Chapter 354: Chapter 351 Very Dominant (Second Update)
Lu Yuanfeng dismounted and helped Mu Shuangshuang down by stepping on the saddle.
Originally, it was a simple task, but with almost everything hanging on the horse, getting down became unusually difficult.
Especially since Shuangshuang was small and had short legs, she tried several times to hook the saddle with her toes but failed.
Just as she was about to jump down directly, Lu Yuanfeng reached out his hand and held Shuangshuang around her waist horizontally.
In this way, he carried Shuangshuang down.
"You..." Shuangshuang stared blankly at Lu Yuanfeng, eyes fixed on the hand still at her waist.
"This time, consider it as me bullying you!" Lu Yuanfeng spoke boldly.
Seemingly rebutting what Mu Shuangshuang had said before.
"..."
"Let’s go inside! We’ll head to my house first, and I’ll come find you at your house in the evening."
Lu Yuanfeng finished speaking, then directly led the horse forward.
The series of actions and words truly felt quite domineering.
Of course, this required ignoring Lu Yuanfeng’s heart that kept jumping and his trembling legs.
Mu Shuangshuang stood still, watching Lu Yuanfeng enter the village entrance without looking back or calling for Shuangshuang.
By the time Shuangshuang realized she had been teased, Lu Yuanfeng’s figure had long disappeared from the entrance.
"This silly boy, why did he suddenly refuse to be at a disadvantage?"
Mu Shuangshuang touched her chin, questioning herself with a puzzled expression.
After returning to the village, Mu Shuangshuang rushed straight to Lu Yuanfeng’s home, without pausing for rest.
Their trip back and forth to the town had already wasted quite a bit of time.
Now, all the remaining time could only be used for preparing for the Qixi Festival.
Lu Yuanfeng had already laid out everything on the horse’s back.
He tied the horse under the big tree by the dung pile beside his house; the horse was quite docile, crouching and resting in the dung pit.
"Shuangshuang, I’ve brought out the Eight Immortals table, let me know if you need anything else?"
Lu Yuanfeng had returned to normal by then, as if he wasn’t the one who had claimed to bully Shuangshuang earlier.
Mu Shuangshuang saw this and didn’t dwell on the incident.
Let’s just consider it an accident!
"Table, long benches, ten earthenware bowls, and half a bucket of water."
Mu Shuangshuang was preparing to paint; her style differed from ancient techniques as she was unaccustomed to using brushes and used feathers instead.
Before painting, she closed her eyes, recalling the principles of color mixing and the appearances and styles of ancient beauties in period dramas, considering what colors were needed.
Once done reminiscing, she began mixing colors, blending them to achieve the desired shades.
Lu Yuanfeng watched her, seeing her slightly close her eyes; after a while, she started blending colors, with various hues continually changing in her hands.
In front of her was an Eight Immortals table, filled with lanterns, while four long benches were placed beside it.
The benches were covered in overturned earthenware bowls, each with rings of pre-mixed paint.
"Fengzi, after I finish painting the lanterns, approximately an hour and a half, do you want to set up a stand in the yard to display the lanterns later?"
Since Mu Shuangshuang intended to sell lanterns, displaying them was necessary, so preparing beforehand would avoid rushing later.
"Sure, the bamboo pole for drying clothes can be used."
Lu Yuanfeng took action, setting up a stand and using tree branches to make hooks.
Mu Shuangshuang also sped up with the painting; being simple sketches, completing a design on a lantern didn’t take much time.
After busily working for a while, thirty lanterns were done, and Mu Shuangshuang’s eyes felt dizzy, overwhelmed with the fatigue of overusing her brain.
"Shuangshuang, let’s stop, we’ve done enough."
Lu Yuanfeng didn’t want Shuangshuang to tire herself out, so he took away the feather from her hands, forcing her to rest.
Mu Shuangshuang herself felt it was sufficient, with twenty lanterns remaining to use during the festival.
"Alright, let’s hang up the lanterns, I’ll take the rouge and powders back and make some money first."
Such an event as selecting the Weaver Maid, the second branch of the Old Mu Family definitely wouldn’t miss it; in such a case, Mu Qingqing could earn some silver.
After taking a few steps, Mu Shuangshuang remembered to remind Lu Yuanfeng. "Remember to come to my place early for dinner; I’ve prepared something tasty."
Without waiting for Lu Yuanfeng’s response, she turned and ran away.
As soon as she left, Xia Guagua, hearing movement, came out of the house.
Xia Guagua also intended to be selected as the Weaver Maid, dressing exceptionally well today in a peach-colored pleated skirt with shallow white satin overlaid above.
She appeared a bit more graceful than usual.
She gazed in wonder at the lanterns in Lu Yuanfeng’s courtyard, pointing at them.
"Brother Yuan Feng, are these yours? They’re so beautiful, Gua Gua loves them, you can..."
"No, if you want them, pay silver to buy!" Lu Yuanfeng outright rejected Xia Guagua’s familiar approach.
Xia Guagua’s face, initially full of delight, instantly fell; her eyes on the pile of lanterns emitted a venomous glow.
Lu Yuanfeng keenly sensed this and squinted his eyes, warning Xia Guagua: "If you touch my things again today, I definitely won’t let you off."
Cutting his clothes and humiliating Shuangshuang, if Lu Yuanfeng were to settle accounts with Xia Guagua, she shouldn’t have stood before him at all.
Xia Guagua was forced back several steps by Lu Yuanfeng’s sharp gaze, breaking out in a cold sweat.
She shrank back, declaring indignantly: "Brother Yuan Feng doesn’t like Gua Gua, Gua Gua understands, but Gua Gua won’t give up, you’ll realize my worth someday.
Gua Gua will definitely be selected as the Weaver Maid, and will defeat that ugly girl, just wait, I definitely will."
Xia Guagua was confident that with her attire today, the villagers’ rough men would certainly choose her.
By then, the ugly girl without any figure would surely be heartlessly abandoned.
"Shuangshuang won’t compete to be the Weaver Maid; in my heart, she already is."
Being chosen as the Weaver Maid on Qixi symbolizes cleverness, beauty, and kindness; Lu Yuanfeng understood its significance and firmly believed in the village, Shuangshuang was the Weaver Maid.
"You..." Xia Guagua was infuriated, stomping heavily in place before reluctantly returning home.
Once home, she fumed with rage.
Gu Jiulian didn’t need to guess to know what troubled her daughter.
"Oh, were you rejected again? Becoming a daughter like this truly loses a girl’s dignity!
I’ve long told you to use some tactics, yet you stubbornly didn’t listen, now see the result, that brat’s all buddy-buddy with someone else."
Gu Jiulian spoke sarcastically, not wanting her daughter to marry Lu Yuanfeng in the past, especially since the silver he brought back from the military had ended up in her hands.
But now things were different; hearing that brat planned to buy land, he likely had quite a bit of money. Now see the result, that brat’s all buddy-buddy with someone else."