Chapter 3

Wen Yue was unaware of Zhou Qingshan and his group were plotting against her. She and Zhou Yao were sitting face-to-face at the wooden table to eat. Just as Zhou Yao picked up his chopsticks to grab some food, Wen Yue suddenly stopped him: “Wait, didn’t you just handle the fire without washing your hands?”

“Washing hands is too much trouble,” Zhou Yao said, already picking up some food with his chopsticks and shoveling it into his mouth along with some rice. Perhaps because the food tasted very good and was very appetizing, his frown relaxed and his tone was not so bad.

Wen Yue frowned, “No, you must wash your hands. If you don’t wash your hands, there will be a lot of bacteria on your hands and you will get sick.”

Especially since his hands were so dirty! This was incredibly unhygienic!

“I’ve been eating like this for twenty years and have never gotten sick,” Zhou Yao glanced up at her, his tone indifferent. “Stop making a fuss and eat your food.”

Wen Yue put down her chopsticks, “I can’t eat if you don’t wash your hands.”

She herself is a germaphobe.

She had accepted the conditions of this era and endured them, but she couldn’t compromise on hygiene. Washing hands was not a difficult thing to do. It wouldn’t even take a minute to wash your hands, right?

“…”

“Wen Yue, do you always have to make trouble to feel at ease?” Zhou Yao was silent for a few seconds before forcefully throwing his chopsticks onto the table with a loud bang.

His dark, sharp eyes glared at her like knives, his face stern and impatient, exuding anger. His voice was rough and loud, “I don’t hit women, but don’t provoke me! I married a wife, not an ancestor.”

Wen Yue was startled, her petite and frail body trembled slightly, meeting Zhou Yao’s gaze in confusion.

…When did she make trouble?

Zhou Yao was clearly very angry. He suddenly stood up, the stool behind him scraping loudly against the floor as it was pushed away.

He looked down at Wen Yue, speaking unkindly, “It was your uncle who said you wanted to marry me. I asked you, and you told me you were willing.”

“You’ve been here for two days, crying every day and ignoring me. You didn’t tell me what was wrong when I asked you. If you didn’t want to get married, I wouldn’t force you to get married. Who are you trying to annoy by showing such a wronged look when you want to get married?”

“In the hospital, you said you wouldn’t act like before, and now you’re finding new ways to cause trouble? I’ve been alive for twenty years without washing my hands before eating, and I’m still here, aren’t I? I told you, if you don’t want to stay, you can leave. I’m not forcing you to stay.”

Zhou Yao cursed loudly, his dark brows furrowing tightly. The more he spoke, the angrier he became.

She felt wronged, but so did he.

He had planned to fulfill his grandmother’s last wish by marrying a wife. Instead, he brought home an ancestor who needed to be served. For the past few days, he had to prepare and deliver meals to her, and she ate while crying as if he had done something terrible to her.

Upon returning home, she said she wouldn’t cry anymore, but now she’s finding something else to fuss about. This kind of life is unbearable. Zhou Yao felt frustrated and thought it would have been better not to get married at all. After all, they hadn’t even registered their marriage, so it was as if it never happened.

Feeling irritated, Zhou Yao ran his hand through his hair.

Wen Yue was stunned. She had never been spoken to so harshly before, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears. She took a deep breath, trying to control the surge of emotions and prevent herself from crying, telling herself repeatedly, ‘Don’t get angry, don’t get angry, just pretend he’s talking nonsense.’

Even though she was trying to think this way, it was hard to control her emotions. Her nose turned red, her eyes were filled with tears, and her tightly pressed lips and the red corners of her eyes conveyed a sense of grievance.

Seeing her like this, Zhou Yao felt a headache coming on, thinking this delicate lady was probably going to cry again. Sure enough, the next moment, Wen Yue’s tears started falling like pearls from a broken necklace. She sniffed and looked at him with eyes as red as a rabbit’s, asking, “Why do you have to be so loud? So harsh? Can’t you speak nicely?”

Zhou Yao: “?”

“…You dare to ask me that.” Zhou Yao’s tone was cold and his voice still loud, “Crying, crying, crying! All you do is cry! What’s there to cry about!? Did I hit you or mistreat you?”

Wen Yue’s tears continued to fall: “You speak so harshly, it’s scary, and you’re not allowing me to cry?”

Zhou Yao laughed angrily, “So you’re saying this is my fault?”

Wen Yue didn’t respond, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, thinking it was definitely his fault for suddenly losing his temper and bringing up old grievances. All those things were done by the original Wen Yue, and had nothing to do with her. She had already told him in the hospital that she wouldn’t act that way anymore.

Although she knew she couldn’t entirely blame Zhou Yao, as he didn’t know she had changed, Wen Yue, feeling unfairly blamed, didn’t want to think about these complexities.

“Stop crying, your crying is giving me a headache.” Zhou Yao frowned deeply, feeling overwhelmed, and thought that if she continued crying, he would just leave to avoid the sight.

“Stop using foul language,” Wen Yue said, her tears still falling, but the sense of grievance had lessened. She looked at him with bright, tearful eyes.

Zhou Yao: “…”

With a hoarse voice, Wen Yue softly said, “Can we have a proper conversation? You sit down; my neck is getting tired from looking up at you.”

“Then stop crying. It gives me a headache just looking at you.” Zhou Yao said, somewhat reluctantly.

Wen Yue wiped her tears again and, with red eyes, sniffled, “I’m not crying anymore. Sit down.”

Zhou Yao sighed and, seeing that she had indeed stopped crying, reluctantly sat down, his tone impatient: “Okay, what do you want to talk about?”

“In the hospital, I wasn’t lying. I genuinely want to have a good life with you now. I promise I won’t be like before, crying all the time and ignoring you, but you have to agree to something,” Wen Yue said seriously, her long, thick eyelashes still clinging to tears, and her small face, flushed from crying, looked pitiful.

Zhou Yao feared she might start crying again as she spoke, but thankfully, that scene did not occur.

She spoke earnestly, “I hope you can follow my lead regarding hygiene at home, like washing rice before cooking and washing hands before meals. It’s simple, not difficult, and doesn’t take much time.”

Zhou Yao didn’t understand: “I’ve lived this way all along and have been fine. Why bother with such trouble?”

“But I have a cleanliness obsession. If things aren’t clean, I feel uncomfortable and distressed,” Wen Yue said pitifully, her eyes shimmering with tears. “If you also want to live a good life, could you agree to this?”

Zhou Yao raised an eyebrow: “What if I say no?”

“…”

Wen Yue was stunned.

Wen Yue was dumbfounded.

Wen Yue frowned and began to think.

If he didn’t agree…

After all, she couldn’t go back to her uncle’s house. The situation there would be even worse. In that case, they could eat separately in the future. As long as she didn’t see it, it would be fine. This could also be a solution.

“Are you planning to leave?” Zhou Yao asked with a sneer, “Don’t think about it. The betrothal gifts have already been given. If you leave, wouldn’t I be at a loss?”

“I never do business at a loss.”

If she could indeed stop crying all the time, he could agree to it. This ancestor may not be good at other things, but she is a good cook and the food is delicious.

Zhou Yao, recalling the taste of the stir-fried green peppers and mapo tofu he had just eaten, licked his lips, stood up, and said, “Alright, I’ll go wash my hands now.”

Wen Yue smiled: “Great, make sure to wash them thoroughly.”

Zhou Yao: “.”

A moment later, Zhou Yao returned, expressionless, shaking water from his hands, his tan skin slightly reddened, likely from scrubbing too hard. He stood beside Wen Yue, showing her his hands: “Are they clean enough now?”

Wen Yue took his fingers and carefully inspected them, including under the nails, nodding in satisfaction, her voice soft and gentle: “So clean, well done. Let’s eat.”

There was still a lingering sensation from her soft touch on his fingertips. Zhou Yao unconsciously rubbed his fingers together, then realized his action was strange and pursed his lips, returning to his seat with a cold expression.

The two of them ate in silence.

The big meat bun she had eaten in the morning had not been fully digested yet, so she was not very hungry. Wen Yue ate half a bowl and then put down her chopsticks.

Zhou Yao looked up at her: “Not eating anymore?”

“I’m full,” Wen Yue replied obediently. “The meat buns in the morning were too big; I’m not very hungry and really can’t eat more.”

Zhou Yao scoffed: “You’ve got a cat-sized stomach.”

The room fell silent again, with only the sound of Zhou Yao eating.

…

In the neighboring hall, Lin Fang was straining her ears to listen but couldn’t hear anything. She pursed her lips and said, “It’s only been a short while, and the two of them are arguing again. I don’t think their relationship is that good. But that’s normal. Zhou Yao’s temper is so bad, no one can stand it.”

“Poor Wen Yue, she’s a very good girl.” Liu Cuicui sighed with pity, “If the other villagers knew, they’d definitely feel sorry for her too.”

Lin Fang looked excited. She was determined to spread this around the village. Zhou Yao had such a bad reputation in the village, and at least half of the credit was due to her.