Farming with kids: My deceased husband returns and I spoil him rotten.

Lao Zong chuckled foolishly; he genuinely hoped the two of them could get together.

He walked up to Gu Yu with a sly grin and teased, "Do you think Shang Qing will agree? Although that's what she said before, I think she saw Lord Meng's sincerity today, so she might just agree. If that happens, wouldn't I become Lord Meng's older brother?"

Gu Yu gave him a look, letting him figure it out for himself.

"What's wrong? You're acting strange today. If Shang Qing really gets together with Lord Meng, she'll live a carefree life from now on. Shouldn't we be happy for her?"

Gu Yu ignored him and said coldly, "I don't think he'll make a good impression... After his outburst today, those three children will probably start overthinking things again. Fortunately, they're all at Cheng Cai's house and won't be back for a while."

He used the three children as an excuse, so Lao Zong didn't think much of it.

"The children are still young, they'll understand eventually..."

Seeing that the village chief was too busy to handle everything alone, Lao Zong ran back into the crowd and urged everyone to leave quickly.

Chen Linlang, who was mixed in with the crowd, was unhappy and stood directly in front of the group, saying, "This Shang Qing is really capable. She actually managed to seduce Lord Meng. I wonder where she learned these seductive tricks!"

Lao Zong looked over upon hearing the sound, and upon seeing it was Chen Linlang, he was not surprised.

He said in a sarcastic tone, "Some women not only lack charm, but they also have unrealistic ambitions. They are destined to be maids but have the desire to be ladies. I don't know what's going on in their heads. How can they have no self-awareness at all?"

Chen Linlang was furious: "You! How dare you talk to me like that!"

Lao Zong looked at her as if she were a clown, and said in the same tone, "Why wouldn't I dare to talk to you like that? What, after working as a maid in a wealthy family for a while, your heart has become arrogant? You should know that this is the countryside. If you're so capable, why don't you become a lady of the house yourself and show me? Then I will definitely treat you with utmost respect!"

Upon hearing Lao Zong's words, everyone began to laugh at Chen Linlang.

"What Lao Zong said is absolutely right. I never knew what she had to be proud of."

"That's exactly right! I don't know where she gets the nerve!"

"I've wanted to say that for a long time! If it weren't for Dr. Chen's sake, who would even bother with her?"

"I hope she can recognize her own limitations. After all, not everyone can become someone like Shang Qing."

Why is everyone comparing her to Shang Qing?

Chen Linlang trembled with anger: "You're not allowed to talk about me like that!"

Lao Zong ignored her and politely addressed the villagers, saying, "Why don't you all disperse for now? Let's leave it at that. If there's any good news later, I'll definitely let you all know, okay?"

After everyone left, Chen Linlang could only leave dejectedly, since no one paid any attention to her and no one was willing to listen to a single word she said.

It was quiet outside, and it was unusually quiet inside as well.

Meng Fengzhu didn't know what to say. Facing Shang Qing, he felt a little uncomfortable for the first time.

Just as he was wondering where this feeling came from, Shang Qing spoke first: "Those things outside... Lord Meng must just be joking, or perhaps he has other plans?"

For some reason, Meng Fengzhu felt her heart was beating very fast today, especially when she was with Shang Qing.

He had spent time alone with Shang Qing before, but he had never felt this way before. What was going on today?

He couldn't figure it out for the time being, but on the surface he dealt with it with ease: "What you see is what you get."

Shang Qing made no attempt to hide anything and asked directly, "Lord Meng wants to marry me?"

Meng Fengzhu was taken aback, but quickly realized what he meant and nodded solemnly, saying, "I've brought the betrothal gifts. I think you're smart enough to understand what I mean."

"Although I understand, please allow me to refuse Lord Meng, and I hope Lord Meng will understand."

Being rejected so quickly left Meng Fengzhu feeling uneasy, and he realized that this unease wasn't just because of her rejection.

But he still asked, without revealing his true feelings, "Why?"

"Although I don't know why Lord Meng would have such an absurd idea and put it into action, I just want to say that even if I have to live a life of widowhood, I am willing to accept it and I will not marry anyone."

Meng Fengzhu frowned slightly: "You are still young, and you have a long road ahead of you. You have the right to choose something better, so why are you so stubborn?"

Shang Qing patiently explained, "It's not that I'm being stubborn. My mind isn't on this at all right now. I just want to live a good life with my three children, that's all."

Meng Fengzhu's tone sounded somewhat hurried: "But if you marry me, you won't need to work so hard and travel every day. Isn't that enough? Or do you have any other conditions?"

"I can support myself and my children with my own hands, and that's enough..."

As Shang Qing spoke, he stood up and personally poured Meng Fengzhu a cup of tea. He continued, "This tea is my apology to Lord Meng. I hope Lord Meng will drink the tea and leave. As for the village, I will explain things to everyone properly."

Seeing that Meng Fengzhu was about to speak, Nie Niang couldn't stand it any longer and interjected, "Lord Meng, although you are the county magistrate, there are still some things I have to say to you. After you made such a scene today, who knows what people will say about Shang Qing later."

“The village is not like the town, where everyone lives together and sees each other every day. Shang Qing has her own reasons for refusing you. The fact that she is willing to take such a big risk to refuse you is enough to show that she is serious.”

"So... if you truly have feelings for Shang Qing, please respect her choice. I thank you on her behalf!"

Having said all that, what else could Meng Fengzhu say?

However, he remembered that he had already prepared himself for rejection when he first came, so he didn't really care at the time.

Originally, marrying Shang Qing was just an experiment for him. But now, he felt genuinely uneasy, and his gaze towards Shang Qing held a different emotion than usual.

After being enlightened by Nie Niang's words, Meng Fengzhu quickly drank some tea, then stood up and said, "I'm really sorry. Now that I think about it carefully, I realize that my behavior today was abrupt. Please forgive me."

Seeing that he had drunk the tea, Shang Qing finally felt relieved.

"Lord Meng, you are too kind. I was ungrateful. After today, let's pretend this never happened."