Chapter 9.2

Meng Yinyin muttered to herself, unsure of what to say in response to the enthusiastic Mother Wang, so she simply smiled and said, “Hello, congratulations!”

When in doubt, it’s always safe to say congratulations. After all, expressing good wishes at an event like this would never be wrong.

“Haha, thank you! You, Educated Youth Meng, have such a sweet tongue!”

Mother Wang was truly pleased with Meng Yinyin. Just looking at her made her mood lighter.

Meng Yinyin was inexplicably praised for her sweet words. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with what she said and even thought that Mother Wang had quite good taste.

But just then, Jiang Guihua’s voice suddenly came, deliberately sounding awkward.

“Educated Youth Meng, it’s not that I want to rush you off, but we still have a lot to tidy up. We probably won’t have time to entertain you, so why don’t you go back and rest for a while? You can come back later for lunch. That way, you won’t have to wait around here, haha.”

Jiang Guihua really couldn’t stand it anymore, especially when she heard Meng Yinyin say she came to visit as a guest, but had arrived empty-handed. She almost wanted to point at her nose and scold her for being so thick-skinned!

Although times were hard for everyone and people didn’t expect guests to bring gifts, out of courtesy, anyone who had any decency wouldn’t show up empty-handed. Things like homegrown vegetables or homemade pickles, though not valuable, still represented goodwill.

But Meng Yinyin had shown up with nothing!

Hadn’t her parents taught her that you shouldn’t visit someone’s home empty-handed?

So Jiang Guihua felt that Meng Yinyin had come early on purpose to avoid the attention of others, not wanting anyone to see that she came to visit without bringing anything. Such deep intentions!

Without thinking, she decided to send Meng Yinyin away first. She couldn’t let her just sit there and enjoy the meal for free!

If she wanted a free meal, she could come with the others at lunchtime when everyone would bring something, and then she could see how embarrassed she would be standing there empty-handed!

Of course, Meng Yinyin’s parents had taught her not to show up empty-handed when visiting someone’s home. But given her current circumstances, she couldn’t afford to bring anything valuable. The only thing she could offer, aside from money, was clothes.

She had also inquired and learned that it was inappropriate to give money when attending someone’s banquet, as it could lead to rumors that the host was making money off the event.

She couldn’t just give them her used clothes either. Not only would others think she was crazy, but she also couldn’t bear to part with them.

After considering everything, she didn’t want people to think she was freeloading, but she didn’t want to give clothes away either. So, she decided to come early and help out!

Helping was a form of contribution, making it perfectly reasonable for her to stay and eat.

So, when Jiang Guihua said that, Meng Yinyin put on a “You’re too kind, uncle and aunt” expression, waved her hand, and reassured them, “It’s fine, Aunt. I can take care of myself. You can just focus on your work.”

Jiang Guihua almost spat blood when she heard that.

Who was really worried about whether she could take care of herself? She was trying to send her away—couldn’t Meng Yinyin tell?

Seeing that Jiang Guihua’s expression was about to crack, Lu Dashan, afraid she might say something to spoil their good impression in front of the in-laws, shot her a glare. He quickly stepped forward to mediate.

“Haha, well, since Educated Youth Meng doesn’t mind, that’s great! How about you wander around the yard while we finish up?”

He really couldn’t be bothered with Meng Yinyin. If she wanted to stand there, let her stand. They still had plenty of work to do.

But just as he was about to turn back to his chores, he suddenly heard Meng Yinyin speak up.

“I’ll help out!”

Lu Dashan froze in surprise, not expecting her to offer to help.

Could it be that he and Jiang Guihua had misunderstood her? She wasn’t here to freeload after all?

Then, in the next second, Meng Yinyin looked around the yard, thoughtfully evaluating it. She then said seriously, “Uncle Lu, I think your table arrangement isn’t very efficient. You could save space by rearranging it. This way, not only will it be more focused, but it will also look better.”

Meng Yinyin made a few gestures in the air, but seeing that Lu Dashan and the others looked confused, she decided to step forward and rearrange the table herself.

However, as soon as she tried to move one of the tables, she awkwardly realized… she couldn’t move it.

But in the next second, the table suddenly lifted.

Meng Yinyin looked up in surprise to see Lu Chen standing in front of her, head lowered, both hands firmly lifting the table.

She marveled again at how strong Lu Chen was, but quickly realized he was helping her. She immediately said, “Place it here, tilt it a little.”

After Lu Chen placed the table as she instructed, he moved to the next one, and Meng Yinyin continued directing him on where to place the second table.

Finally, after the two worked together seamlessly and finished setting up the tables, Meng Yinyin smiled in satisfaction.

“See, doesn’t this look much better? When the newlyweds walk out from the center, everyone will be able to see them clearly, and the guests at the back won’t have their view blocked!”

Only then did Lu Dashan and the others come to their senses and hurriedly looked at the current table arrangement.

They were genuinely surprised, because when they rearranged the tables according to Meng Yinyin’s suggestions, it really did look better. A clear path was now in the middle, with the tables on both sides forming semi-circles. From a distance, it looked like a perfect circle, which symbolized “reunion” and perfectly matched the meaning of the wedding.

It was hard to tell, but this girl wasn’t just putting on a show. She had some skills.

Because everyone had focused their attention on arranging the table settings, they didn’t notice the unique, unspoken understanding between Meng Yinyin and Lu Chen.

Perhaps, even if they had noticed, they would have thought it was merely a coincidence.

After all, no matter how you looked at it, there was no way Lu Chen and Meng Yinyin could have any close relationship.

“How is it, Uncle Lu? Doesn’t this arrangement look much better?”

Meng Yinyin’s voice sounded again. Lu Dashan snapped back to reality and couldn’t lie to himself, so he said, “Educated Youth Meng really is a cultured person. You’ve got taste, haha.”

Meng Yinyin thought to herself that it had nothing to do with being cultured, she simply had good taste.

But of course, she wouldn’t say that out loud. She just smiled and said, “Then I’ll take a look at other areas for you. I’ll make sure the wedding venue looks beautiful and meaningful!”

With a sweep of her hand, she took over the task of designing the wedding setup.

Lu Dashan: “…”

What else could Lu Dashan say? She was so eager to help, and she was doing a great job. He couldn’t possibly stop her from doing it, could he?

In the end, he could only reluctantly take Jiang Guihua to the house to deal with other matters.

The Wang couple had only come over to deliver some meat to the Lu family, so that they wouldn’t run out of food when the big meal was served at noon. They also had to hurry back to town to prepare for the upcoming wedding procession.

As a result, Mother Wang reluctantly stole a few glances at Meng Yinyin before leaving with Father Wang on their bicycle.

However, before they left, she couldn’t resist telling Meng Yinyin, “Educated Youth Meng, we’ll see each other at noon. After we’re done with the preparations, don’t leave right away. I have something to talk to you about, okay?”

Meng Yinyin didn’t understand. They’d just met, so why would she need to talk to her about something, especially in such a mysterious way? Still, she nodded and agreed.

Seeing this, Mother Wang left in peace.

After they left, Meng Yinyin stopped her “grand tour” of the yard, glanced at Lu Chen, raised an eyebrow, and silently conveyed with her eyes, “See, I’m good, right?”

Without much effort, she had handled Lu Dashan and Jiang Guihua!

She could talk her way through anything—thanks to her silver tongue!

Her playful look made Lu Chen’s lips twitch, pulling them into what could be described as a faint smile.

Lowering his head, Lu Chen habitually hid his expression, but in his mind, he couldn’t help but think: she’s really smart and capable.

After successfully staying on by using the “wedding design” excuse, Meng Yinyin, of course, didn’t intend to actually do any more work. So, for the rest of the time, she pretended to be serious while inspecting the arrangements, but in reality, she was just taking it easy.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen continued to help Lu Dashan and the others while keeping her company.

The morning passed quickly. Around 10:30, several young girls entered the yard. They had been laughing and chatting one moment, but as soon as they saw Lu Chen, they immediately fell silent. They lowered their heads and hurried through the yard, heading toward the bride’s room.

Meng Yinyin, standing in the corner, didn’t notice them, as they were all looking down.

However, she noticed their sudden change in demeanor and realized it was all because of Lu Chen’s presence.

At that moment, Meng Yinyin felt a bit uncomfortable. It was a strange, heavy feeling, and it even made her a little sad.

Though she had known that Lu Chen was disliked and even hated by many in the brigade, knowing it was one thing, but seeing it firsthand was another.

Instinctively, she turned around, wanting to comfort Lu Chen and tell him it was the others who were in the wrong, not to be upset. But when she looked at him, she saw that his expression hadn’t changed at all. It was as if he hadn’t noticed the girls’ attitude.

When she turned to look at him, Lu Chen appeared confused, as if he was silently asking her what was wrong. He seemed a little dazed.

For some reason, seeing that Lu Chen wasn’t bothered by the girls’ behavior, Meng Yinyin couldn’t help but smile. It seemed that sometimes, being a little oblivious could be a good thing, because it meant he wouldn’t be hurt by their malice.

After the girls came in, other guests began to arrive at the Lu family’s house. Meng Yinyin saw that the time was right, so she quickly rushed to her chosen spot and sat down. She stared intently at every guest who came in.

The success or failure of the event depended on this moment, and she couldn’t afford to miss the opportunity!

Lu Chen, noticing that she was watching the door without blinking, instinctively glanced over himself, only to see nothing unusual at the entrance.

So, was she watching the guests arriving?

But she didn’t know any of them. What was there to look at?

Lu Chen furrowed his brows, feeling an odd sense of unease. What exactly was Meng Yinyin watching?