Chapter 52: The Wheat is Ripe  

When Bai An returned home, she happened to catch lunch. Lu Demin, who was bringing dishes from the kitchen, saw Bai An standing at the door and smiled, urging her, “Hurry up and wash your hands.”

Bai An cheerfully went to the washstand. Next to her, Lu Jin’an handed her a towel and asked, “Did you find Cui Ju?”

“I found her.” Bai An wiped her hands and thought for a moment before saying without hesitation, “I don’t want to get married.”

Lu Jin’an was taken aback, took the towel from Bai An’s hands, and asked, “Why do you suddenly say that?”

“It’s nothing.”

Watching Bai An’s retreating figure, Lu Jin’an looked down at the towel in his hands, quietly lost in thought.

Wan Qing handed Bai An a bowl and chopsticks, saying, “I’m glad you’re back; otherwise, I would have to send your brother to call you.”

“Thank you, Mom.” Bai An took the bowl and chopsticks, smiling as she said, “You don’t need to call me; I would definitely come back before mealtime.”

Wan Qing smiled and glanced at Bai An, then looked up to see Lu Jin’an coming in and quickly called out, “Jin’an, have you washed your hands? It’s time to eat.”

“I’ve washed my hands.” Lu Jin’an sat down next to Bai An, waiting for Lu Demin to finish tidying up the kitchen before they could eat together.

Before Lu Demin had time to come over and sit down to eat, Lu Jin’an couldn’t help but ask Bai An, “What did you talk about with Cui Ju today?”

Lu Jin’an quietly observed Bai An, his dark eyes revealing nothing of his feelings as he waited for her answer.

Bai An fiddled with the chopsticks in her hands, completely unaware of Lu Jin’an’s unusual demeanor, casually saying, “Just talked about some things.”

Lu Jin’an was not satisfied with this answer; he continued to stare at Bai An, his presence exuding a chilling coldness.

Wan Qing noticed Lu Jin’an’s odd behavior; it was the first time she had seen him like this, and she anxiously reminded Bai An.

“Bai An, why don’t you have a good talk with your brother?”

“Huh?” Bai An raised her head in confusion. Hadn’t she just answered? Turning to see Lu Jin’an’s cold gaze meeting hers unexpectedly.

“I, I today…” Bai An was a bit startled by Lu Jin’an’s current demeanor, her words stumbling, “It’s just that today, Cui Ju said her parents want her to get married, and I think she’s still young, so I advised her not to get married for now.”

“Is that all?” Lu Jin’an leaned closer to Bai An, speaking coldly, “Is there anything else?”

Bai An thought for a moment; she and Cui Ju had pretty much discussed these things, nothing more. If there was anything else, it would be what Cui Ju’s mother had said, and Bai An felt it was better not to mention that.

“That’s it.”

Hearing Bai An’s affirmative reply, Lu Jin’an smiled slightly, the frightening aura around him dissipating. He softly said, “You’re right to say that. At your age, you should focus on studying first.”

Bai An nodded and cautiously glanced at her mother.

Wan Qing saw that there was nothing wrong with Lu Jin’an and then said to Bai An, “Your dad will be here soon; you two can start eating.”

Bai An replied and began to eat, initially feeling a bit apprehensive about Lu Jin’an sitting next to her, especially after his earlier demeanor.

Seeing that Lu Jin’an seemed fine, Bai An felt relieved and continued eating.

At this moment, Lu Demin had also finished tidying up the kitchen and sat down to eat. Not long after he sat down, Wan Qing gently tapped his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Demin followed Wan Qing’s gaze and saw Lu Jin’an and Bai An quietly eating, nothing appearing out of the ordinary.

Realizing that Lu Demin hadn’t noticed anything, Wan Qing could only whisper, “I heard that Cui Ju’s family wants her to get married soon.”

Lu Demin suddenly realized and said to Bai An, “Bai An, did you know about this?”

“I just found out today,” Bai An looked up at Lu Demin and said, “What’s wrong?”

Lu Demin cleared his throat and said, “Although the girls in this village marry early, your mother and I don’t want you to leave home too soon.”

Lu Jin’an nodded.

“If there’s a chance, we hope you can go out and see the world,” Wan Qing said from the side. “Marriage isn’t your only option; you can explore before making a decision.”

Bai An thought for a moment and said, “If there is a college entrance exam in a few years, then I will take it with my brother and go to university.”

Lu Demin and Wan Qing looked at Bai An with admiration. “If you both can take the college entrance exam and get into university, your mother and I will definitely work hard to support you both.”

“No need, I think my brother and I are smart enough to make a lot of money,” Bai An said, looking at Lu Jin’an with hopeful eyes.

If she earned money, her parents wouldn’t have to work so hard.

Lu Jin’an smiled indulgently and nodded.

Seeing this, Bai An proudly raised her head and said, “You see, even my brother agrees.”

Wan Qing smiled gently at the two children, while Lu Demin added, “The wheat at home is ripe too. You both should help harvest it today; it’s not much, just a small piece of land.”

“Do we still grow wheat at home?” Bai An turned to Lu Jin’an and said, “Then let’s put away our books and go harvest the wheat.”

Wan Qing, hearing this, showed a worried expression. “I’ll help you put away the books; you just go harvest the wheat.”

“Thanks for your hard work,” Bai An said happily, bumping her shoulder against Lu Jin’an and curiously asking, “Why have you been so quiet?”

Lu Jin’an turned his head, expressionless, and said, “Have I?”

Bai An nodded seriously, “Yes.”

“Is that so?” After saying this, Lu Jin’an turned his head back, seemingly focused on eating the food in his bowl.

Seeing him like this, Bai An didn’t bother him anymore and started eating as well.

After finishing the meal, Bai An felt a bit drowsy and urged Lu Jin’an, “Let’s hurry and harvest the wheat. After we finish, I want to lie down for a bit.”

Lu Jin’an was packing the necessary items and, seeing Bai An looking tired, softly said, “You can take a nap at home; I’ll go harvest the wheat.”

“No need,” Bai An pushed Lu Jin’an towards the door, saying as she walked, “Dad said it’s just a small piece of land. If we work together, we can finish it quickly.”

Lu Jin’an thought about their piece of land and nodded; it was indeed quite small.

When they arrived at their destination, Bai An looked at the wheat field before her, which resembled waves of grain, and was somewhat surprised. “Is this what Dad meant by small?”

Lu Jin’an looked up, reached out, and turned Bai An’s head to the side, pointing in a certain direction and saying, “This is our family’s.”

As far as the eye could see, there was only a small piece of land, small enough that Bai An felt she could handle it alone.

“Just the right amount,” Bai An said as she rolled up her sleeves and prepared to enter the field.

Seeing Bai An’s determination, Lu Jin’an grabbed her and put a straw hat on her, rolled up her sleeves, put on the family’s arm sleeves, and draped a towel around her neck.