By then, Lu Qingyuan was already preparing breakfast with her two sisters-in-law.

Father Lu and the sons were cleaning the yard and the chicken coop.

Though it hadn’t rained much the night before, the wind had been strong.

There were a few trees outside the courtyard, and the wind had blown fallen leaves into the yard. If they weren’t cleaned up in the morning, they would be scattered everywhere once people started moving around, making the place look untidy.

Seeing his eldest uncle sweeping the yard, Lu Qingguo immediately picked up a broom to help.

The courtyard was shared by three families, and keeping it clean was everyone’s responsibility.

Once the family members had left for work, Lu Qingyuan carried out the laundry to wash.

She was only responsible for washing clothes for herself, Grandma Lu, and her two young nephews.

Jiasheng and Lusheng, knowing that Shu Beiqiu was coming again today, kept running to the entrance to check.

“Why isn’t he here yet?”

After peeking out a few times without seeing anyone, Lusheng looked disappointed.

“You really want him to come?”

Grandma Lu, sitting at the entrance of the main house, smiled as she asked her great-grandson.

“If he comes, we’ll get to eat lots of delicious food,” Lusheng thought of the meals from yesterday and smacked his lips.

Lu Qingyuan, hanging up the laundry, couldn’t help but laugh. “What if we eat the same as usual when he comes? Would you still want him to come?”

Lusheng fell silent.

Jiasheng, however, said, “I still want Uncle Shu to come. He’s so tall! When he lifts me up, I can see over the courtyard wall!”

“Me too! Me too!”

Lusheng strongly agreed, waving his little hands. “I want to grow as tall as Uncle Shu!”

“Then you both need to eat more,” Grandma Lu took the opportunity to encourage them.

“We will! We eat everything!”

Lusheng declared that they weren’t picky eaters at all.

“I’ll go check again,” Jiasheng couldn’t wait any longer and ran out again.

“Brother, wait for me!”

Lusheng hurriedly followed.

Seeing that he nearly tripped, Grandma Lu quickly called out, “Slow down!”

The two little boys soon disappeared from sight.

“Grandma, let me push you to the courtyard to enjoy the sun. The weather is really nice today.”

After washing and rinsing the basin and wooden bucket, Lu Qingyuan placed them neatly against the wall. She wiped her hands and smiled at Grandma Lu.

“Move the chair down. I’ll walk over slowly myself.” Grandma Lu agreed that the weather was good. She got up slowly, picked up the cane leaning against the wall, and walked toward the courtyard at her own pace.

It was only a few steps, but for Grandma Lu, it took several minutes.

When she was sitting or lying down, she just looked like an elderly woman whose complexion wasn’t great due to illness.

But when she walked, her age truly showed. She swayed with every step, yet she insisted on walking on her own, refusing Lu Qingyuan’s support.

Lu Qingyuan could only follow closely behind her until they reached the chair. Then, she quickly reached out to help the stubborn old lady sit down.

“This is nice.”

Grandma Lu leaned back comfortably, letting the sunlight warm her body. “So nice.”

Lu Qingyuan lowered her eyes, hiding the sadness in them. “I’ll go get you some water.”

“Alright.”

Grandma Lu replied with a smile.

Lu Qingyuan returned with an enamel cup filled with warm water and added a little sugar before bringing it over.

She came out carrying a wooden stool in one hand and an enamel cup in the other.

After placing the wooden stool beside the chair, Grandma Lu took a sip of the sweet water and casually set the enamel cup on the stool.

“He’s here! The tall uncle is here!”

Lu Qingyuan was squatting in the corner of the courtyard, tending to the orchids, when Lusheng ran inside with a bright smile and shouted.

“The tall uncle? You should call him Uncle Shu.”

Grandma Lu, who had been dozing off, was startled awake by her little great-grandson and immediately corrected his way of addressing him.

“But—” Lusheng hesitated, pinching his lips before releasing them and saying loudly, “Uncle Shu sounds so weird. It feels like I’m calling three uncles at once.”

“Now that you mention it,” a laugh came from the entrance, “it does sound that way. Then just call me Tall Uncle.”

“Great-Grandma, did you hear that? It’s not that I wanted to call him that. Tall Uncle told me to!”

Lusheng ran to the chair, hugging Grandma Lu’s arm. Even with her thick cotton-padded jacket, she still didn’t look bulky.

“Xiao Shu, you spoil the children too much.”

Seeing Shu Beiqiu, Grandma Lu immediately perked up and warmly invited him inside.

“Jiasheng and Lusheng knew you were coming. They’ve already gone out several times to check,” Lu Qingyuan said, standing still because her hands were covered in dirt and she couldn’t help put down the bamboo basket.

Shu Beiqiu placed the bamboo basket under the eaves. “Jiasheng and Lusheng told me. I went to dig some bamboo shoots this morning, so I came a little late.”

“You’re too polite. Next time, don’t bring anything.”

Grandma Lu chuckled.

“It’s nothing valuable. Grandma, don’t be so formal with me.”

Shu Beiqiu placed the chess manual he brought on the table in the main hall. After hearing Lu Qingyuan mention the tea on the table, he picked up the cup and took a few sips before heading outside to help her clear the weeds in the orchid pots.

“These orchids have excellent form.”

“My father and Third Uncle dug them up from the mountains,” Lu Qingyuan said, noticing how skillfully he worked. She couldn’t help but ask, “Do you take care of plants often?”

“Yeah, I have a lot at home. You should come over and take a look sometime.”

Shu Beiqiu smiled.

“Alright.”

Lu Qingyuan didn’t hesitate and nodded directly.

Grandma Lu leaned against the bamboo chair, watching the young pair chat with a gentle smile.

Jiasheng and Lusheng were busy taking out the bamboo shoots from the basket and placing them in a bamboo sieve to dry. They looked quite serious about their task.

“Stay for lunch,” Lu Qingyuan said as she and Shu Beiqiu washed their hands. She leaned slightly toward him and added in a low voice, “Father and Mother already know you’re coming and told me to make sure you stay.”

Shu Beiqiu hadn’t planned on staying, but before leaving home, his parents had told him that if Qingyuan invited him, he shouldn’t pretend to refuse.

After all, he only got a few days off each month. How many chances would he get to spend time with his fiancée?

If he could stay longer, he should.

So he nodded. “Alright, then let me cook. You can taste my cooking skills.”

“Okay, I’ll help you.”

Lu Qingyuan was a little surprised and glanced at him. When she saw his gentle smile, she couldn’t help but smile back. Unknowingly, they stood closer together.

Shu Beiqiu brought over a basket full of bamboo shoots, and Lu Qingyuan divided them into three portions. Together, they carried one portion to Second Uncle Lu’s house and another to Third Uncle Lu’s house, leaving the last portion at home.

After that, she called Shu Beiqiu to the family’s private vegetable plot to pick some vegetables.

Grandma Lu reassured them, saying she would stay in the courtyard to sunbathe while also keeping an eye on the two little ones.

“Aunt! Can Lusheng and I peel the bamboo shoots?”

“Sure,” Lu Qingyuan nodded. “Just peel enough to fill half a porcelain basin.”

“Alright!”

Excited to have found a task, Jiasheng and Lusheng happily rolled up their sleeves and went to the kitchen to fetch a basin.

“This plot belongs to Second Uncle’s family, that one to Third Uncle’s,” Lu Qingyuan introduced while pointing at the vegetable patches. “The one in the middle is ours.”

“You’ve taken great care of it,” Shu Beiqiu praised.

Yesterday, when he arrived, he had already noticed how well-maintained these three plots were. They looked neat and even aesthetically pleasing, clearly the work of diligent people.