Logically speaking, with Han Wei’s massive build, he really had nothing in common with the words “sweet, innocent fool.”
Yet Shen Yingying felt those three words suited him perfectly.
The corners of Xie Fangzhu’s mouth twitched.
In the end, he could not hold back. He raised a hand and pressed down on Han Wei’s large head. “Shut up!”
Only then did Han Wei realize he had said the wrong thing.
His sister-in-law was his brother’s woman. His brother naturally knew what kind of person his own woman was. Why would he need a little brother like him to remind him?
Men all cared about their pride. By blurting out in front of his sister-in-law that his brother liked her so much,
wasn’t he making his brother lose face?
Thinking of that, he shrank his broad shoulders and looked pitifully at Xie Fangzhu.
“Brother, I’m sorry. My mouth slipped too…”
“What a fool!” Xie Fangzhu shot him a cold glare, then looked toward the back of the canteen.
His gaze landed somewhere, and his expression softened considerably. He said to Shen Yingying: “Take your time eating. I’m going to find someone.”
Shen Yingying looked in the direction he had just glanced.
There were too many people, and she could not see whom he was looking for.
She nodded. “Alright.”
After Xie Fangzhu left, Han Wei rubbed his hands awkwardly and looked sheepishly at Shen Yingying.
Without his brother there, Han Wei felt especially embarrassed sitting alone with his sister-in-law.
The bench felt as though it were burning his backside. No matter how he sat, he could not get comfortable.
Seeing how restless he looked, which contrasted sharply with his huge frame, Shen Yingying could not help but take the initiative to ease the awkwardness. “Brother seems to have a very good relationship with you. I always see him with you the most.”
He had never expected that not only did his sister-in-law know his name, but she even took the initiative to speak to him. Her voice was also so gentle, completely different from the sister-in-law he had imagined.
“Ah, actually Brother gets along well with everyone…” he said bashfully, his thunderous voice also dropping much lower. “I’m the one who keeps following him around. Hehe. He’s always saying I’m annoying. See, he’s so nice to everyone else, but he’s always fierce with me…”
Shen Yingying wanted to say that it was because Xie Fangzhu only pretended to be nice to everyone else. Only in front of the people closest to him could anyone catch a glimpse of the true nature he hid so well.
She did not expose Xie Fangzhu’s secret. Instead, she smiled and said to Han Wei: “That’s because you’re his friend. You only stop being polite with your own friends.”
Hearing those words, Han Wei could not help widening his eyes.
He had always regarded himself as Xie Fangzhu’s little brother. He had never dared think of himself as Xie Fangzhu’s friend.
Yet Shen Yingying had actually called him Xie Fangzhu’s friend. He was so flattered that he felt overwhelmed.
He felt that not only was his sister-in-law beautiful, but she was also unbelievably kind-hearted.
For a moment, his favorable impression of Shen Yingying rose by several dozen more points.
“Sister-in-law, don’t say that…” He grinned foolishly and was about to continue when Xie Fangzhu returned, carrying a little boy who looked five or six years old in his arms.
He immediately stopped talking and asked Xie Fangzhu: “Brother, why did you bring little clever one over here?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he noticed a woman following behind them from the corner of his eye and hurriedly asked: “Huh? Sister Yin, you’re here too.”
The woman looked to be around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old. She had a very gentle appearance, and her brows and eyes carried a soft smile that gave people an especially pleasant impression.
Hearing him, she smiled and answered Han Wei’s question. “Xiaozhu said Yingying is riding her bicycle home today, so she can give Jiaozi a ride.”
After speaking, she looked at Shen Yingying and said: “Yingying, Jiaozi happened to sprain his foot a few days ago. It’s terribly uncomfortable for him to walk home. As his mother, I really feel sorry for him, but there’s nothing I can do. It just so happens that you’re riding your bicycle today. I really have to thank you. I’m truly troubling you.”
Shen Yingying searched through the original owner’s memories. The original owner did not know this woman. She only seemed to have seen her a few times around the mine.
From the woman’s words, she understood that the woman wanted her to give the little boy a ride home on the way back.
Since Xie Fangzhu had brought the little boy over himself, it meant he already knew about this matter as well.
Thinking of that, she nodded and addressed the woman the same way Han Wei did. “Sister Yin, it’s just something that’s on the way. You really don’t have to be so polite.”
Seeing her reaction, surprise flashed through Yin Rou’s eyes.
Then she said gratefully: “Yingying, then I’ll have to trouble you.”
After saying that, she reminded her son to listen to Shen Yingying, then hurried away carrying the takeaway meal she had packed from the canteen.
After Yin Rou left, Xie Fangzhu explained to Shen Yingying.
“Sister Yin works in the lamp room, and her husband works at the meat supply store. The meat supply store only has two shifts, and he has to get up early in the morning. Sister Yin still has to deliver his meal, so she doesn’t have time to take Jiaozi home. I saw that the child looked tired from walking. Since you’re riding your bicycle today anyway, and his house isn’t far from Uncle Chen’s place, you can give him a ride on the way.”
Judging by what he said, he had been the one who volunteered to help.
Shen Yingying was rather surprised. Since when had he become so kind-hearted?
However, when she looked at the little boy’s large, dark eyes, she found him incredibly adorable and did not think too much about it. “Don’t worry. I’ll definitely get him home safely.”
As she spoke, she gently pinched the little boy’s thin cheek. “It’s more than two li from here to the family residential compound. Jiaozi is so little, yet he can already walk all the way home by himself. That’s really impressive!”
Xie Fangzhu nodded and set the little boy down. “Then Han Wei and I are going to the meeting.”
Before going down into the mine each day, Xie Fangzhu always led the workers in a pre-shift meeting. They had already left home somewhat late today. Afraid of delaying him any longer, Shen Yingying quickly nodded. “Alright, hurry along.”
Before leaving, Xie Fangzhu also pinched Jiaozi’s cheek. “Jiaozi, be good, alright?”
Jiaozi looked at Xie Fangzhu with his bright, intelligent eyes, then looked at Shen Yingying before replying seriously: “Uncle Xie, I remembered what you said. I’ll be good and listen to Sister Yingying.”
Xie Fangzhu’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Just now, he had told Jiaozi to call Shen Yingying Aunt Shen, but once the words came out of Jiaozi’s mouth, she had become Sister instead.
He was Uncle, while Shen Yingying was Sister. Those generations did not sound right together.
He was only seven years older than Shen Yingying, so how had they ended up in different generations?
Then he thought that no matter how mismatched the titles sounded, Shen Yingying was still his Wife, and he immediately felt much better.
…
Shen Yingying placed the bicycle lock into the front basket, then pushed the bicycle backward a few steps.
Seeing Jiaozi standing obediently beside her the entire time without moving around, she could not help sighing inwardly at what a well-behaved child he was.
She climbed onto the bicycle and called for Jiaozi to get on.
When her gaze fell upon Jiaozi’s large, dark eyes, she was slightly surprised. The way the child looked at her was almost too focused. He stared at her so intently that it seemed as though he was afraid she might run away.
All of a sudden, a thought surfaced in her mind.
After Jiaozi had settled into his seat, she asked casually, as though it were merely an offhand question: “Jiaozi, what did your Uncle Xie say to you today?”
Jiaozi fell silent for a moment before saying: “He told me to listen to Sister Yingying.”
“Didn’t he say anything else?”
Jiaozi answered firmly: “No!”
“Huh?” Shen Yingying deliberately raised her voice in exaggerated surprise, then lowered it again and said mysteriously,
“But my magic ears heard Uncle Xie say something else to you too. Jiaozi, little children who tell lies will have their noses grow very, very long.”