Chapter 7.2

“Where were you?” Zhao Pengfei asked abruptly.

Jiang Yao didn’t even bother to look at him, just replied, “It’s none of your business,” and walked inside.

“How long are you going to keep up this childish attitude?” Zhao Pengfei reached out and grabbed her arm.

“Let go of me.” Jiang Yao, mindful of the tofu in her hand, could only struggle slightly. But Zhao Pengfei didn’t seem to have any intention of letting go, so she said coldly, “Men and women shouldn’t be too close. Are you trying to be a hooligan now?”

“I…” Zhao Pengfei felt choked, but being a hooligan was a serious offence, so he had to let her go for now. However, he stood in front of her, saying, “You don’t need to ask anyone for shelter. Tomorrow, report to the team leader, and then move to my uncle’s house.”

“No.” Jiang Yao refused without hesitation. Besides the uncertainty of whether she could move into the Lu family, she absolutely refused to go to his uncle’s house. Lu Qianyuan and Chen Shuanglian were notorious troublemakers in the area; even if they paid her to stay, she wouldn’t go.

Zhao Pengfei didn’t expect her to refuse. He wanted to get angry, but he suppressed it. He softened his tone and said, “Living with my uncle, I’ll take care of you in the future. I may have spoken harshly last time, but it was because I was worried about you and afraid something might happen. Moving this time is not a trivial matter, and it’s much more dangerous here in the countryside than you think. Can you listen to me?”

Jiang Yao found his words extremely laughable and was about to retort when she suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure approaching in the corner of her eye. It was Du Yuejia walking towards them.

Du Yuejia had a blank expression on her face, obviously having heard their conversation.

Zhao Pengfei didn’t expect Du Yuejia to return at this moment and felt embarrassed when he saw her. “Jia Jia, I…you…”

Taking advantage of their melodramatic interaction, Jiang Yao quietly slipped inside.

She has been wandering outside for a while, it was already past the usual time for cooking.

Jiang Yao carried the tofu directly to the kitchen. Just as she was about to wash the rice, she overheard a conversation through the kitchen’s small window.

“Jia Jia, don’t be angry, I’m not refusing to arrange accommodation for you. It’s just that we’re dating, and if you also stay at my uncle’s house, I’m afraid others will gossip,” Zhao Pengfei explained seriously.

“I understand,” Du Yuejia replied softly, but she kept her head down and didn’t look at Zhao Pengfei. In fact, she wasn’t concerned about him not inviting her to stay at Lu Qianyuan’s house, but rather about him letting Jiang Yao stay next door.

Zhao Pengfei also knew what she was worried about and patiently continued to explain, “You know that Yao Yao is wilful. We’ve been classmates for many years, and in this unfamiliar place, I should take care of her. I know you, my dear Jia Jia, are the most understanding person, and you won’t be mad at me.”

“Who says I’m yours?”

“Whoever I kiss becomes mine.”

“Stop it… It’s not appropriate for others to see.”

“Then let’s go to the back mountain.”

Jiang Yao: “…” Can you both hurry up and go to the back mountain? She doesn’t even care if you do the deed there, let alone kissing.

When lunch was ready, Du Yuejia hadn’t returned yet. Jiang Yao didn’t bother with her and left her portion of the meal aside, then called everyone to eat.

After lunch, everyone went out to various farmers’ houses to ask for shelter. Jiang Yao also didn’t delay and headed towards the Lu family.

When she arrived at the Lu family, Lu Che wasn’t home. Without him getting in the way, it would be much easier to ‘conquer’ Grandma Lu.

The original host didn’t have memories of Grandma Lu, so Jiang Yao couldn’t help but sigh when she saw her. She was indeed the former lady of a wealthy family.

Although she was now aged and wore patched clothes like any other rural old woman, her inherent temperament and charm couldn’t be drowned out by hardships.

She sat in the armchair, looking at Jiang Yao with a cool gaze.

It seemed that Lu Qing had already told her about the matter, and her attitude was evident.

“Grandma Lu, hello!” Jiang Yao greeted politely and obediently.

Grandma Lu grunted and gestured to the chair beside her. “Jiang Zhiqing, please sit.”

“Okay, thank you, Grandma Lu.” Jiang Yao sat down and didn’t beat around the bush. She said straightforwardly, “I want to borrow a place to stay at your house. Sister Qing should have told you about it, right?”

“She did, but I think it’s inappropriate,” Grandma Lu replied without hesitation.

Jiang Yao had anticipated this response and didn’t interrupt. Instead, she asked, “Grandma Lu, do you think I’m beautiful?”

“…” Grandma Lu was stunned by this unexpected question, clearly thrown off guard. After a while, she said, “Beautiful. Although I rarely go out, I’ve heard of Jiang Zhiqing as a great beauty, and today, I see that your reputation is well-deserved.”

“Thank you for your praise, Grandma Lu, but I also know that I’m definitely not as good-looking as you were when you were young,” Jiang Yao said. “You are a beauty, and you must know the advantages and disadvantages of being attractive.”

“…” Grandma Lu paused for a moment and nodded.

“I don’t know if Sister Qing has told you, but about half a month ago, I was drugged by someone. Fortunately, I met Lu Che from your family, and it was him and Sister Qing who saved me. As a weak woman with no one to rely on in the countryside, I saw that your family is full of righteous and kind people, so I took the liberty to request to stay,” Jiang Yao said, her eyes welling up with tears.

Grandma Lu clearly didn’t know about this incident, and she asked in shock, “Is there really such a thing, Qing Qing?”

“It’s true,” Lu Qing nodded.

“Who’s the heartless scoundrel?” Grandma Lu was furious, tapping her cane angrily.

Jiang Yao, who was the heartless scoundrel, lifted her head and looked at Grandma Lu with tearful eyes, pleading, “Grandma Lu, now the entire Qingyuan production team, I only trust your family. If you don’t take me in, I don’t know where else to go.”

“Poor child,” Grandma Lu said, her heart aching as she reached out to pat Jiang Yao’s head. Her defensive walls completely collapsed.

“It’s okay, child. You will live in our house from now on, for as long as you want.” Grandma Lu reached out and hugged Jiang Yao, solemnly promising.

“Thank you, Grandma Lu,” Jiang Yao said gratefully.

Just then, a tall figure blocked the sunlight at the doorway.

Grandma Lu looked up and saw Lu Che returning, immediately waving at him. “Che Che, you came back just in time. From now on, Jiang Zhiqing will live in our house.”

Lu Che: “…”

Jiang Yao: “…” The big shot is called Che Che, how am I supposed to keep a straight face?