Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 784: Marriage of Sorrow (1)_1

Chapter 784: Chapter 784: Marriage of Sorrow (1)_1

The next day was a radiant sunny one, with fluffy white clouds dotted across the sky. By noon, the accumulated snow on the ground had almost melted away.

Last night, Xiao Ruiyuan hardly found a chance to be alone with Mo Yan, and they had barely exchanged a few words before Mo Qingze stumbled upon them. Today, despite his best efforts to speak with Mo Yan, Mo Qingze blocked him subtly at every turn. Except for Chu Heng, who was in the know, the others didn’t perceive anything amiss.

Seeing his own cousin repeatedly frustrated, Chu Heng couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Seizing the moment while Mo Yan and the others were busy cooking in the kitchen, he insisted on going to inspect the greenhouse vegetables, using the checking of the carriage as an excuse to leave behind the ever-present Xiao Ruiyuan.

Checking the carriage was a task that the two accompanying guards could easily handle; there was no need for Xiao Ruiyuan to do it himself.

Mo Qingze suspected the real intention behind Chu Heng’s actions, but as the host, he was obliged to accompany him. The others also showed a keen interest in the greenhouse vegetables. Bored from idling around the house, they changed into wooden clogs and planned to visit the fields as well.

"Yun Jin, aren’t you going?" Mr. Liu, who was putting on wooden clogs, saw Shen Ji standing still and asked in confusion. Noticing his poor spirit and the dark circles under his eyes, Mr. Liu guessed that Shen Ji hadn’t slept well during his first stay at the Mo Family.

Indeed, Shen Ji had suffered from insomnia the night before. Now that Mr. Liu had brought it up, he couldn’t help but think back on the fact that the girl in his heart was already engaged, which darkened his expression even more. He mustered up his energy and forced a weak smile, "I didn’t rest well last night, Yun Jin is terribly tired, afraid that I would fall asleep even while walking. I won’t be going."

"Hmm, you do look quite unwell; it would be best to go back to your room and rest." Hearing his response, Mr. Liu didn’t insist and after giving a few words of advice, followed his wife to join the family of Han Zhiyun who were ahead.

Suddenly, more than half of the people had left. Apart from Mo Yan, Lixiu, and others, Xiao Ruiyuan and Shen Ji were present, as well as Liu Tinglan, who had been to the vegetable field a few days before and had chosen not to go this time.

Liu Tinglan stayed in the kitchen, helping Mo Yan stoke the fire, while sneaking tastes of the just-cooked delicious dishes, and from time to time, hearty laughter could be heard coming from within the kitchen.

After lunch, Xiao Ruiyuan really went to the backyard to inspect the carriage. Once he was done, he headed to the kitchen, only to find Shen Ji standing outside, seemingly listening to the laughter inside.

Xiao Ruiyuan approached him with a dark face and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Startled by the sudden appearance of someone behind him, Shen Ji jumped, and upon seeing it was Xiao Ruiyuan, his expression grew somewhat flustered, "No, nothing!"

His guilty demeanor didn’t escape Xiao Ruiyuan’s notice, who took it as a sign of ulterior motives and issued a cold warning, "Some people are not for you to long for, otherwise it will only bring harm to yourself and others!"

Even though these words sprung from a misunderstanding, they hit right at the heart of Shen Ji’s thoughts. It made his already grim face turn even sourer, and he had no energy to contemplate who "some people" Xiao Ruiyuan was referring to. If it was the person Shen Ji was thinking of, what right did he have to say such things!

Watching the embarrassed figure of Shen Ji leaving, Xiao Ruiyuan furrowed his brows. Was it possible that in Uncle Mo’s eyes, he was losing out to someone as weak and incompetent as this?

But with one less irksome person around, that was always a cause for celebration. Xiao Ruiyuan stepped into the kitchen, ignoring the glances Lixiu and the others cast his way, and gazed unwaveringly at Mo Yan, who was busily stirring with a spoon.

Mo Yan’s attention was wholly engaged by the cooking pot, completely unaware of the addition to the kitchen.

Xiao Ruiyuan’s stare was so intense, so tender, that even the romantically inexperienced Liyan and Tang Xin sensed something unusual.

Liyan put down her kitchen knife and quietly went up to her aunt. In a low voice, she said, "Auntie, why do I feel like Sir Xiao looks at Sister Yanyan differently?" It was not at all like his usual cold demeanor.