4
Picking Him Up After Work
After seeing off the nosy neighbors, Mother Lu had Lin Jianchun tidy up the house while she went to cook.
Lu Xuanzhou handed out cigarettes to his childhood friends who had helped move things, exchanged a few teasing remarks with them, and then returned home.
When Lu Xuanzhou entered his room, he found it filled with Lin Jianchun’s belongings.
Little Lu was happily picking up his own scattered junk.
Lu Xuanzhou gave him an annoyed kick. “Go help Mom with the cooking. I still have to return the truck to the factory this afternoon.”
“Oh.” Little Lu rubbed his backside and left.
Heh, his brother wanted to be alone with his wife and was treating him like a third wheel.
Little Lu thoughtfully closed the door behind him.
Lu Xuanzhou coughed awkwardly. Lin Jianchun, quick to catch on, handed him a glass of water.
Lu Xuanzhou didn’t touch it. He glanced at Lin Jianchun, unable to forget how sharp-tongued she had been when dealing with the Song family earlier. Knowing he was clumsy with words and spoke little, he felt he couldn’t keep up. Besides, he’d heard from married colleagues that couples often fought one moment and made up the next. He wasn’t sure if Lin Jianchun was acting on impulse and would later remember Song Zhian’s good qualities.
After all, Song Zhian looked refined and scholarly—a face that women tended to favor.
As for himself, he looked intimidating. If it weren’t for his decent job, women would probably avoid him altogether.
“I know today was just a temporary arrangement. You can leave whenever you want. Don’t worry about my family—I’ll explain it to them.”
Lin Jianchun raised an eyebrow. Was Lu Xuanzhou trying to draw a clear line between them, preserving himself for the female lead? Without even asking if she agreed? She had been living just fine until she cursed the author and got punished with this transmigration. If she didn’t steal the female lead’s man, did she even deserve to be called human?
“But you touched me.”
“Cough, cough, cough.” Lu Xuanzhou’s cold expression shattered into a fit of coughing, his face flushing red all the way to the tips of his ears.
Lu Xuanzhou fled in a panic, not even staying for lunch.
Mother Lu, worried that Lin Jianchun might misunderstand, explained, “A Zhou always has to return the truck to the factory right after making deliveries. Like last night—he came back, but he had to return it first thing this morning…”
Lin Jianchun promptly showed concern. “People say driving gives you an iron rice bowl, but it only looks glamorous. The real hardship is something only our own family understands. He only slept a few hours and already has to go back to work…”
Her words struck a chord with Mother Lu, who grew even more convinced that Lin Jianchun was the perfect daughter-in-law for her. She ended up revealing everything about her own son.
“Because A Zhou looks intimidating, he’s never had any female classmates, colleagues, or neighbors around him. You can rest completely assured, daughter-in-law.”
“That said, even though A Zhou looks tough, he’s actually very kind-hearted. Give him a chance to get to know him. If he ever bullies you, just tell me, and I’ll teach him a lesson.”
Mother Lu was well aware that her son wasn’t as handsome as Song Zhian, so she could only stretch the truth and praise his good nature, hoping her daughter-in-law wouldn’t look down on him.
“Mom, I actually like someone like Brother A Zhou.”
Lu Xuanzhou had broad facial bones, prominent brow and cheekbones, and a sharply defined jawline—giving him a rugged, wild aura. At first glance, he seemed difficult to get along with.
But as luck would have it, she had a particular fondness for rough, untamed men.
“Good, good, good. Hearing that puts my mind at ease.”
Mother Lu didn’t consider for a moment that Lu Xuanzhou might not like Lin Jianchun. Her daughter-in-law was so wonderful—as long as her son wasn’t blind and heartless, he was bound to fall for her.
“Mom, Brother A Zhou should be getting off work soon, right? I’ll go pick him up.”
Mother Lu was delighted to see her daughter-in-law from next door so eagerly interacting with her son and quickly suggested, “A Zhou left in such a hurry at noon that his bicycle is still at home. Why don’t you ride it to pick him up?”
Mother Lu had to return to her maiden home to exchange some coupons, so she could only let Lin Jianchun go alone.
The Lu family’s bicycle was a large 28-inch model, and Lin Jianchun wobbled unsteadily for a stretch before finally getting the hang of it.
In those days, factories generally followed an eight-hour work schedule: starting at 8 a.m., ending at 11 a.m., then resuming at 1 p.m. and finishing at 6 p.m. During daylight saving time, the afternoon shift would start at 2 p.m. and end at 7 p.m.
It was late spring, and the machinery factory still ended work at 6 p.m.
Lin Jianchun stood beside the bicycle, and before long, the factory gates swung open as workers crowded out at the end of their shift.
Lin Jianchun spotted Lu Xuanzhou at once. “Brother A Zhou—”
Lu Xuanzhou emerged with his good buddy Luo Jianzhang, arms slung over each other’s shoulders, and immediately noticed the beaming Lin Jianchun, her slender arm waving cheerfully in his direction.
It was like she was summoning his soul. With ill intentions.
“Brother Zhou, is that pretty young lady calling for you?”
Lu Xuanzhou gave a noncommittal “Hmm.”
“After all the times we’ve faced life and death together, you’ve been hiding a young lady from me?”
Lu Xuanzhou: “Don’t spread rumors and ruin her reputation. She’s a sister from home.”
His mother adored Lin Jianchun, and even if Lin Jianchun decided to leave someday, they could still consider her an adopted relative. Referring to her as “a sister from home” wasn’t wrong.
“My dear Brother Zhou~ How come I didn’t know we had such a grown-up sister? Does she have a revolutionary partner yet?”
Luo Jianzhang was already smoothing his hair and adjusting his clothes, preening like a peacock spreading its feathers.
Lu Xuanzhou replied coolly, “She’s not into your type.”
“Then what type does she like? I can change.”
“Pretty boys.”
Luo Jianzhang was tall and sturdy; pretending to be a pretty boy would require chopping off a chunk of his legs. “What a shame. I really love that sister’s smile. Looking at it, I could eat two extra bowls of rice.”
“You could eat two extra bowls staring at a latrine.” In those times, food was rationed, but if anyone could eat their fill, they’d gladly have two extra bowls.
The two bantered as they approached Lin Jianchun.
Luo Jianzhang acted familiar. “Hello, Sister Lu! I’m Lu Xuanzhou’s good buddy, Luo Jianzhang. I’ll bring you some candy another day.”
Lin Jianchun felt a bit shy. She and Lu Xuanzhou hadn’t made any real progress yet, and she was already being called by his surname?
“Thank you.”
The sight of Lin Jianchun’s bashful, timid expression made Luo Jianzhang nudge Lu Xuanzhou’s arm.
Luo Jianzhang: And you said she’s not into my type? I don’t believe it—she’s blushing!
“Let’s go.”
Lu Xuanzhou ignored Luo Jianzhang and mounted the bicycle.
Lin Jianchun waved goodbye to Luo Jianzhang and took her seat on the back.
“Sister Lu, see you tomorrow!”
Luo Jianzhang watched the bicycle ride away, muttering, “Why ride off so fast? I didn’t even catch what Sister Lu said last…”
As the bicycle suddenly accelerated, Lin Jianchun instinctively wrapped her arms around Lu Xuanzhou’s waist.
His rock-hard abs, moving with each pedal stroke, pressed rhythmically against her palm through the fabric.
Such fine material—she’d never tasted anything like it before.
Lin Jianchun nervously swallowed. What was wrong with her touching her own man’s abs? Not even the heavens could stop her.
As if to bolster her courage, she gave them a squeeze.
“Hiss.”
Was she hearing things, or did Lu Xuanzhou in front of her just let out a suppressed yet secretly pleased hiss?
While Lin Jianchun was still doubting her ears, the next second, she too let out an embarrassing “hiss.”
Lu Xuanzhou was actually riding his bicycle through narrow alleys. The path in the alley was bumpy and uneven, causing the bicycle to jolt and sway. Afraid of being thrown off, she instinctively tightened her hold on Lu Xuanzhou.
Lu Xuanzhou: “Hiss—”
Lin Jianchun: “Hiss—”
The hissing sounds continued without end.
Worried about her own backside, Lin Jianchun spoke in a trembling voice, “Um, Brother A Zhou, I’m actually not in a hurry to get home. You can ride slower~~~~ Hiss~~~”
Lu Xuanzhou tightened his grip on the bicycle handlebars. He had already taken a detour, and if they returned any later, Mother Lu might go to the factory looking for them.