She got pregnant after the swap marriage, and the scumbag's family regretted it so much they cr

Zhou was overjoyed upon hearing this. She completely forgot about when Lu Ruyi would return; all she could think about was—Zhongbao's birthday celebration would definitely be an eye-opener for the villagers!

The next moment, she remembered that Gao Shangzhi had run out early in the morning and was probably out gallivanting at some friend's house.

Her face darkened, but she softened her tone when speaking to Gao Yan: "Um... Gao Yan, Madam Lu, your father has gone out and we don't know when he'll be back. When the guests arrive, you two should help entertain them."

"Move the furniture out of the house and put it in the front yard. We'll take it all to the village carpenter so he can plane it and repaint it."

Zhou made a bunch of demands, but showed no intention of paying anything.

Lu Huan didn't expose her, but simply smiled and replied, "I understand, Mother-in-law."

The two returned to the west wing, where Gao Yan was clearly displeased: "Huan'er, why didn't you ask Mother for money? You even stopped me from asking!"

Lu Huan opened the bundle she had brought back, took out the dirty clothes inside, and chuckled, "This is nothing. I don't even care about this little bit of money."

"But……"

Gao Yan wanted to argue further, but Lu Huan interrupted him: "No buts. Do you know why the Gao family patriarch switched from being a merchant to a private citizen? Why did my mother want me to marry Gao Zhongbao back then?"

Gao Yan seemed a little awkward, glancing away and refusing to look Lu Huan in the eye.

"How would I know what my mother-in-law is thinking?" He hesitated for a while before asking again, "If my mother-in-law were alive and knew that you didn't marry Zhongbao but married me, would she be angry?"

Hahaha--

Lu Huan laughed so hard she bent over, tears welling in her eyes. She felt like it had been a long time since she had laughed so heartily.

"Huan'er, stop laughing!"

Before the man's expression changed, Lu Huan wiped the corner of her eye and said, "Don't worry, if my mother knew this in the afterlife, she would definitely be very satisfied with you as her son-in-law!"

She felt that if ghosts really existed, her mother would definitely not care about this son-in-law, but would strangle Lu Ruyi and Gao Zhongbao immediately.

"Really?" Gao Yan was clearly a little unsure.

He always felt that Lu Huan was hiding something from him, and it was something very important, but he was unwilling to pressure Lu Huan, so he could only repeatedly question himself in his heart, wondering if he had done something wrong.

"Really, I'll tell you when the time is right." Lu Huan mischievously pinched Gao Yan's cheek, then ran away laughing.

Gao Yan followed behind her, and when he saw what she was holding, his face instantly turned bright red: "Huan'er! Wife! Put those clothes down! I'll wash them myself!"

He took two steps to Lu Huan, snatched the bag of clothes, and then disappeared somewhere to wash them.

Lu Huan's smile never faded. She turned on her toes and walked into the kitchen.

"Master, you're back!" He Niang was busy in the kitchen. When she saw Lu Huan walk in, she stopped what she was doing and went to greet him. "What can I do for you, Master?"

Lu Huan waved her hand, indicating that He Niang didn't need to worry about her: "I just came to ask if anything happened while we were out."

He Niang gave Shi Liang a wink, and the latter understood, carrying a small bamboo stool to sit at the kitchen doorway.

She then whispered, "Nothing else is wrong. It's just that this morning, the master wanted to use the carriage, but when he heard that the mule cart had been driven away by the landlord, he muttered a few words about it."

However, upon hearing that it was the mistress who sent them, they stopped grumbling about the master and instead complained that they didn't have enough mule carts; one cart wasn't enough.

Lu Huan's tone was devoid of any emotion: "Anything else?"

He Niang hesitated, clutching the petticoat at her waist, unsure whether to speak or not.

"What's there to hesitate about?"

“I’m worried that if I tell you, it will affect the relationship between the employer and the son-in-law.”

Lu Huan guessed that it was probably because Gao Yan's unwanted romantic advances had been seen by He Niang and the others.

"Although Ayan is my husband, you should think carefully about who your master is."

He Niang's heart skipped a beat, and her back hunched over slightly.

Her man had asked her the same question before.

At that time, she still believed that a woman's husband was paramount, and in the Gao family, Gao Yan should definitely come first. She completely forgot that Lu Huan was the one who held their mouth shut.

She reacted instantly, and without hesitation, bowed and said, "When Shi Gu opened the courtyard gate this morning, he found a young woman lurking outside, looking around our courtyard."

Furthermore, rumors are circulating in the village that Prince Yan rewarded the village with five hundred taels of silver, and the clan head decided to give the son-in-law two hundred taels.

It turned out to be the case.

A hint of pleasure flickered in Lu Huan's eyes; no wonder that idiot seemed a bit strange when he came back.

There was no such thing as the Prince of Yan bestowing a reward in her previous life. Even when the whole village fled south together, she didn't find anyone expressing any affection for Gao Yan.

who can that be?

Lu Huan asked curiously, "Did Shi Gu see who it was?"

He Niang shook her head: "Shi Gu was carrying water at the time and only glanced at me briefly. He was dressed very plainly and had a red ribbon tied in his hair. There was nothing special about him."

Lu Huan thought about it carefully, but it was too long ago and she had no recollection of it at all, so she didn't make things difficult for herself.

"I know about the Prince's reward. I'd like to have hot pot for lunch. How much mutton is left from yesterday?"

Speaking of her profession, He Niang's previous gloom vanished: "There's still quite a bit left! Yesterday we only ate the foreleg and the shoulder. Would the master like lamb chops or the hind leg?"

Thinking of the bowl of mutton soup he had when he went to the city that day, Lu Huan instantly felt that he had wasted his breakfast.

"Let's make some mutton soup!" Lu Huan said with some regret. "It's a pity we don't have any fish. Otherwise, we could make some fish balls and put them in the soup. That would be so delicious!"

He Niang suggested, "We can send Shi Gu to the riverbank to take a look and catch a few more fish before the river freezes over."

"Okay, tell him to be careful and not fall into the water!"

Lu Huan discussed the menu with He Niang for a while before returning to the west wing.

It's impossible for her to cook and prepare the banquet for Gao Zhongbao herself, so we'll have to trouble He Niang. If we need more help, we'll ask some of the village women to come and assist, just like on the wedding day.

Gao Yan was gone for almost half an hour. It wasn't until almost lunchtime that he rushed back in, looking excited.

Lu Huan's consciousness snapped out of the spatial realm, and she looked at him with a half-smile: "So you do know how to come back!"

Gao Yan was so engrossed in his joy that he completely failed to notice the odd tone in Lu Huan's voice.

He proudly pulled two silver notes from his pocket and presented them to Lu Huan: "Huan'er, look!"

Lu Huan took the silver notes, which were exactly two hundred-tael notes.

"A reward from the Prince's Palace?"

Gao Yan was not surprised to find that Lu Huan was not surprised: "Wife, you already knew?"

"I just found out. I also know that some young women were waiting for you at the gate of the courtyard early this morning!"