Before Liu Sanshun could speak, Liu Xiaomei cried out anxiously, "Wouldn’t my family suffer a huge loss then? This is a money-losing venture!"

Juhua looked at her with a sigh. "Have you so little faith in your Third Brother? That fishpond produced over three hundred catties of fish even when no one was managing it. If your Third Brother takes over, he won’t just be cutting grass to feed them. He’ll definitely be netting fish fry to stock the pond regularly. And besides cutting grass, he’ll also need to catch lots of frogs to put in the pond that’s specifically for the black fish..."

Before Juhua could finish, Liu Sanshun began rubbing his hands together excitedly. "That’s right! If I put in that kind of effort, the fish yield will definitely double."

He had been worrying at home lately. His whole family had worked hard for an entire year, yet they still hadn’t earned as much as Mei had from making sausages with Juhua. His dream of building a good life with Juhua seemed completely out of reach.

He also wanted a fishpond to raise fish just like Juhua’s family, but they didn’t have any spare land for him to dig one.

Juhua’s idea was a perfect match for his own desires. Overjoyed, he gazed at Juhua and couldn’t help but think, ’Doesn’t this prove that Juhua and I are on the same wavelength! If I do this for two years, I’ll definitely earn a lot of money. Juhua will be grown up by then, and it’ll be the perfect time to ask Uncle Zheng for her hand in marriage.’

He gazed at Juhua, a blissful, silly grin on his face. Zhang Huai and Li Changyu were both stunned, and even Qingmu could tell something was off.

But Juhua was happily detailing her fish-farming experience to Liu Xiaomei and Jinxiang—though her family hadn’t harvested their pond this year, she often saw fish weighing over a catty swimming about. She was so absorbed in her explanation that she didn’t notice Liu Sanshun’s strange expression at all.

Zhang Huai saw Liu Sanshun’s expression, shot a quick glance at Li Changyu, and then lowered his head. Though neither of them spoke, they both saw the same shocked realization in the other’s eyes: they definitely had a new rival.

Huai Zi was fuming. ’No wonder that little fatty was deliberately picking fights with me a while back,’ he thought. ’So he’s got his eyes on Juhua, too.’

’One Li Changyu wasn’t enough, and now there’s a Liu Sanshun to deal with.’

He couldn’t quite describe the feeling. It wasn’t that he was afraid of losing to them in a competition; it was the deeply unpleasant sensation of knowing other men were after the girl he loved.

Li Changyu gazed at Juhua and sighed to himself. ’Looks like I’m not the only one with good taste,’ he thought. ’The more she shines, the more people will want her. Who’s next?’

Just as he was lost in thought, he heard Huai Zi ask with a laugh, "Sanshun, I heard your parents were looking at potential wives for you a few days ago? Did they find anyone you like? If so, leasing the village fishpond is perfect timing, isn’t it? Work for one year, and you’ll earn enough money to get married."

Hearing this, Li Changyu let out a "PFFT" of laughter. ’Huai Zi is quick on the uptake,’ he thought. ’He’s not about to let this kid have an easy time.’

Qingmu had also noticed something was off with Liu Sanshun, but as Juhua’s brother, he wasn’t as deeply affected as Huai Zi. Still, seeing the rare sight of Huai Zi getting jealous, he couldn’t help but feel a little schadenfreude. ’See? Someone else has finally discovered how wonderful Juhua is and has set their sights on her. Serves you right for being so dense before!’

As expected, Liu Sanshun leaped to his feet at Zhang Huai’s words and yelled, "Who was looking at potential wives? They were just visiting relatives! If they were really going to check out a prospective bride, wouldn’t I have gone along?"

He was furious. He had been counting on Zhang Huai getting engaged first, but who knew that as soon as his parents were done arranging his second brother’s marriage, they’d start fussing over his. Even though he hadn’t gone with them that day, his parents had, in fact, gone to look at a potential bride for him.

Panicked, he glanced over to see Juhua’s reaction.

Juhua was just watching him with a cheerful smile. Seeing his vexed expression, she said kindly, "So why didn’t you go? They were looking for a wife for you. If you don’t go along, what will you do if you bring her home and you’re not satisfied?"

Liu Sanshun said frantically, "My parents weren’t looking for a wife for me..."

Zheng Changhe roared with laughter. "You silly boy, too embarrassed to admit they were looking for a wife for you. What’s the big deal? Your father told me all about it. They checked out two families that day, but he wasn’t too keen on either of them."

Liu Sanshun’s head drooped like a wilted vegetable. He silently cursed his parents for being so muddle-headed, and then a worse thought struck him: ’Huai Zi must have figured out how I feel. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have put me on the spot in front of Juhua like that. How will Juhua ever believe that I’m completely devoted to her now?’

Seeing his crestfallen expression, Zhang Huai felt a great deal better. He felt he’d finally gotten his revenge for Sanshun causing trouble for him before. When he also saw Juhua’s amused grin as she watched the spectacle, he knew she had no interest in Sanshun, which made him happier still.

Liu Xiaomei couldn’t bear to see her brother looking so miserable. She had a vague idea of her Third Brother’s feelings and also hoped that Juhua would one day be her third sister-in-law, so she spoke up to get him out of the awkward situation. "My Third Brother isn’t thinking about marriage right now," she said. "He feels the same way as Brother Huai Zi and Brother Qingmu—he wants to work for a few years and build up some savings before getting married. It was my parents’ own idea to go looking at potential brides."

Liu Sanshun was overjoyed to hear his sister’s explanation and nodded vigorously, confirming that was exactly the case. He thought her excuse was perfect.

Juhua found the whole spectacle so entertaining that her appetite had returned. She was munching on a piece of crispy rice when she heard Liu Xiaomei’s words and snorted with laughter. The laugh sent a spray of savory, sauce-flavored rice crumbs up her nose, and she immediately burst into a fit of earth-shattering coughs.

Yang Family hurried forward and asked, "What’s wrong? How did you manage to choke on a piece of crispy rice? Qingmu, quickly, pour some water!"

Qingmu had already run off to pour some water.

Zhang Huai and Li Changyu both stared at Juhua with concern, a little baffled. ’What Liu Xiaomei said wasn’t that funny,’ they both wondered. ’Why did she laugh so hard she choked?’

While patting Juhua on the back, Liu Xiaomei asked with displeasure, "Juhua, were my words really that funny? Did you have to laugh so hard?"

This made Li Jinxiang laugh as well. She added, "Maybe your words just made Juhua think of something else."(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)