Chapter 19: Did Uncle Xie tell you anything else?

Logically speaking, with Han Wei’s big frame, he didn’t really seem to fit the description of “silly, sweet, and naïve.”

But Shen Yingying couldn’t help but feel that those words fit him perfectly.

Xie Fangzhu’s lips twitched.

He couldn’t hold back any longer and raised his hand to press Han Wei’s large head down. “Shut up!”

Han Wei immediately realized he had said something wrong.

His sister-in-law was his brother’s woman, and his brother naturally knew what kind of person his woman was. There was no need for him, a small fry, to remind him!

Men always cared about face, and here he was, being so casual and talking in front of his sister-in-law about how much his brother liked her. Wasn’t that embarrassing his brother?

Thinking this, Han Wei hunched his broad shoulders and looked at Xie Fangzhu with a pitiful expression.

“Bro, sorry, my mouth just slipped…”

“Shameless!” Xie Fangzhu coldly glared at him and then glanced toward the back of the cafeteria.

His gaze landed somewhere, and his expression softened a lot. He turned to Shen Yingying and said, “You eat slowly, I’m going to find someone.”

Shen Yingying looked in the direction he had been staring at.

The crowd was too large, and she couldn’t figure out who he was looking for.

She nodded, “Alright.”

After Xie Fangzhu left, Han Wei fidgeted awkwardly, unsure where to put his hands, and glanced at Shen Yingying with a nervous expression.

Without his brother, Han Wei felt really awkward sitting alone with his sister-in-law.

The chair felt like it was burning his bottom, and no matter how he sat, it just didn’t feel right.

Seeing his awkwardness and the strong contrast between his large body and the discomfort he was displaying, Shen Yingying couldn’t help but ease the tension by speaking first. “You and Bro have a really good relationship. I often see you two together.”

Han Wei hadn’t expected his sister-in-law not only to know his name but also to start talking to him, and her voice was so gentle. It was completely different from what he had imagined of her.

“Ah, actually, my brother gets along well with everyone…” he said shyly, his booming voice softening, “I always follow him around, hehe, he gets annoyed with me. You see, he’s always so nice to others, but really tough on me…”

Shen Yingying wanted to say that Xie Fangzhu was just pretending to be nice to others; only in front of Han Wei could his true nature slip out.

But she didn’t expose Xie Fangzhu’s secret and smiled at Han Wei instead. “It’s because you’re his friend. He’s only rude to his friends because he feels comfortable with them.”

Hearing this, Han Wei’s eyes widened in disbelief.

He had always considered himself to be Xie Fangzhu’s subordinate, and he never dared to think of himself as a friend. But now, Shen Yingying was calling him his brother’s friend. It really flattered him.

He felt that his sister-in-law wasn’t just beautiful; she was really kind too.

His admiration for her grew even more.

“Sister-in-law, don’t say that…” he grinned foolishly, about to say more, when Xie Fangzhu came over holding a small boy around five or six years old.

Han Wei quickly shut up and asked, “Bro, why’d you bring the little rascal here?”

Then, noticing a woman following behind, he asked, “Hey, Sister Yin, you’re here too?”

The woman, about twenty-eight or twenty-nine, had a gentle appearance, with soft smiles in her eyes that gave off a very pleasant feeling.

She answered Han Wei’s question with a smile, saying, “Xiao Zhu said that Yingying was riding her bike home today, so I asked if she could give Jiaozi a ride.”

After that, she looked at Shen Yingying and said, “Yingying, Jiaozi sprained his foot these past few days, and it’s been really hard for him to walk home. As his mother, I feel bad but have no way to help. I’m really grateful that you’re riding your bike today, and I really have to thank you for this favor.”

Shen Yingying searched through the original owner’s memories. The original owner didn’t know this woman well, having only seen her a few times at the mine.

From what the woman said, it seemed she wanted Shen Yingying to help take her son home since he was hurt and couldn’t walk easily.

And since Xie Fangzhu was carrying the boy, it was clear that he was aware of the situation.

Shen Yingying nodded and called out the woman’s name, “Sister Yin, it’s no trouble at all. Don’t be so polite.”

Seeing her reaction, Yin Rou was surprised at first, but then her expression softened with gratitude. “Yingying, thank you so much.”

She quickly reminded her son to listen to Shen Yingying, then grabbed the food she had packed from the cafeteria and hurried off.

Once Yin Rou had left, Xie Fangzhu turned to Shen Yingying to explain.

“Sister Yin works in the lighting room, and her husband works at the meatpacking plant. The plant has two shifts, and she has to wake up early to bring him lunch. She doesn’t have time to take Jiaozi home. I saw the kid was tired walking, and since you’re riding your bike today, his house is not far from Uncle Chen’s. It’s on your way, so I thought I’d ask you to give him a ride.”

It seemed that he was the one who had taken the initiative to arrange this.

Shen Yingying was a little surprised. When did he become so considerate?

But looking at the small boy’s big, dark eyes, she couldn’t help but feel that he was adorable. She didn’t think too much about it and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he gets home safely.”

She then pinched the boy’s small face, “It’s over two miles to the family housing area from here. Jiaozi, you’re really impressive to be walking all the way back home!”

Xie Fangzhu nodded, letting the boy down, “Then I’ll head off to the meeting with Han Wei.”

Xie Fangzhu always had to lead the workers in a pre-shift meeting before going down the mine. Since they were already late, Shen Yingying didn’t want to hold him up and quickly nodded, “Alright, go ahead.”

Before leaving, Xie Fangzhu also pinched Jiaozi’s face, “Jiaozi, be good and listen to her.”

Jiaozi’s clever eyes flicked from Xie Fangzhu to Shen Yingying, and he seriously said, “Uncle Xie, I remember what you said, I will listen to Sister Yingying.”

Xie Fangzhu’s brows slightly furrowed.

Earlier, he had told Jiaozi that Shen Yingying should be referred to as “Aunt Shen,” but now, Jiaozi was calling her “Sister.”

He was “Uncle Xie,” and Shen Yingying was “Sister,” which sounded a little odd.

He was only seven years older than Shen Yingying—how had the generation gap turned into a sibling one?

But then he remembered, no matter how odd the generations seemed, Shen Yingying was still his wife, which made him feel better.

…

Shen Yingying placed the bike lock into the front basket and took a few steps back, pushing the bike.

Seeing that Jiaozi was obediently standing by her side without moving, she felt a little touched by how well-behaved the kid was.

She got on the bike and called for Jiaozi to hop on.

As her gaze landed on Jiaozi’s big, dark eyes, she was a little surprised. His gaze seemed unusually focused on her—almost like he was afraid she would run away.

Suddenly, a thought popped into her head.

After Jiaozi got settled, she casually asked, “Jiaozi, what did Uncle Xie tell you today?”

Jiaozi behind her fell silent for a moment before responding, “He told me to listen to Sister Yingying.”

“Is there anything else?”

Jiaozi immediately answered firmly, “No!”

“Ah?” Shen Yingying exaggerated her voice, then lowered it to sound mysterious.

“But my sharp ears overheard Uncle Xie saying something else to you. Jiaozi, you know that children who lie will have their noses grow longer, right?”