221 Not Good at Socializing
Li Qing saw that the sky had already darkened and Li Yu and Zhou Jia were still nowhere to be seen. He paced back and forth at the door worriedly.
From afar, Zhou Jia saw Li Qing, who was anxiously circling around. He thought that Li Yu had been tired for the entire afternoon and had not eaten anything. She was also pregnant and it was not good for her body to sleep on an empty stomach. After stopping the car, he woke Li Yu up. Li Yu opened her eyes and saw that she had already arrived. She said in a daze, “Xiao Xi, I’m sorry! I fell asleep listening to your voice.”
Li Qing walked up to the two of them and looked at them reproachfully. “Sister, Brother-in-law, why are you two back so late? Mr. Wen has asked several times in worry. Sister, you’re different from before. You’re not allowed to run around in the future.”
“Ha.” Li Yu smiled and knocked on Li Qing. “Brat, you’ve grown up!”
Zhou Jia took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire. “Ah Qing is right. You’re different from before. The fields are narrow and slippery. What if you fall?”
Seeing that the two of them were denouncing her, Li Yu felt that she was in the wrong. She cupped her hands and smiled. “Don’t be angry! It won’t happen again!” Li Qing nodded and said, “That’s more like it! Seeing that you’ve admitted your mistake, I’ll spare you this time.”
Mr. Wen was worried. Just as he walked toward them, he smiled dotingly. “It’s good that you’re back. Xiaoyu is in good health. As long as you’re careful, it’s better to move around more!” Li Yu looked at the two of them and smiled proudly.
Yu Niang came in and reported, “Master, Madam, the food is ready.”
“Alright, sir, let’s go eat!” Li Yu smiled and helped Mr. Wen towards the dining hall.
“Chicken stewed with mushrooms. Delicious, cold wild vegetables!” Old Madam Liu smiled and brought the dishes to the table.
During the meal, a gust of wind blew, causing the flower trees in the courtyard to sway. Just as the meal was finished, a light rain began to fall. Li Yu stood under the eaves of the porch and looked at the increasingly heavy rain. She started to worry about the corn seeds.
Seeing Li Yu frown, Zhou Jia thought that she was nauseous like Xiaoyu. “Yu’er, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Li Yu turned around and saw that everyone was looking at her worriedly. Li Yu’s heart warmed. She smiled and said, “I’m not feeling unwell. I’m just worried about the rain. It’s just right for it to rain overnight. But if it rains for a few days in a row, the corn seeds will rot.”
Doctor Wen said to Li Yu happily, “Xiaoyu, as the saying goes, if there’s a storm not long before the rain, the rain will not last. The wind was so strong before the rain. Don’t worry, the rain won’t last long. It’ll only last until tomorrow morning.”
Li Yu knew what these words represented. They were all summarized by the predecessors and told to future generations. There must be a certain logic. Li Yu relaxed and smiled. “Of course, I believe Sir’s words. You’re an old immortal!” Mr. Wen chuckled and returned to his room to rest.
Zhou Jia brought Li Qing to the study and wrote down all the methods for farming and fertilizing the fields before returning to the house to rest.
The next day, Li Yu got out of bed and shuffled her shoes. She walked to the window and lifted the curtains. She realized that it was indeed not raining. Bright sunlight shone into the room through the window veil. Li Yu washed up and went out. Old Madam Liu brought the thick millet porridge to the table and two boiled eggs. She smiled at Li Yu and said, “Madam, the side dishes are appetizing. The millet porridge is the most nourishing.”
Li Yu took the bowl and chopsticks and smiled. “Thank you, Grandma Liu.”
“Madam, this is what I should do!” Old Madam Liu saw that the breakfast suited Li Yu’s taste and left happily.
After breakfast, Li Yu asked Yu Niang to go to the back mountain village to see the villagers and check on the wheat fields. Then she went to the small garden in the backyard and stood in front of a few blooming moonflowers. She watched the pink and red moonflowers bloom happily.
Auntie Zhang came to the garden to report, “Madam, the wife of the County Lieutenant Yu next door has brought her children to see you!”
“Alright, take them to the living room and ask them to wait for a while.” Li Yu returned to the house and put a few gifts into her purse. She noted the girl she had seen yesterday, as well as two other refined and delicate girls and a strong-looking boy.
When Madam Yu saw Li Yu arrive, she stood up with the children and bowed. “Greetings, Madam.” Li Yu smiled and waved her hand. “Madam Qin, there’s no need to be so polite. Please sit.”
After Madam Qin sat down, she pointed at the three girls and smiled. “Madam, these are my children, Hui’er, Xin’er, Yan’er, and Cheng Yi.”
“Hello, Madam.” The few of them bowed to Li Yu again. Li Yu asked Yu Niang to give them greeting gifts. She smiled and said, “You can wear these for fun.”
“Thank you, Madam.” They thanked Li Yu and retreated to sit down.
Li Yu glanced at Yu Yan and Madam Qin and said with a smile, “Madam Qin is so lucky. The girls are all beautiful. Young Master is also very cute!”
Madam Qin smiled and said, “Thank you for your praise, Madam! I originally thought that Qingchuan City was still dirty and messy. Only when I came did I realize that it had already changed. Lord Zhou is really a good official who cares for the people!”
“You flatter him, madam. These are his duties.”
Li Yu was not good at socializing, to begin with. In addition, she was concerned about the wheat land in the village. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Madam Qin, there was an awkward silence. Seeing that Li Yu was not in a good mood, Madam Qin stood up to bid farewell. Li Yu smiled and said a few polite words before sending her out.
At noon, Yu Niang returned from the back mountain village. She carried the chickens and ducks and a bag of vegetables on her back. She smiled bitterly at Li Yu and said, “Madam, the villagers said that most of the wheat spiders have died after they sprinkled the medicine and last night’s rain. They said that you can rest assured that they will continue to sprinkle the medicine. Look, these are from the Lin family, the Tu family’s daughter-in-law, and a few villagers. They stuffed them into the cart when I left. They said that this was to thank you for helping them get rid of the pests.”
Li Yu saw Yu Niang carrying a backpack of vegetables and chickens and ducks in her hands like a little wife. She smiled and said, “Since they’re sincere, let’s accept them! Get Grandma Liu to buy dozens of catties of meat and more than ten catties of brown sugar tomorrow morning and send a portion to each family.”
Yu Niang smiled when she heard that. “Sigh! It’s rare for them to buy meat once a year. Let Grandma Liu buy something fatter!”
“Alright, get Grandma Liu to kill the ducks and marinate them with the braised meat spices I’ve prepared.”
In the afternoon, Li Qing returned from the front office and said to Li Yu, “Sister, General Zhong has brought the officials into the city. He left his family in the city and lives next door to Lieutenant Yu’s family. The officials are going to stay in Green Dragon Stronghold to prevent the Great Qi’s officials from attacking from the other side of the mountain.” Li Yu said in surprise, “They are preventing an attack from the other side of the mountain. Could there be a small path over there?”
Li Qing shook his head and said, “You have to ask Brother-in-law about the details. I just heard General Zhong say that!”
The next day, Li Yu saw the family of Staff General Zhong – the petite Madam Zhong, and a delicate and cute boy. Madam Zhong was even less eloquent than Li Yu. After the two of them finished their pleasantries, Li Yu chatted for a while before Madam Zhong bade farewell and left.