The original owner did not cook. She ate all three meals a day at the mine canteen. However, she never went together with Xie Fangzhu. Usually, she only strolled over after Xie Fangzhu had already left.
Xie Fangzhu had also grown accustomed to her indifference. Usually, he simply said a word to her before leaving.
He had never expected that today she would actually take the initiative to ask whether she wanted to go together. It was enough to leave someone flattered beyond measure… my foot.
The original owner did not want to have breakfast with him, and neither did she.
But could someone whose persona was to have eyes full of nothing but her Husband refuse?
The answer was no.
Thinking of that, she resigned herself to the situation and flashed a dazzling smile that was at least twelve points bright. “Sure!”
Then she jogged all the way to his side, her face full of anticipation. “I was just feeling too lazy to walk. Will you give me a ride?”
Seeing the radiant smile that resembled a little sun, Xie Fangzhu could not help but smile as well. He pushed his bicycle forward and continued walking downhill. “Once we get to the foot of the mountain and give the snake to Uncle Chen, I’ll give you a ride to the canteen.”
Shen Yingying immediately looped her arm through his and grinned. “My man is the best!”
…
At the foot of the mountain was the family residential compound. Rows of single-story houses stood in an orderly but staggered arrangement, and Chen Wenxing’s house happened to be the first one on the corner.
The two of them quickly arrived at Chen Wenxing’s front door. Xie Fangzhu parked the bicycle, said a word to Shen Yingying, then picked up the black burlap sack from the bicycle basket and walked toward Chen Wenxing’s house.
The door was only loosely closed. Xie Fangzhu was a frequent visitor here, so he did not stand on ceremony. He pushed the door open and looked inside. “Uncle Chen, are you home?”
A woman’s voice immediately answered from inside. “Oh, it’s Xiao Xie! Your Uncle Chen is inside washing his face. Have you had breakfast yet?”
Xie Fangzhu walked in. His voice was not loud, and Shen Yingying, who was standing outside, could not hear what he said afterward. Not long later, she heard a rough, booming voice ring out:
“It’s such a small matter, what’s there to thank me for? My girl is idle anyway, so don’t worry. I guarantee she’ll keep a close watch on it for you!”
Hearing that, Shen Yingying could not help glancing farther inside. Keep a close watch on what?
Just as she was wondering, Xie Fangzhu had already come back out, followed by a man who looked to be in his forties.
The man’s skin was dark, and he was holding a large bowl in his hand. At that moment, he was grinning broadly, and the chipped front tooth in his mouth was especially conspicuous. He looked exceptionally honest and simple.
This was Xie Fangzhu’s Squad Leader, Chen Wenxing.
However, the smile on his face froze as though he had seen a ghost the moment he spotted Shen Yingying. The expression was almost comical.
Shen Yingying gave him a sweet smile and politely greeted him: “Hello, Uncle Chen!”
Hearing that, Chen Wenxing, who had yet to recover from his shock, trembled so hard that the large bowl in his hand nearly tipped over, spilling the knot noodles inside.
Was he seeing ghosts today, or had the sun risen in the west?
How had Shen Yingying ended up coming out together with Xie Fangzhu?
“…Good heavens…” Chen Wenxing muttered. Only after the words left his mouth did he realize they were inappropriate to say in front of the younger generation. He hurriedly slapped his own mouth. “Pah, pah, pah. I’m getting old, and my tongue’s all twisted. Listen to the nonsense I’m saying… Hello, Xiao Shen! Hello, Xiao Shen!”
Xie Fangzhu swung his long leg over the bicycle, turned his head to glance at the still-dazed Chen Wenxing, and said: “Uncle Chen, it’s getting late. We’ll head to the canteen first.”
Only then did Chen Wenxing snap back to his senses. “O-Okay…”
After sitting sideways on the bicycle’s rear seat, Shen Yingying did not forget to smile and wave at him. “Goodbye, Uncle Chen!”
Chen Wenxing: “!!!”
Chen Wenxing’s Wife had also heard the commotion outside. She leaned her head out of the window, and when she saw the two of them riding away on the bicycle, she looked as though she had seen a ghost as well, her eyes widening in utter disbelief.
“…Good heavens…” she muttered to herself, letting out the same exclamation as her husband. “She practically pressed a green hat onto Xiao Xie’s head, yet she still managed to make Xiao Xie treat her like this. That girl’s methods really are impressive! If only our daughter could learn even a fraction of them!”
Chen Wenxing: “…”
…
After leaving the Chen family’s house, Xie Fangzhu gave Shen Yingying a ride all the way to the mine canteen.
The canteen was about one or two li from where they lived. It was the morning rush hour, and quite a few people were walking along the road.
The two of them seemed to carry their own spotlight wherever they went. Everywhere they passed, it was like famous celebrities walking down the street. Everyone turned to look at them.
This was exactly what Shen Yingying had expected.
The original owner and Xie Fangzhu had already been well known around the mine. Then, after yesterday’s elopement incident had caused such an enormous uproar, they had become even more famous. Everyone was probably treating the two of them as the latest topic for after-meal gossip.
Now that the two main characters had actually appeared, how could people not steal a few extra glances?
Thus, the two of them walked all the way as though they were striding down a red carpet. After enduring everyone’s stares the entire journey, they finally arrived at the canteen.
At this hour, the canteen was packed. The moment the two of them stepped inside, it was as though two drops of water had suddenly fallen into a pot of boiling oil. The already noisy canteen instantly became even noisier.
People throughout the canteen whispered among themselves. One gaze after another fell upon them, as though trying to pierce through Shen Yingying’s body and condemn her very soul.
They pointed at Shen Yingying and whispered among themselves. Although she could not hear exactly what they were saying, she felt certain that none of it was anything nice.
If it had been an ordinary young woman, she would probably have been so embarrassed that she would have wanted nothing more than to find a hole in the ground and crawl into it.
But Shen Yingying had a strong psychological tolerance, and her skin was even thicker.
Not only could she pretend not to notice, but whenever someone became especially excited with their staring, she would even return a generous smile.
That made the other person’s constantly moving mouth too embarrassed to continue. They could only curse inwardly, I’m insulting her and she’s actually smiling. Is Shen Yingying sick or something?
Shen Yingying was, of course, not sick. She was simply broad-minded.
Given the original owner’s style of doing things, she was bound to be scolded many more times in the future. If she got angry every single time, she would probably die from anger within just a few days.
It was far better to open her heart and face everything calmly. She was determined to stay cheerful and infuriate every single person who wanted to insult her.
…
The canteen had six serving windows. Since it was the breakfast rush, there were quite a few people lined up at each one.
The two of them chose the line with the fewest people. They had just taken their places when they heard someone in the next line say:
“Look, Shen Yingying, that slut. Damn it, she got caught eloping yesterday. I really don’t know how she still has the nerve to show her face today!”
“What a shameless woman! Only Xie Fangzhu would spoil her like this. If it were me, I’d chop both her legs off!!”
Shen Yingying gave a smile that never reached her eyes and turned toward the source of the voices. The speakers were two men, one short and fat, the other heavily built. They were whispering to each other while looking at her.
Perhaps noticing her smile, the sturdier of the two men snorted and cursed: “She’s actually smiling. How does she still have the nerve to smile… Damn it, you whore!”
Shen Yingying’s expression turned cold. Although the others had also been pointing fingers and whispering about her, at least they had kept their voices down and did not dare let her, the person involved, hear them.
Were these two being a little too arrogant?
Were they also taking the Xie Fangzhu standing behind her a little too lightly?
After all, her Xie Fangzhu’s reputation for “spoiling his Wife” was famous far and wide, even if it was all an act.
As long as Xie Fangzhu was not planning to lay a hand on her himself, it was not anyone else’s turn to yap at her.
These two had the audacity to insult her right in front of him. They were simply carrying a manure basket through the streets, courting death!