Wen Jiaojiao, avoiding having her skirt stained with green again by Qingmiao, gathered the hem of her skirt to her knees with one hand and carried her beaded shoes with the other, walking back barefoot. She heard a voice say:
"Mom, you're back?"
Her calves were slender and long, so white they seemed to glow. Her delicate feet were covered in damp mud mixed with weeds, and her toes were round and cute, painted with red nail polish.
As soon as Wen Zhaoye stepped out of the kitchen, he noticed this scene and stared intently at her small feet for a few moments.
This girl even has such beautiful feet.
Taking advantage of Wen Zhaoye's back being turned, Xu Cuifen quickly emptied most of each dish, put the contents into the empty lard basin with peony patterns, covered it, and then turned back, craning her neck and letting out a squeak:
"Hey, daughter, Mom's here."
Wen Jiaojiao lowered her skirt, rubbed her feet on the ground, washed them clean with water, and put on Xu Cuifen's plastic sandals, saying:
"Mom, Xiaofang came to our house to play. I invited her to have lunch at our house."
Xu Cuifen knew that Zhang Xiaofang liked Wen Zhaoye.
But with her Bao Zheng-like appearance, she didn't care at all, and even thought that spending more time playing with Jiao Jiao was...
It would have accentuated her daughter's beauty, but now that she suddenly understood why so many delicious dishes had been prepared, she felt a little annoyed.
She was a snob by nature, and didn't care about people without money or power at all, saying in a strange tone:
"Hey~ Xiaofang, your parents aren't home? You've come to play with our Jiaojiao right at lunchtime."
Her deliberately emphasized words made Zhang Xiaofang blush. She put down the willow basket and was about to make an excuse to leave when she heard Wen Jiaojiao's dissatisfied voice:
"Mom, what are you saying? I asked her to help me prepare pig feed, and then I asked her to come with me to pick vegetables, and that's how we got to this point."
Xu Cuifen sensed her daughter's displeasure, quickly dropped the cleaver, went to the kitchen door, and cheerfully coaxed Wen Jiaojiao:
"Okay, okay, Mom won't say anymore. Xiaofang, come inside and play. Auntie will cook now. I was just joking with you, don't take it to heart."
"Also, be nicer to my brother in the future, he's had a tough time." As soon as Wen Jiaojiao finished speaking, she turned and walked home with her hands behind her back.
Wen Zhaoye's cold, hard heart suddenly seemed to crack open; his dark pupils flickered, and his gaze softened.
Her mind recalled her past troublemaking ways, and a thought arose in her mind regarding her drastic change:
Could it be that she likes me and that's why she changed herself like this to please me?
Upon hearing this, Xu Cuifen's smile froze. She was both angry and pleased. She was angry because Wen Jiaojiao had implied in front of others that she was being mean to Wen Zhaoye.
The good news is that they also thought Wen Jiaojiao had really fallen for Wen Zhaoye, and they've even started speaking up for her.
She calmed down and still felt that this was something to be happy about. After all, she couldn't go against Wen Jiaojiao's wishes, and this was better than her falling for some random Tom, Dick, or Harry and having to follow them around.
An exaggerated smile appeared on her face as she said:
"Okay, Mom, I promise I'll treat him like my son-in-law."
As soon as she finished speaking, the people in the courtyard were stunned. Wen Jiaojiao was the first to react.
Her face flushed crimson, whether from embarrassment or heat, spreading all the way to her neck, and she said in an unnatural tone:
"What are you thinking? You're not allowed to have such dangerous thoughts. Haven't I been scolded enough already?"
Xu Cuifen glanced at Wen Zhaoye standing outside the kitchen door, unable to discern his thoughts, and could only continue:
"What's wrong with that? My Jiaojiao was originally going to be an official's wife, but now that she's married to Zhaoye, it's a perfect match."
If it were any other day, Wen Zhaoye would have given the mother and daughter a severe scolding, but this time he only said something lightly, not knowing who to reply to:
"Don't think about this kind of thing again."
After saying that, he took out a cigarette from his pocket and held it at an angle to his lips.
With a "click," the metal lighter gleamed, emitting a blue flame, and lit the cigarette.
He walked listlessly toward the main room. As he passed Wen Jiaojiao, he didn't stop, but through the rising smoke, he glanced at her almost imperceptibly.
Then, with her slender fingers holding a cigarette between her lips, she sat on a low bamboo stool with one leg bent.
Her face is so red, she probably really likes me, and she's embarrassed because her secret has been exposed.
Xu Cuifen gritted her teeth and glared at the main room, "..."
You good-for-nothing! It's an honor to let you be my son-in-law. If you don't marry my daughter, don't even think about getting married in front of my precious daughter.
Wen Jiaojiao had no idea what the two were thinking. She softened her expression, led Zhang Xiaofang into the house, and politely said:
"Xiaofang, sit in the main room for a while, I'm going to change my clothes."
The midday sun was strong, and the clothes hanging outside were almost dry. Wen Jiaojiao wrapped her underwear in her tank top and shorts and went back to her room.
She opened the wardrobe, inside were rows and rows of dresses in various colors and styles. The polyester fabric of the dresses was smooth and looked very energetic.
The dress features a round neck, a fitted waist, a large skirt, and pleated puff sleeves, making it more fashionable than the polyester style.
But she wasn't satisfied after flipping through them, so she pulled out a pair of wide-leg light blue jeans from underneath and wore them with a tank top.
Hong Kong at that time had a very open dress code, so this square-neck tank top with trousers shouldn't be considered outrageous, right?
Still feeling uneasy, she picked out a white polyester shirt, leaving it unbuttoned and tying the two sides of the shirt in a knot at her waist to accentuate her slender figure.
As the door opened, Zhang Xiaofang looked at the girl who came out, her eyes shining brightly as she said:
"Jiaojiao, who taught you to dress like this? It looks so good."
Wen Zhaoye had just emptied Wen Xiaojian's chamber pot and walked to the door when he glanced up and saw Wen Jiaojiao, whose style was quite unique.
Her collarbone resembled a crescent-shaped spring brimming with the rich aroma of wine; the small patch of skin she exposed was smooth and radiant; the knot of her shirt accentuated her slender waist, making it seem as if it could be snapped in two.
His ears turned red. He put the chamber pot back in the room and washed his hands on the washbasin stand behind the door of the main room.
Is this how people dress these days?
Wen Jiaojiao dodged the question and said:
"This is my own idea, but I read about a place in a book where people all wear V-neck shirts, halter dresses, and dresses that show a bit of the back."
As soon as the words were spoken, Zhang Xiaofang and Wen Zhaoye subconsciously realized that this was an inappropriate place.
He gave up, assuming she had just happened to come up with this outfit, and said ambiguously:
"Change your clothes first, and I'll take these clothes to the county town later."
A glint of light shone in Wen Jiaojiao's dark eyes as she said:
"You don't actually think my style of dressing will be a huge hit, do you?"
Wen Zhaoye glanced at the skin below her collarbone and chuckled, "You need to change, or you'll go bankrupt."
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