Chapter 25.2

“I was out for a walk and accidentally fell into the river. It was a very isolated place! If your husband hadn’t been lost and happened to pass by, I would have drowned!” Sun Xiang explained.

Wen Yue listened intently, her eyes twinkling, “You escaped from a disaster, which means great fortune is ahead.”

Sun Xiang laughed heartily and patted Zhou Yao’s shoulder twice. “Brother Zhou, your wife is much more pleasant to listen to than you, definitely a cultured person!”

It was clear that Uncle Sun was very gregarious, with the loudest voice in the entire restaurant. He was quite amusing, sharing stories of his experiences while running his transport business.

Wen Yue was amused several times.

“By the way, besides the clothes, I brought some rare items that are just becoming popular in Shencheng.” Sun Xiang hugged his beer bottle, “Sunglasses! You know sunglasses, right? And that stuff is selling like crazy, what’s it called, lipstick?”

“Yes, lipstick! You wouldn’t believe it, but women in Shencheng are going crazy over it! If I didn’t have connections there, I wouldn’t have been able to get any! Brother Zhou, I’m thinking of you, so I brought some. Not a lot, though, sell it as you see fit…”

Listening from the side, Wen Yue thought that Uncle Sun was really good to Zhou Yao, almost treating him like a son rather than a brother.

After finishing their meal, Zhou Yao called the proprietress to settle the bill. Then, he and Fang Shitao helped the drunk Sun Xiang out of the restaurant.

The sun was at its hottest around one or two in the afternoon.

Wen Yue raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight and asked worriedly, “Can Uncle Sun get home on his own like this?”

“We’ll take him,” Zhou Yao grabbed Sun Xiang’s arm, “He lives nearby, just a ten-minute walk.”

“That’s manageable.”

They supported Sun Xiang to an alleyway filled with traditional courtyard houses. After walking for two minutes, they stopped in front of a closed door and knocked.

“Coming~”

A young woman’s soft voice came from inside. The next second, a young woman, around twenty-four or twenty-five, opened the door. She was stylishly dressed, with curly hair and wearing a spaghetti strap dress, her lips painted with lipstick.

Upon seeing Zhou Yao, her eyes brightened, and her voice grew even softer, “Oh, it’s you, Zhou Yao~ It’s been so long since I last saw you~~”

Zhou Yao remained expressionless, “Uncle Sun is drunk. Please take care of him.”

The woman seemed to notice the drunken Sun Xiang only then, a look of disgust flashing in her eyes. She forced a smile, “Why did he drink so much again? Thank you for helping, please come in.”

Zhou Yao and Fang Shitao helped Sun Xiang inside.

Wen Yue and Ren Yeliang followed closely behind.

The woman showed great interest in Zhou Yao, constantly trying to get close to him, speaking seductively and almost clinging to him.

Wen Yue, pursing her lips, walked slowly. Although she saw Zhou Yao keeping his distance, she still felt uncomfortable.

After laying Sun Xiang on the bed, Zhou Yao said indifferently, “Take good care of Uncle Sun.”

“What have you been busy with lately? Didn’t Uncle Sun tell you before? He’s often not at home, and I get bored alone. I asked you to come and chat with me, but you never did,” the woman said with a coquettish smile, her eyes lined with eyeliner blinking rapidly.

Zhou Yao ignored her, turned, and left the room. He lightly placed his hand on Wen Yue’s shoulder, bending down to ask softly, “How about watching a movie now?”

“Next time,” Wen Yue noticed the woman’s slightly hostile gaze, pursed her lips, and whispered, “Otherwise, we’ll be back too late.”

Zhou Yao raised an eyebrow and agreed, “Alright, then let’s go home.”

Wen Yue nodded.

None of them paid attention to the woman behind them as they left. Once they were out of the courtyard, Wen Yue hesitated before asking, “Is Uncle Sun’s daughter interested in you?”

Zhou Yao was taken aback. “Uncle Sun doesn’t have a daughter. He only has a son, who isn’t here.”

“Huh?” Wen Yue’s eyes widened in confusion, “Then who was that…?”

“Hehe, sister-in-law, that was Uncle Sun’s concubine,” Ren Yeliang explained with a grin, winking, “You also thought she had a thing for our brother, right?”

Zhou Yao kicked Ren Yeliang and said sternly, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Who’s talking nonsense? Sister-in-law thinks the same, right?” With Wen Yue’s support, Ren Yeliang felt confident.

Wen Yue asked, “A concubine?”

“Yes, Uncle Sun divorced his first wife, and the children went with her. The woman you saw was someone he married last year. She’s only three years older than our brother,” Ren Yeliang quickly explained.

Wen Yue fell silent, her gaze fixed on Zhou Yao.

Zhou Yao involuntarily shivered and hurriedly clarified, “I’ve never paid her any attention.”

Last year, when Sun Xiang said he was getting married, Zhou Yao had advised against it. He questioned why such a young girl would marry a man nearly twenty years her senior, suspecting it was for money. Sun Xiang didn’t care, admitting that if she was after his money, so be it; at his age, he wasn’t looking for love.

They both got what they wanted: she got money, and he got a young, beautiful face and body.

After that, Zhou Yao stopped saying much, just reducing his visits to Sun Xiang. Before, he would visit whenever Sun Xiang wasn’t out transporting goods.

“Sister-in-law, Old Fang and I can vouch for this. Our brother really hasn’t paid any attention to that woman,” Ren Yeliang explained seriously. Although he loved to joke, he didn’t want any misunderstanding between his brother and sister-in-law. “My brother is a virtuous man, truly. Right, Old Fang?”

Fang Shitao nodded, “Right!”

Wen Yue couldn’t help but laugh, her previous annoyance dissipating instantly.

Zhou Yao clenched his fist, resisting the urge to punch Ren Yeliang.

What virtuous man? Don’t use idioms if you haven’t studied! It’s embarrassing!

Zhou Yao restrained himself from hitting anyone in public, but his eyes darkened ominously. Ren Yeliang moved away, determined not to get too close to his brother.

The four of them took a rickety bus to the county town and bought some pork, chicken, and rapeseed oil before heading back to the village.

Wen Yue used a fair amount of oil when cooking, and a bottle didn’t last long, so they went through it quickly.

They arrived at the village before dark, and the clouds in the sky were beautiful. It was the time when villagers were returning home after a day’s work in the fields, and they ran into Zhou Yao and his group.

Remembering how Zhou Yao had greeted them last time, the villagers didn’t pretend not to see him this time and greeted him actively.

“Taking your wife to the county town?”

“Buying so many things!”

“Your clothes look nice. Did you get them from the city? They don’t look cheap. How much did they cost? They look really nice; I want one too.”

Zhou Yao, who had been feeling a bit impatient, suddenly perked up. He raised an eyebrow arrogantly, adjusted his sleeves, and replied indifferently, “Didn’t cost anything. My wife made it. You want to buy one? Get your wife to make it for you. Can’t do it? Then learn. Want my wife to teach you? No way, she’s too busy.”

Everyone: “…”

Wen Yue: “…”

Save me.

So embarrassing.

°.✩┈┈∘*┈˃̶୨୧˂̶┈*∘┈┈✩.°

Ayalee: Whoops! even I felt embarrassed for him >.<