Chapter 21: The Smell of Smoke

While the couple was arguing at the door, Pan Hehua and Zhou Youlu inside the house heard everything.

Pan Hehua was furious, “The debt collector is here again. Where am I supposed to get him a stove?”

She was truly afraid of her second son and his wife, who were like blood-sucking vampires, always coming to her for money, never satisfied until they got something.

Zhou Youlu had completely lost hope in his second son. He said in a low voice, “Just give it to him. From now on, don’t bother with him anymore. Can he really control his father for the rest of his life?”

Just as Zhou Youlu finished speaking, Zhou Yu swaggered in, his voice nonchalant and arrogant.

“The old man is still smart. He should give whatever he’s supposed to give. But no son can control his father for life. You won’t live that long anyway.”

Xu An followed Zhou Yu, always feeling a mixture of fear and annoyance at his sharp tongue and tendency to cause trouble.

Zhou Youlu was too tired to waste words on his unyielding son. He looked up at Pan Hehua.

Pan Hehua stared at her son, then glanced at her eldest son who was following the couple.  She felt a surge of resentment towards her eldest son, whom she had always favored.

If her eldest son hadn’t insisted on speculating and dealing in goods, they wouldn’t have to deal with this devilish second son, who was causing chaos in their home.

She clutched her chest in anger, looking at the eldest son’s family behind Zhou Yu.  She calmed down and softened her tone.

“Hongguang, no matter what, you should pay for this stove. The house is divided, and your father and I really don’t have much money. This will give us a reason to argue. Your father and I have done our best.”

Zhou Hongguang paused for a moment, his face showing no displeasure. He walked over and patted Pan Hehua’s back, trying to soothe her.

“Mom, you’re right. I’ll buy the stove tomorrow and install it in the east room. I know you and Dad have worked hard for me. You can relax in the future.”

Her eldest son was always so considerate. The faint resentment in Pan Hehua’s heart dissipated, and she gently patted Zhou Hongguang’s hand.

“Our Zhou family, you’re the most capable. You haven’t disappointed your father and me.”

Zhou Hongguang bent down and listened, nodding along.

Feng Yirou watched her mother-in-law’s hypocritical face. She didn’t show it, but she was disgusted in her heart.  Wasn’t she just saying these polite words because they were paying?

Zhou Yu frowned, his face full of impatience.  “Enough with the mother-and-son act for everyone to see. Buy the stove tomorrow and install it in our east room. Don’t just talk about it and make us wait for you to be reminded. Next time, I won’t even bother to say anything.”

“Second brother, I’ll get the stove for you tomorrow.”

“Can’t you speak politely? In the past…”

Zhou Hongguang sighed, “Fine, don’t say anything. I’ll buy you this stove.”

Zhou Yu crossed his arms, his eyebrows raised high. “That’s good enough for me.”

“Why do you have to say so much? Don’t forget tomorrow, or else everyone in the neighborhood will know about it.”

“Second brother’s wife, how much money have you made from your business these past few days?”

Dandan said their business was doing well, so why were they so stingy, always coming to their house for things?

Xu An was originally watching the drama from the side, but she didn’t expect the fire to burn to her.  When she heard Pan Hehua ask, she lowered her head and said softly.

“Mom, as you know, I’m a country girl from Nancheng. I haven’t seen much of the world. I only know how to do a few things, and the cost is high and time-consuming. I really don’t have much money.”

She glanced at Zhou Yu, who was lounging beside her, then stared at Zhou Hongguang and said.

“Zhou Yu and I work hard to earn a little more than what Big Brother introduced Zhou Yu to, a doorman job. That’s all we have.”

“Otherwise, we wouldn’t be arguing with you about a stove.”

This second daughter-in-law, how could she look like a country girl?  Her skin was smooth and white, even whiter than the eldest daughter-in-law’s. She spent money without hesitation, a prodigal daughter, just talking nonsense.

Her soft words made Pan Hehua feel extremely suffocated.  This couple, one was a sharp steel knife, every word piercing her heart directly, and the other was a soft knife that wore people down, using soft words to make you uncomfortable.

Zhou Hongguang, who was being openly scolded and implicitly insulted by this couple, suppressed his emotions and remained silent.

Pan Hehua waved her hand at the annoying couple, “That’s enough. We won’t cheat you out of this stove. Go back now.”

Talking to them any longer would only cause her internal and external injuries.  She just wanted to get rid of this bandit-like couple.

Zhou Yu turned around without hesitation and walked towards the east room.

Now that they had gotten the stove, it was time to go back. Xu An followed Zhou Yu and turned around, her voice clear and pleasant.

“Mom, take care of yourself. Don’t forget.”

She then turned and left.

This village girl dared to call her senile. Pan Hehua closed her eyes, her head throbbing with anger.

Xu An and Zhou Yu returned to the east room. Wen Yaowu had already washed the dishes and even swept the outer room clean.

Seeing Brother Yu and his wife come back, Wen Yaowu scratched his head, “Sister-in-law, I’ll come back early tomorrow morning.”

Xu An smiled and nodded, “Thank you for your hard work.”

Wen Yaowu waved his hand, walked to the door, and glanced at Zhou’s main house. He chuckled, “Sister-in-law, I heard what happened when you and Brother Yu went there.”

He didn’t expect that the stove that the Zhou family had promised would still need Brother Yu and his wife to keep reminding them.

“Don’t worry, if they don’t buy the stove tomorrow, I’ll be a loudspeaker for Brother Yu. Everyone in this alley will know about the Zhou family’s bad deeds.”

Xu An smiled, “Don’t worry, I know.”

Seeing his sister-in-law and Brother Yu together, he felt that they were a perfect match, with his sister-in-law being beautiful and Brother Yu being talented.

Wen Yaowu scratched his head, his mouth grinning foolishly, “Sister-in-law, don’t worry, although my Brother Yu is a bit poor and rough, you won’t suffer with him…”

“Stop talking and get out, you’re so annoying.”

Zhou Yu’s good leg kicked out without mercy. Wen Yaowu dodged repeatedly and shouted to Xu An.

“Okay, Sister-in-law, I’ll go now. My grandma is still at home.”

He then dodged Zhou Yu’s foot and ran outside.

Xu An had been smiling, but when she met the man’s gaze, which was filled with a wild untamedness, she quickly looked away.

She lowered her voice, “You’ll be following us tomorrow, right?”

Zhou Yu also looked up at the ceiling, replying faintly.

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

Xu An replied softly, “I’m going to take a bath.” She said this and walked towards the inner room.

Zhou Yu gritted his teeth, sat down on a chair, and thought about how he would deal with that kid tomorrow. Should he kick his legs first or his butt? He was asking for it.

After taking a bath, Xu An didn’t waste any time. She went back to the room and went to bed.

There was no entertainment in the house. She lay in bed, closing her eyes.

After a while, she felt a shadow on her eyelids. She knew it was Zhou Yu coming in. She didn’t open her eyes, but her other senses were heightened. She could clearly hear the man’s deep and shallow footsteps, then the sound of the light being turned off. Finally, she heard the footsteps getting closer, followed by rustling sounds, and then the man rolled over and lay down beside her.

Xu An wrinkled her nose, smelling a faint scent of smoke. This man was smoking again.

She turned her back to Zhou Yu, letting out a soft hum and burying her nose in the blanket.

Zhou Yu had just lain down when he noticed the woman’s discomfort. He paused slightly, his voice hoarse in the silent darkness.

“Dog nose? So sensitive.”

The man was annoyed by the slander. He had already waited long enough at the door.

“You smoked.”

Xu An spoke directly, calling him out for having a dog nose.

“I told you to wait outside for a while.”

The man’s voice was a bit agitated, “I waited outside for half an hour.”

Xu An buried her head deeper into the blanket. In the darkness, her deliberately softened voice was exceptionally clear.

“Couldn’t you change your clothes?”

Hearing the man’s obviously rough voice behind her, Xu An immediately closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

After waiting for a while, she heard the man getting out of bed. Xu An’s heart skipped a beat.

What was Zhou Yu doing?

Her ears perked up, listening to the sounds in the room.

She heard the man open the wardrobe in the room, and then the sound of him putting on clothes. Xu An was slightly surprised.

Not long after, Zhou Yu got back into bed, lying beside Xu An. His voice was hoarse and low.

“Troublesome.”

Xu An lifted her head from the blanket, sniffed lightly, and sure enough, she couldn’t smell the faint scent of smoke anymore. She pursed her lips, slightly parted her lips, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, as soon as Xu An stepped out of the door, she saw Su Xiaoyang and Wen Yaowu standing at the entrance.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, “Why are you here so early?”

They had been let in by Zhou Yu, who had gotten up earlier than her, and they didn’t know how long they had been waiting outside.

“When did you get here? Don’t come so early tomorrow.”

Wen Yaowu looked at Su Xiaoyang beside him and said helplessly, “Sister-in-law, Xiaoyang got here even earlier than me. You have to control him.”

Xu An raised her hand and pushed Zhou Yu, asking him to speak. After all, it was up to him whether or not to keep them.

Zhou Yu looked at the half-grown boy and said lightly, “Don’t do useless things. Come here on time tomorrow. Even if you arrive early, it’s still not acceptable if you don’t have a sense of time.”

Su Xiaoyang immediately nodded obediently.

“Okay, come and move things. We need to hurry over there.” Xu An instructed them to bring some things and let the two helpers take them. The four of them left Zhou’s courtyard.

When they arrived at the entrance of the early market, Xu An hadn’t even had time to set up her stall, and there were already many old customers lined up in front of her stall.

Wen Yaowu and Su Xiaoyang efficiently set up the stall, and Xu An immediately started her business.

At first, Xu An was responsible for collecting money and weighing, while Wen Yaowu and Su Xiaoyang were responsible for bagging and packaging. Gradually, as they became more skilled in the morning, Su Xiaoyang continued bagging, and Wen Yaowu started weighing things for customers.

Worried about scaring customers with his crew cut, he found a hat to wear, which made him look much softer and more clearly showed his youthful appearance.

Xu An felt much more relaxed and only had to collect money, reminding Wen Yaowu and Su Xiaoyang if they did anything wrong.

The amount of goods remained the same, but the number of repeat customers increased, and the pot of goods was not enough to sell.

In the end, some people didn’t get to buy anything.

Xu An repeatedly assured them that she would make more once she got her license, which calmed the customers who hadn’t bought anything.

They finished early, and Su Xiaoyang and Wen Yaowu, who were already working in sync, cleaned up the stall together. Su Xiaoyang swept the area where they had set up.

His eyes kept glancing at Zhou Yu, wondering how he was doing.

Xu An didn’t notice Su Xiaoyang’s nervousness. She tilted her head and smiled at Zhou Yu.

“Having them help makes things much easier. They’ll get the hang of it in a few days. You can go about your business then.”

Zhou Yu didn’t say anything, but he stared at her smiling eyes and said softly, “I’ll go get the license these next two days.”

Now that they had enough manpower, it was time to get everything ready. He had talked to the pork butcher and the supply and marketing cooperative manager about reserving the pig offal for them, and things were going smoothly.

Su Xiaoyang and Wen Yaowu walked ahead carrying things, while Xu An and Zhou Yu followed behind.

Watching them carry things, Xu An blinked, “It’s tiring to carry things back and forth every day. It’ll be harder to move when we switch to a larger pot. I want to buy a handcart, which will save us some effort.”

Zhou Yu wouldn’t disagree with her buying things, so Xu An could decide on her own.

When they returned home at noon, they saw several workers carrying things into the courtyard.

Pan Hehua and Zhou DanDan were impatiently directing them.

As soon as they saw the second son’s family come back, Pan Hehua shouted, “Okay, second son, Hongguang bought you the stove. Take care of the installation yourself.”

Seeing Zhou Yu come back, Pan Hehua, who was already in a bad mood, immediately left them to it.

Xu An didn’t have time to deal with her. She ran over to look at the new stove. It was much bigger than the honeycomb coal stove they had been using these past few days. It also had a chimney, so they could cook directly on the stove and keep food warm.

After looking it over, she nodded slightly, satisfied.

Zhou Yu didn’t waste any words and told the workers to install the new stove.

Xu An asked Wen Yaowu and Su Xiaoyang to bring the things back to the room.

Seeing Wen Yaowu and Su Xiaoyang, Zhou DanDan grabbed Pan Hehua’s arm and frowned.

“Mom! I saw it this morning. These two are helpers hired by second brother and second sister-in-law.”

“They’re not just speculating and dealing in goods, they’re engaging in capitalism and oppressing the people.”

Pan Hehua quickly covered her mouth, her loud and boisterous daughter, “Don’t talk nonsense. There’s no such thing as capitalism now. The country has already removed that label. This is just a normal employment relationship now, it’s equal.”

“You little fool, don’t talk nonsense.”

There were still outsiders in the courtyard.

Zhou DanDan pulled her mother’s hand away from her mouth, “Alright, Mom, what are you in a hurry for? I won’t say anything about that.”

“Then tell me, second sister-in-law has only been doing this for a few days, and she already has money to hire people. She must have earned a lot these past few days.”

Her daughter was right. Yesterday, when she asked the second sister-in-law a question, she gave her a roundabout answer, beating around the bush and trying to trick her. She almost fell for it.

She could afford to hire people after only a few days, so she must have earned a lot.

Pan Hehua looked at the new stove being installed in the east room, her heart bleeding. This second son and his wife, they were black-hearted.

Xu An and Zhou Yu ignored the mother and daughter who were whispering to each other. Xu An told Wen Yaowu and Su Xiaoyang to put the things in the back, away from the workers installing the stove.

She tilted her head and looked at the worker standing on a chair installing the chimney, curious to know if it would work.

The worker installed it quickly, and soon the stove was completely installed. Xu An asked Zhou Yu to see the worker out, while she took a pot of water and went to the small stove.

Su Xiaoyang came running over at this time, nervously asking Xu An.

“Sister Xu An, can I go back and have lunch with my sister?”

“Go ahead, come back after you’ve eaten.”

Xu An smiled and nodded, “Go, take a good rest. It’s okay to come back later to help. Zhou Yu and I need to rest too.”

Su Xiaoyang glanced at Zhou Yu, seeing that he didn’t object, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Okay.”

Su Xiaoyang replied cheerfully, turned around, and ran out of the courtyard.

Xu An told Wen Yaowu to go back as well. They both had a young child and an elderly parent to take care of, and this was a good time for them to rest.

Xu An wasn’t a Zhou Bapi who exploited his workers. Work-life balance was important.

After the water boiled, Zhou Yu picked up the teapot, poured the water into a basin, and Xu An took a towel, put it in the basin of water that was at the right temperature, wrung it out, and wiped the new stove inside and out. She was satisfied only after she had cleaned all the paint and dirt off the stove.

Zhou Yu took a piece of honeycomb coal from the honeycomb coal stove, put it in the stove, and threw in a bunch of dry grass. He then covered the stove.

He went out to the door to see if the smoke was coming out.

Xu An followed him curiously. As soon as they went out, they saw white smoke billowing from the chimney, merging with the cold winter fog and rising into the air.

“It worked!”

Xu An exclaimed excitedly. This way, they could keep the stove in the room, cover it up, and not have to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning.

Zhou Yu’s thin lips curled into a slight smile, and he hummed softly.

It would be nice to have some warmth in the room. They didn’t have floor heating or air conditioning yet, so Xu An was very satisfied with this.

Back in the room, Zhou Yu lit the stove, added coal, and left a small opening.

Xu An moved a chair and sat next to the stove, feeling the rising temperature from the stovetop, warming her body.

Zhou Shuwen came out of the room, saw the smoke coming out of the chimney in the east room, and thought that his second brother’s life was getting better and better since he got married.

His second sister-in-law was not only beautiful, but she was also very good at managing things.

Their life was better than it had been before they split the family, which made him a little envious.

“Third brother, what are you looking at?”

Zhou DanDan patted Zhou Shuwen’s shoulder.

Zhou Shuwen smiled warmly, “Nothing, I just think that second brother and second sister-in-law are very good at managing their lives.”

Zhou DanDan rolled her eyes, “Of course they are. Who else can manage their lives better than them? Everything good is sent to their room. We don’t get that kind of treatment.”

“Third brother, tell me, would you be willing to spend three years in prison in exchange for such a good life? Second brother never went to school or worked before. He did everything in the house, inside and out. Now that he’s back from three years in prison, he’s become an ancestor. He’s crazy and no one dares to mess with him.”

Zhou Shuwen patted her head and said softly, “Don’t talk like that. Second brother served three years in prison for Big Brother.”

“He served three years for Big Brother, not for us. Why does the whole family have to avoid him? He’s too overbearing.”

Zhou DanDan shook Zhou Shuwen’s hand off in dissatisfaction and stormed off, shaking her hair angrily.

Zhou Shuwen glanced at the east room, took his book, and left the courtyard.

Inside the room, Xu An sat on the chair for a while and felt a little sleepy. She rested her hand on the stove, which was covered with a wooden board, and yawned.

She tilted her head to look at Zhou Yu, her eyelids drooping uncontrollably. She forced herself to stay awake, “Zhou Yu, we’ll switch to the big pot the day after tomorrow. This stove will be perfect for that.”

Zhou Yu stared at her sleepy face, her face slightly flushed from the heat, and looked away, humming in agreement.

Xu An thought of something and asked curiously, “How did Xiaoyang do today?”

She looked up at Zhou Yu, curious to know if Su Xiaoyang had met his standards.

“It’s too early to tell. What’s the rush?”

There was no indication on his face whether he was satisfied or not. Xu An didn’t pursue the question. She stood up a little unsteadily and walked towards the inner room, yawning softly.

“I want to take a nap.”

“Zhou Yu, are you sleepy? Do you need to rest for a while?”

Zhou Yu stared at her slender back, motionless. His throat tightened, and he kicked the newly installed stove irritably. He leaned back in his chair, tilted his head, and closed his eyes.