Chapter 25: The Old Lady Learns a New Phrase

Yu Jingjing rolled her eyes in her heart—why on earth was the old lady so interested in this phrase?

“Grandma, ‘wo cao~’ (我草~) is a particle for emphasis. The ‘cao’ here means grass, like green grass. Usually, this phrase is said when someone sees something exciting. It doesn’t really mean anything special.”

“I like it, I really like it. The sky is so blue today, wo cao~… is that what it means?”

“Ah, yes, yes, exactly.”

Unexpectedly, they ran into Gong Fanrui again. Gong Fanrui heard Yu Jingjing teaching the old lady that phrase and blushed deeply.

She immediately scolded Yu Jingjing: “Yu Zhiqing, how can you teach Grandma Lu such a phrase? You’re really improper.”

“You’re the one who’s improper. Some people’s hearts are just dirty no matter what they hear.”

Yu Jingjing was speechless—no matter where she went, she always ran into her.

Still holding the snake, Yu Jingjing wanted to quickly find a place to put it into her space bag. She said goodbye to Grandma Lu: “Grandma, I have to go now. Goodbye!”

“Alright, go ahead.”

Gong Fanrui warned Grandma Lu: “Grandma, now you see what kind of person Yu Zhiqing is. What she teaches you isn’t good stuff.”

But Grandma Lu didn’t listen to her, “I know little Yu Zhiqing wouldn’t harm me. Besides, I like that phrase. My mouth is on me, and I want to say it, so I will.”

The old lady looked at the distant mountains and the nearby trees.

“That mountain is so tall, wo cao~ That tree is so big, wo cao~ The sky is blue, the clouds are so white, wo cao~.” Gong Fanrui blushed hearing this, but the old lady was completely unfazed.

Riding the cow home, she said, “Why are those two kids fighting over there, wo cao~”

Seeing villagers from the same village rushing home, she asked, “Old Wang, why are you running so fast, wo cao~”

Old Wang was startled hearing her, but he didn’t catch the last two words clearly and replied, “My daughter-in-law is about to give birth, I’m going home to check.”

“About to give birth, wo cao~ I hope you get a big healthy boy, wo cao~ These flowers here are nice, wo cao~ That grass there is good too, wo cao~”

The old lady went “wo cao~” all the way home.

Opening the door, no one was inside: “Nobody’s home yet, wo cao~”

She tied the cow under the shed, washed her hands, and went to the kitchen to cook.

When she finished cooking, the rest of the family had also returned.

Her son, Lu Fengjiu, the team leader, was the first to enter. The old lady saw her son smiling happily, so she knew there was good news.

“Fengjiu, what’s making you so happy? Wo cao~”

Lu Fengjiu was about to tell her about the piglets growing well in the pigpen, but hearing the two words after “wo cao” from his mother, he blushed instantly.

“Mom, what did you just say?”

Grandma Lu looked at him with a serious face, “What did I say? I just asked what good news made you so happy, and you already look gloomy. Wo cao~”

She didn’t realize that she used that phrase unconsciously even when angry—she had taught herself.

The team leader was so embarrassed he blushed fully and lowered his head to go inside.

“There’s nothing. Nothing at all.”

“If there’s nothing, why do you go from happy to gloomy? You’re sick,” Grandma Lu scolded him once and was about to go back to the kitchen, but saw her daughter-in-law return and quickly asked, “Suping, how was the work in the field today? Were you tired? Wo cao~”

“Mom, what did you say?” Her daughter-in-law suspected she heard wrong. Was it really like that?

How could her mother-in-law say such things?

Grandma Lu was even more puzzled: “Why are you asking like that? Didn’t you hear me clearly? I said, ‘Did you feel tired, wo cao~’”

“Mom, please stop.” Her daughter-in-law turned red and went back to her room.

“Why are you all acting like this? Can’t you understand me? I’m not speaking alien language. Stop pretending,” Grandma Lu was frustrated and wanted to quit cooking, waving her ladle, “If it weren’t for the fact you all work so hard, I wouldn’t cook for you. Wo cao~”

“Grandma, is the food ready?” Lu Yunyang came back, looking radiant. Now that he liked a girl, he was happy every day.

Although, when he was near her, it felt like thousands of electric grids blocked him, making him extremely uncomfortable, but he believed his shyness and difficulties were temporary and that he would overcome them sooner or later.

“The food is just done, waiting for you all to eat. Look at my grandson so happy. Grandma just wants to see you all cheerful. Wo cao~ Grandma tells you, your dad and mom just suddenly turned gloomy. Wo cao~ Did I offend them somehow? Wo cao~ I didn’t say anything unpleasant. Wo cao~ I’m really depressed. Wo cao~”

The old lady kept saying “wo cao~” one after another, leaving Lu Yunyang dumbfounded.

Seeing the change in his third grandson’s expression, she asked, “Why did you also change your face? Wo cao~ Why are you all the same? What’s going on? Wo cao~”

Lu Yunyang hesitated a moment and asked Grandma Lu: “That phrase you say at the end, where did you learn it?”

Grandma Lu laughed: “What’s wrong? You think it’s interesting too? I like it a lot, wo cao~ cao~ cao~ cao~ cao~”

“Stop, stop, stop, Grandma, please don’t say it anymore.”

He was about to blush himself.

He really wondered if Grandma was an experienced woman?

“What’s wrong? Why can’t I say it? Wo cao~”

Lu Yunchuan and his wife, along with Lu Yunduo, came back. Lu Yunyang quickly gave Grandma Lu a calming gesture: “Grandma, don’t speak for now.” Afraid she’d say those two words again.

“Why can’t I talk? Wo cao~”

Lu Yunchuan and his wife were stunned. After two seconds, Lu Yunduo blushed and went to her room.

Xie Xiaomeng tugged Lu Yunchuan’s clothes and also lowered her head, going inside.

Grandma Lu was puzzled like never before: “What’s wrong? Why are you all like this?”

Lu Yunyang couldn’t help anymore and pulled Grandma Lu into the kitchen.

“Grandma, you have to tell me, who did you learn that phrase from?”

“What? What’s wrong? I… I don’t ‘cao’.” It really was that phrase causing trouble.

Little Yu Zhiqing shouldn’t have taught her something bad.

Lu Yunyang didn’t know how to explain it to his grandma, “Grandma, that phrase makes people blush. It’s a very taboo word. Who would say it outside the house?”

“No, you said that ‘cao’ means grass.” She thought no one understood anything.

“But people can misunderstand it. Don’t say it anymore.”

“I… fine, I won’t say it.” How are people supposed to talk if they’re not allowed to say anything?

“You still haven’t told me who you learned it from.” Who taught Grandma such a bad word, even an old lady isn’t spared?

Suddenly he thought of the village bachelors. Great, now all the attention is on his grandma.

This is step-by-step brainwashing: first get grandma on your side, then win her over completely.

“It’s…” Grandma Lu wanted to tell the truth, but since her grandson said the phrase was bad, if she said Yu Jingjing’s name, it would affect Yu Jingjing’s reputation.

But she truly believed Yu Jingjing was pure and good, and didn’t want to ruin her image.

It was these people who liked to misunderstand.

“I-I learned it by myself, no one taught me. I just dreamed it — dreamed of such a good word. It has nothing to do with anyone else.”

“Whether it has or not, I’ll find out.”

“What are you going to check? I-I’m not messing around anymore, no need to check. Okay, okay, let’s not talk about this. I have something serious to tell you. That—your second brother, he really hasn’t found a wife yet; he’s still on his own.”

Soon, the whole family knew.

Mother Lu asked, “Did he say if he’d come back to see anyone?”

“I didn’t bring it up. I’m afraid if I say it, he’ll get scared and not come back.”

“So what now? Still need someone to set him up?”

“We’ll see.”

At this moment, Lu Yunyang stepped forward, “Grandma, Mom, you’ve been worried about second brother finding a match because you want grandchildren, even great-grandchildren, right? I now have someone I’m pursuing. After I get married, I’ll give you ten or eight kids so many you won’t even know what to do with them.”

Grandma Lu shot him a glance, “Ten or eight? Unless you marry the old sow in the pigpen, how can you have that many?”

“Grandma, even one or two would be fine.”

“Ah, you guys haven’t even started yet; it’s too early to talk about that. Let’s wait for Yunxiao to come back and see how it goes. Maybe when he sees one of our girls here, he’ll want to marry.”

“Alright, let’s leave it at that for now.”

Gong Fanrui thought about the new word Yu Jingjing taught Grandma Lu. Why not use this chance to tell on Yu Jingjing and make her look bad?

But she didn’t want to face the captain herself — she wanted to keep her dignity — so she told Jiang Wan. Jiang Wan shamelessly went and told Fang Haoyu, who blushed after hearing it. At Jiang Wan’s urging, Fang Haoyu went to talk to the captain, who then understood why his mom said that word.

But he was embarrassed to confront Yu Jingjing and went back to his mom. Grandma Lu firmly denied that Yu Jingjing taught her, saying someone was framing Yu Jingjing.

The captain then went back to Fang Haoyu. Not wanting Jiang Wan to get criticized, Fang Haoyu took all the blame himself.

A few days later, Lu Yunxiao really returned home, carrying two bags, one big and one small. Because he didn’t tell the family when he boarded the train, they didn’t know exactly when he would be back.

Luckily, it wasn’t working hours. After lunch, everyone was resting at home, and he came straight in.

Grandma Lu lay in her recliner and, seeing a handsome young man enter, squinted lazily and said, “Whose young man is this? Wrong door?”

Lu Yunxiao frowned slightly, then smiled, “Grandma, don’t you recognize me? I’m your grandson.”

Grandma Lu smiled, got up from the chair, and patted his stiff arm.

“Oh, you really came back.”

“Grandma, you really didn’t recognize me just now?”

“I did. How could I not? I was just pretending. As soon as you came in, I saw it. Come here and let grandma look at you properly. You haven’t been home for three years. Oh, you’ve gotten stronger but your face is darker. Still more handsome than before.”

The old lady was overjoyed — her grandson suddenly returning was the greatest surprise, and tears quietly flowed from her eyes.

“Grandma.”

Lu Yunxiao’s fingertips were rough, so he wiped her eyes gently with the back of his hand.

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing. Grandma is just too happy. You’ve been gone for three years doing such a dangerous job; it’s hard not to worry.”

Suddenly, Lu Yunxiao felt sorry for his family, “Grandma, I’ll try to come back to see you all more often.”

The people inside heard the voices and came out.

Lu Yunyang punched Lu Yunxiao’s chest hard, making his knuckles ache.

“Second brother, when you left last time you were like a brick; now you’re more like a rock.”

Lu Yunduo’s first thing was to use second brother as a measuring stick, “Second brother, I’m already as tall as your chest now.”

“When I left last time, you were just at my waist. You’ve grown a lot.”

“But it looks like you won’t grow anymore.”

“You’re sixteen now. You want to grow until you’re sixty?” Lu Yunyang’s words weren’t very pleasant, and Lu Yunduo snorted.

Mother Lu hurried over to look at her son, “You’re a bit thinner than before but much stronger.”

Lu Yunchuan and Xie Xiaomeng also came out to greet Lu Yunxiao.

Lu Yunxiao cared most about his often sick mother, “Mom, how are you now?”

“Mom’s fine. Oh right, mom told you, our brigade got a new young educated person who said she can cure my root illness. She’s been treating me for a few days, and I can already feel it working.”

“We definitely have to thank her properly.”

“Yes, definitely.”

At this, Lu Yunyang put Lu Yunxiao on his arm, “Brother, do you want to know what relation that young educated person has with our family?”

“What relation? Besides being our savior, I’m not interested.”

“Third brother is pursuing Sister Yu,” Lu Yunyang said.

Lu Yunxiao looked at Lu Yunyang, “Oh, you also have someone you’re chasing.”

“Yeah.” Lu Yunyang seemed a bit proud — this was probably the only thing he could brag about to the lifelong bachelor Lu Yunxiao, “Second brother, sorry, you haven’t found someone, and I already did.”

“No problem. I’m not planning to marry anyway. You found someone, so you can officially take over part of the family’s legacy. I’m happy for you. By the way, what’s with your philtrum?”

There were many marks like scratches, some deep, some shallow. The deeper ones looked like they had bled; the whole philtrum almost looked crushed.

“Oh, that? Chasing a girl,” Lu Yunyang chuckled.

Grandma Lu no longer wanted to pressure Lu Yunxiao. Talking about matches again was too much, and she started nagging again.

“Yunxiao, you said you didn’t want to find a wife before because you didn’t meet any pretty girls in the army? There are few female soldiers, and even fewer pretty ones. We have many girls here, many pretty girls. I’ll have a matchmaker introduce some to you.”

Lu Yunxiao started to have a headache again, “Grandma, not wanting to find a wife has nothing to do with whether girls are pretty or not. Am I that shallow? Would I change my mind about not marrying just because a girl is pretty? Let me tell you, all the girls are the same to me. No one can change my firm determination not to marry in this life.”

“You really are that determined?”

“Of course, firmer than the Stabilizing Needle of the Sea.”

The old lady scoffed, “Come on, even the Stabilizing Needle was taken by Sun Wukong.”

“Then I’m firmer than the big mountain in our brigade.”

The old lady sighed, “We’re just afraid you’ll get old with no one to care for you.”

“If I die early, no need to worry about old age. If I die late, the army will take care of me.”

Grandma Lu: “…”

She realized she had no way to argue with her second grandson.

Looks like he was determined to be a monk for life. Fine, she wouldn’t push him anymore.

“Yunxiao, how long will you stay this time?”

“One month. I’ll spend good time with you all. Oh, I brought gifts for you all, in my bag. I’ll go to my room first and come out to get them.”

“No need, we’ll get them ourselves.”

Lu Yunxiao glanced at him, took off his army jacket, and headed to the room he used to share with Lu Yunyang.