Chapter 32: Separate Rooms on the Wedding Night

Lu Qiaoqing was interested in Chen Ziyun.

Seeing Chen Ziyun’s changing expression, she couldn’t help but say sourly, “Chen Ziyun, why do you seem unhappy today? Are you interested in Shen Chuning? Are you unhappy that she got married?”

Chen Ziyun came to his senses and quickly squeezed out a smile, “No way? I look for a partner based on spiritual compatibility. She’s just an uneducated and uncultured village girl. How could I be interested in her?”

A hint of joy flashed in Lu Qiaoqing’s eyes, “Chen Ziyun, do you mean you like cultured women?”

In terms of appearance, she admitted that she was indeed not as beautiful as Shen Chuning, that vixen.

But in terms of culture, she was a junior high school graduate.  This level of education was impressive not only in this small mountain village of Ci Hang Brigade, but also in the city.

“Mm.” Chen Ziyun mumbled, chewing on his tasteless sweet potato.

Wang Yumeng glanced at Lu Qiaoqing.

Chen Ziyun was the male lead in the book after all. His gentle and refined scholarly appearance was still very popular with girls.

Lu Qiaoqing should look in the mirror. She was short and ugly, with a round face full of freckles. How could Chen Ziyun possibly like her?

However, now that the heroine had married a minor character in the book, and the male lead was stagnating here, the plot had completely changed.

She didn’t know if the male lead’s protagonist halo was still there, which was a bit troublesome.

The three of them, each with their own thoughts, finished their half sweet potato.

On the other side, in the Zhou family courtyard.

Zhou Yubai, usually calm and composed, was happy today and drank cup after cup with the guests.

The corners of his mouth never went down.

Li Xiaolan’s gaze was fixed on Zhou Yubai. She had liked him since she was sixteen.

Every time Zhou Yubai came back, she tried her best to talk to him.

But he didn’t even smile at her, let alone look at her.

Every time he spoke to her, his face was cold, and he was stingy with words.

Now that he married Shen Chuning, was he this happy?

Li Xiaolan thought, her heart full of bitterness. She raised her neck and drank a cup of wine.

The liquor was already spicy, and she drank it too quickly, directly bringing tears to her eyes.

An aunt at the same table exclaimed, “Xiaolan, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Someone next to her nudged the aunt and gestured towards Zhou Yubai, “Xiaolan likes Zhou Yubai, don’t you know?”

The aunt nodded repeatedly, “I know, I know.”

Li Xiaolan couldn’t sit at the table anymore and got up and left.

The aunts behind her started gossiping, “Now that Zhou Yubai is married, Xiaolan should give up and find a husband.”

“The Li family raised such a daughter, it’s worrying. She’s always thinking about Zhou Yubai, and she’s already this age, where can they find a good match for her?”

…

Shen Chuning knew nothing about what was happening outside.

She got up too early this morning. After eating, her brain was under-supplied with blood, and drowsiness came over her, her head bobbing like a chicken pecking at rice.

Finally, she couldn’t hold on any longer.  Hearing the lively sounds of drinking and shouting from next door, she guessed that Zhou Yubai wouldn’t be back for a while.

She simply decided to sleep for a while.

When Zhou Yubai returned to the room, he saw the little woman lying on the bed, her sleeping face serene.

His eyes unconsciously softened.

Sitting by the bed, his long, slender fingers with distinct knuckles gently stroked the little woman’s cheek.

The moment their skin touched, he felt his heart tremble.

This girl’s skin was still as smooth as it was when she was a child, so smooth that he was worried that his calloused skin would hurt her.

Shen Chuning’s butterfly-like eyelashes fluttered slightly. When she opened her eyes, she saw the man in his tall green military uniform in the dim candlelight.

Her mind was still a little hazy, and she just stared blankly at the stern-looking man.

After coming to her senses, she quickly realized what day it was.

She hurriedly sat up, instinctively backing away several steps, “Yu… Brother Yubai, you’re back…”

Zhou Yubai watched her flustered movements, his brows furrowed slightly.

She was scared of him, she was afraid of him?

The moment this thought arose in his mind, he immediately stood up, his voice neither happy nor angry, “I’ll sleep next door, you rest well.”

When he built this courtyard, although he hadn’t thought about getting married, he had considered taking care of his parents in the future.

So he specially built a main hall and two bedrooms.

He originally planned to have one room for himself and one for his parents.

Now it was convenient for him; otherwise, he would have to sleep on the floor.

Shen Chuning didn’t know why, but as soon as she woke up, the man wanted to sleep next door.

Did Brother Yubai dislike her? Did he not want to marry her at all?

He married her because he was a responsible good man, because she had barged into his room that day and…

So he had to take responsibility for her.

Shen Chuning thought, a wave of grievance welled up in her heart, and she couldn’t help but redden her eyes, tears welling up.

After the door was closed, an infinite sadness surged in her heart. She couldn’t help but hug her knees and cried.

Zhou Yubai, after years of training, had sharper senses than ordinary people, and the house wasn’t very soundproof.

As soon as he closed the door, he heard the little woman’s sobbing.

His brows furrowed tightly.

It was she who had Active proposed to take responsibility for him and marry him.

Now that he hadn’t even touched her, why was she so aggrieved?

Zhou Yubai, who had been calm for twenty-eight years, felt restless for the first time in his life, tossing and turning in bed.

His hearing was good, and he could still hear the little woman’s aggrieved sobs.

It wasn’t just Zhou Yubai who couldn’t sleep; no one in the Zhou family could sleep either.

In the Zhou family’s main house, after her husband and daughters entered the room, Sun Fengjiao quickly took out the braised pork she had hidden during the day.

Zhou Jiakang and his three daughters, Zhou Xiaoi, Zhou Xiaoying, and Zhou Xiaolian, stared at the bowl of braised pork.

Zhou Xiaoi, the eldest daughter, who was already ten years old, was shocked to look at Sun Fengjiao, “Mother, during the banquet today, Grandma said a bowl of braised pork was missing. Did you hide it?”

Sun Fengjiao didn’t think there was anything wrong with what she had done.

She proudly raised her chin, “Yes, if it weren’t for your mother’s quick thinking, you would have had to fight with the three boys from the second family for the braised pork. Would you have gotten any?”

Zhou Xiaoi frowned seriously, “Mother, you can’t do that. Today is Third Uncle’s wedding day. If other tables are missing dishes, we’ll offend people.

Besides, even if we sat with Hongjun, Yongjun, and Minjun, we would share the meat. Why wouldn’t we get any?”

Sun Fengjiao was reprimanded by her daughter and felt embarrassed. She slapped Zhou Xiaoi on the shoulder, “Pa,” and said aggrievedly, “I’m your mother, I’m afraid you won’t get to eat meat, am I wrong? To be lectured by such an ungrateful child, woo woo woo…”

Zhou Xiaoi saw her mother crying and was a little at a loss.

Zhou Jiakang quickly smoothed things over, “Okay, okay, it’s just a bowl of braised pork. Xiaoi, your mother just feels sorry for us. Now that it’s back, let’s eat!”

Zhou Jiakang was the first to pick up a piece of meat to eat.

Zhou Xiaoi, Zhou Xiaoying, and Zhou Xiaolian could only follow suit.

Zhou Xiaolian was only four years old and didn’t understand anything.  Having meat to eat, she was happy and clapped her hands.

Zhou Xiaoi, who was ten years old, and Zhou Xiaoying, who was seven, ate the cold and solidified braised pork, but felt that this bowl of braised pork was not as delicious as when they shared it with the three brothers from the second family, and even felt a little greasy and uncomfortable to eat.

The preserved mustard greens in the braised pork were already salty, and after the five people in the main house finished eating, they were very thirsty.

Zhou Jiakang got a large jar of water, and after each of the five drank a porcelain mug of water, they felt less salty, but their stomachs were full of water, bloated, and very uncomfortable.

Next door, in the second family’s house, Zhou Jun, the second son, was also tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Xia Yue’e was about to fall asleep when she was woken up by Zhou Jun’s restless movements.

She said impatiently, “Mrs. Zhou, why aren’t you sleeping yet? What are you doing tossing and turning? Aren’t you going to work tomorrow?”

Zhou Jun simply pulled Xia Yue’e up, “I’ll tell you, now that Laosan’s wedding is over, I guess before Laosan returns to the army, our parents will decide on the division of the family.

Then I, as a son, won’t be able to fight for anything, but you have to be clever, we have three sons, you have to fight for more of what we should have.”

Xia Yue’e yawned and said indifferently, “Your parents were just angry with you and your sister-in-law that day, and they just said it casually, can they really divide the family?”

Zhou Jun frowned, “Laosan has always been decisive. Since he mentioned the division of the family, whether parents really want to divide it or not, the family will definitely be divided. Listen to me, you’ll be right.”

Xia Yue’e yawned again, “Okay, then whatever your sister-in-law fights for, I’ll fight for it too, okay? Go to sleep, or it’ll be dawn.”

After crying for a while, Shen Chuning wiped the tears from her face.

Thinking, what kind of newlywed couple sleeps in separate rooms?

With a grit of her teeth, she got up, hugged her pillow, and walked towards the next room.

“Brother Yubai, are you asleep?”

The timid voice of a little white rabbit accompanied the knock on the door.

Zhou Yubai’s brows furrowed even tighter. He had offered to sleep in a separate room, why was she chasing after him?

To tell him that she really liked that weak educated youth and how aggrieved she was to marry him?

They had just gotten married, and it was impossible to divorce immediately, let alone the difficulty of divorcing a military marriage.

He didn’t want to hear her talk at all right now.

He didn’t want to open the door, but when he closed his eyes, all he could see was her, like a wronged little white rabbit, with red eyes and tears.

He hardened his face.

Forget it, if she wanted to say something, he would listen. After all, he had already told her that military marriages were difficult to dissolve, no matter how aggrieved she was, he wouldn’t agree to a divorce.

Shen Chuning heard no response for a long time.

Thinking that Zhou Yubai might really be asleep.

She dejectedly lowered her head, and her eyes reddened again.

At that moment, the door was suddenly opened from the inside, and the man’s indifferent voice came from above, “What’s wrong?”