“Yo, look who it is! Your face is as red as a tomato!”

Lu Qingtian leaned in mischievously, circling around Lu Qingguo while making a big show of his teasing.

“Lu Qingtian! When you came back from your blind date with sister-in-law, you weren’t any better than me!”

“You were grinning like a fool while walking, tripped into the vegetable ditch three times, and ended up covered in mud like a little monkey!” He stiffened his neck and exposed Lu Qingtian’s embarrassing past.

“Really? I don’t remember.”

Lu Qingtian had a thick skin, something Lu Qingguo could never compete with.

“Alright, stop teasing Qingguo.” Mother Lu lightly smacked Lu Qingtian and turned to Lu Qingguo. “Tell us about today’s blind date.”

Lu Qingyuan, who was sitting between her two sisters-in-law, also looked at him curiously.

“We just chatted for a bit, then I suggested having lunch together, and she agreed. After we finished eating, I asked her when we could meet again,” Lu Qingguo recounted in a muffled voice. “She said anytime.”

“That’s good, that’s good,” Second Aunt Lu and Second Uncle Lu exchanged a pleased smile.

“Did you tell Grandma?”

“I did. Grandma told me to get along with her properly. She said she’s timid, so I need to take more initiative, but I shouldn’t be too abrupt when we meet, in case I scare her.”

Lu Qingguo chuckled. “Her name is Cheng Baozhen. Uncle Cheng named her that—it means ‘precious treasure’.”

“Brother, you look so silly when you smile.”

Lu Qingguang teased him.

“Like a big black bear that found a corncob,” Lu Qingjun added. “A black and red bear.”

Lu Qingyuan burst out laughing, and the eldest sisters-in-law also joined in, making Lu Qingguo even more embarrassed.

“Just wait! When it’s your turn to go on a blind date, I’ll make sure to laugh at both of you!”

After saying that, Lu Qingguo hurried back home to cook.

Second Aunt Lu turned to her younger son, Lu Qingguang. “Once your eldest brother settles down, it’ll be your turn next.”

“Alright, alright,” Lu Qingguang scratched his head, feeling a little shy as he grinned.

“You haven’t even started courting anyone yet, and your face is already red. You laughed the loudest at Brother Qingguo just now,” Lu Qingjun pointed at him, only to be chased around the yard by Lu Qingguang.

They didn’t play around for too long before the sky darkened quickly, and soon, heavy rain poured down.

Looking at the rain outside, Lu Qingyuan sighed softly, thinking about the clothes she had washed that morning. “I hope the sun comes out tomorrow.”

That night, she fell asleep to the sound of rain outside. When she woke up the next morning, the rain hadn’t stopped. She got dressed and pushed open the back window.

A rich scent of gardenia flowers wafted in with the wind. Lu Qingyuan couldn’t help but take a deep breath, inhaling the sweet fragrance.

The gardenia tree in the yard was in full bloom, with raindrops glistening on the petals, making them look fresh and translucent. The scent filled the air, both beautiful and soothing.

Because of the rain, no one in the family went to work that day.

Lu Qingguo came over to visit, but he seemed absent-minded.

Lu Qingming and Lu Qingtian sat on either side of him, flanking him closely.

“What are you two doing?”

Lu Qingguo was startled by their behavior.

Lu Qingyuan glanced at them. “Big Brother, Second Brother, do you have nothing better to do?”

“You don’t get it,” Lu Qingtian waved her off. “We need to teach Qingguo a few things so he won’t act so clueless.”

“Exactly,” Lu Qingming nodded.

“Just don’t give him any bad ideas,” Eldest Sister-in-law Lu warned.

“My ideas are never bad,” Lu Qingming retorted, with Lu Qingtian nodding in agreement.

The three of them whispered among themselves for a long time. Eventually, Lu Qingguo ran back home and didn’t return until lunchtime.

Whenever it rained, the three households would gather to eat together and chat with the elders, making Lu Qingyuan’s home especially lively.

In the afternoon, the rain had lessened to a drizzle. Lu Qingguo grabbed a bamboo basket and an umbrella before heading out.

“Where are you going?”

Second Uncle Lu called after him.

“I’ll be back before evening!” Lu Qingguo shouted back.

“This rascal, we had to push and prod him to go on a blind date, but now he’s running off eagerly.”

Second Aunt Lu clicked her tongue, teasing her son.

“Young love,” Mother Lu covered her mouth and chuckled. “That’s how it is.”

“Speaking of which,” Third Aunt Lu looked sympathetically at Lu Qingyuan, who was sitting beside Mother Lu. “Qingyuan’s fiancé doesn’t visit often.”

Lu Qingyuan smiled. “It’s alright. When we do meet, we have plenty to talk about.”

“That’s because you’re saving up all the conversation for the times you see each other.”

“That’s exactly it.”

When Lu Qingguo returned, he brought back a gift from the Shu family. “I happened to pass by the Shu family’s gate and made eye contact with Aunt Shu. She recognized me and stuffed this into my hands.”

It was walnuts—a whole ten pounds of them.

Thinking about the honey that Grandma Zhou had given them last time and the white sesame seeds they still had at home, Lu Qingyuan decided to make caramelized walnut snacks. Mother Lu even took out a box and packed half of them inside.

“Mom, aren’t we going to eat these?”

“I have a feeling it’ll keep raining tomorrow. Your second sister-in-law said she’ll be going to the county in the morning to buy some things. You should go with her.”

Mother Lu said meaningfully.

Lu Qingyuan’s face heated up. “It hasn’t even been that long since we last met.”

“Some couples wish they could see each other three times a day. You two are lucky if you see each other three times a month,” Mother Lu chuckled. “Didn’t you say you wanted to get to know him better? If you don’t meet or talk often, how can you understand each other?”

“That’s true. I’ll go with Second Sister-in-law tomorrow then. Do we need to buy Grandma’s medicine?”

“There’s enough for this month, but I asked your Second Sister-in-law to get some fever medicine.”

After dinner, Lu Qingyuan washed up and returned to her room. She opened her cabinet and took out two finely woven bamboo dolls.

They were a pair, one male and one female. The boy was bald and much taller than the girl. The girl’s long hair was just like Lu Qingyuan’s.

Grandpa Lu had exceptional bamboo weaving skills when he was alive, and among his grandchildren, only Lu Qingyuan inherited his craft.

Although it was made of bamboo, the craftsmanship was even more exquisite than wood carving—delicate and precise, yet firm enough not to deform easily.

Lu Qingyuan had put a lot of effort into the facial features, making it resemble the real person by at least seventy to eighty percent.

She had seen a barrage of comments mentioning how Shu Beiqiu had carved a wooden figure of her, so she decided to give him one that looked even more like himself.

Before leaving in the morning, Lu Qingyuan placed the bald doll on her pillow and took the other one with her.

Upon arriving in the county, Second Sister-in-law Lu told her to head to the machinery factory while she went shopping and would meet her later.

Since Lu Qingyuan didn’t have anything specific to buy, she confidently made her way to the machinery factory.

The old gatekeeper recognized her and called out Shu Beiqiu’s name over the loudspeaker, his voice noticeably louder than usual.

Shu Beiqiu had worked the night shift and was sleeping, but the moment he heard the electric loudspeaker, he immediately sat up.

Upon hearing his name, he hastily washed up and ran outside.

When Lu Qingyuan saw him, she smiled and asked, “Were you on the night shift last night?”

“Ah, how did you figure that out?”

Shu Beiqiu took the cloth bundle from her hand and asked curiously.

“Your clothes are a bit wrinkled. You just got out of bed and didn’t have time to change, did you?”

Lu Qingyuan spoke with a hint of pride as she pointed out his small flaws.

“I was too busy brushing my teeth and washing my face—I didn’t want you to wait too long,” Shu Beiqiu said as he leaned in slightly, his arm touching hers, even shifting the umbrella in her direction. “Who did you come with today?”

“How do you know I didn’t come alone?”

“If you came alone, you wouldn’t be carrying such a small bundle,” Shu Beiqiu replied smugly, shaking the cloth bundle in his hand.

“You’re smart,” Lu Qingyuan praised. “As smart as me.”

“I think so too.”

They exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

Since the male dormitory only had single rooms, Lu Qingyuan didn’t go up. Instead, she waited as Shu Beiqiu put his things away and changed his clothes before they headed toward the back entrance of the factory.

“I’ll leave the cloth bundle with you—everything inside is for you,” Lu Qingyuan said.

“Alright.”

Shu Beiqiu responded.

Once they reached a quieter area with fewer people, Shu Beiqiu stretched out his hand toward her.

Lu Qingyuan pursed her lips, glanced at his head—which was no longer bald—then placed her hand in his.

At first, both of their palms were dry, but before long, they felt warmth seeping through. Eventually, Lu Qingyuan pulled her hand back, and upon seeing her slightly sweaty palm, her face flushed red.

“I don’t know why. My palms never used to sweat.”

“Me neither.”

Shu Beiqiu opened his hand to show her. The two of them huddled together, staring at their palms—one large, one small—studying them for a while but coming to no conclusion. They wiped their hands with a handkerchief before lacing their fingers together once again.