Chapter 34.1

Zhou Yao took two cold showers before finally calming down. Bare-chested and heavy-footed, he re-entered the room. Wen Yue was sprawled out on the bed, as if the whole bed belonged to her, leaving no room for anyone else.

“Tsk…”

Zhou Yao clicked his tongue softly, staring at the little figure on the bed for about ten seconds. He narrowed his eyes and took two steps forward to the bedside. Gently pushing aside the limbs that had taken over his spot, he climbed onto the bed. With a long arm, he scooped Wen Yue directly into his embrace.

He let her head rest on his arm and held her tightly, trapping her mischievous legs between his own.

The restrictive feeling made Wen Yue frown and struggle a bit, making soft whimpering noises. But Zhou Yao’s strong arm was not something she could push away with her slight strength. After a long while without breaking free, she had to give up and find a comfortable position on her own to continue sleeping.

Satisfied, Zhou Yao closed his eyes peacefully.

…

School started early at 6:30 AM, and Wen Yue woke up at 5:00 AM.

Going to bed early and waking up early, Wen Yue rubbed her eyes twice. She suddenly felt that the touch on her cheek was off—it was warm and soft, but not too soft.

Instinctively, she rubbed her cheek against it again and felt something hard.

Wen Yue opened her eyes in confusion. The moon outside was already covered by clouds, and the room was dimly lit, only allowing her to see vague outlines. In front of her seemed to be a wall—a wall of flesh.

Her eyes met a solid, taut chest. Her gaze moved upwards to see a sexy Adam’s apple and then downwards to clearly defined abs, gently rising and falling with each breath. They looked very nice to touch.

Wen Yue’s mind stalled: “…?”

What was this? A man’s body? Was she still dreaming?

She slowly, very slowly, blinked her eyes and moved a little, only to find her legs tightly held in place. She managed to pull out her hand and poked the chest in front of her twice.

It was very elastic, felt great, and was a bit warm.

Wen Yue happily poked it twice more, but the chest suddenly became hard. She raised her eyes and met Zhou Yao’s dark, deep gaze, which seemed to contain a swirling black storm, both fierce and intense.

“Morning,” Wen Yue said awkwardly, withdrawing her hand and blinking her eyes in embarrassment. “Are you awake too? Did I sleep badly again last night?” Otherwise, why would he be holding her so tightly that she couldn’t move?

Zhou Yao raised his eyebrows, the sleepiness in his eyes gradually giving way to clarity. His dark eyes continued to stare intently at Wen Yue as he asked, “What do you think?”

“Probably not very well,” Wen Yue said, wiggling her feet and blinking. “I need to get up…”

Zhou Yao didn’t move.

Wen Yue swallowed: “I have to go to class…”

Only then did Zhou Yao release his legs.

Wen Yue sat up with a swoosh, climbed over Zhou Yao, put on her shoes, and hopped out of the room.

Watching Wen Yue’s flustered back, Zhou Yao curled his lips into a smile, crossed his hands behind his head, and let out a long sigh.

…

Just as Wen Yue finished washing up, Zhou Yao came out of the room, yawning, and sat in front of the earthen stove to light a fire. “Noodles or eggs?”

“I want sweet potato porridge,” Wen Yue answered softly, blinking her moist eyes. Eating noodles every day could easily become boring, especially without any meat sauce.

Maybe she could make a pot of meat sauce on the weekend?

But with the hot weather, it wouldn’t last long, and they didn’t have a refrigerator…

“After we sell everything and share the profits with Nianqiu, shall we buy a refrigerator?” Wen Yue suggested it to Zhou Yao, who was washing rice.

Zhou Yao raised an eyebrow. “A refrigerator?”

“Yes.” Wen Yue nodded. “With a refrigerator, I can make more buns and dumplings, store them inside, and keep them for a long time.”

Zhou Yao responded without hesitation, “Alright, we’ll buy one.”

After breakfast, Wen Yue said goodbye to Zhou Yao and headed to school with her backpack. The sky was still dim, and the streets were filled with students going to their early classes. Wen Yue felt as if she had returned to her high school days in her previous life.

When she arrived at the classroom, Li Nianqiu was, as usual, sitting at her desk reading.

“Nianqiu, good morning,” Wen Yue greeted.

Li Nianqiu looked up from her book and smiled, “Good morning.”

There was no teacher for the early class. However, in this era, the desire for a university education was much stronger than in later generations, so the students focused on their textbooks without needing supervision.

The morning classes ended, and it was time for lunch and a nap.

Wen Yue wanted to wash her hair. After having lunch with Li Nianqiu in the cafeteria, she returned to the small courtyard in the alley to boil water. Zhou Yao wasn’t home at that moment; he was probably still setting up his stall on South Street.

While waiting for the water to boil, Wen Yue also made some dough. After washing her hair, she let it dry while she rolled out hand-made noodles. Before leaving, she covered the rolled noodles with an enamel basin and left a note on the table.

…

Zhou Yao was setting up his stall on South Street. Today wasn’t a market day, so the market was mostly populated by young people around lunchtime.

As he waited, a group of female workers arrived at noon, their eyes lighting up when they saw his stall.

“He’s here today! He’s setting up the stall today!”

“I thought I wouldn’t be able to buy it. That necklace is so beautiful. I would have been upset for a long time if I missed it.”

“The other day, Cuicui from the neighboring group was flaunting her necklace and bracelet in front of me every day, as if nobody else could afford them. Hmph! If I hadn’t taken a day off that day, I would have bought them first…”

“The stall owner is really handsome!”

Zhou Yao calmly attended to the excited customers. Unlike Ren Yeliang, he wasn’t very talkative. He simply said they could try on the jewelry and then stood aside with his arms crossed, watching the girls chatter excitedly.

While this group was still there, another group of younger people, who looked like students, arrived at the market entrance. Among them was a familiar face.

“He’s here today! Hurry up, there are so many people, let’s go quickly!”

“What are you buying today, necklaces or hairpins? My dad gave me some pocket money to buy a necklace for my mom, so I might get a bracelet for myself too!”

“I’m buying a necklace. I’ve saved up my pocket money for a long time~”

Wen Xiaoyu smiled. “I’ll buy a pair of hairpins.”

When they reached the stall, their eyes were immediately drawn to the necklaces, bracelets, and hairpins on display.

Zhou Yao said in a deep voice, “You can try them on.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Wen Xiaoyu paused in her selection of hairpins and looked up to see Zhou Yao taking money from another customer.

His well-defined jawline was handsome and rugged, his eyebrows were deep-set, and his thin lips were slightly pursed. Wearing a black shirt, he looked less roguish and more refined, with an air of aloofness that made him particularly attractive.

“Zhou Yao?” Wen Xiaoyu was stunned for two seconds. She had been so focused on chatting with her friends when they came in that she hadn’t noticed it was Zhou Yao running the stall.

So these necklaces, bracelets and hairpins on the stall are all Zhou Yao’s?

Wen Xiaoyu glanced at the glittering accessories on the stall and felt a surge of thoughts. However, she wasn’t sure if Zhou Yao would pay attention to her, given his usual demeanor, so she held back and continued picking out her favorite accessories with her friends.

“Xiaoyu, what do you think of this necklace?” Her friend held up a pearl necklace.

Wen Xiaoyu glanced at it. “Mm-hmm, it’s beautiful!”

Her friend was delighted. “Then I’ll choose this one for my mom! Boss, I’ll buy this one. Can I pick a bracelet too?”

Zhou Yao shifted his gaze over, took the money from the girl, and said, “Sure, pick from here.” His eyes didn’t linger on Wen Xiaoyu, treating her like a stranger.

Wen Xiaoyu felt uncomfortable again.

“Xiaoyu, have you picked yours?” Her friend asked, happily putting on a red string bracelet.

Wen Xiaoyu mumbled, picking up the pair of hairpins with tassels she had her eye on. “These, I think they’re pretty.”

Her friend nodded. “They are! I was torn between these and the one I bought.”

“Then I’ll buy these.” Wen Xiaoyu looked at Zhou Yao, smiling and deliberately softening her voice. “Zhou Yao, how much for these hairpins?”

Zhou Yao replied coolly, “Three yuan.”

“Zhou Yao, did you buy all these?” Wen Xiaoyu handed over the three yuan, smiling. “Where did you get them?”

The other girls also looked over curiously.

Zhou Yao clicked his tongue. “The goods are imported from Shencheng.”

Wen Xiaoyu was surprised. “You went to Shencheng?”

Zhou Yao ignored her and turned to take more money.

“Xiaoyu, you know this boss?” Her friend poked her shoulder, sounding envious. “I think he’s really handsome, just like a star on a poster. Who is he to you?”

Wen Xiaoyu’s eyes twinkled, feeling a surge of pride from her friend’s envy. “Oh, he’s from my village. Our parents are good friends, and we were even betrothed as kids…”

Her friend gasped. “So you’re getting married?”

Wen Xiaoyu’s face stiffened. “No, I don’t like him. Our engagement doesn’t count. When I get into university, I’ll marry a university student.”

“But he’s really handsome.”

Wen Xiaoyu replied, “There are handsome guys in college too. What’s the use of just having a good-looking face? He only went to elementary school.”

Her friend sighed in disappointment, “Oh? That’s too bad.” Only having an elementary school education was quite low. Even if they didn’t get into college, their futures were still bright as high school graduates!