Chapter 8

Li Hehua noticed the displeased look on Lu Junyu’s face. She stood up, took his hand, and asked, “Is there anything I need to do?” Although he hadn’t talked much about Lu Family Village yesterday, she could tell from his words that he didn’t have much affection for the Lu family there.

Lu Junyu reassured her, “Leave everything to me. Don’t worry. Go wash up.”

After washing her face and combing her hair, Li Hehua was about to leave when Lu Junyu pressed her back into her seat and said, “I’ll draw your eyebrows for you.”

With that, he picked up the eyebrow pencil from the dressing table.

Seeing that he wasn’t in a hurry, Li Hehua also relaxed. She smiled slightly at him and said, “Alright.”

Lu Junyu looked into her eyes, bright as stars, and paused. He gently placed his hand over her eyelids and softly said, “My wife,close your eyes.”

The sensation of her eyelashes brushing against his palm made it itch slightly, and it felt a bit warm, so he quickly withdrew his hand and began to steadily outline her eyebrows with the pencil.

He praised, “Your forehead and eyebrows are as beautiful as a painting. They resemble willow leaves and mist. They don’t need any embellishment. You have naturally beautiful eyebrows that require little to no touch-up.”

Li Hehua smiled and said, “If my husband says they’re beautiful, they must be beautiful. Do you like them?”

Lu Junyu put down the eyebrow pencil and looked into her closed eyes. Her long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, and her plump red lips curled into a lovely arc.

He murmured, “I like them.”

Then he leaned down and kissed her.

Startled, Li Hehua opened her eyes and saw his obsidian-like eyes filled with a mix of embarrassment and regret. Seeing that he wanted to pull away, she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

Only when both of them were breathless did they part. Seeing the smile in Li Hehua’s eyes, Lu Junyu felt a bit embarrassed and said, “Let’s go, my wife.”

Li Hehua immediately noticed that he was trying to retreat. How could that be allowed? She quickly moved forward, wrapped her arms around his slim waist, and smiled sweetly, “I like you too, husband.”

Lu Junyu looked at her hand around his waist and then at his wife, who was blinking at him without any intention of letting go. He sighed, took her hand, and said, “This way, it’s easier to walk.”

His wife was still as wild as ever, completely unconcerned about others’ opinions. He needed to teach her more.

As they walked, he said, “My wife, it’s fine to be intimate in private, but during the day or when there are others around, we should be proper and dignified…”

Li Hehua interrupted him, deliberately asking, “Anything is allowed in private? Can I be on top at night?” Who had the patience to be a decorative doll? Was her husband trying to be a strict teacher?

Lu Junyu’s face turned bright red, and he reflexively covered her mouth.

Li Hehua’s eyes curled with mischief. She deliberately licked his palm with the tip of her tongue, and Lu Junyu jumped back several steps as if scalded.

Li Hehua burst into laughter, and seeing his face turn red and then white, she couldn’t help but laugh even harder. Her husband was still so innocent.

Seeing her bent over with laughter, Lu Junyu hid his hand in his sleeve. This only made her laugh louder. Helpless, he smiled and helped her up, saying, “Is it that funny, madam? If you’ve laughed enough, let’s go. We’ve been delayed long enough.”

His wife’s lively laughter made his heart flutter. Perhaps his future will no longer be lonely.

After laughing enough, Li Hehua composed herself and showed eight teeth as she smiled.

“Alright, husband. Am I dignified now?”

She started to walk with small, graceful steps. All the ancient etiquette was not unfamiliar to her.

Lu Junyu was slightly stunned. His wife had instantly transformed into a refined lady. No one would doubt she was a rural girl who knew how to wield a kitchen knife!

Li Hehua looked back and smiled, softly saying, “Husband, hurry up.”

When Lu Junyu caught up, she whispered, “Husband, am I impressive? Can I handle the situation?”

Lu Junyu reached out and patted her head, his eyes full of laughter. “Yes, you’re very impressive.”

In just two days, his wife had made him feel like he had discovered a treasure. He couldn’t help but joke, “How many more sides of you do I not know?”

Li Hehua responded proudly, “Many. You’ll find out slowly.”

Lu Junyu smiled at her, feeling as if a feather had brushed across his heart. He reached out and held her soft hand, saying, “I look forward to it every day.”

……

The people from Lu Family Village were already impatient in the main hall. An old man stomped his cane and frowned at the old lady of the Lu family.

“Old Madam, your new daughter-in-law is showing us no respect. Although we’ve been apart for five generations, we were one family over a hundred years ago. Are you refusing to acknowledge us as relatives?”

Lu Furong pursed her lips and was about to speak, but the old lady pulled her back and smiled.

“How could that be? Elder Sheng is now the leader of the Lu family. All with the surname Lu are one family. How can we not be relatives? Elder Sheng, you’re joking.”

The old man was Lu Zhengsheng, the village head of Lu Family Village. At seventy years old, he was the oldest and most respected person in the village, yet he was still full of energy.

Lu Zhengsheng stomped his cane twice more and said, “Why haven’t Ziming and his wife come yet? We’re here to drink the new wife’s tea, and they haven’t even called us.”

Lu Junyu’s courtesy name was Ziming.

Lu Furong could no longer hold back and said, “Grandpa Sheng, you mentioned that we’re separated by five generations. When has it ever been a rule for a new wife to serve tea to relatives beyond five generations? Is that proper etiquette?” They had almost bullied them to death in the past. Now that their family was gradually improving and her brother had a promising future, they started acting like relatives again. How thick-skinned!

Lu Zhengsheng, blowing his beard and glaring, retorted, “Nonsense! Is this the upbringing of the main branch of the Lu family? How can a woman speak out like this? Get out! You don’t need to stand here!”

“This is the Lu family. If you can sit here and act like the family head, why can’t my husband’s younger sister be here?” A clear, crisp voice interrupted.

Everyone looked towards the door and saw Lu Junyu with a stern face and a beautiful woman in a red dress. Instantly, some people’s eyes lit up: this must be Lu Dalang’s new wife. Wasn’t she supposed to be a village girl? But her demeanor was not much different from that of a noble lady. However, the words that followed were not so pleasant.

Someone immediately challenged, “Oh, did you hear that? She’s not treating us as relatives.”

As Li Hehua walked past them, she didn’t spare them a glance, which made them even angrier.

They sneered, “The new wife doesn’t seem to respect the people of Lu Family Village.”

Li Hehua ignored them and, holding Lu Furong’s hand, said with a bright smile, “Sister, you must be tired of standing. Sit down and rest.”

Hearing Li Hehua’s unreserved words, Lu Furong beamed with joy. This sister-in-law was quite on point. She sat down with Li Hehua, whispering, “Sister-in-law, isn’t it true? We’ve been separated by five generations, and they still want to meddle in our family.”

Unable to hold back, Lu Zhengsheng said, “Alright, Furong, if you say we’re separated by five generations, why did you come to Lu Family Village to settle down in the first place? If the main branch of the Lu family is so big and prosperous, why not stay in the capital? It’s because you couldn’t stay there anymore.”

Why is this man’s mouth so vicious? Li Hehua glanced at Lu Junyu and saw a flash of pain in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

The old lady of the Lu family burst into tears and said, “Elder Sheng, how can you say such things? When the Lu family was in the capital, we sent silver here every year and helped your descendants progress without a word of complaint. Now that we’re down on our luck, is this how you treat us?”

Back then, to settle here, their family had pawned their last possessions and donated a large sum to the Lu family ancestral hall. Even then, these people were not satisfied and wanted to interfere in their family affairs. How could people be so greedy and ungrateful?

Lu Junyu clenched his fist and looked at Lu Zhengsheng, saying, “Grandpa Sheng, what business do you have here today?”

Lu Zhengsheng, embarrassed after being exposed by the old lady, said, “Alright, Ziming, are you trying to settle all accounts with us now? Our village took you in at great risk. You cannot be ungrateful. Back then, your father…”

Unmoved, Lu Junyu interrupted him and repeated his question.

Lu Zhengsheng, about to lose his temper, looked up and saw Lu Junyu’s cold expression. He suddenly felt a bit scared, remembering that the Lu family was no longer the struggling family they were when they first arrived. The Lu family’s son had passed the county-level exam and was soon to take the provincial exam. He had heard that Lu Ziming would certainly be among the successful candidates. The Lu family might soon regain its former glory.

Thinking of this, his heart raced. This was their golden opportunity! He didn’t want to remain the backup branch of the Lu family any longer.

He licked his dry lips and said, “Ziming, have the teachings of the sages made you ungrateful and disrespectful to your elders? If you don’t apologize, I’ll report you to the county magistrate and see if someone like you deserves to be a scholar or take the provincial exam. What do you say?”

Lu Junyu looked at him coldly and said, “If there’s nothing else, you can leave now.”

Lu Zhengsheng widened his eyes, trembling, “Alright, fine. I don’t believe Heaven is blind.” He stood up to leave.

The other members of the Lu family angrily shouted, “Grandpa Sheng, don’t be angry. Let’s report this disrespectful wretch!”

The old lady of the Lu family, feeling panicked, stood up to beg for forgiveness.

Seeing this, Lu Zhengsheng smiled smugly. Suddenly, something flew by, causing a sharp pain in his ear. His smile froze. When he touched his ear, he felt blood. Turning around, he saw a knife embedded deep into the wood.

Terrified, he took a few steps back, leaning against his son. Pointing at Li Hehua, he stammered, “What are you doing?”

Li Hehua walked over, picked up the knife, and said with a fake smile, “Oh, sorry, my hand slipped. You are the village head, right? We’ve met before. Don’t you remember? I’m the madwoman Li Hehua from Li Family Village, the one who killed Li Hu.”