Chapter 52

As the sky started to darken, they got on the bicycle and rode back home.

Xia Qingning was sitting on the back seat, holding the large bouquet of wildflowers she had picked, her mood very cheerful.

When they returned to the courtyard, it was not completely dark yet. Wu’s aunt, who had come out to fetch water, saw them coming back. She saw the tall and handsome man and the charming and beautiful girl, and couldn’t help but laugh and say:

“Oh, you two went out to play together, and you even picked so many flowers. Haha, that’s good, that’s good.”

The wives fetching water by the pool also looked over, and sure enough, they saw Xia Qingning holding a large bouquet of flowers, sitting on the back seat of Lu Jingzhe’s bicycle.

In this era, people mostly carried vegetables, babies, or flowers. It was quite fresh to see someone carrying flowers.

“Isn’t their relationship good? My husband didn’t even take me to pick flowers when we were dating.”

“You know, these flowers don’t look that good growing in the field, but they look so beautiful when you hold them in your hand.”

“Haha, that’s because Lu’s second wife is beautiful.”

Amidst everyone’s teasing, the bicycle rolled into their courtyard. Xia Qingning jumped off the bicycle. For the first time, she didn’t feel her butt hurt after sitting on the back seat. She smiled at Lu Jingzhe and went back to the house.

After dinner, she found an abandoned small jar, washed it clean, and put the wildflowers she had picked in it. She placed it on the cabinet. The jar was simple, the flowers were vibrant, and the collision between them created a unique beauty.

She looked at the place where Lu Jingzhe usually read and wanted to add some life to his desk, but there was no vase. After thinking for a moment, she found a wine bottle, removed the top, leaving only the body of the bottle.

She wrapped some twine around it, filled the bottle with water, and picked a small flower from the ones she had picked and put it in.

After doing this, Xia Qingning started making clothes again.

She was going to use scraps to piece together a long dress to wear back home tomorrow.

The georgette dresses Lu Jingzhe bought were beautiful, but they were too eye-catching to wear back to the countryside. She wasn’t someone who liked to attract attention, and she felt that she should follow local customs.

When Lu Jingzhe walked into the room, she had already finished most of it. Seeing that she was still making clothes with scraps, he asked with a puzzled look:

“Didn’t I buy you clothes today?” Then, as if he thought of something, he continued:

“If you don’t have enough to wear, we’ll go to the department store again when we come back from your mother’s house.”

Xia Qingning quickly waved her hand, saying: “No need, I have enough.” Knowing that he had misunderstood, she explained:

“I bought these scraps because I like them, not to save money.” Then she raised her delicate face and continued:

“Don’t underestimate these scraps. The dress Mai Miao is wearing today was made by me using them.”

Lu Jingzhe didn’t pay much attention to what Mai Miao was wearing when he came back. Hearing that she said she bought them because she liked them, he didn’t dwell on the scraps anymore and said:

“Get some rest early. We have to travel tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you go to bed first. I’ll be done soon.” Xia Qingning didn’t look up and continued making the dress.

Seeing her insistence, and it was getting late, Lu Jingzhe didn’t urge her anymore. He sat down at the table to read, when he noticed the bouquet of flowers Xia Qingning had put for him.

The small flower with pale blue petals and yellow stamens had a beautiful name, “Aster,” but it was the most common wildflower. Now, it was stunningly beautiful.

When he turned his head, he saw another bottle on the cabinet next to it. With these wildflowers, the orderly room suddenly became warm and beautiful.

He had always lived in a dormitory in the army. The dormitory only had an iron bed frame, a table, and chairs. This was the first time he had felt that a room could be warm. A warmth flowed through his heart.

After almost an hour, Xia Qingning’s dress was finished. She had specially chosen blue fabrics of different shades. The dress looked ordinary, but the details were exquisite. The patterns were arranged in a staggered way, and there were small lace borders at every piece of stitching. The hem of the skirt had a circle of small tassels.

After finishing it, she couldn’t wait to share it with Lu Jingzhe. Lu Jingzhe didn’t expect that those scraps could really be made into a dress, and it was no worse than the ones bought in the store. He had a new understanding of her.

The girl in front of him could make beautiful clothes, draw expressive paintings, and decorate rooms. How come he hadn’t realized she was so skilled before?

Because they had to leave early in the morning, after Xia Qingning finished the dress, she packed the candy, clothes, fabric, etc., she had bought for her family. She was thinking about whether to use that heavy wooden box to pack them, when Lu Jingzhe thoughtfully brought his canvas bag.

Xia Qingning thanked him and didn’t hesitate to use it. She had to take a bus to the town first, then walk another ten kilometers back to the village. If she was lucky, she could get a ride on an oxcart, but if she wasn’t, she would have to walk. So, the lighter the luggage, the better.

After packing their things, they lay down. Thinking about going back to the countryside tomorrow, Xia Qingning felt a little uneasy.

Originally, the original owner was in the countryside, and she was engaged to Lu Lidong. When she was taken to the city, it was also said that she was going to marry Lu Lidong.

After the original owner came to the city, only her mother and brother had come a few times. Later, she and Lu Jingzhe had that incident, and Wang Mingfang moved in. She subtly hinted that she shouldn’t associate with her poor relatives in the countryside.

So the original owner hadn’t gone back for more than three years. Only her brother occasionally sent some things over. He would leave them at the phone booth and go back.

The original owner’s mother naturally wouldn’t tell anyone about her marriage to Lu Jingzhe. No one in the village knew, and they all thought that the original owner had married Lu Lidong.

Now that Xia Qingning and Lu Jingzhe were going back, it would inevitably cause a stir.

Xia Qingning didn’t mind. It was just a few gossips.

But Lu Jingzhe was different. He had married the original owner out of necessity. Now he had to accompany her back and face other people’s pointing and gossiping. It was really difficult for him.

She didn’t know what kind of harsh words those people would say. What if Lu Jingzhe heard those gossips and vented all his dissatisfaction on her?

But she couldn’t not go back. After all, it was the original owner’s family, and it was Lu Jingzhe who suggested it. She had no reason not to go back.

Thinking about this, Xia Qingning felt uneasy. She hoped that the visit to her family would go smoothly these two days and that nothing would go wrong.

The next day, before dawn, they got up. After washing up, they went to the bus station. The bus turned countless corners on the winding mountain road. Xia Qingning was so dizzy that she was about to vomit. Fortunately, she hadn’t eaten anything.

After four hours, they finally arrived in the town. Unfortunately, there were no oxcarts to take. They had to walk back.

Lu Jingzhe took the luggage and walked ahead. Xia Qingning followed with empty hands. Even so, after walking more than ten kilometers on the mountain road, she felt like she was going to collapse.

There was a three-room mud house, surrounded by a bamboo fence. There were four or five tall loquat trees planted outside the fence. It was the fruit season, and the bright yellow loquats were hanging all over the trees, looking particularly pleasing.

Two women were standing in the yard talking.

“Old sister, go to the girl’s family again and tell them. Our Qing Shu, except for his leg… his character and appearance are very good.” The woman who was talking was taller, but much thinner, and the clothes she wore were patched up.

“Yumei, it’s not that I’m not helping your Qing Shu. It’s his leg that’s the problem. The girl’s family has made it clear that they don’t want to do it.” The shorter woman replied, her eyes revealing a hint of shrewdness. After a moment, she continued with a seemingly embarrassed look:

“I have another family.”

Hearing that she had another family, Guo Yumei’s eyes immediately lit up. But in the next second, she heard the short matchmaker say:

“It’s just that the girl is a little slow-witted.”

The light in Guo Yumei’s eyes instantly disappeared. She understood what “slow-witted” meant. It meant that the girl was not very bright, a fool.

“Although she’s a little slow-witted, she’s definitely fertile.” The short, fat woman assured her, and continued:

“Don’t worry, she doesn’t hit people or run around.”

Guo Yumei’s face had turned completely black. She was desperately trying to suppress the anger in her heart. Just when she was about to drive the woman away, a cheerful voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard:

“Yumei, come out quickly, your daughter Qingning is back.”