Chapter 47
The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Chu Xihuan’s brow slowly furrowed, and she looked at Chu Ningyi with a slightly indescribable expression.
“Second sister, there’s no need to be so curious,” she said with some difficulty. Even though she and her second sister had been close since they were children, how could they discuss such a thing so openly? Especially with her second sister’s personality, she was afraid that if she admitted that they had consummated their marriage, her next sentence would be to ask her how they had done it.
Her second sister had read quite a few of the books in her study!
Hearing her say this, Chu Ningyi blinked innocently. “Then I won’t be curious anymore.”
Little sister secretly read those books, but she didn’t expect her to be even more thin-skinned than her.
Chu Xihuan quietly sighed in relief. She belatedly realized that her face was still hot, so she could only feign composure and go with her second sister to see their mother.
Her family was naturally very happy about her arrival. Originally, Ye Liuxiang was going to the shop to check the accounts today, but seeing her back, she pushed it back. Coincidentally, Chu Xihuan’s older sister-in-law was also there, so the four of them started to play leaf cards.
In between games, Chu Xihuan started to ask about Lin Zhao’s mother’s past, to see if Ye Liuxiang knew anything.
“The land outside the city?” Ye Liuxiang pondered for a moment, then as if she had remembered something, she said, “She originally planned to use that land to receive refugees. At that time, there was a flood in the south, and a large number of refugees came over. With so many refugees, the order in the city naturally became chaotic. So she thought of setting up a shelter on that piece of land outside the city to take in the refugees, and at the same time, she could give them a piece of land to farm, so that they wouldn’t be idle.”
Chu Xihuan was slightly taken aback by her mother’s words. She hadn’t expected that Lin Zhao’s mother had originally taken this piece of land for such a purpose.
“What, why are you asking about that piece of land?” Ye Liuxiang looked at her strangely.
Chu Xihuan said, “…That piece of land is ours now.”
At her words, Ye Liuxiang nodded and said casually, “It’s not a bad thing that that piece of land has fallen into your hands. I think it won’t be long before the government issues a document to encourage everyone to plant cotton. All land used for planting cotton will be tax-free for three years, and the tax will be halved for five years after that. In the early stages, you can even get a subsidy to reduce the burden of initial cotton planting for farmers.”
Last winter, many people had frozen to death. The officials obviously did not want to see a large number of people freeze to death every year, so they decided to vigorously develop the cultivation of rice and cotton, so that the people could be well-fed and well-clothed, and could better contribute to the country.
Chu Xihuan was speechless.
Looking at it this way, they had actually made a profit. If they really used it to plant cotton in the future, the members of the Lin clan would probably be so angry they would spit blood.
Chu Xihuan’s face broke into a smile. “Alright, I’ll use it to plant cotton.”
With the support of the national policy, and with such a good piece of land, she would be a fool not to.
Ye Liuxiang glanced at her. She roughly knew the situation of her small family. Not to mention Chu Xihuan, she had never suffered much since she was a child. The occasional days she spent in the fields were just to follow her to the farm to check the accounts, let alone holding a hoe and hoeing the ground.
As for Lin Zhao, she had also never done these things since she was a child, so she probably knew nothing about farming. And such a large piece of land, it was obviously impossible for the two of them to plant it. They would still have to hire people.
“Leave the matter of the workers to me. I’ll arrange for someone to go over,” Ye Liuxiang said, knowing that Chu Xihuan was definitely not that familiar with farming and such. If she arranged for someone who knew this to go over and help her manage it, she would be much more relaxed and save a lot of trouble.
Chu Xihuan’s smile grew even brighter. She leaned over and rested her head on Ye Liuxiang’s shoulder, her voice soft. “Mother still dotes on me.”
She couldn’t bear to let her worry about these things.
Ye Liuxiang looked at her with an annoyed expression. “Sit up straight. What kind of behavior is this?” However, although she said this, the smile on her lips did not fade.
They continued to play leaf cards to pass the time. Meanwhile, Lin Zhao, thinking that since Chu Xihuan was not at home anyway, she had stubbornly not gone home at noon, but had stayed at the shop for lunch.
Seeing her rarely rush home after work, the master couldn’t help but be curious. “Why aren’t you going home today? Don’t you need to go back and cook for your wife? Or are you not going home to eat your wife’s cooking?”
Lin Zhao was speechless.
Why is the master rubbing salt in my wound!
She was so angry she ignored the master and turned her back to him, sulking.
The master found her childish behavior amusing. It seemed that she was having a tiff with her dear wife. It was really rare. This person was actually willing to have a tiff with her wife. She had been working for so long, and every day, she would rush back as soon as she was done. Her enthusiasm was something she herself was ashamed of. It was clear how much Lin Zhao liked her wife.
“Alright, since you’re not going home to eat, then eat more here. Auntie Zhang’s cooking is still very good.”
Lin Zhao was speechless.
When it was time to get off work in the evening, Lin Zhao was still listless. Thinking that there was no one at home, she didn’t want to go back so early.
Thinking that it had indeed been a while since she had gone to play with Mao Xiaoyun, she simply went to Mao Xiaoyun’s house, planning to complain to her about Chu Xihuan’s heartlessness!
Not only did she not want to take her home, but she also didn’t want to take her to see her friends. There was no one more heartless than her in the whole world!
She arrived at Mao Xiaoyun’s house but didn’t dare to go in directly, afraid that Mao Xiaoyun’s mother was also there.
Actually, she was still quite afraid of Mao Xiaoyun’s mother. After all, in her eyes, the former her was probably the bad friend who had led Mao Xiaoyun astray.
She came to a corner of the wall, picked up a small stone, and threw it inside. Afraid of hitting someone, she aimed at the other wall, so that it would only hit the wall and make a little noise. In the past, she had always used this method to find Mao Xiaoyun to play. As long as she heard this noise, Mao Xiaoyun would know it was her.
Sure enough, not long after, Mao Xiaoyun’s surprised voice came from the other side of the wall.
“Boss?”
“Mm, it’s me. Are you coming out to play?” Lin Zhao said quickly.
“You wait for me!” Mao Xiaoyun said urgently. Ever since the boss got married, it was basically her who went to the boss’s house to find her to play. It was rare for the boss to come and find her!
She didn’t know what she had said to her mother, but when Mao Xiaoyun came out, her cheeks were still a little red, as if someone had pinched her on the face.
Lin Zhao looked at the redness on her face and couldn’t help but say, “Your mom didn’t scold you, did she?”
Mao Xiaoyun rubbed her face nonchalantly. “She just said a few words to me.” In reality, she had pinched her face and said it, scolding her for not going out earlier or later, but just when she was about to finish cooking.
Soon, she put all those things behind her and looked at Lin Zhao excitedly. “Boss, why do you have time to come and find me to play? What are we going to play? What about sister-in-law? Is she coming too?”
At this, Lin Zhao’s face fell, and she said in a muffled voice, “She went home. She’s not with us.”
At her words, Mao Xiaoyun had a sudden realization. It seemed that the boss had only remembered her because her sister-in-law was not at home.
“Come on, I’ll take you to eat. We’ll also drink!” Lin Zhao said generously for once. She would also go drinking with her friends. She didn’t care about drinking with Xihuan’s friends!
Mao Xiaoyun’s pupils widened. “Boss, did you strike it rich?”
This was a rare, rare situation!
Lin Zhao snorted, her chin slightly raised with a “don’t you know who I am” air. “Come on, order whatever you want to eat.”
She had also secretly saved up some money! And she had almost decided what gift to buy for Xihuan, but Xihuan’s recent behavior had made her so angry that she had decided to buy it for her later!
Hearing this, Mao Xiaoyun’s eyes lit up. “Then I want to eat roasted chicken!”
She had been craving it for a long time! But her mother thought it was too much trouble and wouldn’t make it for her.
“Alright,” Lin Zhao agreed readily. After all, she had eaten a lot of the things Mao Xiaoyun had brought her in the past. It wouldn’t be right for her to be stingy when she wanted to eat roasted chicken.
Since Mao Xiaoyun wanted to eat it, she naturally knew which restaurant had the best roasted chicken. She took Lin Zhao there. At this time, it was slowly getting dark, and the atmosphere for drinking and eating meat was just right.
Apart from the roasted chicken, Lin Zhao also ordered some other side dishes for drinking. She thought angrily to herself that since Chu Xihuan was not at home to control her, she would just be a spendthrift!
Mao Xiaoyun held a large chicken leg in her left hand and a pair of chopsticks in her right, eating the side dishes. Seeing Lin Zhao’s obviously dejected expression as she drank, she said in a muffled voice, “Boss, what’s wrong with you?”
“She’s too much!” Lin Zhao took a big gulp of wine and couldn’t help but say.
Mao Xiaoyun blinked, took a bite of the chicken leg, and said again in a muffled voice, “Sister-in-law? What did she do that was so excessive?”
She said this, but in her heart, she was marveling at how fragrant the roasted chicken was. She wanted to eat another one.
“She went home and didn’t take me with her!” Lin Zhao said angrily. Did Xihuan still not see her as family!
Mao Xiaoyun was slightly taken aback, not understanding. “Isn’t it good that she didn’t take you with her? You’re not familiar with her family.”
That would save her the trouble of dealing with those people. In Mao Xiaoyun’s opinion, it was a great thing. If she got married, she wouldn’t be willing to deal with another family.
Lin Zhao looked at her in disbelief. “It’s because we’re not familiar that we have to meet. How can we get familiar if we don’t meet?”
She was living a life with Xihuan. If possible, she naturally hoped to get along well with her family.
Mao Xiaoyun felt that what she said made a lot of sense. She tore off the other chicken leg and put it in her bowl. “Eat the meat. Don’t just drink. Anyway, she’s already gone home. Instead of being sad, you should turn your grief into appetite!”
Mao Xiaoyun felt that what she said made a lot of sense, but in reality, she would still choose not to have contact if she could.
Lin Zhao was speechless.
So angry. Xiaoyun didn’t understand her either!
She looked at the chicken leg, grabbed it, and took a bite in frustration, as if she were biting someone.
The two of them mumbled to each other. Although Mao Xiaoyun was small, she could really eat. Almost the entire chicken had gone into her mouth, while she only drank a little wine from time to time. Most of it had gone into Lin Zhao’s stomach.
Lin Zhao’s alcohol tolerance was not bad, and this amount of wine only made her a little tipsy, not a big deal.
As they drank and chatted, it slowly got later. Mao Xiaoyun was full and satisfied, and she said with emotion that she would still follow the boss in the future!
At her words, Lin Zhao waved her hand. Just as she was about to say that her decision was definitely not wrong, the whole small restaurant suddenly seemed to quiet down. She blinked her slightly hazy eyes. The atmosphere was a little strange.
“Xiaoyun, what’s… wrong…”
Originally, Lin Zhao wanted to ask Mao Xiaoyun what had happened, but when she saw the person walking toward their table, her last word was squeezed out.
The person came with a dark face, her gaze dangerous as she looked at Lin Zhao. Then, she looked at Mao Xiaoyun, who was shrinking her neck like a quail, and then at the wine glasses on the table. “It seems you’re in a good mood. I wonder if I’ve disturbed you?” she said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“No, no,” Mao Xiaoyun quickly shook her head and said fawningly, “Sister-in-law, you came at the right time. We’ve just finished eating. I’ll leave the boss to you. I’m going home now, or my mom will be looking for me.”
With that, she gave Lin Zhao a last pitiful look and slipped away as fast as she could, very much in line with the “every man for himself when disaster strikes” style of bad friends.
However, at this moment, Lin Zhao was still stiff, not daring to look at the person in front of her. Her mind was in a mess, wondering why Xihuan, who had said she would be at home for a few days, would appear here so late.
Seeing that she not only didn’t speak when she saw her, but didn’t even look at her, Chu Xihuan was so angry she laughed. She unceremoniously came up and grabbed her ear.
“Alright, alright, it seems your courage has really grown.”
This time, Chu Xihuan did not hold back like before. She pulled so hard that Lin Zhao’s face scrunched up. She quickly stood up, following the force of her hand, and followed her steps out.
In such a public place, her face was flushed.
However, what made her even more embarrassed was that just as they were about to reach the door, the shopkeeper ran over to stop them, telling them that they hadn’t paid yet.
Lin Zhao wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Chu Xihuan glanced at her, then let go of her ear and stood to the side with her arms crossed, sneering. “What are you standing there in a daze for? Pay up.”
She would not be so kind as to pay for this person’s wine.
Lin Zhao quickly took out her money pouch and paid, wishing she could leave this place as soon as possible and never come back.
After paying, she was completely sober and realized that the person who should have been at home had now returned.
She was both panicked and happy. She quickly came up and cautiously took Chu Xihuan’s hand, saying in a small, fawning voice, “Xihuan~ Let’s go home first~”
She could already vaguely hear people’s laughter! So embarrassing! At least she used to be a big shot!
Chu Xihuan snorted coldly, shook off her hand, and walked out without a word.
Seeing her like this, Lin Zhao quickly followed and continued to fawn on her. “Xihuan~ Why are you back? And how did you find me here?”
“Heh, it seems I shouldn’t have come back. I’ve disturbed your fun,” Chu Xihuan said sarcastically.
Who knew the anxiety of waiting at home, seeing the sky getting darker and darker, and this person still not returning.
At that moment, she was really afraid that something had happened to Lin Zhao.
Especially after going to the shop and finding out that Lin Zhao had already left work, but she hadn’t seen her at all.
If she hadn’t later gone to Mao Xiaoyun’s house and learned from her mother that the two of them had gone out to play, her heart would not have been at ease.
And even after knowing that the two of them had gone out to play, it still took some effort to find them, especially when she found them and saw that person’s hazy eyes from drinking, she was so angry her teeth itched.
“No, no, I’m especially happy that you’re back!” Lin Zhao said quickly, not daring to look at her directly, but stealing glances at her from time to time, the curve of her lips unable to be suppressed.
She was thinking, why would a person who had said she wouldn’t be back for a few days suddenly come back?
It seemed that the answer was already very obvious. Even if she wasn’t very smart, she knew~
“Xihuan~ I knew you couldn’t bear to leave me~”
Lin Zhao’s tone was extremely smug.
**
Author’s Note:
Xixi: My hand is itching again. [Angry]
