Chapter 44

Because she was so preoccupied with this, she didn’t pay much attention to what Lu Chen had been doing that evening until she heard a series of complaints and angry grumbling from Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua’s room.

“What’s that brat’s problem?”

“He’s doing it on purpose.”

“I also want to eat meat!” and so on.

It was only then that Meng Yinyin regained her composure and focused on the table.

There were several dishes laid out: fish, meat, eggs, and pickled vegetables. The spread was definitely fit for a festive occasion.

Not only that, the food smelled incredibly delicious.

No wonder Jiang Guihua was so furious in the room.

Meng Yinyin glanced at the feast on the table, then slowly shifted her gaze to Lu Chen’s face.

She felt that she had reasonable reasons to suspect that Lu Chen had done these things on purpose, deliberately to anger Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua.

However, she was overthinking it. After resolving the issue with Lu Dashan earlier in the day, Lu Chen had completely stopped caring about those two and wasn’t going to waste his time on such things.

The reason he made this elaborate dinner tonight was simply because he felt today was a good day and wanted to celebrate.

As for the fact that he accidentally angered Jiang Guihua and Lu Dashan again, it was really an unintentional act.

However, seeing Meng Yinyin’s small, sly smile, it seemed as if she was silently praising him for a job well done.

Lu Chen: “…”

Forget it. He decided it was better not to explain.

Soon, the three of them sat at the table, and the things that Meng Yinyin had managed to ignore came to her mind again.

She remembered what her brother had said to her that afternoon.

But no matter how she looked at either Lu Chen or her brother, she couldn’t figure out anything from their expressions. Their calm faces made it seem as if they hadn’t been discussing anything important at all.

Could it be that they were just pretending?

Meng Yinyin felt a bit dissatisfied. These two were being so unfair—she was the only one feeling nervous!

Alright, if they wanted to act aloof and calm, then fine. She would act the same way!

In the next moment, Meng Yinyin also put on a composed expression, taking the principle of “no talking while eating, no talking before sleep” to an extreme. She didn’t even take her eyes off her bowl and chopsticks.

The two men at the table, accustomed to hearing her chatter during meals, found it strange and couldn’t help but glance at her.

They saw Meng Yinyin with a serious face, as if she were holding her breath, and the food on the table had turned into enemies.

Seeing this, Lu Chen couldn’t help but feel a little worried.

As for Meng Xuan, he wasn’t concerned at all; in fact, he thought his little sister was just being a brat.

“Meng Yinyin, eat properly. What’s with the long face? Who owes you money?”

This girl, throwing a tantrum at the worst time.

He had planned to talk to Lu Chen about their matters during the meal, but with her acting this way, he didn’t know how to start.

He was afraid that if he spoke up, Lu Chen might think he, as her older brother, was trying to force her into marriage.

And honestly, with her constantly throwing tantrums, Meng Xuan had already started worrying for Lu Chen.

Meng Xuan: “…”

So, he decided to give up for the moment and wait for a better time to bring it up with Lu Chen.

But what neither he nor Meng Yinyin had expected was that just as Meng Xuan was about to find another opportunity, Lu Chen took the initiative first.

After the meal, when Meng Yinyin had gone back to her room, Lu Chen went to find Meng Xuan.

He packed up everything and went to the new yard next door. He happened to meet Meng Xuan who was about to take a shower. After hesitating for a moment, he stopped him.

“Comrade Meng.”

Meng Xuan, who had been thinking about when to get both Lu Chen and Meng Yinyin together to talk about their matters, turned at the sound of Lu Chen’s voice.

He turned around and saw Lu Chen standing in the yard.

It was dark, but the bright moonlight illuminated Lu Chen’s features, clearly revealing the tension and unease in his eyes.

Tension…?

Realizing that Lu Chen probably had something important to tell him, Meng Xuan immediately postponed his plan to shower and walked over to him.

“What’s the matter? Is there something you haven’t handled yet?”

He instinctively thought that Lu Chen had come to him because there was still some unresolved issue with Lu Dashan’s family, or maybe something was missing.

As the person responsible for the matter, he felt it was only right to sort things out.

Lu Chen nodded without denying it.

“Yes, there’s another matter.”

Meng Xuan’s expression immediately became serious.

“Tell me. What else do you need? I’ll go…”

He intended to say he would communicate with Lu Dashan, but before he could finish his sentence, Lu Chen spoke up first.

“Comrade Meng, I want to ask for Educated Youth Meng’s hand in marriage.”

Meng Xuan: “…”

For a moment, everything around them seemed silent, and Meng Xuan stood frozen, speechless for a long time.

He hadn’t expected Lu Chen to bring up this topic.

And what surprised him even more was that this was a topic he had intended to raise, but Lu Chen had already brought it up first.

Meng Xuan wasn’t against it, of course. After all, he had asked Meng Yinyin about her feelings that afternoon and knew she didn’t dislike Lu Chen. What surprised him was that Lu Chen had spoken first, and he didn’t know how to respond at that moment.

However, his silence was misunderstood by Lu Chen, who thought he was unwilling to agree.

This made Lu Chen even more anxious.

“Comrade Meng, I know my status and conditions don’t match up to Educated Youth Meng, but I am sincere. I will always cherish her, protect her, and never let her suffer.”

“I swear that if I ever do anything to hurt her, I will be struck by five bolts of lightning and will never die a peaceful death!”

Though vows are often unreliable, Lu Chen spoke with such sincerity that they carried great weight in his heart. He had always been someone who kept his word.

And as a man, Meng Xuan could tell just how serious Lu Chen was when he made that statement.

Of course, Lu Chen knew that if he truly wronged Meng Yinyin, Meng Xuan, as her older brother, would never let him off the hook.

Both of them understood this, so Lu Chen, knowing full well, had made this vow.

Meng Xuan was satisfied with his response.

He was just about to open his mouth to give his approval when he caught sight of a crack in the door of a room behind Lu Chen.

That room happened to be Meng Yinyin’s room.

This girl…

Meng Xuan couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. He then changed the topic and deliberately put on a puzzled expression, asking Lu Chen.

“Let’s put that aside for now. Let me ask you, what do you like about her?”

“Or do you just like her because she’s pretty?”

At first glance, this seemed like a simple question, but upon further thought, it was full of traps.

If he said he liked Meng Yinyin for reasons other than her appearance, it would mean denying her beauty. After all, she was famous for being beautiful. If Lu Chen dared to say he wasn’t attracted by her looks, not only would he be denying Meng Yinyin’s beauty, but it would also indirectly expose his lie.

On the other hand, if he admitted it was because of her looks, he would be labeled as shallow.

Behind the door, Meng Yinyin almost gritted her teeth in frustration when she heard her brother’s question.

What is this about? Is he deliberately making things difficult for Lu Chen?

Ahem, although she was also curious about what exactly Lu Chen liked about her…

After thinking it through carefully, Meng Yinyin grew more anxious.

Because she realized that during the time she had spent with Lu Chen, she had mostly been pampered, lazy, and bossy. Her attitude toward him had been more like a young lady ordering a servant around!

Unless Lu Chen had a masochistic tendency.

Otherwise, the only thing that could attract him seemed to be her good looks.

This thought sent a chill down her spine!

Meng Yinyin was getting nervous, absentmindedly nibbling on her finger.

Just as she regretted not having had the chance to show Lu Chen the other good qualities hidden in her character, Lu Chen’s voice slowly rang out from the courtyard.

“She is indeed very beautiful.”

To be honest, she was more beautiful than anyone Lu Chen had ever seen in his twenty-plus years.

“Comrade Meng, I’m just an ordinary man. I admit, I was stunned by Educated Youth Meng’s face.”

But that was all.

After all, at that time, Meng Yinyin had been just a stranger to him. No matter how beautiful she was, it had nothing to do with him. He only glanced at her before looking away.

When Meng Xuan and Meng Yinyin heard him admit her beauty, their reactions were completely opposite.

Meng Xuan thought Lu Chen was honest and nodded in approval of his answer.

But Meng Yinyin, biting her finger, almost cried.

Sobbing, she realized that in the end, all she had was her face!

“But, what truly attracted me to her wasn’t her appearance.”

Lu Chen seemed to think of something, and a faint smile slowly spread across his face.

“She is actually a very interesting, lively, and passionate girl…”

Then, Lu Chen shared how, despite his initial resistance to Meng Yinyin, her persistent warmth had slowly opened his heart.

He wasn’t used to sharing his inner world with others, but since this person was Meng Xuan, her older brother, he felt he had to let him know his thoughts, to reassure Meng Xuan.

Behind the door, Meng Yinyin, hearing this, realized for the first time how much Lu Chen had resisted her in the early days of their acquaintance.

She had thought he was just cold by nature, indifferent to everyone, but it turned out he had genuinely been avoiding her.

Meng Yinyin felt like her heart was breaking, but then she heard Lu Chen say that he could no longer ignore her and that he couldn’t accept not seeing her. She didn’t even realize how long she had been smiling with joy.

It seemed Lu Chen truly loved her deeply. He even found her little quirks cute, and he believed her laziness was because she had never worked before, and that she wouldn’t need to in the future.

In his eyes, everything about her was beautiful. She was like the moon in the sky, having accidentally fallen to the earth, and he was willing to guard this beauty with all his heart.

Meng Xuan: “…”

After hearing all of that, he really wanted to ask, “Are you sure the person you’re talking about is my sister and not someone else?”

He had no idea her bad temper could be explained away so grandly.

But seeing how sincere and serious Lu Chen looked while speaking, Meng Xuan held back from making any remarks that would ruin the moment.

Still, at that moment, he couldn’t stop himself from silently warning himself.

He would never become a man like Lu Chen, completely captivated by a woman.

It was simply too frightening!

Just thinking about becoming a “wife-controlled” man like Lu Chen made Meng Xuan feel he couldn’t accept it.

But he hadn’t even made any progress in his own love life yet, so thinking too much about it was premature.

Meng Xuan quickly cleared his mind. He was generally satisfied with Lu Chen’s answer and then glanced behind him, calling out.

“Alright, I’ve heard enough. Come out and tell me if you agree.”

Lu Chen suddenly stiffened when he heard this.

Clearly, he had realized who Meng Xuan was talking to.

Inside the room, Meng Yinyin was startled by her brother’s voice. She couldn’t help but curse him silently, but her excitement and joy quickly took over. She didn’t hesitate, opening the door and walking out.

The moment she stepped into the yard, Lu Chen turned to look at her.

At first, Meng Yinyin wasn’t nervous, but being watched by Lu Chen, she suddenly became shy.

“Educated Youth Meng…”

Lu Chen hadn’t expected his confession to be overheard by Meng Yinyin, and for once, he seemed at a loss for words. Thankfully, the moonlight covered his red ears.

When Meng Yinyin heard how he addressed her, the shyness disappeared in an instant. She couldn’t help but look up, clearly annoyed, and said, “Why are you still calling me ‘Educated Youth Meng’!”

“Educated Youth Meng, Educated Youth Meng,” she thought, “Even the people from the Educated Youth point call me more familiarly than this!”

Seeing her reaction, Lu Chen understood her feelings. His eyes suddenly lit up, and the joy in his heart nearly burst out. He had to suppress the urge to run around in excitement. He looked at Meng Yinyin with eager eyes and softly called her name.

“Mm, Yinyin.”

Meng Yinyin had heard many people call her “Yinyin” before. Logically, she should be used to the name, but when it was spoken by Lu Chen, it felt like she was hearing it for the first time. It sounded so sweet.

“Yinyin, Yinyin.”

How affectionate, how gentle.

The two of them exchanged shy glances under the moonlight. Meng Xuan shook his head silently and left.

…

The relationship between Meng Yinyin and Lu Chen was now clear. Even though they didn’t say anything particularly sweet, they both understood their feelings. As for Meng Xuan, with the two major matters resolved, he was preparing to leave for the army.

He wasn’t the type to procrastinate. After pulling Lu Chen aside and making sure he promised not to touch Meng Yinyin before marriage, and that they would need the consent of both their parents for marriage, he left contentedly.

Meng Xuan left early that day. He specifically told Meng Yinyin and Lu Chen not to send him off, so they wouldn’t have to deal with the crying Meng Yinyin later.

Meng Yinyin didn’t realize her brother had left until after she woke up. She was immediately upset and felt wronged, thinking her brother was too much.

But after a while, when she had a bowl of shrimp porridge that Lu Chen had specially made for her, her anger melted away.

It had been raining for the past two days, and the rain was quite heavy. Some of the embankments were washed away, and the water from upstream had swept down. Lu Chen had unknowingly caught a few fish and some small shrimp.

He had originally planned to take the small shrimp back to feed the fish, hoping to keep them alive a bit longer, but Meng Yinyin had her eye on them. She said she wanted to drink shrimp porridge.

Seeing her craving, Lu Chen couldn’t refuse. Although he wasn’t good at cooking, he still made a porridge that looked somewhat like what she described.

Meng Yinyin was thrilled with the porridge.

While eating, she couldn’t help but glance at Lu Chen. She felt that today, she seemed even more satisfied with him and liked him just a little bit more.

Perhaps, in a few days, she could write a letter to her parents?

Before Meng Xuan left, he had finally given Meng Yinyin the address of their parents’ farm. He made it very clear that unless it was very important, she shouldn’t contact them recklessly.

After all, Meng Yinyin had been separated from them for a long time, and they didn’t want her to be caught by someone looking into her background.

Meng Yinyin understood this and wouldn’t contact them unless necessary.

However, if it was about marriage, maybe that would count as important?