Chapter 7.1

When Zhou Yao returned, it was already quite late. The village was quiet, with only occasional loud dog barks breaking the silence before it quickly returned to silence. After bidding farewell to Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao, he walked alone along the path back home.

As he briskly walked along the ridge, he noticed a warm, soft light emanating from the direction of the courtyard. It quickly dispelled the darkness in front of him.

Zhou Yao raised an eyebrow and quickened his pace.

He pushed open the courtyard gate and immediately spotted a slender and delicate figure curled up on the steps under the eaves.

She was sitting on a low stool with her hands wrapped around her knees, her lower face hidden in her arms, revealing only her beautiful eyes. She looked dispirited and lacking in energy.

“Why are you sitting here?” Zhou Yao was stunned for a moment.

He just thought Wen Yue had just left a light on for him, but he didn’t expect that she was still awake and was sitting under the eaves, obviously waiting for him.

“…Hmm? I’m waiting for you. Why did you come back so late? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time,” Wen Yue said slowly, still in a daze, looking up at him with a soft, plaintive tone.

Zhou Yao’s eyes flickered, and he snorted, “Who told you to wait for me?”

“Zhou Yao, is your mouth made of stone or something? So stiff? It’s not just that you’re ungrateful, but you’re also scolding me,” Wen Yue asked earnestly. Afterward, she pouted and said, “I thought you would come back for dinner, but who knew you would come back so late.”

When Zhou Yao saw Wen Yue’s figure, he was somewhat touched. After all, since Grandma passed away, no one at home had waited for him or left a light on for him.

But Zhou Yao was clearly not the type to show his emotions outwardly.

He looked down at Wen Yue and, in a cold voice, asked, “Did you have dinner?”

“Of course I did. If not, I’d starve to death,” Wen Yue said confidently. “But I saved you some noodles. Do you want some? Hand-pulled noodles, made by me, with two fried eggs. It’s top-notch!”

She smiled brightly and gave a thumbs-up.

Zhou Yao looked at her smiling face and said, “Alright.”

Wen Yue stood up. “But you still have to wash the dishes yourself. Also, bring out two eggs.”

Zhou Yao replied, “Got it.”

Seeing Wen Yue head to the kitchen, Zhou Yao climbed the steps and pushed open Wen Yue’s room door, placing the items he carried on the table. He casually picked up the key with his little finger and went next door to get the eggs. When he went to unlock the door, he realized it was already unlocked.

After grabbing the eggs and turning off the light, Zhou Yao noticed something wrong when he was about to close the cupboard.

He reopened the cupboard and squinted to take a closer look.

The puffed rice cakes and walnut pastries were significantly reduced, the White Rabbit milk candies and malt extract had been opened, there was only a little flour left, and the bacon was gone. The only thing that had not been touched was the eggs.

Zhou Yao: “…?”

It turns out this girl has quite an appetite?

He pondered as he closed the cupboard and took the eggs to the kitchen, lazily reminding her, “Don’t eat too many snacks. It’s okay to have them occasionally, but you need to eat more food to gain weight.”

“…Huh?” Wen Yue, who was adding water to the pot, paused when she heard Zhou Yao’s words, her fair face filled with confusion. “What snacks?”

Her expression didn’t seem fake. Zhou Yao asked, “Did you forget to lock the door to my room?”

Wen Yue thought for a moment, “It seems I did? Li Nianqiu came to talk to me this afternoon, and I forgot to lock the door. I took a nap in the room… Did something go missing from the house?” She quickly realized.

Zhou Yao nodded. “Yes.”

This was quite embarrassing.

Wen Yue didn’t expect a theft in the house, and she appeared apologetic. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault for being so careless.”

“Can’t blame you entirely. It’s hard to guard against thieves within the home,” Zhou Yao said, his expression unchanged but his tone even colder than before. He left the room with the axe he had taken from behind the door.

Wen Yue: “?”

What is he planning to do?

Driven by intense curiosity, she quickly stuffed the firewood into the stove and hurried to the door, peering outside.

In the pitch-black night, Zhou Yao’s imposing figure, standing over six feet tall, was intimidating. He was enveloped in darkness, and the dim light from the side didn’t reach him, making his expression hard to see.

She watched as he raised the axe and struck it forcefully against the wooden door of Lin Fang and Zhou Jianghai’s room, sending splinters flying.

The loud noise was clear and piercing in the silent night.

Wen Yue was startled and shivered, her eyes wide in shock.

…So fierce? ?

The dull thud of the axe hitting the door was extremely loud in the night, waking anyone who might have been asleep. The previously dark room was now lit with a yellow light, and Lin Fang’s sharp, impatient voice sounded:

“Who’s that? Are you tearing down the house?”

Followed by a few more curses.

Seeing Zhou Yao’s stance, Wen Yue thought it was probably no different from tearing down the house.

The door was opened by Zhou Jianghai, whose simple face was marked with some anger. He was about to scold someone but swallowed his words when he saw the axe in Zhou Yao’s hand, trembling, “B-Big Nephew, what are you doing? Let’s talk it over.”

Zhou Jianghai had no doubt that Zhou Yao might swing the axe at him.

Originally, Zhou Yao was already imposing due to his height, and holding the axe only added to the pressure.

Zhou Yao, uninterested in small talk, said, “Have Lin Fang return the things.”

“What things?” Zhou Jianghai asked in confusion. Seeing Zhou Yao’s cold expression, he turned to Lin Fang, scolding, “What did you take from Big Nephew? Give it back now!”

In the room, there were sounds of rustling as Lin Fang put on her clothes and stood inside, trying to read Zhou Yao’s expression, and stiffly said, “What did I take? Stop talking nonsense!” Her sharp voice had a hint of guilt.

Having interacted with Lin Fang for so long, Zhou Yao already knew what kind of person she was. Hearing this, he pushed Zhou Jianghai aside and walked into the room with the axe.

His expression remained blank, his nearly 6’3″ height creating an intimidating presence. Zhou Jianghai did not dare to stop him.

Seeing Zhou Yao enter, Lin Fang was terrified and stammered, “What are you doing?? Don’t act recklessly, or you’ll face consequences…”

Zhou Yao’s eyes were filled with naked disgust.

Ignoring Lin Fang’s clamor and Zhou Jianghai’s sweat-soaked urgency, Zhou Yao went straight to the locked cupboard in their room and used the axe to chop at it.

The cupboard lock could not withstand the axe, and with a clatter, it fell to the ground.

Zhou Yao kicked the fallen lock aside and quickly opened the cupboard, glancing around before reaching in to grab the items.

Two pieces of dried and cured bacon, puffed rice cakes, walnut pastries, White Rabbit milk candies, and a bowl of malt extract powder were all clutched in Zhou Yao’s arms. That wasn’t all. Zhou Yao didn’t stop his movements and also pulled out a bag of flour from inside the cupboard.

“The flour is ours!” Lin Fang finally reacted, shouting hoarsely, “I only took half a piece of bacon! Put down our stuff!”

She dared not rush forward and could only turn her pleading gaze to Zhou Jianghai, who was standing at the door, only to find him glaring angrily at her.