Chapter 16
Lu Yao wanted to laugh but held back out of consideration for someone’s dignity.
He strode over, placing himself protectively behind Yu Le, and quickly grabbed the goose by the neck as it flapped and squawked wildly.
“Gagaga!”
The goose was furious, flapping its wings and kicking with its webbed feet, creating a commotion under Lu Yao’s hold.
Yu Le, having escaped the goose’s beak, bent over, resting his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
Lu Yao, holding the goose as if it were a chick, said, “Why did you invite this notorious bully over here?”
“I didn’t!” Yu Le defended himself. “I just greeted it. Who knew it would be so temperamental? It chased me from that road intersection all the way here. I’m exhausted.”
Lu Yao tilted his head and examined him. “Did it peck you?”
Yu Le’s breath calmed down, and he waved his hand. “No, but it came close.”
He was sweating lightly on his forehead, with a flush on his cheeks, and his soft hair was gently swaying in the breeze—evident from the touch.
Lu Yao, without speaking, switched the goose to his other hand. “Alright, let’s go inside. Holding such a large watermelon must be tiring.”
It was indeed heavy. Yu Le turned and headed toward the backyard with the watermelon.
Lu Yao watched the goose and recalled Yu Le’s frantic run towards him. He smacked his forehead with his palm, unable to hold back his laughter.
“You used to boast about being able to handle geese, only bullying those clueless little monkeys. Look at you now.”
He crouched down and set the goose on the ground. “You’re picking on this well-behaved one? Have some decency.”
The goose, once freed, immediately spread its wings to their full extent, stretched its neck high, and assumed an intimidating pose.
Then, it received a slap on the head from Lu Yao, not too hard but firm enough.
“Know your place. If you bully him again, I’ll stew you and give him some nourishment.”
Returning to the yard, Yu Le had already cleaned the watermelon and was waiting for Lu Yao. “How do we put it in the well?”
“There’s space in the refrigerator now; it’s the same either way.” Lu Yao walked over.
The watermelon was placed in the half-water-filled wooden bucket, and Yu Le sat on a small stool, pressing down on the watermelon seriously.
“But I think watermelon from well water tastes sweeter.”
There’s no such thing as sweeter; it’s just the freshness not wearing off yet.
Lu Yao found it amusing but didn’t expose him. He followed along, placing the watermelon in the well and showing him how to use the bucket to draw water.
As Yu Le leaned over the well to look inside, a cool breeze brushed his face.
Lu Yao was about to go upstairs when a girl’s cheerful voice called out, “Brother Lu!” Yu Le looked towards the door and saw a young, beautiful girl running in.
“Xiao Ya?”
Lu Yao stopped. “Looking for me?”
The girl, who had been energetic and lively, immediately became calm and demure upon seeing Lu Yao. Her face was flushed, and her eyes bright. “I just missed Aunt Zhang’s cooking. It’s been a long time.”
“Hmm, go ahead.” Lu Yao said, “Aunt Zhang hasn’t left yet.”
The girl nodded and, seeing Lu Yao heading upstairs, quickly asked, “Brother Lu, you haven’t had lunch yet, right? Should I ask Aunt Zhang to make something for you? You can come down and eat later.”
Lu Yao had planned to have a bath and then make something for himself, but this was fine too, so he agreed.
The girl, delighted, ran to the kitchen to ask Aunt Zhang to prepare a meal for two. However Yu Le, sitting under the tree, was so big yet she didn’t notice him.
He had already eaten lunch, and the watermelon would take time to chill, so he decided it wasn’t his concern.
Yu Le got up and went upstairs, tidied up his room a bit, and then lounged in the hallway, enjoying the breeze.
Since he hadn’t checked his WeChat after posting about the day before, he opened it to find 99+ notifications for comments.
Ignoring the likes, most of the comments from classmates, colleagues, and friends were asking where he had gone to walk the cat and play with the dog.
Yu Le replied with a panda emoji with a crooked mouth. Just after sending it, Yan Jia messaged him.
Yan Jia: [Oh, you’re alive?]
Yu Le: [ /Panda with crooked mouth]
Yan Jia: [How’s your one-night stand going?]
Yu Le: […What one-night stand? A fun fact: you don’t have to call someone if you don’t know what to call them.]
Yan Jia: [Alright, I’ll change it.]
Yan Jia: [How’s that handsome guy who had you working hard all night?]
Yu Le: [… ]
Yu Le: [Nothing much! It’s just a purely business relationship between boss and tenant. That incident is long over, and there are no further developments. Stop making wild assumptions.]
Yan Jia: [But you speak highly of him.]
Yu Le: [Why not? /Hmph, if someone’s good, I can’t praise them?]
Yan Jia: [Alright, it’s fine, no big deal. You’ve got a backup plan.]
Yu Le: [?]
Yan Jia: [Your special forces blind date, how come you’ve already forgotten about him so soon?]
Yu Le: [……]
Yu Le: [Maybe we haven’t seen each other for a while and the relationship feels a bit estranged? Maybe we should pause the chat for now.]
Yan Jia: [Hahaha, no need for that. Let’s change the topic to get closer.]
Yan Jia: [I ran into Cheng Xiwu yesterday at the mall. He was out shopping with his fiancée.]
Yu Le: [……]
Yan Jia: [It was a bit strange. They’re almost engaged, but they didn’t seem very close. Especially Cheng Xiwu—he was so polite, as if he was dealing with a business partner rather than a fiancée.]
Yu Le: [Why are you so interested in them?]
Yan Jia: [I don’t want to be interested, but you like him! My son’s crush is getting married and the bride isn’t him. How can I not care?]
Yu Le: [……]
Yu Le: [Bride of the ghost.]
Yu Le: [Can you not bring up topics that hit a sore spot?]
He was frustrated, feeling gloomy. He just wanted to enjoy a breeze and cool down, not be reminded of his troubles.
He glanced at the garden and suddenly found all the flowers unattractive.
Looking further, across the courtyard, the handsome guy and the pretty girl were sitting at a table, eating. They seemed to be chatting, with the girl occasionally glancing up and sending flirtatious looks. Her feelings were so transparent.
He sighed and leaned on the railing, looking discontentedly. He sent Yan Jia a message: [Sigh, I feel so gloomy/sad]
Yan Jia: [Hmm?]
Yu Le: [Seeing others about to become a couple while I’m struggling in my own romantic life makes me feel a bit unhappy/sad]
Yan Jia: [Haha.]
Yan Jia: [How do you know they’re definitely getting together?]
Yu Le: [They seem to be a perfect match.]
Yan Jia: [Last time you saw two golden retrievers and said they looked perfect together, only to find out they were just siblings. You think everything looks perfect.]
Yu Le: [? Why are you insulting me?]
Yan Jia: [I’m just stating facts. Don’t overthink it.]
Oh.
Yu Le put away his phone, not wanting to continue the conversation.
He didn’t want to think about other people becoming couples. He decided to go back to his room and sleep.
The next afternoon, after a good sleep, Yu Le came downstairs and saw Lu Yao at the well… washing clothes.
Da Huang was sitting on the stone across from him like a hen. Yu Le thought for a moment, walked over, picked up Da Huang, and settled it comfortably in his arms.
“Why are you still hand-washing?” he scratched Da Huang’s chin.
Lu Yao replied, “Just a couple of items. It’s a hassle to use the washing machine.”
Yu Le observed Lu Yao, who was nearly 1.9 meters tall with a tough, muscular build and a handsome face marked by a striking scar on his forehead.
With such exceptional attributes, one might expect him to exude some tough, intimidating aura.
But Lu Yao didn’t; he was not intimidating at all. He felt like the eldest brother who was most indulgent towards the younger kids. His strength didn’t inspire fear but rather a sense of reliability.
Even doing household chores seemed perfectly natural for him.
Yu Le silently added a “domestic” label to Lu Yao in his mind.
“Who was that girl who came to find you yesterday?”
He had wanted to ask this question yesterday but didn’t find the right moment, so it was postponed until today.
Lu Yao glanced at him, “Why do you ask?”
Yu Le: “Just curious. Is it something you can’t say?”
“There’s nothing I can’t say.”
Lu Yao emptied the dirty water and refilled the tub with clean water, “She’s An Shu’s daughter, named Xiao Ya. She just graduated from high school.”
“Graduated from high school?” Yu Le calculated the days. “But didn’t the college entrance exam end on the 8th?”
Lu Yao: “She was admitted directly.”
Yu Le: “Oh, that’s impressive… Hiss—”
Lu Yao looked up abruptly, “What’s wrong?”
Yu Le looked at his palm, “I accidentally got scratched by Da Huang.”
“Let me see.” Lu Yao pulled Yu Le’s hand over, dipping it in the water as well.
“It’s nothing.” Yu Le didn’t mind, “It didn’t scratch hard.”
Lu Yao released his hand, “Wait a moment.”
Once the clothes were washed, wrung out, and hung up, Lu Yao retrieved a nail clipper from a small box near the stairs and sat down in front of Yu Le, starting to trim Da Huang’s nails.
Yu Le was sitting on a large blue stone encircling a tree, while Lu Yao sat on a small stool, much shorter than him. Lu Yao leaned close to him, occasionally brushing his thigh, creating a subtly intimate atmosphere.
Yu Le found himself lost in thought. He only snapped back to reality when Zhao Xiaosong rushed in from outside.
“Boss, we’re out of ice at my place. I’m here to get some from you!”
Zhao Xiaosong ran into the yard, and seeing them, braked abruptly, “Hey, what are you guys doing?”
He changed direction and approached them, then exclaimed in surprise: “Wow, Boss, you’re actually trimming Da Huang’s nails!”
Yu Le was startled, “What’s wrong, can’t you trim them?”
“No, it’s not that.” Zhao Xiaosong said, “Last time, Da Huang scratched my clothes, so I asked the Boss to trim its nails. He said it was a crime against their nature.”
He poked Lu Yao’s shoulder: “Boss, why are you suddenly committing a crime today?”
Lu Yao calmly switched to trimming Da Huang’s other paw, “The ice balls are in the bottom left corner of the freezer. After taking them, refill the water and freeze it again. Otherwise, don’t come back.”
“Got it!”
Zhao Xiaosong dashed to the freezer, making some noise, then quickly ran off.
The yard fell quiet again.
Yu Le was particularly glad to have Da Huang in his arms, which perfectly absorbed his sudden, unsettled feelings and hands.
Lu Yao checked each of Da Huang’s claws to ensure they weren’t too sharp, and after finishing, patted Da Huang’s belly, “All done.”
Yu Le sighed with relief as the awkward atmosphere finally dissipated.
As he was about to speak, he felt a light tap on his head.
Before he could react, Lu Yao reached out and brushed away a locust flower from his head, his hand naturally pressing down on Yu Le’s head before withdrawing.
Well, as expected, it felt really nice.
Yu Le was stunned by the sudden gesture. After a while, he awkwardly patted his own head, “What’s this for, envious of my hair?”
Lu Yao surprisingly nodded in agreement, “Yes, envious.”
Yu Le raised his eyebrows, “But you have hair too, just shorter. It’s a bit prickly.”
Lu Yao’s gaze flickered, his smile fading and replaced by more complex emotions.
Yu Le accidentally met his gaze, and his heart felt like it was gently tapped with a small hammer, giving him a tingling sensation. His breathing faltered, and his outstretched hand froze.
Only his heartbeat was strong and free, suddenly becoming acutely aware.
“You—”
“Little Lu, Little Lu, are you there? Little Lu?”
A loud voice startled Da Huang, who flipped over and ran away. Yu Le was taken aback, quickly withdrawing his hand. At the same time, Uncle An entered with confident strides.
Lu Yao closed his eyes, waiting for the emotions in his gaze to dissipate. He then patted his pants and stood up calmly, “I’m here, Uncle An. What’s up?”
Uncle An waved his hand, looking a bit embarrassed, “Oh, it’s not me. It’s my daughter, she… asked me to come and discuss something with you.”
Yu Le took the opportunity to slip away while they were talking, slowing his pace only once he reached the hallway.
With his unsettled emotions, he looked at his hand, then slowly clenched it. The prickly sensation lingered, making it hard for him to gather his thoughts.
Incredible.
Why did Lu Yao’s hair seem to… carry electricity?
