The original host never cooked; all three meals were taken care of at the mine canteen. However, she never went with Xie Fangzhu. Usually, after Xie Fangzhu left, she would slowly stroll over.
Xie Fangzhu was also accustomed to her indifference and would typically just say a word before leaving.
Who would have thought that today he would actually take the initiative to ask if she wanted to go together? It was truly an unexpected honor… not.
The original host didn’t want to have breakfast with him, and neither did she.
But could she, who was supposed to be completely devoted to her husband, refuse?
The answer was no.
Thinking this, she resigned herself and put on a smile that was at least twelve parts bright: “Sure!”
And she even jogged over to his side, her face full of anticipation: “I was just too lazy to walk. Will you give me a ride?”
Seeing her bright, sun-like smile, Xie Fangzhu couldn’t help but let a smile appear in his eyes. Pushing his bicycle, he continued downhill. “After I give the snake to Uncle Chen at the foot of the mountain, I’ll give you a ride over.”
Shen Yingying wrapped her arm around his, grinning: “My man is so good!”
…
At the foot of the mountain was the residential area, with rows of single-story houses scattered about. Chen Wenxing’s home happened to be the first house at the corner.
The two quickly arrived at Chen Wenxing’s doorstep. Xie Fangzhu parked the bicycle, said something to Shen Yingying, then picked up the black burlap sack from the bike basket and walked into Chen Wenxing’s house.
The door was slightly ajar, and Xie Fangzhu was a regular visitor here, so he didn’t stand on ceremony. He pushed the door open and looked inside. “Uncle Chen, are you there?”
A woman’s voice immediately responded from inside: “Oh, it’s Little Xie! Your Uncle Chen is inside washing his face. Have you had breakfast yet?”
Xie Fangzhu walked in. His voice wasn’t loud, so Shen Yingying, standing outside, couldn’t clearly hear what he said afterward. She only heard a rough, booming voice soon after:
“No need to thank me for such a small thing. Anyway, my daughter has nothing better to do. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she keeps a close eye on it for you!”
Hearing this, Shen Yingying couldn’t help but glance inside again. Keep a close eye on what?
Just as she was wondering, Xie Fangzhu came out of the door, followed by a man around forty years old.
The man had dark skin and was holding a large bowl. At that moment, he was grinning widely, his missing front tooth particularly noticeable, giving him a very honest appearance.
This was Xie Fangzhu’s squad leader, Chen Wenxing.
However, his smile froze as if he had seen a ghost the moment he spotted Shen Yingying, looking quite comical.
Shen Yingying gave him a sweet smile and politely called out: “Hello, Uncle Chen!”
Hearing this, Chen Wenxing, who hadn’t yet recovered from his shock, trembled, nearly spilling the dough ball soup from his large bowl.
Was he seeing things today, or had the sun risen from the west?
Why was Shen Yingying out with Xie Fangzhu?
“…My goodness…” Chen Wenxing muttered, only realizing after speaking that such words weren’t appropriate in front of a junior. He quickly patted his mouth. “Pah, pah, pah, getting old, my mouth just slips. Look at what I’m saying… Hello, Little Shen! Hello, Little Shen!”
Xie Fangzhu swung his long leg over the bicycle and glanced back at the still-dazed Chen Wenxing. “Uncle Chen, it’s getting late. We’re heading to the canteen first.”
Only then did Chen Wenxing snap back to reality. “Okay, okay…”
Shen Yingying sat sideways on the bicycle’s rear seat, still smiling and waving at him: “Goodbye, Uncle Chen!”
Chen Wenxing: “!!!”Chen Wenxing’s wife also heard the commotion outside and poked her head out the window. When she saw the two figures on the receding bicycle, her eyes widened in disbelief as if she had seen a ghost.
“…My goodness…” she muttered, echoing her husband’s astonishment. “She practically shoved the green hat right onto Little Xie’s face, yet he still treats her like a treasure. That girl’s methods are truly something! If only your daughter could learn even a fraction of that!”
Chen Wenxing: “…”
…
After leaving the Chen household, Xie Fangzhu rode with Shen Yingying all the way to the mine cafeteria.
The cafeteria was about a mile or two from where they lived. It was the peak hour for going to work, and many people were walking along the road.
The two of them seemed to carry an aura of their own. Wherever they went, it was as if a celebrity were passing by, drawing stares from everyone.
This was within Shen Yingying’s expectations.
Originally, both the original host and Xie Fangzhu were already well-known figures at the mine. Coupled with yesterday’s elopement scandal, their notoriety had skyrocketed. They were likely the subject of gossip during mealtime conversations.
Now that the two main characters had appeared, how could people not take a few extra glances?
And so, as if walking down a red carpet, the two endured stares all the way until they finally reached the cafeteria.
At this hour, the cafeteria was packed. The moment they stepped inside, it was like two drops of water falling into a sizzling oil pan—the already noisy cafeteria grew even more chaotic.
People in the cafeteria whispered among themselves, their gazes coming one after another, as if trying to pierce through Shen Yingying’s body and condemn her Soul.
They pointed and murmured at Shen Yingying. Although she couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying, she was certain it wasn’t anything nice.
If it were an ordinary girl, she would probably be so ashamed she’d wish to crawl into a hole.
But Shen Yingying had strong mental resilience and thick skin.
Not only could she ignore the stares, but she even responded to those with particularly intense gazes with a generous smile.
This made the person whose mouth had been incessantly moving feel too embarrassed to continue, and they could only curse under their breath: “She’s smiling even when being cursed. Is Shen Yingying sick in the head?”
Of course, Shen Yingying wasn’t sick. She was simply open-minded.
Given the original host’s behavior, she was bound to face plenty of criticism in the future. If she got angry every time, she’d probably be dead from rage in no time.
It was better to open her heart, face things calmly, and stay happy—just to spite everyone who wanted to curse her.
…
The cafeteria had six serving windows. During the breakfast rush, each line had quite a few people.
The two of them picked a line with relatively fewer people. As soon as they stood in place, they heard a voice from the next line:
“Look, it’s Shen Yingying, that shameless woman. Damn, she got caught eloping yesterday. I really don’t know how she still has the face to show up today!”
“Absolutely shameless! Only Xie Fangzhu would spoil her like this. If it were me, I’d chop her legs off!”
Shen Yingying forced a smile and turned to look at the source of the voice. The speakers were two men—one short and stout, the other burly—whispering to each other while staring at her.
Perhaps noticing her smile, the burly man snorted and cursed, “She’s still smiling. How does she even have the face to smile… Damn, what a slut!”
Shen Yingying’s expression turned cold. Although others were also pointing and whispering about her, at least they kept their voices restrained, not daring to let the main character hear.
But these two… weren’t they being a bit too arrogant?Did they really not take Xie Fangzhu behind her seriously at all?
After all, her Xie Fangzhu had a well-known reputation for “spoiling his wife” (even if it was fake).
But as long as Xie Fangzhu didn’t want to lay a hand on her, no one else had the right to chatter.
These two had the audacity to curse right in front of him—it was like carrying a dung basket and running through the streets, simply asking for death!