T.N: Today’s chapter is quite short. Everyone, have a nice weekend!
The reason why Shu Ran proposed to send back things to the Zhou family was not because of his deep feelings for them. It was mainly because he felt pity for his little brothers and sisters. They ate potatoes every day, with no oil or seasonings. There was not even enough water, and all the kids had very hard lives.
Zhou Hui was finally out of the sea of suffering and no longer needed to go back and work like a farm animal.
Arriving home, the two told Zhou Hui about their plan to send things to the Zhou family. Her expression was complicated, and she said: “Half of these things will fall into the Elder Brother’s hands…” She didn’t even need to think about it. Everything the Zhou family had was not for her younger brothers and sisters.
Shu Ran felt the same, but what could he do? The little ones had no right to speak, depending on the adults to feed them. Knowing this, he still had to go back and give what needed to be given.
“Sister, there’s no need for you to come. Let Brother Shen and me go, and save you from having to lie to them.”
“Okay…” Zhou Hui thought about it. She was about to get married and still had two bed sheets and quilt covers she needed to make. She planned to give them to her brother and Xu Shen. In the future, they would still be living close to each other, and she wanted to help them with all the sewing and mending jobs. She also thought that after Shu Ran got a job and worked for about one year, it would be time to get a wife. It wasn’t too early to start preparing now… Finally, she cut some rags and old bed sheets into arm covers, and asked her brother to bring them to their parents for farm work.
When Xu Shen went out by himself, he was used to stepping on his bicycle with no fuss. But now he was going with Shu Ran. In order for his wife to be more comfortable on the road, he borrowed Jiang Fan’s car. There were few cars in the county town, and the police didn’t bother to check if people had driving licenses. Everyone could drive however they wanted, as long as they could afford to own a car.
The sun was shining brightly in June. Xu Shen went out of the house wearing sunglasses and dressed in a loose white shirt. He sat in the car waving at Shu Ran, looking very much like a young master from a rich family. But then again, Xu Shen’s genes were originally those of a young master, he just didn’t know it yet. And in the future, when he found out, he never bothered to go back to his family.
“Why are you dressed like that?!” Xu Shen saw Shu Ran wearing his dirty, old clothes. The ones with holes all over… He also didn’t wear their couple’s watch.
Shu Ran pulled at his clothes: “What’s the problem with wearing this?” He didn’t believe in flaunting one’s wealth, and people didn’t need to know he had a good life. It was better to not attract any negative emotions.
“Why don’t you wear the new clothes I bought for you?” Xu Shen’s heart was bleeding, thinking his wife was mistreated in his own house.
“I’ve only been out of the countryside for a couple of days, and already changed my face. Can you imagine the storm in the village if I went back only to brag?”
“…” What if the family starts asking Shu Ran for money every week, putting his wife in a tight spot? Xu Shen thought for a while and decided it was better to not force it. “Okay… Do as you please.”
“Brother Shen, how are your driving skills? You won’t fly us off in some ditch, right?!” Shu Ran packed up everything and checked it twice. After making sure he didn’t forget anything, he jumped in the co-pilot seat and fastened his seatbelt.
“Nonsense.” After reversing the car, Xu Shen gave his wife a quick kiss and said: “Your husband’s driving skills are first class.”
Back in those days, “driving” was just a simple, pure word, and no one thought anything was wrong with it. No one but Shu Ran. As a modern man from the 21st century, his mind was already so polluted by various Internet phrases, he could never get his innocence back.
“Your driving skills are indeed first class…” Shu Ran thought in his heart1Ahem :)) those old BL experts probably already know this, but still… “Driving” in an Internet slang referring to sexual activities. “An old driver” is a person who is experienced in sex. Every time you encounter phrases like “driving a fast car”, “hopping in a car together”, “fast trains” or anything referring to moving vehicles, it is a metaphor for sexual activities. So here, Shu Ran is complimenting his husband for his “driving” skills in the bedroom. Also, my mind too went astray when Xu Shen said his driving skills were first class (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄).
After getting off the highway, the mud roads in the countryside were much more difficult. Shu Ran observed for a while, confirming Xu Shen wasn’t bragging. At first glance, he was an old driver with plenty of experience on this type of road.
By the way, he did say his business included transporting goods for others, so he probably drove a lot.
“It’s uncomfortable, isn’t it?” Xu Shen bypassed a big pit and turned his head to pay attention to the co-pilot. The road was really uneven, and he tried his best to ride steadily.
“It’s okay.” Shu Ran continued: “That’s the way. Fortunately, we are almost there.”
“Uh-huh.” Xu Shen nodded.
The worse the road conditions, the closer they got to Zhou Guodong’s house. Children in the countryside rarely saw cars, so they started to chase them all the way. So before even arriving, the whole village knew they were coming. The farmland was close to their house, so Zhou Guodong and Hu Jinhua immediately rushed back from the fields.
Zhou Qiang was helping out at his darling’s house, but he also wanted to go back when he heard the news. “Relatives are coming back, Xuehua. Do you want to come over for lunch?”
Xu Shen was a generous man. He must have brought good things this time. Zhou Qiang wanted to take his girlfriend back for a nice, free meal.
“No, I’m not part of your family yet.” Lin Xuehua heard Zhou Qiang boast about this brother-in-law before. She looked down on him, but she was also greedy.
“It’s okay. We’ll get married next week. Only a couple of days left.” Zhou Qiang took his partner’s hand. “Let’s go together…”
“Okay. Let me change first. Look how dirty my dress is!”
Since Zhou Hui was back, she must not appear sloppy in front of her. After all, it was said that Zhou Hui was the most beautiful girl in the village. Lin Xuehua didn’t want any comparison to be made. Now that Zhou Hui was married to an uncultured gangster, her great aura dimmed a little bit. But the most infuriating thing was that Zhou Hui’s gangster was really rich!
When Shu Ran arrived home, his second sister, Zhou Lan, came to greet them. She said their parents were still out in the fields.
“It’s fine. The news of our return will spread soon. They will come back.” Shu Ran immediately started stuffing his sibling’s pockets with food, now that the adults were not home. After leaving this house, Shu Ran didn’t care about what the Zhou parents thought about him. They were not his real parents, and they could no longer control him.
“Brother-in-law!” Zhou Lan took the little ones to greet Xu Shen, with a timid and scared look in her eyes. Every time Xu Shen came, he had a serious face and never talked with them.
“Oh, your name is Zhou Lan, right?” Xu Shen thought: “I’m not your sister’s man, I’m your brother’s2Maybe Xu Shen wants to be called sister-in-law instead (^o^) …” He smiled at the little girl. “Your brother bought a lot of food. Eat it quickly.”
Zhou Lan saw this brother-in-law was very happy to come this time, unlike the previous times when he looked strange and scary.
“Brother-in-law.” She asked doubtfully. “Where is my sister?”
“My sister suddenly felt uncomfortable. It’s just us today.” Shu Ran answered instead.
Zhou Lan also knew Zhou Hui didn’t want to get married. Hearing this, she thought her sister hated their parents, and she was unwilling to come and see them. Zhou Lan’s precocious little face showed a wry smile, strange for her young age.
When Xu Shen was not nearby, she pulled Shu Ran and asked: “Second Brother, is brother-in-law good to our sister?”
Shu Ran smiled and said: “Very good. Don’t worry.” He just bought her a large dowry yesterday, he couldn’t get any better… Shu Ran continued to reassure his sister: “We have a good life back in the city. When you grow up enough to be able to work, Second Brother will also take you out.”
Zhou Lan was immediately full of hope: “Really? I can also go and work in the city?”
But she didn’t have a diploma and had not even finished primary school…
“Really, you’ll be able to go.” Shu Ran calmed her little heart.
Zhou Lan’s eyes lit up with a glorious sparkle, and she nodded seriously. She knew she wasn’t as smart as her Elder Sister or Second Brother, but was a capable worker and was sure she could do it.
Before long, Zhou Guodong and his wife came back. When they saw the big car in front of their shabby house, they couldn’t close their smiling mouths. “Xu Shen? Are you back?”
Upon entering the house, there was no trace of Zhou Hui. Zhou Guodong subconsciously wanted to berate her with a few nasty words, but Zhou Hui was now Xu She’s wife. Scolding her meant slapping Xu Shen’s face so… He swallowed back his words.
“Father-in-law, mother-in-law, you’re back from the fields?” Xu Shen shouted cheerfully, much more enthusiastic than before. He married their good son, so he had to keep his head high. “Is there still a lot of work left to do? Do you need help?”
Zhou Guodong smiled and said: “Oh, it’s almost done. You don’t need to help. How can we let you do this.”
Xu Shen took out a pack of cigarettes and gave it to his father-in-law.
“Mom, go inside and have some water.” Shu Ran greeted Hu Jinhua, letting his husband spit out clouds outside.
“Is your sister still angry?” Hu Jinhua was worried about her daughter. Seeing she wasn’t coming back made her feel uncomfortable.
“No.” Shu Ran took out the arm covers Zhou Hui made. “This is from my sister, she still has you in her heart. She didn’t come today because she felt uncomfortable. It’s easy to get motion sickness.”
Hu Jinhua: “That’s true. I’ve heard a lot of people feel bad when driving in cars.”
With the adults back, all the children hid and tried to sneak food. Hu Jinhua saw them and opened her mouth to scold.
“Xu Shen gave it to them. Just let them eat.” Shu Ran quickly interrupted her.
In this household, Xu Shen’s name was far more powerful than his own. Hu Jinhua didn’t dare say anything.
Outside the door, Zhou Qiang led his girlfriend and saw his father with a cigarette in his hand and another one behind his ear. He smiled and said: “Brother-in-law, you’re here!”
Xu Shen nodded. There were no cigarettes left for Zhou Qiang, his last pack was now in Zhou Guodong’s pocket.
Villagers had only heard Xu Shen’s name, and not a lot of them actually saw him in person. As a bastard, Lin Xuehua always thought Xu Shen had sly eyebrows and a pockmarked face. There was no way he was as tall as her Zhou Qiang, or with features as regular as his…
Now seeing him, Lin Xuehua was stunned. This was Xu Shen?!
Not shorter than Zhou Qiang, but way taller. His facial features were also much more upright. He looked like a movie star on a poster. Lin Xuehua couldn’t move her eyes away from him. She only had one thought left in her head:
“This was Zhou Hui’s man. How could she find such an astonishing man?!”
