Li Feng’s face darkened, his eyebrows and the corners of his lips nearly reaching the sky in a proud grin.
Li Feng said, “Say that again.”
Lu Liu obediently repeated, “Big Feng, I really like you.”
Li Feng raised an eyebrow, full of pride.
Of course, it was only natural for a little husband to like him.
There were no more words for today. The next morning, after breakfast, Li Feng hooked up the cart and went out.
The snow hadn’t stopped yet, just lightly falling. Li Feng wore a fur hat, with big ear flaps on either side to cover his ears.
He didn’t want to wear the raincoat, but Lu Liu chased after him, begging, so Li Feng reluctantly put it on.
Lu Liu didn’t follow him. Instead, he carried a bamboo basket and went to Big Qiang’s house to visit Yao An.
As Li Feng traveled on the road, he was deep in thought. His family didn’t have much at the moment, so he took some rice cakes and a fish as gifts.
It felt improper to just show up empty-handed at Chenjia’s house, so he decided to go to Lujia Village first. After delivering his gift, he’d go to Chenjia Bay with the firewood.
When the mule cart reached the entrance of Lujia Village, Li Feng turned, and once inside the village, he asked around to find the house of his second uncle, Lu Erbao.
It was quite a coincidence—this was the very couple he had passed by on the road before.
Lu Erbao was so shocked when he saw him that he forgot to speak.
Li Feng introduced himself with a loud voice, “We’ve met before. What a coincidence! I didn’t realize last time. We’re relatives, but I was vague about it. Second Uncle, I’m Li Feng, and my husband is Lu Yang. You’ve been to our village, and I’m just here to visit.”
His strong voice carried right into the house.
Wang Fengnian, who had been making sugar water for Xie Yan, was so startled by Li Feng’s introduction that his hand trembled, and he spilled the water.
Both Lu Erbao outside and Wang Fengnian inside were in a complete panic.
How could this happen? The husbands of two children showed up at the same time. How were they supposed to handle this?
Neither of them had received many guests in their lifetime, and they’d never encountered something this complicated. The two honest men were flustered and stammered in confusion.
Xie Yan, who was trying hard to act manly, saw that his father-in-laws were at a loss and decided to take the initiative to greet Li Feng.
Li Feng was polite, bringing gifts with him. This made Xie Yan, who had arrived empty-handed, feel a little awkward. In terms of social etiquette, he was still far behind.
He reassured his two father-in-laws, “Don’t worry, he’s a good person.”
Li Feng, who was indeed a good person, thought to himself: “…”
Where did this person come from, and why couldn’t he speak properly?
When a guest arrives, the first thing is to offer a seat.
The Lu family’s house was humble, with very little furniture. The dining room only had a square table, which would be used as a tea table for guests.
Li Feng was tall and strong, and when he entered, he had to duck slightly. The table was quite nice, but when he sat down, it made everything else seem small and unimportant.
Both fathers-in-law were still a bit nervous and stiff. Seeing Li Feng seated, they became even more flustered.
Xie Yan sighed inwardly, thinking that this family still needed him.
He spoke to Li Feng, “I’m the older son-in-law of the family. My husband went to visit relatives. He’ll be back to pick me up later.”
He wasn’t good at small talk, and as soon as he started speaking, he ended up talking about his husband.
To his surprise, Li Feng actually engaged with him in conversation. The last time Li Feng had sent Lu Erbao and his partner to Shangxi Village, he had learned that both their families had gotten married on the same day.
Li Feng remembered that when he went to pick up his bride, they had met the procession from Lujia Village face to face. The horses were tall, the horns were blowing, and it was quite impressive.
Li Feng politely said, “I remember you. We got married on the same day. How’s everything been since then?”
Xie Yan proudly replied, “It’s been great! My husband is amazing!”
Li Feng, with a smile, said, “My husband is very obedient.”
He didn’t realize that his pride was showing through.
Xie Yan: ?
What exactly is this comparison?
Xie Yan said, “My husband makes delicious steamed buns!”
Li Feng: ?
What are you even competing about?
Li Feng responded, “My husband makes great fish soup.”
Xie Yan puffed his chest, “My husband can kill a chicken!”
Li Feng straightened up, “My husband knows how to raise rabbits.”
The two sat face to face, gazing at each other. Xie Yan continued, “My husband pampers me!”
Li Feng, full of pride, said, “My husband likes me!”
…
They went back and forth, each one unexpectedly comparing their husbands.
Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian, who were watching from the side, couldn’t help but feel speechless: Actually, you’re not even talking about your husbands, are you?
They thought this to themselves and continued to be anxious.
What should they do? Why did these two brothers-in-law meet up? Why didn’t they just stay at home on a snowy day? Why are they going around visiting houses?
One visit was already enough, but why did both of them come?
What should they do now? What will happen when Lu Yang returns?
Li Feng, ever perceptive, noticed the unease of Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian, even though he was speaking to Xie Yan.
Since they seemed uncomfortable, he decided not to stay too long.
After comparing for a few more rounds, he announced his intention to leave.
Xie Yan felt disappointed.
It was so rare to meet someone who could talk about their husbands. Why would he just leave like this?
He didn’t know how to keep guests, but when Li Feng said he was leaving, he nodded immediately, “Alright, come again next time.”
When the two fathers heard Li Feng was leaving, they felt relieved.
They felt embarrassed inside but still politely said, “You’re leaving already? Stay and have some food before you go?”
Li Feng declined, “I still need to deliver firewood to my father-in-law in Chenjia Bay. Once I deliver it, I’ll be heading back.”
What?
He’s going to deliver firewood to Chenjia Bay?
Doesn’t that mean he’ll run into Yang Ge’er?
Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian were stunned, their mouths open. How could something like this happen? It really proves that honesty is the best policy. Honest people don’t get tricked by fate.
They still didn’t know what to do, but they decided they couldn’t let Li Feng leave without a meal. They insisted on keeping him for lunch, no matter what.
Xie Yan was very confused.
Weren’t they afraid of this nephew-in-law? If he was leaving, why were they trying to keep him?
Li Feng, who kept things simple, thought maybe his second uncle and his wife were shy and didn’t know how to entertain him, but they were still kind-hearted.
But he really couldn’t stay. After visiting these two families, he’d return home to spend a cozy winter with his husband, and that would be far more fun.
He politely declined, but as he was about to leave, Xie Yan walked past him and looked out the door.
The snow had stopped, and Lu Yang still hadn’t come back.
Xie Yan wanted to find his husband, and said, “Dad, the snow stopped, I’ll leave too.”
Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian froze. Why was everyone leaving?
After thinking for a moment, they figured it was better for Xie Yan to leave now. When Lu Yang came back, they’d still be able to pretend.
They quickly said, “Alright, take care on your way, be careful not to fall.”
Xie Yan: ?
Why weren’t they keeping him?
He felt a little hurt.
“I’m going to find Liu Ge’er.”
With that, he actually stepped outside.
The two fathers-in-law: ???
What’s going on here?
They rushed after him to insist on him staying for a meal: “Come on, eat before you leave. You’ve just arrived, it’s rude to leave right away!”
With no one stopping him, Li Feng walked out of the house and toward the mule cart.
When Lu Erbao saw him, he quickly ran over to stop him: “Hey, hey, Big Feng, Big Feng, have a meal before you go. This is your first time visiting, at least stay and eat.”
Xie Yan spoke to Li Feng, “My husband is visiting Chenjia Bay, you can take me with you so I don’t have to walk.”
Li Feng agreed, “Alright, let’s go.”
Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian were left dumbfounded.
What? Why are they both leaving now? And they’re going together? What will happen when they get to Chenjia? Will their lives still be the same?
They had no choice but to grab one of them each and force them back inside. They had to make sure they stayed for a meal.
Not knowing what else to do, they thought they might as well keep them at home for now.
If they ran into Lu Yang, it’d be better to handle it here than at Chenjia.
They kept this in mind and waited until after the meal, but still didn’t see Lu Yang return.
The two fathers-in-law: …
It was over.
They couldn’t keep Li Feng any longer. In less than a morning, both of them felt even older, watching Li Feng go toward the cart with shaky steps.
