Chapter 5: Ancestors, please lend me some fire (minor revision)

The night deepens.

Grandma and the others were probably busy dealing with what she had discussed in the morning. She had dinner with her elder sister-in-law and her little niece Zhou Huanyu.

My sister-in-law is gentle and reserved, and she speaks very little at the dinner table.

Shi Huai glanced at his sister-in-law from time to time, and couldn't help but recall the final outcome of his sister-in-law and brother in his previous life. His sister-in-law and brother had always respected each other, but because of misunderstandings from other people, their relationship broke down and they divorced. It was such a pity.

In the past, she had believed her stepmother's slander and misunderstood Ruoyu, so she still felt guilty towards Ruoyu. At least in this life, she had to make up for it.

Shi Huai took the initiative to ask, "Sister-in-law, where is brother? Isn't he coming back tonight?"

Ruoyu looked up at Shihuai, a polite smile on her lips, shook her head, and nodded: "I'll be back tonight...but the project has been finalized, and I have to go on a business trip to Jiang'an for a month to follow up. The flight is in the early morning, so I'll go home tonight, pack my clothes and leave."

As she spoke, Ruoyu's smile became increasingly forced, and her eyes dimmed little by little.

If Shi Huai remembered correctly, it was during this month that there were some rumors that his elder brother had an affair with his female colleague, which led to the situation getting out of control.

In fact, nothing happened between the two people, but the sister-in-law was sensitive by nature, and the brother did not want to give any extra explanations. He just brushed the matter off with a perfunctory statement: "A man who is innocent will be innocent" and told her not to be disturbed by rumors from the outside world.

The eldest sister-in-law lowered her posture in this marriage and endured for too long. Seeing that the eldest brother was just using these two sentences to perfunctorily deal with her, she finally chose to divorce.

They are obviously in love with each other, but neither of them is polite.

Shi Huai took the initiative to move closer to Ruoyu and raised an eyebrow at her: "Don't you miss your brother?"

Ruoyu bit her lip, her cheeks slightly flushed, "His work is important."

"You don't have anything to do at home anyway, so it's not impossible for you to go on a business trip with Big Brother."

Ruoyu lowered her eyes and glanced at Huanyue who was being fed by the servant.

"Huan Yue will cry if she doesn't see me for a day, so forget it." Ruo Yu felt that Shi Huai was talking too much today, but she felt... it was better than before. She liked Shi Huai who was more lively like this.

Ever since she gave birth to Huanyu, she has not gone out to work. Because of her ordinary background, she cannot chat with the rich ladies in this circle. Over time, Ruoyu no longer has a friend with whom she can have a serious chat.

She once thought that since she had a new sister-in-law, she could occasionally talk to her.

But on their wedding night, the quarrel between Shi Huai and Zhou Ji Bai woke up everyone in the manor. Ruo Yu was still a little wary of this sister-in-law whom she had only met a few times.

She was not good at finding topics to talk about, so since Shi Huai took the initiative to chat with her this time, she naturally had to be patient.

Shi Huai held his chin up, tilted his head and looked at Ruoyu, pursed his lips and pretended to be ignorant: "Brother is the president of Zhou Group, do you have to do everything yourself?"

This question stumped Ruoyu.

She lowered her head humbly: "I think so... I usually don't ask about his work."

Because of the huge difference in their backgrounds, Ruoyu has always felt inferior in front of her husband.

She was just a graduate of an ordinary second-tier university, while her husband had a bachelor's degree from Peking University and Tsinghua University and had also studied in Germany. Ruoyu didn't dare to show her incompetence in front of her husband, so she never bothered to ask about his work, as she wouldn't understand even if she did.

Shi Huai encouraged him: "Then ask, it won't hurt you to ask."

A hint of surprise flashed across Ruoyu's eyes. Could she really ask that?

What if Zhou Xu despises or rejects me...

Shi Huai saw through Ruoyu's timid and self-deprecating character. In her eyes, this gentle appearance seemed particularly cute. Why didn't she realize that her sister-in-law was so cute and soft before! That iceberg brother really got away with it!

Shi Huai added softly, "Sister-in-law, life isn't the same no matter who you are with."

Ruoyu pursed her lips and didn't answer.

After the meal, Huanyu felt a little sleepy and cried for her mother to hold her.

Ruoyu held Huanyue in her arms and coaxed her, then said goodbye to Shihuai softly and left.

Shi Huai was not idle either. He asked his servants to pack up some leftovers and put them in food boxes and baskets, and then ran towards the ancestral hall.

When we arrived at the entrance of the ancestral hall, we saw two tall and strong bodyguards guarding the door. It seemed that they were preventing some playboy from escaping.

Shi Huai walked forward slowly and smiled at the two people: "I'm here to bring food to the Second Master."

When the bodyguard saw Shi Huai, he knew that this was the second young lady of their family, and the two of them looked at each other.

"I'm sorry, Madam Second Young Master, unless the old lady comes, this door can only be opened the next morning."

Seeing that the two people were trying to stop her, Shi Huai puffed out her still-unrevealed belly and pretended to be angry with a stern face. "I give up! Is Zhou Jibai's stomach made of gold? Why does grandma insist on me bringing him food? Who the hell is he?"

As he spoke, Shi Huai handed the food box basket in his hand to the bodyguard and said angrily: "Go and help me deliver this food box, and tell grandma that I was here."

When the two bodyguards heard the second young lady say indignantly that the old lady had personally asked her to deliver the food box, how could they dare to stop her?

Moreover, the Second Master and the Second Young Mistress were notoriously at odds with each other. It was even more unrealistic for the Second Young Mistress to personally deliver meals to the Second Master than for the old lady to do a hundred backflips with her bare hands.

They didn't dare to take the food box handed to them by Shi Huai. They smiled awkwardly and quickly made way for Shi Huai.

Shi Huai snorted, frowning, showing reluctance: "It's Zhou Ji and Bai Jingui."

The image of arrogance and domineering is displayed vividly.

The two bodyguards immediately retreated far away from the ancestral hall, fearing that the couple's quarrel would affect them.

Only after seeing the bodyguards walk away did Shi Huai retract the anger on his face, took a deep breath and slowly walked to the door.

She first pushed the door open a little and peeked into the room.

The cold moonlight shone into the ancestral hall through the window. Zhou Jibai sat lazily on the ground, swiping the phone in his hand.

The bright light from the phone screen made his face pale, outlining his superior and handsome features. In his hand, he was chewing a red apple offered in front of the ancestral tablet. His unruly and frivolous appearance was vivid.

There is not a trace of respect or seriousness towards ancestors in his eyes.

After eating the apple, he casually threw the apple core on the ground, planning to throw it away secretly when he was out of confinement tomorrow. After all, grandma wouldn't notice whether he had one more apple or one less.

Zhou Jibai habitually searched his pockets, took out a cigarette box, shook out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, then touched his other pockets.

Damn, no fire!

Zhou Jibai raised his eyebrows slightly and set his sights on the candles on both sides of the tablet. The candlelight flickered, and the bright flame was coming.

"Grandfather, please lend me a light."

He had just lit a cigarette with a candle and put it in his mouth to smoke when the door behind him was suddenly pushed open.

Zhou Jibai trembled with fear, looking towards the door. Grandma's random checks were common. A few years ago, he was kneeling in the ancestral hall, starving, and just as he picked up the Zigui Lunwan on the altar, Grandma hit him with a stick.

Zhou Jibai subconsciously kicked the apple core into the corner.

Zhou Jibai felt a little dazed until he saw a thin, cold figure standing at the door with the moonlight behind him and holding a food basket.

He blinked twice, thinking he had seen it wrong.