Chapter 23: Increasing Schemes

When Shuxin arrived at the village, it happened to be the time when the workers were finishing up, so there were quite a few people around.

The villagers of Liulin Brigade saw the second girl of the Liu family riding a brand-new bicycle, with meat and snacks hanging from both sides of the front, and a large package being pulled behind, heading toward the village.

Everyone swarmed over like cats sensing fish, each person pulling at Shuxin and asking questions. Shuxin took advantage of her strength to push through, answering them while making her way to the Liu family.

Someone had already gone to inform the Liu family. Luo Yue was with Grandma Liu, helping to cut pigweed. When he heard the news that Shuxin was back, he immediately ran with Grandma Liu toward Liu’s home.

Thinking about how long it had been since he last saw her, Luo Yue’s heart raced with excitement. They had just confirmed their relationship not long ago, and Shuxin had gone out for almost half a month. Now she was finally back!

So when Shuxin, escorted by the villagers, arrived at the entrance of the Liu family’s home, not only did she see her excited family, but she also collected a good-looking little husband along the way.

Before the Liu family could step forward, a shadow darted past them, rushing forward and plunging into Shuxin’s arms. It rubbed against her neck while sweetly whining, “Xinxin, you’re back! Yueyue missed you so much. You’ve been away for so long; did you miss me?”

With Shuxin’s agility, it was easy for her to dodge him, but once she saw who it was, she deliberately halted her steps to let him crash into her embrace.

The villagers of the Liu family and the members of the Liulin Brigade watched as this typically effeminate man leaped into Shuxin’s arms, acting all spoiled and sweet.

“Ew—gross!” A chill ran down her spine, and goosebumps sprang up all over her body!

The older women couldn’t help but think if a woman behaved this way, they would label her a seductress. But what were they to say when the situation was reversed, with a man acting like this? They sought understanding.

Of course, Luo Yue was well aware of their expressions; he was doing it on purpose to assert his claim before the village peers. This was his wife, and he wouldn’t let anyone else try to steal her away—no way! Hmph!

Shuxin knew exactly what this spoiled guy in her arms was up to but chose not to expose his little tricks. She gently comforted him and then held his hand as they walked into the Liu family yard.

The Liu family members behind them all had stiff faces and blank expressions, utterly taken aback by this bizarre situation. They never thought someone like Luo Yue could exist, acting without a hint of embarrassment—he was more shameless than any woman.

The villagers outside noted the expressions of the Liu family and began to murmur among themselves, feeling sympathetic toward them. Who would have thought that the fierce second girl of the Liu family would end up with such a difficult man? If he were in their family, they would also feel stifled.

“When Luo Yue first came to the village, I thought he was good-looking; apart from being weak, he was quite alright. But ever since he got together with Shuxin, he’s changed completely. Now he’s all soft and sensitive; I’m afraid that just speaking loudly might scare him!”

“Haha, what’s so hard to understand? He was never cared for before, but now that he has Shuxin as his support, he naturally lets down his guard and acts spoiled.”

“Or maybe it’s that Shuxin is capable; no one else could manage Luo, the educated youth, like this. I remember he would waver carrying something; it was Liu Jianguo who couldn’t bear to see him like that and helped him out.”

“Isn’t that right? In our rural village, we don’t usually accept son-in-laws like him. Only with someone like the Liu girl, who has a job, would it be acceptable. If I were in her shoes, I might also go for a guy like Luo. He’s handsome enough! Even on his first day of work, he cried from exhaustion; what a pretty cry. If I could be with him, I’d get an extra bowl of rice every day.”

Hearing the villagers’ discussions, the Liu family members also wanted to ask why Shuxin had chosen him. Shuxin’s own brother grumbled, “Damn, I knew this pretty boy wasn’t up to any good. How shameless!”

As soon as the Liu family entered the house, they saw that little darling with a sweet face happily eating snacks. Shuxin was gently wiping crumbs from his face. Liu Jianguo, taking advantage of his young age, hugged Shuxin’s thigh and said he wanted some too.

The Liu family comforted themselves with the thought of “out of sight, out of mind.” After some mental rehearsals, they warmly pulled Shuxin in to ask about her experiences during this trip.

Shuxin repeated to them what she had told Huang Yao earlier, handing one of the bags to Grandma Liu to show her the gifts.

She then poured a cup of water and handed it to her little darling, Luo Yue. He took a sip and flashed her a sweet smile, saying in a soft voice, “Thank you.”

The Liu family couldn’t be bothered with the little darling anymore; they were all curious about the things she had brought back, and had already given up on correcting the situation.

Grandpa Liu and Grandma Liu received new clothes, Uncle Liu and Dad Liu got cigarettes and liquor, her mother and Auntie Liu got face towels and blankets, brothers received shoes, little brothers got toys, and her cousin received a red dress. Everyone had something!

Luo Yue didn’t feel envious at all, knowing he had a whole pocket of goodies himself. The fact that the entire family received only one pocket representing Shuxin’s affection for him made him feel special.

She asked Grandma to cook the meat she bought, and they could eat the seafood after she left. She took Luo Yue upstairs to her room.

After teasing her shy little darling for a bit, she finally asked him how he had been these days.

“Xinxin, can I eat at your home from now on? You have no idea how annoying they are! Whenever I eat something good, they’re all snarky about it.”

“And that Zhao Li—she’s so annoying! She keeps trying to trick me. Her two protectors are always causing me trouble, telling me not to upset her.”

Luo Yue, acting all spoiled, complained to Shuxin. They really had been causing him trouble, but he handled it all with clever tricks and managed to lure them into a trap. However, this didn’t interfere with his intention of winning Shuxin’s sympathy; not only did it make her feel sorry for him, but it also ruined their image in her eyes—a win-win situation.

This was something Shuxin didn’t know about, or else she would have said that she had a bad impression of them.

“Alright, I’ll tell Grandma later. When I come to bring you out, just move your food over, and you can start eating at the Liu family from tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, Xinxin! You’re the best!”

Shuxin thought for a moment and said, “As for the educated youth, if you can avoid them when I’m not around, please do so. If they get too much, just go to Grandma and them.”

“In two months, it will be the autumn harvest, and everyone will be busy. When winter comes, I’ll build a house nearby, and we can get married next spring. By then, we can move out. What do you think?”

Hearing this, Luo Yue was overjoyed. He immediately agreed and even gave Shuxin a hug. He knew that some people took years to get married, so Shuxin wanting to marry him so quickly must mean she loved him dearly.

Seeing him so happy made her glad too. She wasn’t a procrastinator; since she had decided to be with him, it didn’t matter whether they married sooner or later.

In the near future, she would repay her grandmother for the money for the car, then build a house, and later get married. She was still young and planned to wait until she was twenty to have children.

Speaking of marriage, after the autumn harvest, her cousin would have a wedding, and her older brother would also be looking for a partner. There was much to do! At that time, she would check with her grandmother to see if they should move out.