The afternoon sun cast mottled shadows across the ground through the lush, dense foliage of the old locust tree in the courtyard. Li Xiurong sat on a small wooden stool, picking vegetables, her eyes drifting from time to time toward her son, Xushu, who was helping her sweep the floor nearby. As she watched him, a wave of concern for her son’s future welled up in her heart. Marriage, in particular, had become a significant matter in her mind as a mother.
"Xiaoshu," Li Xiurong said, stopping her work to look up at Xushu with eyes full of tenderness and anticipation. "You're working now; shouldn't you start putting marriage on your agenda?"
The broom in Xushu’s hand stopped abruptly, and a flash of surprise crossed his face. "Ah, Mom, why are you suddenly bringing this up?" He straightened up, scratched his head, and gave a look of helpless resignation. "I’m only seventeen this year. Marriage is still a long way off."
Chapter 84