After everything was arranged, Liu Kai showed no intention of leaving. "Miss, how is it over there?"
Liu Tie nodded gently.
"Alas, actually, Miss has always been concerned about this side, but you also know her temper. She's still angry with the Crown Prince, so she doesn't want to come."
Liu Kai mused and nodded slightly. "Yes, regarding this matter, the Crown Prince and His Majesty have indeed wronged our Liu family."
Liu Kai paused, then changed the subject. "But the eldest young master is right. The survival of the nation is paramount, and we shouldn't dwell on that. Brotherly strife while jointly resisting foreign enemies is what we should be doing."
Liu Tie and Liu Ce fell silent at this statement.
While this sentiment might be noble in terms of national righteousness, it was hard to accept when there was only talk of demands and no willingness to give.
That night, the atmosphere in Hetou Village was also somewhat heavy.
Liu Rumei formally proposed to Chen Xiaobei that they build a large mansion that could accommodate both Cui Hongyu and herself.
Chen Xiaobei was a little surprised by this suggestion. He looked at Cui Hongyu, then at Liu Rumei, with hesitation. "Rumei, by all rights, your proposal is not wrong. However, I already have two residences in the village, and you occupy one. That makes three. Building another new one might invite criticism from the villagers."
Cui Hongyu, standing nearby, chuckled. "What's there to say? We're not stealing or robbing. We're using our own hard-earned money to build a house. Who can fault us for that?"
Liu Rumei chimed in, "Yes, yes, Sister Hongyu is right. We'll do it ourselves."
Chen Xiaobei knew he couldn't out-argue the two of them alone.
He mentally scanned the village's layout. Space was indeed limited. To build a large house, they would have to build outside the village, perhaps to the south, on the way to the four mu of land. There were some barren patches there that would be suitable for construction.
"But that would mean we'd have to live outside the village."
To his surprise, Cui Hongyu and Liu Rumei nodded almost simultaneously.
"Great, great! Let's build outside the village if that's what it takes. As long as we can be together, that's all that matters."
Liu Rumei sounded overjoyed.
Cui Hongyu also smiled and said, "We'll build plenty of rooms to accommodate your tigers and snakes. If they're always under your watchful eye, you'll be more at ease."
Her words reminded Chen Xiaobei of something. He had discussed with Liu Rumei the previous time about giving the medicine that Huzizi had provided to the three tigers. He had forgotten about it after breakfast and hadn't acted on it yet.
Thinking of this, Chen Xiaobei got up, found the bottle of medicine, and placed it on the table.
"It's quite far. I'll go feed the tigers early tomorrow morning to test if this medicine works."
Hearing him, Cui Hongyu burst into laughter. "It's all the same. If you feed them every day, they'll get used to you too."
With that, Cui Hongyu stood up. "Alright, you two should rest early. I'm going back. I'm afraid Qiao'er is waiting."
Upon hearing this, Liu Rumei quickly stood up and waved her hands repeatedly.
"Sister, I'll go back. You stay here and take care of Brother Xiaobei."
Cui Hongyu also waved her hands. "No, no, you stay here."
Seeing them push and pull, Chen Xiaobei felt speechless.
Why were they arguing over something like this? Was he so unwelcome?
With that thought, he coughed. "Alright, I'll leave. You two stay."
Chen Hongyu shot him a look, and Liu Rumei shook her head helplessly.
Finally, Liu Rumei spoke again. "Sister Hongyu, you stay. I haven't been feeling well these past few days."
Alright, that was a perfect excuse. Cui Hongyu finally nodded gently.
Liu Rumei turned to Chen Xiaobei. "I'll bring Qiao'er to my place later."
The implication was clear. Chen Xiaobei nodded and said nothing more.
After Liu Rumei left, Cui Hongyu walked over and gently held Chen Xiaobei's arm. "Brother Xiaobei, let's go rest too."
Chen Xiaobei nodded. He knew that "resting" didn't mean actual rest.
Tonight would be another passionate encounter.
They had a tacit understanding. After entering, they undressed, blew out the oil lamp, and Chen Xiaobei began his work.
In the dead of winter, there were occasional moments of warmth, like the pleasant spring scene in the room.
Hearing the creaking of the bed from inside, the little dog outside tilted its head, seemingly unable to comprehend.
...
An hour later, the sound of their panting came from the room.
Cui Hongyu nestled in Chen Xiaobei's arms. "Brother Xiaobei, if you have the chance, you should spend more time with Rumei. I'm afraid she'll feel estranged here."
Xiaobei gently pinched Cui Hongyu's cheek. "I know. I'll be more mindful in the future. Shall we sleep now?"
Cui Hongyu suddenly lifted her head and looked at Chen Xiaobei with a hint of flirtation. "That night, did you and Rumei sleep at this hour too?"
Chen Xiaobei understood exactly what Cui Hongyu meant.
He flipped over and pinned Cui Hongyu beneath him again. "Whether I slept that night or not, you won't be sleeping tonight."
...
The lamp in the room was extinguished again, followed by the creaking of the wooden bed. The little dog watching the courtyard was now even more confused. It simply turned over and returned to its own nest, closing its eyes.
The next day, as dawn broke, Chen Xiaobei and Cui Hongyu got up. They washed up with a shared understanding and then began making breakfast. Chen Xiaobei hadn't made breakfast in a long time. This time, he took it upon himself, rendering some lard, frying two eggs, adding water, and preparing to make a noodle soup.
At this point, Chen Xiaobei frowned. In his past life, at this time, he should have added some noodles. Egg noodles with a side of pickles would have made a decent breakfast.
However, in this world, there were no noodles. So, he could only stir the flour into a lump and make a soup.
As he was busy, he heard the distant sound of a gate opening. Chen Qiao'er, holding Liu Rumei's hand, walked in, followed by Xiao Qing.
"Sister, I told you, my brother and his wife are already up."
She then looked at Liu Rumei with a smug expression.
Liu Rumei quickly smiled and explained to Chen Xiaobei and Cui Hongyu, "It's like this, I asked Qiao'er to come later, but she couldn't wait."
"Yes, yes, Sister Liu said you two weren't up yet, and I said my brother and sister-in-law never sleep in."
Chen Xiaobei understood what Liu Rumei meant by "not up." Cui Hongyu's face turned bright red with embarrassment, and she found an excuse to go into the room.
"Qiao'er, go play nearby for a while. I'll call you when the noodle soup is ready," Chen Xiaobei also found an excuse to send Chen Qiao'er away.