, thinking that just telling stories was so boring.
Yang Donghu heard the laughter coming from above his head, and slapped Zhao Luochuan's arm in embarrassment and said, "You are so frivolous. It's scary."
His voice sounded more like a coquettish tone than a scolding. Zhao Luochuan touched Yang Donghu's back with a smile on his face. The room was warm, so there was no need to wear a heavy coat. He could clearly feel Yang Donghu's thin back.
"Okay, okay, it's my fault. I won't scare you anymore. This is just something the older generation uses to scare children. Don't take it seriously."
"It's not the story that's scary, it's clearly someone deliberately trying to scare others, what a disgusting guy." Yang Donghu heard the teasing in Zhao Luochuan's words, raised his head from his arms and retorted.
Zhao Luochuan likes to deliberately make people angry and then make them laugh, just to make Yang Donghu call him Brother Chuan more often.
Over the past few days, Yang Donghu had figured out his little thoughts. Sometimes he would deliberately put on a stern face and pretend to be difficult to appease, watching Zhao Luochuan rack his brains to come up with ideas to make him happy.
"I was wrong. I'll admit my mistake to you, okay? I'll buy you something delicious." Zhao Luochuan coaxed Yang Donghu softly while continuing to touch his back. He said with a smile: "Forgive me, good Donghu."
Zhao Luochuan looks a bit like his mother, which adds a touch of softness to his harsh features. His voice is as deep and clear as his appearance.
When he smiled and whispered Yang Donghu's name, it was as if a feather was brushing across Yang Donghu's heart, always making Yang Donghu fascinated.
The two of them were laughing and joking in the house and didn't notice someone knocking on the door outside.
Zhu Cuilan shouted for a long time but no one came out. The door in the yard was ajar. She shouted the two people's names, walked across the yard and entered the door. She heard voices coming from inside and walked in.
"You two are at home, why didn't you respond when I called you? What are you doing?"
As soon as Zhu Cuilan opened the door to the east room, she saw Zhao Luochuan and Yang Donghu hugging each other.
Hearing the voice, Yang Donghu looked towards the person coming from the door and awkwardly kept some distance from Zhao Luochuan.
"Auntie, come in and sit down. What are you doing here?"
Zhu Cuilan was an ordinary woman. She felt embarrassed when she saw a young couple holding hands in front of many people, let alone hugging each other in front of her. Her face turned red with embarrassment.
When someone asked, she remembered her purpose and said, "Your aunt Hong wrote back to the family she was looking for, saying that she wanted to find a time to meet. I thought her family had their reasons. If the young lady is really sensible and your brother Fang Yu is willing, then I will follow the young man's wishes. Seeing that Fang Yu is getting older day by day, aunt is really worried."
Yang Donghu understood Zhu Cuilan's dilemma and nodded, saying, "It's fine to meet her first. Good or bad things are just what others say. You have to see it with your own eyes to judge. But it's really not appropriate for Brother Fang Yu to go alone. You should have someone accompany you. Invite some women you know to go with you. With more people, there won't be any bad rumors that might tarnish the girl's reputation."
Zhu Cuilan said, "That's exactly what I was thinking, so I came here today to ask you. If you have nothing to do tomorrow, we can go and take a look together."
"Okay, just call me before you leave tomorrow."
"Okay, then I'll go back first." Zhu Cuilan was still embarrassed and didn't want to stay any longer. After she finished speaking, she was in a hurry to leave.
Yang Donghu walked Zhu Cuilan to the courtyard gate. Zhu Cuilan, who was walking in front of him, turned around and spoke as if she had made up her mind after a moment's hesitation, "I'm happy that you two have a good relationship. But it's broad daylight, with so many people coming and going, so it's inevitable that someone might see something. If the news gets out, it'll be a big gossip. I really can't help it. Next time, remember to bolt the door. It won't be good if others see it."
"No, Auntie, we are not, we are just joking."
"Even when you're joking, remember to close the door. It's right to listen to your aunt, right."
Seeing Zhu Cuilan's face full of disbelief, Yang Donghu was afraid that further explanation would only make things worse, so he quickly said "OK" twice and ended the topic.
"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow, don't forget." Zhu Cuilan gave her final instructions and went home.
When Zhao Luochuan came out, he saw Zhu Cuilan leaving. Seeing Yang Donghu standing alone at the door without moving, he walked over and asked, "What did your aunt say?"
Yang Donghu had no expression on her face and said to him, "Auntie told you to close the door."
Zhao Luochuan clenched his fist and put it to his mouth, coughing and saying with a smile: "Auntie, did you misunderstand something?"
Yang Donghu's expression of "what do you think" made Zhao Luochuan laugh even harder.
"Now the bolt is fastened, and you can be at ease. I still have the story of the old black cat. Do you want to hear it? I promise that no one will come in and see us cuddling."
“…Go away.”
Early the next morning, Yang Donghu and Zhu Cuilan accompanied Zhao Fangyu to the town.
There were two aunts who were about the same age as Zhu Cuilan traveling with them. One was Li Xiujuan, the wife of Zhao the butcher in the village, and the other was Zhao Yanqiu, a relative of the same family.
The place agreed upon by the two families was Meishanlou. As the man's family, Zhu Cuilan should treat them to a meal.
The lowest-class banquet at Meishanlou cost three hundred coins. In order to leave a good impression, Zhu Cuilan spent four hundred and forty coins and booked a medium-sized banquet.
When a few people arrived, it was still early for the appointed time, so the waiter found a small private room for them and asked them to sit inside and wait for a while.
Zhu Cuilan was still worried about her son, so she pulled Zhao Fangyu aside and gave him a lot of instructions, fearing that he was not good at speaking and wishing she could take his place herself.
Zhao Fangyu was not very willing to do it in the first place, and he didn't know if he took his mother's nagging to heart.
The time was almost up, but no one showed up at the girl's house. They had already had several rounds of tea and were getting a little impatient waiting.
After a long while, the talent finally arrived.
"I'm so sorry, something happened to me at the last minute and I couldn't get away, so I'm sorry for the delay. Please forgive me."
The door of the box was opened, and before they could see what the person who came looked like, the voice had already reached the ears of several people.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com