When Father Lu and Lu Qingtian returned, their pant legs were splattered with mud.

“Good thing we reinforced the irrigation ditch with stones this year. Otherwise, with such heavy rain, the water would’ve washed away the ridges, and the rice seedlings in the fields would have suffered.”

Father Lu took a sip of warm water from his enamel cup and commented.

“After all the setbacks in previous years, at least nothing went wrong this time.”

Mother Lu chuckled. “But credit goes to Secretary Chen for insisting that everyone make time to reinforce the irrigation system. He does have some skills.”

Father Lu nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Lu Qingyuan and the others served breakfast.

Lu Qingming’s portion was set aside on the small stove usually used for boiling Grandma Lu’s medicine, keeping it warm.

After breakfast, Second Uncle Lu and Third Uncle Lu’s families arrived to help.

The rabbits were slaughtered and set aside, ready to be stewed later.

The bracken and wood ear mushrooms needed to be blanched immediately. Some would be made into cold dishes now, while the rest—meant for stir-frying with meat—were sliced and placed in a peony-patterned porcelain bowl for later use.

Lu Qingyuan also boiled two large thermoses of hot water.

All the enamel cups in the house were washed and set out to dry, ready to be used for serving tea when guests arrived.

“Alright, leave the rest to us. Qingyuan, go and keep Grandma company,” Second Aunt Lu smiled as she took Lu Qingyuan’s hand, signaling her not to busy herself anymore.

“Exactly, go on now, don’t just stand here,” Third Aunt Lu said, directly pushing her out of the kitchen.

“Then I’ll go over?”

Lu Qingyuan found it both amusing and exasperating. She simply washed her hands, pulled down her sleeves, and headed to Grandma Lu’s room.

Grandma Lu had just changed into a cotton-padded jacket that Mother Lu had made for her during the New Year.

The elderly woman was sensitive to the cold. Even though it was early spring, it still felt chilly to her. Unlike the younger generation who had already switched to lighter clothing, she continued to wear her cotton jacket.

“Grandma, let me do your hair.”

Lu Qingyuan smiled, taking a wooden comb from the cabinet and gently combing through her grandmother’s white hair.

She had a wooden hairpin, its tip carved into a plum blossom. It was something Grandpa Lu had crafted for Grandma Lu before he passed away.

Over the years, Grandma Lu had always used this plum blossom hairpin to secure her hair.

“This rain is both good and bad.”

Listening to the raindrops pattering against the wooden window, Grandma Lu chuckled.

“What do you mean?” Lu Qingyuan asked.

“When it rains, the whole family stays home, and they can all keep an eye on you. But the rain is heavy, making the roads muddy and difficult to walk on,” Grandma Lu explained.

“Spring rain is like silk, nourishing all things. The crops in the fields love it.”

Lu Qingyuan finished her task. Grandma Lu reached back to touch the neatly pinned hair and turned her head slightly. “Do I still look lively?”

“You do,” Lu Qingyuan replied with a smile, though she noticed her grandmother had lost a lot of weight and looked much older. “There are hardly any grandmothers in our production team who are as energetic as you.”

“Such a sweet talker!”

Grandma Lu chuckled and pointed at her, then lowered her voice and reminded her, “Today is an important occasion. You must invite your fifth aunt over. She was the one who introduced you two. If you don’t invite her, that would be disrespectful.”

“Don’t worry, Grandma. Mom went to see Fifth Aunt last night for that very reason.”

Lu Qingyuan held her grandmother’s slightly cool hand and said, “I’ll go start a fire in the stove.”

“Alright.”

Grandma Lu nodded. Just then, Jiasheng and Lusheng ran in and clung to her on either side, chattering excitedly.

“Great-grandma, you look so pretty today!”

“Great-grandma, you look even prettier than yesterday!”

“Oh, you little rascals! Your mouths are even sweeter than your aunt’s!”

Hearing Grandma Lu’s laughter, Lu Qingyuan smiled as she stepped out of the room.

Their house had two iron stoves, both of which Lu Qingtian had brought back from the supply and marketing cooperative as defective goods.

Though slightly flawed in appearance, they worked fine for heating, and for a rural household, looks didn’t matter as long as they could keep warm.

The family still had over fifty pounds of coal. Lu Qingyuan placed charcoal and cornhusks under the stove to kindle the fire. Once the charcoal was burning steadily, she added small chunks of pounded coal on top.

Just as the fire had been lit and was left under the eaves to air out the smoke, Lu Qingming returned, carrying a large black umbrella and a basket of purchased goods on his back.

“Eldest Brother, breakfast is warming on the stove where the medicine is being brewed.”

Lu Qingyuan stepped forward to help him set the bamboo basket down, then turned to her older brother, who was bending over to scrape the mud off his shoes with a wooden stick.

“Got it,” Lu Qingming replied while scraping the mud. “Take out all the things inside. There’s a pack of walnut pastries just for you—make sure to put them away in your room.”

“Eldest Brother, I’m not a child anymore,” Lu Qingyuan protested softly. “You should give them to Jiasheng and Lusheng instead.”

“They have some too,” Lu Qingming chuckled. “Can’t I spoil my own sister a little?”

Lu Qingyuan pursed her lips and smiled. She took the meat and ribs from the basket and brought them to the kitchen. As for the walnut pastries, she opened the pack and placed them in a porcelain bowl, sharing them with the whole family.

When Shu Beiqiu arrived at the Lu family’s courtyard with his parents, Fifth Aunt was standing at the main hall entrance, chatting with Mother Lu.

Seeing them approach, Fifth Aunt immediately raised her voice in greeting.

Several people came out from the kitchen and the main hall.

“Come in, come in, have a seat!”

“The rain is heavy. Was the road difficult to walk?”

“The tea was just brewed. It’s at the perfect temperature now. Have some to warm up and quench your thirst.”

Shu Beiqiu and his parents were warmly welcomed.

Father Shu and Mother Shu handed over the gifts they had brought to Father Lu and Mother Lu.

They were then ushered toward the stove to sit down, where they were met with Grandma Lu’s smiling face.

Meanwhile, Second Uncle Lu, Third Uncle Lu, and Lu Qingming engaged Shu Beiqiu in conversation.

Lu Qingyuan placed an enamel cup in Shu Beiqiu’s hands, earning a soft-spoken “thank you” from him, his voice laced with a smile.

Fifth Aunt was quite talkative, and with her in the middle, the two families got along exceptionally well.

When it was time to eat, Second Uncle Lu and Third Uncle Lu carried over an extra table from their house.

The Lu family’s main hall was spacious enough to accommodate three tables.

The elders sat at one table, while Mother Lu and a few aunts and sisters-in-law sat with Jiasheng and Lusheng at another.

Lu Qingyuan and Shu Beiqiu sat with Lu Qingming and his brothers, but the two of them were seated next to each other.

“How does it taste?”

Lu Qingyuan noticed that Shu Beiqiu seemed to particularly enjoy the stir-fried spring mushrooms, so she leaned over and asked in a low voice.

“It’s delicious,” Shu Beiqiu replied, also lowering his voice as he leaned slightly closer. “Did you make it?”

“Mm, I did,” Lu Qingyuan said with a small smile.

Before Shu Beiqiu could praise her further, Lu Qingjun, sitting on his other side, suddenly asked, “Brother Shu, do you know how to cook?”

“I do,” Shu Beiqiu nodded. “Next time, I’ll cook for you all to try.”

As he spoke, he turned to look at Lu Qingyuan.

Lu Qingyuan’s eyes curved slightly as she nodded.

“Great!” Lu Qingjun responded enthusiastically. “When are you coming next? I’ll go catch some loaches!”

“On the fifteenth of next month,” Shu Beiqiu gave a definite answer.

After the meal, Shu Beiqiu helped clean up. He didn’t act like an outsider at all and even put on an apron.

Father Shu and Mother Shu, seeing their son willingly helping with chores, simply let him be and continued chatting with Father Lu and the others.