Chapter 8.1

As Meng Yinyin headed toward the Lu family’s house, the other members of the brigade had already gathered by the dam, so there were few people on the road to notice her. Even if a few people did glance at her, they were too focused on getting to the meeting to pay her much attention.

This allowed Meng Yinyin to observe the Lu family’s courtyard without drawing any attention.

The courtyard was just as Yu Xiaoyu had described—spacious, likely around two hundred square meters. The high walls were made of red bricks, a rare sight in the countryside. The large, dark wood double doors added to the grandeur of the place.

Such a family background… How could they afford such a magnificent house?

Meng Yinyin couldn’t help but be even more curious about the Lu family’s rumored “sudden wealth.”

However, it seemed either the time hadn’t come for the wedding procession, or the Lu family hadn’t gotten up yet, as the front door was tightly shut. She couldn’t see what was going on inside the yard.

But hadn’t the brigade leader said that Lu Chen had taken leave to help out? Where was he? Had he already gone inside?

Just as she was wondering, her eyes caught sight of a familiar figure—Lu Chen!

He was in the adjacent dirt courtyard next to the Lu family’s impressive red-brick yard, working shirtless, moving something.

Lu Chen was tall, and the height of the dirt wall only reached his waist. So, most of his body was exposed as he worked.

The morning sun, though not too strong at 7 a.m., was enough to clearly highlight his muscular arms, broad shoulders, and well-defined abs.

Meng Yinyin had sharp eyesight and could see beads of sweat slowly rolling down Lu Chen’s bronze skin, trailing from his chin down his chest…

Realizing what she was staring at, Meng Yinyin’s face turned red.

She suddenly gasped, quickly covering her eyes with her hands.

But after two seconds, her hand gradually opened a little gap, and she couldn’t resist sneaking a peek.

It should be fine, no one would notice, right?

She was just curious where that bead of sweat would go, not thinking anything else, of course.

After all, she was a proper person!

Meng Yinyin quickly reassured herself.

Just as she peeked through her fingers, she accidentally met Lu Chen’s gaze.

Meng Yinyin: “…”

An awkward silence hung in the air.

The moment their eyes met, both of them froze. One was embarrassed from being caught spying, while the other…

Lu Chen quickly came back to his senses, dropped what he was carrying, and with long strides, rushed into the house, slamming the door behind him.

The loud bang of the door finally broke the awkward silence, and Meng Yinyin, realizing she had just behaved like a peeping Tom, wanted to cry from the shame. Ugh.

She promised herself that she would never do that again!

But her self-reflection didn’t last long because, soon after, Lu Chen came back out, dressed and walked up to her. He opened the gate and stood in front of her.

He didn’t speak, just stood silently in front of Meng Yinyin.

When he came out, Meng Yinyin was still looking down, too embarrassed to face him.

But after a moment, seeing that Lu Chen had no intention of speaking or leaving, she braced herself and looked up, forcing a stiff smile.

“Hi, good morning, Lu Chen…”

Lu Chen merely nodded in response to her greeting.

Meng Yinyin carefully observed his expression and, seeing that it seemed normal, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

It seemed like he hadn’t dwelled on what had just happened. That was a relief!

Meng Yinyin was a carefree person to begin with, and seeing that Lu Chen, the person involved, didn’t care, she decisively decided to put the matter behind her and instead looked curiously at the yard behind Lu Chen.

She took a few steps toward the side of the courtyard wall, her big eyes filled with curiosity as she peered inside.

Noticing that Meng Yinyin’s mood had lifted and was no longer as gloomy as before, Lu Chen couldn’t help but let out a quiet sigh of relief.

As for the earlier matter…

Lu Chen raised his hand and wiped the beads of sweat that had appeared on his forehead. In the end, he silently adjusted his clothes.

“Is this your home?”

Meng Yinyin’s voice brought Lu Chen’s thoughts back to the present. Looking up, he met her eager, inquisitive gaze and silently nodded in response.

Seeing this, Meng Yinyin’s eyes widened in surprise. “Your house is so big!”

Not only was it bigger than she expected, but it was also far cleaner and better maintained than she had imagined!

Before seeing Lu Chen’s home, Meng Yinyin had always thought that someone like him—coming from a troubled background and constantly mistreated by others—would live in a run-down house or a drafty shack. She had imagined it to be shabby and miserable.

But to her surprise, his home was nothing like that. It was actually quite luxurious.

Who would have guessed that his family wasn’t poor after all?

Meng Yinyin couldn’t help but show an expression of envy.

She was speaking from the heart, because although Lu Chen’s house couldn’t compare to his uncle Lu Dashan’s grand, imposing house, it was still much better than many of the homes of the other villagers in the Nanjiao Brigade.

After all, his house had its own small courtyard and three whole rooms!

Previously, when Meng Yinyin complained about the dilapidated and cramped educated youth dorms, she had heard from Yu Xiaoyu that many people in the brigade couldn’t afford to fix their houses. Whole families had to squeeze into one room where everything—eating, drinking, and even bathroom needs—had to be done in the same space, which was extremely uncomfortable.

The educated youth dorms, although a bit cramped, at least had separate bathrooms and kitchens, which was still an improvement.

Lu Chen’s home had three fairly spacious rooms. Though the walls and roof of the two rooms on either side of the central room showed some damage, with a little care, it wouldn’t affect the living conditions.

Additionally, apart from the three rooms, there was a small shed in the corner of the courtyard with a stove built inside. This was likely his kitchen.

With such a large yard and so many rooms, even a large family could live here without feeling crowded.

Meng Yinyin couldn’t help but wish that the educated youth dorms could be this spacious. That way, they wouldn’t have to squeeze into one room.

Because of the small space, she had to cram all her things into a single trunk, and her skirts were getting so squished they almost felt like pickled vegetables!

If she had a space this big, she could lay everything out and hang up her clothes properly.

The more she thought about it, the more envious she became, and she couldn’t help but ask, “How many people live here now?”

But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized how inappropriate the question was.

Lu Chen’s parents had both passed away when he was young. Asking how many people lived in his home now felt like a deliberate poke at his pain.

The next moment, Meng Yinyin quickly apologized.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

However, before she could finish, she heard Lu Chen’s voice softly reply, “One.”

While Meng Yinyin was still stunned, he added, “After my grandmother passed away, I’ve been living alone.”

Upon hearing this, Meng Yinyin looked at him in shock.

Although it was an ill-timed question, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of sympathy.

It was the first time she had heard Lu Chen speak such a long sentence.

And somehow, she felt that over the past few days, Lu Chen had spoken more often. His tone and emphasis now sounded more normal than when she had first heard him.

Although his speech was still slow, it no longer had the awkward and strange quality it once had.

Lu Chen probably noticed this too. His expression became slightly uneasy as he turned his face away.

But his gaze still inadvertently drifted back toward Meng Yinyin.

Had she found his long sentence unpleasant or hard to listen to?

But to his surprise, Meng Yinyin didn’t show any signs of dislike. In fact, when he turned to look at her, she genuinely remarked,

“So you can talk to me like this. Before, when you spoke word by word, I thought maybe you didn’t like me and didn’t want to talk to me.”

She didn’t mind his strange voice at all.

This realization brought an unexpected wave of joy to Lu Chen.

But as for the misunderstanding that Meng Yinyin had, he could only feel helpless.

After a brief pause, he gathered his courage to speak again.

“I don’t dislike you.”

“It’s just that my voice sounds strange and unpleasant.”

That’s why he didn’t like to talk.

Hearing this, Meng Yinyin’s eyes widened in surprise, and she immediately retorted, “Your voice isn’t unpleasant at all! The first time I heard you speak, it did sound a bit strange, but it wasn’t because your voice was unpleasant. It was just that you spoke slowly.”

Meng Yinyin looked up at Lu Chen, speaking with unprecedented seriousness.

“I really don’t think your voice is unpleasant!”

She felt too shy to tell him that she actually thought his voice was quite pleasant—deep, hoarse, and very magnetic.

Lu Chen was momentarily stunned by the sincere sparkle in her eyes.

After a few seconds, he lowered his head, trying to hide the smile that tugged at his lips. He simply gave a soft “oh.”

He didn’t know why, but he felt so happy just hearing Meng Yinyin say, “I don’t think your voice is unpleasant.”

He thought maybe it was because she was the first person not to dislike his voice.

That “oh” was very soft, but to Meng Yinyin’s ears, it felt as though Lu Chen either didn’t believe his own words or didn’t care about it at all.

Meng Yinyin became a little anxious. Why didn’t this person believe her?

“I’m telling the truth, your voice really isn’t bad at all!”

In order to convince Lu Chen that she was sincere, Meng Yinyin didn’t mind feeling embarrassed. She blurted out her honest thoughts, “Actually, I think your voice is very nice!”

Fearing that Lu Chen still might not believe her, Meng Yinyin’s face tensed up as she added, “Really!”

Lu Chen: “…”

At that moment, Lu Chen couldn’t find the words to say. He only felt a rush of warmth spreading within him.