Chapter 237

Fan Erzhu looked up and followed their gaze.

Upon seeing her, his eyes went wide!

The young girl in the sunlight had a smooth and delicate face, with none of the previous red and white spots.

Slender but not too thin, she stood there looking incredibly beautiful!

When did she change like this? No wonder Sanzhu was so thrilled.

Watching Sanzhu approach her with enthusiasm made Fan Erzhu feel uncomfortable.

Previously, when his mother took him to the Ding family, Aunt Ding had scolded them away. He didn’t expect Sanzhu to be so cunning, trying to win her over directly.

He glanced at his parents and saw they were not stopping Sanzhu. It seemed they approved.

No way, the Ding family had a house and money, and now Ding Jiajia had become so pretty. Such a good thing couldn’t be left to Sanzhu.

With his arm in a sling, Fan Erzhu also stepped forward.

Over there, Fan Sanzhu, unfazed by being refused, reached out to grab the basket. “You’re a girl with little strength. Let me carry it for you!”

His hand was intercepted by a large, rough hand mid-air, making him frown and look at who it was.

He saw Hu Wenhua’s tall, muscular frame standing between them.

Fan Sizhu, watching the scene, commented, “Third Brother is only a year younger than Little Uncle, but the size difference is huge. It seems Little Uncle could take on a whole group like Third Brother!”

Sun Jinhua glared fiercely at her youngest son, scolding, “Shut up! He’s not your uncle; your real uncle’s surname is Sun!”

Fan Sizhu didn’t mind, shrugging. He had eaten more food at Hu’s house than at his own uncle’s.

Fan Qian, standing nearby, interrupted impatiently, “Enough, enough. He is Second Brother’s brother-in-law and the real uncle of Jiang, He, and Hu. Sizhu and the others have to call him uncle. Do you want the village to gossip about us?”

Sun Jinhua fell silent, her eyes fixed on her son.

Fan Sanzhu, seeing it was Hu Wenhua, took a fearful step back and stammered, “Uncle.”

Hu Wenhua nodded gravely.

Fan Sanzhu remembered Hu Wenhua’s warning last time outside Ding Jiajia’s house: if he saw them bullying Ding Jiajia, he would teach them a lesson. Hastily, he defended himself, “I wasn’t bullying her! I was helping! That’s okay, right?”

Hu Wenhua’s frown deepened.

Without responding, he turned to Ding Jiajia, extending his hand, “Let me carry it.”

Ding Jiajia obediently nodded and handed over the bamboo basket.

As Hu Wenhua took the basket, his dry hand inevitably touched her soft, delicate skin. The sensation, soft and tender, felt like it was burning his palm.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, trying to suppress the itch in his palm and the agitation in his heart, blaming the heat.

Seeing the glistening sweat on her cheeks, he felt a pang of sympathy and asked, “Why did you come out in this heat?”

Ding Jiajia felt the intense gaze from above, making her feel like she was boiling. She dared not look up, staring at his large cloth shoes instead, and replied softly, “Sister Shuiqing made some mung bean soup to help with the heat, so I came to deliver it.”

“It’s just like Auntie! With so many people at home, she sends you out in this heat. What if you get sick?” Fan Erzhu protested, feeling wronged on her behalf.

Behind Ding Jiajia, Fan Jiang and Fan He, who were carrying the wooden bucket of mung bean soup, were speechless. Were they not people too? Were they not carrying the soup too?

Although they didn’t understand why their mother wanted Ding Jiajia to come along, they knew she wasn’t being mistreated.

Fan Jiang protested angrily, “My mother wouldn’t! Don’t talk nonsense.”

Fan He, being more clever, glanced at his two cousins and laughed, “Why are you two so worried about Aunt Jiajia? My brother and I are carrying the heavy bucket. If you want to help, you should help us.”

His little uncle was different; he always believed that boys should do the heavy work. Even when his older sisters were around, their little uncle would help his nieces instead of them.

Fan Sanzhu blushed, his thoughts laid bare.

Fan Erzhu, on the other hand, didn’t care. He raised his injured hand as a gesture and said, “I’m injured, remember? Otherwise, I’d carry that bucket myself!”

Fan He had heard the story of how his two cousins got injured earlier at noon and said, “Second Brother, don’t be foolish anymore. Even if you’re trying to escape, keep your eyes open. We were lucky it was someone from our village this time. What if it were someone else who didn’t help you up?”

Fan Erzhu’s face turned red, his mouth opening and closing, but he finally managed to say, “Who would want to go again? That kind of money isn’t worth it.”

One of the men from the Li family didn’t hold back, shouting, “What do you mean, not worth it? We’re the ones others should fear, but you two ran away! It’s not like you could make that money anyway. Explain yourself.”

Fan Erzhu’s face reddened even more. He hadn’t expected these men who had returned from out of town to not take a break but come out to help their families instead.

“Thanks to the Fan brothers, we had to take a detour to town to see the doctor for bone-setting and ointment, losing a day. But old Mr. Bai was kind, paying us the same despite the delay. Any other family would have caused an uproar!”

“Still, the delay was real. That’s why we can help out at home now.”

Fan Erzhu kept his silence, his face cold.

Fan Jiang and Fan He chuckled.

Fan He shouted, “Let’s go, let’s go. Mom said the mung bean soup was soaked in spring water. If we drink it soon, it’ll still be cool. If we wait too long, it’ll warm up. We need to hurry.”

The two carried the bucket toward the section the Ding family was responsible for.

Fan Erzhu and Fan Sanzhu’s eyes followed the moving bucket.

They hadn’t eaten their fill in days, and with the heavy labor they had to do every day, they felt like they could eat a whole cow.

Going back meant more work, but here, there was Ding Jiajia, and just looking at her was nice.

Zhang Chunhua hadn’t left either.

She had finally found a chance to be with Hu Wenhua and didn’t want to waste it. Since the Hu family was bringing mung bean soup, she planned to drink it and chat with Hu Wenhua, hoping to grow closer.

Hu Wenhua glanced at Fan Erzhu and Fan Sanzhu, feeling an unprecedented sense of loathing. How long were they planning to follow?

Ding Jiajia glanced at Zhang Chunhua, who showed no signs of leaving, and wondered if she should give her some of the mung bean soup. She definitely wouldn’t give any to Fan Erzhu or Fan Sanzhu, but Zhang Chunhua was a young girl. With so many people watching, would it embarrass her if she didn’t?

Zhang Chunhua approached, calling out, “Brother Wenhua~”

Ding Jiajia froze, blinking in surprise as she looked at Hu Wenhua.

A look of panic flashed across Hu Wenhua’s rugged face, clearly signaling that he didn’t know her well at all!