“Brother Shen.” Shu Ran looked at Xu Shen and said seriously: “Although I am excellent, you are also very good. Don’t compare yourself to me.”
He tried to be sweet, considerate in everything, and take good care of the other man’s emotions.
Originally, Xu Shen was indeed feeling a bit down, but when Shu Ran interrupted him, he could only laugh. “Do you think you can praise yourself like this…”
“Am I not excellent?” Shu Ran pointed at himself.
“Excellent.” Xu Shen did not hesitate.
“I’m being serious!” Shu Ran said. He didn’t want to give empty praises, but Xu Shen was the protagonist. “You are indeed very powerful, in every aspect!”
“Oh.” Xu Shen nodded, then felt that something was wrong. “Wife, why do you have to emphasize every aspect…” The more he listened, the more he suspected that Shu Ran was once again talking about an unholy subject that should be avoided by women and children…
“Is there a problem?” Shu Ran asked.
“I think it’s okay…?” The person saying that was Shu Ran, so Xu Shen felt there was probably no need to think too much.
After a second of silence, Shu Ran caught up with the little play in Xu Shen’s mind, so he smiled half-heartedly: “You have such a rich imagination…”
“What did I say?” Xu Shen immediately began to act like he was innocent.
“Nothing, go to sleep.” Shu Ran took the notebook back, planning to improve the character settings in his novel.
“It’s quite late, you should come to bed as well.” Xu Shen suddenly reminded him: “You’ve promised to write our sister’s wedding couplet… Did you do it?”
“Damn?!” Ran paused and scratched his head. “I forgot.”
“There is no red paper at home. We need to go out tomorrow, and buy your eldest brother’s wedding gift on the way.” Xu Shen continued.
“Yeah.” The day after tomorrow would be the 29th.
“Come here.” Xu Shen patted the mattress next to him.
In the end, nothing was done that night, not even that much kissing. Shu Ran was simply held by Xu Shen from behind, and the two of them slept together, quietly and innocently. But this kind of contact unexpectedly created a feeling of security that was even more profound than being intimate with each other…
“I wonder how Xu Shen is feeling right now…” Shu Ran looked back slightly, and Xu Shen’s handsome face and sleepy eyes came into view. He was still very young, only twenty-two years old, and the peak of his eyebrows showed the unruly look that was unique to his age.
“Why are you looking at me? What are you thinking about?” Xu Shen half closed his eyes, enjoying holding his wife in his arms. But Shu Ran turned back suddenly and looked at him. This type of angle looked very good for… kissing.
“Just missing your face!” Shu Ran immediately turned away and closed his eyes, going to sleep peacefully.
Xu Shen chuckled and raised his hand to turn off the light.
…………
Afraid that Zhou Hui might guess that he hadn’t written the wedding couplet yet, Shu Ran got up early the next day and took Xu Shen out for breakfast.
On the streets, you could buy five large meat buns for fifty cents. Just add two cups of soy milk to that, and you have enough to feed two adults. Because the steamed buns were so big, Shu Ran could only eat less than two before feeling stuffed, but Xu Shen seemed to be able to eat one more after finishing his share.
“Do you want more?” Shu Ran admired his appetite.
“No need.” Xu Shen drank the soy milk and said in a healthy voice: “I’m not a big eater. I don’t feel comfortable when I’m full. Eating to eighty percent is best.”
“Yes.” The soy milk in those days was pure ground soy milk, very fragrant and rich. Shu Ran drank it comfortably, feeling grateful.
When he came back to his senses, he found that Xu Shen was staring at him, looking as if he was distressed.
Damn, no… Shu Ran felt that the other party had misunderstood. He didn’t endure hardships. He just rarely had the chance to drink such pure handmade soy milk.
The modern market was full of technology and ruthless work.
The two came to the store where they bought Shu Ran’s calligraphy supplies before, asking the boss for some red paper.
“Your eldest brother is also getting married. Do you want to write a copy for him as well?”
“Don’t want to.” Shu Ran simply refused.
Xu Shen raised his head.
“Even if I write it, it’s best to say I just bought it. I don’t want to show off.” Shu Ran’s principle of doing things was to only show off to a suitable audience.
“That’s right, they don’t really think well of you.” Xu Shen had the intention to show off, but he found that Shu Ran’s vision was much higher than he imagined, without even minding what that small group of people thought.
They quickly bought the red paper and some wedding gifts.
“I still feel that I didn’t buy enough for our sister’s dowry…” Xu Shen’s mind became more active as he wandered around, and everything he looked at felt like something Zhou Hui’s family was lacking. He was truly intoxicated with a spending mood, wanting to buy everything.
“No, it will scare my sister.” Shu Ran didn’t really care, but he understood Zhou Hui’s mentality. “She is not as fearless as me. Our growing environment was twisted… Do you understand?”
It was already good to grow up like Zhou Hui, without any obvious flaws.
“You always think about others.” Xu Shen squeezed Shu Ran’s hand and said as if he was not involved in the situation. When it came to this kind of thing, Shu Ran was indeed stronger than him. “Then forget it, from now on things will be smooth sailing.”
Shu Ran took his hand back and put it in his pocket: “It is better to teach a man how to fish, instead of just giving it to him, you know.”
“Well, you’re right, I applaud you.” Xu Shen nodded, convinced that he was illiterate, and he couldn’t refute this statement anyway. He could only give him a perfunctory answer.
Shu Ran also knew that Xu Shen probably never went to school seriously… So where did he learn all his knowledge from?!
This self-help literacy program was quite successful!
He wanted to ask but felt that it was not a good idea, so he put it aside.
“Brother Shen.” Shu Ran looked at Xu Shen’s hair. It looked like he hadn’t cut it for a while since it was quite long. “My hair has grown, do you want to get a haircut?”
Xu Shen raised his hand and touched his hair: “It’s long again, so troublesome.”
Shu Ran was happy. “Where do you usually go to get a haircut?”
“On the street,” Xu Shen said. “It costs thirty cents at one of the ambulatory stalls.”
“…”
Shu Ran was born in 2000 and had no idea what he was talking about… What did he mean, an ambulatory hair-shaving stall?! On the streets?!
When Xu Shen took him there, he was…shocked. Could this also be called a stall?!
Just a gray-haired master who hung an irregular mirror on a tree by the roadside, with a little wooden stool. That was it. He was done!
Shu Ran’s expression was distorted and he quickly pulled Xu Shen’s clothes: “Forget it, can we find someone that works in a store?!”
He really didn’t want to sit on that padded little stool and let the old master play with his hair… What if the old master tripped on a pebble and pushed the hair clipper… He felt like he was about to cry.
Shu Ran was quite concerned about his hair and image, in a “you either don’t take care of it at all, or you do your best!” kind of way.
“A haircut is eighty cents in a store…” Maybe Xu Shen wanted to save money, or maybe he was used to getting it for cheap… But since Shu Ran protested, he took him to the store.
“Your hair is not long, and it looks quite good like this. Why cut it?”
Shu Ran seriously doubted Xu Shen’s aesthetics. How could such a dull student’s head look good?!
But yeah… Xu Shen, that old antique, had a weird sense of style.
Today, he wanted Xu Shen to see what it meant to be truly good-looking… After all, when he was in college, he was also the center of attention, and nobody commented on the aesthetics of his clothes.
Shu Ran and Xu Shen walked into “Fang Fang’s Barber Shop”, and the proprietress greeted them warmly: “Hey, you two handsome guys! Do you want a haircut or a hair wash?”
She was dressed very fashionably and had a big, luxurious wave of hair, looking like the most trendy lady Shu Ran had ever seen since transmigrating into this era… It was just that she was way too enthusiastic! Xu Shen quickly pulled Shu Ran behind him and said: “Just a haircut.”
“Who comes first?” There was only one hairdresser in “Fang Fang’s Barber Shop”.
“Him.” Shu Ran pointed at Xu Shen.
“Okay, sit down quickly!” She patted the seat with a towel and greeted Xu Shen with a smile. When Xu Shen sat down, she asked: “How do you want to cut it? This sister thinks that your face and hair will look good no matter what you do…”
Xu Shen smiled and was about to say that she could just cut it short, but Shu Ran came over with the clear intention of giving advice.
“Sister, can we try something? Would you be able to cut it as I say?”
The hairdresser was very excited when he called her sister: “Okay, I can cut it however you want!”
“Well, this way…” Every time Shu Ran went to see Teacher Tony, they would have an in-depth conversation before jumping for the scissors. And so, haircut after haircut, his knowledge in that area gradually accumulated. He started analyzing Xu Shen’s head, becoming more and more immersed and excited as he spoke. After he finished speaking, he looked at the lady eagerly: “Sister, can you…understand what I mean?”
“Hey, I think I get it…” The hairdresser thought carefully, shook off the scarf, and put it over Xu Shen’s shoulders: “Brother, he has an idea, and I think it’s going to look great!”
Xu Shen was confused, but still nodded when he heard her: “Indeed, he has a lot of ideas…”
Shu Ran was the most thoughtful and confident person Xu Shen had ever seen. He seemed to have endless energy in his body, very different from anyone else he knew.
“Then I’ll start cutting. If there’s anything wrong, I’ll tell you right away.”
“Okay, thank you.” Shu Ran stared at Xu Shen’s head seriously.
Xu Shen has never been very concerned about his appearance, just occasionally making some adjustments. Anyway, he would probably still look good with a sack on his head… If he tried too hard, Chen Kai and the others would kidnap him morally, saying that all the girl’s eyes were on him and he was killing people with jealousy!
Shu Ran said next to his chair, smiling lightly and enjoying his time.
Time passed by with Shu Ran’s instructions. This haircut was the longest one Xu Shen had ever had, and it was also the most careful haircut the hairdresser had ever done. But she didn’t dislike Shu Ran at all… After all, the customer was the king! She even wanted to make friends with him so that they could discuss how to cut hair in the future!
After the finished product came out, Xu Shen took a look at himself in the mirror and was shocked…
Who was this guy?!
“Handsome, right?” Shu Ran smiled with satisfaction.
“You… are amazing.” Xu Shen gave Shu Ran a thumbs up and expressed his admiration: “If you open a barber shop, all the barber shops on this street will lose their customers.”
“It makes sense…” Shu Ran rubbed his chin. “You invest, and I will be the chief designer. Let’s call it “Ran Ran’s Barber Shop”. It will grow in the first three years and go public in the next five…”
Xu Shen chuckled, “Ran Ran’s Barber Shop”? Did he adapt the name to the market?
“Investment is not a problem…” Xu Shen stood up and gave his seat to Shu Ran. “But why can’t it have my name?”
“That’s your fault,” Shu Ran sat down and said: “Your name is not friendly enough.”
Xu Shen sat down on the stool where Shu Ran was previously sitting. “It’s stressful to sit here, I don’t know how to give advice…”
“Do I need you?!” Shu Ran didn’t even have to think about it. In just a few words, he told the boss lady what kind of haircut he wanted.
Zhou Ding looked very similar to the original him and even had the same head shape, so Shu Ran knew very well how to style himself more appropriately. The hairdresser admired him: “Brother, you are really a genius! You don’t really want to open a barber shop, do you?!”
Both Shu Ran and Xu Shen laughed. It was impossible. It’s not that they looked down on the barbering industry, they just really didn’t have this hobby.
“It won’t work if you let me do it. Professional matters should be left to professionals.” Shu Ran answered.
“You can speak very well.” Xu Shen looked at him, with a charming smile on his face…
Shu Ran was startled and quickly looked away. Hey… So it was not a good idea to make your boyfriend too handsome after all! If he didn’t pay attention, he might become a nympho…
Xu Shen didn’t care about Shu Ran’s small movements. Although he wasn’t a professional, he helped keep an eye on the hairdresser’s scissors to make sure they didn’t break.
“Brother Shen.” Shu Ran called him.
“Huh?” Xu Shen came closer and looked at Shu Ran, with a gentle look in his eyes and a smile on his lips.
“It’s nothing,” Shu Ran said, “I just wanted to ask, did you choose your name yourself?”
“Yeah, right.” Xu Shen was startled and continued: “You can just look in the dictionary and go to the police station to apply for the household registration by yourself. Isn’t that great?” He was eight years old at that time. He didn’t go to register his name specifically, but to report the old man’s death.
“Awesome…” Shu Ran was also stunned and suddenly felt quite depressed in his heart, so he didn’t ask any more questions.
Xu Shen smiled and felt that he was quite capable. When he was young, he would hide under the school’s walls and eavesdrop on the teacher’s lectures. He also learned how to write using a “book” made of clay, and he was quite good at it.
Looking back, he just felt very lucky. Otherwise, if he couldn’t read a single Chinese character, he might not be able to understand his wife when he showed him the outline of his book…
Not long after, Shu Ran’s haircut was also done, and Xu Shen kept staring at him all morning, as if he was looking at some treasure.
His very direct gaze made Shu Ran, a grown man, feel like he couldn’t stand it. His face became boiling hot.
“I know that I’m handsome, just stop looking.” Shu Ran said.
Xu Shen laughed, looked away, and paid the money to the hairdresser. Since she had skills, one dollar was a high-end expense, but Xu Shen paid willingly. If he was a hairdresser, he could help Shu Ran style his hair… It was so annoying!
“Come back next time, and I’ll give you a new haircut!” She was convinced she was going to completely remember these two handsome guys!
Next time a young boy came over, she would give him such a haircut…
“Okay, let’s go.” Shu Ran and Xu Shen left “Fang Fang’s Barber Shop”.
They both had a new haircut, slowly riding a bicycle through the streets. Shu Ran felt that he had a high rate of turning heads, but for a moment, he couldn’t tell whether those people were looking at him or Xu Shen…
Last night, he also advised Xu Shen not to compare them… And now it was his turn to experience it and realize that…
Who wanted to be second if he could be first?!
Damn! A normal mind, he didn’t have it!
…………
Zhou Hui was obviously stunned for a moment when she saw their new haircuts, looking like Xu Shen and her brother were competing with each other. “Did you cut your hair?”
“Does it look good?”
“It’s really nice.”
Shu Ran asked: “Who is better looking, me or Brother Shen?”
Zhou Hui smiled and said: “You both look good.”
“What kind of question are you asking… In our sister’s heart, my brother-in-law must be the most handsome!” Xu Shen quickly interfered.
That will become true tomorrow. Zhou Hui’s face was full of joy.
“That’s right, the wedding couplet…”
“Here.” Shu Ran patted the bundle of red paper in his hand and ran upstairs: “I’ll write it right now!”
He wrote very quickly and finished it in less than half an hour. It happened that Zhang Yunsheng came over to deliver something, so he took it with him when he returned, posting it early.
Such a beautiful couplet… People passing by the door of Zhang Yunsheng’s room stopped to look at it and praised it for being well written and very skillful.
Zhang Yunsheng smiled and showed off: “My wife’s brother wrote it!”
His colleagues in the unit became even more envious when they heard this… It was such a miscalculation that they didn’t compete for that girl!
Early the next morning, the bride’s dowry was delivered first, including a lot of quilts and daily necessities, as well as the electric fan and sewing machine. Zhang Yunsheng knew about those things in advance… But to the surprise of the young couple, there was also a TV.
Not to mention that they were surprised, Shu Ran was also surprised!
After asking, he found out that it was a joint gift from Chen Kai and the others.
“I didn’t participate this time!” Xu Shen quickly distanced himself. “Don’t blame me!”
Shu Ran could neither laugh nor cry… What else could he say?!
Xu Shen advised from the side: “Since they gave it away, let’s just keep it. It means nothing to them. It’s all for celebration, everyone wants our sister to live a better life.”
“Yeah…” Shu Ran told Zhou Hui the same thing. It was not good to refuse a friend’s kindness.
…………
At noon, Zhou Qiang was also holding a banquet in the countryside, and the two of them drove over slowly. In order to gain face with the Lin family, Zhou Qiang invited many people. Even Wang Dong brought his pregnant wife from the next village to feast on the banquet.
“Uncle Zhou! Aren’t Dingzi and the others back yet?” Wang Dong was not familiar with the Zhou family before, but their relationship was different now. He walked up to Zhou Guodong in a familiar manner, offering him a cigarette.
“No, no, no, I should give it to you!” As the host, Zhou Guodong couldn’t accept Wang Dong’s cigarette, so he quickly pushed it back to him. “They should be coming soon, I will tell you in advance. “
“Yes!” Wang Dong continued: “My brother Shen is very thorough in his work. He would definitely come if he said so.”
Zhou Guodong felt uneasy. After all, his son-in-law didn’t say he would definitely come… He said he would go back and discuss it with his daughter. As for his stubborn daughter, Zhou Guodong felt guilty at first, but now he felt that he helped her find such a good man… What else could she complain about?!
Everyone born into a poor family had a miserable life, and their family did the best for Zhou Hui!
Zhou Qiang loved to brag, and the folks who came to have a drink soon knew that his sister had married well. One or two of them started to inquire about Zhou Hui. His wife, Lin Xuehua, was very unhappy, but for her own family. No matter how well Zhou Hui married, the Lin family couldn’t get anything out of it! So far, she hasn’t even given a single piece of meat, and she was also stealing the limelight! So when Zhou Qiang said something about his sister again, Lin Xuehua pinched him.
“You think so highly of others, but they may not think highly of you,” Lin Xuehua said, “Your good sister hasn’t come yet!”
Zhou Qiang was about to say something when he saw a car approaching from a distance. Within a moment, everyone’s attention was drawn to it.
“Hiss…” Xu Shen glanced ahead. “Your brother is getting married, there are so many people.” The crowd was beyond his expectations.
“Ah, there’s a lot of them…” Shu Ran had seen it a long time ago and his scalp was numb. They must have moved out all the tables, chairs, dishes, and chopsticks in the village…
He looked at himself in the rear mirror and began to regret that he had a haircut yesterday… He also regretted that he couldn’t defeat Xu Shen and had to wear new clothes…
It was too late to back down now!!
Fortunately, the Xu Shen sitting next to him was even more outstanding, so he would probably attract a lot of attention, leaving him some room to breathe!
“My brother! Brother Shen is here! Brother Shen!” Wang Dong laughed and came over to help open the door, so happy that he looked like he didn’t even care about his own wife for the time being.
“Brother Dong.” Shu Ran got out of the car, pointed at the trunk, and said: “Let’s carry some things together. There is a bag of grapefruit that is heavy.”
“Excuse me!” Wang Dong patted Shu Ran on the shoulder. “Brother, I’ll just do it by myself! You can do whatever you want, go over and have tea…”
Xu Shen came over and said: “That’s right, what are you saying?”
Shu Ran: “…”
He had the intention to retort, but when the words came to his lips, he saw Wang Dong carry a sack of grapefruits weighing more than 100 kilograms alone… So he swallowed his words down with conviction.
He really couldn’t do this!
“I’ll help get the small ones…” Shu Ran said knowingly.
“Here, tea.” Xu Shen gave him two of the lightest gift boxes, some tea that was given by Xue Feng. He couldn’t finish all the tea they had at home, so Shu Ran took out two boxes and casually gifted them away.
Xu Shen was also carrying two live chickens by himself. The car was full of so many things, and Zhou Guodong was smiling from ear to ear. He kept calling for help: “Xu Shen, let them be! Just sit down and drink some tea and let others carry the things!”
“Okay, father-in-law!” Xu Shen was happy, dropping the things in his hands to the ground.
Zhou Guodong looked inside the car: “Xu Shen, where is Xiaohui?”
“She…,” Xu Shen lied without batting an eyelid: “What if something happens at home? Someone must be left to handle it…”
Zhou Guodong laughed twice, thinking there was business to be done… Later, when others asked about his daughter, he always said that she was in the city, making money and overseeing some business!
Everyone kept flattering him, which greatly satisfied his vanity!
Shu Ran took the gift box into Zhou Qiang’s room and greeted him: “Brother, congratulations!”
“Dingzi, you’re back?!” Zhou Qiang was in a mixed mood. His younger brother had gone to live in the city for a while, and his mental outlook had completely changed. Now he was as handsome as a kid from a rich family, well-dressed, and living a good life…
“Did Xu Shen come as well?”
“Yes.” Shu Ran nodded: “He came too.”
“Where’s your sister1You see, Zhou Qiang, the biological brother, keeps calling Zhou Hui “your sister” instead of “our sister” while Xu Shen, who’s totally unrelated to them, has always called her “our sister”. I think is cute?” Zhou Qiang took the gift box.
“Sister didn’t come, she was busy at home.” Shu Ran answered vaguely.
“Oh.” Zhou Qiang didn’t regret it. The bride price incident was indeed quite ugly at first, but he and Zhou Guodong developed the same idea… Since Xu Shen turned out to be a good man, his guilt towards Zhou Hui diminished.
“Then I’ll go to the city and see her. I haven’t been to her house yet.”
Shu Ran thought: “Don’t come!”
“Are you already working?” Zhou Qiang glanced at the watch on Shu Ran’s wrist. His younger brother looked like a white-collar worker sitting in an office…
“Ah? Not yet…” Shu Ran admitted.
“Then where did you get the money to buy all this?!” Zhou Qiang pointed at his whole body, his eyes widening. Could it be that Xu Shen also paid for it?!
“Brother Shen bought it.” Shu Ran didn’t want to say it at first but thought it wouldn’t matter if he did.
“He’s so kind to you…” Zhou Qiang felt sour and looked at his younger brother critically: “How long has brother-in-law been married to your sister? Why haven’t you changed your tune yet?”
Was this how he tried to please Xu Shen?!
But it just happened that Xu Shen liked his rude brother!
Just as Shu Ran was about to answer, Xu Shen came in. When he saw Zhou Qiang, he also greeted him: “Brother Qiang.”
“Hey, brother-in-law!” Zhou Qiang was happy and his expression changed very quickly. Unfortunately, Xu Shen wasn’t in the mood to chat with him, quickly leading his little brother out.
Xu Shen took his wife out and said: “Let’s find a secluded seat to sit.”
“I think…” Shu Ran said, “Wherever we sit, it’s not safe.”
No matter how much they tried to hide, they could only be the center of attention.
Right… Xu Shen had just walked around twice. He was deeply touched and sighed: “You are right.”
“Brother Shen! Dingzi! Here!” Wang Dong stood up not far away and actively waved to them. Since they didn’t know anyone else, they naturally walked to his table.
“Brother Dong, is this your wife?” Shu Ran glanced at the people around Wang Dong in a friendly manner.
“Yes, my wife, Caiyun!” Wang Dong introduced: “Caiyun, this is Brother Shen, and this is Brother Dingzi. I’ve told you about them!”
“Hello!” Wang Dong’s wife’s name was Yang Caiyun. She smiled shyly when she saw the two brothers that her husband often talked about.
“Hello, sister-in-law!” Two voices sounded together, in perfect harmony. Shu Ran was young, so it was right to call her that, but Xu Shen also shouted after him…
Wang Dong was so happy that he looked like a fool!
There were other unknown people at the same table… Maybe they knew Shu Ran, but Shu Ran didn’t know them, so he felt quite embarrassed to be stared at.
And Shu Ran also had an ominous premonition… No…
He soon heard an aunt across from him say: “Is this Dingzi? You have grown so big in the blink of an eye! You look so promising! Have you got a wife?!”
Shu Ran was so embarrassed. They couldn’t be relatives. He really didn’t know them!
“He’s still young.” Xu Shen seemed to adapt to this situation and answered the call for him. “Let’s not worry about this now, he is busy with work.”
“That’s right.” Wang Dong continued: “Dingzi is only eighteen, he can get married after he’s twenty.”
“Twenty is too early…”
Wang Dong looked at him, relaxed, and joked with himself: “Isn’t the country advocating late marriage, late childbearing, and eugenics? You should resolutely respond to the country’s call! It’s not too late to get married at the age of thirty!”
“Good idea!” Xu Shen raised his eyebrows and glanced at his wife who was talking about late marriage. He needed to brace himself…
“He won’t get married until he’s thirty?! How can you agree with that?!” The aunt exploded.
Following her, other people at the table also exploded.
They didn’t even give Shu Ran a chance to speak and kept scolding him.
“…”
Only then did Shu Ran understand the meaning of Xu Shen’s look just now. There was so much energy ahead… A big “Thank you!” to Xu Shen for loving him… He quickly sacrificed himself by turning the topic around, saving his boyfriend.
Since Xu Shen was willing to talk, the ladies were happy. They were all coaxed by Xu Shen to the point where they wished to recognize him as their godson.
No one bothered to ask when the banquet would start.
“Ai, Brother Shen!” Shu Ran tugged at Xu Shen’s sleeves and whispered: “You still have this side of you… Why haven’t I heard you coax me?”
Xu Shen looked at the hand pulling on his sleeve, and then at Shu Ran’s fair face, which was close to him. His eyes held the same kind of smile that the aunts had, and he lowered his voice to start coaxing: “How should I say this… I feel emotional… but I can’t say sweet words. I prefer to express my feelings through actions.”
Shu Ran clicked his fingers and said: “I understand… It’s all acting, no feeling!”
“Pfft!” It was the first time Xu Shen heard this kind of Internet nonsense, so he praised: “That’s a really good summary.”
No wonder Chen Kai thought Shu Ran was really interesting…
Next to them, Wang Dong was busy picking up vegetables for his wife: “Caiyun, you need to eat more!”
“Yes.” The ladies at the same table also commented: “You are pregnant now! You have to eat for two.”
“That’s enough, it doesn’t even fit in the bowl…” Yang Caiyun said with a smile.
“Brother Dong is so kind to his wife…” Shu Ran couldn’t help but curl up his lips when he saw that happy scene. He thought Wang Dong’s future child must be very fortunate. No matter whether he grew up rich or poor, at least his parents loved him, and it was clear that his family fully expected his arrival.
“I am too.” Xu Shen quickly whispered in his ear and then went back to doing whatever he had to do.
“…”
Shu Ran rubbed his numb ears, discovering a pattern. It seemed that every time he praised someone else, Xu Shen would come over and praise himself!
He wanted to say that it was quite childish…
Who said that?! Don’t say sweet words, but show them with action?!
Halfway through the meal, Zhou Qiang and his bride came to their table to toast. Shu Ran had to take care of that since Xu Shen couldn’t drink because he was driving. The two Lin brothers who came to persuade them to drink didn’t dare to force it, foolishly looking at Shu Ran.
“Dingzi, shall we have a drink?”
Shu Ran picked up his teacup: “I only drink tea.”
“So disrespectful…” The Lin brothers sounded dissatisfied.
“Just use tea instead of wine.” Xu Shen interrupted them.
Xu Shen was such a big boss that the Lin brothers didn’t dare to say anything. “That’s okay!”
They didn’t care about others, but Xu Shen and his men were people they didn’t dare to confront head-on!
Lin Xuehua was the only one who was unhappy. In the past, any problem she had could be solved as long as her brothers came forward… But now she found that not everyone was willing to give them face…
It didn’t matter if you surrendered to Xu Shen, but did Zhou Ding deserve it?!
Lin Xuehua tried to throw a tantrum while pinching Zhou Qiang, but Zhou Qiang could only coax her to go to the next table. He could no longer control his younger brother.
The banquet was about to be over, and the two of them didn’t want to stay any longer.
“I’m going to say goodbye.” Shu Ran took a sip of the bland tea. He estimated there were only a handful of tea leaves in the huge teapot, making it taste like plain water.
“Let’s go together.” Xu Shen stood up, holding a cigarette given by Wang Dong in his mouth.
“Do you need a lighter?” Shu Ran asked.
Although he didn’t smoke, he has heard the mantra of smokers: “A cigarette after a meal makes you as happy as a god!”
“No,” Xu Shen threw out explosive news: “I quit smoking.” Besides, they were sharing the table with a pregnant woman.
“Ah?” Shu Ran was confused and took a moment to digest. “Are you for real?”
“Why would I tease you?” Xu Shen looked at him.
After walking in silence for a long time, Shu Ran still had to ask: “Why quit smoking? It’s okay to smoke two occasionally…”
Since that was Xu Shen’s way of relieving stress, it was better to keep it. Shu Ran was doing this for his own sake… Otherwise, how would Xu Shen release his stress when he encountered it?!
He could use his toes to think and still know he was in danger!
Xu Shen was surprised and looked at him sideways: “I thought you would respond positively to my decision.”
“…”
Shu Ran laughed dryly. How could he let Xu Shen know what he was thinking… “I just said it casually. Quit if you really want to…”
Shu Ran found Hu Jinhua who was busy in the kitchen: “Mom, we are leaving first. You tell Dad when you see him.”
“So soon?” Hu Jinhua was too busy today and hadn’t even spoken to her second son, let alone greeted her son-in-law: “Xu Shen, you’re leaving?”
“Yes, mother-in-law. Zhou Ding and I are going back first. When the weather gets cooler, we will bring you and father-in-law for a walk in the city.”
“Hey, okay! I was too busy today and I didn’t have time to greet you.” Hu Jinhua nodded and smiled with a wrinkled face.
It was said that giving birth to a child makes a woman age several years… Not to mention she gave birth to seven children in succession, and now looked even older than Zhou Guodong…
Back in the car, Xu Shen asked: “How about giving our mother some money?”
“Would it be useful?” Shu Ran sneered while leaning on the seat, feeling sleepy: “Even if you give it to her she would not use it. She’ll probably give it all to Zhou Qiang.”
Zhou Ding’s mother was that kind of giving woman, someone who burned herself for the family and had no regard for herself.
Shu Ran wanted to do something but felt there was nothing he could do… It’s better to stay awake and remember that others didn’t need his sympathy.
Xu Shen thought about it and continued: “Then we won’t give money… Just buy something next time.”
What he said to his mother-in-law just now was not simple polite speech. The weather was about to get cold in a while and there would be no farm work in the fields. He wanted to take Zhou Guodong and his wife to the city for a walk and buy some food and clothing.
After all, they were Shu Ran’s parents… Xu Shen really couldn’t confidently take advantage of such a good son!
“Yeah.” Shu Ran yawned. “Let’s go home.”
“Are you sleepy? Then you sleep and I’ll drive slower.”
“Hey,” Shu Ran glanced out the window. “No matter how slow you want to drive, you still have to look at this road… It’s shaking like we are in a disco. You can’t go fast even if you want to.”
“I’ll drive slower on the highway.” Xu Shen was amused and reached out to touch Shu Ran’s face, loving the soft feel on his knuckles.
Shu Ran also touched his cheek. It was very nice and smooth.
As the car drove onto the highway, the shaking of the car became friendly, and Shu Ran fell asleep comfortably, without even realizing it. When he woke up again, he was sweating all over. He felt that the car was no longer moving. He raised his eyes and looked outside, seeing a majestic unit’s gate.
“Picking up Brother Fan?” Shu Ran rubbed his sleep-stiffened face.
“Yes. You just woke up, your forehead is sweating.” Xu Shen answered while taking out a clean handkerchief from his trouser pocket and handing it over.
“Why do you have this thing?!” Shu Ran stopped halfway, feeling that it was unbelievable. “Did you bring it specifically for me?”
“Yes.” Xu Shen nodded.
Shu Ran was flattered, mainly because of Xu Shen’s physique and aura. Having such a delicate handkerchief in his pocket was really… contrasting.
“When you were buying this handkerchief…” Shu Ran wiped his face, discovering that there was a border of pretty lace all around it: “Ahem, did the store’s clerk look at you normally?!”
Xu Shen understood what he meant and raised his shoulders: “It was quite normal. I said I wanted to buy it for my wife, and she said this one was the best-seller…” Continuing the story, Xu Shen pinched his throat and imitated the salesperson’s accent: “Your little wife would love it!”
“Damn you!” Shu Ran jumped up from his chair, wanting to throw both Xu Shen and his handkerchief to hell… But after thinking about it, he finally decided to at least keep the handkerchief. He hasn’t wiped his face yet…
Lace or no lace, it was fine as long as it was easy to use!
