After Awakening, the Control Group’s Husband Decided to Lie Flat - Chapter 9 Love at First Sight

Chapter 9 Love at First Sight

After several rounds of messages exchanged between both families, they finally settled on the date of the meeting: the eighth day of the tenth month.

Everyone was busy that time of year, so they agreed to go to Lu Sui’s uncle, Xia Desan’s house, together after dinner.

That day, the Xia family finished their meal early. They had only just sat down when Xia Desan’s eldest daughter-in-law, Cuiying, came to call them, saying that Lu Sui and his mother had already arrived.

When Xia Qingxi heard that Lu Sui was a hunter, he immediately insisted on going too and even urged his father to come along. His father glared at him and said,

“Since when does a father-in-law go to inspect his future son-in-law? You all can go by yourselves.”

His mother laughed and said, “He’s just being shy, pay him no mind. Let’s go.”

Thus, the three of them set out together.

The Xia Desan household lived on the other side of the village, near the river. The sun was just about to set, painting the western sky with deep crimson clouds. The three walked along the road in good spirits.

On the way, when people asked where they were going, Chen Hexiang always replied,

“His grandmother asked us to deliver something to her sworn sister’s house on the far end of the village.”

Qingtao’s grandmother did indeed have a sworn sister with such an arrangement—they didn’t visit each other for ordinary festivals, but would for weddings or funerals. And being from the same village, they often exchanged vegetables or other small gifts anyway.

Besides, since Qingxi was carrying a paper-wrapped bundle in his hand, no one suspected a thing.

After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they arrived at Xia Desan’s house. Country courtyards all looked roughly the same, though Xia Desan’s home had a larger, grander gate that made it appear more imposing.

“You’re here?” Wang Shuiqin was waiting at the door to greet them. Seeing them arrive, she smiled broadly and said, “We were just talking about you!”

“What were you saying?” Chen Hexiang teased lightly. “Don’t tell me you were gossiping about us.”

Wang Shuiqin laughed heartily. “We were saying that the ones who live closest always end up arriving last!”

Everyone laughed. Qingtao and Qingxi both greeted her politely, calling her “Auntie.”

As they entered the courtyard, Chen Hexiang noticed how clean and tidy it was—there wasn’t even a hint of the usual smell of chickens and ducks that lingered in most rural homes. She couldn’t help but praise,

“Your place is lovely—no smell of poultry at all.”

“Ah, that’s because my husband can’t stand idleness. The moment the coops start to smell, he shovels everything out and uses it as compost,” Wang Shuiqin replied cheerfully, leading them into the main hall.

The oil lamps were already lit, filling the room with a bright, warm glow. Many people were seated inside, and Qingtao, feeling shy, kept his head lowered and dared not look up.

“Brother Qingtao!”

A crisp, lively voice called out. When he raised his head, he saw a fresh-faced, spirited young ge’er. He recognized him at once—it was Xia He, Xia Desan’s youngest son.

“Xiao He!” Qingtao smiled, his nerves easing a little. Having someone of his own age there made him feel less restrained.

“I’ve been wanting to come play with you,” Xia He said eagerly, grabbing his hand. “I heard your embroidery is amazing.” He tugged Qingtao gently toward the inner room and whispered before they entered, “My mother said to bring you in to meet my cousin first—then we can sneak off to my room to play.”

“Alright.” Qingtao’s voice was soft, his cheeks faintly flushed. He thought Aunt Shuiqin’s arrangement was quite thoughtful.

As they entered, Wang Shuiqin called out in her usual boisterous voice, “Come, come! Hexiang, you and your sons sit here. Qingxi, you sit with Ah Mai.”

Ah Mai was her second son, about the same age as Qingxi, and the two were familiar with each other.

Qingtao sat obediently on the long bench by the side. His elder brother unwrapped the oil-paper bundle they had brought and placed it on the Eight Immortals table in the center, saying,

“My brother Qingtao made these chestnut cakes himself. Please have some.”

Since they were freshly made, the cakes were still warm. The moment the paper was opened, the fragrance filled the entire room.

“Oh my, Qingtao is so talented! He can even make these?” Wang Shuiqin praised, picking up a piece. “I must try it! Come, Yun-niang, Ah Sui, you both have some too.”

While everyone was being served, Qingtao finally dared to lift his head slightly—and met the eyes of the man sitting diagonally across from him.

It was indeed the tall man he had met by the creek that day.

Today, he wore a clean, dark autumn tunic that accentuated his strong figure. His handsome face was calm, expressionless, and his black eyes—deep as still water—suddenly turned toward him. Under the glow of the lamplight, that gaze seemed to seize his very soul.

Qingtao’s heart gave a jolt. He quickly looked away, his cheeks burning.

“Everyone, eat up while it’s still warm!” Chen Hexiang said, smiling as she urged the others. “Our Qingtao loves fiddling with these little things—don’t laugh at him.”

“Why would we laugh?” Lu Sui’s mother said kindly, her voice gentle. “This tastes just like what they sell in the town shops. I’ve never seen a ge’er with such skill.”

“It’s really delicious. How did you make this, Brother Qingtao?” Xia He asked between bites, wide-eyed with admiration.

Qingtao could feel a pair of heated eyes fixed on him from across the room. His pulse raced wildly, and his usually articulate tongue faltered.

“You just… just boil the chestnuts and mash them into paste, mix it with malt sugar and rice flour, then steam it,” he managed to say softly.

“Oh, so that’s how! No wonder it smells so good,” Wang Shuiqin exclaimed in admiration, then discreetly shot a glance at Xia He.

Catching the signal, Xia He finished his piece of cake and stood, pulling at Qingtao’s sleeve. “Brother Qingtao, come play in my room! You can teach me how to embroider, alright?”

“Alright.” Qingtao felt as if his face were on fire and quickly followed Xia He out.

Once outside the main hall, his breathing eased at last.

Even so, once they entered Xia He’s room, his thoughts were still back in the hall—especially with the sound of laughter and chatter drifting from that direction. He found himself unconsciously trying to pick out which voice belonged to Lu Sui. Even when Xia He spoke to him, he couldn’t concentrate properly.

Just as he had finally managed to settle his thoughts, his mother’s voice came from outside, calling,

“Qingtao! Time to go home—”

“Yes!” he replied quickly, bidding Xia He farewell before hurrying out.

Outside, Aunt Shuiqin was holding up an oil lamp, its light casting the faint silhouettes of Lu Sui and his mother beside her. Qingtao didn’t dare look closely; he simply went to stand by his mother’s side.

“It’s getting late, we’ll be heading back now. Be careful on your way home,” his mother said to Lu Sui’s family with a smile.

“Of course. You all take care as well,” Lu Sui’s mother replied kindly, her tone as warm as ever.

“Goodbye, Auntie,” Qingxi and Qingtao both said politely before turning to leave.

Once they left Xia Desan’s house, the three of them tacitly avoided mentioning the matchmaking altogether, instead chatting about the next day’s chores—how it would soon be their family’s turn to pay the village tax, so their father should stay home to wait, while Qingxi would go with the uncles to the river to scoop mud for fertilizer.

The moon hung bright and high in the western sky, lighting up the country path like silver. Though a cool breeze drifted by, it wasn’t cold at all.

For no reason, Qingtao felt light and buoyant, his heart fluttering like a little rabbit—or perhaps like a paper kite in spring, drifting and swaying without a place to land.

When they arrived home, his father had already gone to bed. His sister-in-law, Xinghua, was still sitting in the main room, working on embroidery under the lamplight. Seeing them return, she asked eagerly,

“How was it?”

“I think it went very well,” Chen Hexiang said with a smile. “That young man truly is as tall as a doorframe—standing up, he’s like a pillar! He’s handsome, speaks little, but has good manners. His mother is polite too—they seem easy to get along with.”

“What’s the use of being tall or handsome?” Qingxi grumbled. “He needs to treat Qingtao well, that’s what matters!”

Xinghua giggled, teasing, “Oh? Last time, the scholar was too skinny and you said you could throw him with one hand. Now this one’s too tall?”

“Don’t mind him,” Chen Hexiang said, laughing helplessly.

“What about you, Qingtao?” Xinghua asked, turning toward him.

Qingtao’s face instantly turned red. He averted his gaze. “He’s… he’s alright.”

“So that means you didn’t like him?” Xinghua teased playfully.

“No—not that!” Qingtao quickly turned back, but seeing both his mother and sister-in-law smiling knowingly at him, he realized they were teasing and blushed even harder.

Qingxi, growing indignant, muttered, “You ge’ers and girls only care if someone’s good-looking!”

Chen Hexiang chuckled and patted his shoulder. “Oh really? Then why do you think Xinghua fell for you, you silly boy? You were so nervous the first time you met her parents, you even called her father by the wrong title!”

Xinghua and Qingtao both laughed, and Qingxi scratched his head sheepishly. “That’s because Xinghua has good taste!”

It was getting late, and everyone had work the next day. They washed up and went to bed.

But Qingtao lay awake, unable to sleep. The image of those deep black eyes kept surfacing in his mind, making his heart pound so hard it felt impossible to calm down.

Had Lu Sui been pleased when he saw him? Would he send Aunt Shuiqin with a message tomorrow? Had he looked too nervous tonight? When explaining how to make the chestnut cakes, he felt he’d stumbled over his words—had Lu Sui or his mother thought him clumsy?

He tossed and turned, replaying the scene in his head—then imagining what married life might be like—then worrying he might have made a bad impression and be rejected. His emotions rose and fell like a small boat drifting on restless waters.

It was late into the night before he finally drifted into a dazed sleep.

Yet even so, he woke early the next morning.

He was still sleepy and tried to force himself back to rest, but couldn’t. He was just turning over again when his mother’s voice came from outside, knocking on his door.

“Qingtao! Qingtao—your Aunt Shuiqin is here!”

“Yes!” Qingtao jumped up, hurriedly dressing before rushing to open the door. “Mom, Aunt Shuiqin’s here?”

His mother saw the bright light in his eyes and smiled. “Look how anxious you are—guess I don’t even need to ask, do I?”

Qingtao blushed deeply. “Mom!”

“Your Aunt Shuiqin came to say that right after we left last night, Lu Sui and his mother said they were pleased and asked her to come first thing this morning. They said if our family feels the same, they’ll send the matchmaker to officially propose. So I came to ask you once more,” Chen Hexiang said, her tone full of warmth and amusement.

“Didn’t you already ask me that yesterday?” Qingtao protested, his face turning even redder as he turned away.

“Alright, alright, I’ll go give her our answer then,” his mother said, chuckling. “Everyone’s busy, and it’s best to settle things quickly so all can rest easy. Last night your father pretended to be asleep, but the moment I went in, he turned over and asked what I thought of the boy—scared me half to death! He acts so indifferent, but he’s more eager than anyone.”

Still laughing, she turned to go.

So… it was settled.

Qingtao couldn’t help the smile spreading across his lips. Thinking of Lu Sui’s handsome, cool face, sweetness bloomed in his chest.

He liked him—and Lu Sui liked him too.