Chapter 64: He only heard the trembling of his own heartbeat.

The doors of the flower hall were wide open, and the shared smile between the two seemed to infuse even the dust particles with sweetness.

Liu Yu smiled at him and said, “You arrived at Mao Shi (5-7 a.m.). Did you leave before dawn?”

Lu Chengxiao wasn’t really thick-skinned, but he felt a bit uncomfortable and defended himself with a sentence, “I usually get up at that time.”

Liu Yu chuckled, “And what about the chicken, duck, and fish? Is the market open so early?”

Being caught, Lu Chengxiao touched his nose, “I had Babao arrange it yesterday afternoon.”

As he said this, he also laughed, looking at Liu Yu with the purest joy in his eyes.

Seeing him still standing, Liu Yu half chided and half smiled, “Sit down, aren’t you tired enough from the morning?”

Saying this, she sat down on another chair.

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Nkw Zw aykple yd lulcaso, oykvkdt qsa bkx vs nsdvkdwl.

Nw Ubldtmkys pyke, “Rv’p ycswv vbyv ryka sq pkczkdtp. Zlpvlaeyu, R caswtbv vblx bsxl vs xllv xu qyvbla. Ql Gd kp dkdl ulyap sze yde kp ynvwyzzu ycswv vbl ytl vs pvyav yrraldvknlpbkr kd y pbsr. Tl’p nzlhla, ps xu qyvbla ypjle vbl pbsrjllrla vs yaaydtl qsa bkx vs cl y fwdksa yrraldvknl kd vbl qycakn pbsr. Tl eslpd’v byhl xwnb xsdlu, cwv bl’zz byhl qsse yde nzsvbkdt twyaydvlle, obknb kp y oyu swv qsa bkx kd vbl qwvwal.”

Nkw Zw’p lulp kxxlekyvlzu zkv wr. “Slyzzu?”

Nw Ubldtmkys dseele yde pyke okvb y pxkzl, “Yu xsvbla yzps zkjle vbl nbkze nyzzle Hbw’la hlau xwnb. Fkdnl csvb pkczkdtp yal rssa yde byhl ds sdl vs alzu sd, yde ol byhl vos uswdt dlrblop yv bsxl, sdl kp vball ulyap sze yde vbl svbla fwpv vwadle sdl, zlyhkdt Hbw’la yv bsxl okzz rashkel vblx okvb y rzyuxyvl. Ebld Ql Gd tasop wr kd y qlo ulyap, bl nyd yaaydtl qsa bkp pkpvla bkxplzq. R nyxl vs vlzz usw vbkp ps usw nyd alpv yppwale.”

Nkw Zw wdelapvsse vbl xlydkdt clbkde Nw Ubldtmkys’p osaep. Mbl Nw qyxkzu bye vyjld kd Ql Gd yde Hbw’la okvbswv pktdkdt ydu jkde sq kdeldvwal, ps Ql Gd yde bkp pkpvla olal pvkzz qall.

Fbl dlhla lmrlnvle vbyv Nw Ubldtmkys’p nyal oswze zlye vs bkx vs es vbkp.

Fbl pvsse wr bypvkzu, csole vs Nw Ubldtmkys, yde pyke, “Mbydj usw, yde rzlypl nsdhlu xu vbydjp vs xu wdnzl yde ywdv.”

If she hadn’t asked Lu Chengxiao to look after them, the Lu family wouldn’t have taken these two small children in. At this moment, Liu Yu even felt a bit ashamed. After all, she and the Lu family were not yet close enough for such actions.

Lu Chengxiao quickly got up to help her, “Don’t think too much. We usually start taking in junior apprentices at ten years old in our shop. Ge An actually knows some characters, and although he’s young, he’s much more promising than a ten-year-old who can’t read. Zhu’er is six years old, and because she has been wandering outside with her older brother, she’s quite sensible. My two nephews are still young, and my sister-in-law sometimes can’t watch them all the time. She can help look after them, so it’s like having an extra pair of hands. My sister-in-law is also very happy.”

“It’s not that simple, but I’m genuinely happy for these two children. You must convey my thanks to my uncle and aunt. I know that a simple ‘thank you’ is not enough, but I still have to say it.”

Lu Chengxiao withdrew his outstretched hand and nodded, “Okay.”

Looking at Liu Yu again, his eyes were full of joy. He whispered, “Actually, my parents and Shaung’er also really like you.”

He wanted to say that, for him, the best gratitude was Liu Yu’s happiness and peace of mind. As for his parents, the best thank-you was for her to enter the Lu family’s door. However, these unfinished words were all softened into a gentle smile.

Liu Yu seemed to understand, but she pretended not to, smiling and saying, “You’ve been busy all morning and had some wine. Go rest for a while. I’ll ask Second Brother to take you.”

Lu Chengxiao also knew his limits. Being able to meet and chat for a while like this was already very satisfying. He followed Liu Yu out of the flower hall.

Liu Yanping was in the east wing. Liu Yu walked to the door of the east wing and called out. When he saw Lu Chengxiao coming so quickly, he looked more favorably upon him. He personally took over the hospitality duties and led Lu Chengxiao to the guest room, then asked Liu Yu to go back and rest soon.

Returning to the inner courtyard, Wei Shi was still sitting in the inner courtyard flower hall. She smiled when she saw Lu Yu and asked, “What did you talk about?”

Liu Yu told Wei Shi about the Lu family taking in the Ge siblings, and Wei Shi was somewhat surprised. Then she looked at Liu Yu and said, “Master and Madam Lu are kind-hearted, and they care for you. If you really marry into the Lu family, your great aunt won’t worry about anything.”

Originally just a temporary arrangement, but encountering a family like this is also fortunate for my niece.

Lu Chengxiao rested for more than half an hour and then went to help the Liu family brothers in the fields in the afternoon, not returning until just before sunset.

Knowing that he still had a long journey back to Anyi County, Wei Shi prepared dinner exceptionally early and treated him well. When it was time to leave, Wei Shi called Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan to bring out the vegetables, fruits, eggs, and home-raised chickens and ducks that she had prepared in the afternoon and helped Lu Chengxiao load them onto the cart.

Lu Chengxiao didn’t want to accept, but Wei Shi said, “These are not valuable things; they are all grown and raised by ourselves. It’s my heartfelt intention, don’t refuse it.”

The Liu brothers had already gone out with their things, and Lu Chengxiao was about to stop them, but Liu Yu lightly tugged at his clothes. With a very light force, he obediently stopped.

Walking a step behind, before they even left the Liu family’s yard, Lu Chengxiao looked at Liu Yu. Seeing that there was no one else around, she whispered softly, “Don’t come tomorrow. I asked Second Brother, and we won’t be so busy then.”

A smile spread across Lu Chengxiao’s lips, growing wider and wider. He glanced in the direction of the courtyard gate and leaned closer to Liu Yu. “Then I’ll come before the Dragon Boat Festival.”

Liu Yu couldn’t help but laugh and scolded him, “Are you not afraid of your parents and brothers laughing at you?”

Who starts sending betrothal gifts before a marriage is even arranged?

The smile in Lu Chengxiao’s eyes was full. “Not afraid.”

He was only afraid of not being able to see her.

Liu Yu refused to look at him, lowered her head, and took a step ahead to leave the courtyard. In densely populated rural areas, there were inevitably a few neighbors stretching their necks from afar to watch the commotion.

Lu Chengxiao didn’t speak to Liu Yu anymore, just bid farewell to Wei Shi and the Liu brothers. Finally, he nodded to Liu Yu and got on the mule cart.

Even so, as soon as the master and servant left, some busybody women approached Wei Shi and asked her in voices they thought were low but could be heard from several feet away, “Is this a betrothal gift for your daughter?”

Wei Shi smiled and gave the same explanation as Liu Yanping, saying, “They’re friends of the three brothers who came to help out during the busy farming season.”

What they believed or didn’t believe wasn’t so important.

Back home, Lu Chengxiao was indeed teased by his father and brothers. However, Lu Xun, in a serious manner, handed him a letter and said, “A letter from Yuanzhou came today. Take a look to see if it’s from one of your classmates.”

Lu Chengxiao opened the letter and first looked at the signature. “It’s from Cunxu.”

Lu Xun remembered this name well. “The one who helped you find Liu Yu last time?”

Lu Chengxiao nodded and quickly read the letter, smiling as he read. This piqued Lu Xun’s curiosity, and he asked, “What does it say?”

“It says that last time, in the middle of the night, when he was helping me find someone, he unexpectedly found a child in the hands of a Ya Po. The child is the kidnapped son of the newly appointed magistrate of Hongdu Prefecture.”

“The magistrate’s son?” Lu Xun was surprised, and Lu Chengxiong and Lu Chengzhang, who were nearby, also came over.

Lu Chengxiao nodded while still reading the letter. “Yes, this new magistrate has some background. He came from the capital, and his family has a title. His uncle is a deputy minister of the Ministry of Personnel, in charge of evaluating officials. Cunxu said that because of this incident, His father may be able to get a promotion after his term is over.”

After finding Liu Yu, Lu Chengxiao sent a letter to Yang Cunxu to inform him of the situation. This letter from Yang Cunxu was a thank you letter saying this was due to Lu Chengxiao’s blessing. It also took some time delivering the person to Hongdu Prefecture so the letter was delayed and only arrived today.

Lu Xun didn’t expect that when his son went to find Liu Yu, he would unexpectedly obtain a favor, and it was a favor from a court official, a deputy magistrate. The magistrate of Anyi County is a seventh-rank official, while a deputy magistrate in Yuanzhou is probably at least sixth-rank, right?

As the saying goes, it’s not just about connections in the court; it’s the same in business. Business people pay great attention to maintaining good relations and fostering friendships. Even though a small cloth shop like the Lu family might not need such favors, befriending someone like this still made Lu Xun extremely happy. He felt even more convinced that sending his son to the Yuanzhou Academy four years ago was the right decision.

Lu Chengxiao was quite happy about the unexpected gain due to his close relationship with Yang Cunxu. He immediately went back to his room and wrote a reply to Yang Cunxu.

That night, Lu Chengzhang and his wife talked about the evening incident again. Lu Chengzhang’s words were full of regret. “My third brother, he’s the best among the three of us brothers. His luck is good too. That year, he saved Li family’s Master and was able to enter the Yuanzhou Academy for four years. Among his classmates are either wealthy households like the Wang family or the sons of officials. In the future, some may even become government officials through the imperial examination. But he had to set his heart on a girl from the village.”

Thinking about the things that Babao brought down from the mule cart in the evening, Lu Chengzhang couldn’t understand. Li Yunbi obviously had an interest in his brother, but his brother was cold and indifferent, not even saying a few more words.

Although Zhou Qiongying heard about the deputy magistrate and was somewhat envious, she thought it was good for Lu Chengxiao to marry a girl from the countryside. Among the sisters-in-law, the eldest sister-in-law was from a small rural family. If this third sister-in-law also had the same background, she would be considered the best. Zhou Qiongying didn’t say it on the surface, but she was quite pleased in her heart.

~

Liu Yu had no idea that there were such two influential figures in the Lu family. Lu Chengxiao indeed didn’t visit the Liu family for the next few days as he had said. While Wei Shi didn’t need to work in the fields anymore, Liu Yu spent her daytime making summer clothes.

With the intention to impress Wei Shi, she didn’t take the clothes outside but instead worked diligently in her own room. Wei Shi understood her intentions and let her do as she pleased, as long as Liu Yu didn’t strain her eyes by working with needles and threads under lamplight.

The set of clothes Liu Yu made for herself, with the outer layer made of blue satin, was naturally colorful and didn’t require additional embroidery. It was completed quickly, taking only three days. In fact, excluding the day when Lu Chengxiao came, Liu Yu only spent two days making the clothes seriously.

Once the clothes were done, she didn’t wear them out. Instead, she tried them on in her room and then put them in a box. Afterward, she went to the west wing to contemplate the next outfit.

The Dragon Boat Festival was coming in about ten days. Liu Yu had planned to make a set of summer clothes for Wei Shi, and with Lu Chengxiao saying he would come before the festival, Liu Yu thought he might bring a gift. Wei Shi had arranged for a return gift, but considering that the Lu family had taken in the Ge siblings and that Chen Shi had given her so much fabric, including several pieces of satin, which were worth several taels of silver, she thought she should do something for Lu Chengxiao herself.

Of course, she didn’t dare to make clothes for Lu Chengxiao like he did for her. After some thought, she decided to make a set of clothes for Lu Shuang, who was close to her age and was a more suitable recipient. The size wouldn’t be an issue since Lu Shuang’s measurements were very similar to hers, as observed on the day they measured each other.

As for the people next to the Lu family, it wasn’t appropriate to give them gifts. She thought about it and decided that, since it was the Dragon Boat Festival, she would make sachets for Chen Shi and the two children in the Lu family. This gesture would be enough to express her intentions.

Thinking about it, she started to work. She picked out fabrics from more than a dozen types, one suitable for Wei Shi and one for Lu Shuang. Then she went to find Wei Shi for measurements.

Wei Shi was taken aback when she heard that she also had her own set of clothes. She was overwhelmed for a while. Liu Yu smiled and said, “Auntie treats me like her daughter, and it’s only natural for a daughter to honor her mother with clothes. Isn’t it?”

Wei Shi was so touched that she wanted to hug Liu Yu tightly. She wished she were her biological daughter. Her son was really… How could there be a daughter so considerate and lovable?

Smiling, she let Liu Yu measure her. “If you make clothes for Auntie, Auntie will make you a pair of shoes. Your new clothes will look even better with new shoes. You can choose the shoe fabric yourself. If you want to embroider flowers on them, you have to do it yourself. Everything else will be taken care of by Auntie. Auntie’s tailoring skills are ordinary, but she makes good shoes. Your grandmother used to love wearing the shoes I made. I would cut the pieces, and she would embroider them before giving them back to me to finish.”

Liu Yu smiled. “That’s great. I’ll choose the fabric for the shoes and bring it to Auntie later.”

These two were not mother and daughter, but they got along as if they were. Liu Yu gradually felt the motherly love that she had never felt in Wang Shi’s place was somewhat compensated for here in Wei Shi’s place.

The set of clothes Liu Yu chose for Wei Shi was made of patterned satin, similar to her own. It didn’t require additional embroidery. As for the clothes she made for Lu Shuang, the main fabric was plain muslin, so she needed to do some embroidery on the garment.

For small items, she could use an embroidery hoop, but for larger pieces, she needed to use an embroidery frame.

In the evening, when she discussed with her two elder brothers, Liu Yanping waved his hand and said, “It’s nothing. I’ll go to town early tomorrow morning and buy it for you.”

Liu Yu mentioned the size needed for the embroidery frame, went back to fetch the money, but Liu Yanping just chuckled, ruffled Liu Yu’s hair, and said, “You don’t need to use your money. I’ve got it.”

On the side, Liu Yanan immediately focused on Liu Yanping, pointing his index finger at him, saying, “Caught you! Caught you! This time I have evidence.” He dared to say he didn’t dig out the rabbits.

Pointing a finger at his forehead, Liu Yanping retorted, “Get lost.”

“No!” Liu Yanan refused to back down, not looking for trouble but eagerly pleading, “Brother, take me with you. How can a good brother make money alone?”

Ignoring Liu Yanan’s plea, Liu Yanping just walked away, but Liu Yanan persistently followed him, repeatedly getting his head pushed away. Liu Yu watched the scene with amusement until Wei Shi came out, and only then did the two brothers calm down.

The next morning, Liu Yanping brought back the embroidery frame early. Wei Shi was puzzled and asked where the money came from. Before Liu Yu could speak, Liu Yanping preemptively said, “From my little sister.”

Wei Shi gave him a stern look and said, “Next time your little sister wants you to buy something, come to me for the money.”

Liu Yu glanced at Liu Yanping but didn’t expose him. After Wei Shi left, she quietly asked, “Brother, did you go hunting?”

Liu Yanping quickly put his index finger to his lips, gesturing for her to be quiet. Then he whispered, “I didn’t go into the mountains. I just occasionally caught a few rabbits in the fields.”

Liu Yu sighed and advised, “Let’s not do this anymore. Auntie would worry and get angry if she found out.”

Liu Yanping nodded. “I get it. I won’t mess around anymore. This way doesn’t make much money anyway.”

He was thinking about finding a more profitable way, but he hadn’t figured it out yet.

~

With the embroidery frame in hand, the following days for Liu Yu were busy and fulfilling. Aside from occasionally feeding the silly dog or practicing dancing to keep herself active, she spent most of her time doing needlework. By the second day of May, the clothes for Wei Shi and Lu Shuang were all done. She also made zongzi (rice dumplings) with Wei Shi and handmade a few sachets and purses, letting Liu Yanping accompany her to the town’s spice shop to buy some spices.

Early on the morning of the third day of May, Liu Yanqing also returned. Only then did Liu Yu pull Wei Shi and ask her to try on the new clothes for the Dragon Boat Festival.

Wei Shi was spoiled by Liu Yu and was also curious about what the clothes her niece made secretly in the west wing looked like. Following her instructions, she went into the west wing. When she saw the clothes that Liu Yu brought out, she was stunned when she unfolded them.

She had seen those fabrics before, thinking that two or three of them were suitable for her age. However, she didn’t expect them to be so stunning when turned into clothes by Liu Yu’s hands.

At this moment, Wei Shi finally understood why her niece dared to say she wanted to open an embroidery shop. She really had the talent for it.

With a smile, Liu Yu pushed Wei Shi to change into the clothes in the west side room. When they came out, she was also very satisfied. She asked Wei Shi to wait for her for a moment, then went into the inner room to change into her own outfit, a sky-blue summer robe.

Sky blue was a very picky color. If not worn well, it would appear dark and ostentatious. However, the fabric was extremely thin, and Liu Yu used light-colored plain silk as the base layer. This made the sky blue color appear even softer and brighter, with some floral embellishments. The sleeves and collar were made of light-colored silk, which complemented Liu Yu’s fair skin, making her look even more delicate and beautiful. It was much prettier than the set she bought from the embroidery shop in the county a few days ago.

As the two of them walked out together, the three brothers waiting in the corridor were stunned, with two clear thoughts in their minds:

“Sister is so beautiful!”

“Sister wasn’t joking about opening an embroidery shop!”

Liu Yu smiled and took Wei Shi’s hand, turning around to show off their new clothes. She playfully gave her brothers a blessing and asked with a smile, “Do we look good?”

“Very good!”

Their voices echoed in unison, but Liu Yu still noticed another somewhat familiar voice. She turned her head towards the source of the voice and met the gaze of Lu Chengxiao, who seemed to have arrived outside the courtyard gate at some point.

He was wearing a light blue and pale white arrow-sleeved brocade robe, unexpectedly complementing the clothes Liu Yu had just changed into.

Behind him, Babao had just come down from the mule cart and was looking back and forth between the two of them with a silly smile.

“Lu Chengxiao?” Liu Yu was surprised. “Why are you here?”

Wasn’t it supposed to be for the Dragon Boat Festival?

His voice was soft and sweet, but to Lu Chengxiao, it sounded as if it were separated by mountains and rivers, distant and almost surreal.

Liu Yu had always dressed modestly, so seeing her in such bright attire was a first for Lu Chengxiao. The visual impact was much stronger than he had expected.

At that moment, all he could hear was the trembling of his own heartbeat.

One beat after another.

---

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