Chapter 32.1

When they arrived home, Zhou Jianghai and Lin Fang were still arguing.

Lin Fang’s sharp, hoarse voice brought back Wen Yue’s morning memories. Thinking of Lin Fang’s manic appearance earlier, she turned to Zhou Yao to complain.

She didn’t want to experience that again, it was too terrifying.

Zhou Yao frowned, his thick black brows knitting together. He replied in a deep voice, “I understand. There won’t be a next time.”

Wen Yue trusted Zhou Yao completely. If he said there wouldn’t be a next time, then there definitely wouldn’t be. She smiled, her eyes curving up.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was the day of Sun Xiang’s funeral.

Wen Yue and Zhou Yao woke up early, washed up, and brought boiled eggs to the village entrance, where they met up with Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao. The four of them took a tricycle to the county town and then caught a bus to the city.

Since Sun Xiang had a transport team, many people attended the funeral.

At the courtyard where they had previously visited, two white lanterns hung at the entrance. The mourners coming and going all wore expressions of sorrow.

Wen Yue glanced at the coffin in the main hall, then followed Zhou Yao and solemnly bowed.

“Zhou Yao.”

Just as they finished bowing, a man in his thirties called out Zhou Yao’s name. He held a cigarette between his fingers and his gaze swept over Wen Yue, smiling to reveal yellowed teeth from frequent smoking.

The smile made Wen Yue feel a bit uncomfortable, so she instinctively moved behind Zhou Yao.

“Brother Hai.” Zhou Yao noticed Wen Yue’s evasive movement and looked at the man, shifting slightly to shield her completely. His tone was flat as he asked, “What’s the matter?”

“This is your wife? She’s quite pretty,” Brother Hai said with a grin. When he met Zhou Yao’s sharp, cold gaze and recalled his muscular build, he quickly coughed a couple of times to change the subject. “I wanted to discuss something with you, but it’s too crowded here. Let’s chat over there?”

Zhou Yao was disinterested. “Just say it here.”

Brother Hai’s smile faded a bit as he narrowed his eyes. “It’s about Shencheng. Let’s talk over there.”

“Fine, Yeliang, you go talk to Brother Hai,” Zhou Yao replied dismissively, nodding toward Ren Yeliang.

Brother Hai was said to be the second-in-command of the transport team, named Gao Fuhai, and he had just turned thirty this year. With Sun Xiang gone, the transport team would fall under his management. If Zhou Yao and the others wanted to continue transporting goods to Shencheng, they would indeed need to talk to him.

However, Zhou Yao found this person unpleasant and didn’t want to interact with him too much.

Gao Fuhai had a murky relationship with Sun Xiang’s second wife. Zhou Yao had seen them together several times and had even mentioned it to Sun Xiang, but he had never believed him. Just at the funeral, he had also seen Gao Fuhai flirting with Sun Xiang’s second wife in a corner.

“Alright,” Ren Yeliang cheerfully agreed and stepped forward to link arms with Gao Fuhai. “Brother Hai, don’t take it to heart. My sister-in-law is a bit shy, and with so many people here, my brother needs to stay with her. Just understand, and if there’s anything, you can talk to me.”

Ren Yeliang noticed Gao Fuhai’s expression wasn’t very pleasant, so he explained cheerfully on Zhou Yao’s behalf. After all, they would need his help to transport goods in the future, so their relationship couldn’t become too strained.

He was skilled at handling such social interaction, pulling out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket and handing them to Gao Fuhai.

“…Alright.” Gao Fuhai forced a smile.

Wen Yue tugged at Zhou Yao’s sleeve and whispered, “Maybe you should go instead. He seems a bit angry. What if he makes things difficult for you and refuses to transport your goods?”

“It’s fine.” Zhou Yao smiled, his deep voice carrying a soothing tone.

Before long, Ren Yeliang returned, his expression clearly not good.

Zhou Yao noticed him about to speak and preemptively said, “Let’s talk about it later.”

Ren Yeliang had no choice but to close his mouth.

Sun Xiang’s funeral was very grand, with a long procession, making it quite a scene. The coffin was buried at the appointed time, and the guests returned to the courtyard to eat. The meals prepared for the mourners were quite abundant, though mostly vegetarian.

Wen Yue noticed that the people who had looked so sorrowful earlier were now chatting happily with those around them during the meal.

The man named Gao Fuhai was surrounded by many people, evidently replacing Sun Xiang as the center of attention.

Wen Yue didn’t have much of an appetite. She simply ate a couple of bites before putting down her chopsticks.

“Not tasty?” Zhou Yao leaned closer and asked quietly.

Wen Yue sighed. “No, it’s just that I’m not hungry.”

Zhou Yao frowned slightly. “Not feeling well?”

“No,” Wen Yue shook her head and leaned in to whisper, “I just feel that these people aren’t here sincerely to mourn Uncle Sun…”

Worried about being overheard, Wen Yue and Zhou Yao leaned in closely, almost touching faces.

Zhou Yao raised an eyebrow slightly, turning to look at his petite wife. Just as he was about to speak, the water cup of the person next to him tipped over, and he instinctively stood up to avoid it, bumping into Zhou Yao.

Zhou Yao was jolted forward a bit, his thin lips pressing against Wen Yue’s soft cheek, his body stiffening as his mind went blank, overwhelmed by a rush of thoughts.

Wen Yue also felt something soft and slightly wet against her face. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and met Zhou Yao’s dazed gaze, her face stunned.

“…”

“…”

“Someone bumped into me just now.” It took Zhou Yao two or three seconds to regain his senses. He moved his head back instinctively to explain.

Wen Yue’s cheeks turned slightly red. “It’s fine.” It was just a kiss on the cheek, not a kiss on the lips. There was no need to be so shy.

That’s what she thought, but she couldn’t help feeling her cheeks heat up, turning increasingly red.

Zhou Yao silently continued eating, appearing completely normal. However, his gaze was unfocused, and he touched his lips, a glint of amusement flickering in his dark, deep eyes.

After finishing the meal, they stayed for a while before heading home. After a whole day of holding back, Ren Yeliang finally had a chance to speak. He usually wore a smile, but now he looked furious, cursing, “Brother, that Gao Fuhai is really not a good person.”

“Uncle Sun treated us so well! When transporting goods from Shencheng, he only charged a little for long-distance fees. That Gao Fuhai not only wants to charge for the transportation fee but also extra fees for each item. He says it so nicely, claiming that we are already getting the lowest rates, while others pay twice as much!”

Ren Yeliang vented his anger.

Zhou Yao’s expression remained calm, as if he had anticipated this.

“Brother, why don’t we just go to Shencheng to buy our own goods?” After venting, Ren Yeliang shifted the topic, his eyes shining as he looked over. He chuckled, “I really want to go to Shencheng to take a look.”

Zhou Yao subconsciously glanced at the petite figure beside him and frowned, “We’ll talk about it later.”

Again with the “we’ll talk about it later.”

“Brother, if you’re really worried about sister-in-law, why don’t you let her come with us?” Ren Yeliang muttered quietly.

Zhou Yao shot him a warning look.

Ren Yeliang immediately fell silent.

Wen Yue’s ears were fine, and she naturally heard Ren Yeliang’s words. She looked at Zhou Yao and poked his arm. “If you want to go, just go. I won’t mind.”

A man like Zhou Yao, with his personality, would definitely not be content with the status quo and would want to venture out. Wen Yue understood and would support him, even though she herself was more laid-back and wouldn’t expect Zhou Yao to be the same.

“Will you come with me?” Zhou Yao looked at her with furrowed brows.

Wen Yue blinked. “No, I wouldn’t be able to help you at all.” Besides, the green train ride was tiring. She didn’t want to go.

“Let’s talk about it later.” Zhou Yao stuck to his phrase. Seeing the raised brow of Wen Yue, he added, “Once you go back to school, I want to spend more time with you during this period, is that alright?”

His voice was low and deep, with a magnetic tone.

Wen Yue stuttered, “…Okay.”

That voice was a bit too alluring!

Ren Yeliang, who had been completely ignored, couldn’t help but interject, “I think it’s a good idea too. Sister-in-law, you’ll probably need to live on campus when you go back to school, right? Why not rent a place in the county? Lulu will also need to go to school. Renting a place in the county would be convenient. We can bring Grandma Fang over, and there’s no need to travel back and forth every day.”

“Renting a place? That could work.” Wen Yue considered what Ren Yeliang said.

The dormitory conditions at that time surely weren’t great. If there were many people in the dorm, it might be better to rent a place near the school.

Ren Yeliang chuckled, “Sister-in-law, you think it’s a good idea too? Sister-in-law, you’re simply the most understanding and kind-hearted sister-in-law in the world.”

As long as my sister-in-law agreed, my brother would definitely agree too!

Shencheng, the place he had longed to see, would finally be within reach!

By the time they returned to the village, it was already dark.

Wen Yue and Zhou Yao bid farewell to Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao, saying they would see each other tomorrow, then split off at a fork in the road, walking back home along the path through the fields.

As soon as they reached the courtyard gate, they saw Zhou Jianghai angrily striding out, the red scratches on his neck particularly eye-catching.

“Zhou Jianghai, you go! If you have the guts, don’t come back! If you have the ability, don’t want this family!!!” Lin Fang’s voice was hoarse and piercing.

Wen Yue asked, “What’s going on?”

Zhou Yao pulled her inside and explained slowly, “Zhou Jianghai paid the medical and hospitalization fees for the Li family.”

Wen Yue understood, realizing why the Li family hadn’t caused trouble the day before. It was because Zhou Jianghai had paid them off. “Didn’t your second uncle discuss this with your second aunt?”

Zhou Yao raised an eyebrow. “If he had discussed it, would she have reacted this way?”

Wen Yue thought about it and agreed.