"Sister-in-law Lu, I am Wang Bo."
Hearing the sound, Jiang Qinyu raised an eyebrow, got up to open the door, and said to the two children, "You two go wash up first, we're going to get ready for bed."
The children obediently went to fetch water, while Jiang Qinyu opened the courtyard gate.
"Sister-in-law Lu," Wang Bo called out with a shy smile, pointing into the courtyard, "May I come in and talk?"
Jiang Qinyu didn't move an inch, and refused decisively, "It's inconvenient late at night. You can just stand here and say what you need to say."
What a joke! She's a widow now. Letting a young man into her house late at night, even if nothing happens, will make her look like a promiscuous woman.
Wang Bo's smile froze, then he lowered his eyes with a hint of dejection, and his voice lowered, "You know about my mother proposing marriage to Miss Liu next door just now, right?"
Jiang Qinyu nodded, unconcerned, "I heard some of it."
"Do you know why my mother went to propose marriage to Miss Liu?" Wang Bo asked again.
Jiang Qinyu was speechless. "How would I know? And why would I need to know?"
"This matter really does involve you," Wang Bo said, looking at her with a slightly apologetic expression.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Qinyu frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I'm sorry, Sister-in-law Lu, because I accidentally made my mother think that I... I..." Wang Bo looked away, "Anyway, I came here specifically to tell you this so that you can be prepared, in case my mother makes things difficult for you..."
Jiang Qinyu interrupted him directly, "Wait a minute," she looked at Wang Bo with an unfriendly expression, "Are you saying that you talked nonsense in front of your mother, making her think that you have some ulterior motive for me, but she doesn't want you to be with me, so she went to Miss Liu to propose marriage?"
“Yes.” Wang Bo nodded in agreement, without denying Jiang Qinyu’s claim that she had “ulterior motives” towards him.
Jiang Qinyu couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Are there any problems with your family? If you're sick, go get it treated!"
After saying this, Jiang Qinyu slammed the door shut, bolted it, and then used a large wooden stick to brace it against the back of the door.
"Auntie, don't be angry." Seeing her pale face, the two children quickly ran over and hugged her legs.
Jiang Qinyu was only angry for a moment, and she was no longer angry. "Auntie is fine. Have you two finished washing?"
"We're done washing," they both said in unison.
As expected of twins, they say the same things most of the time. The biggest difference is probably that Shufan is more precocious than Pan'er.
"Then you two go back to your room and lie down first. Auntie will come after I've tidied up and washed up," Jiang Qinyu said, patting their heads.
Pan'er blinked her eyes, "Will Auntie tell us the story of Sun Wukong again tonight?"
“Tell me, tell me, tell me! Our Pan’er wants to hear it, so of course Auntie will tell you!” Jiang Qinyu chuckled and tapped her little nose.
This child, a little girl, was particularly interested in the story of Sun Wukong fighting monsters.
On the contrary, Shu Fan was more interested in other myths derived from Journey to the West, such as Nezha's battle with the Dragon King.
"Auntie is the best!" Pan'er pulled Jiang Qinyu down and kissed her on the cheek. "Pan'er loves Auntie the most!"
Jiang Qinyu touched her face and smiled as she watched the two of them enter the house.
Although the things the Wang family did were disgusting, seeing her two children growing up to be more and more adorable filled her heart with joy, giving her the energy to do anything.
Jiang Qinyu glanced at the saltpeter, charcoal, and other items under the eaves of the courtyard, walked over and put them all into the storage room to prevent them from getting damp at night, and then went straight to the bathroom.
I didn't bathe the two children today, mainly because I was afraid that if they were too clean, it would arouse suspicion from the villagers. Therefore, they are bathed every other day.
Jiang Qinyu could tolerate taking a shower the next day, but she still had to wipe herself down before going to bed, otherwise she would feel sticky and couldn't sleep well.
Wang Bo stood outside Jiang Qinyu's courtyard for half an hour before leaving, only leaving after hearing the sound of flowing water inside.
His actions successfully sparked gossip among the people of Dingshui Village.
The next morning, the women who went to fetch water huddled together and whispered among themselves.
"Hey, did you guys see that last night? The eldest son of the Wang family stood outside Lu Yanzheng's wife's house for most of the night!"
"What? He's been standing there for so long? Why would he stand at someone's door like that?"
"You wouldn't believe it, would you? My family and the Wang family are neighbors. That mother and son had a really loud argument last night. I overheard a bit, and guess what? Tsk tsk tsk..."
"Hey, what's up? Just say it!"
"Let me tell you, Wang Bo has his eye on Lu Yanzheng's wife!"
"What? That..."
Chen was used to getting up early to fetch water, but today, before she even reached the well, she overheard a group of people talking about how Wang Bo had taken a liking to Jiang Qinyu, and her expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.
"Sister-in-law, are you here to fetch water? Why aren't you going over?" Aunt Qin arrived a little late today and saw Chen standing there without going up, so she came up and asked.
Chen tightened her grip on the water bucket, her face grim, and casually said, "I still have some water at home, so I won't fetch any today."
After saying that, she turned and left.
Aunt Qin was completely baffled and muttered, "What's going on? I don't think I've offended her, have I?"
Puzzled, Aunt Qin also arrived at the well. The others pulled her aside and asked her about Liu Ruyi. As they talked, the topic of Wang Bo standing outside Jiang Qinyu's door for a long time last night came up again.
Aunt Qin was shocked. "There's such a thing? How come I didn't know?"
Jiang Qinyu lived right next door to her. It was surprising that she didn't know something that everyone else knew.
No wonder Chen wanted to go back just now; she must have overheard those words, right?
"Hey, you probably went to bed early last night, anyway, several of us saw it."
Of course, what they saw was not themselves, but the men in their own homes who got up at night.
Aunt Qin sighed, "Isn't it because they go to bed early?"
Last night, the atmosphere in Liu Ruyi's room was different from usual. Her whole family didn't dare to speak loudly and went to bed early after finishing their work.
"Then let me tell you, the eldest son of the Wang family..."
Wang Bo took a liking to Jiang Qinyu and wanted to marry her, but Granny Wang disagreed and went to propose to Liu Ruyi. The story of Wang Bo standing outside Jiang Qinyu's house for most of the night spread.
As the central figure in the gossip, Jiang Qinyu stayed at home, engrossed in making explosives, completely unaware of the rumors circulating outside.
The two children also helped out, and we didn't leave the house all day.
Li Village Chief's grandson, Little Fatty, came to ask Shufan and Pan'er to go out and play.
"Go ahead, but it's almost dinner time, so come back early," Jiang Qinyu said to the two of them with a smile.
The two children cheered and followed the chubby boy out the door.
They played under the big locust tree at the entrance of the village, where it was cool.
"Shufan, I heard your aunt is getting married into the Wang family. Will you be going with her?" Little Fatty asked curiously.
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