Chapter 243: Chapter 132: Meizi’s Love

When Meizi returned home, she didn’t tell her mother what was on her mind.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her mother. Rather, she believed it was wrong for a girl to secretly harbor feelings for a man. The whole scandal with Liu’er and Qingmu had only happened a year ago, and the memory of that farce was etched into her mind, something she would never forget.

’She had originally wanted to discuss it with her mother, but then she had another thought. Hadn’t Mom refused Grandma Huang’s proposal? That meant Mom didn’t approve of the match, so what was the point of bringing it up with her now?’

’Was she supposed to shamelessly tell her mother that she absolutely had to marry Changming?’

’That wouldn’t be right. Besides, it wasn’t as if she absolutely *had* to marry Changming, was it?’

And so, she continued to struggle in her confusion, trying desperately to forget Li Changming, yet finding it impossible.

When Gou Dan’s mother saw her return for lunch, she asked where she’d been.

Meizi said she had gone to chat with Juhua.

Gou Dan’s mother didn’t press the issue and let the matter drop.

However, Meizi remained listless for several days straight, and Gou Dan’s mother finally realized something was wrong with her daughter.

She watched Meizi closely and mulled it over for a long time, becoming certain that her daughter had something weighing heavily on her mind.

She would often stare into space. One moment, a sad look would cross her face; the next, she’d seem ashamed and anxious. Sometimes she would try to pull herself together and get things done, but partway through, she’d slip back into her daze.

Gou Dan’s mother’s heart dropped. She had a bad feeling about this.

’Seeing my daughter like this, with something on her mind that she refuses to tell me… I’m afraid she’s fallen for someone.’

’Oh, dear! Who could it be?’

Gou Dan’s mother recalled the day she’d told Meizi to go out and chat with Lanzi, but she had gone to see Juhua instead. And when she returned, she was just as distracted.

An idea struck her. ’Could it be… that Meizi likes Qingmu?’

The mother, pleased with her own cleverness, guessed at her daughter’s feelings, completely oblivious that she was a million miles off the mark.

’She also considered herself to be very close with her daughter. Since the girl didn’t want to talk about it, she wouldn’t be a pest and keep asking. It was only natural for a young woman to be too shy and embarrassed to speak of such things!’

’But I can’t just ignore it, either!’

’If she really got mixed up with Qingmu in secret, what kind of mess would that be?’

’Although deep down she knew Meizi would never do such a thing, it was better to be safe than sorry. She had to make plans early and step in to settle the matter. After all, wasn’t Qingmu the perfect son-in-law she had in mind!’

Gou Dan’s mother was a prudent woman; she didn’t act rashly. One day, she deliberately said to Meizi, “I’ve got a craving for some water bamboo shoots. Why don’t you go with Lanzi and the others to gather some so we can prepare them? Ask Liu Xiaomei’s brother to help you get them out of the water. And don’t you girls go reaching in carelessly—falling into the pond is no laughing matter.”

With this matter weighing on her, Meizi had been trying to shake the feeling for days, but the torment was inescapable. She was already desperate to talk to someone. Hearing her mother’s suggestion, she quickly jumped up and smiled. “I’ll go get Juhua! I just told her the other day that I’d ask her to go gather water bamboo shoots with me once she had some free time.”

With that, she happily went out to find Juhua.

Gou Dan’s mother watched her daughter’s retreating figure and breathed a sigh of relief. ’Looks like I was right,’ she thought. ’She does like Qingmu.’

’But does Qingmu know that Meizi likes him?’

’By rights, the man’s family should be the one to send someone to propose marriage.’

’But judging by Meizi’s behavior, Qingmu most likely has no idea. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been tormenting herself like a lost soul for all these days.’

’She thought of Huang Dagunzi’s mother, who had come over that evening to pass on a message for Changxing’s mother. Why not have her go and sound out the Zheng Family? That would be more discreet than hiring a matchmaker directly. If the Zheng Family agreed, they would naturally be the ones to send a matchmaker over to make a formal proposal.’

Convinced she understood her daughter’s heart, Gou Dan’s mother began to single-mindedly prepare for this most important event in her daughter’s life.

Meizi, still oblivious to her mother’s misguided matchmaking, first went to get Liu Xiaomei, and then the two of them went to find Juhua together.

When Juhua saw the two of them and heard they were going to the round pond to gather water bamboo shoots, she happily agreed.

As it happened, Mrs. Yang was sitting by the door shucking corn. She called out, “Go on, then. I’ll watch the house. Meizi, you girls can’t go gathering water bamboo shoots by yourselves. Have our Qingmu go with you to help—he’s resting today. Juhua, go to the fields and get your brother. Let him gather them, and you girls can just do the prep work.”

Before Juhua could reply, Liu Xiaomei quickly interjected, “I already spoke to my Third Brother; he’s coming with us in a little while. Qingmu is busy in the fields, so let’s not bother him. We’ll just be holding him up.”

Mrs. Yang seemed relieved to hear that. Juhua then slung a basket over her arm and left with Meizi and Liu Xiaomei.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep