Lu Yunxing replied politely, "It's just a business selling fruit. This year there's been a drought, and the fruit in the orchard doesn't look very good. It's barely enough for my family to eat."
Zhao Chunhua sneered: "You have so much fruit at home, why don't you let the villagers have a taste first? These days, everyone is eating coarse food, why are you so precious and complaining?"
He was timid, but quick-witted. He sat obediently in the innermost part of the oxcart. "Aunt Zhao, what are you saying? Your family has quite a lot of winter wheat. Shouldn't you share it with everyone in the village?"
Wang Qing scolded our wife, and the oxcart quieted down. Then three or five more women from the village came. Wang Ershui jumped onto the oxcart, cracked his whip, and headed into the village. With so many people, there was plenty of gossip. They were asking Lu Yunxing about the Lu family's business and about how Qin Xiaozhou was good at causing trouble.
Lu Yunxing spoke gently and politely throughout, and finally brought up the matter of marriage.
Guo Que, Wang Xilai's wife, looked at Lu Yunxing and found him increasingly feasible. The Lu family members were all renowned for their handsome looks in the surrounding area. If it weren't for the sudden misfortune, Lu Yunfeng's marriage would not have been arranged by that shrew Qin Xiaozhou. Now, Lu's second son had also grown up. In the past two months, he had grown much taller and stronger than last winter, and was becoming more and more manly.
"Lu Lao Er, you're fifteen years old this year, right? Has your family been looking for someone to marry you?"
The Lu family has visibly improved in the past two months. I heard that Wang Lan and Zhao Fang have stopped taking their medication, and Lu Xiao Si can eat and crawl again, so he's obviously thriving. There are also flocks of chickens and ducks in the orchard, and even the fruit trees planted on the wasteland can now be sold as fruit. The orchard has even hired Wang Dahe to guard it. And with this basket of stuff on his back, who wouldn't be envious? It's clear that they're doing well.
Guo Que's brother has a fourteen-year-old niece. She thinks marrying into the Lu family is a good choice, so she takes this opportunity to inquire about it.
Lu Yunxing was stunned for a moment, and his face suddenly turned red. However, marriage is a major event, so he only said that he had elders at home and would follow their arrangements, without making any promises to anyone.
Although he didn't agree, Wang Xilai's wife took it to heart. The day after she returned home, she went to her parents' house and told them about Lu's second son. "Father and Mother, you can rest assured and let Fifth Sister marry into the family. The Lu family is different now than it was two years ago. We have our eyes on Lu's second son, and others have their eyes on him too. If we wait too long, we will miss such a good marriage."
Guo Que's mother was a little worried. "My son, I heard that the Lu family married a shrew who acts like a tyrant at home. Even Wang Lan, an elder who has been around for so many years, has to be careful around her. Fifth Sister is a soft one. I'm afraid she will be bullied if she marries into the family. I've also seen that pig-slaughtering woman at the Qin family's pork shop. She's fierce and vicious, fatter than three Fifth Sisters combined. She's not easy to deal with."
Guo Que's father smoked a cigarette and said, "That's just a woman's view. The Lu family wasn't poor before. If they've risen up now, they can give a lot of dowry. Our eldest grandson should get married."
Lu Yunxing was unaware that he was being watched. He returned home with his bags full of things and excitedly told Wang Lan about his trip to the store in the county town. He then took out some fabric and a money bag for her.
Wang Lan was terrified when she heard that two more people had been bought. In her rural village, she had only ever seen people sell their children; she had never seen anyone buy people into their home. That extra mouth to feed would be a burden. "Why did you buy more people? Didn't your older brother stop your sister-in-law?"
Lu Yunxing went to the kitchen and got a bowl of warm water to drink. "I see that my elder brother and mother are very happy about buying people. The shop is so busy. There are more than 30 tables in the shop, upstairs and downstairs, all full of people. Moreover, many servants from various mansions come to buy people and take many away. They are so busy that they don't even have time to eat lunch. I haven't had a chance to say a few words to my elder brother and the others."
He then described the figures of Jing and Jingyue in the shop, and how to make them according to Qin Xiaozhou's instructions and Lu Yu's figure. He also explained the purpose of the money. After relaying all this, he began to take out the contents of the basket one by one. Rice, flour, and meat were included, as well as a bag of pastries.
Lu Yunxing divided the meat into three parts. "Grandma, my sister-in-law said to send one string of meat to the village chief's house and the other string to my great-uncle."
“Sigh~” Wang Lan smiled and said, “Your sister-in-law is so thoughtful. Our village relies on them for support.”
Wang Lan first went to the village chief's house. The village chief's wife was surprised. Why was the Lu family so generous, bringing things over from time to time? But when there were things to receive, how could she not be happy? So she warmly welcomed them into the house.
The village chief was smoking inside the house. He had heard some things these past two days. It was said that only Wang Lan and Lu Lao Er were at home, and the rest of the Lu family were not there. Everyone guessed that they had gone to do business.
So the village chief earnestly instructed Wang Lan, "Why is your wife, Dayun, so restless? Your family has finally gotten better, with chickens, ducks, and geese at home. In two or three months, you'll be able to harvest eggs. Why did she go to the county town before even taking care of things at home? She's doing this and that without any sense of direction. She can't get anything done. You're an elder, so you should give her some advice. Young people are often all talk and no action. She should be more down-to-earth and practical, or she'll suffer the consequences."
Wang Lan was also conflicted. After selling the tiger, she thought she would talk to Da Yun about buying a few acres of land, building a house, and living a peaceful life. But before she could even speak, she was told that a house had been bought in the county town. Then Qin Xiaozhou rushed off to the county town with his people to open a shop. The once bustling family now lived in two different places. Although Qin Xiaozhou loved to make a fuss, he was also sensible. "Sigh, I can't keep up with the younger generation. I'll just let them do what they want. Now there are fewer people in the family, and we have chickens, ducks, geese, and fruit. We still have to rely on the village chief for help in the village."
After leaving the village chief's house, Wang Lan went to her elder brother's house, only to be grabbed by Li Fengxian in a flurry of activity. "Little sister-in-law, someone here is inquiring about my niece, Yu. She's from my maternal side. The man is twenty-five years old this year. His wife died two years ago, and now he wants to find someone to marry into the family and be a stepmother for his child..."
“Sister-in-law!” Wang Lan spoke with rare firmness, “Sister-in-law, I don’t agree to this.”
They were about to leave when Lu Yu, who was already over seventeen and would turn eighteen in six months, was about to be married off by the government. But she was still so young. How could she become a stepmother as soon as she got married? What good would a perfectly healthy girl like her do if she had to become a stepmother?
Li Fengxian quickly stopped her, "Sister-in-law, although that man is a bit older than my niece and has children, his family is well-off and he is honest. He even has a small boat, and he lives by the Lijia Dam lake. He's a good man. Why don't you agree? If my niece marries into that family, they will cherish her and won't let her suffer any grievances. Besides, their children are only three or five years old. They can raise them for more than ten years, and they'll treat them just like their own children!"
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