Chapter 19.5

After Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao left, Zhou Yao stood in the courtyard with a fluctuating expression for a couple of seconds before finally striding out.

Fortunately, Wen Yue wasn’t walking quickly, and his sharp eyes soon caught sight of her petite figure walking along the path between the fields.

She was still wearing that yellow dress today. Although it had been torn in several places when she rolled down the slope, those tears had long been stitched up with needle and thread, and in order to maintain its appearance, she had even embroidered beautiful patterns over them.

The solid-colored dress, now adorned with several designs, looked even more eye-catching than before.

Zhou Yao let out a breath and quickly caught up, walking at a distance that was neither too close nor too far behind her.

He stared at the figure in front of him with dark and tumultuous eyes, his thoughts a bit jumbled. At times, he felt that what he said last night wasn’t wrong, but then again, he thought that perhaps his words had indeed been a bit excessive. Deep down, he didn’t dislike being managed so much.

Although he initially found Wen Yue’s frequent crying to be annoying, later, when he saw her tears, that annoyance transformed into an indescribable sense of bitterness.

Zhou Yao wasn’t quite sure how to categorize this emotion, only that it definitely wasn’t an annoyance.

Today’s weather was also quite nice, with a clear blue sky that looked as if it had been washed clean. A gentle breeze occasionally swept through, rustling the green crops in the fields and creating a pleasant sound.

Wen Yue walked through the greenery, feeling peaceful and serene.

She knew Zhou Yao was following behind her; if he wanted to, then let him follow.

In the fields, villagers wearing straw hats bent over, immersed in their work. The sun had reddened their cheeks, and sweat trickled down, soaking their clothes.

They looked like they were working hard, which further solidified Wen Yue’s decision to return to school for the next semester. She couldn’t bear even a bit of this hardship.

“Hey, Wen Yue! What are you two up to?” A villager working in the fields was surprised to see her, as since her marriage to Zhou Yao, she seemed to have rarely appeared before.

Before she got married, she at least used to go up the mountain every day to collect pigweed, so they could see her.

Wen Yue searched her memory for the person in front of her, smiling slowly as she replied, “Uncle Fang, I’m just wandering around, taking a look here and there.”

“Have you not seen enough after living in the village for over ten years? What’s there to see?” Uncle Fang looked at her strangely, then waved his hand, mumbling, “Look, look, I’m going back to work. I reckon you’re just slacking off.”

Wen Yue ignored the last part, continuing to walk forward with a bright smile.

She had to admit that Hongshan Village had beautiful scenery, surrounded by mountains with a river at the entrance. The picturesque combination of green hills and clear waters created a stunning view. If this were in her time, it could easily be transformed into a popular tourist spot with some slight modifications.

As Wen Yue walked along the path, she ran into a young girl about the same age as her.

“Wen Yue?” The other girl looked a bit surprised, scanning her up and down with a peculiar smile, “Long time no see! I heard you got married? Who did you marry?”

Wen Yue rifled through her memories.

This girl was Fang Lanhua, who used to be a decent friend of the original owner. However, during junior high, when Fang Lanhua saw the boy she had a crush on confessing to the original owner, even though the original owner didn’t agree, she developed a one-sided jealousy towards her.

Later, after the original owner’s parents passed away and she was pressured to drop out of school by her aunt, Fang Lanhua had mocked her in front of others. Not long after, she too dropped out and got married, moving to the neighboring Honghe Village, and they hadn’t seen each other much since.

They weren’t friends, and their relationship had even some enmity.

Wen Yue concluded this, her smile unchanged, and replied softly, “I’m not telling you.”

Fang Lanhua choked up, snorting twice, “I know without you saying! You married Zhou Yao, the notorious troublemaker in our village, right? He even beat you into the hospital not long ago.” Her words were full of gloating.

“Since you know, why ask?” Wen Yue shot her a glance, “Are you sick?”

“Why are you cursing? You’re the sick one! Wen Yue, have you forgotten that everyone used to call you a jinx?” Fang Lanhua yelled in anger, her spittle flying.

Wen Yue blinked: “What others say is what others say? Then I can say you’re a jinx too, right?”

Fang Lanhua’s face turned red in an instant: “You are! I didn’t kill my parents, so why can you say that…”

“Say it again, who killed their parents?”

Zhou Yao, seeing Wen Yue chatting with someone, intended to stay back, crouching by the edge of the path with his nearly 1.9-meter tall and robust frame, looking somewhat aggrieved. He mindlessly pulled out wild grass by the path, but his gaze kept drifting elsewhere, his thoughts clearly not on this matter.

As he pondered how to coax her, he suddenly heard the woman facing Wen Yue screeching sharply, hurling filthy words.

Hearing terms like “jinx” and “troublemaker,” Zhou Yao’s expression darkened as he stood up and strode over, asking coldly, “Who are you calling a jinx, huh?”

With a grim face, he raised his eyebrows menacingly, and the pressure emanating from him turned Fang Lanhua pale.

Her mind went blank for a moment, not understanding where this man had come from; she hadn’t seen him just now. Looking at his fierce expression, she trembled a bit, stammering and unable to speak.

Zhou Yao frowned and spoke roughly, “Speak up, weren’t you just yelling? Now you’re dumb? I’m asking you, who’s the jinx?”

“It, it wasn’t me who said it first,” Fang Lanhua stammered, “Wen Yue cursed me first. She said I’m sick.”

Zhou Yao sneered, “Did my wife say anything wrong? Are you not sick?”

He actually didn’t know exactly what had happened; he just firmly believed that Wen Yue wasn’t the type to start trouble. With her little bit of courage, how could she dare to instigate anything?

Fang Lanhua felt a bit guilty, as she had indeed wanted to mock Wen Yue.

She glanced at Zhou Yao, who was blocking Wen Yue in front of her. He was only wearing a tank top, and his well-toned muscles were bulging, clearly not something she could contend with. If he hit her, she couldn’t imagine how painful it would be.

“I, I have things to do, I won’t talk to you anymore!” Fang Lanhua lowered her head and quickly scurried past the young couple, running away as if her butt was on fire. At that speed, she’d surely excel in short-distance races.

Zhou Yao coldly snorted at Fang Lanhua’s retreating figure, then withdrew his gaze to meet Wen Yue’s eyes. His previously fierce expression, which seemed to be infectious due to Fang Lanhua’s presence, turned into a sense of guilt.

Wen Yue’s eyes were very beautiful, large and round, but the corners were slightly upturned, adding a touch of charm. Her clear and clean gaze looked calmly at him.

Being looked at like that, Zhou Yao’s initial guilt turned into annoyance. He ran a hand through his hair and muttered, “Don’t be angry anymore. It was my fault last night; I was just being foolish after drinking. I apologize.”

“It’s okay; I forgive you.” Wen Yue’s voice was gentle.

Zhou Yao’s eyes lit up: “Really?”

Wen Yue nodded.

Zhou Yao scrutinized her for a moment, and his brows furrowed even tighter: “…You’re clearly still angry.” She couldn’t control her emotions at all, and her attitude remained distant and cold.

“I’ve already forgiven you for what happened last night,” Wen Yue said without elaboration, leaving him with those words as she turned to continue walking along the path.

Her points of anger weren’t just about last night.

But Wen Yue couldn’t be bothered to explain; it wasn’t necessary.

Zhou Yao: “……”

Why was it so difficult to coax her? Didn’t he apologize?

Zhou Yao’s face darkened even more, thinking he wouldn’t bother to coax her anymore. However, his body honestly followed after her.

“Wen—”

“Zhou Yao?”

A young man with a hoe slung over his shoulder was walking along the path nearby. He looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, calling out Zhou Yao’s name as he strode over, his gaze sweeping over Wen Yue with a smile, “It’s almost mealtime. What are you two up to?”

Zhou Yao halted his steps, clicking his tongue, and was about to ignore him and continue walking, only to see Wen Yue stop too and turn her head to look over.

He let out a breath, then answered, “Just wandering around.”

“Looks like you two are getting along well.” The young man glanced at Wen Yue again.

Wen Yue smiled at him.

This man was the village chief’s youngest son, Li Mingjin, who, if calculated carefully, seemed to be distantly related to the original owner. So she called out, “Cousin.” Although there were issues between her and Zhou Yao, she didn’t plan to display those problems in front of others.

“Hey.” Li Mingjin cheerfully responded.

Zhou Yao glanced at Wen Yue, then pulled Li Mingjin aside a few steps and lowered his voice, “Brother Li, I heard that you and your sister-in-law have a good relationship. I have a question I want to ask you.”

Li Mingjin raised an eyebrow: “What’s the question? Did you and your wife have a fight?”

“No.” Zhou Yao paused for two seconds, then casually said, “It’s like this: I have a friend.”