Lu Xue was somewhat puzzled. She wondered, wasn't it just a social post? Why did it seem so ceremonious in Han Xiaolv's eyes?
She pondered for a long while but still couldn't fathom Han Xiaolv's girlish thoughts, so she simply gave up.
The two chatted about other topics. Lu Xue briefly summarized her meaningful rural trip of the past few days to Han Xiaolv.
On the other end of the line, Han Xiaolv was so envious that her eyes almost popped out.
"So during the day, you went fishing by the river, picked wild fruits on the mountain, drank tea in the wooden cabin with Mr. Chen, and painted landscapes in the evening?"
Lu Xue replied, "Yes. This period of life is extremely meaningful to me. I feel that my previous troubles were really narrow - minded. In fact, I just trapped myself in some difficult problems."
Han Xiaolv sighed with admiration for a while. She really wanted to join Lu Xue's life, but unfortunately, she had been busy running around the factory these days and simply couldn't spare the time.
So she could only envy for a long time and then reluctantly went back to work.
The next day, Lu Xue got up and was surprisingly surprised to find that Mu Yuze was still there.
He got up an hour earlier than her. He had already finished his morning run outside, come back to take a shower, and was sitting under the wall at the door, dealing with some work emails in the faint morning mist.
Hearing Lu Xue get up, he smiled, greeted her, and then lowered his head to deal with his work as usual, his fingers still quickly tapping on the keyboard.
A few aunts carrying vegetable baskets passed by the door. Their eyes involuntarily glanced at Mu Yuze a few more times.
The aunts whispered to each other, discussing Mu Yuze.
"When did such a handsome young man come to our village?"
"He should be from outside. I heard he's a friend of Mr. Chen and is staying here for a few days."
"Good, good. Staying for a few days is great. He should stay for a few more days. It's a pleasure to look at him!"
The kind - hearted aunts sized Mu Yuze up for a long time. They each enthusiastically came up to offer eggs and fruits, surrounding Mu Yuze.
They also beat around the bush to ask if Mu Yuze had a girlfriend and what kind of wife he wanted to marry in the future.
Judging from their attitude, they were almost going to introduce the eligible girls in their families to Mu Yuze.
Mu Yuze was surrounded by the aunts and had a hard time dealing with them. He was a bit flustered when trying to cope.
Half an hour later, he finally managed to deal with them all, but there were several more wrinkles on his shirt.
He returned to the yard helplessly. Looking up, he happened to meet Lu Xue's somewhat gloating expression.
Lu Xue was helping to carry water by the water tank. She was holding back her laughter while doing the work seriously, but her shoulders still trembled a few times involuntarily.
Mu Yuze walked over and silently helped Lu Xue carry water. He looked calm, pretending not to notice the gloating look on Lu Xue's face.
Lu Xue leaned over and whispered, "I think those aunts are quite sincere and very kind to you. You really should consider their suggestions more."
Mu Yuze was amused by her words and looked at her helplessly.
The two transferred the water in the tank to another container and finished all the work in the yard.
Suddenly, Mu Yuze said without warning, "So, have you considered my suggestion?"
Lu Xue was taken aback and couldn't answer for a moment. Her expression showed a bit of fluster.
Mu Yuze looked at her evasive eyes, a gentle smile curved on his lips. He didn't press further, but for some reason, his mood suddenly became cheerful.
Time passed quickly in the countryside. In a blink of an eye, Lu Xue and Mu Yuze had been there for almost a week.
During the day, Lu Xue would go up the mountain to paint landscapes with Mr. Chen. In the evening, Mu Yuze would usually wait for Lu Xue at the foot of the mountain.
Sometimes when there was a heavy rainstorm, Mu Yuze would hold a big umbrella and go up the mountain to find them, ensuring their safe return down the mountain.
The mountain road was extremely difficult to walk on rainy days. Every step was muddy.
Lu Xue walked under the umbrella, clinging tightly to Mu Yuze's shoulder. Mu Yuze quietly put his hand behind her to prevent her from suddenly slipping.
Although Mr. Chen was used to this rural life and was extremely experienced in dealing with the mountain road on rainy days, he held a big umbrella and quickly left the two of them far behind.
Mu Yuze and Lu Xue slowly followed behind, walking carefully. Before long, there was mud on both of their knees, looking a bit disheveled.
When they returned to the yard in such a sorry state, all the families had closed their doors and windows.
He opened the door and let Lu Xue go in first. After Lu Xue entered the house, she found that Mu Yuze was still standing outside.
She couldn't help but poke her head out and urged him actively, "Why are you still outside? Come in quickly!"
Mu Yuze stood under the eaves without moving. His umbrella was still open, but his eyes were fixed on a certain place on the ground.
Lu Xue followed his line of sight and found that Mu Yuze was looking at a small stray dog hiding from the rain under the eaves.
The puppy was extremely weak, probably only a few months old. It was now curled up in the corner, shivering.
Because the eaves were very shallow, the wind and rain outside always poured in wave after wave. The puppy's body was wet, looking rather pitiful.