Listening, Jing Yi’s face turned red.
This woman… how could she sing such a bold little tune?
Love or no love, it was embarrassing beyond belief!
Zhao Hai saw his master’s flushed face and quickly tested his forehead with the back of his hand.
“Sir, could it be a fever? That would be bad.”
Jing Yi exhaled: “No, just go pour a bowl of water to drink.”
Zhao Hai hurried out of the room. Jing Yi fanned his face with his hand and felt slightly cooler.
When the water was brought, Jing Yi took a sip and again heard the “Qingsheng bride” singing: “You are my little, little apple, how can loving you ever be too much? Your rosy little face warms my heart…”
So embarrassing!
Who would ever speak the word “love” aloud like that?
Jing Yi almost wanted to protest.
Zhao Hai listened carefully, his expression a bit odd: “This Qingsheng sister-in-law sings really well, but I can’t quite hear the words clearly.”
Jing Yi froze—how could he hear what she was singing?
Still, it was probably better Zhao Hai didn’t understand; otherwise, he might have blushed too.
After singing two songs, Lu Meiyu stretched leisurely.
Zhao Hai, supporting Jing Yi, was a little stunned at her bold pose, muttering: “This Qingsheng sister-in-law really doesn’t treat us like outsiders.”
Lu Meiyu didn’t notice anyone behind her. After stretching, she went to chat with the two horses.
After a while, she cheerfully fed the horses some grass.
The horses, having rested all day, were mostly uninterested and nibbled lazily.
“A horse won’t fatten without night grass; a person won’t get rich without windfalls!”
Lu Meiyu was extremely proud.
Thinking of her twenty-plus taels of silver, she almost laughed out loud three times!
Indeed, this silver had seemingly fallen from the sky.
It was enough for her and the two girls to live comfortably.
Jing Yi and Zhao Hai heard this and were both speechless.
The “windfall” she referred to—wasn’t that their gratitude silver?
Now they were rich?
For the countryside, this was indeed quite wealthy.
She was already planning what to buy: quilts, cotton-padded jackets, grain, and so on.
“If only I could build a big house… but with just twenty taels, I’d be out of money. Might as well stay here; the rented house is fine.”
Lu Meiyu patted Feixue’s head and muttered to herself.
Jing Yi was surprised—people still rented broken houses in this village?
Zhao Hai whispered: “Sir, when I first went to fetch the medicine, I faintly heard villagers talking. They said this Qingsheng sister-in-law’s husband was drafted, and she was left with her two daughters. The house is rented…”
Before he could finish, Jing Yi shouted in anger: “There’s actually such a thing! Drafting isn’t supposed to take more than one per household. They drafted her husband and then just split the three of them out!”
“But… Qingsheng sister-in-law didn’t suffer. She chose one person and took down the entire husband’s family.”
Zhao Hai also found it unbelievable.
Jing Yi raised his eyebrows. This Qingsheng sister-in-law was feisty, but he didn’t expect her to be fierce enough to take down the entire family!
“So, she’s not afraid of being divorced?”
Zhao Hai scratched his head: “Not only did her husband’s family want to divorce her, she also demanded separation, insisting on independence! She said she’d remarry soon with her two daughters, looking for someone handsome and wealthy… So the husband’s family yielded and didn’t dare to push for a divorce.”
Jing Yi looked utterly incredulous.
Was she a wife… or a man?
Zhao Hai laughed: “Truly feisty. No wonder when we asked for directions by the river, she scolded us so unexpectedly.”
He quickly added: “But she’s genuinely kind-hearted—she saved you, arranged everything for us, and even had me fetch the doctor quickly.”
Thinking of this, he still felt a chill down his spine.
His master almost died up on the mountain!
“Meiyu, come eat. Two guests, please have a seat,” Zhao Granny called loudly.
Jing Yi instantly remembered the name—so this feisty wife was called Meiyu.
He still didn’t know her surname.
Lu Meiyu cheerfully came over and glanced at them: “Looks like you really are military men, taking two cuts like it’s nothing. Eat now, replenish well, don’t let the silver go to waste.”
Without waiting for them to respond, she rushed into the kitchen.
“Zhao Granny, leave it to me. I eat plain rice, shouldn’t I at least set the bowls?”
Zhao Granny also smiled.
Although her daughter married well, she hadn’t had the chance to eat such hearty meat meals.
Moreover, the lively, big table delighted her.
By rural custom, children normally didn’t sit at the table.
But this large table could accommodate them, and the children behaved well, so they sat quietly on the bench.
Still, Zhao Granny, wary of offending the guests, placed the dishes separately.
One side for the two guests, the other for them.
Zhao Hai chuckled: “Zhao Granny, that’s not necessary.”
Lu Meiyu understood—Zhao Granny feared the guests might mind them taking food and contaminating it.
She didn’t care.
Anyway, they ate happily, sharing freely without concern.
Steamed lean meat, stewed rabbit, stir-fried radish.
Simple dishes, but everyone enjoyed them.
Lu Meiyu thought: if she cooked, she’d make one portion mild, another stir-fried or braised…
She wondered how the two men would react.
Just thinking this made her happy.
Jing Yi, sitting across, noticed her curved eyebrows and smiling eyes, and wondered what she was thinking.
He also felt amused.
In that glance, under the light, he suddenly felt: “The more you look at a beauty under the lamp, the more beautiful she seems.”
The Qingsheng sister-in-law had fair skin, soft features.
Her eating was natural, not pretentious, yet not rude.
Strangely enough.
Looking at the two little girls beside her, perhaps inheriting her looks, both were attractive with big eyes.
Her husband was indeed fortunate.
Zhao Granny occasionally advised someone, rarely eating herself.
Lu Meiyu couldn’t bear it; she scooped a big spoonful of meat into her bowl.
Zhao Granny tried to decline, saying: “Ah, ah, how can it be so…”
“There’s plenty of meat, Zhao Granny, eat your fill!”
Indeed, the rabbit weighed several pounds, very fat. The lean meat was about two pounds.
Even eating freely, a little would remain.
He Ya urged: “Grandma, just eat. There’s so much meat.”
Amid the cheerful atmosphere, Jing Yi’s ears twitched—he heard someone approaching.