Chapter 15

Wen Yue picked out a loose white shirt and a pair of flared jeans from her new clothes.

The fabric was surprisingly good. Soft, comfortable against her skin, and no worse than the clothes that would cost several hundred yuan in the future.

She pinned her long hair up behind her head, took a leisurely bath, and slipped into the new outfit.

The shirt was a little long, so she rolled up the hem twice and tied it into a knot at her waist.

It was a style that had once been popular in the future—one that visually divided the body into a perfect three-to-seven ratio and made the legs look longer.

Wringing out her towel, she walked outside.

“I’m done showering.”

“Then go—”

Zhou Yao lifted his eyes toward her, but the rest of his sentence died in his throat.

A fleeting trace of astonishment flashed through his dark eyes.

The young woman stood beneath the warm lamplight, smiling brightly. Her teeth gleamed white, her figure slender and graceful. Even the loose strands of hair framing her face seemed to glow.

Noticing him staring, Wen Yue walked up to him and spun around without the slightest bit of shyness.

“Well?” she asked with a playful smile. “Do I look good?”

She was slim, but not lacking where it mattered.

Fresh from her bath, the warmth of her body mixed with the faint scent of soap drifted toward him.

The heat made Zhou Yao unexpectedly restless.

His muscles tightened involuntarily.

His gaze wandered for a moment before he finally answered, expression slightly unnatural.

“…Not bad.”

He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“The way you’re wearing it is pretty unique.”

“Told you it’d look good.”

Wen Yue’s eyes sparkled. Her smug little expression was impossible to miss.

“Alright then, I’m going to bed. You should sleep early too after you’re done washing up.”

She waved at him.

“Good night.”

With a yawn, she turned and headed inside.

“Good night,” Zhou Yao replied softly.

He remained standing there for a while.

Then he turned around, grabbed a wooden bucket, and, too lazy to heat water, carried a bucket of cold water straight into the washroom.

…

The next morning, Zhou Yao got up before dawn.

Outside the window, the sky was still pitch-black, and the moon hung quietly among the treetops.

Sleepiness was written all over his face.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he yawned, squinted as he pulled on his clothes, then got up, switched on the light, and headed into the kitchen.

After washing up, he sat down in front of the stove and stuffed a handful of dry grass into it after lighting it.

Orange-red flames leapt to life, dancing in his dark eyes.

The firelight illuminated his face as warmth slowly spread through the room.

Zhou Yao grabbed a bundle of firewood with a listless expression.

Getting up this early just to make breakfast really made him feel like an idiot.

That was what he thought, anyway.

Yet he still tossed the firewood into the stove.

He took out the leftover chicken soup from the night before, poured it into a pot, and added water.

Once it boiled, he dropped in noodles.

When they softened, he transferred them into a bowl and ladled the chicken soup over the top.

The aroma hit him instantly.

Just like that, he was completely awake.

He washed his hands and finished the entire bowl of noodles in a few quick bites.

His morning grumpiness disappeared without a trace.

In an unusually good mood, he even washed the dishes with hot water afterward.

Then he froze.

The little household supervisor wasn’t even awake yet.

So why had he washed his hands?

And why had he used hot water to wash the dishes?

Zhou Yao felt there was seriously something wrong with his head lately.

He shoved the bowls back into the cupboard, then hurriedly turned off the lights, locked the door, and practically fled the courtyard as though something were chasing him.

Soon, his figure disappeared into the darkness.

Carrying a flashlight, he hurried toward the village entrance.

Two figures were already waiting there—one tall, one short.

Ren Yeliang looked at him curiously.

“Bro, why are you in such a rush? Did a dog chase you out of the house?”

Zhou Yao shot him an irritated look.

“None of your damn business. Let’s go.”

Even after getting snapped at, Ren Yeliang remained cheerful.

Throwing an arm around the silent Fang Shitao, he stretched his neck forward and continued chatting away with a grin.

The three of them followed the bumpy dirt road out of Hongshan Village.

Their village sat roughly halfway between the town and the county seat. It took about the same amount of time to reach either one.

But there were more buses in the county, so they always went there instead.

Walking quickly, it took just over an hour.

By the time they arrived, dawn was only beginning to break.

Without hesitation, Zhou Yao headed straight for a familiar butcher shop and bought several pounds of pork.

“Xiao He will come pick it up later,” he told the owner. “Have him deliver it to my house.”

The butcher expertly cut the meat and nodded.

“Got it. Don’t worry.”

The familiarity in his tone made it obvious he knew Zhou Yao well.

Ren Yeliang immediately leaned over with a grin.

“Buying this for Sister-in-law?”

Zhou Yao glanced at him.

“Do you ever stop talking nonsense?”

Ren Yeliang laughed.

“Bro and Sister-in-law are really lovey-dovey. Right, Old Fang?”

Fang Shitao nodded honestly.

“Yeah, they are.”

Too lazy to argue, Zhou Yao simply turned and headed toward the bus station to catch the bus into the city.

When Wen Yue woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

For once, she hadn’t been awakened by crowing roosters.

The sleep had been wonderful.

Refreshed, she slipped on her shoes and stepped outside.

After retrieving the key Zhou Yao had hidden by the window, she unlocked the kitchen and scooped up water to wash her face and brush her teeth.

At the same time, she checked on the leftover chicken soup from last night.

Hmm.

Gone.

Then she’d just boil a couple of eggs.

Standing beneath the eaves outside the kitchen, she brushed her teeth absentmindedly while her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

The weather was nice today.

After breakfast, she’d take the bedding from both her room and Zhou Yao’s room outside to air in the sun.

Then she’d make dough and prepare dumplings for lunch and dinner.

…

Wait.

There was no meat left at home.

She suddenly remembered that all the pork had been turned into braised pork yesterday.

No meat meant no dumplings.

Guess it would have to be hand-pulled noodles instead.

Wen Yue spat out the foam and rinsed her mouth.

She had just finished hanging a quilt on the drying rack when a young man’s voice called from outside the courtyard.

“Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law, are you home?”

Wen Yue blinked.

Was he talking to her?

Not sure.

Better listen a little longer.

“Sister-in-law!”

The young man knocked on the courtyard gate.

“Brother Yao asked me to deliver something!”

“Oh, coming!”

After patting the quilt flat, she walked over and opened the gate.

Outside stood a somewhat skinny young man with ordinary features and a bright smile.

The moment he saw her, his smile froze.

His eyes widened with unmistakable amazement.

She was wearing a white shirt, her hair pinned neatly behind her head. A few loose strands swayed gently beside her ears.

Her eyes curved softly as she smiled, bright and warm.

She looked exceptionally gentle.

Exceptionally beautiful.

The young man’s mind went blank.

“Zhou Yao asked you to bring me something?” Wen Yue asked gently.

He snapped back to reality and swallowed.

“Y-Yeah. Brother Yao told me to deliver these. They’re groceries he bought.”

He raised the heavy-looking bag in his hand.

With a smile, Wen Yue accepted it.

“Thank you. Sorry for making you come all this way.”

“N-No problem.”

The young man’s face immediately turned bright red.

Even his speech became awkward.

Good heavens.

Sister-in-law was really beautiful.

As expected of Brother Yao.

Not only was the man impressive, even the wife he married was gorgeous.

Blushing furiously, he scratched his head.

“Then I’ll get going. Sister-in-law, if you ever need anything, come find me. My house is the one near the cornfield in the middle of the village. You should know where it is.”

Wen Yue simply smiled and nodded.

Near the cornfield?

Where exactly was that?

No idea.

Whatever.

Nod first, figure it out later.

Carrying the groceries into the kitchen, she opened the bag.

There were three or four pounds of pork, a cleaned fish, and several vegetables.

Celery, too.

Perfect.

She could make celery and pork dumplings after all.

First she’d clean the house, then make dough, roll out wrappers, and prepare the filling.

The afternoon would be reserved for reading.

Wen Yue’s schedule was perfectly planned.

Time passed quickly.

Before anyone realized it, afternoon had arrived.

Zhou Yao packed up his things and prepared to leave.

Ren Yeliang looked surprised.

“Bro, it’s still early. We’re heading back already?”

Zhou Yao lifted his eyes lazily.

His tone was calm, yet somehow carried a faint note of showing off.

“Yeah. Your sister-in-law told me to come home early. She’s waiting for me.”

Ren Yeliang: “…”

He had just been force-fed a mouthful of couple affection.

Looking at the smug lift of Zhou Yao’s brows, he laughed.

“Getting married really changes a man. Before this, whenever we told you to go home early, you’d say, ‘What’s the point? There’s nothing to do at home anyway.'”

Zhou Yao clicked his tongue and rolled his wrist.

“You itching for a beating lately?”

Ren Yeliang instantly raised both hands in surrender.

“My mistake, Bro. Let’s go home right now. Can’t keep Sister-in-law waiting too long.”

Beside them, Fang Shitao chuckled to himself while packing up.

“Oh right, Bro. Boss Sun said they’re heading to the capital tomorrow.”

Ren Yeliang casually sorted through his things.

“Are we sending goods with them?”

Zhou Yao lowered his gaze and thought for a moment.

“No. Not yet.”

He still didn’t know enough about the situation in the capital.

Ren Yeliang had always trusted his judgment.

“Alright.”

Then he sighed dreamily.

“Bro, when do you think we’ll get a chance to visit the capital or Shen City?”

Zhou Yao wasn’t interested in the topic.

He glanced at him.

“What? Got money now?”

Ren Yeliang grinned.

“Saved up a little.”

“We’ll talk about it later.”

With that, the three of them started the journey home.

The bus ride back to the county took two and a half hours.

By the time they arrived, night had fully fallen.

At that hour, there weren’t any tricycles left running, so they could only walk.

The three had barely left the station and gone a couple of minutes down the road when a middle-aged man’s voice suddenly called out behind them.

“Xiao Yao? Is that you, Xiao Yao?”

Zhou Yao instinctively turned around.

The moment his eyes met the man’s, his brows drew together.

“Uncle Chen?”

His expression immediately cooled.

“Weren’t you in Shen City? When did you come back?”

“I thought it looked like you from behind.”

Chen Wuming walked over with a smile.

“Turns out I was right. Came back to visit relatives. Just arrived yesterday. I was actually planning to visit you in the village in a couple of days. Didn’t expect to run into you here.”

“What do you need from me, Uncle Chen?” Zhou Yao asked politely, though his smile was clearly forced.

The streetlights were dim, and the darkness concealed the displeasure on his face.

Chen Wuming failed to notice.

Chuckling, he said, “I heard you got married. Where’s your wife from? Is she from that family?”

“Mm. She is.”

Zhou Yao kept his answer brief.

Chen Wuming sighed.

“Now that you’re married, it’s time to focus on building a career…”

He checked the time.

“It’s too late today, and I’ll be busy the next few days. How about next Tuesday? I’ll come find you in Hongshan Village and we’ll have a proper talk.”

Before Zhou Yao could refuse, the man continued.

“I’ve still got things to do, so I’ll head out first.”

Zhou Yao’s frown deepened.

He knew from experience that refusing would be pointless.

Suppressing his irritation, he said,

“Then come to Old Fang’s house next Tuesday. I’ll wait for you there.”

Ren Yeliang immediately chimed in.

“That’s right. Old Fang and I will get some drinks ready. We can talk while we drink.”

Chen Wuming looked delighted.

“Sounds good! It’s settled then!”