Chapter 77: Shirtless, I can see Zhou Ye's tight and strong back
Lin Xiaopu explained with a chuckle, "Brother Aye heard me say that we caught a lot of fish in the creek last time, and we felt that two buckets at home were too few, so we went to Aunt San's house to borrow one."
Lin Shu was stunned. "If you want to borrow a bucket, just ask the neighbors. Why do you have to go all the way to Aunt San's house?"
Lin Xiaopu immediately revealed a sly expression, "Brother Aye didn't say anything, but I guess he wanted to put two fish in the bucket when he returned it."
When Lin Shu heard this, she understood.
If I let my cousin Yushu take the fish back, they'd probably be dead by then. Dead fish can only be eaten that day, not the next. But if they were alive, Third Aunt could keep them and eat them whenever she wanted.
Furthermore, if cousin Yu Shu carries the fish in his hands when he returns, other people in the village will definitely gossip about him, and some may even become jealous.
"Last time I asked my cousin Yushu to bring back a fish. Did anyone see it and say anything?" Lin Shu asked. She really didn't think too much about it at the time.
Lin Xiaopu nodded. "Mother said that when Cousin Yushu brought the fish back, many people saw it along the way. So, Mother and Third Aunt didn't even need to tell anyone. The villagers already knew that our relationship had improved."
"Sister, the villagers in Tianshui Village are certainly friendly, but many of them love to gossip. Take that big water jar that Brother Aye brought back for Uncle Miao's family. It's only been a short while, and everyone in the village knows about it! And the fact that the jar was sixty cents cheaper has spread everywhere. Several shameless people in the village are asking Brother Aye to help carry some big items back next time he goes to market."
Lin Shu frowned when she heard this. "Don't we have Old Man Liao? If they want to buy something big, wouldn't it be more convenient to use Old Man Liao's ox cart?"
Lin Xiaopu immediately had another expression that said, "Sister, how come you don't even understand this?" "Using Old Man Liao's ox cart costs copper coins, but Brother A'ye is different. The other day at the market, he helped Uncle Miao carry a large water jar back. Not only did he not get a single copper coin, he actually helped Uncle Miao save sixty copper coins. Sister, sixty copper coins can buy a lot of things!"
Lin Shu asked with a gloomy look, "Aye won't agree, right?"
Lin Xiaopu said with a smile, "Don't worry, sister. Brother Aye is not that stupid. Every year during the grain harvest, brother Aye works quickly and effectively. Many families want to borrow him to help with the harvest, but brother Aye said that he has a big appetite and that he must be given a meal on the day of the harvest, and he must eat a full meal. Guess what happened next, sister?"
Before Lin Shu could guess, Lin Xiaopu burst out laughing. "On the day he worked, he ate five large bowls of mixed grain rice from that family, and made them all stupid. After helping two families, no one asked him for help anymore."
Lin Shu couldn't help laughing after hearing this. Zhou Ye was indeed not stupid at all when he was using his mind.
Lin Xiaopu continued, "This time, Brother Aye brought out the same excuse again, saying he'd help carry the heavy items back for free, but he'd have to provide him with a dinner on market day. With that out of the way, who would dare approach him?"
"Pfft, so everyone in the village knows that Zhou Ye eats a lot?"
"Yes, everyone knows that Brother Ye eats a lot, but before, my mother, father and I all thought that Brother Ye was eating so much on purpose. Mother was even worried that he would upset his stomach. It wasn't until I discovered Brother Ye's secret that I realized that Brother Ye really can eat."
Lin Shule said, "It's just five bowls of rice. He's still keeping it. If he really eats it, he can eat up several days' worth of food in one meal."
"By the way, sister, Brother Aye asked me to ask, are your legs still sore?"
Lin Shu: ...
"Aye, do you know that when you ask, he will add, 'He told you to ask?'"
Lin Xiaopu grinned, "I'm just telling the truth."
"Don't worry, I'm not sore at all today. Jumping three feet high won't be a problem."
Lin Xiaopu: "Okay, then I'll continue with the second sentence. Brother Aye said that if your legs and feet recover, he will take you directly to the river at the entrance of the village."
Lin Shu was stunned for a moment. "After borrowing the bucket, Ah Ye went straight to the river at the village entrance?"
"Yes, Brother Aye left early. Sister, shall we go and meet up with Brother Aye?"
"Go, go, don't keep him waiting!"
The two sisters informed He Guixiang and slipped away, leaving nothing behind, as Zhou Ye had taken all their belongings, including the simple fishing mat they had used last time.
Lin Shu got up late, and when she and Lin Xiaopu passed by the big locust tree in the village, several women had already taken seats under the tree and were chatting.
As the two passed by, several women glanced in their direction, but no one spoke.
One of the two Lin sisters had returned from abroad, and the villagers weren't familiar with her. Since her return, most of the villagers had only heard gossip about her from other people. As for Lin Xiaopu, although she was born and raised in the village, she was a shy and reserved girl. She wouldn't play with the children, and she rarely spoke to the elders, so the women didn't start a conversation.
Lin Shu let them look at her openly. When they got closer, she took the initiative to greet them, "Aunties, where's Ji Ma?"
One of the women responded with a smile and asked, "Where are you going, Ah Shu?"
"Go back to my aunt, let's go to the village."
The conversation ended with two or three short sentences.
Lin Shu always chats for two or three sentences before deciding whether to continue the conversation.
It was obvious that these women with their eyes rolling around on her made her lose interest in chatting any longer.
After they walked away, Lin Shu could vaguely hear the women whispering about something. It seemed that they were talking about her, the fake daughter of the marquis who had returned from the capital.
Lin Xiaopu curled her lips. "Sister, they must be talking about us. These aunties always chat with every villager who passes by here. But there's nothing we can do. To get to the village, this is the only way."
"They have their own mouths, so let them say what they want. My life experiences are indeed bizarre, they can be written into a storybook. I can't blame them for their grumbling."
Lin Xiaopu: "They must have scolded me, saying that if my parents hadn't given birth to a debt collector like me, life would have been much easier. But I'm not angry. My parents and I are family. Why should these outsiders be so concerned about our money?"
Lin Shu smiled and said, "That's the right thing to think about."
The two guessed correctly. Not long after they left, several village women under the locust tree started talking about Lin Dashan's family. There was really too much to say about Lin Dashan's family.
First, an honest man from Lin Dashan's family fell out with his brothers during the division of the family property. Then, the youngest daughter of Lin Laoer's family suffered from poor health, requiring daily medication to recuperate, a living debt collector. And then there was the eldest daughter, who turned out to be a mistaken adoption. Lin Laoer's biological daughter had enjoyed sixteen years of bliss in the marquis' mansion in the capital!
There is so much to talk about here. Even though Lin Shu has been back for some time, they are still very interested in talking about it.
"Tsk, when I saw that girl Lin Yao before, I felt that she was different from us village women. She's tall, with pretty eyes and eyebrows. She looks nothing like her mother He Guixiang, and her personality is even more different. Before the Lin family was divided, He Guixiang suffered a lot in the Lin family, but Lin Yao has an indescribable tenacity and rarely suffers any losses. And what happened in the end? I really predicted it, didn't I? She's actually the daughter of a marquis! A marquisate, us common people can't even dream of it in our lifetime!"
"Yes, you see, the one who came back is more like He Guixiang, but she is more pampered. I heard that she has not done any work at home these days since she came back, and she just eats and sleeps all day long. She still thinks she is the eldest daughter of the Marquis' Mansion!"
"The Lin family is really worshipping an ancestor, right? Let me tell you, they've suffered so much. First, the youngest child was in poor health. He was sick every other day when he was little. He's grown up now, and I don't know how much he's spent on medicine. Then, Lin Yao, the capable eldest daughter, left, and back came this delicate young lady. I heard that on the first day she came back, He Guixiang went to the headman's house to exchange for some fine rice!"
"Who says it's not true? A few days ago, this girl went to the back mountain to pick mushrooms. She said she sprained her foot, and she supported Zhou Ye all the way back. I heard that she was almost hanging on Zhou Ye. It was really a terrible scene! But I heard that Zhou Ye was very happy about it."
"No wonder Zhou Ye couldn't resist. Lin Shu is such a pretty girl!"
"This girl came from the Marquis' Mansion in the capital, and she knows how to coax people! It hasn't been long since that debt collector Lin Xiaopu has become so attached to her that she can't leave her side. She's even more affectionate to her than Lin Yao. Lin Dashan and He Guixiang are also willing to provide her with good food and drink. Not to mention Zhou Ye, he's been ordering her around for a while now. Didn't Zhou Ye help the Miao family carry a water jar back at the market the other day just so she could have an ox cart to ride? He got a good sixty copper coins! By the way, do you know about this?"
"You don't even need to tell me that. I knew it yesterday. Zhou Ye is a capable guy, but we shouldn't envy Lin Lao Er too much, because you all know how much Zhou Ye can eat."
"Shhhhh, stop talking. Third Zhao's family is here. Someone saw her hanging out with Second Lin's family. If she hears us gossiping, I guess there'll be another fight."
"Tsk, what are we talking about? This is all true. If you ask me, she's just too bored to have children, taking care of everything all day long."
-
It is said that there is a big river at the entrance of the village, but in fact, you still have to walk a distance forward after reaching the entrance of the village. It is not in the same direction as the village path. You have to walk down the slope, so usually not many people go there.
Lin Shu and Lin Xiaopu walked past the old locust tree in the village and walked for a while before reaching the village entrance. After descending the slope at the village entrance and walking down for a mile, they finally saw the wide and deep river.
When they arrived, Zhou Ye was shirtless, twisting the shorts he had taken off in his hands. The trousers he was wearing looked like they had been twisted, and the wrinkles on the trouser legs were still visible.
He took off his short brown shirt and was naturally shirtless.
Lin Shu saw Zhou Ye's broad back at a glance. It was covered with muscles, tight and strong, with a few drops of water falling down along the smooth texture.
The waistline was neat and beautiful, and more muscular than she thought.
As her arms twisted the clothes, her arm muscles pulsated, brimming with unimaginable strength...
Lin Shu's eyes were burned for a moment, and she quickly moved away, but after a few breaths, she quietly moved back and fell on the strong waistline.
It's so beautiful, it's better to let her see it for free. It would be a waste not to see it.
She even whistled loudly in her heart, "Sao Nian, what a nice waist!"
Zhou Ye had already noticed the two men approaching. There were many men working shirtless in the village, and the village women were used to it, so he didn't think anything of it.
But he keenly noticed... that the gaze from Lin Shu seemed to stay on him for too long.
He suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
The short brown jacket in his hand had been wrung out half dry. Zhou Ye shook it, opened it, and put it back on.
"Ahhh!" Lin Xiaopu, who was not in the situation, suddenly shouted excitedly after discovering something, "Sister, sister, three buckets of fish, all three buckets are full of fish! And they are all big fish, such big fish!"
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