Chapter 765 - 394: Banli, Pulling Dogs and Catching Chickens

Chapter 765: Chapter 394: Banli, Pulling Dogs and Catching Chickens

Qingmu and Huai Zi hurried around to quite a few houses that evening. In the end, the two of them ran into each other at the tail end of the old village. The pale moonlight cast a hazy, indistinct scene over the peach and willow grove, but it was much better than pitch darkness.

The two brothers-in-law looked at each other and smiled. They couldn’t make out each other’s faces clearly, only the flash of white teeth gleaming under the moon. "All settled?" Qingmu asked as he started walking along the village path.

Huai Zi, walking beside him, said, "All settled. Did you go to the village chief’s house?"

Qingmu snorted. "Didn’t go. I don’t want to ask him for anything. And here I thought he was a man of insight. Turns out he’s just as muddle-headed as the rest."

Huai Zi was silent for a moment before saying softly, "He’s not muddle-headed. I’m afraid he’s got his own little schemes, so he’s just pretending to be clueless. But he miscalculated this time. Let’s see what he has to say for himself tomorrow."

Hearing this, Qingmu’s face hardened, and he said nothing more, just forging ahead with his head down. The surroundings were silent. The entire countryside had fallen into a deep slumber; not even a chicken or dog could be heard. A faint breeze stirred, but it wasn’t strong enough to rustle the leaves on the branches.

As they neared the entrance, Qingmu saw the light from the Zheng Family Courtyard. He suddenly stopped and said to Huai Zi with a smile, "Looks like Juhua is still at her parents’ house. I forgot to tell you about two pieces of good news—my mother and Yunlan are both pregnant."

"What?" Upon hearing the news, Huai Zi was just as stunned as Juhua had been!

Qingmu didn’t mind and simply repeated it with a smile.

Huai Zi suddenly punched Qingmu on the shoulder and roared with laughter. "You really know how to keep a secret, telling me only now! This is wonderful, wonderful news! It’s just that Hulu and Banli are going to have a headache from now on—it’s not easy to play freely with a younger, high-ranking elder around."

His voice startled the dogs from both families, which immediately began to bark wildly. Huai Zi scolded them, "What are you barking at? Can’t you even recognize my voice?" The barking then subsided, and several dogs darted out from the shadows, circling the two men with happy WHUFFLES before following them into the Zheng Family Courtyard.

Huai Zi turned and shooed his family’s dog away. "What are you following me for? Go back and guard the house!" Only then did the dog reluctantly return to the Zhang family’s gate with its tail between its legs.

Just as he’d thought, Juhua hadn’t gone home. Not only that, but Zhang Dashuan and his wife were there as well. Because of what had happened to the Zheng Family, and with the Yang Family having fainted, Zhang Dashuan hadn’t gone to Huai Zi’s maternal grandmother’s house. He was worried they might need help with something and figured it was better to stay home and lend a hand.

He was just saying to Zheng Changhe in a jealous tone, "What’s the deal with this? You can say Doctor Yun helped Juhua’s mother get her health back, which is why she’s expecting again. But Huai Zi’s mother has also taken plenty of medicine. How come she hasn’t gotten pregnant?"

It turned out they were trying to figure out how the Yang Family, who was over forty, could possibly be pregnant. Juhua had suggested it was probably because Yun Ying helped her mother get her health back, and with life going so smoothly these past couple of years, she’d naturally conceived!

Zhang Dashuan wasn’t convinced by this, which was why he’d said that to Zheng Changhe.

Zheng Changhe gave a dry chuckle. "No need to be so anxious. You just be a little more... diligent. Maybe one day she’ll get pregnant."

The Yang Family and He were embarrassed to hear this. The Yang Family scolded, "You two old coots, what nonsense are you spouting? Aren’t you afraid the younger generation will laugh at you?"

Juhua and Liu Yunlan blushed and pretended not to hear, continuing to tell stories to Hulu and Laishou. The two little ones seemed to have missed their window for sleepiness. Despite the late hour, their eyes were bright and shining, full of energy as they pestered the adults with questions, showing no trace of their earlier listlessness and anxiety.

When Qingmu and Huai Zi came inside, after a round of laughter and chatter where they reported what everyone had said, Zhang Dashuan chuckled and remarked, "This is going to be a good show. I really want to go and watch tomorrow."

Huai Zi laughed. "Dad, you should probably just stay home and rest tomorrow. All the other elders are making excuses about being busy. If you don’t lie low, it’ll be a loss of face."

Qingmu nodded. "Even if everyone knows what’s going on and that it’s all an act, no one’s going to be the one to tear through the paper window. Tomorrow, Uncle Zhang, you can just stay home, drink, and chat with my dad, and play with your grandson."

Speaking of playing with his grandson, Zhang Dashuan immediately turned to Zheng Changhe with delight. "Our Banli can crawl now! It’s still cold, but in a little while, when the weather warms up and he’s out of his thick clothes, he’ll definitely be able to crawl even faster."

He shot him a look. "In a little while? In a little while, our grandsons and granddaughters will be walking! What’s so amazing about crawling? Stop making a racket and go home to sleep. Look at these two kids, they’re all wound up from playing. If we don’t leave now, they won’t sleep all night. Laishou’s grandma, you can finally rest easy, right? Laishou’s schooling is a sure thing for tomorrow."

Mrs. Wang’s eyes crinkled into a smile as she said repeatedly, "I am, I am! Thank you so much, my dear in-laws. I’m sorry to have troubled you all with this."