Mrs. He smiled and said, "That’s just because she’s smart and figured things out. I never believed Juhua would be unable to marry. It was just those people worrying about things that weren’t their business." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

At the mention of this, Mrs. Yang’s expression soured. "All those proposals and rejections, or the ones who just plain looked down on my Juhua, I don’t really take any of it to heart—doesn’t every family choose their daughters-in-law and sons-in-law the same way? What really gets me is that wretched Matchmaker Wang and Liu’er’s mother. What did my Juhua ever do to them? For them to be so brazen about trying to marry her off to an old man. You tell me, how could I not be furious? I still get mad just thinking about it."

Mrs. He snorted and said, "People who do bad things will eventually get their comeuppance. Look, even though the villagers here love to gather and gossip, it’s mostly just for fun. Who would really do something that goes against their conscience? Since that year, no one in the village has gone to that Matchmaker Wang from Qingbei Village for help with marriages—people despise her for her unscrupulous ways. And as for Liu’er’s mother, let me tell you, she’s not having an easy time of it now. Liu’er came back for a visit once, and I saw her. She was pitifully thin. It was one thing for her to be unwilling to marry Liu’er to Huai Zi, but then Liu’er took a liking to Qingmu, and she still refused to allow it. What kind of mother is she—completely ignoring whether her daughter lives or dies. If I were in her shoes, I’d probably have gone to your house to beg for the match; whether you agreed would be a different story. Just look at Gou Dan’s mother. The lengths she went to for Meizi were truly something else. And now Meizi is living a good life; Changming dotes on her. A few days ago, Gou Dan’s mother even gave Granny Hua a piece of her mind. Now *that’s* what a mother should be like."

The two chatted for a while more about Qingmu’s marriage. Mrs. Yang was extremely satisfied with her daughter-in-law, saying her parents were honest people, not the crafty type. "That’s why I say, since her parents aren’t the most capable, the child had to learn to be sensible from a young age..."

’Mrs. He mulled over her conversation with Mrs. Yang, feeling that there was still hope for her son and Juhua. But even if there wasn’t, she couldn’t blame Juhua. The two families couldn’t let it create a rift between them; marriage was a matter of fate. Still, Huai Zi was bound to have a hard time.’

’If it really came to that, wouldn’t it be a case of tit for tat?’ She sighed.

Zhang Huai arrived at Juhua’s house carrying some straw mushrooms. He saw Qingmu and Juhua in the yard getting a shrimp net ready, apparently about to head out to catch shrimp.

He smiled. "Hold on a minute, take a look at this." As he spoke, he unfolded the large tunic he was using as a bag, showing them what was inside.

When Juhua saw the fresh, plump mushrooms, she asked in delight, "Where did you find these? Wow! With the light rain we’ve had the past few days, the mountains must be covered in a fresh layer of mushrooms. Brother, let’s forget about catching shrimp and go pick mushrooms instead."

Seeing how much she liked them, Zhang Huai grinned along with Qingmu. Only then did he say to her, "There are a ton in the less dense part of the Lin Zi on the back mountain. My mom was only picking for a little while and found this many. She sent me over to borrow a basket or a wicker crate, otherwise we’ll have nowhere to put them. She also wanted me to ask you all to come along."

Qingmu quickly said to Juhua, "Let me and Huai Zi go. There are snakes on the mountain."

Huai Zi heard this and shook his head at Qingmu, grinning as he watched Juhua—he was sure she wouldn’t agree. He’d noticed that Juhua loved roaming the mountains and fields, unlike other girls who avoided going out for fear of getting dirty or sunburned.

Sure enough, Juhua pouted unhappily. "You two can just follow behind me. If I still manage to get bitten by a snake, it’ll just prove how useless you are. I’ll tie my socks and pant legs up tightly and be careful. I should be fine."

Qingmu smiled helplessly. He knew it was pointless to argue. While he told Juhua to get ready, he and Zhang Huai found some wicker crates and baskets. They also grabbed three sticks for poking carefully through the tall grass to startle away any snakes, and prepared a curved knife and some strips of cloth just in case.

Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Wang had just returned from the vegetable garden with some freshly picked amaranth and chives. They were sitting under the eaves trimming the roots and yellowed leaves when they heard the group was going to the mountain for mushrooms. Mrs. Yang said worriedly, "Juhua, maybe you shouldn’t go. Why don’t you stay home and I’ll go instead?"

Juhua, who had already changed her clothes and was about to head out the door, heard her and said with a sigh, "Mom, I’ll be careful, it’ll be fine. Am I supposed to just stay off the mountain for the rest of my life? If you want to come pick them, that’s great too. They grow so fast. If we don’t pick them now that the rain has passed, they’ll be too old in a couple of days. We can pick a lot, dry them, and they’ll keep for a long time."

Mrs. Wang quickly said to Mrs. Yang, "You should go. I’ll stay home and cook; these vegetables are easy enough to prepare."

Mrs. Yang nodded. "Alright, then. We’ll pick extra to dry so Mother can take some with her when she leaves." With that, she stood up, dusted herself off, and, copying Juhua, tied her pant legs shut and changed into a worn-out outer garment.

Mrs. Wang nodded happily and called out to Laishou, "Laishou, stop clinging to your cousin Juhua! She’s going to the mountains to pick mushrooms, and when she comes back, she’ll cook them for Laishou to eat."

Laishou was tugging on the hem of Juhua’s clothes and refusing to let go. He stared up at her with pleading eyes, whining that he wanted to go pick mushrooms too and promising her that he would be on his best behavior.

Juhua, torn between laughter and exasperation, picked him up. ’This little guy is getting heavy,’ she thought. She looked into Laishou’s dark eyes and said softly, "Lots of things on the mountain bite. Look, even Cousin Juhua only dares to go because Big Brother is with her. Otherwise, Auntie wouldn’t even let me go. If you’re a good boy and stay home without causing trouble for Grandma, I’ll tell you two stories when I get back. If you come with me, I’ll have to hold your hand the whole time and won’t be able to pick any mushrooms—the mountain path is hard to walk, and there are thorns and snakes."

Laishou hesitated. He wasn’t quite sure what those biting things looked like, but seeing the scared look on his cousin’s face made him unsure. When he then heard Mrs. Wang calling for him, he nodded. "Okay, Laishou won’t go."

’Heh! Everyone loves a well-behaved kid. This little guy really is so much better than Laicai.’ Juhua was so pleased that she immediately promised to tell him three stories that night instead.

The little boy was so excited he scurried over to Mrs. Wang on his short legs, PITTER-PATTER. Once he reached her, he turned back to wave a tiny hand at Juhua, making a little goodbye gesture.