Chapter 785 - 404: Straight Talk

Chapter 785: Chapter 404: Straight Talk

Still, she had to put it nicely. Juhua’s mother smiled and said, "We two old folks aren’t much use anymore. It’s all up to the younger generation to make their own way. If that girl is capable and builds a good life with Yungen, that’s a blessing she has earned for herself."

Mrs. Wang came out of the kitchen, untying the apron from her waist. She patted the dust from her shoulders and back, asking with a cheerful laugh, "What are you all talking about?"

Juhua’s mother smiled. "We were just talking about Yungen’s marriage. Mother, come have a seat."

Hearing this, Mrs. Wang’s expression brightened. She hurried over to sit down and said to Juhua’s mother, "I’ve been meaning to tell you something, but it keeps slipping my mind. Now that you’ve mentioned Yungen’s marriage, I remember. Our Laicai isn’t a boy anymore; it’s time we started looking around for a suitable girl for him. His mother asked her side of the family to arrange something, but I don’t really trust them. I wanted to let you know, so if you hear of anyone suitable in the area, we can check them out."

Juhua’s mother listened and nodded. "Alright. We’ll keep an eye out. Juhua, when you go home, mention it to your mother-in-law, too. If she knows anyone suitable from her side of the family, have her give us a heads-up. Laicai was a mischievous kid, but he’s much more sensible now. He’s turned out well."

Hearing this, Mrs. Zhang quickly offered a few compliments, saying that Laicai was indeed much more sensible now and that the second branch of the Yang family had someone to support them. Her tone, however, was a bit strained. It was clear she didn’t quite agree and was just being polite.

Juhua agreed while frowning at her grandmother’s white hair. ’Laicai’s marriage is going to take some real effort,’ she thought. ’It’s not for any other reason than that Grandma has put up with my Second Aunt’s attitude for over a decade. If he marries a difficult wife, won’t that just kill her? For Grandma’s sake, so she can live a few more years, we have to choose Laicai’s wife very carefully.’

Hulu suddenly chimed in, "Uncle is smart."

Mrs. Wang was delighted. She patted the little boy’s head and said, "Hulu, are you talking about your Uncle Laishou? This old lady is counting on your Uncle Laishou to bring us some honor."

After some more laughter and talk, Juhua glanced at the sun and said, "Time to go home for dinner. Pu Pao, let’s go. Banli’s grandma will be calling for us soon."

Mrs. Wang said to her lovingly, "Just eat here. Take a nap, and when you wake up, you can chat with your grandma." Liu Yunlan also tried to get her to stay.

Juhua quickly refused. "How can I always eat here? If I don’t go back, Banli’s grandma and the others won’t have any appetite."

Juhua’s mother knew she had a point. Living so close, it was important not to blur the lines between her maternal family and her in-laws. A married daughter couldn’t always be staying at her parents’ home. So, she urged her to head back.

**********

After sowing the rice seedlings, during the time spent waiting for them to grow, the farmers seized every spare moment to schedule other farm work, like planting Shanyu and Huangdou.

Not every family had spare land to plant these miscellaneous crops, though. Even if they did, it was only half an acre or an acre at most. The Zheng Family, however, planted over ten acres of Shanyu and Huangdou every year, and even more this year. The Zhang family had recently bought over two hundred acres of uncultivated land, so they were naturally busy as could be. All their Shanyu seedlings were sprouted from their own stores.

On a spring evening, two oil lamps lit the main hall of the Zhang family home. Zhang Dashuan, Huai Zi, He, and Juhua all sat in the middle of the room, cutting Shanyu slips.

In truth, Huai Zi had already arranged for hired hands from the Wu and Wang families to cut the Shanyu slips, and Liu Heizi’s whole family was also busy with the task at night. But Zhang Dashuan was used to hard work. He couldn’t just be an idle master, so that afternoon he had carried back several baskets of Shanyu vines on a shoulder pole, planning to cut them with Huai Zi at night so they’d be ready for planting the next day.

Once he started, He, who also couldn’t sit still, naturally had to help. Seeing the whole family busy, Juhua felt it wouldn’t be right to go to bed herself. Besides, she actually enjoyed this task and found it rather fun.

The family sat under the lamplight, the SNIP SNIP of scissors echoing continuously as they chatted and laughed. The work wasn’t tiring. It just involved cutting the Shanyu vines into sections a little over half a foot long, each with a new sprout on it. Once cut, they were straightened out neatly and tied into small bundles. These small bundles were then piled together, quickly forming several large mounds.

The little calico cat wasn’t idle either. It leaped up and down, playing on the green piles. In its romping, its claws inevitably tore some of the Shanyu leaves, earning it a loud scolding from He. The little thing leaped gracefully off the pile of vines, rubbed against Juhua’s feet, and let out a pitiful-sounding MEOW.

Huai Zi was sitting with Juhua. Seeing her yawn, he quickly urged, "Juhua, you should go to bed. If you stay up too late, you’ll have no energy tomorrow."

He also shot her a reproachful glance. "You silly girl, why do you like joining in on this kind of thing? It’s not some new or exciting task, just cutting Shanyu vines into pieces. I can’t see what’s so fun about it. You still have to wake up at night to feed the two little ones. The sensible thing to do is go to bed early."

Zhang Dashuan, however, didn’t try to persuade her. He just chuckled.

Juhua straightened out the dark green Shanyu slip in her hand, tied it neatly with a piece of straw, and examined the lush bundle of compressed leaves for a moment before tossing it aside.

Seeing He looking up at her, Juhua suppressed a smile and explained, "Mother, I’ve been going to bed early every day lately, so I’m not that sleepy. Cutting these with you all gives us a chance to talk. I enjoy all sorts of work, except for the really mindless, heavy stuff. Things like planting vegetables, picking peanuts, shelling sunflower seeds, picking fruit, shelling Huangdou, digging up Shanyu, and even catching fish—I like all of that."

Huai Zi shook his head, the SNIP of his scissors unrelenting, and chuckled. "Doesn’t Mother know your temperament by now? She’s just worried you’ll wear yourself out."

Juhua just smiled, unconcerned. ’How could I possibly wear myself out?’ she thought. ’There’s no entertainment here at night anyway. If I’m not reading or doing needlework, I pretty much go to bed as soon as it gets dark, so I’m not worried about a lack of sleep. It’s probably only eight or nine o’clock right now. We just finished dinner a little while ago.’

He said to Juhua, "How about next time, I’ll have you go down to the fields to thresh rice? Or when we harvest the wheat, you can use a flail on it. I wonder if you’d like that?"

Hearing this, Juhua immediately shook her head like a rattle-drum and said repeatedly, "No, thanks! I don’t like that at all! Mother, I can cook for you all at home—I’m very good at cooking!"

Zhang Dashuan couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. Huai Zi also watched Juhua with a cheerful grin. He shot Juhua a look, then pursed her lips into a smile.