Chapter 387 - Unexpected Fleet of Ships (1/2)
Huifang had a steady and hardworking temperament and also had a good relationship with her daughter. If she caught the eye of her son, Madam Liu would definitely be very happy.
Before she could speak, Zhimin’s wife unhappily spoke, “Haixing’s wife, you can’t just say things willy nilly! Shuanzhu and Dahai are good friends so it’s natural that their children are well acquainted with each other. What’s wrong with them talking to each other? As their elders, we shouldn’t gossip needlessly as we don’t want to inadvertently tarnish the reputation of the girl!”
Haixing’s wife sneered in her heart as she thought, ‘You’ve been advertising your daughter with every sentence you say, so aren’t you afraid of damaging her reputation?’ She then deliberately commented, “I think the lass Huifang is pretty good. Last year, during the hard period, she even had the guts to catch one hundred to two hundred chicks to bring back home to raise. This year she has even more chickens at home. She even used the money she made last year to build a stand-alone chicken coop and yard to raise them! I heard that these few hundred chickens are all taken care of by her and her younger sister alone. Shuanzhu’s wife doesn’t even have to do anything!”
Zhimin’s wife's eyes started to sprout fire and glared fiercely at her as she said, “If you think she’s good, then how come you don’t go ask her to become a wife of one of your sons? Isn’t your oldest son about the same age as Huifang?”
“What are you saying? My son is younger than her by a year! That being said, her family may not think my Xiaochun is a good match…” Haixing’s wife glanced at Xiaocao, who was quietly eating breakfast underneath the grape trellis, and then returned a fierce glare at Zhimin’s wife.
Zhimin’s wife was about to say something when the two topics of their conversation walked in. Liu Huifang politely greeted them by saying ‘Auntie’ to all of the matrons present. The other matrons, who were enjoying the show, all warmly responded back. Only Zhimin’s wife neutrally replied with a ‘mhm’ and instead treated Yu Hang with a much more warm and welcoming greeting.
“Older Sister Huifang, you’re giving us some more chicken eggs again? Didn’t we say that you don’t need to send any more to us ah? My family has a few hens at home and they also lay around five to six eggs a day, so we have more than enough to eat!!” Yu Xiaocao put down the bowl of congee in her hands and came over. Her voice had hints of rebuke but her attitude towards Huifang was very warm and close.
Liu Huifang grinned as she placed the basket on the stone table under the grape trellis and picked one grape that was half purple and half red in a matter-of-fact manner. She didn’t even bother to wipe the grape before putting it in her mouth. After swallowing the sweet and juicy fruit, the smile on her face became more broad as she said, “Didn’t you say yesterday that you were going to make peanut and sesame flaky pastries ah? My younger sister and I are salivating over the prospect of you making them, so if we don’t give something back, how could we just take the food that your family makes?”
“Older Sister Huifang, you’re being too polite! Alright, since you said it that way, then I’ll have my older brother take you to the back and pick some peaches. When the pastries are done, you can bring some back!” Yu Xiaocao transferred the eggs into another basket and then stuffed the now empty basket into her older brother’s hands.
Liu Huifang snatched that empty basket back and smiled, “I still have a couple hundred chickens clucking and waiting for me to get back to feed them. How do I have the time to wait for you to finish making the flaky pastries ah?”
As she talked, she placed the basket at the crook of her hand and walked towards the gate. Yu Xiaocao shouted towards her, “Then...in a moment, when the pastries are done, I’ll have my older brother send you guys a batch. There’s also the peaches. They are quite sweet this year, so I’ll have my older brother pick a basket for you…”
Liu Huifang heard that Xiaocao kept mentioning Yu Hang, so she turned around and gave her a somewhat embarrassed glare. Then her face flushed when she saw the mischievous glee on the younger girl’s face. She then fled the courtyard in quick steps, as if there was a rabid dog chasing after her. Yu Xiaocao laughed in the courtyard and Yu Hang poked at her small face and said, “What’s so funny? You made her angry from your teasing!”
“Tee hee, Older Brother, do you feel bad for her?” Yu Xiaocao grinned until her eyes became lines and gave her older brother a knowing look.
Yu Hang was a bit flustered from the look in her eyes. The handsome youth felt both embarrassed and angry so he snapped at her, “Stop speaking nonsense!”
“Mother——Older Brother’s yelling at me!” Yu Xiaocao immediately became a tattle-tale and puffed her cheeks like a little blowfish. After thinking a bit, she then roguishly said, “Hmph! In a moment, when the flaky pastries are done, I’ll personally go over and give them to Older Sister Huifang. You won’t have the chance to get into her good graces then!”
“Do whatever you want to do ah! Stop pulling me into this!” Yu Hang felt a bit bashful when he noticed that his sister had seen through his intentions. Since Huifang’s family was raising chickens, he often went over to their residence to buy chickens with his father. Thus, he spent more and more time interacting with Huifang. Yu Hang was also getting older and was reaching the stage where he became interested in girls, so he started to have an impression of Huifang. If he had the opportunity to have a conversation with her, he would feel incredibly happy within his heart. However, after being teased by his younger sister, he felt a bit resentful but he didn’t reject these feelings.
After they finished eating breakfast, Yu Hang stepped into the kitchen and watched as Yu Xiaocao made flaky pastries. Before long, he was given the task of beating the eggs. After thinking a bit, he realized that they were missing a person in the residence today and asked, “Eh? How come I didn’t see Royal Prince Yang today? Doesn’t he always come over very early usually?”
Yu Xiaocao was currently crushing roasted peanuts into small pieces and she pursed her lips, “Him ah! He went back to the capital a few days ago. You’ve been busy in the melon fields these past few days, so I guess you didn’t notice earlier?”
Yu Hang resisted for a bit and then he finally couldn’t stop himself from roasting the other youth, “I’ll say ah, how much free time does Royal Prince Yang have? He spends at least half a month each month on his lands. Does he not have any tasks to do in the capital now?”