Chapter 31: Preparing to Make Fragrant Dew

Du Wanchun stood frozen in place, her round eyes staring at him in shock. At that moment, it felt as if her heart had stopped beating—she couldn’t breathe, and her mind went completely blank.

Zhou Ruiyuan also seemed momentarily lost. He held her hand tightly, gazing at her in silence.

Under the moonlight, in the lush greenery of the farmhouse courtyard, the two of them stood there, quietly looking at each other.

There were no luxurious inks or elegant garments, only the flickering oil lamp and the dim, stingy moonlight. Yet, at this moment, whether it was the fallen leaves drifting to the ground or the gentle breeze brushing past, everything felt sweet.

Zhou Ruiyuan was the first to snap out of it. He quickly let go of Du Wanchun’s hand, turned his face away, and, with his ears slightly flushed, said, “It’s getting late. I’ll teach you again tomorrow night.”

Du Wanchun also came back to her senses. She turned slightly away and softly responded, “Mm. Husband, you should rest early too.”

After saying that, she got up and, like a startled little rabbit, dashed back into her room.

Once inside, her face was burning red, as if it could drip blood. Her heart pounded wildly, nearly leaping into her throat.

Even though the night air was cool, she felt an inexplicable heat rising in her body. Overwhelmed with nervousness, she trembled slightly. Hastily, she took off her outer robe and burrowed into her blanket, pulling it over her head.

Her mind was filled with images of Zhou Ruiyuan’s side profile and the warmth of his breath just moments ago.

She clutched her chest, feeling ripples of emotion spread through her heart.

That night, once again, she couldn’t sleep.

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In the spring, dawn arrived earlier each day.

Du Wanchun, still groggy, felt as though she had just fallen asleep when daylight crept in.

A faint floral fragrance reached her nose, gently waking her up. She slowly got out of bed, put on her clothes, and stepped outside.

She found Madam Zhou busying herself with flowers and herbs.

Curious, Du Wanchun approached and asked, “Mother, what are you doing?”

Madam Zhou smiled and replied, “I just picked these flowers from the mountain. I’m going to make fragrant dew with them.”

Du Wanchun’s eyes lit up. “Mother, can these flowers really be used to make fragrant dew?”

Madam Zhou nodded. “Yes, they can. But I didn’t pick very many. It would be even better if we had more.”

Du Wanchun picked up a flower, took a deep breath of its delicate scent, and smiled. “Mother, I’ll go with you to pick more later.”

Madam Zhou turned around and brought out the corn cakes she had prepared earlier, smiling warmly. “You should eat breakfast first.”

Du Wanchun took the cake and glanced toward the house. “Where is my husband?”

Madam Zhou looked toward the backyard and replied, “Ruiyuan is chopping firewood in the back.”

Then, she glanced outside and added, “Zhao’er took Feng’er to the fields.”

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something. “Wanchun, your stepmother has given birth.”

Du Wanchun was slightly surprised. “We were just there yesterday, and she hadn’t given birth yet.”

Madam Zhou lowered her voice and said, “She gave birth after you left yesterday. I heard from the villagers that it was a girl… and she was born with six fingers.”

Du Wanchun sighed. “My father has always wanted a son. Looks like he’ll be disappointed.”

“More than just disappointed—he was so angry that he handed the baby over to your eldest aunt to raise,” Madam Zhou said, furrowing her brows in disapproval of Du Dajiang’s actions.

“It’s his own child. How could he be so heartless?” She shook her head and got up, placing the gathered flowers into a basket beside her.

Du Wanchun quickly finished her corn cake, took a basket from the backyard, and followed Madam Zhou up the mountain.

Changliu Village’s mountains weren’t very high—just a series of small hills—but the dense forest was home to wild animals, making it a place few dared to venture.

On their way up, they ran into members of the Meng family.

The Mengs were well-known gentry in the village, owning dozens of acres of fertile land and a grand residence.

A couple of years ago, Master Meng had met Madam Zhou once and had been fixated on making her his concubine ever since.

Meng’s wife, Madam Meng, was an illiterate village woman but strong-willed. When she heard about her husband’s intentions, she caused a massive scene at Madam Zhou’s house—crying, yelling, and even threatening to take her own life—turning their household into chaos.

Madam Zhou had never considered becoming anyone’s concubine. She only wanted to live an honest life and raise her three sons. So, she firmly refused.

Master Meng, however, refused to let go of the idea. It wasn’t until Madam Zhou threatened to take her own life that he finally gave up.

Although the matter had passed, she had earned the resentment of both Madam Meng and Master Meng.

Since then, the two of them had taken every opportunity to cause trouble for the Zhou family, making life in Changliu Village difficult for them.

Master Meng and Madam Meng were returning from their daughter’s home when they spotted Madam Zhou. Master Meng pulled on the reins and called out, “Madam Zhou, where are you off to?”

Madam Zhou ignored them, pulling Du Wanchun along as they quickened their pace.

From inside the carriage, Madam Meng let out a cold snort. “Hmph! Just because she has a pretty face, she thinks she’s something special? She’s still just a widow—what’s there to be so smug about?”

Master Meng, sitting beside her, didn’t dare to speak.

Madam Meng kicked him. “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go!”

Master Meng quickly tugged at the reins and drove the carriage forward.

As they approached the Zhou family’s farmland, they suddenly came to a stop.

Madam Meng poked her head out and said, “Old man, I heard from the Chen family that they returned this land to the Zhous. Come on, let’s see what they’ve planted in the fields.”