The Idyllic Scenery is Infinitely Good

“Aunt Chen, what else do we need to buy?” Lin Cheng and Lin Da Shan carried a handful of things, followed behind Aunt Chen as they felt powerless and asked. 

Aunt Chen looked at the list in her hand and looked back at the two people who were already too tired and didn’t want to move anymore and said, “Hey, look at you, these two young men, how can you be so useless ah? How long have we been shopping and you can’t do it anymore? What will you be in the future?”

“You can’t say it like that too!” Lin Da Shan wiped the sweat on his forehead, gritted his teeth and said, “That ox cart can not enter, so only two of us can carry it but Aunt Chen take a look! These four baskets are stuffed full to the brim, so can we not be tired?”

“That’s right, Aunt Chen, why don’t we take a rest first? I can’t go shopping like this.” Lin Cheng licked his lips that were a little dry and narrowed his eyes, looking at Aunt Chen.

“Okay, alright! Up to you.” Aunt Chen also knew that it was not easy for them to follow her with so many things on their backs. After looking at the list in her hand, she thought for a while and said, “How about this? First, let’s find a roadside tea stall to rest your feet, then Da Shan will be there to guard the things. Cheng Zi, you will go with me to buy silver accessories. Is that okay?”

Lin Cheng and Lin Da Shan looked at each other, feeling that this method was feasible. They did not have any opinion so they agreed to it. They found a roadside tea stall. The three of them had a drink there but they didn’t sit for a long time since Aunt Chen already dragged Lin Cheng away.

Inside the gold shop… 

“Hey Cheng Zi, look! Do you think this hairpin looks good? I have seen it before in my in-laws’ house where my sister-in-law wore it. It looks pretty good, come and take a look!” Aunt Chen took a hairpin and handed it over to Lin Cheng who was beside him. 

“Hn?” Lin Cheng took the ‘butterfly yearned for flower’ hairpin from Aunt Chen’s hand, looked at it and said, “Aunt Chen, this hairpin is too feminine, I am sure that Mai Zi will not like it.

“Is it?” Aunt Chen took the hairpin back as she took a look at it and said, “I think it’s quite good ah! You really don’t want to buy this one?”

Lin Cheng shook his head, picked up a hairpin that looked a bit like a bamboo in shape and said to Aunt Chen, “I think this one is just fine, simple and stylish, more suitable for Mai Zi.”

Aunt Chen stretched her neck to look at the hairpin in Lin Cheng’s hand and said while pouting her mouth, “Where does it look good? It looks a bit unpresentable, not suitable at all for a betrothal. Cheng Zi, just listen to me and buy this one. This one looks much better than that one.”

“That’s right, little brother I tell you, this hairpin is the bestseller in our store, look at the fine workmanship.” The shopkeeper beside them also recommended the hairpin in Aunt Chen’s hand to Lin Cheng.

Lin Cheng smiled at the shopkeeper and said,”I also know that one looks better than the one I’m holding but the person I am going to marry is a ger and not a girl, so it’s not suitable to buy this one.”

“Hey, hey, hey little brother, you are definitely wrong. I tell you ah, there is no distinction between a ger and a girl in using this hairpin, as long as it looks good when they wear it, who will still fuss about that?” The shopkeeper quit upon hearing his words, fearing that Lin Cheng wasn’t able to tell the good one from the bad one. 

Lin Cheng shook the hairpin in his hand and said to the shopkeeper, “Shop Manager, to say which one looks good, definitely that hairpin looks good but I just think that rather than buy the good looking one, it will be better to buy the suitable one.”

Honestly, if you really want to compare it, it was definitely ‘that butterfly long for flower hairpin’ was more beautiful, but if you really want to compare which one was more suitable for Lin Mai, then the silver bamboo hairpin was more suitable for Lin Mai.

After hearing his words, the shopkeeper inexplicably laughed and said, “You little brother is interesting ah! You like this one then this one ba! This hairpin is also quite beautiful. It’s just too simple, not many people like it. It’s rare to have someone like you who likes it. Do you still want to see other things such as bracelets or something else?”

Lin Cheng nodded his head and picked the bracelet by himself. But Aunt Chen was still a little dissatisfied with the hairpin Lin Cheng just picked. She thought for a while before saying to Lin Cheng, “Cheng Zi ah, you really intend to buy that hairpin ah? You have to think carefully. That hairpin looks too unpresentable. It will be a joke when people see it.”

Lin Cheng put the two silver bracelets with a simple wave pattern engraved on it from his hand into the empty wooden tray next to the hairpin before he looked up and said to Aunt Chen, “I know that the hairpin looks simple, but Auntie, with Mai Zi’s nature, if I buy him those complicated fancy style hairpins, Auntie, from what I know about him he won’t even touch it, let alone wear it on his head.”

“As you said, that personality of Mai Zi is really like a man.” Aunt Chen nodded her head and did not say more, after all, Lin Cheng said so she really did not know what to say anymore. 

Lin Cheng heard her words yet did not get angry, instead he let out a laugh and said, “Mai Zi’s nature is really different from other ger. Sometimes I have some doubts that he is actually a man rather than a ger, but it’s also quite good. He is just a little stubborn, besides that, nothing that I mind.”

“Yo Cheng Zi ah, Even you said so, I really can’t guess why you really like Mai Zi? If it’s about looks, there are many better-looking people in our village than Mai Zi. If you want to talk about being capable, there’s no shortage of it. What exactly do you see in Mai Zi ah?” Aunt Chen looked at Lin Cheng a little puzzled, not that she thought Lin Mai was lacking (inferior) but with Lin Cheng this condition, although he was not very rich, but also not lack in food and clothing ah, the village was full of girls and gers for him to pick ah, why it was Lin Mai? This made her really couldn’t figure it out. 

Lin Cheng took the silver accessories wrapped by the shopkeeper, paid the silver, before turning to Aunt Chen and said, “Auntie, didn’t you also say it last time? To look for a wife that knows how to spend his day, I think Mai Zi is the ger that can spend his day the most that I’ve ever seen. Moreover, I know Mai Zi’s temper, so it’s better than marrying someone I don’t know about at all, right?”

Aunt Chen was walking next to him, at first she thought his words were reasonable, but when she heard the rest she couldn’t help but reach out to slap Lin Cheng on the back and said, “Look at what you’re saying, if you don’t understand your other side then you can’t live a good life? This marriage is what ah? It’s ‘make match by parents’ order and match-maker’s word’, You think everyone can choose a suitable one like you said? I am telling you, when I married my family husband, don’t expect us to have any words of understanding or know each other well, we even have never heard of each other’s name before, but aren’t we still living a good life now?”

From beginning to the end, Lin Cheng was used to the modern days of free courtship, for this ‘make match by parents’ order and match-maker’s word’, he really was not used to it, but after listening to what Aunt Chen said, he just smiled and did not say anything.

When passing by a small stall of needlework Lin Cheng suddenly stopped. Aunt Chen also did not know what he wanted to do so she asked, “What are you looking at, Cheng Zi? Why are you not moving?”

“Huh? No.” Lin Cheng scratched his hair and laughed, “I am just thinking about what I forgot to buy. Just now I remembered that some days ago Mai Zi asked me to bring him some needlework yet I accidentally forgot about it. Only now, I remember, so wait for me for a moment!”

Aunt Chen stood there waiting for him to select the thread, only after a while did she say, “Ei Cheng Zi, buy some more thick red thread. You’ll need it when the time comes.”

Lin Cheng answered her and continued to choose the thread there…

Until the two of them went back to the tea stall, Lin Da Shan who was waiting there almost fell asleep, looking at the two of them. Not in a good mood, he said, “If you two are still not going to come back, I’ll really fall asleep.”

“It’s just your kid’s poor mouth, since you are really idle and have nothing to do, why don’t you move the things to the city gate first and load it on the ox cart ah?” Aunt Chen poked Lin Da Shan’s head and said amusingly.

Lin Da Shan shrunk his head. Originally he wanted to say that he was too lazy to move but after thinking about Aunt Chen’s personality, he quickly smiled and said, “Isn’t this because I’m afraid that you guys can not find me? Otherwise, I already moved out a long time ago. How can I still be here, idle and waiting for you guys?”

“Just you? Come on!” Besides Lin Cheng, not many people dare to say that they completely understand Lin Da Shan. Don’t look at the usual Lin Da Shan with his foolish look, this kid could be very clever. 

“That’s enough, we better hurry up! It’s time to go back after walking around so long in the city. Let’s go!” Aunt Chen carried the big basket first and left, leaving Lin Cheng and Lin Da Shan looking at the four big baskets there. They wanted to cry but without tears. 

There was no other option but only to move the goods. Both of them with a bitter life could only slowly carry the things to the ox cart outside the city, before then three of them drove the ox cart home…