Crossing Over to Yamada Love

When Chen Xuan came over that evening, Mo Lan pulled him aside for a private chat, telling him that her sister was feeling uneasy, a little scared and flustered, so she took her and the Xue family's young master out for a walk to calm her down. She told him this in the hope that he wouldn't mind.

"Lanlan, thank you. Mei'er and I are getting married soon, and I won't be able to spend as much time with her lately, so I'm counting on you. Don't worry, I understand this. I trust you, and I trust Mei'er even more. Please take her out more often to brighten her mood; I'd be happy for her, not to overthink things." Chen Xuan thanked Mo Lan. After all these years, how could he not understand the two sisters' character and thoughts? He wouldn't have any wild ideas.

Afterwards, Chen Xuan spoke with Mo Mei alone. After he left, Mo Mei's face flushed, and she seemed much more relaxed. It seemed their conversation went well.

The group went out to play for a few more days. April was almost over, so they agreed to play for one more day and then not go out again, because it was time to harvest the wheat, and the Mo family would be very busy. They couldn't let them run around aimlessly anymore.

The next day, the Xue brothers broke their promise and sent Steward Xue to tell Mo Lan that a distinguished guest had arrived in the capital and they needed to accompany him. They estimated they would be busy for several days and would not have time to come.

If they don't want to come, they don't have to. They're busy at home anyway, so they're not going out anymore and are starting to help with preparations. They're cleaning the yard so they can harvest the wheat tomorrow.

The next day, all the Mo family members went to the fields. Not long after they left, Niu Shi came looking for them.

"Auntie is busy," she greeted Wang with a smile.

"Is there something you need?" Wang asked in response.

"Look at what Auntie is saying, can't you come to see me even if there's nothing wrong? But I really do have something to do today, and it's good news! My Xuan'er's uncle and his family are here. They just arrived at the courtyard in their carriage, and I rushed over to ask you, Auntie, where is your land? I need to call my sister-in-law and Xuan'er back. You know, they really are something else, they don't even care about their own guests, they insist on going to other people's land to do hard labor. They're really missing a screw." Niu Shi laughed exaggeratedly, her words subtly mocking Wang Shi.

"Yes, they came to help us harvest the wheat. I'm so grateful. When it's time for them to harvest, I'll have to trouble you, little sister, to help out." Wang retorted. The Chen family has a lot of land, but they only have two able-bodied men. When it's time for them to harvest, their whole family will have to help. But from Niu's words, it's as if they're getting a huge advantage.

"Why would I need to do this? Xuan'er's uncle has servants, or we can hire someone if necessary. Why should I have to work in the fields myself, working like a dog, and not even earning any money? This is not something a human being should do!"

After finishing her sentence, Niu slapped her thigh and continued, "Auntie hasn't told me where the land is yet. I'm afraid Xuan'er's uncle is getting impatient. You have no idea how many years it's been since the siblings last saw each other, and they've been missing each other terribly. Auntie, please tell me about it."

"I thought you didn't want to go and just wanted to show off to this old woman, since you were so happy talking about it. This place is over there... over there... over there..." Wang said to Niu, then told her about the place.

Niu was a little confused by what she said. She realized that the place was far away. How was she going to find it?

Actually, the place wasn't far. Wang did it on purpose; she couldn't stand Niu's appearance and wanted to confuse her.

"Grandma, we're back!" Mo Lan shouted as she entered the courtyard.

Mo Changhe pulled a large cart of bundled wheat, with Mo Lan pushing it from behind. Someone had to follow behind the cart, otherwise the wheat would tilt and the cart would tip over; someone had to watch over it.

"Oh dear, we've already collected a whole cartload! Perfect, then I don't need to go to the fields. Could you please go back and tell them that Xuan'er's uncle and his family have arrived, and that Xuan'er and his mother should come back quickly? I'll head back now; I'm afraid they'll be waiting anxiously." Niu Shi said, and hurriedly turned back.

Mo Lan frowned. Chen Xuan's uncle had arrived? So quickly? She thought it wouldn't be until June at the earliest. There was bound to be trouble again.

After unloading the truck, the two turned back. When they arrived at the destination, they told Qin Shi what happened. She threw the sickle on the road, called out to Chen Xuan, and turned back. Chen Xuan frowned; he didn't want to go back.

"Xuan'er, go back. He's your maternal uncle, you have to go back and see him no matter what. If he says nice things, just listen to him; if he says something unpleasant, just pretend you didn't hear it. Don't pay him any attention." Mo Changhe walked up to Chen Xuan and gently instructed him.

Chen Xuan nodded, glanced at Mo Mei, and accompanied his mother back home.

After they left, the Mo family felt uneasy, but they did not go back. If it weren't for Niu's appearance, they probably would have dropped their work and rushed back to greet the guests. But now they didn't want to go back and were unwilling to offer their warm faces to others who were cold to them.

The Mo family owns a lot of land, and since their second son is away at the academy and they lack Mo Quan, a key laborer, the Bai family father and son are helping them. As a result, the wheat harvest is progressing quite quickly.

That evening, Qin did not bring her brother and sister-in-law from her maternal family to visit, nor did the Mo family. Logically, since the Mo family had elders, they should have come to pay their respects immediately, but they did not.

Chen Xuan came over and said that his uncle was a bit tired from coming from the capital. Knowing that the Mo family was busy, he didn't want to bother them. He said they would visit the Mo family after the fields were cleared and the trees were tidied up.

The Mo family didn't say anything. It was better that they didn't come. They were busy harvesting wheat and didn't have time to greet them. They would talk about it later when the fields were cool and dry.

It was seven or eight days after the wheat was harvested, threshed, and dried in the yard. During this time, Madam Qin visited and spoke well of her brother. Chen Xuan, on the other hand, came every day, which showed that he didn't really like his maternal uncle.

That morning, Qin finally arrived with her brother and sister-in-law from her maternal family. Following behind was a smug-looking Niu.

The Mo family warmly welcomed them, each with a smile on their face. Regardless of what they thought in their hearts, they still had to maintain appearances, offering them seats, serving tea, and exchanging pleasantries.

Mo Lan sized up Qin Guozhong, the elder brother of the Qin family. He was around forty years old, with a square face, a straight nose, a wide mouth, and three long, neatly trimmed hairs on his chin. He had some gray hair at his temples and many wrinkles on his face, indicating that he had experienced a lot of hardships. However, his eyes were bright and he had a certain air about him.

He must have been quite good-looking when he was young, but at this moment he didn't have much of a smile on his face and didn't drink the Mo family's tea, clearly indicating his dissatisfaction with the Mo family.

His wife, Madam Jiang, sat to his left. Madam Jiang had a long, thin face, thin eyebrows, round eyes, and deep wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. She wore light makeup, a lotus-colored floral dress, a red gold hairpin in her hair, and red gold earrings. She was dressed in a wealthy manner, but her face looked somewhat mean.

At this moment, Jiang was just like her husband, with arrogance between her brows, a faint smile on her face, and she didn't drink tea, looking down on the Mo family.

Standing behind Jiang, Niu Shi held her chin high, glancing sideways at the Mo family members, thinking: Let's see how cocky you are this time. Lord Qin and his wife are here. They're not like me; not only are they Chen Xuan's maternal uncles, but they're also officials. They'll scare you to death. They kowtowed and bowed in agreement.

Regardless of what Niu Shi was thinking, Qin Shi's reason for having Mo Mei step forward to pay her respects was to let her brother and sister-in-law meet Mo Mei. These past few days, she had been praising Mo Mei to her brother and sister-in-law, hoping that they would accept Mo Mei after meeting her.

Mo Mei stepped forward and bowed to Qin Guozhong and Madam Jiang. They were Chen Xuan's maternal uncle and aunt, his closest relatives, and she had to greet them respectfully.

Madam Jiang smiled slightly and did not immediately tell him to get up. Instead, she took the tea, blew on it, and said softly, "Oh, why are you still holding back? Get up quickly. If you don't get up, it makes me, as your aunt, seem impolite. Let me take a good look at what kind of beautiful face you have that makes our Xuan'er so infatuated."

Mo Mei stood there, her face flushed, unsure whether to stay or leave. Jiang Shi's words were wrong. To say that she had Chen Xuan's infatuation was tantamount to saying that she was a seductive vixen. Was this something an elder should say? Her very first sentence was clearly meant to find fault.

"Our little place has no beauties to speak of, how can it compare to the capital? I suppose your daughter is truly stunningly beautiful, isn't she?" Madam Wang said politely.

Jiang's smile froze. She had just mentioned Mo Mei, and this old woman was praising her own daughter. Wasn't this clearly saying that her daughter was good and even more so, a seductive vixen?

"Auntie, you flatter me. Besides paying our respects, we've come here today to discuss the marriage between Xuan'er and your Momei. As her aunt, I've just come from the capital, so please forgive me if I say anything inappropriate." Jiang's words were polite, but her expression was quite unfriendly. She had already investigated the Mo family's background; they were just a shop supported by the Xue family and not actually part of the Xue family. She was afraid of the Xue family, but not the Mo family.

The reason why Madam Jiang thought this way was because although Madam Qin knew about the relationship between Mo Lan and Xue Lingfeng, she did not tell her brother and sister-in-law. This was because the Mo family had instructed that no one should be told before the matter was settled, so she kept quiet. Madam Jiang was unaware of this, which is why she appeared so arrogant.

"Please speak," Wang gestured for the other person to speak, because she knew the main event was about to begin.

"Then I'll be frank. My sister fell into trouble back then, and we were truly grateful for your family's help. We thought that if there was anything we could do to help, we would do our best. For example, your grandson is taking the autumn exam this year, right? Our husband knows quite a few people, so he can put in a good word for him." Jiang didn't directly mention the marriage but brought up Erlang instead.

"Thank you for your concern. As for Erlang's examination, well, we'll be happy if he passes, but if he doesn't, it means his learning isn't up to par, and he should study even harder. Studying is for understanding principles, not just for achieving official rank. We appreciate your good intentions. As for anything else, let's leave it at that." Wang retorted, realizing that Jiang was using official rank as leverage to force her to listen to her, to make Momei a concubine or to break off the engagement.