Chapter 21 Teaching Her to Ride a Bicycle

With Zhou Yubai supporting the bicycle, Shen Chuning steadily rode to the drying yard.

The corn had been harvested, dried, and stored in the warehouse.

There weren’t many people in the drying yard itself.

However, there were many people in the fields surrounding the drying yard.

Ci Hang Village used a method of intercropping corn and sweet potatoes.  After harvesting the corn, the corn stalks were cut, revealing the sweet potato vines.

To ensure a good sweet potato harvest, they needed to weed the sweet potato fields and remove excess sweet potato vines to feed the pigs, preventing the vines from absorbing all the nutrients and stunting the sweet potato growth.

This lighter work of removing sweet potato vines was usually done by women.

Seeing Shen Chuning arrive on a bicycle, with Zhou Yubai carefully supporting her,

an auntie said sourly, “Oh, Chuning, out riding a bicycle?”

“A woman, no matter how hard she works, it’s better to marry well.  We work ourselves to death every day and haven’t lived a good life.  Chuning found a good man.  She’s just engaged, and she’s already received a five hundred yuan dowry and a bicycle.  Which girl in our village has such good fortune?”

Shen Chuning hadn’t interacted much with these people before.

But that didn’t mean she was easy to bully.

She got off the bicycle and smiled at the auntie, “Auntie Wang, I know you’re envious of me, but you don’t need to be.

After all, you look…”

She looked at Auntie Wang. Auntie Wang was dark, short, fat, and pockmarked.

Auntie Wang felt that Shen Chuning’s appraising gaze was a great insult.

She became furious, “Shen Chuning, you…”

Before she could speak, the other aunties laughed.

“Wang Guiying, don’t bother. Chuning is right.  With your figure and looks, your husband is lucky to have you, and you still want to compare with Chuning?”

“Look at Chuning’s face, it’s so delicate.  Even I, a woman, am moved.  And you…”

Wang Guiying was unconvinced, muttering, “Wasn’t everyone a flower in their youth?”

Wang Guiying was just being sour, but Li Xiaolan wanted to glare a hole through Shen Chuning.

Hearing the others, she snorted, “Bah, a vixen who uses her looks to seduce men!”

She didn’t dare to speak loudly.

Everyone’s attention was on Zhou Yubai and Shen Chuning. No one noticed her or heard her words.

Shen Chuning practiced riding her bicycle in the drying yard for the afternoon, her face flushed red from the heat, like a ripe red apple.

On the way back, she pushed her bicycle instead of riding it, with Zhou Yubai walking beside her.

Zhou Yubai had let her ride alone for a while, and she could already ride by herself.

She was still excited thinking about it.

“Brother Yubai, I can ride now, you don’t need to accompany me tomorrow. I’ll practice myself, and in a few days, I should be able to ride to town by myself.”

Hearing this, Zhou Yubai frowned slightly.

She didn’t want to be with him?

After Shen Chuning finished speaking, the man beside her didn’t respond.

She cautiously looked at the man’s serious face. He was frowning, looking even fiercer than usual.

Her excitement vanished, and she didn’t dare to speak.

They walked back to the Shen family’s house in silence.

Father Shen and her brothers hadn’t returned yet.

Shen Chuning stood at the courtyard gate, cautiously looking at the man, who still had a stern face.

She quickly waved at him, “Brother Yubai, goodbye.”

Then, she pushed her bicycle and hurried into the courtyard.

Zhou Yubai frowned, seeing her run away.

At that moment, Shen Zhengliang returned.

Seeing Zhou Yubai standing at their gate again, he was displeased, “Zhou Yubai, why are you here again?  Didn’t we tell you that even if you’re engaged to my sister, you shouldn’t meet before marriage?”

They were happy when the Zhou family proposed marriage.

After all, Zhou Yubai was far better than Chen Ziyun.

But now Shen Zhengliang, Shen Zhengxu, and Shen Qingsong disliked Zhou Yubai more and more.

Especially since this man always had a cold face.  Thinking of their carefully raised little cabbage being taken by this fierce pig, who wouldn’t feel bad!

Zhou Yubai softened his expression and politely said to Shen Zhengliang, “Second Brother, I taught Ningning to ride a bicycle this afternoon. She lacked exercise.

After riding for so long, her legs might hurt tonight.  Tell her to warm her legs and massage them to relieve the pain.”

Shen Zhengliang was even angrier hearing that this pig had spent the whole afternoon with his delicate little cabbage sister.

“Okay, okay, I understand, go away! Don’t come before the wedding!”

He was annoyed just looking at him!

Zhou Yubai’s expression didn’t change, remaining polite, “Second Brother, I’ll go then.”

Shen Zhengliang sighed, watching Zhou Yubai’s back.  As he entered the courtyard, he saw his sister peeking outside.

He put his hand on Shen Chuning’s forehead and pushed her inside.

“Don’t look, what’s there to look at? You’ll be looking at him for decades.”

Shen Chuning tilted her head to look at Shen Zhengliang’s dark face.

Her bright eyes blinked, “Second Brother, am I reluctant to get married?”

Shen Zhengliang glared, saying insincerely, “Nonsense, men marry and women marry. You’ve reached the age to marry, you should get married, who’s reluctant to let you go?”

Shen Chuning looked at Shen Zhengliang with a smile, her soft voice teasing, “Second Brother, since I’m getting married, shouldn’t you and Big Brother and Third Brother also get married? When can I drink at your wedding?”

Shen Zhengliang’s expression stiffened. He lightly tapped Shen Chuning’s forehead, “Little girl, you’re worrying about your brothers’ marriages!

Quickly prepare your dowry and get married!”

Seeing her brother’s expression, Shen Chuning sensed that he had some thoughts about her marriage.

But in her dream, Second Brother and Third Brother didn’t get married…

She playfully nudged Shen Zhengliang with her elbow, “Second Brother, do you have someone you like? Tell me, I’ll find someone to propose marriage for you.”

Shen Zhengliang glared at Shen Chuning helplessly, “Mind your own business!”

Shen Chuning’s expression turned serious, “Second Brother, is it because the family has no money that you haven’t proposed to the girl you like?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Zhengliang said helplessly, “Yes, yes, you need to eat and wear well, all the family’s money is used to support you, where’s the extra money?”

As soon as Shen Zhengliang finished speaking, he saw Shen Chuning’s eyes redden.

He panicked and quickly explained, “Ningning, don’t be angry, Second Brother was just talking nonsense, Second Brother didn’t mean to blame you for spending the family’s money…”