Chapter 30: Chengxiao has a girl he likes?

Madam Lu¹Chen Shi. The author often swaps these two designations, Mrs. Lu or Chen Shi. wanted to ask Lu Chengxiao how he returned from the county town in just two days. She hadn’t seen him in the morning, and when she inquired, Babao said he had already gone out. However, by noon, she still couldn’t find him, as if she didn’t even bother to ask anymore.

Lu Chengxiao had come back in the late morning and locked himself in his room. At mealtime, Babao couldn’t get him to come out, and Chen Shi learned about it. Considering her son’s unusual behavior the day before, Chen Shi personally went to check. There was no sound from inside when she knocked on the door until she spoke, “Chengxiao, open the door.”

Lu Chengxiao slumped by the desk, and upon hearing Chen Shi’s voice, his trembling hand on his forehead barely steadied his tone, not making it sound too abnormal. “Mother, I really have no appetite. I drank too much yesterday, and now I just want to take a rest.”

Chen Shi frowned, her eyebrows almost tied in a knot. “How can you rest without eating first? There’s the sea bass you love for lunch. Eat, then you can rest.”

Lu Chengxiao, at this point, wasn’t in the mood to hear about any fish. He just said, “No need,” and remained silent.

Chen Shi stared at the door for a while, then turned around. Seeing Babao still standing there, she nodded slightly, gesturing for him to follow. Being cautious because her daughter-in-law and granddaughter were in the main hall, she led him to the flower hall before asking, “Speak up, what’s going on.”

Her tone seemed so certain, as if she already knew. Babao wanted to find a corner to hide, but under Chen Shi’s gaze, he didn’t dare. He shook his head and said, “I don’t know, everything seemed fine this morning.”

“Who asked about this morning? I mean before that, did anything seem off?”

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Seeing him looking like he couldn’t pry open a clamshell, Chen Shi was also troubled. However, his silence was a good thing. She would only worry if he started leaking information with a few questions. She shifted her focus to Lin Huaigeng and Liu Zhang, who were with Lu Chengxiao yesterday. However, it was just a thought; if Babao couldn’t open his mouth, those two guys were even less likely. Liu Zhang alone would be fine, but with the clever Lin Huaigeng giving advice, it was just wishful thinking.

Seeing Babao still standing without resistance, she waved her hand and said, “Alright, go eat first, and we’ll talk more in the afternoon.”

Skipping one or two meals wouldn’t cause any major issues. When asked by Qin Shi, the eldest daughter-in-law, and her daughter, Lu Shuang, Chen Shi casually waved her hand and said, “It’s nothing. He drank too much yesterday. Let’s just eat.”

With that, she brushed off the matter.

While there was a commotion on the Lu family’s side before lunch, the Chen family’s side wasn’t much different.

Chen Sheng, buoyed by Liu Yu’s silent approval, couldn’t stay calm in the shop for a moment. After instructing the shop assistants, he took the embroidery samples that Liu Yu had sent back a couple of days ago and headed home.

Madam Chen was pleasantly surprised and asked, “Why are you back so early today?”

Before Chen Sheng could respond, his face blushed. He sat down next to his mother and, after rehearsing the words he had thought about all the way home in his mind, said, “Mother, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

Madam Chen raised an eyebrow, a smile on her face. “Leaving the shop at this hour to come home, is it that big of a deal?”

Chen Sheng felt a bit embarrassed, but he couldn’t suppress the smile on his face. “Mother, I’ve met a girl I really like. Can you help me propose to her?”

“You’ve found a girl you like?” Madam Chen was surprised. The smile in her eyes diminished slightly, and she sat up a little straighter, leaning towards Chen Sheng. “Which family is she from? Do I know her?”

Unaware of the subtle changes, Chen Sheng was still immersed in excitement. “Mother probably doesn’t know her. Her family is in Liujiacun. But if you meet her, you’ll surely like her.”

The last six points of a smile in Madam Chen’s eyes diminished by three points, leaving only a thin layer on her face. She smiled and said, “Really? She must be very well-bred.”

Chen Sheng’s smiling face was now uncontrollable, swaying charmingly.

Madam Chen asked, “Do you know her family name?”

Madam Chen then asked, “What kind of family is hers?”

Chen Sheng shook his head.

Madam Chen smiled and said, “Alright, Mother will inquire about it in the next couple of days.”

Hearing this, Chen Sheng became a bit anxious. Given his mother’s personality, if she said she would inquire, there was no need for him to rush her. However, with the watchful eyes of Lu Chengxiao and considering their respective looks and family backgrounds, Chen Sheng felt uneasy. He had no choice but to put on a bold face and suggest, “Mother, please hurry. Chen Ma has relatives in Liujiacun. Why not let her visit them this afternoon?”

The smile in Madam Chen’s eyes was now forced, barely hanging on. Even if her son didn’t push her, she intended to have Chen Ma visit Liujiacun this afternoon. Half-jokingly, she remarked, “I’ve never seen someone so shameless. Alright, since you want Chen Ma to inquire, you must at least tell me the girl’s name, right?”

Chen Sheng chuckled, “Her name is Liu Yu. Just let Chen Ma go; she’ll find out easily.”

Stifling a laugh, Madam Chen said, “I got it. Rare for you to come back so early, go and chat with your father.”

Chen Sheng agreed and took the small box in his hand, preparing to put it back in the room, intending to return it to his younger sister later.

Madam Chen glanced over the wooden box. This was the second time she had seen this wooden box. After everyone left, she went back to the main house, took two pieces of pastry, visited the kitchen, and found Chen Ma, a household helper. She handed her the pastries and instructed her to go to Liujiacun in the afternoon to inquire about a girl named Liu Yu. Madam Chen said, “Tell your sister not to make a fuss, and there’s no need for her to know you’re helping us inquire.”

Chen Ma nodded repeatedly but hesitated, saying, “She’s my own younger sister. Asking a few questions won’t be a big deal, and there’s no need for these pastries.”

Madam Chen smiled and said, “You’re helping out, and it’s not right to visit someone empty-handed. Take them.”

After Chen Ma accepted the pastries, she left the kitchen.

As she walked through the hallway, Madam Chen thought for a moment. Instead of heading towards the main house, she changed direction and went to the east wing.

The east wing was where Chen Sheng lived. At this moment, he was in the main house accompanying his father, and Chen Sheng’s room was empty. Madam Chen pushed open the door, scanned the room, and found the wooden box on the desk in the outer room.

Approaching it, she opened the box and saw neatly arranged embroidery patterns—items from her daughter’s room.

Madam Chen pursed her lips, closed the wooden box as it was, left the east wing, and turned towards the main gate. She held her handkerchief and headed towards Ji Xian Zhai.

The bookstore had no customers at the moment, and the shop assistant was dozing off behind the counter. Hearing footsteps, he raised his head abruptly, only to find it was the owner’s wife. He immediately stood up straight and then respectfully bowed, greeting her, “Madam, why are you here at this time?”

Madam Chen glanced around the study and then spoke, “I was passing by this area on my way out and decided to come in for a look.”

The shop assistant, with heightened alertness and a smile, heard Madam Chen ask, “Where is the young master? Is he copying books in the back?”

The young assistant quickly replied, “No, the young master must have had something to attend to today and went home first. Did you not run into him on the way?”

Madam Chen lowered her gaze and uttered an acknowledgment. Then, seemingly casually, she asked, “How is business lately? What has the young master been busy with during the day?”

The shop assistant, being quite clever, maintained a friendly demeanor even though Madam Chen’s inquiries seemed ordinary. However, with the recent unusual activities of the young master Chen Sheng in the past few days, the shop assistant was especially alert. When he heard Madam Chen inquire about what Chen Sheng had been up to lately, a small alarm bell rang in his mind. Glancing at Madam Chen, he smiled and said, “Business is about the same as usual. The young master spends his days copying books in the back study, mostly copying the ones that sell well in the store.”

This conversation seemed ordinary, and Chen Shi responded with an acknowledgment, asking, “He hasn’t been busy with anything else?”

The shop assistant thought carefully for a moment and then shook his head, portraying an uncertain look as if he wasn’t entirely sure. “Um… I don’t think so?”

Madam Chen straightened out the silk handkerchief in her hands and inquired, “I noticed he brought some embroidery patterns from home to the shop recently. How come? Do we have customers buying embroidery patterns in our study?”

The shop assistant’s heart skipped a beat, realizing that Madam Chen probably already knew about the matter concerning the girl named Liu. No longer daring to conceal the truth, he put on an expression as if he had just remembered and said, “Oh, you mean the embroidery patterns. There’s something to it. A few days ago, a young lady came to our shop to buy characters, claiming they were for embroidery patterns. After the young master wrote them for her, he found a few more at home and lent them to her for a few days.”

“A bookstore selling embroidery patterns…” A trace of sarcasm flashed across Madam Chen’s lips. She didn’t say anything more, only stating, “You don’t need to discuss the matters of my visit to the young master.”

The shop assistant nodded repeatedly, “I understand. I won’t speak too much.”

Madam Chen smiled and turned to leave the study.

Once she was gone, the shop assistant wiped the imaginary sweat from his forehead, sighing inwardly, “The young master’s plan to marry that Miss Liu seems to have encountered some difficulties.”

Sansukini: Madam Chen would be a difficult mother-in-law.

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