The carriage was passing by Jiuping Village, and An Jing thought of taking the opportunity to give Shi Xiaolan the cloth and sewing materials so she could make clothes for the two little ones in her belly, saving them the trouble of taking it back themselves.
But before the carriage reached the thatched cottage, from a distance, An Jing saw Wu Xiaoshan carrying two buckets of water to the front of the cottage, with Shi Xiaolan also standing at the doorway.
Since it was quite far away, An Jing couldn’t hear what Shi Xiaolan and Wu Xiaoshan were saying, but she could tell they were chatting and laughing.
Upon hearing the carriage, both of them looked towards it. When Shi Xiaolan saw that it was An Jing and Xiao Changyi on the carriage, she was very happy. On the other hand, Wu Xiaoshan wasn’t overjoyed, only feeling uneasy, not knowing where to put his hands.
"Xiao Lan, then I’ll be heading back first." After saying this to Shi Xiaolan, Wu Xiaoshan didn’t look at An Jing and Xiao Changyi, who were still on the carriage, and hurried away with his head lowered.
Shi Xiaolan didn’t expect Wu Xiaoshan to leave so hurriedly, she was stunned for a moment, but said nothing and turned to look at An Jing and Xiao Changyi, laughing loudly, "I heard the carriage this morning while I was in the house and thought it might be you two heading to town. I didn’t expect it to be true."
Only when the carriage stopped at the doorway of the thatched cottage did Xiao Changyi dismount, and then he helped An Jing off the carriage.
Once An Jing was helped down, she looked towards Wu Xiaoshan, who was walking further away, and asked Shi Xiaolan, "That was Wu Xiaoshan, wasn’t it?"
Shi Xiaolan said, "Mm, it was Brother Xiaoshan. I met him halfway today when I went to draw water, and he helped me carry it here."
After a pause, Shi Xiaolan became a bit anxious, "An Jing, you really mustn’t misunderstand; there’s nothing between me and Brother Xiaoshan. He just saw me struggling to draw water and helped out whenever he came across me, but he only ever brought it to the courtyard gate, never inside the house. If he had come inside, the gossip would be unbearable for me if it got out. Besides, other people in the village have helped me carry water too. Everyone is really changing for the better, offering help when they can, especially Brother Xiaoshan; he has changed a lot."
An Jing laughed it off, "I didn’t say anything, did I? I just asked a question, look how far you’ve gone with it." She paused and then said sincerely, "To tell you the truth, when I saw you with Wu Xiaoshan, I thought he had ulterior motives and feared you’d be duped. But hearing what you just said, it seems I was overthinking."
While Shi Xiaolan sighed in relief, she laughed, "You were definitely overthinking it. The last time I was washing clothes, Yu Yu ran off to play on her own, and I couldn’t find her. It was the villagers who helped me search, and finally, Brother Xiaoshan found her. Everyone has really become much nicer."
If they could indeed turn over a new leaf, that would certainly be good.
So, An Jing didn’t say anything more about Wu Xiaoshan and instead said, "I’ve bought the cloth back. Wanbu Pavilion also gave me some sewing materials as a gift. Just keep them and make the clothes yourself. Plan it out, and prioritize Niuniu and Jade first. If you really can’t make them all in the end, I can ask someone else to do it; it’s all the same."
Shi Xiaolan was moved and said, "Okay."
Then, Xiao Changyi brought the cloth and sewing materials inside the house, while An Jing and Shi Xiaolan were still talking at the courtyard gate. When Xiao Changyi came out of the house, An Jing went back home with him.
As soon as they got home, Xiao Changyi prepared a bowl of pear soup with sugar and pears for An Jing to drink.
Savoring the deep affection and sweetness of the pear soup An Jing smiled contentedly, "Husband, my tastes are so strange now. Just a few days ago I liked sour things, and now I’ve taken a liking to sweet things again."