Chapter 22.2

In this era, most people didn’t have high levels of education. What was there to look down on? Wen Yue had been a teacher in her previous life, and though she taught art, the teaching instinct remained.

“It’s always good to study more if you can. The knowledge you gain can be useful later on,” she gently advised, glancing at Zhou Yao’s expression. “But everyone makes their own choices. Following your interests is fine too.”

Zhou Yao felt the need to defend himself, “The teachers were like chanting monks. I couldn’t stand it. But my grades were okay. I even got perfect scores.”

Wen Yue played along and praised him, “Perfect scores? That’s impressive! If you had continued studying, you might have gotten into college.”

Her tone was like coaxing a child.

Oddly enough, Zhou Yao enjoyed it, his lips curving up uncontrollably. He coughed lightly and boasted, “Not bad, right? At least I’m not still studying. If I were, I’d definitely be a college student in reserve.”

With his chin raised, his long bangs covering his forehead, and sunlight highlighting his hair, Zhou Yao’s sharp, dark features softened with a lazy smile, shedding his initial brooding intensity.

Now, he looked like a sunny, cheerful young man.

After all, Zhou Yao was only twenty years old. In modern times, he would still be in college.

Reflecting on this, Wen Yue, who had graduated from university and worked for three years in her previous life, suddenly realized she was actually several years older than Zhou Yao! His usual calm and reliable demeanor made her forget this fact.

Wen Yue found it amusing, her eyes curving with her bright smile. “Yes, I believe you.”

Zhou Yao met her gaze for a few seconds, then smiled too.

“I’m going to roll out the dumpling wrappers,” Wen Yue said, estimating that it was time, and headed to the kitchen.

Zhou Yao followed, “I’ll help you.”

Wen Yue glanced at him, “Do you know how to roll dough?”

“No,” Zhou Yao replied confidently.

“Then how will you help me?” Wen Yue asked.

Zhou Yao thought for a couple of seconds, “…I’ll chop the filling?”

That indeed worked. Chopping the filling was laborious, and someone with less strength, like her, would get tired easily. Wen Yue smiled brightly, “Alright, go ahead.”

Grandma Fang was sitting on the steps, sunbathing.

Little Lulu hugged her grandmother’s arm and said in a small, clear voice, “Grandma, Brother Zhou Yao is clingier than me, always following Sister Wen Yue.”

She used to love sticking close to her grandmother and not going out, being called clingy. She would be repeatedly told to go play with kids her age in the village. When she didn’t, she would be nagged.

Grandma Fang, a bit hard of hearing, had Lulu repeat herself two or three times before she heard.

“Silly Lulu,” Grandma Fang laughed, her cloudy old eyes crinkling as she tapped her granddaughter’s nose. She explained, whether Lulu understood or not, “Your Sister Wen Yue is Brother Zhou Yao’s wife. Of course, he’ll follow her.”

The little girl pouted, confused. “Then Brother Zhou Yao is also clingy. Grandma, you need to tell Brother Zhou Yao not to be so clingy. He should go out and play with others, not always follow Sister Wen Yue…”

Grandma Fang laughed heartily. This little one remembered everything she had been told. She hugged her granddaughter and patiently explained, “It’s different. Your Brother Zhou Yao and Sister Wen Yue will spend their whole lives together. Grandma can’t stay with you that long.”

“Grandma, you’ll stay with me for a long time!” Lulu corrected earnestly. “Grandma, stay with me longer than Brother stays with Sister!”

Grandma Fang chuckled, “Alright, alright.”

Clingy Zhou Yao finished chopping the filling, mixed it with seasonings as per Wen Yue’s instructions, and prepared the meat filling. With nothing left to do, he wandered around Wen Yue, hands behind his back, unwilling to leave.

Wen Yue, rolling out dumpling wrappers, raised an eyebrow at him. “Go wait outside.”

Zhou Yao didn’t want to go. “I’ll help you make dumplings.”

Wen Yue raised an eyebrow, “Do you know how to make dumplings?”

“No,” Zhou Yao raised her eyebrow, “But I can learn. You teach me, I will learn quickly.”

“Alright.”

With flour on her hands, Wen Yue picked up a dumpling wrapper, placed it in her palm, used chopsticks to put a spoonful of meat filling in the center, dabbed water around the edges, and said, “Like this, fold it in half, then like this, and like this… The dumpling is ready. See, isn’t it easy?”

She slowed down her movements for Zhou Yao to see clearly, and soon the dumpling wrapper turned into a plump, white dumpling, perfectly shaped.

Zhou Yao, confident, raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Easy. Watch me.”

He washed his hands, picked up a wrapper, and followed Wen Yue’s steps precisely. However, when he saw the finished product, his smile froze.

Wen Yue’s eyes curved into a smile as she laughed, “Your dumpling looks like a big round tangyuan^[1]Tangyuan is a traditional Chinese dessert made of glutinous rice shaped into balls that are served in a hot broth or syrup. They come in varying sizes, anything from a marble to a ping pong ball, and … Continue reading! Simple, huh? Let’s see you do it.”

Zhou Yao muttered, “…It was an accident. I put in too much filling. Let me try again.”

He clicked his tongue, unwilling to admit defeat, and continued to challenge himself.

As evening approached, beautiful fiery clouds lit up the sky.

Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao entered the kitchen to help carry the dumplings. Seeing the bowl filled with oddly shaped dumplings, Ren Yeliang raised an eyebrow in confusion, “Did sister-in-law make these? Why are some of them so, uh, peculiar?”

Zhou Yao shot him a cold look, “I made them. Not satisfied?”

“I was wondering why these dumplings look so unique. Now I see they have a touch of handsomeness to them! Turns out our brother made them himself. Impressive!” Ren Yeliang gave a thumbs up, his face not betraying his exaggerated praise.

Fang Shitao glanced over: “Brother, you are awesome. You can even bring a dead cow back to life with your praise.”

This kind of eloquence was something Fang Shitao felt he could never learn, a talent to be admired.

Ren Yeliang raised an eyebrow: “It’s a piece of cake!”

The group sat happily inside, eating the dumplings.

“Sister Wen Yue! Sister Wen Yue, are you home?” Li Xiangdong’s voice, filled with tears and urgency, suddenly called from outside the courtyard.

Wen Yue looked puzzled, put down her chopsticks, and walked out.

Outside the courtyard, Li Xiangdong had lost her usual composure, her eyes red and swollen from crying, tears still streaming down her face.

“What happened? Why are you crying like this?” Wen Yue hurried over to open the gate, frowning as she asked.

Li Xiangdong, choking back sobs, said, “My sister, my sister hasn’t come home yet. I’m worried… She always comes back early on weekends and never stays out this late. I’ve been waiting for a long time, it’s dark now, and she still hasn’t come back. I don’t know what to do.”

The young girl was so anxious that her words were jumbled, completely at a loss.

She didn’t have many close friends in the village and couldn’t talk to her grandmother or uncle about this. In the end, she came to find Wen Yue, her sister’s good friend.

“I understand. Don’t worry,” Wen Yue reassured Li Xiangdong, though her brows furrowed tighter as she began to search her memory for relevant plot details.

Then her expression suddenly hardened.

Damn! The female lead is in danger!