CHAPTER 169: CHAPTER 169 MISS CHAI’S ASSISTANCE (1)

The little girl, being young and naive, accidentally let slip about Da Niu’s pregnancy.

This rumor spread and eventually reached the Hu Family in the neighboring village.

Upon hearing it, Hu Niangzi immediately came with her daughter to stir up trouble.

Liu Si Niu knew she was in trouble, and she turned pale with fear, standing by helplessly.

Li Yuzhu walked to her side and whispered a few words to her.

Liu Si Niu looked at her in surprise.

Li Yuzhu spoke softly, "If you say what I tell you, they won’t argue anymore, and your father will praise you and won’t hit you again."

"Really?" the seven-year-old girl blinked her clear eyes, staring blankly at Li Yuzhu.

"Of course." Li Yuzhu smiled slightly.

"Alright, I’ll give it a try." Liu Si Niu bit her lip, gathered her courage, and shouted boldly, "Hu Family’s feng shui is bad; that’s why Hu Uncle died young. My elder sister has been married for over three years and couldn’t conceive. Now that she’s back at her mother’s house, she got pregnant, which shows our home’s feng shui is good and nurturing. If the Hu Family takes the child back, aren’t they afraid their bad feng shui will affect my sister and the child?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Hu Niangzi’s face swiftly changed.

Liu Laoda, having been prompted, laughed loudly, "Indeed, the feng shui of the Hu Family’s house has always been poor; there have been rumors among the villagers for a long time."

Lady Liu also laughed, "Hu Niangzi’s husband was fine the day before he died, then suddenly died the next day. What else could it be but bad feng shui?"

"..."

"My daughter has always been healthy, but since marrying there, she’s been frequently ill, even had her arm broken. This time at her mother’s house for a month, she hasn’t been sick once, and she’s pregnant. It shows that the Hu Family is not a place for people!"

Liu the bricklayer also shouted, "Our Old Liu Family’s feng shui is excellent; sons and daughters are born in droves, not like your Hu Family. How many people are there in your three branches combined?"

Hu Niangzi’s husband was an only son, and they only had two children.

Hu Niangzi’s husband’s cousins didn’t have many children either; one had two kids, another only had one.

As for the Liu Family, even Aunt Liu who often scolded Liu Laoda had a flourishing branch with five kids and a swarm of grandchildren.

Liu the bricklayer is from the Liu Family’s main house; his eldest son has four daughters, and the second son has three boys.

The Liu Family was truly thriving.

In comparison, the Hu family seemed pitifully few in number.

The Liu Family seized the feng shui issue, vigorously criticizing the Hu Family while boasting about their own greatness.

They left Hu Niangzi and her daughter unable to respond.

Seeing her son standing silently by, Hu Niangzi complained to him, "They’re bullying your mother, and you won’t even help?"

Hu Shuangcheng, thinking about his father’s death and hearing the rumors from the villagers, had his suspicions confirmed.

His heart was troubled, and he didn’t want to talk to Hu Niangzi, so he turned his head away.

His own mother had driven his father to death, what could he say?

With no help, unable to out-argue them or justify themselves, Hu Niangzi and her daughter slunk away in defeat.

The onlooking villagers burst into laughter.

Some villagers who were friendly with the Liu Family congratulated Liu Laoda as soon as they heard the news of Liu Da Niu’s pregnancy.

Those who admired Hu Shuangcheng patted his shoulder with a grin, "Congratulations, Brother Hu, you’re going to be a father soon."

Hu Shuangcheng laughed sheepishly.

As the commotion subsided, the spectators gradually dispersed, and Liu Family members went about their own affairs.

Liu Laoda patted Liu Si Niu’s little head, "You little rascal, you’re quite the clever one, knowing about feng shui and all. Here, go buy some fruit to eat."

Liu Laoda, happy, pulled out some money from his pocket and placed it in his youngest daughter’s hand.

The copper coins were so many they couldn’t fit in her small hands; Liu Si Niu beamed with joy.

However, she was an honest child.

"Dad, it was Miss Li who said it, not me." Liu Si Niu tilted her head, looking at Li Yuzhu.

She wanted to point with her finger, but her hands were full of money.

Amid the earlier chaos in the yard, Liu Laoda hadn’t noticed Li Yuzhu and her brother.

Once his youngest daughter spoke up, he finally looked over.

Li Yuzhu and the Princely Heir stood outside the yard gate, half hidden by the fence.

Liu Laoda smiled, "Ah, you’re here, come on in and sit for a while."

Lady Liu also smiled, "Come in and sit for a while, it was so noisy here earlier, I didn’t see you. Look at my eyesight."

Li Yuzhu and the Princely Heir entered the yard and went into the main house with the Liu Family.

"I came to see Da Niu," Li Yuzhu said with a smile.

"It’s kind of you to come as soon as you arrived." Lady Liu smiled and called for Liu Da Niu.

It was quiet outside, and Liu Da Niu finally came out, clutching her belly.

Seeing her being so careful, Li Yuzhu couldn’t help but smile softly.

"Don’t come out, let’s go inside and talk," Li Yuzhu said.

"Okay," Liu Da Niu responded shyly.

The two of them walked into Liu Da Niu’s house.

Outside, the Princely Heir, Liu Laoda, Liu Er, and Liu the bricklayer Hu Shuangcheng were chatting.

Lady Liu was busy pouring tea.

Farmers didn’t have much money, so the tea was picked from their own tea trees.

And it was fresh tea.

The Princely Heir held the clear tea bowl and chatted with them.

Upon learning that the Princely Heir had come to the village to borrow cattle, Liu the bricklayer said, "Unfortunately, my Niuniu is about to give birth, otherwise you’d be welcome to borrow her. Anyway, several families in the neighboring village have cattle, why not try borrowing from them?"

The Princely Heir said, "I just asked the village chief, and he suggested the same."

Liu the bricklayer then said, "I built a kitchen for the Li Zheng’s house in the neighboring village, so I know the old master well. Let me accompany you there. That village is more than twice the size of Taohua River Village, and if you’re unfamiliar with the roads, finding your way might take a whole day, which would be an unnecessary inconvenience."

The Princely Heir quickly replied, "Won’t this interrupt Grandpa Liu’s work in the fields? I’d better find and ask around by myself."

Liu the bricklayer chuckled, "There’s nothing much to do in my fields at the moment, I’m free these days, it won’t disrupt anything."

He insisted on accompanying the Princely Heir to borrow cattle.

Unable to refuse his kindness, the Princely Heir gratefully accepted.

"No need to thank me, you kids are so polite," Liu the bricklayer laughed.

In Liu Da Niu’s room, Li Yuzhu was checking Liu Da Niu’s pulse while also using the space to examine the fetal heartbeat.

Young, healthy, and it’s her first pregnancy, both the mother and the child are perfectly fine.

"Everything’s good, there’s nothing unusual with your body," Li Yuzhu smiled.

Liu Da Niu let out a sigh of relief, "I’ve been unable to eat much and haven’t felt energetic; I was worried earlier, but now it seems I’ve been overthinking."

"You are overthinking, you can ask your mother about pregnancy, she has experience in this regard," Li Yuzhu said with a smile.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Liu Da Niu nodded, "Okay."

But she always felt it’s a bit awkward to talk about her personal matters with adults.

With other business to attend, outside, the Princely Heir called out to Li Yuzhu.

"My brother is going to borrow cattle, we have to leave, I’ll visit you another day," Li Yuzhu said.

Liu Da Niu expressed her thanks and escorted Li Yuzhu to the door.

"No, no, you take care and rest," Li Yuzhu waved with a smile.

The Princely Heir told Li Yuzhu about Liu the bricklayer’s help in borrowing cattle, and Li Yuzhu was delighted, "Thanks a lot, Grandpa Liu."

"You guys are always so polite, what is a small favor like this?" Liu the bricklayer said with a smile.

With the journey to Qinghe Village being long, Liu the bricklayer urged the Princely Heir and Li Yuzhu to set off quickly.

On the village road, they encountered Miss Chai.

Miss Chai was riding a mule cart.

She called the driver to stop the cart, "Miss Li?"

Miss Chai got off the mule cart and upon seeing the Princely Heir, she made a slight bow.

The Princely Heir had no choice but to return the gesture.

"Where are you off to? Why are you walking so hastily?" Miss Chai asked with a smile.

"We need to plow some wasteland, so we’re going to borrow cattle for farming. The cows in Taohua River Village are giving birth and can’t be used. Grandpa Liu is taking us to Qingshui River Village to borrow them," Li Yuzhu replied with a smile.

Miss Chai laughed, "You’re in luck, I have cattle; no need to go to Qingshui River Village to borrow. If you walk seven or eight miles and still can’t borrow, it’ll be tiring for nothing."

Liu the bricklayer chimed in, "That’s right, Miss Chai has oxen carts."

"I normally use my mule cart for outings. When I’m not out, Uncle Gui uses the mule to haul things. If you need to borrow cattle, why not use mine? They are sturdy enough."

The Princely Heir looked at Li Yuzhu for advice, asking, "Third Sister?" After all, he wasn’t familiar with Miss Chai, but Li Yuzhu was.

Li Yuzhu nodded and said with a smile, "Alright then, Brother, let’s borrow Miss Chai’s cattle."

Miss Chai said, "You needn’t go back. Just wait at home, I’ll have Uncle Gui bring the cattle over."

The Princely Heir said, "How can we impose like that? I’d better go fetch them myself."

Miss Chai laughed, glancing at the Princely Heir’s face, "Brother Li, you’re borrowing cattle for plowing, but do you even know how to plow?"