CHAPTER 323: CHAPTER 321: PLAN AHEAD (PART 1)

Lu Yuanfeng’s expression was serious as he looked at Shuangshuang, his gaze revealing traces of anticipation and tension.

The palms of his hands had long been soaked with sweat, and his heart was beating unnaturally fast.

His mind was a swirl of confusion; he forced himself to stay calm, fearing he might miss Shuangshuang’s answer.

Compared to Lu Yuanfeng’s nervousness, Mu Shuangshuang was much more composed, or perhaps she simply hadn’t thought deeply about it.

She nodded almost without hesitation. "I like him!"

It’s not just her; most people would probably like Fengzi’s personality, right?

Whether it’s his character or his external abilities, he’s the kind of person everyone would compete to have!

But as Mu Shuangshuang answered Lu Yuanfeng, a strange and unfamiliar feeling suddenly welled up inside her heart.

It was as if something was continuously spreading in her chest.

She forcefully suppressed this strange feeling and said to Lu Yuanfeng, "Let’s head back first. My grandmother said we could go pick peaches later."

Lu Yuanfeng froze in place, waves of emotions—expectation, tension, disappointment—continued to churn within him.

It took him a moment to calm his restless heart; he knew that rushing things wouldn’t help.

Shuangshuang had a child-like nature; she couldn’t possibly accept him so easily.

However, he believed that if he persevered, he could definitely make Shuangshuang understand that his feelings for her were romantic, not just as she thought.

"Okay, let me carry everything for you, don’t tire yourself."

...

...

This trip was quite fruitful. Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng returned to the Old Yu Family with wild chickens and eggs, causing quite a stir.

Old Mrs. Yu was grinning ear to ear. When Shuangshuang said the wild chickens were caught by Lu Yuanfeng, Old Mrs. Yu became increasingly impressed with the young man before her.

"Shuangshuang, you and Fengzi go rest for a bit. I’ll have your aunt make dinner early; you two don’t need to go back tonight. Stay here for a couple of days; I have plenty to talk to you about.

Tomorrow, I’ll take you to see our tea mountain; I’m sure you’ll be satisfied. Tonight, we’ll make something delicious. I just sent your grandpa to buy some bones, should be back soon, so we can have corn stew with bones tonight."

Corn stew with bones, a dish that’s a mix of meat and vegetables; other than in places like Yu Family Village where corn is grown abundantly, such a dish is rarely seen elsewhere.

Yu Family Village’s terrain and conditions are different from other places. There are many low hills, water is harder to access at higher elevations, so the main crops are tea and corn; rice is only grown in low-lying areas.

Generally, a family has just one or two acres of land, enough for the family’s consumption.

"Grandma, Fengzi and I didn’t bring a change of clothes, so we probably can’t stay here tonight. Besides, nobody knows we went out, and if we don’t go back tonight, people might gossip endlessly."

Mu Shuangshuang hadn’t planned on staying at Yu Family Village before, and wouldn’t change her mind now.

"They wouldn’t dare!" Old Mrs. Yu’s face tightened, showing a surprisingly fierce expression.

But Mu Shuangshuang knew Old Mrs. Yu was a particularly kind elder, respected by everyone in the family, except for the mentally impaired Mrs. Li.

"Grandma, I’m just saying, please don’t get agitated. Actually, Shuangshuang has a question she wants to ask. If Shuangshuang wanted to buy some corn, do you know roughly how much it costs per pound?"

Making popcorn absolutely requires corn, and Mu Shuangshuang was simply preparing ahead.

"Why? You want to eat corn? Grandma’s house has plenty; just go pick some later. Pick as much as you like."

Old Mrs. Yu was excited, thinking that her granddaughter probably wanted to eat corn.

The Old Yu Family might not have many other resources, but when it comes to corn, they could let their granddaughter eat all she wanted.

"Grandma, Shuangshuang doesn’t want to eat alone; she wants to buy some corn to take back. It might be quite a lot, around a few hundred pounds."

After hearing this, Old Mrs. Yu didn’t show any difficult expression. She said with a smile, "It’s not a big deal. When the corn ripens in the village, you can buy dozens of pounds from each household; you’ll definitely have enough.

As for the price, since everyone has corn at home and nobody really aims to sell it for a high price, I reckon you can buy a pound for four or five wen."

Compared to rice that costs eight wen per pound, corn is indeed much cheaper, even buying a thousand pounds only costs five silver taels.

"Shuangshuang understands, thank you, Grandma! But Shuangshuang wants to settle this now. Shuangshuang briefly wants a thousand pounds of corn and can pay a one silver tael deposit."

Five silver taels isn’t a difficult sum for Mu Shuangshuang. What she’s most afraid of is if she really makes popcorn in the future and it’s extremely popular, and if people find out it’s made from corn, someone might pay to monopolize the corn supply.

So she has to prevent that from happening now.

"Shuangshuang, tell Grandma what you need so much corn for?"

In Old Mrs. Yu’s heart, five silver taels is quite a sum, as even after saving for five or six years, most families wouldn’t have that much; so why does Shuang want to use that much money so suddenly?

"For business, the popcorn Shuangshuang brought over this morning is made from corn. But Grandma, you can’t tell anyone, not even the uncles and aunts."

"Of course, your grandma is smart! Now, you and Fengzi hurry and go pick peaches, while I help your aunt busy with dinner." Old Mrs. Yu said to Mu Shuangshuang with a clever look on her face.

"Thank you for your trouble, Grandma!"

Once Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng left, Mrs. Li, who had been hiding in the shadows, appeared. She grabbed a wild chicken and walked to the courtyard gate, shouting loudly.

"Hey, everyone come and see, our Yu Family people are really amazing, they casually came over and caught so many wild chickens and eggs for us!"

Upon hearing the shouting, villagers came out one after another and, seeing the wild chicken in Mrs. Li’s hand, stared with wide eyes.

Wild chicken tastes better than domestic chicken, with more robust meat. If one could eat a dish of fried wild chicken in summer, the taste would be...

"Er Lang’s wife, who in your Yu Family is so skillful, catching wild chickens so easily?"

The villagers were curious; although in the afternoon they saw a man and a woman enter the Yu Family’s house, none knew them or their relationship with the Yu Family.

"It’s Si Niang’s daughter; that girl is really impressive. You don’t know, she caught the wild chicken like it was nothing. But she graciously said that all these wild chickens are ours."

Mrs. Li lied without hesitation; she felt that since Lu Yuanfeng caught wild chickens in Yu Family Village, half of those chickens should belong to the Yu Family. However, they weren’t saying it, seeming not to want to give them any!