After the Sweet Little Husband Got Remarried - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

After dinner, Lu Lu and Huai helped clear the table while Shen Ying and Jiang Song washed the dishes. When Lu Lu tried to join them, Lin Chunlan caught him gently by the arm.

“Let the men handle the washing,” she said, patting his hand affectionately. “Come with me—your sister-in-law wants to talk to you.”

Lu Lu blinked in mild confusion, unsure what Du Qinghe might want with him, but he obediently followed Lin Chunlan into the inner room.

Though there was nothing improper about it—he was a ge’er and Shen Ying’s spouse—he still hesitated at the doorway. After all, this was a woman’s private room. Only after a brief pause did he step inside.

Little Jiang Qiu had already fallen asleep halfway through dinner, nestled in Du Qinghe’s arms with his small hands still clutching a half-eaten chicken leg.

Du Qinghe carried him into the bedroom, carefully tucked him in, and drew the blanket up to his chest. When she turned and saw Lin Chunlan entering with Lu Lu, she lowered the curtain and walked to the wardrobe. Opening the cabinet doors, she pulled out a neatly folded piece of newly sewn clothing.

Bringing it to Lu Lu, she smiled softly. “Here—try this on and see if it fits. If it’s too tight or loose, I can adjust it.”

Lu Lu looked at her, then at the clothes in her hands, still blank with surprise. He accepted them almost timidly, unsure what to say or do.

The garments he’d brought from the Lu household were old and worn thin, washed to near-white, with patched cuffs and hems.

Seeing his hesitation, Lin Chunlan lightly tapped his shoulder and said, “Don’t just stand there—listen to your sister-in-law. Try it on.”

Du Qinghe added with a small smile, “Shen Ying asked me to make it for you. He also picked out the fabric himself from the cloth shop in the city. Since you’re here today, you can see if you like it.”

So this was what Shen Ying had bought in town that day. Lu Lu looked down at the clothes and murmured quietly, “I like it.”

Lin Chunlan’s smile deepened. “Then go ahead and change into it. Tell your sister-in-law if it’s too tight or short; she can fix it for you right away.”

Lu Lu nodded, about to take the clothes to change, when Huai suddenly came bounding in from outside.

Hearing them talk about something “he liked,” Huai tilted his head curiously and whispered, “What are you talking about? What’s all this about liking or not liking?”

Then his eyes landed on the clothes in Lu Lu’s hands, and they lit up. “Oh! Sister-in-law finished already?”

Realizing he’d spoken too much, he quickly covered his mouth, then grinned sheepishly at Lu Lu. “Don’t blame me for not telling you! Shen Ying made me promise—it was supposed to be a surprise!”

Understanding now, Lu Lu held the new clothes close, his heart swelling with warmth. When he emerged after changing, everyone’s eyes turned toward him.

The fabric Shen Ying had chosen was a soft shade of bamboo green. Against Lu Lu’s fair skin, the color made him look even paler, almost luminous.

Lin Chunlan looked him over approvingly. “This color suits you well. You look lovely, Lu-ge’er.”

Huai chimed in cheerfully, “Sister-in-law’s getting prettier by the day.”

Lu Lu blushed faintly and smiled. “It’s all thanks to my sister-in-law’s fine stitching.”

Du Qinghe accepted the compliment with a light laugh. “There’s still some crimson and navy fabric left. When I’ve finished those, you can come try them on too. I’ll use the leftover pieces to make you a couple of shoes.”

Lu Lu’s eyes brightened. “Thank you, sister-in-law.”

He wore the new clothes home that evening. When Shen Ying offered money for the sewing, Du Qinghe and Jiang Song refused, instead sending them off with a basket of fresh vegetables from their garden.

The two walked side by side down the path home.

Between the Jiang household and the grass hut at the foot of the mountain stretched a small grove of trees. The moonlight was scattered by the dense branches above, and the forest lay deep and shadowed, with only faint beams of silver filtering through the leaves.

Lu Lu was still thinking about the new clothes and not watching his step when he tripped over a tree root and stumbled forward.

Shen Ying reacted quickly, catching him by the arm and pulling him against his chest.

The sudden closeness made Lu Lu freeze. Shen Ying’s grip lingered only a moment before he released him, clearing his throat softly. “Are you all right?”

Lu Lu shook his head, murmuring that he was fine, though his ears had flushed red at the memory of accidentally falling into his husband’s arms.

Moonlight spilled through the branches, pooling faintly over their hair. As they continued walking, the path narrowed, their shoulders brushing again and again.

Shen Ying thought back to what Jiang Song had teased him about earlier—how every man who married wanted the warmth of both spouse and child beside him. Perhaps there had been some twists of fate, but in the end, he had met the one meant for him.

Eyes fixed ahead, he quietly reached out, brushing his fingers against Lu Lu’s hand. When Lu Lu didn’t pull away, he slowly intertwined their fingers, holding on tightly.

Lu Lu’s palm was damp with warmth, and the hand clasping his was broad and steady. He didn’t resist. After a pause, he said softly, “Thank you.”

Shen Ying understood he was referring to the new clothes. He gave a quiet hum of acknowledgment, yet inside, his chest felt unexpectedly light, the grip of his hand tightening instinctively.

The next morning, after the vegetable plot was tilled, Lin Chunlan came by again, bringing a bundle of fresh melon seedlings pulled straight from her fields.

Lu Lu had just cooked a pot of noodle soup and invited her to stay for breakfast, but she smiled and waved it off, saying she had already eaten. After chatting briefly about planting tips, she hurried back to the fields to weed.

Spring had fully arrived—everything was sprouting anew. The mountains glowed green, tender shoots unfurled in the fields, and weeds grew wild along the paths.

After breakfast, Lu Lu and Shen Ying began planting vegetables.

To help the seeds sprout faster, Lu Lu had soaked them overnight. He asked Shen Ying to dig another trench, dividing the vegetable patch into four plots—one for amaranth, one for water spinach, and the other two for the melon seedlings Lin Chunlan had brought.

Before sowing, they loosened and tilled the soil carefully, breaking it into fine, soft earth and removing any roots so weeds wouldn’t sprout after rain. Once the dirt was level, Lu Lu sprinkled the soaked seeds evenly over it.

Since amaranth and water spinach thrived in moisture, after scattering the seeds, he covered them with a thin layer of soil and wood ash. Then Shen Ying fetched a wooden bucket of water and used a gourd ladle to water them thoroughly.

Freshly sown seeds needed to be soaked well so they could sprout quickly.

The water came from the mountain spring, channeled down through bamboo pipes. Shen Ying only had to set the bucket under the pipe and pull out the bamboo stopper, and within moments, the bucket filled to the brim.

With the watering done, Lu Lu carried a hoe to dig small pits for the melon seedlings in the other two plots.

The seedlings Lin Chunlan had sent were wrapped in vegetable leaves, their roots still damp with soil. There were cucumbers, pumpkins, bitter melons, and winter melons, along with eggplants, beans, and chili plants.

Lu Lu’s favorite among them was the long bean.

Long beans could be stir-fried, boiled in soup, or made into cold dishes. If they had a jar, he could also pickle them in brine—the sour-salty pickled beans, stewed with duck and pickled radish, were an unmatched delicacy.

Lu Lu planted in front while Shen Ying watered behind.

Eggplants and chili had short stems and could grow together in one patch. Lu Lu planted several rows; compared to chili, eggplants took longer to ripen, and they could still harvest autumn ones later in the year.

Next came the beans. Unlike eggplants and chili, beans had no stems but long climbing vines.

Once the vines grew, bamboo poles would need to be staked in the soil to form a trellis for them to climb—the tender pods would then hang from the vines like little green strings.

Pumpkins and winter melons, on the other hand, needed no trellis at all. They could sprawl freely at the edges of the garden, their vines crawling outward in every direction. Cucumbers and bitter melons, however, required a proper frame to cling to.

Once they had finished planting, the two returned to the yard to build a bamboo fence around the patch.

Shen Ying took a hatchet and went behind the house to cut bamboo, while Lu Lu gathered straw from the shed to make a scarecrow.

Their hut sat at the foot of the mountain, close to the forest, where birds often flew down to peck at seeds and sprouts. Since the vegetables had just been planted, they couldn’t risk them being eaten.

Lu Lu selected two bamboo poles, tied them into a cross with rope, and fastened bundles of straw around them. Birds couldn’t tell a scarecrow from a real person—as long as it frightened them, it would do.

While Lu Lu worked on the scarecrow, Shen Ying was nearby splitting bamboo for the fence. When he stood up again, he walked over holding something in his hand.

Lu Lu turned to look—it was a hairpin, carved from a fresh green bamboo branch. The surface was smooth and polished, the tip slightly pointed, and a few delicate leaves still clung to the joint at the back.

In the countryside, ge’ers tied up their hair for convenience, coiling it into a simple bun on top of their heads. Some covered it with a cloth, others fixed it with a pin. Lu Lu had neither and used only a strip of cloth to tie his hair.

Shen Ying stood before him and carefully slid the bamboo pin into his bun, saying in a low, gentle voice, “Next time we go to town, we’ll pick out a silver one for you.”

Lu Lu froze in place, enveloped by the taller man’s shadow. It wasn’t the first time they had stood so close, yet every time, his ears grew hot.

When Shen Ying was done, Lu Lu lifted a hand and brushed his fingers lightly against the new pin.

The little green leaves fluttered gently, perfectly matching the bamboo-green clothes he wore.

He hadn’t planned to wear his new outfit while working, but Shen Ying had teased that if he refused, he’d make him change personally—so Lu Lu had put it on himself, flustered.

Their eyes met. Shen Ying looked straight at him, his gaze steady and warm. Lu Lu fidgeted under it, lowering his lashes. “Does it look bad?” he asked quietly.

Shen Ying shook his head. “No. It looks perfect.”

He reached out and brushed away a loose strand of hair at Lu Lu’s ear.

Just then, the wooden gate creaked faintly. A soft footstep followed—then quickly retreated, vanishing beyond the mud wall.

Both of them turned toward the sound. The yard was empty now, only a small woven basket hung on the fence.

They exchanged a glance and went together to take it down. Inside were freshly picked wild greens, still dewy—water celery, tender shoots, and a few wild fruits wrapped in leaves.

The Jiang family had already brought melon seedlings that morning, and neither the Chen nor Liang families would have done this.

There was only one person who might have quietly left such a gift—
Shen Sui.