To test whether her special abilities had any effect on fungi, Shuzhen specifically tried them on those poisonous mushrooms, commonly known as dog-pee moss, that love to grow on rotten poplar roots.
Watching as the tree stump, stripped bare down to just a few mycelia, quickly sprouted an even more lush and dense patch of dog-pee moss under her powers, Shuzhen chuckled, knowing she had found a reliable new way to make money.
Now everything is ready, just waiting for rainy weather suitable for mushroom picking!
Unfortunately, after seven consecutive sunny days, Lianshan had already tidied up their new house. Shuzhen drew the designs and Su family’s third child, Su Yanshou, along with his two younger brothers Su Yanji and Su Yanxiang, crafted a complete set of elm furniture, which had been varnished three times and placed in their new home.
The new furniture was stylish and simple, with a greater emphasis on practicality. The craftsmanship wasn’t overly complicated—there was no need for carvings; just a simple coat of varnish did the trick. But arranged as a set, it looked quite classy, even more appealing than high-end furniture from city stores.
As soon as the furniture was delivered to Lianshan’s new house, it immediately attracted attention from five or six other families in the village who were planning weddings, inquiring how much such a set would cost to make.
In just a couple of hours, four furniture sets were ordered, leaving Su Yanshou thrilled as he patted Lianshan on the shoulder. He remarked that if it weren’t for Lianshan’s urgent need to marry, they might never have discovered Shuzhen’s great talent.
Surprised by the sudden pat, Lianshan steadied himself upon hearing an even more shocking statement.
Lianshan’s face reddened, wanting to retort: Who’s in a hurry here?
But looking at the two brother-in-laws helping with the furniture, he ultimately didn’t dare.
Because he feared these two doted on their sister so much that they would keep her at home as an old maid forever, and they might really delay his wedding if they took this to heart!
In other households, twenty-six-year-old men already had kids, while he had just started dating.
Saying he’s not in a rush or doesn’t want this is completely deceiving.
Who doesn’t yearn for a wife, children, and a warm home?
Especially since his fiancée is someone as beautiful, kind, knowledgeable, and clever as Shuzhen. He couldn’t wait to finish tidying up the house and get married!
In reality, there really wasn’t much time left for any delays.
With the start of autumn just passed a few days ago, soon it would be the end of summer and the autumn equinox, signaling another autumn harvest.
If they didn’t handle the wedding within the month, they would have to wait until after the busy harvest season.
By then, Shuzhen would be five or six months pregnant. It’s needless to mention the hardships of getting married while heavily pregnant, but more importantly, the gossip and judgmental stares from all the nosey parkers.
Although in these times, divorce is rare, and getting remarried within a month with a child is bound to stir gossip. But by marrying quickly, Shuzhen could avoid much of the speculation and judgment.
Plus, once they’re officially engaged, Shuzhen would be his woman. Talking behind her back would be a slap in Lianshan’s face, and for those who dared bully his siblings, Lianshan always retaliated fiercely.
Even if the opponents were women or children, he wouldn’t hesitate to confront the women’s husbands or the children’s fathers!
Having grown up hunting and fishing to support himself and his siblings, Lianshan’s physical strength was unparalleled in Liu family village.
In fights, he was never a coward!
Ever since rumors of his impending marriage to Shuzhen spread, some people in the village made deliberate attempts to ruin Shuzhen’s reputation. Lianshan had long been itching to throw a punch but couldn’t speak up boldly for his love as their engagement wasn’t official yet.
Now that the house and furniture were ready, Lianshan boldly arranged for someone to formally propose marriage.
His anxious demeanor made Liu Shouren and Liu Shouyi roll their eyes.
But given the urgency, Lianshan’s considerations were shared by them too, and hiring a matchmaker cost money or required giving away food or eggs.
Too much hassle would be pointless waste.
Considering these points, they reluctantly abandoned the idea of bringing matchmakers multiple times to show how unwilling they were to part with their sister and to highlight Lianshan’s devotion to her.
They amicably discussed and settled on the most recent auspicious date, August 16, which in the lunar calendar is July 11.
Only a little over a week away, making it quite tight. But any later, and they’d be busy around the Ghost Festival.
Luckily, Lianshan had prepared everything on his side, and Shuzhen had all the blankets ready.
The fabrics for the clothing were also sewn with Su Hongying’s sewing machine, taking Shuzhen just a couple of days to finish the garments. Unfortunately, in these tight times, with strict regulations and severe consequences, a slight misstep could get one labeled as a deviant. Her sensitivity, combined with a group of ill-intentioned people watching eagerly, meant she dared not make any major changes.
She just made a couple of Zhongshan suits and a pair of work pants and a short-sleeve shirt for her and Lianshan.
With everyone wearing blue, green, and gray, there wasn’t much variety in colors.
All were simple in deep blue, but the short-sleeve shirt was specially chosen in red for the wedding. To match it, the work pants were in pure black.
Thanks to good-quality materials and Shuzhen’s excellent craftsmanship, the finished garments looked quite good.
At least Second Brother Liu Shouyi stubbornly insisted Shuzhen also make his clothing,
muttering that as another brother, she couldn’t ignore him after making the eldest brother’s clothes herself.
Treating brothers differently would definitely not be the behavior of a good sister.
To this, Shuzhen could only laugh dryly.
Making clothes for Big Brother was because he had sent Wu Xia, that annoying woman, back home. With her as a sister, it wouldn’t be right to let Second Sister-in-law worry over her brother-in-law’s clothes and shoes.
And Second Sister-in-law, known for her skillful hands, frequently discussed with her what kind of clothes to make.
Now you keep praising my work and asking me to make for you. Such an open hinting at dissatisfaction with your wife’s crafting skills, aren’t you afraid Second Sister-in-law would get angry and make you kneel on a washboard? Or simply return to her family, shedding a few tears, tsk tsk, the eight Bodhisattvas! They all dote on their sister, taking care of their big sister, you know!