Chapter 21.2

Sometimes you have to admit that a woman’s intuition is incredibly accurate.

Early in the morning, Wen Yue looked at the noisy group gathered in the courtyard, her eyes full of sleepiness and confusion. She stiffly turned to look at Zhou Yao at the kitchen door, her face questioning.

What’s going on?

Zhou Yao beckoned her over.

Wen Yue walked over quickly, and Zhou Yao lightly patted her head, saying softly, “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. You go do your things.”

“Oh.”

Wen Yue nodded obediently and went to the kitchen to brush her teeth. As she stood by the side of the kitchen, brushing her teeth with a cup of water in her hand, she could hear the sharp, piercing voice of Old Lady Li.

“…The land was just bought, and half of the crops were destroyed overnight. How do you plan to solve this?” Old Lady Li’s wrinkled face was full of meanness and malice. She looked fierce, with her hands on her hips, spitting as she spoke.

It was just dawn, and the neighboring families of Zhou Jianghai and Zhou Qingshan were still eating. Hearing the commotion, they immediately brought their bowls to the door to watch the spectacle.

Seeing the crowd in the courtyard, Lin Fang was particularly gleeful.

Oh, this Li family is notorious for being difficult. I wonder how Zhou Yao got involved with them.

Faced with the aggressive Old Lady Li, Zhou Yao remained calm, his tone indifferent, “The land was fine before we sold it. How come it got damaged after you bought it? Maybe someone has a grudge against you and is taking revenge.”

Old Lady Li was taken aback, her prepared words stuck in her throat, “…?” No, why was this guy stealing her lines?

“That’s not how it is! We didn’t cause any trouble. It’s clearly your problem!” Old Lady Li quickly recovered, pointing at Zhou Yao and cursing, “Everyone knows you have a bad reputation. It must be one of your enemies!”

Zhou Yao chuckled lightly, narrowing his eyes, “What do you want to do about it then?”

Old Lady Li’s eyes flickered, and she said forcefully, “Compensate us! We bought those crops with money, and who knows if your enemies will come back to destroy them again!”

“You must compensate us!”

Zhou Yao said nothing, his gaze coldly fixed on the Li family. His presence was intimidating, and even the battle-hardened Old Lady Li couldn’t hold his gaze for long, soon shifting her eyes away guiltily.

Old Lady Li’s second son coughed twice, “Zhou Yao, we’re not trying to cause trouble, but this situation doesn’t make sense. The field was fine when we bought it, and now it’s ruined. You didn’t see the damage…”

“Alright.” Zhou Yao interrupted him, suddenly smiling. His lips curved slightly, making him look less fierce. He spoke gently, “I’ll compensate you twenty yuan.”

After saying this, Zhou Yao took out twenty yuan and handed it to Old Lady Li’s second son.

The Li family was stunned, not expecting Zhou Yao to be so agreeable. They looked at him in disbelief.

Old Lady Li was the first to react, slapping her second son, “What are you waiting for? Take the money!”

“Uh…” The second son took the money from Zhou Yao, looking at him several times, wanting to say something but hesitating.

Something felt off.

Noticing his discomfort, Zhou Yao explained, “I have a good idea of who did it. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to them. If it happens again, I’ll refund half of your money.”

His words made everyone, including the rest of the Zhou family, think of Wen Yue’s uncle’s family, as did Wen Yue herself.

“Really? You said it, and everyone heard it. Don’t back out later!” Old Lady Li was overjoyed.

Three hundred yuan for three acres of land, what a bargain!

Zhou Yao took in the expressions of the Li family, his eyes darkening, a cold smile not reaching his eyes, “I always keep my word and won’t let the troublemakers off.”

The Li family didn’t catch his underlying meaning and were still basking in their perceived victory, exchanging gleeful glances as they left the Zhou house with the twenty yuan.

After they left, Wen Yue frowned and walked over, worriedly asking, “Could it be my uncle’s family?”

Given Li Huahong’s character, she was indeed capable of such underhanded, disgusting acts.

However—

Zhou Yao glanced at the Zhou Jianghai and Zhou Qingshan families watching from the main hall’s door. He put his arm around Wen Yue’s slender shoulders, leading her to the kitchen.

Leaning slightly towards her ear, he answered softly, “This time, it wasn’t your uncle’s family. They wouldn’t dare.”

After beating Wen Hua last time, Li Huahong had to consider her precious son, so she wouldn’t stir up trouble in the short term.

It is more likely that the Li family directed and acted out this incident themselves.

“They’re treating me like a fool.” Zhou Yao chuckled, his eyes narrowing, “Don’t worry about this. I’ll handle it.”

Wen Yue was curious, “How will you handle it?”

“It’s a secret.” Zhou Yao teased, seeing Wen Yue pouting. He beckoned, “Come closer, and I’ll tell you.”

Wen Yue’s eyes lit up as she eagerly leaned toward Zhou Yao, turning her head to listen attentively.

Her ears were not large, with plump, tender earlobes that had a faint pink hue, looking very pinchable.

Wen Yue was just about to ask why Zhou Yao hadn’t said anything when she suddenly felt her ear being pinched gently. The calloused pads of his fingers rubbed against her soft skin, creating a subtle electric shock that made her body go weak. She almost lost her balance and had to grab Zhou Yao’s strong arm.

Her bright, watery eyes glistened with astonishment as she turned to glare at Zhou Yao. The hint of reproach in her gaze made the man’s eyes darken with desire, his Adam’s apple bobbing twice.

The two of them stood there, one looking up and the other looking down, in a gaze locked together. Although the kitchen fire wasn’t lit, the temperature seemed to rise, and the distance between them seemed to shrink.

“Brother! Brother Yao!”

Ren Yeliang’s voice arrived before he did, like a thunderclap in Wen Yue’s ear.

She quickly turned her head, withdrawing her hand from Zhou Yao’s arm, her face turning red as she rushed into the house, her hands covering her burning cheeks.

Oh my god, what was she thinking just now?

She had just thought Zhou Yao’s Adam’s apple was so sexy and wanted to kiss it, almost tiptoeing to do so!

“Sis…ter-in-law?” Ren Yeliang stood at the kitchen door, carefully peeking inside after seeing Wen Yue run past him without a word.

Then he met his brother’s cold, sharp eyes, which seemed to carry a hint of murderous intent. Feeling a chill down his neck, he exclaimed, “Brother, did you and sister-in-law have a fight again?”

Zhou Yao closed his eyes, suppressing the urge to hit him, and said coldly, “My wife and I get along very well. We didn’t fight, but you might not be so lucky.”

Ren Yeliang: “?” 

What does this have to do with him?

Feeling a bit confused, he didn’t dare enter the kitchen and instead asked from the door, “I heard Old Lady Li and her family came to cause trouble. What’s going on, brother? Do you need us to help you settle it?”

Zhou Yao exhaled slowly, calming down, and motioned for Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao to come over, “Come here and help me with something.”

Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao entered the house.

A moment later, after receiving instructions, they nodded and turned to leave.

Before leaving, Ren Yeliang couldn’t help but ask, “Brother, you’re sure you didn’t fight with sister-in-law, right? You worked so hard to make her happy; take it easy!”

Zhou Yao: “…”

Alright, he just had to bring that up.

Zhou Yao smiled and then kicked Ren Yeliang out of the kitchen, “Get lost.”