Free Web NovelChapter 408: Chapter 215: Brother and Sister 2
Juhua gazed up at her tall brother, Qingmu. He was leaning against the ox, looking content, one hand steadying Laishou on its back and the other holding the reins. As the ox ambled along, he would occasionally take a step or two forward to keep pace.
Juhua smiled and asked, "Brother, do you really want me to marry Huai Zi?"
Qingmu listened, then looked up at Juhua. He first nodded, then shook his head. After a moment of thought, he replied, "The main thing is, I don’t want you to marry far away. If you marry out of the village, I won’t be able to see how you’re really doing, and I won’t be able to rest easy. I want to keep you close. As for the boys in our village, plenty of them are decent in terms of character, but none of them are as close to you as Huai Zi is. And I can’t be sure if they would end up looking down on you or not. But I know what kind of person Huai Zi is—and you do, too. He’s played with us since we were kids, and he has never once looked down on you. When he said what he did before, it was only because he hadn’t thought of you that way yet. He was just being honest. ’Sigh! I speak from experience—I wasn’t really thinking about getting a wife and kids back then, either.’ I support you taking your time to be sure of Huai Zi’s true feelings. You can’t just trust him blindly because we all grew up together. People can change."
Seeing Juhua listening with a silent smile, he added, "So, when you compare everyone, Huai Zi is a better fit than the others. If you choose him, you’ll be right here before my eyes, and I’ll be able to see if you’re living well or not. If he dares to treat you poorly, I definitely won’t let him get away with it. If he looks down on you, I’ll beat him half to death and bring you right back home."
Juhua burst out laughing and said cheerfully, "Listen to you talk! If Huai Zi knew you thought that, would he still dare to marry me?"
Qingmu pursed his lips. "He wouldn’t dare? He’s in a rush. Besides... it’s not like he can marry you just by wanting to anymore, is it?"
Juhua nodded emphatically. "That’s right! Even if I am ugly, it’s not like just anyone who wants to can marry me. It depends on whether I’m willing to marry them!" frёewebηovel.cѳm
Hearing this, Qingmu broke into a happy smile.
In truth, what he’d really wanted to say was that Liu Sanshun was also waiting in the wings. ’Should I let my sister know that Sanshun likes her too?’ he wondered. ’That way she could compare him with Huai Zi and make a choice?’
’Then again, knowing Juhua’s personality, it’s better not to say anything. If she were interested in Liu Sanshun, she’d be able to notice on her own without me telling her. If she’s not interested, my saying something would only make her feel awkward.’
As the two of them talked, Laishou, on the ox’s back, didn’t interrupt. He was preoccupied with shouting excitedly at the fields across the river. Not to be outdone, Black Dog lifted its head and let out a series of loud "WOOF WOOF"s, as if it sensed something unfamiliar hiding over there that put it on alert.
Juhua gazed at the mountain village, the fields, and the nearby river in the fading twilight. She let out a contented sigh. "What’s the rush? We can just take our time. But... unless something completely unexpected happens, I don’t want to marry someone from outside the village either. This place is becoming more and more beautiful, and I’ve poured my heart into it. I can’t do all this work and then not be here to enjoy it. Moving to a new place and having to start all over from scratch would be too much effort."
Qingmu smiled. "That’s exactly what I think. No other village can compare to ours now. It’s no wonder people are so reluctant to marry their daughters off to other places anymore."
At the thought of this, Juhua couldn’t help but laugh—she was remembering something Gou Dan had said on New Year’s Eve.
Qingmu pointed to Zhang Huai’s plot of land and said to Juhua, "Even though Huai Zi isn’t building his house until the fall, he couldn’t wait. He’s already found a bunch of fruit tree saplings and planted them on that plot. There are even two cherry trees."
Upon hearing this, Juhua quickly asked, "Oh! Then why didn’t you get one from him?" ’Cherry trees are a real prize.’
Qingmu froze for a second. He couldn’t very well say, ’Well, won’t all of this be yours eventually anyway? That’s why I didn’t bother,’ so he just tried to appease her. "I’ll ask him where he got them from and see if he can help us get one or two as well."
He couldn’t help but wonder about it himself. ’Is Huai Zi doing this on purpose? In the past, whenever he got his hands on something good, he’d rush to bring it over, always splitting it fifty-fifty. But these cherry trees are a rare kind of fruit tree, and this time the rascal didn’t offer any. He must be planting them at his own place to try and attract Juhua!’
Juhua asked doubtfully, "He’s planting the fruit trees now? Won’t they get in the way when it’s time to build the house later?"
Qingmu explained, "He bought a few more mu for the foundation, expanding the plot. He said that in the future, it’ll be like our place, with the vegetable garden in the back. He also wants to plant a patch of bamboo. As for the fruit trees, he’s planting fewer on this side. After he moves, he plans to plant all kinds of fruit trees on the land where his old house is and turn it into a small orchard."
Juhua listened, captivated, and couldn’t help but feel a rush of inspiration. "Brother, are you confident about planting two crops of rice this year? Should we set aside another piece of our land for fruit trees? Otherwise, with sweet potatoes, soybeans, *and* corn, it’ll be exhausting. I’m worried you and Dad won’t be able to manage all the work."
Qingmu shook his head. "Didn’t Dad already set aside a small plot for Chinese chestnuts? If we partition off another piece, we’ll be short on land. And if we don’t plant plenty of sweet potatoes and corn, what will the pigs eat? Besides, sweet potato noodles and cornmeal count as staple foods, so it’s no loss to plant them. This is our first time trying two rice crops in one year, and I’m not entirely confident, so I’ll plant a few fewer mu of the late-season rice just to see how it goes. Plus, Cousin Laifu and his master have already finished the rice thresher. Harvesting will be much faster from now on."
Juhua nodded. "Sigh, I’m afraid ordinary families won’t be able to afford the rice thresher—it’s still a bit expensive. Besides, the axle breaks too easily. It still needs to be improved!"
’If it weren’t for the sake of farming, she wouldn’t bother tinkering with these kinds of tools. She actually felt their current method of farming was quite nice. The advance of civilization was often accompanied by destruction; while people enjoyed greater convenience, they also paid a steep price.’
Qingmu said, "I’ve already asked someone to take a message to Changyu. When he returns, I’ll have him take one of the machines to Qinghui, so the Lord County Magistrate can have his people study and improve it. County Magistrate Hu will surely be pleased when he sees it; he’s certain to take it seriously." (To be continued.)
