CHAPTER 192: CHAPTER 190: THE UNFORGETTABLE LOVE (2)

Li Xing’an was very curious about why Aunt Liu was doing this.

He excitedly said, "Third Sister, what kind of weakness does that wicked woman from the Liu Family have that you’ve caught?"

Li Yuzhu shook her head, "I can’t say."

"Humph, can’t even tell your brother?" Li Xing’an sneered with a toothy grin.

"I’m afraid you’ll let it slip and shout it out. In short, since I’ve agreed to her and taken her benefits, I have to keep her secret. Besides, it has nothing to do with us; it’s her personal matter."

"Alright, if you won’t say, then don’t. Women’s issues, I can’t be bothered to care." Li Xing’an rolled his eyes.

The Princely Heir said, "Third Sister, since it’s her personal issue, let it go. She’s already afraid of you and even bribed you with draft cattle. No need to bring it up again, treat it like it never happened."

Li Yuzhu certainly knew how to handle things appropriately.

Taking benefits from others, helping them alleviate problems.

She believed that after this incident, Aunt Liu could live a good life with her man.

"Understood, Big Brother." Li Yuzhu nodded, "When Liu Da Niu Aunt wanted her brother to help out, I mentioned about paying him. She initially refused, but I insisted. Just like the servant from Miss Chai’s family, I’ll pay them the same."

The Princely Heir said, "That’s best, paying both equally, treating them the same."

Liu Aunt’s third brother, after sending someone back, quickly returned to the Li Family’s house.

He stood on the road calling to the Li Family’s siblings.

The Princely Heir and Li Yuzhu walked over.

Li Yuzhu introduced, "Big Brother, he is Aunt Da Niu’s third brother, also Da Niu’s uncle."

This middle-aged man with a dark face smiled and said, "You can just call me Liu Heiwa."

The name suited him all too well.

His dark complexion was as dark as Bao Zheng’s face.

"Since you’re Da Niu’s uncle, we’ll call you Uncle Heiwa." Li Yuzhu laughed.

"That’s fine, call me whatever you like." Liu Heiwa said heartily, looking at the barren land ahead, he asked, "So, we can farm the land now? My cattle have rested for several days, they’re full of energy."

The Princely Heir thanked him, "Much obliged, Uncle Heiwa. Follow me this way."

He led Liu Heiwa to the barren field, "This whole area needs to be cultivated."

"No problem at all." Liu Heiwa was also skilled in farming. He set the plow straight, gently whipped the cattle, and they pulled the plow forward.

The soil was turned over where the plow passed.

However, what was turned over was large chunks of soil. They needed to be raked again to remove stones, roots, and large tree roots before mixing in plant ashes, livestock urine, and cow manure ash to make it suitable farmland.

Liu Heiwa glanced at the Chai family’s servant working farther away, and while plowing, said to the Princely Heir, "Now that you have two cattle working the land, despite the large fields, it can all be plowed within three days. Another three days, and your field will be fully raked. You shouldn’t wait until the entire field is ready to plant crops. Prepare a bit and plant a bit so there’s no delay."

The Princely Heir nodded, "Uncle Heiwa is absolutely right. Uncle Chai also said the same thing. By today, we should have one plot done and can start transplanting seedlings tomorrow."

"That’s how farming should be." Liu Heiwa said with appreciation.

Xue Family was disappointed when she didn’t find Pei Shenyan at the shop rented by the Second Princess, and left dejectedly.

Since she’d already come to the street, going back empty-handed would be a waste. She decided to browse the fabric shops.

She hadn’t gathered much medicinal herbs recently, so she didn’t have much money.

Today at the market, she had a hundred coins in her pocket, given by the Princely Heir.

The Princely Heir had earned some small money with his calligraphy skills.

He wrote beautiful calligraphy, and when the village people found out, they asked him to write wedding couplets.

Each wedding set had couplets for the main door, back door, room doors, wing room doors, courtyard gate, and kitchen door.

Altogether eight pieces.

His handwriting was sometimes delicate, sometimes grand.

Few in the village could read or write, and even fewer wrote well.

The most literate was the village chief, who learned a few words as a child from playing with the son of the private school teacher from a neighboring village. He was only barely literate enough to write letters and was chosen as village chief by the Pavilion Chief.

Everyone thought the Princely Heir’s calligraphy was beautiful, resembling paintings, and when the invitations were delivered to the bride’s family, they received high praise.

The family marrying off their daughter was deeply proud and happily gifted 180 coins and ten eggs to the Princely Heir as a thank you.

Xue Family, upon finding out, took all the money to manage herself.

In the Prince Mansion, the Princely Heir’s money was also managed by Xue Family. He would ask her for money when needed, though he rarely spent any.

It’s the same now.

With a hundred coins in hand, Xue Family arrived at the fabric shop.

She looked up at the sign "Lin’s Cloth Shop" and was about to enter when suddenly someone pushed her.

"You’re blocking our young master’s way, move aside!"

How arrogant, who is this that pushes her like that?

Xue Family got angry and turned around to see who it was.

She found that it was a pair of youths passing by.

One of them, taller and more handsome, seemed like the master, while the other, dressed poorer, was the servant.

"Strange, that youth just now, looks like someone from the Pei Family of the capital?" Xue Family thought for a moment and quickly caught up.

The pair of master and servant were not walking fast.

Xue Family quickly caught up with them.

She walked to them and looked at the youth’s face.

Sure enough, the youth looked very much like someone from the Pei Family.

"Is your surname Pei?" Xue Family scrutinized Pei Shenyan and asked, "Are you the owner of Pei’s Shoe Shop?"

The little servant nodded, "Our young master is indeed surnamed Pei, he is the owner of Pei’s Shoe Shop, but our master has just sublet the shop. Who are you? Is there something you need?"

Really surnamed Pei?

Xue Family felt happy, "Are you from the Pei Family of the capital? Do you know anyone from Duke Zhongyi Mansion?"

Li Xing’an and the others were right, this youth indeed resembles someone from the Pei Family.

He resembles the few sons of the Pei Family eight or nine parts alike.

And the Pei Family and the Duke Zhongyi Mansion of the Yu Wen family are long-standing friends.

She wanted to inquire about Yu Wen Zan, when she left the capital, Yu Wen Zan had not yet married.

She knew that Yu Wen Zan had feelings for her.

And now in her heart, she also intended to have Yu Wen Zan.

Pei Shenyan’s eyes slightly darkened, expression indifferent, "Don’t know them." He sidesteps past her.

The little servant looked at Xue Family and said coldly, "Our young master is a native here, doesn’t know any Pei Family people from the capital, nor knows anyone from Duke Zhongyi Mansion, he’s just a commoner, can’t connect with any dignitaries or nobles!"

He snorted and also walked past.

Xue Family was puzzled, what’s going on here? Obviously looks alike, also has the same surname Pei, it’s impossible not to be someone from the Pei Family?

"Hey, Mr. Pei—" Xue Family was unwilling, and still pursued them.

Pei Shenyan suddenly turned around, looking at her coldly, "If you keep chasing to ask about that matter, don’t blame me for not being polite!"

His eyes were cold as icy blades, scaring Xue Family to quickly retreat two steps.

"Hmph!" Pei Shenyan snorted coldly, threw his sleeve, and left.

Xue Family let out a long sigh, when would a person from the capital come here?

She didn’t have money to go to the county town or Zhen An Prefecture, could only wait for someone from the capital to come here.

Xue Family returned to the fabric shop, a hundred coins could only buy cheap fabric.

She picked a piece of aqua-red fabric, planning to make a summer blouse for herself.

The money was only enough to buy fabric for the blouse, not enough to buy fabric for a skirt.

Xue Family’s gaze swept across a pile of fine silk fabrics, but she didn’t ask about the price.

It’s useless even to ask, she couldn’t afford it.

"This lady, these are all new arrivals, this year the young ladies from the county town are all buying fabrics of these colors, look at the one I’m wearing, how’s it? Not bad, right?" The shopkeeper’s wife was stout, far from being beautiful, but she was rich, with a thick golden hairpin on her head, cheap thick grease smeared on her face, and cheap rouge smeared on her lips.

This attire would be considered incredibly outdated in the capital, but in the countryside, it was quite stunning and seemed noble.

Xue Family in her heart despised her attire but thought to herself, she couldn’t even afford the cheap grease and jewelry, what was she looking down on others for?

"Not buying today, just looking." Xue Family said awkwardly, holding the three-and-a-half-foot rough cloth she bought, turned around and walked out of the shop.

The shopkeeper’s wife harshly slapped the chicken feather duster against the fabric, rolled her eyes at the departing Xue Family standing at the doorway, "What are you looking at if you can’t afford it? The fabric is about to be flipped till ruined. Frugal look! Looking at fine silk? Only worthy of wearing linen!"

One of Xue Family’s feet had already stepped out the threshold.

Hearing this, she furiously turned back, pointing at the fat shopkeeper’s wife, angrily shouted, "Wretched hag! Who are you calling frugal-looking? Let me tell you, three months ago, my servants dressed better than you! Just as you are, you’d even be scorned for helping me take care of shoes or cleaning toilets, with your cheap rouge and grease smell!"