Chapter 93 Pretending
Zhou Weifang read a lot of this book and accumulated quite a few questions.
Even though Luo Yan spoke a little faster than usual, it still took her a lot of effort to finish speaking. She couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief—not because she was tired, but because she felt she could finally leave.
Zhou Weifang, sensing the situation, asked, "Is there something else?"
There was nothing wrong, but there are plenty of legitimate reasons. Luo Yan came up with one: "No, it's just that if I have time, I'd like to go to the city library."
Zhou Weifang glanced at the time: "It's already four o'clock, is it still possible for you to make it in time?"
The library closes half an hour early on Sundays, but Luo Yan had forgotten about it and stubbornly said, "If I ride fast, I should be able to make it."
Even if she could fly, it would be difficult for her. Zhou Weifang: "It's my fault, I wasted your time."
Luo Yan doesn't like to lie casually, and hearing him say that made her feel a little embarrassed: "Never mind, next week is fine too, no rush."
Zhou Weifang: "Does the city library have a lot of books? I don't think I've ever actually been there in my life."
Luo Yan has no other special skills but an exceptionally good memory. She almost blurted out, "You went there once, have you forgotten?"
Zhou Weifang estimated that he would never forget the scene of his first visit to the city library. After a moment of silence, he laughed it off: "I really have forgotten."
Luo Yan didn't continue the topic, saying, "It's quite convenient to get a library card now, you don't need a letter of introduction anymore. You can go and browse next time, saving you the trouble of buying books."
Zhou Weifang said jokingly, "Oh dear, we illiterate people are afraid of making a fool of ourselves if we go there. Teacher Luo, could you show us the way?"
Luo Yan mumbled, "Uh, if I have time."
She quickly came up with a new excuse and said, "That's about enough, I need to take my brother's food."
Huh? The lunch party ended quite late. Luo Hong is the reincarnation of a Pixiu, so he probably can't eat much now.
Zhou Weifang: "Are you hungry? I see there are some of your favorite dishes on the table."
Although he didn't seem like the type to mention it to Zhou Yuyao, it was never good to speak ill of Cai Se in front of the new family members. Fortunately, Luo Yan had a point: "She's walked too many roads."
"That's perfect," Zhou Weifang said. "I'll apologize and treat you to dinner."
Great, Luo Yan realized she was really bad at making excuses, and inexplicably got angry: "No, I want to eat with my brother."
Zhou Weifang recalled that when she was a child, there were several times when Luo Hong would run off to play with other people, going to great lengths to shake off his younger sister.
Luo Yanduo is a crybaby. She squats by the roadside and wailes until only tears keep falling, which looks so pitiful.
Zhou Weifang's sense of righteousness arose spontaneously, so he had no choice but to go and coax her.
Luo Yancai was unmoved and angrily retorted, "I only want my brother!!"
Zhou Weifang had no choice but to take her around looking for candy, spending his meager allowance on her to buy her candy, and still couldn't see a smile on her face.
Because he couldn't find her no matter how hard he looked, Luo Yan suspected that he was deliberately leading him in circles—this kind of thing was quite common when he and Luo Hong teamed up to get rid of his sister.
Looking back now, fate is really interesting.
What else could Zhou Weifang say? He simply agreed, "Okay, then drive carefully."
If I had known this would work, I would have used this method instead of racking my brains to make it up.
Luo Yan picked up her bag: "Let's go."
Zhou Weifang saw her to the door, stared at her back for a while, then suddenly pulled at his clothes and smelled them, realizing, "I smell like smoke and alcohol all over."
No wonder Luo Yan was in such a hurry to leave.
To be honest, Luo Yan was preoccupied with other things and had completely overlooked this.
She rode her bike to her brother's shop and rushed inside, but quickly calmed down when she saw there were customers.
Luo Hong didn't ask in front of others, but waited until they left before saying, "What's wrong? Who upset you?"
Luo Yan has never kept any secrets from her brother, but today she was unusually hesitant to speak.
Can I say this? After all, they've been childhood friends for so many years, so close they could share a pair of pants. Saying this would definitely affect their relationship.
But she realized this too late, her face already showing, and she quickly came up with a quick idea: "I just tripped and fell."
Luo Hong: "Where are you injured?"
Luo Yan: "My knee is slightly scraped."
Luo Hong knew his younger sister was a grown woman, so he didn't feel comfortable asking her to roll up her trousers so he could see her. He simply said, "Then it's nothing serious."
See, it's so easy to fool people here, so why couldn't we find a way to escape just now?
Luo Yan touched her face, sat down thoughtfully, and began to ponder the fact that Zhou Weifang liked her.
To be honest, it's probably related to Zhou Xiuhe. Now, Luo Yan feels troubled whenever she thinks about making friends. When she realizes this, her first thought is to refuse and stay away. But when she thinks about it, she realizes that the person is Zhou Weifang, and she hesitates.
Firstly, she didn't want to completely sever ties with Zhou Weifang, and secondly, she was considering her brother.
Luo Hong had shared hardships with a male educated youth of similar age during his time working in the countryside in northern Shaanxi. This male educated youth was admitted to a university in Beijing in the first year after the resumption of the college entrance examination, and Luo Hong, of course, wanted to extend his hospitality, so he brought his younger sister along for a meal once.
Not long after, the other party wrote a love poem for Luo Yan, which could be described as having excellent literary talent.
But Luo Yan was still in high school and didn't have time to think about these things, so she immediately returned the money.
This male educated youth wasn't particularly infatuated and quickly started dating someone. When the girl heard about this, she forbade him from seeing Luo Hong anymore.
Therefore, the older brother must have felt regretful, after all, he had mentioned many times that this male educated youth had been with him during their shared years in northern Shaanxi, but he never mentioned it again.
If even friends of only a few years can be like this, one can only imagine how things are with Zhou Weifang.
But not reject him? Luo Yan's mind was in turmoil, and she was even a little angry with Zhou Weifang—why did he have to like her!
She was the kind of person who wore her heart on her sleeve, and Luo Hong could clearly see the ever-changing expressions on her face as she sat alone.
He still had several tasks to finish before he could attend to them, and only after he was done did he say, "You've been sitting here for half a day."
Luo Yan glanced at her watch and retorted logically, "It's not half a day, it's only a little over half an hour."
Luo Hong didn't argue with him about it, wiping his hand on the tattered towel: "Staring blankly for half an hour, what are you thinking about?"
She didn't even pick out any leisure books to read, which is completely unlike her usual style.
Luo Yan: "You said you were just spacing out, who would actually be thinking about anything?"
Wow, you're quite the smooth talker.
Luo Hongcai wouldn't let her brush it off like that, and said, "Do you know you have words on your forehead right now?"
He didn't even have a mirror, so Luo Yan couldn't see anything. She subconsciously touched her forehead and said, "I don't believe you. You're lying to me."
Seeing her guilty look, she didn't even have the confidence to speak. Luo Hong took a sip of water and tapped the table: "It's rare to see you do something bad. Tell me about it."
Who did something wrong! Luo Yan didn't want such a accusation, hands on her hips: "You still dare to talk back, it's all your fault."
Wait a minute, Luo Hong asked sharply, "Where did this 'door' come from?"
Luo Yan choked, then pointed at her brother and said, "Anyway, there are a few people like that."
Luo Hong pressed further, "Who are you?"
Luo Yan: "I can't talk about other people's business."
Is it really someone else's business? But Luo Hong also respected his sister's need to keep it a secret, only needing to confirm, "As long as you're alright."
Luo Yan shook her head and said no, thinking that it would be best to pretend that she hadn't noticed anything for the time being. She took a deep breath and asked, "What do you want to eat tonight?"
Luo Hong: "I'm not very hungry, I'll just buy two steamed buns to tide me over."
Luo Yan couldn't even finish two steamed buns, so she simply said, "Then you buy them yourself. I'm going home to do my homework."
So she just came here to daydream? Luo Hong felt something was off, but still said, "Okay, take it easy."
Luo Yan rode her bike home and saw Li Hongyu playing with the puppy as soon as she entered the yard. She asked her, "Hongyu, is your stomach still hurting?"
Li Hongyu lifted her clothes to show her aunt her belly, but her aunt quickly stopped her hand, finding it amusing, and giggled, "It doesn't hurt anymore."
Luo Yan pinched her cheek: "Don't eat so many popsicles in one go in the future. Isn't it uncomfortable to be sick?"
Kids remember the good food but not the bad. Li Hongyu had tormented her father half to death in the middle of the night, but now she was jumping around and saying, "The popsicle is delicious."
A child's memory may simply be limited.
Luo Yan remembered that when Hongyu first came, she could speak the local dialect very well, but recently she has gradually adopted a less fluent use of the retroflex ending.
She squatted down to play with the child, but lost her balance and fell on her bottom.
Li Hongyu hurriedly tried to pull her aunt up, and Wangcai and Laifu also came over to join in the fun.
Luo Yan was nearly knocked down by the three of them again. She managed to stand up straight and then patted the dust off her hands and pants.
As they were taking pictures, someone called out, "Yanzi, are you home?"
Luo Yan turned around and said, "Sister Yu Ying is here."
Zhou Yuying came to give her candy. After the wedding, there were bound to be some leftovers that couldn't be returned, so everyone would share them with relatives and friends.
She didn't have many friends in the alley, but she got annoyed when she saw her older brother carrying things, so she simply filled a big bag herself. She originally intended to deliver it to her younger brother, but as soon as she stepped out the door, she thought of Luo Yan and turned around.
Luo Yan felt embarrassed to take the portion, saying, "I've eaten a lot today."
Zhou Yuying wasn't very talkative. She was always quiet in front of people other than her sister. She kept pushing her hand forward and stuffed the wedding candy into Luo Yan's arms, saying, "It's okay, it won't spoil."
It's a joyous occasion, so it would be impolite to refuse.
Luo Yan couldn't very well throw it back, so she first gave Hongyu a handful, and the little girl ran off to share it with her friends.
Luo Yan finally remembered the proper way to treat guests: "Sister, let me get you a stool, sit for a while."
Zhou Yuying thought that going back now would only make her feel resentful, so she said, "Okay."
No one was home, so Luo Yan took out her keys to open the door, brought out two small stools from inside the house and placed them in the yard, then rushed inside to pour tea.
Zhou Yuying didn't know much about tea, but the smell seemed familiar, so she asked, "Jasmine tea?"
"Um!"
Zhou Yuying: "I usually drink this too. My brother brought it over."
When Zhou Weifang was mentioned, Luo Yan lowered her eyes, but still said, "That's true too."
Zhou Yuying laughed: "I just think they smell the same."
She wasn't actually that close to Luo Yan. She hadn't thought about what to talk about, but as she touched the hot enamel mug, she decided to start with someone they both knew. She said, "He got a batch of tea from somewhere, and I just hand it out to everyone I see."
Luo Yan knew a bit: "He has a friend in the Production and Construction Corps who is from Fujian, and he sent him a lot."
Zhou Yuying and her younger brother rarely saw each other, let alone chatted about everyday matters.
She said, "Oh, I didn't know that."
Luo Yan felt embarrassed, realizing she had said something wrong. After all, they were siblings. She rubbed her hand on her trouser leg.
Zhou Yuying is thoughtful: "Sometimes we don't even see each other once a month, everyone is busy."
Luo Yan then changed the subject, asking, "Is business good at your stall?"
Even if three people run a business, the profits won't amount to much when divided among them.
Zhou Yuying suddenly remembered something: "I heard that the three parties are taking a refresher course at your school."
Luo Yan: "Yes, he studied accounting."
Zhou Yuying: "So, people without any prior experience can go?"
Luo Yan sensed something and carefully worded, "There are no specific rules, but it might be more suitable for those with some basic knowledge, and the final exam is quite difficult."
Zhou Yuying understood: "Then I definitely can't do it, I didn't even finish junior high school."
Luo Yan keenly realized something and said, "If you don't mind, I usually give lectures to Zhou Weifang. You can come over when you have time."
She hadn't considered not tutoring Zhou Weifang anymore, since studying should definitely be the top priority.
Zhou Yuying was intrigued: "Do you have a fixed schedule?"
Luo Yan: "It's usually Sunday evening."
But she would sometimes see Zhou Weifang several times in between, and now that she thinks about it, those seemingly logical events seem quite suspicious.
That's a bit inconvenient, Zhou Yuying: "The most people go out shopping on their days off."
Especially now that the weather is hot, seven or eight o'clock is the busiest time.
Luo Yan offered proactively: "During the day is fine too, whichever is convenient for you."
"Why bother others when I can take care of my own convenience?" Zhou Yuying said. "No need, no need. Actually, I was just saying it. It would be a real pain for me to read it."
She certainly knew that learning was a good thing, but knowing and being able to do are two completely different things.
Luo Yan: "Zhou Weifang had to pinch himself hard to keep reading."
Several times I even started reading books while still struggling to stay awake.
Zhou Yuying: "He's been stubborn since he was a child; once he sets his mind to something, he'll definitely succeed."
She gets excited whenever she talks badly about her younger brother: "I remember when he was little, he wanted to buy a tin car and saved up for three whole years."
The Zhou family had many children, and more than ten years ago there was an elderly person in the family who was bedridden. They were never well-off, and naturally they didn't have any pocket money. If they wanted to buy a toy, they had to save up every penny.
Despite Zhou Weifang's many ideas, he was still quite young. Luo Yan remembered that he would sometimes catch cicada nymphs to sell.
In those days, everyone would put things that weren't edible into the pot, let alone things that were edible, so the competition was always fierce.
But Zhou Weifang certainly wouldn't give up. He went out every night with a flashlight to "fight" for his beloved tin car, buying it penny by penny.
Wait, a metal car.
Luo Yan's expression suddenly changed as she thought of something, and she hesitated before asking, "Did he save it up for three years?"
Zhou Yuying actually said it casually: "It doesn't seem to have been that long."
Then he noticed her expression was off: "What's wrong?"
Luo Yan said awkwardly, "I lost that car..."
She thought it belonged to her brother and tried to hide it so he wouldn't find it, but she couldn't hide it. Zhou Weifang was furious at the time, looking like he was about to hit someone, and she kept crying. She doesn't remember how things were handled afterwards.
However, after hearing her say that, Zhou Yuying remembered: "There is such a thing. I even told my sister that it's a good thing you lost it, otherwise anyone else would be doomed."
Luo Yan: "It seems like I got scolded too."
Being scolded is nothing; her brother wasn't just a bully in the alley for nothing. He's never known how to be gentle with girls, and it's common for the siblings to fight at home. Zhou Yuying remembers one time when she was fighting and complaining, "You always listen to other people's younger sisters, but not your own older sister."
Zhou Weifang, outnumbered by his two older sisters, shouted, "Luo Yan is good to me! You guys aren't!"
Thinking about it now, Zhou Yuying said, "He definitely won't hold it against you."
Let's be a little more considerate, Luo Yan: "The main problem is that I cry too much."
That's true, Zhou Yuying: "You once cried for three days and three nights."
After she finished speaking, she realized she had exposed someone's shortcomings and was about to change her words when she heard someone shout, "Is Jianjun here?" She turned around to look.
He Lei happened to turn around the screen wall and saw someone sitting in the courtyard. He greeted someone he knew: "Yanzi is here."
Luo Yan: "Brother Jianjun seems to be sleeping. Why don't you knock on the door and check?"
Li Jianjun was catching up on sleep during the day because his daughter was exhausted. He opened the door a little late, yawned, and said, "Come in and sit down."
"I'm not sitting down," He Lei waved his hand. "The army sent a letter asking me to return to my unit ahead of schedule. I just wanted to let you know."
Li Jianjun snapped out of his daze: "So fast."
He Lei still had a lot of things to do, so he said, "I have to go."
He came and went like the wind. Li Jianjun saw him to the door, but then thought it was too hasty. He decided to go to the man's house to see if there was anything he could do to help.
While packing his luggage, He Lei chatted with his childhood friend for a bit, then suddenly asked, "That girl across from Yanzi just now looked familiar."
Li Jianjun: "Her second sister is from the third party."
When He Lei returned this time, the Zhou sisters were no longer living in the alley, so of course they didn't run into each other.
He said, "No wonder you look familiar."
Li Jianjun turned the page and asked, "How did the meeting go today?"
He Lei sighed as he mentioned it: "I guess the girl didn't like me. I thought I could settle down during this three-month vacation, but it seems like that's hopeless."
Li Jianjun: "Didn't you say there was hope of getting you recommended to a military academy?"
He Lei had only mentioned this to him before, and shook his head slightly: "There are only a few spots available. Will it be my turn? It's unlikely."
Li Jianjun naturally wanted to say something auspicious: "It'll definitely be you soon. You can come back and continue your blind dates. You'll have both a wife and a career."
He Lei said he would take his good wishes with him, packed his luggage, and hurried to the train station.
Just then, Luo Yan escorted Zhou Yuying to the courtyard gate. The two greeted each other and went their separate ways.
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Author's note: I'll be making up for the missed chapter tomorrow.
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