Chapter 15.1

Wen Yue picked out a loose white shirt and flared jeans from her new clothes. The fabric was good quality, comfortable to wear, and no worse than clothes costing hundreds in the future.

Wen Yue tied her long hair into a bun behind her head, comfortably finished her bath, and put on her new clothes.

The shirt was a bit long, so she rolled it up twice and tied it at the waist.

This was a style that had been popular in later years, making her body proportions look three to seven, accentuating her legs.

Wen Yue wrung out the towel and walked out, “I’m done with my bath.”

“Once you’re done…” Zhou Yao lifted his eyelids to look at her, the rest of his words stuck in his throat, a flash of unnoticed amazement flickering in his dark eyes.

The young girl smiled brightly, standing gracefully under the light, her hair glistening.

Seeing Zhou Yao staring at her, Wen Yue boldly twirled in front of him, her eyes playfully asking, “How do I look, do I look nice?”

Though she was slim, she had all the right curves.

Fresh out of the bath, her warmth mixed with the scent of soap.

Zhou Yao felt a bit of heat from this warmth, his muscles unconsciously tensing, his dark eyes darting around before he spoke with a slightly unnatural tone, “…Not bad.”

He rubbed his nose, “This way of dressing is quite innovative.”

“Looks good, right?” Wen Yue’s eyes sparkled, a bit smug, “Alright then, I’ll go to sleep now. You should sleep early too after you finish your bath. Goodnight.”

She waved her hand and yawned, heading back to her room.

Zhou Yao softly said goodnight, stood there for a while, then took out the wooden bucket. Too lazy to fetch hot water, he took a bucket of cold water straight into the small room.

…

The next day, Zhou Yao got up very early.

Outside, it was still pitch black, the moon hanging lightly on the treetops.

He wore a look of clear fatigue, yawned as he sat on the bed, squinting as he picked up his clothes to put on, got out of bed, turned on the light, and headed to the kitchen.

After washing up, he sat by the stove, lighting hays and feeding it into the stove.

The orange-red flames quickly danced in his dark pupils, spreading out.

The firelight illuminated his face, and the temperature began to rise.

Zhou Yao lazily picked up a bundle of dry firewood, feeling like an idiot for getting up this early just to have breakfast.

Despite his thoughts, he still threw the dry wood into the stove, took out the leftover chicken soup from last night, and added water to it.

When the water boiled, he added the noodles. Once they were soft, he scooped them into a bowl and added the chicken soup.

The aroma instantly woke him up.

He washed his hands and finished the noodles in a few mouthfuls. His morning grumpiness vanished, and he happily washed the dishes with hot water.

Just as he finished, Zhou Yao paused for a moment.

Why was he washing his hands and using hot water to clean dishes when the meticulous Wen Yue wasn’t even awake yet!?

Feeling a bit off in his head, Zhou Yao put the dishes back in the cabinet, then quickly turned off the lights, shut the door, and left the courtyard as if something was chasing him, blending into the dark night.

Holding a flashlight, he hurried to the village entrance.

There stood two figures, one tall and one short.

Ren Yeliang looked at Zhou Yao in confusion, “Brother, why are you in such a hurry, like a dog is chasing you?”

Zhou Yao shot him a dirty look, “None of your business, let’s go.”

Ren Yeliang, unbothered by the rebuke, put his arm around the silent Fang Shitao and kept teasing Zhou Yao as they walked.

The three of them trudged along the bumpy road leading out of the village.

Their village, Hongshan, was situated between a town and a county, requiring the same amount of time to reach either. However, there were more vehicles in the county, so they always headed there, which took just over an hour on foot if they walked quickly.

When they arrived at the county, the sky was just beginning to lighten. Zhou Yao made his way to a familiar butcher shop and bought several pounds of pork.

“Xiao He will come to pick it up later. Let him send it to my house.” Zhou Yao said to the boss.

The owner skillfully cut the meat and agreed cheerfully, “Got it, don’t worry.”

He clearly knew Zhou Yao well and spoke familiarly.

“Brother, buying this for your wife?” Ren Yeliang teased, poking his head over with a cheeky grin.

Zhou Yao gave him a sidelong glance, “Stop spouting nonsense.”

Ren Yeliang continued, “Brother and sister-in-law are so affectionate, right, Old Fang?”

Fang Shitao nodded in agreement, “Yes, yes.”

Zhou Yao ignored the two, turned, and headed to the bus station to catch a bus to the city.

When Wen Yue woke up, it was already broad daylight outside.

For once, she didn’t hear the rooster crowing, slept very well, and felt refreshed.

She put on her shoes, went out, found the key Zhou Yao had left in the window, unlocked the kitchen, and fetched water to brush her teeth and wash her face. She also checked to see if the leftover chicken soup from last night was still there.

Hmm, it was gone.

So she decided to cook a couple of eggs for a simple breakfast.

Standing under the eaves outside the kitchen, Wen Yue brushed her teeth absentmindedly, her thoughts wandering.

The weather was nice today. After breakfast, she would take the sheets from her and Zhou Yao’s rooms to dry in the sun, then make dumplings for lunch and dinner.

…Wait, there’s no meat at home.

She suddenly remembered that all the meat was used for the braised pork yesterday, and there was none left at home!

So she’d have to settle for handmade noodles.

Wen Yue spat out the foam and rinsed her mouth.

Just as she was hanging the quilts on the clothesline, she heard a young man’s voice from outside the courtyard, “Sister-in-law, are you home?”

Wen Yue: “?”

Was he calling her?

Uncertain, she listened again.

“Sister-in-law!” The young man knocked on the courtyard door and shouted, “Sister-in-law, Brother Yao asked me to bring something over.”

Wen Yue blinked and responded, “Coming.”

She patted the quilts and went to the courtyard gate, opening it to look outside.