Are you willing?”
The young man looked at her earnestly.
Liu Yu handed over the right to choose to Lu Chengxiao and fate. Lu Chengxiao took a step towards her with fate, as if cutting through the obstacles with a blade, allowing the clear radiance of moonlight to fall on her.
Liu Yu’s eyes were inexplicably bitter, but a layered smile appeared on her lips. She agreed with a “good” and said, “If you can truly obtain my family’s approval within two days and bring a matchmaker to propose, then I will agree.”
She was willing to believe that Lu Chengxiao was sincere. However, after the experience with the Chen family, no matter how well Lu Chengxiao spoke, if the Lu family didn’t come to propose formally, everything would still be in vain.
If she had taken eight steps toward the light, the remaining two steps were already chosen by fate. It depended on whether fate was willing to favor her once again.
When the word “good” came out of Liu Yu’s mouth, Lu Chengxiao’s breath seemed to pause for a moment. Only when she finished stating the conditions did Lu Chengxiao feel overwhelming joy. His face couldn’t contain the smile, and if they weren’t already near the entrance of the Liu family village, he would have shouted with delight to let his inner joy soar.
Being mindful of the nearby villagers’ houses, he suppressed the joy, only casting a radiant gaze at her and said, “Alright, I will definitely come within two days. You just wait with peace of mind.”
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~
By the banks of the Yushui River, the people who had released river lanterns had already returned home. The incident of someone falling into the water had become the talk of the town before bedtime in each household.
Only the Chen family, at this moment, had not left. Chen Sheng wandered along the riverbank in a daze, unwilling to give up searching for Liu Yu. Madam Chen and Chen Xiaomei could only accompany and persuade him.
As Lu Chengxiao stepped onto the stone bridge, Chen Sheng, from a distance, saw a figure and rushed towards the bridge. Madam Chen and her daughter could only follow closely behind.
When Chen Sheng recognized that the person was Lu Chengxiao, he almost pounced on him, asking, “Where’s Liu Yu? What happened to Liu Yu?”
Before he could finish speaking, he noticed that Lu Chengxiao’s clothes were dry. He looked at Lu Chengxiao in shock and stammered, “You, you…” His mind was already racing through scenarios of a man and a woman alone, how Lu Chengxiao rescued Liu Yu, and how they managed to dry their clothes.
His mind was struck as if by lightning, and dizziness swept over him.
Lu Chengxiao’s good mood vanished upon seeing Madam Chen approaching after Chen Sheng. On the way back, he had enough time to think through many things.
He shook off Chen Sheng’s hand pulling at his sleeve, glanced at Madam Chen, then turned his gaze back to Chen Sheng’s face, saying, “Miss Liu is fine. After questioning her, I found out that she didn’t accidentally fall into the water; she was pushed into the Yushui River by someone. Chen Sheng, do you think this is an accident or a man-made act?”
Chen Sheng was still trapped in the purgatory of imagination, as if he had been thrown into a molten copper furnace, with his blood boiling. He stared blankly at Lu Chengxiao’s words entering his ears but not penetrating his soul.
Madam Chen, however, had a subtle change in her gaze.
Lu Chengxiao had been observing her, and now, seeing Chen Sheng silent, he turned to Madam Chen and asked, “Madam Chen, what do you think?”
Madam Chen’s heart skipped a beat, but she maintained a calm expression on her face, saying, “Maybe there were too many people crowded around.”
Lu Chengxiao had almost confirmed his suspicions by now and said coldly, “Madam Chen, you’re quite skillful, but doing wicked deeds so openly at night, aren’t you afraid?”
Madam Chen clenched her silver teeth, and the slight smile on her face took on a chill, “Not as skilled as your insinuations, blood-spraying tactics, and sowing discord. Speaking to elders in this manner, your Lu family is truly well-mannered.”
Lu Chengxiao bypassed Madam Chen’s self-proclaimed status as an elder and mocked, “Why be modest, Madam Chen? One failed plan gives rise to another. You’re truly a female Zhuge Liang, but it’s a pity, too malicious.”
With the conversation taking such a turn, Madam Chen’s expression turned cold, “I don’t understand what you’re saying!”
Lu Chengxiao hinted meaningfully as he glanced at the Chen siblings and said, “Whether you understand or not, if you don’t want others to know, don’t involve yourself. Madam Chen, it’s best to keep things hidden, so you won’t give people a handle and expose yourself. Someday, even those close to you might be chilled to the heart.”
After saying this, Lu Chengxiao left, leaving Chen Sheng still somewhat dazed, and Chen Xiaomei with a pale face.
Chen Sheng was bewildered by Lu Chengxiao’s words, asking his mother, “Mom, what does he mean?”
Madam Chen’s expression became extremely unpleasant, “The one surnamed Lu is just spouting nonsense. Enough, Liu Yu is perfectly fine. You don’t need to stay here by the river. Go home quickly.”
As soon as Liu Yu was mentioned, Chen Sheng’s attention was once again completely captured. Compared to his earlier wandering by the riverbank, his current understanding made his heart ache even more.
~
In the Lu family, as Lu Chengxiao entered the alley, he saw Babao holding a lantern, waiting for him.
“Third Young Master, you’re back!” Babao saw him and could hardly contain his excitement. After a quick examination, he confirmed everything was fine and said, “Is Miss Liu okay? Madam, the eldest young mistress, and the young miss are all still awake, waiting in the hall.”
A smile played on the corner of Lu Chengxiao’s lips, “She’s fine.”
“That’s good, that’s good.” Babao smiled, then looked at Lu Chengxiao with a hint of curiosity and asked, “Third Young Master, have you and Miss Liu finally reconciled this time?”
The smile on Lu Chengxiao’s face intensified instantly, and his eyes sparkled with joy.
Babao didn’t need any further clarification, he chuckled happily, and the master and servant entered the Lu residence together.
The Lu family had been waiting in the second courtyard. Hearing the footsteps approaching, they came out to greet them. After a quick glance to ensure everything was fine, their hearts finally settled.
The household servants had already gone home, and Chen Shi1Madam Chen is Chen Sheng’s mom and Chen Shi is Lu Chengxiao’s mom arranged for the daughter-in-law and daughter to prepare ginger soup and boiling water at the stove. She also instructed Babao to get ready the clothes Lu Chengxiao would change into. In the midst of these instructions, Chen Shi suddenly realized something was amiss. Although her son’s clothes weren’t perfectly neat, they were dry.
Just as she was about to ask what happened, Lu Chengxiao spoke first.
“Mom, your son has someone in mind. I’d like you to help arrange a marriage proposal in the next two days, at the latest the day after tomorrow.”
Chen Shi was aware that her son had someone in mind, but hearing about a marriage proposal right after rescuing a drowning girl caught her off guard. She asked, “Which girl? The one you mentioned the day before yesterday, whose fate hadn’t been decided yet?”
Unable to stop her mind from wandering, it had only been two days. It couldn’t be that everything had been decided so quickly, right? Could it be that he rescued someone from the water and now wanted to take responsibility?
Lu Chengxiao could tell what his mother was thinking just by looking at her expression. He smiled, placing his fist near his lips, and said, “The girl who fell into the water tonight is the one your son has in mind.”
Chen Shi raised an eyebrow, “Is it really just a coincidence?”
Lu Chengxiao shook his head, “It might not be a coincidence.”
This statement made Chen Shi feel a tightness in her chest, “What do you mean by that?”
Lu Chengxiao proceeded to explain what Madam Chen did earlier in the Temple of the Goddess this morning. He also clarified the events of today, mentioning how Madam Chen happened to be at the same place where Liu Yu fell into the water. He said, “Chen Sheng also liked Miss Liu, but Madam Chen probably didn’t approve of the Liu family’s background. This led to arranging a meeting between Chen Sheng and Huaigeng’s cousin. During this meeting, some underhanded tactics were used. The situation became complicated due to a fortunate coincidence that disrupted their plans.”
“In this world, there aren’t so many coincidences. Judging from Madam Chen’s behavior and the fact that Miss Liu was pushed into the water from behind, most likely, it was her doing.”
Chen Shi thought about the chaotic search led by a member of the Chen family throughout the night. Her eyes narrowed, and she said coldly, “This Liu Shi’s2Madam Chen methods are indeed too underhanded.” Liu was Madam Chen’s surname.
Lu Chengxiao smiled and said, “I want to clarify the situation with you, Mom, so that Madam Chen won’t use her schemes against our family in the future. She might spread false rumors outside and cause misunderstandings about Liu Yu. It’s better for me to explain everything first.”
Naturally, in his explanation, Lu Chengxiao skipped over how he and Liu Yu met and the relationship between Liu Yu and Chen Sheng.
Chen Shi noticed that her younger son was considering everything for the girl, evidently holding her in high regard. She smiled and said, “Alright, Mom understands. But why set the marriage proposal date so urgently?”
She cast a somewhat skeptical look at her son, who had already changed into dry clothes, clearly thinking along the same lines as Chen Sheng. However, she knew her own son well. In this regard, he was extremely proper, and she didn’t suspect any mischief. She thought he was hurrying the marriage proposal to safeguard the girl’s family reputation.
Lu Chengxiao blushed slightly but didn’t explain. He let his mother misunderstand, allowing the marriage proposal process to speed up.
Seeing his reaction, Chen Shi said, “Alright, since you’ve made up your mind, you don’t need me to hold you back. Tell me where the girl’s family is, her surname, and name. I’ll personally visit them tomorrow, inquire about the girl’s character. As long as her character is good, it’s up to you.”
After some thought, she added, “But proposing in the next two days is still too rushed. Even if the girl is perfect in every aspect, regarding this important matter of marriage, you shouldn’t go around your father, right? Your father is still in the county. It’s better to propose after he returns.”
Lu Chengxiao just smiled, “It’s okay, I’ll go to the county early tomorrow to bring my father back. It won’t delay anything.”
Chen Shi was astonished, felt amused, and a bit annoyed. Finally, she waved him off, “Go, go, go. Pour yourself two bowls of ginger soup in the kitchen, take a hot bath, and quickly stop showing off in front of me.”
Lu Chengxiao laughed, bowed to Chen Shi, exchanged a few kind words, and then headed towards the kitchen.
Qin Shi poured water into the pot, and on the stove, there was Lu Shuang watching. She came over and, seeing the mother and son in this state, asked her mother-in-law with a smile, “What’s going on with Third Brother?”
Chen Shi chuckled and said, “In other families, daughters are outgoing, but in our family, it’s the son who is outgoing.”
Hearing this, Qin Shi raised an eyebrow, “Could it be… there will be a third sibling in the family?”
Chen Shi burst into laughter and said, “It’s not a done deal yet. I’ll find out more before confirming.”
Qin Shi, however, knew that Third Brother had taken a liking to someone. In all likelihood, this matter was almost settled. She smiled and joined in the fun with Chen Shi.
~
Now, turning to the Liu family.
The matter of releasing river lanterns, after informing Wang Shi as planned, indeed had excellent results. It seemed that Wang Shi had already explained everything, so when Liu Yu returned home, no one asked her any questions.
Only Wen Shi, smiling, asked if there was any excitement in town tonight. Liu Yu casually mentioned a few things and that was the end of it.
She heated water, took a bath, and changed clothes. She discreetly hid the pair of shoes that Lu Chengxiao gave her among the changed clothes. The two taels of silver that Cui Erniang gave her during the day were still there, not washed away in the Yu River. It was indeed a stroke of luck.
Wu Shi, who had been eyeing her all day, was relatively calm tonight. After drying her long hair, Liu Yu finally settled down and lay down.
When the cold moon reached its zenith, someone lightly tapped on the window of the main room of the Liu family. Seeing Wu Shi, who seemed unusually calm that day, Liu Yu wiped her long hair dry and then lay down peacefully.
As the cold moon illuminated the midnight, the window of the Liu family’s main room was gently tapped a few times. Wu Shi, who had been calm throughout the night, got off the bed and asked in a low voice, “Who is it?”
Outside the window, Liu Dalang suppressed his voice and replied, “It’s me.”
Wu Shi could hardly contain her excitement, “You’ve come back!”
He told her to wait, and quietly, he approached the window after opening the courtyard gate.
Sansukini: Uh Oh… The wheels of fate are churning.
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I’m about to grab my pitchfork if they try to take her tonight…
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