Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 880 - 878_1

Chapter 880: Chapter 878_1

Shangguan Xuanyi carried Xiao’er out of the carriage.

Just as Huzi had jumped down from the carriage by himself, he saw this scene and made a cheeky face, "Sister has no shame! Still needing someone to carry her even though she’s so grown up. Even I can jump down from the carriage by myself!"

"..." Xiao’er’s face involuntarily turned red. For so many years whenever she was in a carriage with Shangguan Xuanyi, he would always carry her down. It had become a habit, and she did not think it was inappropriate. But now, being teased by Huzi like this, she felt a bit embarrassed.

Everyone laughed at the scene.

Huzi’s mother quickly tugged at Huzi’s clothes, "Don’t talk nonsense! Your sister’s foot hurts so she can’t alight from the carriage by herself!"

Huzi looked at Xiao’er’s foot after hearing this, "So sister’s foot hurts, no wonder."

"..." Is it really okay to lie to a child like this? Xiao’er glanced at her own feet, wondering whether she should go along with Huzi’s mother’s cover-up act.

Sensing Xiao’er’s embarrassment, Huzi’s mother worried that her son’s innocent comments would make Xiao’er feel more awkward. Moreover, some villagers and children were pointing and gossiping from a distance, and Baozi, the eldest nephew among them, had even run home, probably to tell his parents about what was going on.

Huzi’s mother, worried about causing trouble for Xiao’er and the others, quickly opened the gate of the courtyard and invited everyone in, "This is our home. Please come in."

Everyone walked in.

Huzi’s house was rather old, built entirely of mud bricks.

The yard was encircled by fences made of bamboo, and among them were blooming Thorn roses. A variety of white wild daisies, some orchid grass, and several kinds of sunflowers were also planted at the edge of the fence. These blossoms added a finer touch to this simple peasant yard.

A part of the yard was used as a vegetable patch, where several types of vegetables were flourishing.

Xiao’er even spotted a hen leading a group of fluffy chicks around the yard, pecking for food.

From this courtyard, it was evident that Huzi’s mother was quite capable of managing her household. Although they lived a poor life, she kept their home warm and tastefully arranged.

"My dear, are you back?" Huzi’s father heard the noise outside and came out, but was slightly taken aback seeing all the people in the courtyard, "Uh, dear, who are they?"

"They are the people who saved Huzi’s life. I invited them over for dinner." Huzi’s mother responded.

"We are sorry for the intrusion!" Xiao’er smiled and said.

"Not at all, not at all. But what exactly happened to Huzi?" Upon hearing this, Huzi’s father became concerned. Seeing Huzi dressed in oversized clothes, he hastily limped towards him.

His one leg was crippled and he had to hobble, so he could not move quickly.

Huzi took the initiative to throw himself into his father’s arms, "Dad, I fell into the river earlier, and it scared me to death."

"We were bumped on the dam earlier and Huzi accidentally fell into the river. It was these two gentlemen who saved him." Huzi’s mother explained.

Upon hearing this, Huzi’s father’s expression changed. Fell into the river? It’s the time of the year when the river was flooding and the water was flowing rapidly! Anyone who fell into the river by accident was at high risk.

Thinking about the risks, Huzi’s father quickly bowed deeply to Shangguan Xuanyi and Jingrui, "Thank you, gentlemen, for saving my son."

"We were just doing what anyone would do, no need to be so polite. We should apologize for our sudden intrusion." Jingrui waved his hand.

"You’re very welcome, not at all. Let’s go and get that old chicken slaughtered. I’ll go to the butcher’s shop to buy some meat. We need to entertain our great benefactors well." Huzi’s father turned to his wife.

If it hadn’t been for their help, his only son would have lost his life.

Xiao’er took two baskets from Yang Liu’s hand and handed them to Huzi’s mother at this time, "Huzi’s father, no need to buy meat. Here are some meat and vegetables; it should be enough."

"How could we take this?" Moving her hand behind her back and taking a step back, Huzi’s mother felt embarrassed to accept Xiao’er’s gifts.

They were the ones who saved Huzi’s life. It would be inappropriate to accept their offerings when they came over for a meal.

"Just take it. These are all from our own shop and farm. They’re not worth much money. Besides, with so many of us coming over for a meal, we can’t just show up empty-handed! If you don’t accept it, auntie, we won’t feel comfortable eating this meal."

Torn upon hearing this, Huzi’s mother glanced at Huzi’s father, unsure whether to accept it or not.

Huzi’s father nodded, "Just accept it!"

Since their benefactors insisted, it would be impolite to refuse. In return, Huzi’s father decided to give them some fruit from their orchard later.

Only then did Huzi’s mother reach out to take the baskets, only to find out they were quite heavy. She couldn’t imagine how much stuff was inside them.

"Let’s all go inside and have a seat!" Huzi’s father invited everyone into the house.

Huzi’s mother nodded, "Right, it’s hot outside. Let’s quickly go inside."

"Huzi, go call your sister to cut a watermelon for our saviors, and bring out some other fruits too."

"Alright!" Upon hearing this, Huzi immediately ran into the house.

Inside, the furnishing was simple: Besides a square table and a cabinet made out of wood, all other furniture was made out of bamboo.

Every piece of furniture was immaculately cleaned. There was no floor covering, just compacted earth. In one small area of the main room, there was a cement floor with several large and small circles painted on it.

Xiao’er realized that this cement area was used for shaping round basketry. As for those circles of different sizes, they were used to measure the size of the baskets.

It seems that all the bamboo items in the house were handmade by the family members.

Huzi’s mother quickly brewed some sugared chrysanthemum tea to serve, then headed for the kitchen to start preparing the meal.

Xiao’er asked Yang Liu and Yang Mei to help, and then took a sip of the chrysanthemum tea, which tasted very refreshing.

By this time, Huzi’s sister and Huzi brought in two trays of washed and cut fruits.

There were watermelons, pineapples, lychees, bananas, plums and so on. Quite a variety.

"Please have some fruits." Huzi’s sister, quite shy, said with her head lowered and blushing cheeks.

After speaking, she went outside to help her mother cook.

"Sister, brothers, these fruits are delicious. Please try some." Huzi, sitting next to his father, invited everyone to taste the fruits.

Since Xiao’er came here with the hope of learning fruit planting from Huzi’s father, she naturally steered the conversation towards that topic.

"Uncle, did you plant all these fruits? I heard from Huzi that you are very good at growing fruits?" Xiao’er picked up a slice of watermelon and took a bite. It was sweet and grainy.

"Yes, I planted them. I wouldn’t dare say I’m very good at it. Our home does not have a paddy field, only a hill. The only thing I could do is to grow some fruits to support the family." Huzi’s father rubbed his bald head in embarrassment upon hearing this. That rascal Huzi had a knack for exaggerating.

"Being able to grow so many types of fruit is already very impressive. Uncle, could you take me to see your orchard?"

"Of course." He could take this opportunity to see which fruits they are interested in, so that he could pick more for them to take back.

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