LGSLAW : Chapter 33 – Don’t Trust Me 

Thank you for supporting , Rereadm ! Here a double update ! ???????

Twenty days could feel short or long.

With the village chief constantly speaking up for Miao Li’s family and Aunt Yu discussing her suspicions with everyone, it didn’t take long for half the village to know that Yang Dalang had given up his land to Miao Li’s family so they could plant soybeans and had moved to his new land.

Naturally, people debated whether Yang Dalang had voluntarily given up his land or was forced to do so. Most people tended to believe Aunt Yu’s version. After all, there was already a house on that land. In the villagers’ eyes, tearing down a built house to plant low-priced soybeans and then building a new house elsewhere was an inconceivable waste.

Miao Qiang, who hadn’t visited Yang Dalang since the incident at the medical hall, also heard about this. He couldn’t hold back his anger and rushed over to Yang Dalang’s house. His mother had been pestering him about marriage, asking him about his preferences among girls and boys, which had been annoying him a lot, so he hadn’t visited Yang Dalang.

When he arrived, he noticed that the relationship between Yang Dalang and Miao He seemed even closer than before, which annoyed him even more.

“Dalang, such a big thing happened, why didn’t you tell me!? We grew up together, and now you’re acting so distant? Did someone say something bad about me to you!?”

The last time at the medical hall, Miao Qiang had been rude to Miao He and now wondered if Miao He had bad-mouthed him behind his back. He glanced towards the back room as he spoke.

Since the guest had entered, Miao He had retreated to the back room. This person had deep prejudices against him and would often mock him whenever he brought tomatoes to Aunt Qing’s house. Now, in his own home, Miao He decided not to see him if he didn’t want to.

Yang Dalang understood and spoke in a somber tone, “Qiangzi, I told you before, don’t do this anymore.”

Miao Qiang sneered, “What did I do? Now I can’t even ask a few questions? Coming here, I feel like a villain. Who knows, maybe getting married changes a person’s nature. My mother keeps pushing me about marriage, and it’s driving me crazy.”

Ignoring the sarcasm, Yang Dalang seriously replied, “Choose well, it’s important.”

This comment seemed to trigger Miao Qiang, who became even more agitated. “Choose well? Someone like your boy? Do you even know if I should tell you this? When you were injured, someone saw Miao He meeting Miao Yuan in town! My mother praised him for selling vegetables to support the family, but what did he do? The same old tricks!”

Yang Dalang explained, “Second Aunt was there too.”

“So what if your second aunt was there? They still met, didn’t they? How do you know he didn’t deliberately choose that time to meet his lover? Can you guarantee he has no such thoughts? He’s using these tactics to deceive you, openly maintaining an ambiguous relationship. Isn’t that more despicable, more deceitful?”

Without hesitation, Yang Dalang said, “He wouldn’t do that. I trust him.”

“You trust him? So, you don’t trust me!?” Miao Qiang exploded, “Fine, I guess my visit was pointless! If you won’t listen to your brother, I’m just being sentimental. But I won’t give up. One day, I’ll find the evidence, and you’ll see how good a brother I am!”

Once again, they parted on bad terms.

Miao He, busy as he was, didn’t have time to worry about what new misunderstandings were pinned on him.

He had to deliver vegetables regularly and send mung bean cakes every few days. Once, these cakes ended up at the Liang household through Liang Yuanwai, who shared them with his family. The rest, as expected, led to more business, ultimately consolidating his deliveries to Liang’s residence.

Fortunately, the heavy work of making mung bean cakes, like grinding beans and frying, was taken over by Yang Dalang, with Miao He only needing to oversee the seasoning. Otherwise, long-term, his thin arms would have been exhausted.

Additionally, there was another major task this month: providing food for the workers on the construction site.

The workers, brought in by Li Ming, slept and ate at the site. They set up temporary dormitories, which they handled themselves, but the meals were the responsibility of Miao He’s household. There were no fast-food restaurants in those days; even if they earned wages, they needed food, and by custom, it was provided by the house owner.

So, Miao He saw workers devouring food on the construction site every day.

“Brother, how do you cook like this!? How can it be so delicious every day!? And this rice!! My goodness, I’ve built so many big houses, but I’ve never eaten such fragrant rice!!”

Miao He could only smile awkwardly. He had used the magic soil to grow a bag of rice and some vegetables, mixing them with regular ingredients to supplement the workers’ diet, as they worked hard without slacking off.

“Yeah! How come I’m so happy eating this even without meat!? I usually don’t like vegetables at all! I must be starving because of all this hard work. I’ll need another bowl!!”

“Fatty, you’re not working any harder than usual! Do you even count how many bowls you’ve eaten? Another one might burst your belly!”

Feeling embarrassed, Miao He said, “Should I make more meat next time? Maybe fewer vegetables—”

“No, no, no!!! These vegetables are perfect!!”

“Fatty, shut up and eat your food quietly!!”

“But if the meat dishes are just as good…”

Miao He received several expectant yet restrained looks as they spoke. There wasn’t much wild chicken left after Yang Dalang cleared the mountain.

Through these interactions, the relationship between Miao He and the workers grew closer. Miao He even shared extra mung bean cakes, saying they were surplus from the tea house orders. This delicate treat, which the workers had never tasted before, was carefully savored and deeply appreciated.

As a result, some originally budget-saving aspects, like lattice windows, decorative railings, and even the hooks and drip tiles on the roof, were subtly upgraded without Miao He knowing. The foreman was the boss, and the boss’s happy workers were willing to go along.

One day, the workers were startled by Yang Dalang.

He had single-handedly carried down a whole plum tree from the mountain! Though not a large tree, it had some fruit on it, making it a mature tree. The commotion attracted all the workers.

“Yang, what’s with the tree? Going to plant it?”

“Yes. The new house needs shade.”

“That must be heavy! You could buy saplings. Carrying it down like this, it might not survive. But your strength is impressive! You’d be great for the heavy lifting!”

“There were some in the mountains, so I thought I’d try.”

“If you say so. Next time, tell us first. We have carts for moving wood. Dragging it would save you a lot of effort!”

“Thank you. I’ll borrow one next time.”

Li Ming happened to come over and added, “Planting a tree!? Let me help you figure out the best spot! The sun’s direction is crucial. You don’t want to shade the wrong area. Come on, tell me what other trees you plan to plant, and I’ll help you decide…”

Though the topic shifted, Miao He felt deeply touched.

He knew Yang Dalang had carried the tree to provide cover for his magical soil.

Before Yang Dalang left, Miao He had mentioned in passing about the plums on the mountain, hinting at needing the seeds. Yang Dalang understood, but he also knew planting a fully grown tree out of nowhere would be suspicious. Carrying it down openly would provide a plausible reason for future use of the magical soil.

But how heavy must that tree have been!?

They didn’t have the budget for saplings, but they could have taken their time. There was no need for such urgency.

Miao He, feeling both touched and guilty, massaged Yang Dalang’s shoulders that night, saying, “You don’t need to do this. It’s too taxing. Nothing is more important than your health. Don’t do such foolish things again!”

“I’m fine. I’ll carry a peach tree next time.”

“I said no!”

“There’s a smaller peach tree.”

“No means no!”

“There’s an even smaller pear tree.”

Miao He almost wanted to smack Yang Dalang but saw the clear smile in his eyes. “…Does making me anxious make you happy!?”

“Mm.” The young man’s expressions, whether frowning or smiling for him, were all beautiful.

Miao He smacked him. “Seriously, don’t carry anything. This tree is enough for cover.”

Yang Dalang replied, “I won’t go to the mountain for now. It’s time to tear down the house.”

Miao He was taken aback, looking around. “So it’s time to demolish the old house. I feel a bit reluctant. This house holds many cherished memories, like accidentally dropping the magical soil or planting that green onion, and many special moments between us.”

Yang Dalang’s voice softened, “As long as you’re here, it’s good.”

The words were warm, but as Yang Dalang spoke, he pushed Miao He onto the bed, hands exploring under his clothes.

Miao He’s face flushed. The combination of words and actions was intensely seductive. “What are you saying…”

But soon, Miao He forgot everything.

Wave after wave of heat engulfed him, leaving Miao He drowning in the sensation.

Outside the door, Dabai lay on a soft cushion in the corner of the main room, twitching its ears. It was used to the noises from behind the door.

It lazily yawned, spending its last night in this house as usual.

***

Three days before the moving deadline, Yang Dalang began tearing down the house. By then, everything had been moved out.

Even the original vegetables were relocated to the new plot, with no worries about transplantation issues due to the magical soil.

Demolition was always faster than construction. Within three days, the earthen house and courtyard walls were leveled. Even the soil from the fertilized vegetable garden, enhanced by the magical soil, was dug up to avoid raising suspicions. The fertilized soil was transferred to the new garden.

After the demolition, with the new house still incomplete, Miao He and Yang Dalang temporarily moved to Second Aunt Yang’s place.

The day of the promised land handover arrived.

Keep me fueled with caffeine! Support me on Ko-fi! ?~(????)