Chapter 758 - 390: Do You Regret It?

Chapter 758: Chapter 390: Do You Regret It?

Aunt Liu had also heard about Juhua’s mother falling ill. She hurried to assure Juhua that she would take good care of Banli and Cong, adding that her own mother-in-law could also help watch them. She then told Pu Pao to stick close to the Young Madam and be quick to help wherever she could.

After settling matters at home and informing her mother-in-law, He, Juhua set off for her parents’ house with Pu Pao. Lost in thought, she walked right past the Zheng Family’s home and continued toward the wasteland, trying to come up with a plan.

Pu Pao saw that the Young Madam had reached her parents’ house but didn’t go inside. Unsure of their destination, she could only follow behind in confusion, not daring to interrupt. ’The Young Madam is deep in thought.’

The spring wind of the second month cuts like scissors! At this time of year, along the roadsides, in dusty corners, and at the foot of courtyard walls, small blades of grass were poking through the earth, revealing pale green shoots. The willow branches, too, were tinged with green, swaying gently in the wind, soft and supple.

As she was passing a courtyard, she suddenly heard someone call out, "Juhua!"

Juhua stopped and glanced into the courtyard. It was Liu’er. She realized she had walked all the way to Li Changliang’s house.

Liu’er was pregnant and sat in the courtyard sunning her slightly swelling belly. A sewing basket rested on her lap as she mended a piece of clothing. Upon seeing Juhua, she called out and started to get up, inviting her to come in and sit down.

Juhua hesitated before shaking her head. "I have something to do. I need to check on the fields, and things are busy at home. Let’s chat another day." She was terrified of running into Liu’er’s mother—that woman had been visiting her son-in-law’s house quite frequently lately.

Liu’er quickly set down her sewing basket and hurried to the courtyard gate. Standing before Juhua, she looked at her with a sorrowful expression. "Juhua, are you... angry? My mother caused trouble for your family again. I tried to talk to her, but she won’t listen. There’s nothing I can do. I can’t exactly punish her—she’s my mother, after all!"

Juhua considered this seriously for a moment before saying, "I’m furious! Liu’er, do you have any idea what happened? My mother was so angry she fainted—" Liu’er gasped, covering her mouth with her hand and staring at Juhua with wide eyes. "—twice. My parents haven’t blamed me outright, but I know deep down they resent me for this. You’ve recovered and married Changling, and now your mother is riding on the Li Family’s coattails, getting more and more brazen. She’s opposing my family at every turn. I even heard she blocked our water source to keep us from filling our fish pond. She never would have dared to be so outrageous before."

Liu’er stared at her blankly, then suddenly asked in a soft voice, "Juhua, do you regret it? Do you regret helping me? If you could do it all over again, would you still have said those things to me?"

Juhua lowered her gaze and said, "I don’t know!"

After a moment, she looked up at Liu’er again. "If you’re asking how I feel right now, then no, I definitely wouldn’t have interfered. I do regret it a little. Your mother is telling everyone I’m a busybody who drove a wedge between the two of you. She’s even saying you were never sick to begin with, that I just made a lucky guess and claimed a favor I didn’t earn. But it’s hard to say for sure. I didn’t advise you just to be kind or to get something in return—you know I’m not one to meddle in others’ affairs. It was just a moment of weakness on my part; I couldn’t stand by and watch. If it were to happen again, who knows if I’d be able to ignore it? If I could, I’d let you sink or swim on your own. If I couldn’t... I’d probably still say something."

Even though the answer was uncertain, Liu’er was heartbroken to hear Juhua say she had regrets. But what could she do? That was her mother. She couldn’t actually disown her; she’d be condemned by the whole village.

Juhua offered a small smile. "I’m just being honest with you. It wouldn’t be right for me to pretend I’m not angry at all. But I don’t blame you for any of it. It’s just that your mother is so difficult! I know I shouldn’t be bad-mouthing her to your face, but I don’t even need to. You know better than anyone how impossible she is. Honestly, I’ve never met anyone so completely unreasonable."

Liu’er’s face flushed red, then drained of color. She stammered for a long moment but couldn’t manage to say a word.

Juhua said no more. She gave her a nod and left with Pu Pao.

When they arrived at the wasteland, Liu Heizi and Heipi were by the pond, reinforcing its banks. On the nearby hillside, a dozen men and women from the Wu and Wang families were busy planting bamboo.

Seeing her approach, Liu Heizi leaned on his hoe and greeted her. "Young Madam! Come to check on the fish pond? We let a good deal of water in today. See? It’s already this deep, probably about two feet."

Juhua stood on the newly reinforced bank, her gaze sweeping over the vast, shimmering expanse of water. The pond was nearly as large as Jing Lake. Her mood suddenly lifted, and she smiled at Pu Pao. "In another month, I’ll take you to the river to catch fish and shrimp for the pond. It’ll be fun. The more you put in, the bigger your share of fish will be at the end of the year to take home to your parents."

Pu Pao asked excitedly, "Really? Young Madam, you’ll really take me to catch fish and shrimp?"

Juhua nodded, her eyes crinkling in a smile. "Of course! The third, fourth, and fifth months are the best time for small fish and shrimp. Heipi, you’ll have to come and help. And if you catch any eels or loaches in the paddies, just go ahead and toss them in here. It’s all good."

Heipi gave a simple grin. "Yes! I’m the best at catching loaches."

Liu Heizi watched them with a wide grin, thinking that the Young Madam treated the two youngsters not like servants, but like her own family. He looked at Juhua and asked with concern, "Young Madam, is your mother all right now?"

"She’s all right now," Juhua replied. "I plan to take her to Xiatang Market this afternoon to have Doctor Qin take a look. Uncle Liu, do we have enough bamboo shoots for planting?"

"Not quite," said Liu Heizi. "It looks like we’ll need to buy some more. We can’t dig up the grove at home too aggressively."

Juhua nodded. "I’ll leave that in your hands, Uncle Liu. Please be extra diligent these next few days. With so much going on at home, neither Huai Zi nor my father-in-law can oversee the work here. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can plant the soybeans, corn, and sweet potatoes. We have over two hundred mu of new farmland this year, so we’re really counting on you to help Huai Zi manage everything."

Liu Heizi quickly replied, "You can rest assured, Young Madam. As soon as the pond and the bamboo are done, we’ll dig the well. After that, it’s planting the fields, transplanting seedlings, and harvesting the wheat."

Juhua nodded, looked around one more time, and then turned to leave with Pu Pao.