Chapter 428: Always Wanting to Jump – Daily Gossip in the Sickly Aunt’s Courtyard

Chapter 428 Always Up to No Good—The Daily Gossip Life of the Delicate Sister-in-Law in the Courtyard

"No way... haha, seriously, Brother Nan, tell me... how did you say that with a straight face? Hahaha!"

Oh my god! Lin Qing nearly died laughing the whole way.

Cen Xi hadn’t expected his rare moment of humor to have such an effect. Hearing her question, he could only smile helplessly, not inclined to answer.

Luckily, Lin Qing wasn’t trying to press further—she just found his earlier remark genuinely hilarious and wanted to ask about it.

"Alright, laugh for a bit and then stop. Hold on tight—don’t let go!" Cen Xi sighed at the intermittent laughter behind him. Maybe he shouldn’t have tried to be humorous just now.

"Okay, okay! Hahaha!" Lin Qing was quite obedient, clutching his shirt at the waist, though she still couldn’t hold back her giggles.

Fortunately, the journey home wasn’t long, and they arrived soon enough.

Lin Qing had laughed the entire way, her eyes slightly reddened at the corners and her lips still curved in a smile, giving her a mesmerizingly beautiful look.

Cen Xi was momentarily stunned but quickly shook it off, pulling her inside. He didn’t want too many people seeing his wife like this.

Lin Qing didn’t notice anything unusual, assuming Cen Xi was just a little embarrassed from her laughter earlier.

But to Zhang Mengyun, who had witnessed the scene, it seemed as though something had happened between them—Lin Qing was putting on a strained smile while Cen Xi appeared impatient.

Zhang Mengyun wanted to observe more, but the two quickly went inside, which only reinforced her suspicions.

Secretly, she hoped their conflict would escalate further—preferably to the point of divorce!

At the Cen household, Lin’s father had gone out to play chess, and Lin’s mother had stepped out, leaving the space to the long-separated couple.

Cen Xi was truly grateful to his in-laws for this.

After pulling her into the inner room, Cen Xi looked at Lin Qing with resignation. "Done laughing yet?"

Lin Qing pressed her lips together, suppressing her smile. "Ahem, yeah, yeah."

She held it in, and soon, the urge to laugh faded, replaced by a surge of longing. Unable to control herself, she flung her arms around him.

"I missed you so much!" Lin Qing murmured her longing.

Cen Xi tightened his embrace, his arms betraying his own yearning.

The atmosphere between them grew quiet and intimate.

"Mmm~" Cen Xi lowered his head, seeking those lips he had dreamed of day and night, and kissed her.

Their breaths mingled, growing heavier. Even though they had shared countless moments like this, Lin Qing was the first to break this time.

The corners of her eyes were even more seductive than before.

Cen Xi pulled back slightly, gazing at the breathless Lin Qing before him, the hunger in his gaze growing.

He kissed her again.

"Mmm~"

This time, it wasn’t just a kiss—his hands roamed freely.

Fortunately, the light streaming in through the half-open door jolted Cen Xi back to reality. Reining himself in, he crushed her against him.

Lin Qing was left hanging and gave his chest a half-hearted punch—neither too hard nor too soft.

Cen Xi caught her fist and kissed it, reining in his impulses. "You rest inside for a bit. I’ll go make dinner!"

Lin Qing let out a couple of "hmphs!" and allowed him to release her.

With a contented smile, Cen Xi left the room, then wiped the smile off his face as he entered the neighboring kitchen and got to work.

He checked the cabinets—potatoes, cabbage, and a scant half-pound of meat. Deciding not to skimp, he took everything out.

He was in such high spirits today. Glancing at the stored grain, he realized his portion had been saved up during his month-and-a-half absence. Time to splurge a little!

Figuring it’d feed four, he planned to steam a pot of white rice and prepare two dishes: pork and potato stew and stir-fried spicy cabbage.

Perhaps it was sheer happiness, but Cen Xi found himself humming under his breath as he cooked.

The clatter from the kitchen carried, especially since others had been watching the goings-on.

Those accustomed to the scene didn’t find it unusual, but Zhang Mengyun, who had never seen such a thing, was gobsmacked.

*How could a man enter the kitchen?*

*Isn’t Cen Xi an engineer?*

*Such an accomplished man—why would he willingly step into the kitchen?*

Zhang Mengyun stood frozen in shock.

She rubbed her eyes vigorously, but no, she hadn’t been mistaken—it wasn’t that *hussy* who had gone into the kitchen!

*Ugh! That hussy has no shame!*

Wang Qiaomei noticed Zhang Mengyun scrubbing veggies, gaping toward the west wing.

"Mengyun, are you looking at the west wing?"

"Huh? No, why would I care about them? Always at each other’s throats!" Zhang Mengyun snapped her gaze away, denying it outright.

"Then what *are* you looking at?"

Zhang Mengyun lifted her head sharply, sizing up Wang Qiaomei for a moment before hesitantly asking, "Why would a man go into the kitchen?"

Wang Qiaomei immediately understood but didn’t explain the phenomenon. Instead, she smiled and said, "Oh! You mean Cen Gong? That’s nothing unusual here. Everyone in this courtyard’s seen it plenty. Comrade Lin Qing is lucky—her parents and Cen Gong do all the heavy lifting. She hardly has to lift a finger."

As she spoke, Wang Qiaomei pretended not to notice the jealousy on Zhang Mengyun’s face, even playing up her envy herself.

Zhang Mengyun snapped, "*Pah!* If you ask me, a woman like that—so useless—oughta be dumped! Since when do men serve women? No self-respect at all!"

Her voice carried far and wide, reaching even those standing at a distance.

The onlookers’ expressions turned complicated—this woman had a death wish!

Wang Qiaomei was stunned silly by Zhang Mengyun’s audacity.

At that moment, Wang Qiaomei desperately wanted to distance herself. *This idiot—does she even realize what she’s saying?*

Lin Qing had just stepped out of her room when she heard the remark. Cocking her head, she asked, "Oh? That about me?"

Zhang Mengyun threw the vegetables in her hand into the basin and stood up, "So what if I'm talking about you? How can there be such an unwifely woman like you, making a man wait on you!"

Lin Qing smiled and said with a look of happiness, "Oh! You jealous or something? If you want, you can have your man do the same!"

"Ugh! I'm not a shameless woman like you!"

Lin Qing still didn't get angry and replied cheerfully, "Oh! I get it! It must be that your man can't meet your demands, that's why you're so salty!"

Lin Qing's expression seemed to say, "Isn't that right? It must be!"