Chapter 100: A Budding Relationship

Chapter 100: A Budding Relationship

After her initial surprise, the auntie inwardly clicked her tongue. She hadn't expected this tall fellow to be such a softie. She’d seen plenty like him; once married, eight out of ten would become henpecked, their wives’ every word law—utterly under the thumb.

But this big lug was lucky. That young lady from earlier was truly stunning; you wouldn't find many her equal in all of Jingxi Town!

Zhou Ye, a man of few words by nature, offered the auntie a single reply before falling silent, queuing up quietly like everyone else.

Yet, the auntie couldn't sit still. She was there for a follow-up on her old leg ailment, but her spirits were high, and her mouth simply wouldn't stop. After all, she had nearly become a matchmaker in her youth.

Behind her was a grumpy-looking old man, whose sour face immediately told her he wasn't one for conversation. So, she turned her attention to the tall fellow in front.

“Hey, young man, I reckon you and that young lady are a perfect match! How did you two meet? Your girl’s a real beauty—you’re quite the lucky fellow!”

Zhou Ye hadn't intended to engage in much conversation with strangers, but the auntie's repeated exclamations of "perfect match," "wife," and "lucky fellow" stirred even his steady demeanor, sparking a desire to exchange a few more words.

“Auntie, she’s not my wife yet. She’d be cross if she heard that. We have to marry first before I can call her that.”

The auntie: …

I said you’d be henpecked, but you’re already there before even marrying her!

“So, how exactly did you two meet?” the auntie asked, brimming with curiosity.

Zhou Ye paused briefly, not revealing the full truth. “We’re from the same village.”

“Same village?” The auntie shook her head, a shrewd glint in her eyes. “If you were childhood sweethearts, the way you look at each other wouldn’t be like that. Young man, if you don’t want to say, then don’t—no need to feed me a line.”

Zhou Ye hesitated but didn't elaborate, simply stating, “Auntie, you have a keen eye. A Shu and I haven’t known each other long. She didn’t used to live around here; she only returned recently.”

The auntie clapped her hands. “That makes sense! I could tell just by looking at you two that you’re in the throes of new love—nothing like childhood sweethearts.”

Zhou Ye felt a slight flush creep up his cheeks at her words.

The auntie, adopting the air of a seasoned veteran, chuckled and advised him, “I’m a good judge of character. You must treat your wife well in the future—not just during this honeymoon phase, but for the long haul. I could tell at a glance that she’s a delicate flower, the kind who needs to be pampered and cherished!”

Zhou Ye’s gaze shifted slightly, instinctively scanning the front of the line. The queue still snaked through the alley, and A Shu and her companions had long since vanished. He couldn't see the far end of the market; perhaps A Shu and the others had been drawn into one of the shops.

Lowering his voice, Zhou Ye humbly inquired, “Auntie, could you tell me a bit more? For instance, how should I console her when she’s angry? How can I tell if she’s truly upset or just feigning it? Sometimes I’m utterly perplexed—I don’t know why she gets angry out of the blue. Other times I think I understand, but before I even begin to coax her, she’s suddenly not angry anymore…”

After listening to his string of questions, the auntie’s jaw slowly dropped.

*Hmph*, no wonder this simpleton won the beauty’s heart. Given the beauty’s high-maintenance nature, most men would have lost patience long ago. But this big fellow seemed to take it all in stride—not only did he endure it, he was willing to indulge her.

The auntie had merely sought a chat partner to pass the time in line, but unexpectedly, she found herself quite fond of this honest fellow. After all, in these times, shrewd people were abundant, but a genuinely sincere man was a rare find.

“Young man, you’re in luck running into me today. I guarantee, no one understands women better than I do, especially delicate flowers like that young lady…”

The auntie rambled on, sharing all her wisdom with Zhou Ye.

Zhou Ye listened intently, his brows unconsciously furrowing.

There was *this* much to learn?

After a moment, he shook his head. “A Shu isn’t the type you described. She doesn’t act up for no reason. If she gets angry, there’s always a valid cause. But still, thank you for sharing so much with me, auntie.”

The auntie scoffed inwardly. *What do you know, you big oaf? That young lady may look young, but she might be playing a high-stakes game. It’s probably only because she likes you that she didn’t play hard to get and gave you an answer early on.*

But she dared not voice these thoughts; this big fellow would surely take offense.

After expressing his gratitude, Zhou Ye didn't exchange another word with the woman. He even felt a faint regret for having mentioned A Shu to her just now.

He realized he couldn't tolerate anyone speaking ill of A Shu.

Although the auntie hadn't explicitly criticized A Shu, her words inadvertently conveyed the impression that A Shu was the type of woman who would put on airs and make unreasonable demands to gain attention.

The auntie might have been unintentional, and she had indeed kindly shared her experiences.

But Zhou Ye still disliked it.

He disliked anyone speaking even slightly ill of A Shu, even if it was just categorizing her as a certain type of woman.

A Shu is A Shu. No one in this world is like her; even classifying her into a category felt inappropriate.

The auntie gazed at the "tall wall" in front of her, who now seemed to exude an aura of "keep away," and she couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.

Who was it who had humbly sought her advice just a moment ago? Now he was turning his back on her.

*Fine, my good intentions were taken for granted. Just you wait—when you marry that young lady, you’ll have your hands full!*

With no one to chat with, time seemed to drag, especially for Zhou Ye, a man accustomed to constant activity. This sudden idleness was particularly hard to bear.

But Zhou Ye didn’t allow himself to remain idle for long. After a brief moment of mental blankness, he began to occupy his mind. He couldn't work with his hands, but he could think.

First, Zhou Ye mentally reviewed the new characters A Shu had taught him yesterday, tracing each stroke repeatedly in his mind, rehearsing them several times. Then he recalled the construction diagram A Shu had drawn for the bamboo rocking chair, comparing it back and forth with the earlier blueprint for the bamboo reclining chair. Although he hadn't started making the bamboo rocking chair yet, he had already gone through the steps multiple times in his head.

Thanks to A Shu, when he checked his hands this morning, the burns on his palms hadn't blistered, and the burning sensation had completely subsided. He could resume his bamboo work when he got back today. He aimed to finish the bamboo rocking chair and bamboo tea canister A Shu wanted within the next day or two. Li’s Noodle Soup Shop had ordered ten more jars of Termitomyces sauce. The back hill wasn’t very big; if what they could harvest there wasn’t enough, they’d have to go deeper into the mountains. He could take A Shu with him then—A Shu had mentioned long ago that she wanted to explore the deep mountains…

Zhou Ye remained silent, but his mind was bustling with countless thoughts, not resting for a moment.

He had no idea how much time had passed when suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching him.

Despite the constant flow of pedestrians and the surrounding noise, he keenly sensed that these footsteps were different—they were heading straight toward him.

Zhou Ye pushed aside the jumble of thoughts in his mind and looked up, realizing that he had unknowingly reached the tail end of the queue on the street, where he could now see the entire market scene.

He then abruptly turned his head and met Lin Shu’s eyes.

Zhou Ye was startled. “A Shu?”

Lin Shu had been tiptoeing closer to Zhou Ye, planning to surprise him when she got near. She hadn’t expected that Zhou Ye, who had been standing still without moving his head for so long, would suddenly glance in her direction. It even seemed like he had already noticed her—his gaze landed directly on her without missing a beat.

Lin Shu felt a bit disappointed. She hurried over to him and asked with a playful huff, “A Ye, fess up—do you have eyes on the side of your head? How else could you spot me right away?”

Zhou Ye still looked surprised and didn’t get around to answering her question. “A Shu, why are you back alone? I’ve still got a while—I’ll probably be in line for at least another hour.”

Lin Shu was empty-handed; evidently, He Guixiang had taken the bamboo basket. She moved close to Zhou Ye, standing side-by-side with him, and said softly, “I was afraid you’d be bored waiting alone, so I came to keep you company!”

That “company!” was uttered softly and sweetly, as if someone were tickling Zhou Ye’s heart with a soft feather, making it flutter.

“I wasn’t bored. I was just reviewing the characters you taught me yesterday in my head, and also the bamboo rocking chair. I’ve already made several in my mind. When I actually start working on it, I’m sure I’ll be more skilled than when I made the bamboo reclining chair.”

Lin Shu muttered “silly” under her breath and took the initiative to slip her arm through his.

Zhou Ye's arm gave a sudden tremble. "A Shu?"

"If I hold onto you, people will know we're together. Otherwise, if I stand beside you, they might think I'm trying to cut in line. See how silly you're being?"

Zhou Ye looked down at the slender, pale hand she had looped through his arm. He felt the sun grow fiercer, beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"A Shu, come over here. I'll block the sun for you."

"Heh, you're so tall and sturdy, you really are like a wall." Lin Shu accepted his offer, slipping between Zhou Ye and the woman behind them. As she passed, she gave the woman a shy smile.

Lin Shu changed positions and continued holding onto Zhou Ye’s arm. To onlookers, they looked every bit like an affectionate young couple.

The auntie behind them, who had just been force-fed a mouthful of "dog food" (a metaphor for public displays of affection): …

Well now, this young lady wasn't quite what she'd expected!

And she'd even smiled at her—and so sweetly, too!

Up close, the young lady looked even more delicate and lovely!

The auntie had initially thought this girl was the type who rarely smiled, reserving her smiles only for her beloved. Someone like her, a woman whose face was already beginning to wrinkle, probably wouldn't even warrant a glance. After all, beautiful women in this world often carried a certain air of arrogance.

Unexpectedly, the moment she arrived, the girl smiled at her—a shy yet friendly smile that melted one’s heart.

The auntie immediately changed her mind. Not long ago, she thought the big oaf would have a hard time in the future, but now…

Well, she felt it was like a fresh flower stuck in a pile of cow dung.

After all, this big oaf clearly had no charm or romance in him!

Lin Shu, noticing the increasingly intense gaze from behind, turned back suspiciously. "Auntie, is there something you wanted to ask?"

The auntie’s stare was so intense it felt like it could burn a hole through her back.

Zhou Ye tensed up, feeling inexplicably guilty.

The auntie hurriedly replied, "No, no, I was just curious—what is this tall fellow to you?"

Lin Shu replied openly, "Auntie, this is my husband."

Auntie: Oh my, this young lady is such a delight! Look at her—not the least bit shy or awkward!