Chapter 13.1

“Why did you come to my house?” Li Nianqiu pulled out a stool, gesturing for Wen Yue to sit.

Wen Yue’s moist almond-shaped eyes curved into a smile, her voice soft, “I have a favor to ask.”

Li Nianqiu raised her brows again, with a look of ‘I knew it,’ and said, “What is it? Go ahead.”

“Do you still have your textbooks from the first and second semesters of high school? I’d like to borrow them.” As Wen Yue spoke, she placed the prepared rice cakes, walnut crisps, and White Rabbit candies on the table, “Don’t worry, I won’t borrow them for free!”

Li Nianqiu glanced at the items on the table, then got up and took a few well-preserved books from the wardrobe, placing them beside Wen Yue. Her tone was indifferent, “You can borrow the books, but take the food back. Do we really need to be this polite with each other?”

The female lead was indeed very kind.

Wen Yue felt deeply touched, smiling as she asked, “Then it’s okay for me to share the food with my good friend, right?”

Li Nianqiu pursed her lips.

“Creek—”

The half-open door creaked as Li Xiangdong returned.

Wen Yue waved to her, picking up a piece of walnut crisp, “Xiangdong, come have some walnut crisps.”

The young girl stood still, blinking her eyes and silently looking towards Li Nianqiu, as if asking for permission.

Her expression didn’t change much, but there was a flicker of longing in her dark eyes.

After all, she was still young and had weaker self-control.

“Go ahead,” Li Nianqiu nodded.

Li Xiangdong’s eyes lit up. She took a couple of steps forward, accepting the walnut crisp from Wen Yue with a crisp thank you, then held it with both hands and took small bites, cherishing each one.

Wen Yue handed another piece to Li Nianqiu, “You should try it too.”

Facing Wen Yue’s sparkling eyes, Li Nianqiu couldn’t refuse and took the walnut crisp, taking a bite.

“How is it?” Wen Yue asked.

Li Nianqiu glanced at her, “It’s good.”

Wen Yue pushed the food towards Li Nianqiu, “Then have some more.” She casually unwrapped a White Rabbit candy.

In this era, one White Rabbit candy was about the size of two in later years, earning its reputation that two White Rabbit candies equaled one cup of milk.

Wen Yue’s mouth was small, so she bit it in half and ate it slowly.

The sweet taste spread in her mouth, making Wen Yue’s eyes squint slightly with a sense of joy and relaxation.

Li Nianqiu watched Wen Yue, a thoughtful look passing over her face.

Since getting married, Wen Yue has changed significantly.

She seldom smiled before. Every time we met, she frowned and looked sad and resentful, and she always spoke in a strange way.

But now, all the worry and gloom in her eyes were gone, her eyes were clear and bright, her voice soft, and her smile constant.

Was marriage really this good?

This thought flashed through her mind but was quickly dismissed.

It wasn’t marriage that was good.

It was leaving that suffocating family environment.

Li Nianqiu thought that if she could leave this place, she couldn’t even imagine how happy and cheerful she would be.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yao carried the prepared braised pork to Fang Shitao’s house.

The latter’s home was in a remote place at the end of the village, near the back mountain. It was a fairly large courtyard, but there were only four people living in it. After Ren Yeliang became acquainted with the two, he moved into Fang Shitao’s home.

Grandma Fang was sitting under the eaves, threading a needle with a dark blue garment that had two holes in it on her lap. Hearing the noise from the courtyard, she looked up, her cloudy eyes turning, hesitantly asking, “Who is it? Is it Xiaoyao?”

“It’s me.” Zhou Yao opened the gate skillfully and entered, his thick black brows furrowing, “Let me help you thread it. Where are the others?”

Grandma Fang handed over the needle and thread, her toothless smile showing, “Shitao and Xiaoliang just went out to fetch water. There’s no water at home, and Lulu went with them too.”

Zhou Yao nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly as he swiftly threaded the needle and handed it back to Grandma Fang, “Next time, let them help you with the needle.”

Grandma Fang had poor eyesight. She fell ill a few years ago and had no money to treat her illness, so her eyesight has deteriorated. She can’t see things clearly anymore and everything is blurry.

“Alright, alright. What’s that in your hand?” Grandma Fang asked, still smiling, as she looked at the plate in Zhou Yao’s hand.

Zhou Yao’s thin lips curved slightly, a hint of pride in his tone, “My wife made braised pork. She asked me to bring some for you to try.” He said as he went to the kitchen to get a pair of chopsticks, then picked a piece of meat from the bowl and offered it to Grandma Fang.

“Try a piece first.”

Grandma Fang waved her hand, “I won’t eat it, you guys eat it. I have bad teeth and can’t chew the meat.”

Zhou Yao didn’t move. “The meat is stewed until it’s very tender. You can eat it.”

Grandma Fang couldn’t argue with Zhou Yao, so she took a bite. The meat was indeed very soft, requiring no effort at all. It melted in her mouth.

Her cloudy eyes brightened as she praised, “Delicious. Xiaoyao, your wife is a good cook and generous. You’ve married well. Make sure to cherish her…”

“Mm, I will,” Zhou Yao replied casually.

Fang Shitao and Ren Yeliang, who had gone to fetch water, returned with a young girl around seven or eight years old trailing behind them.

“Brother Zhou Yao!” The little girl’s eyes lit up instantly when she saw Zhou Yao. She quickly ran into the yard and hugged Zhou Yao’s leg, looking up at him with a soft voice, “Brother Zhou Yao, Lulu missed you so much.”

Ren Yeliang laughed, “Old Fang, your sister is closer to Brother Yao than to you.”

Fang Shitao laughed along, “Brother Yao always brings her delicious food. It’s normal for her to be closer to him. By the way, Brother Yao, I heard you caused trouble for the Wen family this morning? Why didn’t you take Yeliang and me along?”

Zhou Yao ignored them, freeing one hand to ruffle the young girl’s hair before picking up the chopsticks and offering her a piece of meat. “Your sister-in-law made braised pork. Try it.”

“Wow!” Fang Lulu’s eyes widened even more, her mouth watering visibly as she took the meat with an eager bite. “It’s so, so good!”

“My sister-in-law made this?” Ren Yeliang asked, surprised.

Zhou Yao gave him a sidelong glance. “Who else would have made it?”

Ren Yeliang nodded, “True, it couldn’t have been you.”

He knew his brother’s cooking skills. While edible, it was nothing remarkable and limited to simple dishes.