Chapter 60: I’ll Go and Check It Out

Chapter 60: I'll Go and Check It Out

"Do you still want to keep listening?"

"Yes!"

"After that, Lu Miao took it upon herself to care for Jingyi while I was in the mountains and nearly burned down the kitchen."

"I made my stance clear, sternly and repeatedly."

"Who knew she would escalate the situation, tearing her own clothes and jumping into the river in front of me, screaming and crying hysterically."

"The water in that river wasn't even deep enough to drown someone, let alone make it hard to swallow a few mouthfuls."

"There was no physical contact, never any physical contact."

Xie Yan's tone was cold, tinged with an indescribable disgust.

"If time could be reversed and you had the chance to do it all over again, would you still save Lu Miao from the trap in the mountains?" Lu Mingchao asked, looking up.

The cold wind was biting, and Lu Mingchao's nose was red.

Xie Yan subtly shifted his position to stand in the direction of the wind.

"No."

Lu Mingchao smiled. "No, you would."

"The integrity and sense of justice ingrained in A Yan's bones destined him not to casually disregard life."

"Perhaps A Yan would choose a more appropriate way."

"A Yan, your words and actions are all with a clear conscience."

Xie Yan lowered his gaze, meeting Lu Mingchao's eyes, which sparkled with light. "Like notifying Lu Yao?"

Lu Mingchao's mouth twitched. Lu Miao waiting for Lu Yao was as good as waiting for death, because death would come, but Lu Yao wouldn't.

"That could work too. Lu Yao would thank you," Lu Mingchao said with an awkward smile.

They changed the subject and chatted for a few more moments before reaching the village entrance.

"Fate?"

Lu Mingchao exclaimed, surprised, upon seeing Feng Jinyu's mother and Feng Jinyu already seated on the donkey cart.

Feng Jinyu's eyes lit up at first, but then she awkwardly turned her head away.

Feng Jinyu's mother, however, greeted them loudly, "Xiao Ming, are you heading into the city?"

Xiao Ming?

Lu Mingchao didn't immediately realize she was being called.

"Xiao Ming," Feng Jinyu's mother waved again.

Lu Mingchao smiled and nodded, making small talk, "Yes, heading into the city."

The day before yesterday, during the confrontation with Granny Qi and her granddaughter, she owed this pair of sisters-in-law a debt of gratitude.

People are complex, not simply black or white.

Lu Mingchao sat next to Feng Jinyu, while Xie Yan naturally joined the old driver up front.

"Sis, why not talk to Xiao Ming? You've been missing her at home lately," Feng Jinyu's mother nudged her with her elbow.

The tension between the sisters-in-law and Lu Mingchao stemmed from Feng Jinyu's desire to marry Xie Yan. Now that the die was cast, and they lived in the same village where they would inevitably cross paths, it was better to get along.

Feng Jinyu blushed. "Was I really thinking about Lu Mingchao?"

"Sis, have you gone crazy?"

Lu Mingchao had slapped her!

Lu Mingchao: Tsk, talking out of both sides of her mouth.

"That day, thank you."

Feng Jinyu's face flushed even deeper, and she blinked rapidly to mask her guilt. "I wasn't helping you, I was just telling the truth."

"Yeah, yeah," Lu Mingchao brushed off Feng Jinyu's stubbornness.

After all, there was no deep-seated hatred between her and Feng Jinyu.

The donkey cart crept along, the wooden wheels creaking, and the wind nipping at their cheeks.

Lu Mingchao pulled her cloak tight and, without hesitation, buried her head inside, bundling up from head to toe.

What could melt a grudge wasn't always the warm sun, but maybe the biting cold wind.

Feng Jinyu shivered, her body more honest than her mind, and she leaned closer to Lu Mingchao. Before she knew it, her entire body was pressed against Lu Mingchao's soft, warm cloak.

Feng Jinyu mused that if she could ever wear such a soft, thick, and stunningly beautiful cloak, it would be worth dying for.

Feeling Feng Jinyu's constant trembling, Lu Mingchao hesitated for a moment before unclasping her cloak and pulling Feng Jinyu inside. She was slender, and the spacious cloak was more than enough to accommodate Feng Jinyu.

Feng Jinyu was stunned.

She had just thought it would be worth dying for, and now Lu Mingchao had pulled her in.

Was this Lu Mingchao's soft heart or the heavens answering her prayers?

Heavens, she had only been speaking casually, please don't let her die.

She was still young and hadn't even married yet.

While silently repenting to the heavens in her heart, Feng Jinyu basked in the comforting warmth.

"Why are you dressed so lightly when going out?" Lu Mingchao pinched Feng Jinyu's sleeve and frowned.

Feng Jinyu could even feel the warm breath near her ear and the faint fragrance filling her nostrils.

Lu Mingchao was soft and fragrant. If she were Xie Yan, she would choose Lu Mingchao too.

Feng Jinyu's thoughts wandered aimlessly. "I was going to meet someone."

"Meet someone?" Lu Mingchao was puzzled.

Feng Jinyu's mother, sitting close by, was fed up. Why couldn't her sister-in-law keep her mouth shut? Whether this matter would succeed or not was still uncertain. If it did, it would be fine, but if it didn't, and word got out, it would affect her reputation. "Sis, have you forgotten what your in-laws told you?"

Feng Jinyu rolled her eyes indifferently, "Lu Mingchao isn't an outsider."

Lu Mingchao: Who would have thought she holds such a high place in Feng Jinyu's heart?

Feng Jinyu continued, "Lu Mingchao hardly interacts with anyone and is married to Xie Yan. She wouldn't be concerned about the Old Scholar in town. She must have too much time on her hands to gossip about me."

"Is the Old Scholar really better than Xie Yan?"

"Even if my sister-in-law might let something slip, Lu Mingchao wouldn't."

Feng Jinyu's mother sighed, deciding not to interfere anymore.

She had always struggled to deal with her sister-in-law.

Old Scholar?

How old?

Lu Mingchao caught the key word in Feng Jinyu's speech.

She wanted to ask but understood Feng Jinyu's mother's concerns and held back.

However, calling him an Old Scholar doesn't necessarily mean he's old.

Just like how Xie Yan was once described as old, ugly, and fierce in her words.

But upon meeting him, it was like a ray of sunshine.

"Lu Mingchao, aren't you the least bit curious?" Feng Jinyu asked, leaning close to Lu Mingchao.

Lu Mingchao replied, "Your sister-in-law has a point."

Feng Jinyu scoffed softly, whispering, "This is likely not going to work out, but my parents are hopeful."

"If they were truly interested, they wouldn't just send a message and expect me to brave the cold wind to town."

"So, it's okay to tell you."

"After making a scene at your place, my parents were so embarrassed they locked me up. Coincidentally, a matchmaker came by, saying that Fan Scholar in town wanted to marry again."

"The matchmaker praised Fan Scholar to the skies, and my parents were swayed, allowing me to go and take a look from afar. If suitable, we could discuss and settle."

"I was willing to be a stepmother to Xie Yan's child because Xie Yan is handsome and wealthy, surely living a good life..." Feng Jinyu realized her words were inappropriate and quickly corrected, "I mean in the past, not now."

"Now I think you and Xie Yan are a perfect match."

Lu Mingchao touched her nose, smiling, "Thanks for the compliment."

Feng Jinyu: So when Lu Mingchao isn't being sarcastic, her words are quite pleasant.

Are we making up?