NOVPUB
Chapter 187: Inside Story of Chapter 180
Shen Yunfang nodded after hearing this, feeling fortunate for not having gone there. Associating with her second aunt had never brought anything good.
"Shen Yingxue is indeed capable, managing to have someone come and propose marriage. If she marries over there, it would be considered a step up." This too was fulfilling the goal Shen Yingxue had always hoped for,
"Of course, she’s got her ways," said Dashuan’s wife with a mysterious look on her face, "You have no idea. The man’s family had to come today out of necessity. I heard that Shen Yingxue and the man rolled in the hay after just knowing each other for a couple of days. They hurried over to propose marriage because there’s already something in her belly. The man’s family feared being charged with the crime of hooliganism, so they returned to propose."
"That can’t be." Shen Yunfang’s eyes widened in disbelief. Shen Yingxue was too bold; in this era, she dared to have a pregnancy out of wedlock.
"What can’t be? This came straight from your second aunt’s mouth," said Dashuan’s wife with a ’you’re-too-naive’ look.
"My second aunt said that?" Shen Yunfang’s eyes grew even wider.
Was the second aunt mad? The man’s family came to propose so quickly just to cover things up, yet she blurted out this secret. Was she making kin or making enemies?
"Exactly, in this tiny place of ours, what secrets can there be?" She had heard it from Jianguo’s wife, but who Jianguo’s wife had heard it from, she had no idea.
"Then Shen Yingxue should be getting married quickly, right?" The only way to smooth over this scandal was to rush the wedding.
"Indeed, the date is set for June 16th, they say a double-day is auspicious, and ’six six’ is particularly smooth." At this time, they were speaking of the lunar calendar. The older generation was superstitious, insisting on finding an auspicious wedding date, and two sixes were indeed quite lucky.
Shen Yunfang quickly calculated in her mind, "Isn’t that next Saturday?" That was too rushed. There was already something in her belly, and who knows, it might turn out to be bigger than her own.
Shen Yunfang was now more than three months pregnant, but her belly hadn’t shown yet.
"Aunt Yunfang, I found them all," Xiaojuan burst in, her little hand clutching several dead sparrows.
The two adults stopped their conversation at once, quickly grabbing the child and taking the things in her hands.
"Xiaojuan, did you pick them all from the fields? Is it eighteen in total?" Obviously not, the child’s hands were small, and Xiaojuan could only bring back six at a time.
Xiaojuan immediately shook her head, "Not enough, my hands are too small to carry that many at once. Aunt Yunfang, could you hold these for me while I go look for more?"
With that said, Xiaojuan dashed back out again.
"Hey, watch out for mosquitoes. This child doesn’t act like a girl at all," Dashuan’s wife chuckled, amused by her daughter’s sudden appearances and disappearances.
"You really can’t be pleased," said Shen Yunfang as she tied the sparrows together with a blade of grass. "You were unhappy when Xiaojuan was sick and stayed at home all day. Now that she’s healthy and playing outside, you’re still not happy. What do you want, exactly?"
Chastised, Dashuan’s wife also sighed, "True, people are never content. But as long as my girl doesn’t end up like Li Zhaodi’s daughter, I’ll be satisfied."
Shen Yunfang chuckled hehe, that was really quick. Shen Yingxue had instantly become Gaijiatun’s bad example. She guessed Shen Yunxiu must be laughing secretly, as someone else had taken her place.
"Let me tell you, if Shen Yingxue comes looking for you again, no matter what she asks you to do, don’t agree. Getting involved in her family’s mess, you wouldn’t want to tarnish your own reputation," Dashuan’s wife warned.
"Yeah, what can I do, anyway? I’m pregnant too, and the team is taking care of me, letting me look after the greenery. If I were to go out of my way to work for her, wouldn’t that be a slap in my uncle’s face?" Shen Yunfang wouldn’t possibly go. She already had too much work to handle at her own home, let alone helping Shen Yingxue—that would just be a thankless task.
"Right, you are pregnant. If she comes to you again, you can use that as an excuse," Dashuan’s wife slapped her thigh, only now remembering that Yunfang was pregnant too. She had been so busy that she forgot about it.
"I reckon she won’t come to me anymore. I didn’t give her any kind words yesterday." If she had any shame, she definitely couldn’t come back to be turned down again.
Shen Yunfang was deducing by common sense. However, if Shen Yingxue had been normal, she wouldn’t have done those things. So, a few days later, early in the morning, Shen Yingxue came to find her again.
When Shen Yunfang opened the door and saw it was Shen Yingxue, she immediately regretted it. If she had known it was her, she would have pretended not to hear.
"Oh, Yingxue, why so early? I heard you’re getting married in a few days, aren’t you? You’re really efficient. You’re moving as fast as a rocket," Shen Yunfang said jokingly as she blocked the door.
Shen Yingxue felt a bit awkward at her words, her heart not quite steady. "It’s not that, I didn’t want to get married so soon, but the guy is pretty anxious. My mother saw that they were sincere, so she set the date quickly. She said if we get married sooner, we could both start working in the county earlier."
The last sentence carried a hint of bragging.
Shen Yunfang scoffed inwardly. Were the man’s side not anxious? If things went wrong, he could end up being labeled as a hooligan.
Since Shen Yunfang just looked at her and smiled without picking up the conversation, Shen Yingxue had to continue, "The man said that once we’re married, he will arrange a formal job for me. Yunfang, you know I’ve been a temp in the county for a year. Though I get nearly twenty yuan a month, it’s a lot less compared to a regular worker."
Wow, those are some generous terms. Get married and then get the wife a job. Looks like the man’s side has a lot of clout.
Seeing Shen Yunfang nod, Shen Yingxue smiled coyly and said, "They also said that they’re just in time to allocate some housing. If we get married sooner, we can queue up for it. After a while in the county, we’ll have a new house to live in."
"Well, congratulations then," Shen Yunfang didn’t know what else to say and replied dryly.
"Hehehe, all these are just talk. It’s not necessarily true. Besides, I’m not after these things," Shen Yingxue said modestly.
Shen Yunfang truly didn’t know what to say this time.
"Ah, let’s not talk about this anymore. I’m thinking since my marriage is quite rushed, I’m afraid I won’t find good help at short notice. Yunfang, you are my best friend, and I was hoping you could come over on Saturday to help out at my place," Shen Yingxue stated her purpose.
Shen Yunfang understood; she was being asked to help with the work. But she didn’t want to be Shen Yingxue’s best friend, so she was not going to help.
Seeing that Shen Yunfang seemed reluctant, Shen Yingxue quickly said, "It’s not much to do. When you come over on Saturday, just help my mother with the kitchen, like being a sous-chef or something. Yunfang, we grew up together, we’ve been classmates for so many years. Though there might have been some misunderstandings, I have always considered you my very best friend. You have to come and help me out this time."
Shen Yingxue said this while clasping her hands together as if in prayer.
"Yingxue, look at what you’re saying. Even if we were just fellow villagers, I would have to help you if you needed it," Shen Yunfang said, seeing Shen Yingxue’s smile widen, but then she continued, "However, I’m pregnant now, more than three months along. You know I’m not in good health; even walking makes me dizzy. If I went over, someone would have to take special care of me. Wouldn’t that just be causing more trouble?"
