Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life] 37

Chapter 37

After crossing the mountain, Xiushui Village, nestled in the valley below, came into view. Its scenery was no less beautiful than Shanxiu Village.

Lu Jinghong drove the ox cart through the village, further and further in, until he stopped at the gate of a small courtyard with blue brick walls and gray tiles.

He jumped off the cart and smiled. “This is my brother’s house.” Then he called out, “Jingfeng, you have guests!”

Father Ye and the others thanked him. “Thanks to you, we saved ourselves a long walk.”

Lu Jinghong smiled heartily. “My husband is waiting for me to go back for lunch. You’re here to discuss marriage, it’s not convenient to entertain guests, so I’ll be going.”

Ye Xi quickly took out a string of kiwi fruits from the basket and handed it to Lu Jinghong. “Thank you for your trouble, Uncle. These are wild kiwi fruits my husband picked from the mountains, sweet and sour, take them back for your husband to try.”

Lu Jinghong didn’t refuse and happily accepted them. “My husband is expecting, and he loves these sour and sweet things. Thank you!”

The Ye family was thoughtful and considerate, and he was very satisfied with their behavior.

After Lu Jinghong left with his ox cart, Liu Xiufeng whispered to Ye Xi with a smile, “This Lu family is interesting. He looks younger than me, but he’s almost middle-aged and still able to have children.”

Ye Xi whispered back, “It must be because they’re a loving couple.”

Liu Xiufeng nodded. “The matchmaker said that the Lu family dotes on their husbands, treating them like treasures. Now it seems to be true, I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

As they were talking, someone came out from inside the house, a tall and sturdy middle-aged man, Li Zhuang’s husband and the current head of the household, Lu Jingfeng. His wife, Li Zhuang, had given birth to a pair of twins, a boy and a girl. The boy took the Lu family name, Lu Zhiyun, and the girl took the Li family name.

Ye Shan was here today to propose to his second daughter, Li Ran.

Lu Jingfeng wasn’t the type to put on airs and intimidate his future son-in-law on their first meeting. He nodded and said, “Welcome, guests, please come in, you must be tired from the long journey.”

Ye Shan, meeting his future father-in-law for the first time, was naturally nervous. He quickly handed over the gifts and said, “Thank you, Uncle.”

Father Ye and Liu Xiufeng chatted with him, and they entered the courtyard and sat down in the main room. A woman wearing a silver hairpin and a bright blue cotton dress brought tea, Li Ran’s mother, Mrs. Li Zhuang.

Ye Shan and Ye Xi greeted her, and Li Zhuang said with a hearty smile, “The Ye family raised their children well, the man is tall and strong, and the young man is handsome and refined.”

Ye Xi smiled. “Auntie, have you forgotten? I met you when I was young, when you and Uncle came to our village to buy pigs. You said I looked like a young man from your Lu family.”

Li Zhuang laughed. “Oh, it’s you, little glutinous rice ball! You were so fair and chubby when you were young, and now you’ve grown into such a handsome young man, I almost didn’t recognize you. Yes, my cousin’s husband’s son, Nian-ge’er, he looks just like you, delicate and handsome, but a bit shy. If you meet him, you two can become friends!”

Father Ye and Liu Xiufeng discussed the marriage with Lu Jingfeng, and Ye Xi handed the basket he brought to Li Zhuang. Li Zhuang happily accepted it without any hesitation. The Ye family’s gifts were thoughtful and generous, and she was satisfied. Seeing that Ye Xi was also thinking of his future sister-in-law, bringing hazel mushrooms and kiwi fruits, although not valuable, it showed his good intentions. In the future, when her Ran-guniang married into their family, it would be easy for them to get along, and there wouldn’t be any family conflicts.

They chatted for a while, and then Li Zhuang and Lu Jingfeng, as elders, asked Ye Shan some customary questions. Ye Shan, not a smooth talker, answered honestly. Seeing his sincerity, Li Zhuang and Lu Jingfeng nodded, satisfied.

After a while, Li Zhuang called her daughter, Li Ran, to meet them.

A young woman in a blue cotton dress came out of the room, her eyes smiling, her cheeks slightly chubby, a pleasant and attractive appearance.

This was the first time Ye Xi met his future sister-in-law, and he immediately liked her, feeling that she would be easy to get along with.

Li Ran wasn’t shy or reserved either. She entered the main room and greeted everyone, addressing Liu Xiufeng and Father Ye before looking at Ye Shan. They had met once before, but they still blushed, their eyes darting around, occasionally glancing at each other, an amusing sight.

The matchmaker said some auspicious words and asked Ye Shan, “Ye family’s son, are you willing to marry Li Ran, the second daughter of the Li family?”

Ye Shan smiled shyly and replied, “I’m very happy!” He then looked at Li Ran and chuckled, making everyone laugh.

The matchmaker then asked Li Ran, “Are you willing to marry into the Ye family in Shanxiu Village?”

Li Ran nodded. “If he’s willing to marry me and treat me sincerely, I’m willing.”

The matchmaker happily wrote the engagement contract and asked them to press their fingerprints. “Alright, then I congratulate both families, may you be blessed with good fortune and a happy marriage, and may you have a grandson next year!”

Liu Xiufeng and Li Zhuang each gave the matchmaker ten wen as a thank-you gift.

The two families chatted for a while longer. They couldn’t return today and had to stay at the Li family’s house. At dinner time, Li Ran went to the kitchen to cook. This was also a chance for the future daughter-in-law to showcase her cooking skills to her future in-laws.

Ye Xi offered to help with a smile. “Ran-guniang, let me help you.”

Li Ran liked Ye Xi, he was handsome and had a good personality. After she married into Shanxiu Village, they would become good friends. She happily agreed, “Alright, you can help me tend the fire.”

Ye Xi went to the kitchen to help with the fire.

Since they had guests, they naturally had to cook meat. Li Ran skillfully chopped the meat on the chopping board, and Ye Xi sat on a low stool in front of the stove, chatting with her. “Ran-guniang, your cooking skills are also very good, you chop vegetables even faster than I do.”

Li Ran smiled. “As farmers, we all have to know some cooking skills. I heard your cooking is excellent, you can make anything. My cousin’s husband is like that too. Since I was young, he’s always making new and interesting dishes, even setting up a stall in town.”

Ye Xi replied, “I just use whatever ingredients we have and try different flavors. I’ve heard of your cousin’s husband, Carpenter Lu’s husband, right? He used to sell osmanthus honey wine in town, and I loved it, the sweet smell always made me stop and stare. I even tried making it myself later. By the way, my husband also asked Carpenter Lu to make us a bathtub.”

Li Ran stir-fried the vegetables in the wok and laughed. “It seems our families are destined to be related!”

Ye Xi and Li Ran hit it off, like siblings, chatting happily throughout the meal and still having much to talk about after dinner.

Li Zhuang laughed at them. “You two can share a room tonight and see if you can chat all night! You’ll be spending decades together, there’s so much to talk about.”

That night, the Ye family stayed at the Li family’s house. The next day, they invited a fortune teller to choose an auspicious wedding date, and then they prepared to return to Shanxiu Village.

Before leaving, Ye Xi said to Li Ran, “I’ll be waiting for you in Shanxiu Village, sister-in-law. When you come, the chestnuts and hazelnuts in the mountains haven’t fallen yet, we can go foraging together.”

Li Ran said happily, “Alright, it’s a deal!”

After lunch, Lu Jingfeng called his elder brother and asked him to take the Ye family back to Shanxiu Village in his ox cart.

The ox cart was much faster than walking, and they arrived back in Shanxiu Village before late afternoon.

As they entered the village, many villagers saw them, and some came to greet Father Ye and Liu Xiufeng, teasing them about their improved status, now riding in an ox cart.

Father Ye replied, “This is our Shan’er’s future father-in-law’s ox cart. He’ll be calling him ‘Uncle’ soon.”

After exchanging pleasantries, the ox cart continued into the village, and the villagers started gossiping.

“That Ye family is truly lucky, becoming in-laws with the wealthy Lu family from the next village.”

Another woman said sourly, “It’s just a butcher’s daughter, they say she’s not ladylike at all and even knows how to butcher pigs, probably a fierce one. I’m afraid the Ye family’s life won’t be peaceful after she marries in.”

“The Ye family must be after their wealth, hoping to gain some benefits. Look, they even have an ox cart. Although the girl isn’t that great, her family is rich.”

The villagers gossiped, some inevitably feeling envious and jealous. That’s how villagers were, looking down on the poor and feeling resentful towards those who became better off.

Lu Jinghong dropped the Ye family off at their house, and Liu Xiufeng invited him to stay for dinner, but he declined, saying that if he delayed any longer, he wouldn’t be able to return to Xiushui Village before dark. He was worried about his husband, who was in the later stages of pregnancy, and he couldn’t be at ease without being by his side.

The Ye family couldn’t insist any longer. Liu Xiufeng brought a chicken from the courtyard and asked him to take it back for his husband to stew into a nourishing soup. Unable to refuse, Lu Jinghong accepted it.

After he left with his ox cart, Ye Xi prepared to return to his house halfway up the mountain. He had been away from his husband for two days and missed him.

In the late afternoon, Ye Xi arrived back at their house and saw from afar that the courtyard gate was open and the lamp inside was lit, a faint light flickering in the mountains, weak but representing the home he longed for.

Entering the courtyard, he saw Lin Jiangshan sitting on a small stool, eating a pancake alone, looking somewhat pitiful.

Ye Xi stood at the entrance of the courtyard and called out with a smile, “I’m back.”

Lin Jiangshan looked up in surprise and saw his young husband standing at the door, smiling at him.

He wiped his mouth and quickly stood up. “You’re back. I thought you would be later.”

Ye Xi smiled. “The Lu family sent us back in their ox cart, it was very fast. As soon as I returned to the village, I hurried back, I was thinking about you being alone at home.”

Lin Jiangshan hugged his young husband, the courtyard no longer feeling cold and empty, time no longer slow.

Ye Xi went back to the house, and Lin Jiangshan quickly went to the kitchen to boil water and brought back a basin of hot water for Ye Xi to soak his feet. Ye Xi had walked a lot these past two days, and his feet must be sore.

Lin Jiangshan held his husband’s soft and tender feet, gently massaging them, while chatting about their visit to the Lu family in Xiushui Village.

“Ran-guniang and I get along well, I have someone to talk to now.”

“The wedding date is set early, at the end of this month. I think Mother will start preparing in a few days.”

Ye Xi chattered non-stop, as if making up for the two days they were apart, telling his husband everything that happened, and Lin Jiangshan listened attentively, occasionally humming in response.

The night deepened in the mountains, partridges scurrying around in the forest, occasionally a bird landing on the roof of the small courtyard, only to be startled by the soft moans from inside the house and fly away.

Inside the house, passion surged. Ye Xi clutched his husband’s back, his eyes misty with tears as he pleaded softly, “Husband…”

But Lin Jiangshan couldn’t hear anything, as if trying to make up for the two days of separation.