Chapter 17.4

When Wen Yue woke up, the sky outside was already bright.

She sensed something was off with her eyes and reached out to touch them, letting out a sigh.

Sure enough, they were a bit swollen.

She had cried for too long yesterday and continued crying at night. Even after using a towel for a cold compress, it didn’t help much. Luckily, she didn’t have to go out and see anyone.

Wen Yue glanced at her ankle, which was still red and swollen. It seemed a bit worse than yesterday. It hurt, but not as much as it had.

She got up, put on her shoes, and hopped on one foot to the table. There, she saw two boiled eggs and a note.

The note had a line written in pencil: “I boiled you two eggs. Eat up. If your uncle’s wife comes looking for trouble, just hide in the house and don’t go out. Tell me when I get back, and I’ll handle it.”

Zhou Yao’s handwriting was dynamic and quite beautiful.

Wen Yue first admired his handwriting, then felt a bit anxious.

What? His uncle’s wife is coming to cause trouble? Is she going to come to hit her?

She tucked the note away and cautiously peeked out the window. Seeing that there was no one in the yard, she opened the door and hopped, supporting herself against the wall, to the kitchen.

There were clean clothes hanging on the clothesline in the yard, and they were almost dry by now.

After washing up, Wen Yue hopped over to check them out. Each piece of clothing smelled like soap, confirming that Zhou Yao had followed through on what she asked him to do last night.

Good, she nodded in satisfaction.

After finishing the boiled eggs, Wen Yue took the clothes she was working on and continued. After a moment, she moved a stool outside and sat at the doorway, occasionally glancing outside.

Time passed quickly, and before she knew it, it was noon.

Wen Yue felt a bit tired, so she put down the clothes and stood up to stretch. That’s when she noticed an old woman and a young girl outside.

The kind-looking grandmother, with murky eyes, was holding the hand of a little girl. She called out loudly, “Is Xiaoyao’s wife home? I’m Shitao’s grandmother, here to bring you lunch!”

Wen Yue hurriedly hopped to open the door, softly saying, “Grandma Fang, please come in.”

“Eh!” Grandma Fang responded cheerfully, leading the little girl into the yard. Her murky eyes turned to Wen Yue, and she warmly praised, “You must be Xiayao’s wife! Oh my, what a pretty little face you have, but you’re too thin! Why are you so thin?”

After all this time since she traveled here, this was the first kind and warm elder Wen Yue had encountered. Feeling flattered by the compliment, her beautiful, glistening eyes instantly curved into crescent moons.

“I didn’t know what you liked to eat, so I just fried a couple of dishes. It’s definitely not as good as yours. The last time you had Xiaoyao bring that braised pork, it tasted really good! Xiaoyao is lucky to have married you.” Grandma Fang smiled, looking even more amiable.

Wen Yue replied with a smile, “If you liked it, I’ll make it for you again next time.”

“That won’t do. Meat is so expensive!” Grandma Fang waved her hand, then entered the house with Wen Yue, placing the bamboo basket containing the food on the table. “Come eat! If the food gets cold, it won’t taste good!”

Looking at the dishes on the table, Wen Yue cheerfully asked, “Have you eaten yet?”

Grandma Fang replied, “I already ate.”

Wen Yue then turned her attention to the quiet little girl and gently asked, “What’s your name, little sister?”

The little girl peeked out from behind Grandma Fang, timidly looking at her.

Grandma Fang patted her head. “The older sister is talking to you.”

The little girl whispered, “My name is Fang Lulu.”

“Fang Lulu? That’s such a nice name!” Wen Yue smiled brightly, praising her. “You’re so cute too. Just wait a moment!”

She hopped to the next room, opened the cupboard, took out some milk candies and walnut crisps, and then hopped back to place them in front of the little girl. “Lulu, come eat some candy.”

Grandma Fang quickly declined, “Oh no, please take it back.”

Wen Yue smiled innocently. “It’s fine. I don’t really like these. It’s such a waste to let them sit at home without eating them.”

After Grandma Fang insisted a few times and couldn’t refuse, she had no choice but to let her granddaughter accept them, sincerely saying, “Oh dear, you two are such good people, so kind-hearted! Now come eat!”

“Okay.” Wen Yue sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and ate slowly while smiling, saying, “It’s delicious. It tastes like home.”

Grandma Fang beamed with happiness.

She sat down beside her, her gaze landing on the half-finished shirt nearby. “Are you making clothes? Is it for Xiaoyao?”

Wen Yue nodded, “Yes!”

“How capable you are! Xiaoyao married a good wife,” the old lady continued to chat. Since Wen Yue patiently listened, Grandma Fang had even more to say, rambling on, “Xiaoyao is a good kid. In the village, he’s the only one who doesn’t mind Shitao and is willing to take him along. Don’t be fooled by his rough words. He has a kind heart. A couple of years ago, when I fell ill, it was Xiaoyao who paid for my medicine…”

Wen Yue listened to Grandma Fang talk about Zhou Yao while eating her meal.

She ate slowly and listened attentively, feeling like she learned more about Zhou Yao. The image of him coldly applying medicine on her appeared involuntarily in her mind.

“Yes, he’s really a good person,” Wen Yue agreed.

After chatting for a while, once Wen Yue finished her meal, Grandma Fang tidied up the bowls and chopsticks before heading home with her granddaughter.

Feeling a bit sleepy after lunch, Wen Yue closed the door and went to bed for a nap.

On the other side, Wen Hua took a tricycle back to the village.

It was around lunchtime, and everyone was heading home with their hoes on their shoulders. They were a bit shocked to see Wen Hua. He was a well-known figure in the village, a teacher at the elementary school in the county, and everyone envied him.

“Xiaohua? What brings you back?”

“Oh, isn’t this Huazi? Come back to see your parents?”

“It’s been nearly a month since we last met. You must come over for a meal sometime, Huazi!”

“…”

The villagers were very enthusiastic.

Wen Hua forced a smile and nodded, trying to slow his walking pace. However, the muscles in his face couldn’t help but twitch slightly in pain.

Soon, he returned to the Wen family home under the watchful eyes of everyone.

As soon as he reached the door, he heard his mother’s familiar loud voice, cursing at the sky and scolding whoever had crossed her. Her sharp voice was so loud it was uncomfortable for the ears.

A hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open. “Mom, who’s bothering you again? I can hear you from far away.”

“Huazi?!” Li Huahong stopped her cursing, put down the broom in her hand, and quickly approached him with a bright smile. “Why didn’t you tell me in advance that you were coming back? I could’ve prepared your favorite dishes. Oh, I’ll go kill a hen to make soup for you. You look so thin!”

Wen Hua casually closed the courtyard gate. “There’s no rush. I’m back this time because I need to talk to you.”

Li Huahong looked puzzled. “What’s the matter?”

Just as he was about to speak, the courtyard gate, which he had just closed, opened again.

Wen Guoqiang walked in with farming tools. He paused for a moment upon seeing Wen Hua standing in the yard, then smiled and said, “Huazi? When did you come back?”

“Dad!” Upon seeing Wen Guoqiang, the emotions on Wen Hua’s face became more genuine, and he could no longer hold back his irritation. He complained, “I got beaten up this morning!”

“What?? Damn it, which scoundrel did this? Huazi, are you alright? Let Mom take a look. Are you hurt anywhere?” Li Huahong’s eyes widened as she quickly rushed over to inspect Wen Hua, scolding, “Who did this? I’ll make sure to curse his ancestors for eighteen generations!”

“Mom, you’re saying that, but I got beaten up because of you!” Wen Hua pushed Li Huahong away, getting more agitated as he questioned her, “Did you get into trouble recently?!”

Li Huahong was taken aback. “What trouble could I possibly cause? I’m just at home doing chores and haven’t even gone to the county!”

Wen Hua furrowed his brows. “Think carefully.”

“While that person was hitting me, he told me to tell you that this was just a little warning. If it happens again, you can decide for yourself! Mom! Don’t make trouble for me. This time it’s just a superficial injury. If it happens again next time…”

Li Huahong was genuinely confused.

She thought for a long time and couldn’t figure out who she had offended.

She was either working or doing chores all day long. Where could she possibly go to get into trouble…?

Wait a minute!

Li Huahong suddenly remembered the incident from yesterday when she pushed Wen Yue down the slope. Her expression changed, shifting from guilt to indignation and then to anger.

Wen Guoqiang and Wen Hua both noticed the shift clearly.

Wen Guoqiang’s smiling face immediately darkened. He put down his tools and washed his hands, speaking in a calm tone, “Let’s talk about this inside.”

The three of them entered the main room.

Wen Xiaoyu, who had been in her room but heard the commotion, came out. She smiled at Wen Hua, her eyes revealing a hint of schadenfreude. “Brother, you’re back?”

Wen Hua glanced at her, responding without much emotion.

The relationship between the Wen siblings was not good.

Once the door to the main room was closed, Li Huahong recounted the events from yesterday under the watchful eyes of the two men. She spoke loudly and didn’t think she had done anything wrong.

However, Wen Guoqiang’s face had turned dark as coal.

“Li Huahong! Can’t you think about the consequences before you act? Huh? Didn’t I tell you to pretend not to know Wen Yue and not to bother her? Did you turn a deaf ear to everything I said? Huh?”

Wen Guoqiang rarely lost his temper, and while shouting, he slammed his hand forcefully on the table, glaring at Li Huahong. “Don’t you know what kind of person Zhou Yao is? He warned you the last time he came, yet you still went to trouble Wen Yue!”

“Yes, you might have felt good venting your anger, but did you think about what Zhou Yao would do when he finds out? You wouldn’t listen to me, and now Huazi is getting beaten up, and you’re happy?”

Wen Hua: “??”

“Wait, what’s going on between Wen Yue and Zhou Yao?” Wen Hua was still unaware of the background and was confused.

Wen Guoqiang briefly explained while holding back his anger.

Only then did Wen Hua understand.

Though he felt distressed about the one thousand yuan, he felt even worse about getting beaten up for no reason. He sighed and said to Li Huahong, “Mom, it’s just a thousand yuan. I’ll definitely earn it back later. I’m begging you, don’t provoke Zhou Yao anymore!”

Li Huahong felt wronged and displeased. “Why is it all my fault? Zhou Yao beat someone in broad daylight. Shouldn’t we report him to the authorities?”

Wen Hua laughed, mocking Li Huahong’s naivety. “Mom, the premise for reporting someone is having evidence. They specifically chose a deserted alley when they attacked me and covered my head with a sack. What evidence do I have to prove that he hit me?”

Li Huahong fell silent, unable to say anything back, her heart feeling somewhat regretful.

“Mom, if you want to live a good life, you should be honest and don’t mess with Wen Yue, so as not to implicate me.” Wen Hua said this in a lowered voice. 

“There’s a new teacher at our school, and I heard her father works in the city government, and her mother is an editor at a newspaper publication.”

“She’s the only child in her family and is still single. If I hadn’t been beaten up today, I might have even struck up a relationship with her. If you can’t help me, that’s fine, but at least don’t drag me down!”

Wen Hua complained aloud.

Wen Guoqiang was taken aback. “Really?”

Wen Hua nodded. “Of course it’s true! I heard the principal say it with my own ears!”

Wen Guoqiang inhaled sharply, glaring at Li Huahong. “Did you hear that? I told you to keep a low profile, and you didn’t listen. If you mess up Huazi’s future, I swear I’ll divorce you, you foolish woman!”

A look of grievance appeared on Li Huahong’s sharp face as she lowered her voice to apologize. “I was wrong. I understand I was wrong. There definitely won’t be a next time! So, what should we do now?”

“We can only look for another opportunity,” Wen Hua sighed.

Li Huahong laughed again, her eyes squinting into slits. “Our Huazi is so handsome, and he’s a vocational school student; he’ll definitely win that girl over!”

Wen Hua didn’t speak, but the confident look on his face indicated he agreed with Li Huahong.

Wen Xiaoyu stood aside, watching with cold eyes and repeatedly scoffing in her heart.

If she were that girl, she definitely wouldn’t be interested in Wen Hua.

What good is being handsome? Can it be eaten or used as money? So what if he’s a vocational school student? He’s not even a college student and comes from a rural background! Only if all the city men were gone would anyone look at him, right?

Wen Xiaoyu curled her lips, a hint of sarcasm flashing in her eyes.

Then she thought about Zhou Yao beating up Wen Hua to defend Wen Yue, and recalled the words he said the last time they met. The smile on her face instantly vanished.

**

Hey guys, don’t forget to check out Ayalee’s other translation projects here  ʚ(*´꒳`*)ɞ