Wen Zhaoye stood up, turning his gaze away to avoid her eyes, and coughed lightly, saying:
"It's nothing. I'm clarifying and explaining today simply because it would damage my own reputation."
Wen Jiaojiao pursed her crimson lips, lowered her head slightly, and sighed. Her long, dark hair fell across her face, concealing the shyness and annoyance in her eyes.
Got it, you're annoyed that I'm making a fool of myself by having a scandal with you.
Wen Zhaoye couldn't discern her emotions. Just as he was about to speak kindly, he caught sight of Xu Cuifen. His expression turned cold, and he hurriedly left the room.
To prevent her from causing trouble again.
Xu Cuifen walked into the house, her face beaming with an unusually gossipy smile:
“Daughter, what’s with that loudspeaker? I heard it all from the fields. Look, it’s been covered up. I have to go to town to buy things for my wedding.”
Her voice was loud, and since she didn't try to lower it, it reached Wen Zhaoye's ears as he chopped vegetables in the kitchen. Two blushes crept onto his cool, jade-like face.
Her dark hair trembled slightly, and her lowered brows and eyes, devoid of their usual coldness, revealed a gentle warmth. The corners of her lips curved into an imperceptible smile.
I feel that if I were to actually be with her, life would definitely be better than marrying someone else and being harassed by Xu Cuifen three times a day.
Inside the room, Wen Jiaojiao got angry just thinking about it. She plopped down on the bed, sighed inwardly, and muttered in a low voice:
"He thinks I'm a disgrace, and he thinks I'm a disgrace to the Wen family. Every time he brings me up, it's about how I craved him, and how I treated him."
He couldn't accept it, so he made it public. I don't know why he's so difficult to get along with. But if this matter is resolved, we should thank him.
Xu Cuifen was old and couldn't understand the thoughts of young people. Moreover, she always saw Wen Zhaoye either mocking Wen Jiaojiao or ordering her around.
She believed that true love should be like Wen Xiaojian's love for her—always going along with her without questioning right or wrong, and helping her with any chores, big or small.
At this moment, he didn't question Wen Jiaojiao's words at all, and walked out with a look of utter disbelief.
How dare he look down on my daughter? I'll go buy some potent aphrodisiacs today and teach him a lesson he won't forget.
Wen Jiaojiao was lost in melancholy, completely unaware that Xu Cuifen harbored such thoughts.
Around noon, the three of them gathered at a dusty little square table for lunch.
Xu Cuifen picked up some dried lettuce with her chopsticks, ate some white rice, and said to Wen Zhaoye:
"Zhaoye, Jiaojiao and I will take your dad to the clinic this afternoon in a handcart to change his bandages. Or could you go and weed the garden?" We can buy you some medicine while we're at it.
Sweat beaded on Wen Zhaoye's high, straight nose. He glanced at the girl whose face was flushed red with heat and said indifferently:
"You can just take my dad, why do you need her to go?" It's so sunny outside.
Wen Jiaojiao thought he was worried she was being lazy again, so she put down her chopsticks and, before Xu Cuifen could speak, lazily said:
“I’ll go with you to work in the garden.”
She has resigned herself to her fate. She was always scolded for being lazy and good-for-nothing, and after hearing it so many times, she no longer harbors the resentment she once had.
Wen Zhaoye hesitated for a moment, then raised his eyebrows slightly, a barely perceptible smile appearing in his eyes: "..."
Wow, she must really like me a lot, even in this heat she still insists on sticking to me.
Wu Ying was standing in the yard turning over the wheat drying in the sun when she saw Xu Cuifen pushing Wen Xiaojian away. Then Wen Zhaoye locked the gate, picked up two hoes, and left side-by-side with Wen Jiaojiao, talking to her.
She didn't know that it was Aunt Pang who had tipped them off last time. Turning to the people in the next yard, she whispered:
"Auntie Pang, do you think Zhao Ye might actually like this slut?"
The plump aunt chuckled:
"That piece of trash, who would want her? Her mother even brewed her traditional Chinese medicine to cure her infertility, who would dare to take her?"
Wu Ying: "That's hard to say. I probably can't have children anymore, but I can't resist my good looks."
Who knows, they might be planning to keep them around as mistresses. These days, which of those big bosses in the county doesn't keep a few on the side while also stealing a few others?
The fat aunt was pouring swill into the pig trough:
"Absolutely not. I know Zhaoye's character. He's just like his father. He'll definitely dote on his wife in the future." Otherwise, why would I be keeping such a close eye on him?
Upon hearing this, even though Cai Xia knew that she had been caught red-handed by Wen Jiaojiao and Wen Zhaoye in the embarrassing situation last time, she still couldn't resist her gossipy nature and spoke up:
"Sigh, if I had known Wen Xiaojian was like this, I would have let my eldest sister marry him. Wouldn't that be much better than Xu Cuifen?"
Aunt Pang, a woman surnamed Zhang from Dashi Village, married into the same village and knew all the gossip about both families. She whispered:
"That would have to be something he likes. I've heard that Xu Cuifen knew Xiaojian before she got married, and that she got together with Wen Xiaojian before her husband died."
"Oh dear, look at this wretched woman. She changed her daughter's surname as soon as she married Xiaojian. Could she even be her biological daughter?"
Wu Ying, not one to shy away from trouble, said, "If she's their biological daughter, then wouldn't she and Zhao Ye be siblings?"
"If that were really the case, Xu Cuifen is so shrewd, could she really bring those two together?" Cai Xia:
"I think it's highly likely that Zhaoye isn't their biological son. Otherwise, what family wouldn't treat their own son like a son?"
Aunt Pang worked as a matchmaker, frequently visiting several nearby villages; she was a well-known know-it-all.
"When Xiaojian was young, he was quite good-looking. When Zhaoye's mother died, Widow Wang even came to help him a lot. He was so poor, yet women still came to him. How could he be ugly?"
Wu Ying thought for a moment, then seemed to have discovered something extraordinary and said:
"Wen Xiaojian was quite good-looking when he was young, but didn't you notice that Zhao Ye doesn't look like his father or his deceased mother at all?"
They dared not speak carelessly about Wen Zhaoye, after all, their own children were still working at the factory. Upon hearing the news, they all awkwardly went home.
The country fields are covered with lush, short grass, and the wheat on both sides, a blend of green and yellow, sways in the wind, with the fresh scent of grass wafting in the air.
Wen Jiaojiao, carrying a bulging little floral cloth bag, walked along the narrow ridge of the field. She lost her footing and stumbled, falling towards the wheat field.
Wen Zhaoye, positioned behind him, swiftly extended his strong arm and pulled him into a tight embrace, their bodies pressed closely together through their thin clothing.
He raised an eyebrow slightly, subconsciously glancing around at the empty surroundings. A small smile curved his thin, rosy lips as he leaned close to her fair ear, his voice low and magnetic, as if hooked:
"Don't you know how to be careful when you walk?"
His breath was hot and heavy, striking Wen Jiaojiao's ear in the small space, spreading to her delicate neck, arousing a dense, ticklish sensation.
Feeling uneasy, she subconsciously turned around:
"The road is too narrow..."
Before she could finish speaking, as she turned her head, her luscious cherry lips lightly touched his crimson lips, their breaths mingling and filling their lungs.
Their eyes met, and they stared blankly for a moment, their faces turning bright red as if blood were dripping from them. The atmosphere became ambiguous and teasing, mixed with a subtle awkwardness and unease.
Wen Jiaojiao was the first to react, decisively breaking free from his embrace, lowering her head and walking forward, saying softly:
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
Wen Zhaoye's heart felt as if it were being entangled by vines, spasming for a moment. He gazed at her awkward back, his rosy lips slightly pursed as if savoring the memory, a shy smile appearing on his handsome face:
You're putting on an act again. If you can't resist taking advantage of me and steal a kiss tonight, don't blame me for making it clear.
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