Miss and farmhand

Actually, apart from those few families, the people of this county didn't care about the sea. After the Xiaoshidang incident, everyone was saddened and frightened for a while, but then it passed because the New Year was just around the corner.

Even in Huang Xingtong's household, apart from the few masters who weren't focused on this, as soon as the confinement was lifted, the old maids and servants busied themselves preparing for the New Year. The more trouble they had been through, the more they dared not neglect these festive items, as if to make it seem to others that their family had fallen on hard times, and thus they had to make it even more grand than in previous years.

Once the house was cleaned and decorated, the masters noticed and distributed a sum of money as red envelopes. They knew that festivals were meaningless to the servants, and only money could quell their anxiety, so they distributed an exceptionally large amount this year.

Mother Han asked Shen Xuying, "What should we do with the bag of wood that the eldest daughter brought back? It came from the sea; it's considered unlucky. We're afraid to handle it."

Shen Xuying smiled and said, "Don't touch her things, just let her do it herself."

"That won't do. The eldest daughter said the other day that she wanted to smash them and put them all over the house. I quickly stopped her and said that was absolutely not allowed, it would be too frightening. Madam, you should think of something else."

Shen Xuying called Huang Chu over and gave her a lecture. Huang Chu also regretted bringing back such a big problem. She acted impulsively and now didn't know what to do with the black wooden deity. She couldn't actually build a shrine for it, but having it in her room was really unsettling to look at. After being scolded by Shen Xuying, she had no choice but to hand it over to Huang Mujun to clean up.

Later that evening, Shen Xuying asked about the wood again, and Huang Chu told her the truth. Shen Xuying then looked at her with a rather meaningful gaze. Huang Chu was somewhat surprised; her mother rarely had such an expression. It seemed as if she had expected it, yet was also a little anxious. It was very similar to when she was a child and had gotten into trouble, hiding it from her mother, who would then call her in for questioning, asking what had happened that day, essentially waiting for her to confess.

Huang Chu didn't know what she was asked to explain. The mother and daughter stared at each other in a daze. Suddenly, her mother seemed to be angered by her and chased her away.

It wasn't until the New Year's Eve dinner that she realized her mother wanted to ask her about her relationship with Huang Muyun.

This year is truly strange. It's said to be an unlucky year, full of disasters and misfortunes, but at this time last year, Shen Xuying was still bedridden, and the large house was empty except for her pitiful father and two daughters having New Year's Eve dinner together—it was a very sad sight. This year, not only is Shen Xuying sitting healthily at the table, but she also has the mind to personally cook two small dishes to add to the festive atmosphere and bring good fortune. The two dishes were placed in front of Huang Muyun and Shi Tou.

This year, the Huang family's eight-immortal table was finally full, with three men and three women. In previous years, it would only be half full, and it wasn't as festive.

Before taking their seats, they offered incense and vegetables to their ancestors. There wasn't time to make ancestral tablets, so Huang Xingtong quickly painted two portraits of his father-in-law and mother-in-law and hung them in the main hall. Although they had fallen out with the eldest son's side, no one in the family cared. Huang Xingyu had never been the backbone of the family, so his death not only didn't cause any trouble, but seemed to be a happy event.

When they kowtowed, Huang Chu held his younger sister and kowtowed first. After getting up, he and Huang Xingtong pressed Huang Muyun and Shitou down as well. The steward and the old woman had to chant lyrics on the side, one auspicious word for each person, like two fully-fledged old almanacs.

When Huang Muyun and Shitou knelt down, they looked at each other in confusion. The first person kowtowed, still a little dazed, when they heard Old Huang Li chanting in their ears: "Filial sons and virtuous grandsons—the ceremony is complete—cigarettes rise slowly to the heavens—may our ancestors bless us for ten thousand years—"

I was stunned; it used the same words as the Huang Chu and Huang Song sisters.

They looked up at Huang Xingtong and Shen Xuying, as if they still couldn't believe it. They turned to look at the old woman and the steward, thinking that the two of them were senile and had sung the wrong song. But Huang Chu slapped them and said, "Hurry up and keep kowtowing."

He kowtowed three times and then stood up.

Later, when serving tea to Huang Xingtong and Shen Xuying, they each received a red envelope. Shen Xuying noticed that Huang Muyun was somewhat restrained, but she treated Shitou with complete affection, patting his head and calling him a good boy.

Even someone as heartless as Stone had tears in his eyes.

Later, he told Huang Muyun that he had no chance to call Shen Xuying "Niang" (mother) and had no such wishful thinking. He was already very satisfied with calling her "Shiniang" (teacher's wife).

"You are luckier than me. You must be filial to your teacher and his wife."

During the New Year's Eve dinner, when everyone was enjoying themselves, Shen Xuying nudged Huang Xingtong under the table with her arm to remind him. Huang Xingtong then mentioned that they needed to choose an auspicious day to formally exchange gifts with Huang Chu and Huang Muyun.

Everyone except Shen Xuying felt a little awkward.

They were already quite used to Huang Chu and Huang Muyun's relationship. This kind of relationship between a man and a woman that wasn't out in the open was traditionally considered shameful, but they actually thought it was good and natural. Huang Chu and Huang Muyun now had a kind of innocent, childhood sweetheart vibe. If they were to actually get married and have a wedding, everyone would feel as if it would ruin something.

It was impossible for Huang Chu to marry Huang Muyun, nor for Huang Muyun to marry her, but to say she was marrying into his family didn't seem quite right either. They didn't yet have a precise term to describe their relationship. This relationship seemed better and more intimate than marriage, because they could pretend to be two clueless children, playing and fooling around as they pleased, with their parents above them, and they didn't have to bear any responsibility.

Even Huang Muyun himself wasn't in a hurry. After disembarking from the boat, he completely submitted to Huang Chu, but strangely, he felt quite used to it, experiencing a peculiar comfort. Giving Huang Chu a handle on him, as if handing himself over to her, was also a kind of relief for him.

If he had the courage to communicate this feeling with Huang Xingtong, Huang Xingtong would actually acknowledge him. It has nothing to do with who takes care of whom or who is better than whom. It's mainly about a sense of entrustment, a sense of reliance, the kind of luck that allows one to place one's whole being and one's life on another person.

But of course he didn't have the guts; who would dare discuss this with their father-in-law?

Actually, they were just in a relationship.

This feeling of bliss was so intense that no one wanted to ruin it with a marriage; they all wished for this state to last forever without any change.

But Shen Xuying had spoken after all. No one in the family could bear to let her wish go unfulfilled.

Fortunately, Shen Xuying herself seemed to know that the word "marriage" was inappropriate; she said "to become a legitimate family."

"It's up to you. I plan to travel north after the New Year. Whether we do it before or after is fine."

"Is Father going back to be an official?"

"We have no choice but to do it. Are we going to let a villain like Shen Jingzong bully us? You don't need to worry about it. I've never stopped exchanging gifts and letters with my classmates in the capital. I have a few good relationships with them. If you're interested, it won't be too difficult. Your business is more important."

Huang Chu propped his head up on the table and suddenly remembered something.

"Is Dad going to the village drinking party this year?"