19: Xi Tong
The rain continued until the day of Chuncao’s wedding. Lu Guoguo first followed her family to Third Uncle Tang’s house. After seeing Sun Zhaodi offer her gift, she was pulled by Huang Chunfeng and Qi Shenshen into Chuncao’s room.
Chuncao’s room wasn’t big, containing two wooden plank beds. Remembering Chuncao had an older sister, the other bed was probably where Chuncao’s sister slept before she got married.
Chuncao’s eyes were a bit swollen. It was her wedding day, but her clothes were no different from usual. She had only braided her hair, which hung down past her thin shoulders. Seeing Huang Chunfeng and the others pull Lu Guoguo into the room, Chuncao wasn’t surprised. She already knew from her two good friends that Lu Guoguo had recently become close with them.
Thinking back to working alongside Lu Guoguo a few days ago and how the other had tried to get close to her, Chuncao understood everything now.
She smiled at Lu Guoguo a little shyly. Seeing her smile, Lu Guoguo couldn’t help but beam. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
Chuncao whispered.
Third Uncle Tang’s blustering voice came from the yard, probably saying he wasn’t entirely satisfied with this son-in-law, but couldn’t resist his genuine desire to marry his daughter, so he had reduced the bride price by ten yuan. He claimed he valued the young man’s good character, implying he wasn’t someone blinded by money.
Hearing this, the few of them in the room fell silent.
Huang Chunfeng gave a light snort and linked arms with Chuncao. “Forget it. After today, you’ll see him less often anyway.”
Chuncao sighed, her voice a little choked. “I just can’t stop worrying about my mom.”
Just as they were talking, Chuncao’s mother, whose eyes were also red and swollen, entered along with a woman who bore a certain resemblance to Chuncao.
From Huang Chunfeng’s greeting, Lu Guoguo realized this was Chuncao’s sister.
Knowing they had private things to discuss, Lu Guoguo and the other two considerately went out. Qi Shenshen closed the door and stood there a bit worriedly. “I’ll keep watch here.”
“Alright. Guoguo, let me introduce you to my cousin,” Huang Chunfeng suddenly said.
“Huh?”
Confused by her sudden move, Lu Guoguo was pulled in front of a little girl around ten years old. The girl looked fair and clean, a bit chubby, clearly from a well-off family.
“This is my cousin, Xi Tong. Isn’t she cute?”
System? Xi Tong?
Lu Guoguo stared at the little girl in shock. The little girl grinned. “Hello, sister.”
“You… hello too,” Lu Guoguo hadn’t expected Huang Chunfeng to have a cousin with that name. Just as she was thinking what a coincidence, the task interface popped up.
[Today’s Task: Become friends with Xi Tong. Task Reward: A bag of salt and pepper flavored sunflower seeds.]
“My uncle works at the supply and marketing cooperative in our town. Their family is in good shape,” Huang Chunfeng whispered to Lu Guoguo. “My uncle’s side is somewhat related to Chuncao’s family, so they came today too.”
“Sister Chunfeng, what secret are you two whispering about?”
Xi Tong looked at them curiously.
“Saying how cute you are,” Huang Chunfeng said, touching her fair, delicate face with a hint of envy. “Look at this complexion, so fair and soft.”
“Yeah, really cute.”
Having dealt with many children at the orphanage, Lu Guoguo quickly got to chatting with Xi Tong. While Huang Chunfeng was called away by her mother to help move something, Lu Guoguo and Xi Tong chattered away about many things.
Xi Tong was a girl with a very good personality, and Lu Guoguo quickly gained her friendship. “Sister Guoguo, there’s this one person who really annoys me. She’s always coming to our house to borrow things. Every time she borrows something, either she doesn’t return it, or it comes back broken.”
This was Xi Tong’s recent trouble.
“Isn’t that simple? If she comes to your house to borrow things, you can go to her house to borrow things too. Whatever she borrows, you borrow something similar. If she refuses to lend, then you can list out how many things she’s borrowed from you, what condition they were returned in each time, and what things haven’t been returned yet…”
By the time Huang Chunfeng returned to them, Xi Tong was already clinging to Lu Guoguo’s arm and chatting with her affectionately.
An hour later, Chuncao, carrying a bundle, left with the groom and the others who had come to escort her.
During the wedding feast, Lu Guoguo sat at the same table as Xi Tong, Huang Chunfeng, and the others. After the meal, Xi Tong wanted to visit Lu Guoguo’s house to play, so after greeting her family, Lu Guoguo took Xi Tong, Huang Chunfeng, and the others home.
She brought out the bamboo knot pieces that Lu Laoba had made for her, and they started playing a game of Gomoku.
Lu Guoguo and Xi Tong were a team against Huang Chunfeng and Qi Shenshen.
When Lu Zaiyang returned home, he heard laughter coming from the main room.
“Xi Tong, you won again!”
Huang Chunfeng exclaimed, letting out a cry right there.
“Xi Tong, you’re really something!”
Lu Guoguo applauded.
Hearing this name, Lu Zaiyang stood outside the door and listened for a while longer. After confirming that Xi Tong’s voice belonged to a little girl, he picked up his hoe and left the yard.
He went to tidy up the vegetable plot nearby.
After Xi Tong and the other two had left, Lu Guoguo checked her task panel and claimed the bag of sunflower seeds.
She sat by the table, staring blankly at the bamboo knot pieces.
Xi Tong’s appearance felt like patching a loophole. The more Lu Guoguo thought about it, the more a sense of fear crept up on her. She had made a grave mistake. After sitting for over ten minutes, Lu Guoguo raised her hand and slapped her own mouth, then, murmuring the words “speak cautiously and act prudently,” she put all the bamboo knots away.
When Lu Zaiyang returned with the hoe, Lu Guoguo was a bit surprised. “Brother? When did you come back to get the hoe?”
“A little while ago,” Lu Zaiyang put the hoe down and used a bamboo strip to scrape the mud off his straw sandals, otherwise it would get everywhere inside. “Not happy?”
Lu Guoguo was taken aback by the question.
Lu Zaiyang had his back to her at the courtyard entrance, cleaning the mud off his sandals. He didn’t turn around when he asked.
“…A little, but I already know where the problem is,” Lu Guoguo said, half-truthfully.
She knew the male lead was very smart; telling a lie would be worse than being somewhat honest.
“Knowing the problem makes it easier to handle,” Lu Zaiyang didn’t pry. “Want to go fishing later?”
It had rained the past two days, and the river had risen again.
“Don’t feel like it,” Lu Guoguo didn’t have any fish in her space; even if she went, she probably wouldn’t have that kind of “luck.” “I just want to rest at home.”
Lu Zaiyang nodded and didn’t say anything more.
Lu Laoba and the others came back quite late. They hadn’t stayed at Third Uncle Tang’s place but had gone to Lu Laoer’s house to sit for a while.
When they returned, the couple was still speaking softly to each other.
Seeing only Lu Zaiyang in the main room, Sun Zhaodi asked, “Guoguo isn’t back yet?”
“She went to her room,” Lu Zaiyang replied, eyes lowered as he wove a bamboo basket, his hands moving nimbly and quickly. “She’s been tired these past few days.”
Sun Zhaodi nodded. “Anyway, there’s no work today. Let her rest.”
“Yes,” Lu Laoba agreed. “By the way, your Second Uncle’s son, Jianjun, has set his wedding date. It’s on the first of next month. You’ll go along to escort the bride then.”
“Okay.”
**