Chapter 22: Classic Double Standards

Xie Fangzhu said, “I saw.”

He had noticed the moment he stepped out of the lamp room.

Unlike the other miners, he had never been interested in the women under the trees.

To him, men and women were the same—two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Nothing special.

But today, the other miners’ reactions were so intense that he casually glanced over as well.

And that single glance hooked him.

Standing under the trees, leaning on a bicycle, was a delicate, fair-skinned woman who looked like an ethereal fairy.

There were other women beside her, yet his gaze was drawn to Shen Yingying alone, unable to look away.

Was it because she was the only one who was waiting for him with all her heart?

Xie Fangzhu had always looked down on those young wives who came to pick up their husbands after work.

Even more, he despised the men who were overjoyed just because their wives came to fetch them.

What, did having a woman accompany them somehow change the road home?

To him, it was just unnecessary fuss.

But today, seeing Shen Yingying waiting for him under the tree, that high-strung heart of his—so afraid she would run away—suddenly settled.

And his chest felt inexplicably full, as if something warm had filled it up.

Damn it, this feeling was really comforting.

Shen Yingying spotted them too. She waved as she pushed her bicycle toward them.

Originally, she had planned to wait at home for Xie Fangzhu, but she overheard that the mining site was several kilometers away from the lift exit. There were no vehicles underground, so they had to walk.

It took at least thirty to forty minutes to walk from the worksite to the lift exit.

And today, Xie Fangzhu had told her to take the bicycle home, which meant he had to walk several kilometers underground, then another two kilometers above ground.

Imagining his tall figure trudging along, carrying his meal box, exhausted and covered in dust, Shen Yingying couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him.

Besides, thinking about how he had stood up for her that morning—whether he did it to maintain his “loving husband” persona or simply for her—either way, it made her feel great.

So, she decided to gain some more favor points with Xie Fangzhu and rode the bicycle to pick him up.

Seeing the woman who had eyes only for him, Xie Fangzhu felt as if a cat was scratching at his heart—itchy and restless. His voice softened involuntarily.

“Why did you come?”

Shen Yingying’s gaze landed on his coal-blackened face. Though he worked in the excavation team rather than the coal mining team, it didn’t make much of a difference—his entire body was covered in coal dust, his once-handsome face buried beneath the grime, only his pale-colored eyes visible.

She smiled. “I took the bicycle home today, and I couldn’t bear to let you walk so far. So, I told Qingqing and came to pick you up.”

“I’m a grown man, not that delicate.” He scoffed, sounding dismissive, but the corners of his lips still curled upward, betraying his joy.

He had spent the entire day underground, even though he had arranged for Jiaozi and Chen Yingying to watch over her, he was still on edge, afraid she would run away.

She wasn’t the same as before. He had become addicted to her. If she ran, he would go crazy.

He had even imagined the worst—if she really escaped, what would he do? How would he punish her?

Break her legs and keep her locked by his side forever?

But he hadn’t expected her to stay home peacefully and even come pick him up because she couldn’t bear to let him walk.

Xie Fangzhu’s heart softened, and guilt washed over him.

How could he be so despicable? How could he have such thoughts about her?

Shen Yingying had no idea what was going through Xie Fangzhu’s mind. If she did, she would probably burn incense for herself in gratitude for not having run away.

All she saw was the way his coal-dusted face couldn’t quite hide the uncontrollable smile tugging at his lips.

Hah, classic case of a man whose mouth said one thing while his body said another—he was obviously overjoyed.

She raised an eyebrow at him. “So, you’re unhappy that I came to pick you up?”

Xie Fangzhu didn’t deny it. “I’m happy.”

Beside them, Han Wei was so shocked he could barely speak.

Was his brother telling the truth or lying?

Wasn’t he the one who always looked down on men who let their wives pick them up?

Han Wei still remembered the time he had expressed his sincere envy for those men and said he wished he had a wife to pick him up one day—only to be met with Xie Fangzhu’s cold eye-roll.

But today, if his brother was truly happy about being picked up, wouldn’t that be a slap to his own face?

Han Wei squinted suspiciously at Xie Fangzhu.

And what did he see?

The dark and brooding expression his brother had worn in front of the female worker earlier was completely gone. His eyes, once like a stormy sky, now shimmered with a soft light—like sunlight breaking through the clouds.

Not a trace of his earlier anger remained.

…So it was true.

…His brother was really thick-skinned—one standard for himself, another for everyone else.

But Han Wei wisely kept his mouth shut. If he pointed it out, he’d probably get beaten up.

After a brief chat, the three of them headed to the bathhouse.

Having just come up from the mine, Xie Fangzhu and Han Wei were covered in coal dust. They couldn’t eat like this, so they had to shower first.

Shen Yingying hadn’t bathed since she arrived in this world yesterday, and she felt uncomfortable all over.

So, when she decided to pick up Xie Fangzhu, she brought a change of clothes along, planning to shower while he did.

By the time Shen Yingying stepped out of the women’s bathhouse, carrying her basket, Xie Fangzhu had already finished and was waiting outside.

He was dressed in the typical work clothes of the era—an old deep-blue cotton shirt and loose, straight-leg pants.

On anyone else, this outfit would have looked plain and unimpressive.

But on his tall, muscular frame—broad shoulders, narrow waist, lean but powerful build—he looked like a damn model.

That ugly outfit instantly became stylish, turning heads wherever he stood.

Seeing her come out, he exhaled a smoke ring and casually stubbed out his cigarette.

Lowering his gaze, he asked, “All done?”

“Mm.” Shen Yingying nodded, but then she suddenly felt a strange emptiness in front of her chest.

Only then did she remember—they were about to go eat, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to sit at the table with dripping wet hair.

So, she reached up and started unpinning her two braided buns.

One came loose easily, but the other got stuck in the hair tie.

Undoing it in reverse was tricky, and soon, her fair face turned red with frustration.

Seeing her struggle, Xie Fangzhu stepped behind her and reached out to untangle the stubborn braid.

His gaze involuntarily drifted to the nape of her neck—smooth, pale, and delicate, with faint, lingering marks.

His eyes darkened, and he couldn’t help but recall the night before—the feeling of her beneath him, her soft skin against his fingertips.

That feeling…

His handsome face involuntarily heated up. When he realized what he was thinking, he cursed himself—what a beast.

In broad daylight, what kind of indecent thoughts was he having?

He quickly sped up his movements, untangling her braid from the hair tie. “Done.”

Shen Yingying had no idea what kind of messy thoughts were running through his head. She smiled at him, her eyes curving. “Xie Fangzhu, thank you!”

“Why are you being polite with me?” Xie Fangzhu raised an eyebrow. Casually, he took the basket of dirty clothes from her hands. “Come on, let’s eat.”

Shen Yingying smoothed her slightly damp braid and glanced at the men’s bathhouse. “Aren’t we waiting for Han Wei?”

Xie Fangzhu’s eyelids lowered slightly.

When Han Wei left with him earlier, he had wanted to wait for Shen Yingying so they could go eat together.

But Xie Fangzhu found him an eyesore and simply chased him away.

However, he didn’t think this was worth telling Shen Yingying.

So he kept a straight face and said, “He’s got a big appetite. He got hungry and went ahead to eat.”

“Oh, I see.” Shen Yingying didn’t doubt him and followed his pace, her eyes falling on the basket he was carrying.

She thought to herself: This guy is pretty considerate. In this era, no one even taught him, yet he instinctively knew to help his wife carry things.

She couldn’t help but glance upward at him. His hair was still damp, mostly pushed back, with a few strands hanging loosely over his forehead. His side profile was sharp and well-defined.

Sensing her gaze, Xie Fangzhu turned his head to look at her.

In that moment, his handsome features came into full view—sharp yet brimming with masculinity. He was simply stunning, perfectly aligning with her aesthetic taste.

She thought to herself: Good looks, a strong presence, no messy relationships, and even decent morals. A perfect husband!

If only he weren’t so reckless—destined to end up in prison, shot down as the villain.

What a shame.