A woman a man can't control?
Wang Zhao was skeptical. "Brother, you don't have someone you like and are just fooling your little brother, do you?"
“We grew up together, we’re closer than brothers! Your unmarried status is a big concern of mine. If there’s a good girl out there, how could I not think of you?” Zhou Shuqing pulled out a bundle of firewood, choked by the dust: “It’s just that girl Chen Yu, a man really needs to be capable to handle her.”
The words were mentioned again. Wang Zhao looked at his brother's convinced expression. With his bold and forthright personality, he was the one who was feared by others, and few men admired him, let alone women.
This shows how powerful people can be.
Wang Zhao hesitated, then asked curiously, "Brother, tell me in detail, I want to hear about this girl's story."
"I see you're still not giving up, so I'll tell you everything." Zhou Shuqing recounted to Wang Zhao in detail how Zhou Chenyu single-handedly defeated Qian Rushan, tore up the fraudulent loan agreement, and took the initiative to sell sweet soup at the market.
Wang Zhao froze for a few seconds before recovering his composure. "This Miss Zhou looks so gentle and weak, but I didn't expect her to be so fierce. That bastard Qian Rushan, we all have to take a detour when we see him."
Zhou Shuqing sighed, "Who can argue with that? In our Qingshui Town, who who falls into Qian Rushan's trap can emerge unscathed? Many men are utterly devastated. But that girl Chen Yu is amazing. Not only did she resolve Qian Rushan's debts, but she also led her family to a better and better life. Isn't that the kind of good girl we usually talk about—capable in both social and domestic settings?"
Wang Zhao nodded and sighed regretfully, "Yes, compared to her, I feel unworthy."
Zhou Shuqing hoisted the firewood onto his shoulder, glanced at him, and comforted him, "Don't be discouraged. You're not the first one. Last time, a guy had the same idea, and he even came to my house to help. Guess what happened?"
Wang Zhao ran forward, "How is it?"
"That girl quietly became sworn brothers with him, extinguishing all his hopes," Zhou Shuqing replied helplessly. Wang Zhao's eyes widened. Could that really be done? Luckily, he had inquired beforehand, or he would have made a fool of himself.
Zhou Shuqing and Wang Zhao carried the firewood back to the kitchen. Li Xiuju and Hongmei were busy in the kitchen, but there was no place for the two grown men. Before long, they slunk out again and went into the house to find a change of clothes and take a bath.
Of the offal Zhou Shuqing brought back, the pig intestines had the strongest smell and were the most difficult to clean, but Li Xiuju and Hongmei treated them like treasures, washing them again and again with wood ash.
Zhou Chenyu was so overwhelmed by the smell that she stayed several meters away from the kitchen. She remained seated on the low stool, doing whatever was asked: pick sweet potato leaves, peel garlic, wash vegetables. She didn't even get close to the kitchen.
The dark clouds receded into the distance, leaving only a few clouds remaining on the mountaintops; the rest of the sky was a clean, clear blue.
The damp courtyard was dried by the wind, and the sound of brooms sweeping millet gradually returned to the village.
The neighbors' millet, which had been damaged by the rain, was now being dried in the sun again. They quickly raked the millet to dry it, and Zhoujia Village became lively again in the evening.
Zhou Chenyu was so engrossed in washing things that she didn't even notice when the rain stopped until she heard Baoyu's pig-like screams from outside the door, "Sister, come out quickly, sister!"
She washed her hands, stretched, and walked out, looking at the person sitting in the tree swinging their legs. "Why did you call me?"
"Sister, look." Baoyu pointed to the country path leading to the abandoned white house to pick mugwort. At the end of the path were rolling mountains. The sun had already sunk below the mountains and was no longer visible. However, the radiant glow of the sunset pierced through the thick cotton-like clouds and shone out. The green grass on both sides was still covered with water droplets after being washed by the rain. The stream next to him was like a mirror, reflecting the white clouds and the glow of the sunset.
Baoyu sat in the tree, and she stood below, the two of them quietly admiring the sunset.
Someone's watermelon patch had been damaged by the rain, and a man was selling a large cart of watermelons at a low price under the banyan tree at the village entrance. The villagers came out at the sound of his voice, and Zhou Shuqing and Wang Zhao also came out. When they saw the two of them under the tree, they called out, "We're going to buy watermelons, are you coming?"
On such a hot day, how refreshing it would be to eat a bite of watermelon!
"I'll go, I'll go!" Baoyu jumped down from the tree and followed after him. Zhou Chenyu looked at her feet; she couldn't catch up even if she wanted to.
After enjoying the view, I didn't dare linger. After all, I was eating at someone else's house, so I wanted to lend a hand if I could.
Zhou Chenyu returned to the courtyard with soybeans in his arms. Half of his trousers were soaked by the rain. The enticing aroma of stir-fried dishes wafted from the kitchen. Grandma Wang said that they were stir-frying pig intestines.
Does pig intestine really smell that good?
Zhou Chenyu refused to believe it and secretly ran to the kitchen door, peeking inside.
The chopped pig intestines have been put into the pot to simmer, the fire in the stove is crackling and steam is constantly coming out of the pot lid.
At home, the kitchen belonged to Li Xiuju, but here, Hongmei took on all the work by herself, leaving Li Xiuju with nothing to do but sit in front of the stove and chat with her.
She saw Zhou Chenyu standing outside the door and smiled, "Doesn't it smell delicious?"
Zhou Chenyu remembered her vow that she would never eat a single bite of pig intestines, and now her face turned red. "I came here because of the aroma."
After chopping the scallions, Hongmei turned around and asked, "What are you two whispering about? Let me have a laugh too?"
"What can we whisper about?" Li Xiuju teased her. "Just now, this girl complained that pig intestines smelled too strong and said she would rather die than eat them."
"Really?" Hongmei looked at Zhou Chenyu and laughed. "Chenyu, I've been practicing my stir-fried pig intestines since I was a child. Everyone who's tried it says it's delicious. You definitely have to try it later. I guarantee you'll want more after you eat it."
Zhou Shuqing and Wang Zhaobao each carried a large watermelon back to the courtyard. Smelling the aroma, they came over to join in the fun.
Zhou Chenyu, unable to resist her germaphobia, stubbornly retorted, "What if I like it after eating it once, but then I can't eat it anymore? Sister Hongmei, you're so hospitable, aren't you afraid I'll come to your house for meals every few days?"
Hongmei laughed generously, "What kind of appetite do you have? Come on, bring it on! If you really can't handle it, you can learn my stir-fried pig intestines recipe. When you get married, you'll have another dish to keep your husband's stomach. My Daqing loves my pig intestines."
Zhou Chenyu leaned against the door and smiled arrogantly: "I'm not going to learn it. If anyone should learn, it should be him who learns it and cooks it for me."
Zhou Shuqing gave Wang Zhao a meaningful look, and Wang Zhao never mentioned the matter of arranging a marriage with Zhou Chenyu again.
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