Juhua and Qingmu exchanged a glance, both surprised. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Laixi was in the middle of eating their dumplings, but the words that came out of his mouth weren’t so pleasant. "Who told him to be so muddle-headed? Now he wants to arrange a marriage? I bet it’s because he’s seen how well your family’s fortunes have turned, right? Hmph, don’t pay him any mind. Is Qingmu worried he won’t be able to find a wife? But to be honest, that Liu Yunlan really is a good catch. Qingmu, if you don’t mind her father, you should go meet her."

Juhua found this amusing. "Her father is just a bit muddle-headed and not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he’s not a bad person. Didn’t he apologize back then and then turn around to ask my brother to go for a meeting? If it weren’t for Brother deciding later that he didn’t want to pursue marriage, they would have met back then. Besides, you’re marrying the daughter, not the father."

Yang Defa chuckled at Juhua. "What’s this? Have you taken a liking to Yunlan? Don’t tell me she won you over with just a bowl of dumplings."

Laifu and Laixi both started laughing at that.

Seeing her uncle’s teasing expression, Juhua laughed. "Listen to you, Uncle. Am I really so greedy that I’d sell my brother’s future for a bowl of dumplings? The dumplings I make are delicious too. The next time you visit my home, Uncle, I’ll make some for you. I guarantee you’ll eat three whole bowls."

Yang Defa listened, chuckling, and said he would definitely make time to visit.

As everyone was talking and laughing, a hesitant voice came from the doorway. "Uncle Yang... are you... busy?"

The voice sounded familiar to Juhua. She looked up and—oh! ’Isn’t this my brother’s future brother-in-law? Did he really come all the way here to apologize?’

The boy stood awkwardly in the courtyard, his left hand rubbing nervously against his pant leg. He looked at the people in the house with a shifty gaze, clearly uneasy. He grew even more flustered when he saw Juhua looking at him.

He had dithered the whole way here, but finally, he gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and entered the courtyard.

’My sister is just looking out for me; I can’t make her sad. Besides, I promised that ugly girl. If I don’t come and apologize, won’t she look down on me?’

With that thought, he mustered his courage and looked up.

Yang Defa smiled. "Yungen, why are you just standing at the door? Come in, have a seat. You don’t look like you’re just here to hang out. Is something the matter?"

Qingmu also looked strangely at the boy who might soon be his brother-in-law. ’What’s he here for?’ He didn’t know that Juhua had given the Liu Family a piece of her mind, so he couldn’t guess the reason for Liu Yungen’s visit.

Hearing Yang Defa’s invitation, Liu Yungen lifted his chin, straightened his neck, and walked into the house like a warrior marching to his doom. Seeing him force a calm expression, Juhua couldn’t help but snicker silently. ’Is apologizing really this painful?’

After coming inside, Liu Yungen ignored the stool Laixi offered him and walked straight up to Qingmu. His voice trembled slightly as he said, "Big Brother Qingmu, I... I was ungrateful the other day. You walked me home, and not only did I not thank you, I even blamed you for not paying for my eggs. My parents and my sister all scolded me. I came here today specifically to apologize. I hope you won’t hold it against me."

He was nervous at first, but his words became smoother as he went on. Looking into Qingmu’s eyes, he thought, ’If you become my brother-in-law, you can’t really give me a hard time, can you?’

Suddenly, he caught sight of Juhua leaning casually against Qingmu’s side, watching him with an amused smile. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly added, "I... I’m a bastard, I shouldn’t have called you a bastard..."

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Holding back his laughter, Yang Defa asked, "What’s all this about?"

Laifu and Laixi also stared at Liu Yungen and Qingmu with great interest—they didn’t even know about the broken eggs, let alone what had happened today.

Juhua was also struggling to hold back a smile. She didn’t explain, deciding to let the boy tell them himself. ’It’s best if he feels embarrassed,’ she thought, ’otherwise he’ll never learn his lesson.’

That was easy for her to think, but Liu Yungen was only a twelve-year-old boy. How could he bring himself to tell everyone how he had cursed at someone? Besides, this also involved his argument with Juhua, which he was even less willing to talk about.

So he hemmed and hawed for a long time without managing to get out a single complete sentence.

Qingmu had felt something was off for a while. ’Where did this "bastard" talk come from?’ There had to be something he didn’t know. Otherwise, it made no sense for the boy to come apologize after so many days had passed.

He nudged Juhua with his elbow, asking her with his eyes what was going on.

Juhua just shook her head with a faint smile and said nothing.

Qingmu was at a loss. He couldn’t just let the boy keep standing there, so he said gently, "It’s no big deal. As long as you don’t blame me for breaking your eggs, Yungen, that’s good enough. There’s no need for an apology. Come, sit down and talk."

Seeing that Qingmu wasn’t going to press him about the "bastard" comment, Liu Yungen breathed a sigh of relief. He secretly glanced at Juhua again. ’Should I offer her a small apology, too?’

The thought made him feel wronged. ’I’m the one who got bullied, okay? She even made me cry from anger!’

’If I apologize, everyone in the room is bound to ask why. What would I even say?’

Qingmu found it strange that the boy was still standing there even after he had been invited to sit. He saw him turn to face Juhua, staring at the ground as if deep in thought.

Laixi couldn’t help but call out, "Yungen, Qingmu already said he doesn’t blame you, so stop blocking his way and come sit down. Did you go to your grandmother’s for New Year’s visits today? Why didn’t you stay the night?"

But Liu Yungen seemed not to hear him. He remembered what his sister had told him and, bracing himself, stepped forward to face Juhua. "Sister Juhua, today I shouldn’t have... cursed at Big Brother Qingmu and made you angry. My sister scolded me..."

He couldn’t bring himself to say another word.

Everyone in the room was dumbfounded. Why was he apologizing to Juhua now? Had those two argued? (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)