Crossing Over to Yamada Love

"Mother, how about we make a big bed for Mei'er too? I'm really tempted by what Lan'er said, but I don't know if it's practical or if we can make it in time." Qiu Shi was persuaded by Mo Lan and discussed it with her mother-in-law.

“It’s not impossible to make one. We won’t need it in winter, but we can still use it in spring and autumn. We live near the mountains, so we don’t lack wood. I’ll have Changhe find a good carpenter to make one for Mei. That way, Lan will stop nagging about it.” Madam Wang agreed. Since the family had the means, she wouldn’t mistreat the younger generation. As long as it was something they wanted and she could do it, she would definitely make it happen for them.

"Thank you, Mother. I'll tell my husband about it right away." Madam Qiu was very happy. With a good dowry, her daughter wouldn't be ashamed in front of others.

"Mother, I remember what that bed looked like, and the patterns. I'll draw it out and have my father take it to the carpenter." Mo Lan was also very happy. She had seen many exquisite beds, and she was sure her sister would love the beautiful patterns she drew. As for herself, well, she had already made up her mind. But she was still young, so there was no need to rush.

Everyone in the Mo family nodded in approval upon seeing the drawing by Mo Lan. Mo Mei, the person in question, gave her sister a grateful look. She loved the design so much. If she could have a bed like that, lying on it with Chen Xuan beside her, that would be pure bliss. As she thought about it, Mo Mei's face turned bright red.

The Mo family found a carpenter, and Mo Changhe took the blueprints to find one. His daughter would be getting married next year, and before that, her dowry had to be prepared properly.

Mo Changhe arrived at Chenzhuang in Old Liu's car. In Chenzhuang, there was a carpenter named Chen Dasheng. His skills were excellent, but because he had a sick mother at home, and his wife was busy taking care of the elderly and children and farming, he did not go to town to work. Instead, he took on jobs at home.

When they arrived at Chen the carpenter's house, he was leading two apprentices in their work. Standing next to them was a woman in her twenties. The woman was dressed in plain clothes, with an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, large eyes, and delicate features. She was quite beautiful.

She wasn't particularly tall, and her slender waist made her appear quite thin; a gust of wind could probably make her stagger. Her black hair was meticulously combed into a bun at the back of her head, with a wooden hairpin about the thickness of her little finger inserted in the middle.

The young woman had her head slightly lowered, her eyes rippling like water, exuding a pitiful charm.

Mo Changhe glanced at her twice and quickly looked away. The woman was in Chen the carpenter's house, so she must be one of his family members.

Mo Changhe stepped forward and explained his purpose to Carpenter Chen, then took out the blueprints to show him.

Carpenter Chen nodded as he looked at the design. After a while, he said to Mo Changhe, "Brother, your design is really good, but this bed will take a lot of work. Look how exquisite the patterns are. If even one detail isn't done perfectly, the entire piece will be ruined. This bed can't be finished in just a day or two, and the price isn't low either. Are you prepared for that, brother?"

"Hehe, you're right, brother. It's not enough for just the design to be good; you also need to rely on your skills. This is my daughter's dowry. She's getting married next year, so I hope it can be finished before she leaves home. As for the price, we're all honest people, and I'm here because of your reputation, brother. Give me a fair price." Mo Changhe laughed heartily.

"Alright, I can tell you're a straightforward guy, so I won't beat around the bush. Is the wood coming from your family or am I providing it? If it's from your family, I'll just charge a labor fee. If you're using my wood, you can check it out first, and we'll settle the bill later." Carpenter Chen could tell the man in front of him was a straightforward person, and he liked straightforward people, so he didn't mince words.

"Let me check out the wood here, brother. I have some wood at home, but I'm afraid it's not good enough. Let me see if you have any better wood." Mo Changhe wanted to check the wood; since it was for his daughter, he wanted to get something good.

“Okay, I’ll take my brother to take a look.” After saying that, Carpenter Chen led Mo Changhe to look at the wood.

The frail-looking woman had been sizing up Mo Changhe the moment he entered the courtyard. Although he was dressed simply, his clothes were unpatched and the fabric wasn't old, suggesting his family wasn't too poor. Although he was over thirty, his handsome features only added to his charm.

She went up and picked up the blueprints that the carpenter Chen had left there. The man had brought them; she wanted to see what kind of bed it was that required so much trouble.

At first glance, she fell in love with the bed; its exquisite and beautiful patterns were captivating. She wanted one too; how wonderful it would be to have such a dowry! She thought of the wooden chest she had ordered from Carpenter Chen, how many trips she had made there, how much effort she had put into negotiating the price, and then looked at this bed—it was simply incomparable.

This man is going to such lengths to prepare a dowry for his daughter, so his family must be quite well-off. He's handsome, and his arms are so strong; he'll definitely be able to protect his woman. If I become his woman, he'll surely treat me well.

"Hello, Uncle. May I ask where you're from? Are you and that other man from the same family?" After thinking to herself, she walked up to Old Liu and struck up a conversation.

The young woman spoke in a very soft voice, like a gentle breeze in the forest, so light that you could hardly grasp it, yet it was clearly alluring, tickling your heart.

Old Liu glanced at the woman in front of him. She was such a delicate woman. Judging from her presence, she must be a family member of Carpenter Chen. There was no harm in talking to her.

“We’re from Liuzhuang. Changhe and I aren’t from the same family. He just came in my car,” Old Liu said truthfully.

"That man said he was going to prepare a dowry for his daughter. These days, there aren't many people willing to spend so much on their daughters. I wonder what his family does?" the young woman continued to ask.

"At Changhe's house..." Old Liu told Mo Changhe's story in detail.

So this man is the owner of the Mo Family Shop! My cousin has mentioned the Mo Family Shop several times. Not only is the shop profitable, but the man is also good-looking. I heard that his wife is a shrew. How could a shrew be worthy of the man in front of me? He should belong to me. Only a woman like me can stay by his side!

Carpenter Chen returned with Mo Changhe. Mo Changhe had chosen the boards and then asked to give the design to Carpenter Chen. Carpenter Chen was happy to oblige, as the design would be useful in the future. He gave Mo Changhe a very reasonable price, charging him six taels of silver for the wood and labor.

Mo Changhe gave two taels of silver as a deposit and told the carpenter that he would pay the rest when the bed was ready to be delivered.

The two bid farewell to Carpenter Chen, and Mo Changhe boarded the oxcart.

"Uncle, I'm going to Liuzhuang to see my cousin. I wonder if you could give me a ride?" The frail young woman said a few words to the carpenter, then quickly walked over and asked Old Liu.

"This?" Old Liu hesitated. He had already hired Changhe to drive the cart, so it wouldn't be good for him to give someone a ride. But this young wife was so delicate, and if he didn't give her a ride, she wouldn't be able to get to his village.

"Your cousin? Which village is your cousin from?" Mo Changhe asked. They were all from the same village, so he wanted to help her if he could.

"My sister is from Liuzhuang, and her cousin-in-law is called Liu Erdan." The woman's delicate voice sounded pleasant to the man's ears.

"So she's from Erdan's family." Old Liu nodded, but looked at Mo Changhe. Erdan's family and the Mo family had always been at odds, and the two families didn't get along. He couldn't make a decision about this, so he let Changhe decide for himself. But this young wife in front of him was so delicate and polite. How could she be Erdan's sister? They were like heaven and earth.

Mo Changhe pondered for a moment. Erdan's family did have some conflicts with his own family, but it wasn't some deep-seated hatred that couldn't be resolved. He couldn't refuse if the girl wanted a ride, but it wouldn't sound good if she, a young woman, rode with him.

Mo Changhe thought for a moment, got up and got out of the car, and said to the woman, "Young lady, please get in the car. Since you're going to our village, I should give you a ride."

"Thank you, brother. You and your uncle are both good people," the young woman said, blushing.

She got into the car and sat on the cushion inside. The cushion was sewn by Mo Lan, Mo Mei, and Liu Shi, and was specially placed in the car for people to sit on.

After seeing her settled in, Mo Changhe took a cushion and placed it on the front of the car, then sat down next to Old Liu.

Seeing Mo Changhe sit in the front row, the young woman's eyes flashed. This man is quite upright, huh! How many men are upright? They are all outwardly respectable but inwardly full of bad intentions.

In the two years I've been a widow, so many seemingly respectable men have made their eyes on me. Although I want someone to rely on, someone to lean on, how could those poor, despicable men be worthy of me, Qian Yu'er! The man I, Qian Yu'er, have set my sights on can't escape me. I don't want to live a poor, widowed life anymore. Everything in the Mo family will be mine in the future!

When the oxcart arrived at the village entrance, Qian Yu'er, who had been silent the whole way, quietly called for a stop.

"Uncle, brother, I'll get off here. If we go into the village and someone sees us, things will get complicated." Qian Yu'er said as she slowly got off the car. She seemed to have lost her balance as she got off, and with a cry of pain, her face showed signs of discomfort.

"What's wrong?" Mo Changhe and Old Liu both asked, but neither of them went forward to help her, because she was a young woman and it was inconvenient for them to do so.

"It's nothing. I probably lost my balance and twisted my ankle. I'm so useless." Qian Yu'er's sad and self-reproachful appearance was so pitiful.

"Don't rush, little sister, get in the car first," Mo Changhe said to her, then turned to Old Liu and said, "Uncle Liu, could you please take her to Erdan's house? I'll head back now."

After finishing his sentence, Mo Changhe strode away. Qian Yu'er watched his retreating figure, lost in thought.

When they arrived at Erdan's house, Qian Yu'er got out of the car and limped over to Old Liu.

"Uncle, thank you so much. How much is the fare? Let me pay you." Qian Yu'er thanked Old Liu and asked about the fare.