Chapter 39.2

In the morning self-study, everyone came in earlier and returned later in the evening.

Amidst this tense atmosphere, only Wen Yue and Li Nianqiu felt relaxed, arriving on time, eating when they needed to, drinking when they wanted, and resting when they felt like it.

On weekends, Li Nianqiu often brought Li Xiangdong to the small courtyard for meals, and sometimes they would even stay overnight.

“Did Second Uncle Zhou and Second Aunt really get divorced?” Previously, the matter between Lin Fang and Zhou Jianghai also came to an end. The two had quarreled for over half a month, and despite the relatives’ attempts to mediate, Zhou Jianghai was adamant about the divorce.

Since Wen Yue hadn’t returned to the village since the last time she honored her parents, she had to rely on Li Nianqiu for all the gossip.

As the weather grew colder, they no longer discussed gossip outside in the courtyard; instead, they sat around the stove in the room, eating roasted sweet potatoes and enjoying the gossip, which was quite comfortable.

Li Nianqiu took a bite of the sweet, soft potato and nodded. “They divorced. Uncle Zhou was very insistent. Even Lin Fang’s family came over, but it didn’t help. Lin Fang got beaten a few times by her family during this period.”

Wen Yue blinked, “Lin Fang doesn’t want to get divorced?”

Li Nianqiu chuckled, “Of course she doesn’t. The kids are so big now. They’re about to enjoy their lives. She must feel it’s a loss to get divorced now. Besides, if she goes back to her family after the divorce, life will definitely be hard for her. A divorce means losing face in the village.”

Wen Yue sighed.

Li Nianqiu changed the subject, “By the way, how’s your man doing in Shencheng? Haven’t you two been in touch lately?”

“Less contact,” Wen Yue said as she peeled the sweet potato skin, her tone indifferent. “He seems really busy lately. The last time he called was a week ago, and he didn’t say much about what he was doing, just that he was following someone around.”

Li Nianqiu raised an eyebrow. “Maybe he’s afraid you’d worry?”

Wen Yue poked a hole in the sweet potato and muttered, “Why would I worry about him?”

“Tsk, you’re being coy,” Li Nianqiu laughed, quickly noticing her poor mood. She comforted, “It’s normal to be busy during the startup phase. Isn’t he coming back for the New Year? There’s less than two months left until the New Year; it’ll be here soon.”

Wen Yue finished the sweet potato in her hand, wiped her hands, and sighed again.

Li Nianqiu laughed, “Thinking about him?”

At this moment, Wen Yue didn’t feel shy at all. She raised her eyebrows and nodded, admitting, “Yeah, I do miss him.”

This was the first time they had been apart for such a long time.

“I’ve always wanted to ask you, what kind of feelings do you have for Zhou Yao? Have you really fallen for him?” Li Nianqiu curiously asked.

Wen Yue was silent for a few seconds, her small, fair face nestled in her collar, making her look even more delicate. A hint of nostalgia and tenderness showed in her eyes as they curved into crescents. She whispered, “Zhou Yao is quite likable.”

Li Nianqiu: “???”

Zhou Yao, likable?

That was definitely the funniest joke she had ever heard! Oh, if the villagers heard that, they would probably find it funny too.

Looking at the smile on Wen Yue’s face, she realized: “So this is what they mean by ‘beauty in the eyes of the beholder,’ huh? Got it.” The power of love was indeed great.

She hoped she wouldn’t become like that in the future.

Hmm, men only slow down her pace of making money. She wasn’t interested in men; she just wanted to make a lot, a lot of money!

“Ah-choo—”

Wearing a hard hat, Zhou Yao turned his head and sneezed, offering an apologetic smile to the middle-aged man beside him, “Sorry, the weather has been so unpredictable lately. I might have caught a cold.”

“Ah, it’s normal,” the middle-aged man waved his hand dismissively and said, “You’re still getting used to life in Shencheng. Once you get used to it, it’ll be fine. The weather in Shencheng is like this every winter—hot enough to wear short sleeves during the day and cold enough to wear three layers of clothing at night.”

Zhou Yao’s clothes were covered in dust as he held a blueprint in his hands, keeping a low profile. “Brother Cheng, this place…”

“…”

“Brother!” Ren Yeliang, wearing a hard hat, ran over with a dusty face, looking upset. “How long do we have to keep this up? This old guy won’t teach us anything!”

Zhou Yao remained calm. “Just bear with it a little longer. If he doesn’t teach me, I can learn by myself. During this time, I’ve followed him to a few places, and I’ve picked up quite a bit.”

“Brother, that blueprint looks all messy; I can’t understand it at all.” Ren Yeliang gave him a thumbs-up, showering him with praise.

Zhou Yao patted him on the head, “If you have time to flatter me, hurry up and learn those simple tasks. When we take on projects and hire people, you and Old Fang will have to help me keep an eye on things; I can’t manage everything alone.”

Ren Yeliang grinned, his face covered in dust, making his teeth look exceptionally white. “Don’t worry, brother, I can learn this stuff.”

“How’s Old Fang’s health?”

“Much better. He’ll be back to work tomorrow.”

Zhou Yao lowered his eyes. “No rush, let him rest a few more days. Health is the foundation of our work. He needs to recover well because we’ll need you both a lot in the future, and we can’t afford any mishaps.”

Ren Yeliang readily agreed.

After arriving in Shencheng, they split up to gather information. Within a couple of days, Zhou Yao brought the two of them into this construction team to do some very simple labor. Zhou Yao was smart, quickly picking up new skills and enduring hardships well. Because of this, the team leader, the middle-aged man from before, was willing to take him along for technical work.

This team leader was also sly, only teaching Zhou Yao some basic techniques and withholding the more difficult parts. But this didn’t bother Zhou Yao. If he wasn’t taught, he could learn by observation.

He could already understand the blueprints.

Shencheng was developing rapidly, with land being leased out. Several places in Shencheng had been leased and were being used to build houses for sale.

Zhou Yao believed this venture could be very profitable. He wanted to learn all the trades within the construction team, gather people, form his own construction crew, lease land, and build houses himself.

…

“Brother, are you thinking about sister-in-law again?” Ren Yeliang asked with a playful smile, noticing Zhou Yao’s pensive look.

It was lunchtime, and the construction site provided meals, though they were quite basic.

Zhou Yao’s thoughts were interrupted by Ren Yeliang. The mention of his wife brought her face, with its familiar smile, back to his mind.

“None of your business,” Zhou Yao replied in a low voice.

Ren Yeliang laughed again. “It’s been a while since you called sister-in-law. Aren’t you worried that when you go back for New Year’s, she’ll make you kneel on a washboard as punishment?”

Zhou Yao chuckled, “Your sister-in-law would never make me kneel on a washboard. Get lost and stop trying to stir things up. She’d only praise me for being diligent and serious in my work, got it?”

Ren Yeliang: “Sure, sure, you’re the boss. Everything you say is right.”

They didn’t chat for long before someone came to urge them back to work. They quickly finished their meals, put on their hard hats, and got back to work.