My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 21

“Huh? No.” Lu Jiahe watched as the old lady misinterpreted his meaning and hurriedly explained.

“Alright, after I finish talking with Miss Cheng, you two can go out to look for a shop. Take her around at noon and treat her to some good food, understand?” Old Lady Lu had gone to great lengths to secure Cheng Yi as her future granddaughter-in-law.

After sending her granddaughter away, Old Lady Lu stood up and pulled Cheng Yi to sit beside her.

Cheng Yi was utterly flattered by the gesture. The old lady had decades more life experience than her, and she couldn’t help but feel that the woman had kept her behind to stir up some trouble.

“Old Ancestor, did you keep me here alone because there’s something you don’t want Jiahe to know?” Cheng Yi quietly shifted her body slightly away from the old lady.

“It’s nothing major. I just wanted to ask if you have any plans for the future.”

“Plans?” Cheng Yi frowned at Old Lady Lu. Wasn’t the other woman already clear about her plans? Marry Lu Jiahe in name only, open a shop, and get rich.

“My plans are exactly what I told you that day. That’s all I’ve thought of for now; I haven’t had time to consider anything else.”

Old Lady Lu nodded upon hearing this. “Yes, young people these days all want to carve out their own path with their own hands. But do you have any other plans after marrying Jiahe?”

Cheng Yi didn’t quite understand what she meant. “What are you referring to?”

“Any plans regarding descendants?” Old Lady Lu couldn’t help but smile as she brought up the topic.

To be honest, Cheng Yi had actually thought about this. Based on her experience reading novels, she had planned to adopt or take in a child with Lu Jiahe at an appropriate time.

“Let it be fate. If the time is right, we could adopt or take in a child,” Cheng Yi said seriously.

Hearing this, Old Lady Lu became even more convinced that Cheng Yi was the perfect candidate to be her granddaughter-in-law. She could plan ahead and think responsibly.

“Don’t you mind not having your own child?”

“I don’t mind that Lu Jiahe is.” The two words were right on the tip of her tongue, but Cheng Yi forced them back. She looked around and, seeing that there was no one else in the room besides the old maid, leaned close to the old lady’s ear and whispered, “that kind of identity, so naturally I don’t mind whether we have descendants or not.”

“Yier.” Old Lady Lu was overjoyed to see how considerate Cheng Yi was being toward Lu Jiahe.

Hearing the old lady call her that, Cheng Yi shuddered in fright.

“Actually, Jiahe’s maternal grandmother gave me a medicine long ago. It’s a family heirloom.”

Here it comes. The real purpose.

Cheng Yi’s eye twitched. “Can I ask what kind of medicine it is? It wouldn’t happen to be related to the descendant issue you mentioned, would it?”

Oh heavens! Cheng Yi immediately thought of those legendary secret formulas in novels that could make two women bear children.

“You really are a clever girl.” The misunderstanding grew deeper, and Old Lady Lu liked her even more. “Are you willing?”

“This. I.”

Cheng Yi was dumbfounded. She was afraid that if she refused, she would lose her powerful backer, but she was also afraid that if she didn’t, she might actually have to produce a child for the Lu family in the future.

“I think having a child is something we need to consider carefully. I hope any future child would be the fruit of our love, not a product forced upon us by external pressure.”

“You really are a good girl. I knew we weren’t wrong about you.” Old Mrs. Lu felt Cheng Yi spoke these words with genuine sincerity—unlike ordinary women who relied entirely on their husband’s family. “Alright, having heard you say that is enough. He’er is still waiting for you. You two should go look at the shop first.”

Upon hearing Old Mrs. Lu’s words, Cheng Yi hurriedly ran out of the courtyard, afraid that staying even a second longer might make her pregnant with Lu Jiahe’s child.

“You’re out. I’ve been waiting for you for ages.” Lu Jiahe, who had been sitting on the steps, immediately stood up when she saw Cheng Yi emerge.

Cheng Yi stopped and carefully observed Lu Jiahe. At first, she was annoyed, but then her mind involuntarily began imagining what their child might look like.

“What’s wrong? Did my grandmother say something that upset you?” Noticing Cheng Yi staring at her, Lu Jiahe waved a hand in front of her eyes.

“Tch!” Cheng Yi shook her head, trying to dispel those “inappropriate” thoughts. “It’s nothing, nothing special.” She didn’t want Lu Jiahe to know that Old Mrs. Lu had brought up the topic of having a child.

“Oh, then shall we get ready to look for a shop? I’ll take you around the academy area first.”

“Alright.” With that, Cheng Yi stepped down the stairs ahead of her.

“What’s going on with her?” Lu Jiahe frowned as she followed behind Cheng Yi. It was the first time she had seen Cheng Yi so listless in front of her, completely wilted.

Lu Jiahe thought it over and decided to ask Old Lady Lu about it when they returned home that evening. She was truly curious about what could have made Cheng Yi act this way.

On the way to the academy, neither of them spoke. Cheng Yi was preoccupied with Old Lady Lu’s words, while Lu Jiahe was busy guessing what could have caused Cheng Yi’s change in demeanor.

“What’s wrong with the young master and Miss Cheng today? Why aren’t they saying a word? Did they have a fight?” Lu An, following behind them, whispered to Guo’er.

Guo’er shook her head. “I don’t know either. They were fine when we went to see the Old Ancestor this morning. Miss Cheng has been like this ever since she came out.”

“Could it be a rift in their relationship?” Lu An had grown up with Guo’er serving Lu Jiahe. Even when their young master was angry or wronged before, she had never been like this. Love really changes people!

“What relationship?” Guo’er, who knew her young master’s true identity, firmly dismissed Lu An’s speculation. “It’s probably something the Old Ancestor said. Let’s not speculate about our masters’ affairs.”

Hearing this, Lu An didn’t press further. After all, the three of them were very close, and he shouldn’t use “caring for his master” as an excuse to pry into things he shouldn’t know.

Lu Jiahe wasn’t quite used to this silent version of Cheng Yi. She thought of many questions to start a conversation, but when the words reached her lips, she didn’t dare ask.

“Are you hungry for anything specific for lunch?” Lu Jiahe asked, pretending to look straight ahead with an air of nonchalance, though her eyes kept darting toward Cheng Yi.

Cheng Yi let out a long sigh, as if expelling all the gloom she had just felt. “Yes.”

“Hmm?” Lu Jiahe turned her head curiously, thinking that the other had finally regained her usual energy. “What do you want to eat? I’ll buy you anything today.”

“Do you want noodles?”

“Noodles? Are you going to make noodles for me?” Lu Jiahe looked at Cheng Yi seriously. Ever since her arm had mostly healed, she hadn’t eaten a meal cooked by Cheng Yi.

What did I just say?

Cheng Yi stopped walking and stared at her, only then realizing the double meaning in her words. “I meant I want to eat the noodles I make myself. Do you want to join me?” She kept her eyes fixed on Lu Jiahe, afraid that this ancient person might catch the other meaning.

“Yes, shall we go home to make them?”

Only after hearing Lu Jiahe’s reply did Cheng Yi breathe a sigh of relief. “Let’s go to the small courtyard. We’ll buy some things to bring along.”

It had been a long time since Cheng Yi had returned to the small courtyard. Although the potato field outside the city was tended daily by the Lu family, she had relied on that field and that courtyard ever since she transmigrated, and she still held some affection for the place.

The two wandered around the academy for a while, selected a few shops they wanted to visit later, and then bought what they needed before heading to the small courtyard outside the city.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Cheng Yi noticed that it was far from neglected. It was as clean as the day she had first rented it.

After stepping inside, Lu Jiahe followed Cheng Yi and opened every room’s door. The spotless interiors made Cheng Yi feel as if someone else had already taken up residence.

“Is someone living here?” Cheng Yi returned to her bedroom and sat on the bed she had slept in for three months.

Lu Jiahe took a water pouch from Guo’er and poured water into a teacup. “No, Grandmother has people come to clean here every day.”

“Oh.” Cheng Yi looked around at the items in the room, as if she had only moved out yesterday.

“Drink some water.” Lu Jiahe handed the teacup to Cheng Yi. “Grandmother said this was the place you always lived, so she didn’t rent it out. She also said that if we ever don’t want to go home or are too tired from running the shop, we can rest here.”

Cheng Yi was initially touched, but as soon as she heard the word “we,” her mind drifted back to the topic of having children.

It seemed that after being pressured to marry, the next step was being pressured to have children. No one, man or woman, could escape this fate.

After resting in the room for a while, once Lu An had finished chopping firewood, Lu Jiahe followed Cheng Yi to the kitchen to cook.

Although Lu Jiahe had once been someone who never lifted a finger, since meeting Cheng Yi and following her home, she had quietly begun to change.

She admired Cheng Yi’s character and was curious about why she had so many peculiar ideas. But more than that, she envied Cheng Yi’s carefree nature and unconventional views. Even though Cheng Yi could be a bit hot-tempered at times, she still lived authentically, breaking free from rigid, outdated norms.

“What kind of noodles are these?” Lu Jiahe looked puzzled at the noodles without broth, topped with a thick layer of sauce.

Cheng Yi couldn’t help but laugh at her bewildered expression. “Zhajiangmian. Don’t they have noodles like this here?”

Lu Jiahe looked up at her and shook his head blankly. “I’ve never seen it before. In Bianjing, we only have noodles served in broth. I’ve traveled to many places outside Bianjing, but I’ve never come across this kind of preparation.”