Chapter 666 - 344: Lifting a Rock to Smash One’s Own Foot (Part 2)

Chapter 666: Chapter 344: Lifting a Rock to Smash One’s Own Foot (Part 2)

She found it strange herself. Just yesterday, she had felt so awkward speaking with her in-laws and grandfather. Yet now, gathered together in one room, she felt only warmth and affection. It was a world away from the rigid rules of her family home, and her mood was incredibly relaxed.

The lively conversation continued until it was time to light the lamps. Li Mingrui was still in the middle of his old tales, but Mrs. Gao’s eyelids were growing heavy. Unable to stay awake any longer, she leaned against Li Changyu’s shoulder, her head bobbing.

Li Changyu shot his grandfather an apologetic smile, then rose and helped her back to their room, calling for a maid to come and wait on her.

The maids and matrons were baffled by Mrs. Gao’s behavior. ’Her personal servants were just dismissed by the Young Master,’ they thought. ’Shouldn’t she be begging him to reconsider, or trying to find a way to bring Nanny Wang and the other three back? How can she act like nothing even happened?’

Little did they know, their young mistress had already forgotten the whole affair. After washing up, she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. It wasn’t until the next morning, when she woke up and didn’t see Nanny Wang and the others waiting to attend to her, that she finally recalled the previous day’s events.

At that moment, however, a new thought occurred to her. ’Nanny Wang and the others didn’t like it here, so it’s better that they were sent back. If they had stayed, they would have just nagged me about a bunch of rules, which would have made Changyu unhappy and led to more arguments.’ With that, she pushed the matter from her mind and never mentioned it again.

This left the maids and matrons worrying, ’Has the Young Miss been completely wrapped around the Young Master’s finger?’

Just then, an enthusiastic Li Changyu came in, announcing that he had prepared everything to take her shrimping that day. Mrs. Gao’s face lit up with excitement. She quickly changed into simple clothes and went out with Li Changyu for another day of wild fun.

And with that, the floodgates were open.

Initially, Li Changyu had only planned to take his wife fishing, shrimping, and wandering around to enjoy the pastoral scenery. He never expected that after two days of casting aside her inhibitions, Mrs. Gao would become so animated. During their outings, Li Changyu doted on her with gentle affection. The young couple’s love for each other blossomed, sweet and playful, a world apart from their formal, rule-bound life at home. She found herself growing more delighted and captivated by the day.

At dinner, they had small bamboo shoots and mushrooms. When her mother-in-law mentioned she had picked them herself from the mountain, Mrs. Gao’s eyes sparkled. That very evening, she began pestering Li Changyu, begging him to take her up the mountain to pick mushrooms the next day.

Li Changyu was dumbfounded. It seemed he had lifted a rock only to drop it on his own foot.

’Mrs. Gao’s transformation made him happy, but he couldn’t forget that she was a delicate young lady who had never ventured out before. The mountains are teeming with snakes and insects,’ he thought. ’If I really take her up there, won’t it tire me to death? And exhaustion is the least of my worries. If she got hurt in the slightest, my heart would break, wouldn’t it?’

So, he turned and began trying to dissuade his wife. "Wan’er, the mountains are full of wild creatures. You’ve never been anywhere like that. If you get a scare, Mother will have my hide."

Mrs. Gao was starting to understand his temperament. She replied softly, "But you’ll be with me, won’t you? You’re the one who told me it’s good to get out and walk around. I think I’ve been eating more these past couple of days, and I feel much stronger. It seems I really do need to be more active."

With a pained expression, Li Changyu said, "Wan’er, walking around is one thing, but climbing a mountain is another. Let me tell you, one year, Meizi from our village was on the mountain picking wild bamboo shoots when a snake bit her..."

He recounted the entire story to Mrs. Gao: how Meizi had been bitten by the snake, how that led to her marriage with Li Changming, and how happily they were living now. Mrs. Gao listened with shimmering eyes, finding the tale even better than the plays she’d seen. Instead of frightening her, the story only made her more determined to go.

Of course, Li Changyu refused to take her. These days, whenever they went out, Mrs. Gao would leave her attendants at home, ordering them to help her mother-in-law with the vegetable garden, laundry, and other chores. She preferred to wander about freely with just Li Changyu. However, Li Changyu was a scholar who had rarely done farm work. He was nowhere near as sturdy as men like Huai Zi or Qingmu. A full day of carrying baskets and nets left his back and waist sore. Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore and had to call on his attendant, Wuzi, for help—much to Mrs. Gao’s annoyance, as she found Wuzi an eyesore.

So, in an attempt to distract her, he suggested they visit the Zheng family the next day.

"Both Meizi and Juhua live near the mountains, and Doctor Yun is staying at Juhua’s family home. I’ve been meaning to take you over for a visit, but it’s rice planting season, so they’ve been incredibly busy. Tomorrow, I’ll say I’m taking you to see Doctor Yun, and we can use it as a chance to see if their work has let up. Don’t worry, we’ll just go have a look. It’ll be a good chance for you to see what life is like for a village wife. And like I said before, if you find you can’t talk to them, we’ll just stay a short while and then leave. But if you enjoy their company, you can see them more often. It might keep you from feeling bored out here in the country."

He said this because he had a feeling his wife and Juhua would get along well.

An image of the village wives she had seen over the past few days flashed through Mrs. Gao’s mind. She doubted she would have much in common with them, but the thought of seeing Yun Ying was enough for her to agree.

After a moment’s thought, Li Changyu also told her about the skin condition on Juhua’s face. He warned her to be mindful, telling her not to act shocked when she saw Juhua wearing a face covering, not to stare at her, and not to ask why she was wearing one.

This led Mrs. Gao to marvel once more at how this small village was so full of colorful characters and stories. She immediately began pestering Li Changyu, wanting to know the story of how Zhang Huai came to marry Juhua.

Li Changyu had no choice but to give her a brief account of their story, though he naturally omitted the part about how he himself had once been smitten with Juhua.

Even with the abridged version, Mrs. Gao was moved to tears. She found it incredibly touching that Zhang Huai could see past Juhua’s appearance and insist on marrying her. Her interest in the next day’s visit grew immensely; she was eager to meet this extraordinary village couple.

So, the following morning, Mrs. Gao did as Li Changyu had suggested. Tucking a small sewing project under her arm, she set off with him to the Zheng family’s home to find Yun Ying.

They passed through a lane shaded by willow trees and had just arrived at the gate to the Zheng Family Courtyard when two large dogs and a small one shot out from inside. They barked furiously at the newcomers, startling Mrs. Gao so much that she clung tightly to Li Changyu’s arm.

Li Changyu quickly chided them. "What are you barking at? We’re neighbors! Don’t you recognize me, you beast? I swear, we feed you for nothing. Juhua! Juhua! Hurry and get these dogs away!"

Juhua didn’t appear, but Zhao Qing came dashing out instead. She scolded the dogs, "Shoo! Get back!" Then she tilted her head up and gave Li Changyu a sweet smile. "Hello, Brother Changyu." Her gaze shifted to Mrs. Gao, her eyes twinkled, and she quickly added, "Hello, Sister-in-law Changyu. You’re so pretty! Just as pretty as Sister Yun Ying." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)