Chapter 37.1

“It’s me.”

Zhou Yao’s voice sounded even deeper and more magnetic through the receiver, sending a shiver through Wen Yue. She instinctively scratched her earlobe, her heart inexplicably racing, and her lips opened and closed: “…How’s Shencheng?”

“Did you miss me?”

The two spoke simultaneously.

Wen Yue froze, momentarily speechless.

“Wen Yue.” Zhou Yao waited for two seconds, not hearing a response. He patiently asked again, calling her name softly, “Did you miss me?”

Wen Yue subconsciously glanced at the shopkeeper chatting nearby. Although she knew the woman couldn’t hear her, her face still involuntarily turned red: “…Yes.”

She closed her eyes, her voice barely above a whisper.

Zhou Yao said, “I didn’t catch that. What did you say?”

Wen Yue frowned, “If you didn’t hear it, then let’s not talk about it.”

“Ah, your temper is pretty big. My bad,” Zhou Yao replied with a laugh after taking a deep breath. Hearing the answer he wanted made him feel pleased, and he replied honestly, “There are a lot of people in Shencheng. The night market here is bustling. I’ll bring you here to have some fun when the New Year comes.”

Wen Yue’s face was still flushed as she tightened her grip on the receiver, reminding him, “You all need to pay attention to safety while you’re there. Don’t act impulsively. Think things through, okay?”

Zhou Yao replied, “Alright, I know.”

Wen Yue added, “I have to go back to the village this week. It’s my parents’ memorial day.”

Zhou Yao frowned, “Why didn’t you say so earlier?” As her man, he should accompany her during such a time!

Wen Yue felt a little guilty. She couldn’t very well admit that she had forgotten about it.

“It’s fine. We can go back together another time,” she said, twisting the phone cord to change the subject. “Keep telling me about Shencheng. I have to go back to class after chatting for a while.”

Zhou Yao could see through her intentions: “Alright, I’ll tell you.”

The two chatted for nearly ten minutes, with Zhou Yao promising to call at the same time every day. After they settled on this arrangement, Wen Yue hung up and paid the shopkeeper for the call.

The shopkeeper smiled and teased her, “You were chatting with your man, right? Ah, you two are such a sweet couple.”

Wen Yue bit her lip and smiled shyly.

After talking to Zhou Yao, Wen Yue’s mood noticeably improved. For the next few days, she would wait at the small shop at the designated time for his call. Until Friday noon, she told Zhou Yao that she would be going back to the village for the next two days, so they wouldn’t be able to chat on the phone.

Wen Yue returned on Saturday morning with Grandma Fang and Lulu. After taking a bus to the village entrance, she first accompanied Grandma Fang back home for lunch before heading to the Zhou family courtyard.

It had been over a month since she last returned, and the Zhou family courtyard had become quite dirty.

Lin Fang was not a diligent person to begin with, and when Wen Yue and Zhou Yao were around, Zhou Yao would often sweep up the chicken and duck droppings from their side. So, Lin Fang and Liu Cuicui had no choice but to hold their noses and clean up.

However, once Wen Yue and Zhou Yao left, the two of them immediately revealed their true colors.

Wen Yue frowned as she carefully tiptoed through the courtyard, pulling out her keys to open the door. As she was unlocking it, she noticed that the key seemed to have scratches on it.

Pushing the door open, she found a thin layer of dust had accumulated inside. The wooden door stirred up the dust, causing Wen Yue to cough a couple of times. She covered her nose and stepped back, then opened the kitchen door, taking out a basin and a rag to clean up their room a bit.

She was busy until around four or five in the afternoon when she went out toward Grandma Fang’s house.

She planned to have dinner at Grandma Fang’s, wash up, and then head straight to bed. Primarily, she wanted to avoid Second Uncle Zhou and Third Uncle Zhou’s families. If they found out Zhou Yao hadn’t come back with her, they might come looking for trouble.

So, after having dinner and washing up, she went back to sleep, intending to wake up early the next day to pay respects to her parents, emphasizing the importance of avoiding peak hours.

Wen Yue felt quite clever about her plan. After eating and washing, she declined Grandma Fang’s invitation to stay over and used a flashlight to make her way home. When she arrived at the courtyard, she found that Lin Fang and Liu Cuicui had indeed already gone to bed.

She quietly opened and closed the door, locking it behind her as she got into bed.

The weather had started to cool down, so there was no need to put down the mosquito net. She covered herself with a quilt, turned off the light, and closed her eyes to sleep.

Probably due to drinking too much water that evening, Wen Yue woke up with an urgent need to relieve herself. After holding it for a while and feeling that she couldn’t hold on any longer, she sighed and got out of bed, grabbing the flashlight from the table and heading toward the outdoor toilet.

No matter how long she stayed there, she could never quite adapt to using the outdoor toilet in the countryside.

With a surge of energy, Wen Yue rushed to the toilet, holding her breath as she quickly finished her business and hurried out. Just as she reached the corner, she saw a figure sneaking out from the courtyard, stealthily making their way along the path.

She immediately recognized that it was Zhou Jianghai.

How strange, it was barely past two in the morning. Where could Second Uncle be going at this hour? Curious, Wen Yue glanced a few more times until he was out of sight before heading back to bed.

The next day, Wen Yue woke up very early, bringing along the offerings she had prepared ahead of time as she followed the path up the mountain in her memory. In the village, people were buried on the nearby mountains after they died, so there were many graves on the mountain, many of which were covered in wild grass, making them hard to spot if one wasn’t careful.

Wen Yue walked cautiously, afraid of stepping on someone’s grave. After having died once and then crossing over, she had a certain respect for these spiritual matters.

The wild grass along the path was quite thick, and it took her about half an hour to reach her destination. The two graves of her original parents were tightly nestled together, and the grass on them had grown rather deep. When she arrived, she brought along a sickle, just as the original owner had done during previous visits, and cleared away the weeds.

Looking at the graves before her, Wen Yue recalled the original owner’s actions and cleared her throat, murmuring, “Dad, Mom, you don’t have to worry. I’m doing very well now. I’ve married Zhou Yao from the village, and he treats me very well. I’m back in school, studying in my senior year. I’ll be able to take the college entrance exam next year…”

As she spoke about the events of this period, she burned some joss paper, waiting until the paper had completely burned and the flames were extinguished before she happily made her way back down the mountain.

Just as she was about to reach the foot of the mountain, she unexpectedly ran into Wen Guoqiang and Li Huahong.

Both were holding incense boxes and joss paper, looking like they were also headed up the mountain to pay respects. The three of them froze for a moment upon seeing each other.

“Xiao Yue, you’re back to pay respects to your parents?” Wen Guoqiang was the first to recover, greeting her with a smile, as if the previous unpleasantness had never happened: “I heard from Xiaoyu that you’ve gone back to school? You’re in senior year now, right? Can you keep up with the pace? You didn’t finish your first two years and jumped straight to senior year. Isn’t that… What’s the saying? ‘Pulling seedlings to help them grow’? You’ve gone back to study, but it might be better to start from the beginning. Don’t rush it.”

Wen Guoqiang spoke earnestly. If one didn’t already know what kind of person he was, it would be easy to be deceived into thinking he was a kind and considerate elder.

Wen Yue smiled slightly but said nothing.

“Haha, some people just aren’t very bright. They think too highly of themselves, really believing they’re something special. Getting into university isn’t that easy! Unlike our Xiaoyu, who always ranks among the top in her exams. The teachers all say she will definitely get into university…”

Li Huahong added sarcastically, eyeing Wen Yue disdainfully.

Wen Yue looked at the things in her hand and smiled, “Auntie, since you enjoy talking so much, why don’t I go with you to my parents’ graves? You can talk slowly there. Just so happens that Grandma and Grandpa’s graves are over there as well. Let them see how you treat me. I wonder if Grandma will come to haunt you in a dream tonight to chat.”

She really hated this aunt more than she did Zhou Yao’s second aunt.

Upon hearing this, Li Huahong’s expression soured, looking as if she had just eaten a fly. She pouted and was about to curse when she was interrupted by Wen Guoqiang.

“Look at what you’ve turned into! If you don’t want to go, just go home. Can’t you see today is the memorial day for your brother and sister? Why are you putting on such a face?” Wen Guoqiang scolded without any politeness, snatching the joss paper from Li Huahong’s hands, his face darkened. “Go home!”

Wen Yue couldn’t be bothered to watch them put on an act and walked around them.

Li Huahong, holding her breath, said, “Look at her. She’s acting like this when we’re her elders. How can she speak to her elders like that?”

Wen Guoqiang felt a headache coming on. “Alright, just say a little less. She’s already married off and doesn’t bother you. Just try not to be so sharp-tongued every time you see her. After all, she’s my brother’s only daughter.”

Seeing that Wen Guoqiang’s expression was genuinely displeased, Li Huahong bit her lip and held back her words, but she was still mumbling in her heart. Just because Wen Yue was her brother-in-law’s daughter, she couldn’t stand the sight of her. Ever since their mother-in-law was still around, she treated her brother-in-law’s family much better, and that resentment had been building up for a long time.

Wen Yue first went to Grandma Fang’s house. After having lunch, it wasn’t long before Li Nianqiu brought her sister over. The few girls moved stools to sit in the small courtyard, enjoying the sun while munching on snacks and chatting.

By mid-October, the weather had turned cool, and the sun was no longer as scorching as before.

“By the way, last night when I finished using the toilet and came out, I saw Zhou Yao’s second uncle sneaking out,” Wen Yue leaned back in her chair, recalling what she had seen last night, feeling curious. “It was barely past two in the morning.”

Li Nianqiu raised an eyebrow. “Maybe it was something urgent?”

Beside them, Li Xiangdong wore a strange expression, her clothes revealing her hesitation.

“What’s wrong?” Li Nianqiu noticed. “If you have something to say, just say it.”

“I saw Zhou Yao’s second uncle coming out of Widow Liu’s house last time,” Li Xiangdong said slowly.

Mentioning Widow Liu caused Li Nianqiu’s expression to change slightly. Widow Liu had a bad reputation in Hongshan Village.

Wen Yue quickly searched her memories, recalling information related to Widow Liu. Widow Liu’s husband was from Hongshan Village, and she had been bought by him. They had only been married for a short while when he passed away unexpectedly, leaving her pregnant for less than two months at the time.

Widow Liu’s in-laws had also passed away early, leaving her as the last remaining family member. The village head, seeing that she was carrying the only bloodline of her husband’s family, allowed the villagers to take care of her and her child.

Later, when Widow Liu gave birth to a son, the villagers cared for her even more.

However, her reputation in the village continued to decline because many had seen men coming out of her house, often leaving money with her. What could a lone man and woman do together in one room, especially with money involved?

As a result, married men in the village were warned by their wives not to associate with Widow Liu.

Wen Yue’s eyes widened. “Is that true?”

Li Xiangdong silently nodded. “It is. I’ve seen it three or four times.”

“Three or four times, and second aunt hasn’t discovered it?” Wen Yue gasped, completely shocked that the seemingly honest and simple second uncle would do such a thing. No wonder second aunt hadn’t found out. Who would have suspected that he would secretly meet Widow Liu in the middle of the night!

Li Xiangdong continued, “And Widow Liu might be pregnant. The last time I came back from gathering firewood, I saw Zhou Yao’s second uncle at Widow Liu’s door, touching her belly and saying something about the baby…”

Li Nianqiu asked, “Did they see you?”

Li Xiangdong shook her head. “No.”

“Well, that’s good,” Li Nianqiu relaxed a bit. “It’s better not to get involved in this kind of thing.”

Wen Yue nodded in agreement.

She had a feeling that the Zhou family was about to face some trouble, but this matter had little to do with her and Zhou Yao. When the time came, she would just stay in the county and not return. They wouldn’t be able to drag her into it.

When they returned to the county in the afternoon, Wen Yue immediately went to the small shop to call Zhou Yao. However, the shopkeeper who answered the phone told her that Zhou Yao and the others had gone somewhere else and left a message for her not to worry.

Wen Yue sighed in disappointment after hanging up.