CHAPTER 599: CHAPTER 599: DISTANT

Ms. Chang glared at Chang Errui and said, "Your elder brother and sister-in-law are preparing for the ancestral sacrifice at home. We can simply go home to pay tribute to our ancestors and have a meal. Besides, meeting the young man from the Qi Family and the girl won’t take much time, will it, Little Xiao Yu?"

Although she was seemingly asking Gu Jinli, her eyes were actually on Chang Errui. Hehe, young man, do you think you’ve hidden your feelings well? Did she, as his mother, fail to notice his thoughts? It wasn’t just him who had come to deliver the green bricks; there were also many workers from the village along with Master Yuan. She was very familiar with their wives.

Chang Errui was really anxious and was about to speak when Gu Daya and Qi Panzi, having heard the news, came over.

"Village Chief Yuan, welcome, welcome. We have already prepared a table for you, please come upstairs," said Qi Panzi, who used to be a peddler and was still adept at sweet talk. With Elder Yuan Laorong being a village chief of some stature, it was only fitting to give him a grand welcome as he came to congratulate them.

Elder Yuan Laorong laughed heartily and said, "Brother Qi, you are too courteous. Our two families are so well acquainted now, there’s no need for special preparations. We’ll be content with whatever is available."

Ms. Chang also said to Gu Daya, "That’s right, Sister Gu. Our two families are becoming closer and closer. Let’s dispense with formalities."

Let’s see something substantial; call your daughter out for a look.

Although that’s what she said, they would still need to eat. The group went to the last private room upstairs. As soon as they were seated, Ms. Chang glanced towards the door and exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Gu, why isn’t your daughter here? Is she busy in the kitchen again? I haven’t seen her for a long time. How about I go to the kitchen and see her?"

Hearing her words, Gu Daya hurriedly said, "It’s not proper for an elder to go and see a younger one. Sister-in-law Yuan, please wait, I will call her for you."

Ms. Chang smiled and said, "Then I would be most grateful, Sister. Please go ahead, I’ll wait."

Chang Errui was restless, feeling like he wanted to die out of fear that today’s events would upset Sister Le.

Seeing him like this, Ms. Chang couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. This young man deserves it, hiding things from the family; now he knows what it’s like to be anxious.

Gu Daya had already gotten up to summon Qi Kang Le.

Qi Kang Le was entertaining Old Mrs. Yan and several girls from other families in the backhouse of the restaurant. Upon hearing the request, a flicker of panic crossed her eyes, but she quickly composed herself and nodded, "Since it’s Village Chief Yuan’s wife who wants to see me, I should go and pay my respects."

As Gu Daya saw her agreement, she immediately led her towards the restaurant. When they were alone on the way, she stopped and instructed Qi Kang Le, "Don’t refer to her as the wife of the village chief. When you see Ms. Chang, just call her Aunt Yuan. Also, be attentive and respond well to leave a good impression on the Yuan Family."

Ever since Qi Kang Le had declared her intention not to marry, Gu Daya had been extremely anxious. Now, after hearing Ms. Chang’s words and observing her demeanor, it was obvious she had taken a liking to Sister Le.

Chang Errui was indeed a good young man, and the Yuan Family was a very respectable family. If things worked out, she would no longer have any worries.

However, Qi Kang Le responded, "Paying respects to Aunt Yuan is a matter of courtesy; it has nothing to do with a daughter’s marriage. Even if the Yuan Family formally proposes, I would not agree to the marriage."

This was a decision she had made long ago and was not about to change lightly.

Gu Daya, hearing this, gave her a punch in frustration: "You stubborn girl, why must you be so obstinate? Let’s not talk about this now; first, go meet Sister-in-law Yuan."

A strong woman is fearful of a persistent suitor. Chang Errui seemed like one who would not easily give up. As long as Chang Errui was determined, there was hope he could warm her, this unyielding ’stone’.

Before long, Ms. Chang finally saw Qi Kang Le and stood up joyfully, saying, "Sister Le, I haven’t seen you in a long time. You’ve grown even more beautiful."

She remembered when she first met Qi Kang Le, who always kept her head down because of the scar on her face. Now that the scar was no longer visible, and seeing how pretty she looked, it was no wonder her son thought of her so often.

"Aunt Yuan, hello," Qi Kang Le greeted Ms. Chang with a bow.

Ms. Chang helped her up and sat her down beside her to ask, "I heard that this restaurant is a joint business between you, Brother Ping, and Little Xiao Yu?"

Qi Kang Le nodded, "The restaurant was bought by Xiao Yu; she owns forty percent, while my elder brother and I each own thirty percent."

Ms. Chang nodded and then asked, "What kind of work will you do in the restaurant in the future?"

"Mom, the dishes are ready, come and eat quickly." Chang Errui really wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. Why was his mother asking these things? This was Sister Le’s business, what did it have to do with their family? Was it necessary to tell his family?

Ms. Chang also feared that Qi Kangle would be unhappy and said with a smile, "Sister Le, don’t mind it. Aunt Yuan is just afraid that you would tire yourself out. It’s not a big deal for a girl to manage a restaurant. When I was young, I was even bolder, and helped my father with lots of work outside."

Ms. Chang was an only daughter and had been straightforward and decisive since she was young, not displaying the softness typical of other young ladies.

Qi Kangle laughed and said, "I’ll just manage the accounts in the restaurant. My older brother will be the shopkeeper."

Ms. Chang was very pleased to hear this and chatted with Qi Kangle about other things, but she noticed that although Qi Kangle was very polite, she kept her distance regardless of what was discussed.

Ms. Chang started to have some doubts in her heart, could it be that the young girl was not interested in Brother Rui and was deliberately keeping a distance?

The Yuan Family People didn’t stay long in the restaurant, they had only eaten halfway when they went back home.

Gu Daya and her husband took Qi Kangping and Qi Kangle to see them off, giving them a lot of meat and wine as gifts in return.

Elder Yuan received the gifts and said with a laugh, "Your family’s gifts are too generous, my household won’t need to buy meat for at least ten days."

Two roast ducks, two Sauce Chickens, a bag of Fried Crispy Pork, and two neatly packed squirrel fish in bamboo boxes.

These bamboo boxes were made by Gu Dashan. There were many bamboo plants outside the workshop and the bamboo grew quickly, so cutting down any amount was not a concern. Gu Dashan created some bamboo boxes for packing dishes for the restaurant, according to Gu Jinli’s instructions.

After Gu Daya’s family saw off Elder Yuan’s family, they continued to busy themselves in the restaurant.

Chang Errui, driving the mule cart, had just left the town when he heard his mother say to his father, "In a few days, I’ll find an official matchmaker to propose to the Qi Family."

Chang Errui became anxious, stopped the mule cart to the side, lifted the cart curtain, and said, "Mom, I’m begging you, please don’t do this. Doing this won’t help your son, it’ll only drive Sister Le away. She’s not like other girls!"

Ms. Chang laughed after hearing this and said, "Finally admitting you like Sister Le, you’re still trying to be cunning with your old mother, but your little schemes are clear to me without needing to ask."

Ms. Chang felt comfortable after calling out her son’s true feelings, and said to Chang Errui, "Put your heart at ease, our family won’t go propose in Da Feng Village before the new year... After all, you and Gu Yumei had taken a liking to each other. The girl has just passed away; it hasn’t even been a full year. If we go propose to the Qi Family this year, it will cause enmity."

Gu Dafu cherished his daughter so much, he would hate their family to death.

Chang Errui relaxed a little and then pleaded, "Mom, we can’t go proposing even after the new year. Don’t interfere, let your son handle it himself. I’ll definitely bring back a good daughter-in-law for you."

Ms. Chang looked at him and responded, "You handle it? If you were capable, Sister Le wouldn’t be acting this way today."

Distant, and not close to her at all.

But she truly liked Sister Le, this girl was a lot like her when she was young, someone who wanted to be independent.

"Fine, I’ll give you one more year at most. If you can’t handle it, I’ll personally step in." Ms. Chang still relented. Although she wanted Brother Rui to get married soon, she didn’t wish for her son to live an unhappy life. Marrying a girl he truly liked in his heart would lead to a beautiful life.

"Ah, thank you, mom!" Chang Errui was so happy he nearly wanted to kowtow to his mother.

Ms. Chang said with disdain, "Look at you, your smile is almost reaching your ears. Hurry up and drive the cart back home, stopping on the road to eat cold wind, do you want to freeze the two of us to death?"

Upon hearing this, Chang Errui immediately drove the cart, joyfully heading home.