The Farm Girl’s Charismatic Fortune
Chapter 244 - 240 A Dark and Strong Future Lady Boss

Chapter 244: Chapter 240 A Dark and Strong Future Lady Boss

Ruo Xuan thought Granny’s method was a good one; by pretending to ask for directions, she could strike up a conversation with the other party. Thus, without any shyness, she stepped forward and knocked on the weathered courtyard gate, crisply asking, "Excuse me, is anyone there?"

He Xinghua was in the house cooking sweet potato porridge and spreading out dough for pancakes. Her parents had taken her brother up the mountain to chop wood, and she was soon to deliver lunch to them. Suddenly, she heard the sound of knocking and a child’s voice, prompting her to walk out of the kitchen in surprise.

Ruo Xuan knocked again: "Excuse me, is anyone there?"

This time, He Xinghua was sure she hadn’t misheard, and from over the top of the courtyard wall half a person tall, she saw a strange old woman.

It was daytime, and in the village, she wasn’t afraid of an old person with a child so she walked out and opened the courtyard gate. Then the guardedness in her eyes turned into amazement.

Such a pretty and cute little girl!

Ruo Xuan tilted her little head upward, smiling sweetly: "Sister, can you please tell me which path near this village is the most convenient for climbing the nearby mountain?"

Granny Lei surveyed He Xinghua discreetly, noticing she was quite tall and had a slightly large frame. Her features were delicate, with clear eyes and elegant brows—not very beautiful, especially compared to Madam Jiang and Madam Liu, probably because of her dark skin. But which village girl who worked hard didn’t have dark skin?

Dark skin proved hard work; it would whiten a bit after covering up for a whole winter, and once a bit whiter, she would look much prettier.

Granny Lei then sneakily glanced at her hand resting on the gate; they were hands full of toil, rough-skinned with slightly large knuckles, and many little scars along with some fresh wounds were on her fingers—it was evident that she did a lot of farm work.

At least what Matchmaker Zhang said about the girl being industrious was true.

It was then that Granny Lei spoke up, "Miss, sorry to disturb you. We heard that there’s a lot of medicinal herbs on the mountain near Xinghua Village. We want to gather some herbs but we don’t know which way up the mountain is safer."

Anyone facing Xuanbao, such an adorable and beautiful girl, akin to a Fairy Child, could hardly muster a sense of guard.

And although Granny Lei was dressed in the simple homespun that common farmwomen wore, she and her granddaughter’s clothes were neither old nor new and were very clean. They didn’t look like beggars, plus the old lady had a kind face and was polite when speaking, feeling somewhat different from the old village women. Probably a barefoot doctor’s wife from a nearby village had come here to gather herbs.

Having someone in the family who knew medical skills meant they could treat illnesses for the villagers and earn Silver. Life would be good, which explained why they could afford to wear such nice clothes to gather herbs. No wonder she could raise her granddaughter so plump and white, looking like the children of good fortune in the New Year paintings.

With her speculations, He Xinghua’s tone softened unconsciously when speaking to the old and the young pair: "If you follow this small road from the end of the village all the way to the foot of the mountain, there’s a path going up. But there are many mountains around here, big ones connected to others, and with the two of you, one old and one young, don’t venture too far. There might be fierce beasts."

Ruo Xuan sweetly said, "Thank you, beautiful sister. My grandmother and I are not first-time herb gatherers; we know not to go too deep."

After confirming with a glance, she knew that this girl was the one fated to match with Uncle.

Of course, even though the future Aunt would be dark and sturdy,

being called a beautiful sister by a girl who looked like a little fairy made He Xinghua’s cheeks blush a bit, although it wasn’t noticeable because she was a bit dark-skinned.

Granny Lei added, "Thank you, miss. We came from the village early in the morning and haven’t had a drop of water. May we trouble you for a bowl to quench our thirst?"

He Xinghua immediately said, "Wait a moment, Granny. I’ll go and pour you a bowl of water."

She did not invite the two of them into her house, for it’s always wise to keep one’s defenses up.

Although her family was the poorest in the village, they still kept chickens and ducks in the yard, and her parents’ house had a few pieces of broken Silver hidden away.

He Xinghua surreptitiously glanced left and right along the village path to see if anyone was hiding. She secured the gate before going back to the kitchen to fetch water.

Then she remembered, this old woman had mentioned gathering herbs, yet she didn’t bring a basket.

In her heart, Granny Lei nodded approvingly; the girl was kind and also quite vigilant.

It’s good to have a kind heart, but one must not lose their caution; otherwise, kindness can become a detriment to oneself and others.

When He Xinghua opened the courtyard gate earlier, she had taken the opportunity to scrutinize the yard. The place was clean and everything arranged in an orderly fashion.

Clearly, it was a hardworking and clean family.

Granny Lei asked Ruo Xuan, "Xuanbao, what do you think of this girl?"

Ruo Xuan, "She’s a good person, she and Uncle have the look of a married couple."

As for whether they were truly a match made in heaven, she would have to see them meet before she could tell.

Or knowing the other’s birth date and hour could also do.

Granny Lei just laughed.

With Xuanbao saying this, it proved that her eldest son wouldn’t be a lifelong bachelor.

So when He Xinghua came out with two bowls of water, she met Granny Lei’s particularly affectionate gaze.

He Xinghua, "..."

This look, no matter how you see it, appeared to be harboring ulterior motives!

Granny Lei had the look of someone eyeing a future daughter-in-law.

She always treated her daughters-in-law as if they were her own daughters.

"Granny, young miss, here is your water. We don’t have much at home, just two bowls of boiled water. It has cooled down, not hot, just a bit warm, perfect for drinking."

Cold water isn’t good for the elderly or children, so she poured two bowls of warm boiled water.

Granny Lei was even more satisfied in her heart, for she was a thoughtful girl.

So conscientious, she would surely take good care of her son and the household in the future.

Granny Lei and Xuanbao took the bowls and both drank it all in one go.

Granny Lei left not a drop and handed back the bowl, "Thank you for the water, young miss. It’s getting late; we should go up the mountain to gather herbs now."

Ruo Xuan spoke again, "Pretty sister, do you have a spare basket at home? My granny just used a basket to carry me a little way, and it got broken under my weight. I’d like to buy one from you, otherwise after we gather herbs we’ll have nothing to carry them in."

So that’s what happened! He Xinghua took the bowl, nodded her head, "I have an old basket that I wove myself. You don’t have to buy it, I’ll give it to you!"

With that, she relocked the courtyard door, went inside, and came back with an old basket for the grandmother and granddaughter, "Here you go, Granny, be careful in the mountains."

Granny Lei smiled as she accepted it, "Thank you so much, young miss!"

Ruo Xuan sweetly said, "Thank you, pretty sister! If we catch a wild chicken while we’re gathering herbs in the mountains, we’ll send one your way. We’ll take our leave now and go gather herbs!"

Then Granny Lei and Xuanbao walked toward the same narrow path she’d just pointed out before.

Since Xuanbao talked about gathering herbs in the mountains, Granny Lei felt they should at least go up the mountain for a while to make it look genuine, then come back down.

He Xinghua didn’t mind much, only finding that the little girl had a sweet mouth, but wild chickens weren’t so easy to catch, and with the villagers going up the mountain every day, there weren’t many wild chickens left in the mountains.

He Xinghua returned to the house, put the sweet potato porridge into a pottery jar, then packed the freshly baked multigrain cakes, and carried the food basket up the mountain.

On the way, she even saw the figures of the old woman and child heading up the mountain.

It looked like they really were going to gather herbs.