The Hot-tempered Young Master and His Village Flower Child Bride - Chapter 11
Chapter 11
The next day was cloudy and breezy, perfect for a journey.
The two people’s journey to worship the goddess was exceptionally smooth. Zhao Xunyu exercised all year long, so climbing a mountain was no problem. Chu Zhi Lu climbed as if she were walking on flat ground. She breathed steadily and completed the two-hour climb without a trace of redness on her face.
Zhao Xunyu felt guilty, thinking that his little sister had risked her life to accompany him.
The temple was indeed dilapidated, but it didn’t matter as long as the goddess was still there.
Zhao Xunyu offered incense and bowed three times, muttering, “Goddess Guanyin, I, Zhao Xunyu, offer you incense. Please bless Zhao Xunyu and Chu Zhi Lu with excellent results in the college entrance exam. Please allow us to enter the universities of our choice. Please bless Zhao Xunyu, Chu Zhi Lu and their families and friends with peace, health, and happiness. Please. Thank you.”
Chu Zhi Lu hesitated for a moment before also offering incense and bowing.
With that, they descended the mountain much faster. The descent was easy, which gave Zhao Xunyu more time to observe. He kept asking Chu Zhi Lu what this was, and then asked if it was edible.
At the foot of the mountain, Chu Zhi Lu led him down another path. Soon, Zhao Xunyu saw several lychee trees laden with fruit. The bright red lychees hung heavily from the branches, tempting passersby.
Zhao Xunyu asked, “Whose lychees are these? Can we pick some?”
He also saw peach and plum trees.
“This is our family’s orchard.”
Xiaohe Village didn’t have much, but it had a lot of fruit. In addition to the farmers who were specialists in fruit growing, other villagers also had fruit trees on their land or in the mountains. It was common to pick some fruit as you passed by. There was always fruit to eat throughout the year.
The Chu family’s small orchard had a variety of fruits: lychees, longans, mangoes, plums, peaches, tangerines, watermelons, and bayberries, all grown for their own consumption and as gifts for relatives and neighbors.
Zhao Xunyu exclaimed in surprise, “I love this kind of rural life! I declare that in twenty years I’ll retire to the village and become an orchard owner!”
Chu Zhi Lu picked a bunch of exceptionally attractive lychees and handed them to him. “Okay. Enjoy the fruits of your labor, Orchard Owner Zhao.”
These were Guiwei lychees, known for their thick fl*sh, small seeds, firm texture, juicy pulp, and sweetness without tartness.
Zhao Xunyu ate several and exclaimed, “Sweeter than first love.”
Chu Zhi Lu had just put one in her mouth and didn’t have a chance to bite into it. She puffed up her cheeks and opened her eyes in confusion, inexplicably cute.
“Do you have a first love?”
“No.” Zhao Xunyu felt the urge to poke her puffy cheeks, but he stopped himself. He smiled. “But my first love would definitely be sweet! My very first, you know? It has to be the sweetest.”
“Do you have a girl you like?”
“No, you’ve already said that studying means going to prison. How could I find a cellmate when I’m in such a sorry state? It wouldn’t have a future.”
Chu Zhi Lu’s tongue moved as the lychee rolled around in her mouth. Her teeth gently pierced the skin, and the sweet juice burst in her mouth. “Right.” The two of them walked side by side, and Zhao Xunyu asked back, “Why? Have you ever had puppy love?”
“No.”
An expected answer. Her phone had no private information. Her appearance and personality were both pure and ascetic. He would have been shocked if she had had an early relationship.
“Same here.”
Then he remembered something and got emotional. “Although I’ve never had a relationship, I’ve been falsely rumored to be in one, and my reputation is not exactly spotless. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have been sent here for reformation.”
Chu Zhi Lu looked at him. “Mm?“
Encouraged, Zhao Xunyu poured out his grievances.
Chu Zhi Lu was speechless after hearing this. Considering the malicious intentions of Gu Jie, it would be strange if Zhao Xunyu didn’t find someone to beat him up.
“A bit impulsive.” This was not the first time Zhao Xunyu had been told this, but he still refused to accept it. “Do you want me to return evil with kindness and persuade him to reform and become a good person? I am so annoyed with him. I don’t want to use my rhetoric to make him feel ashamed and tormented. That’s just a mental victory for me. I wouldn’t feel any satisfaction. He’s been acting up for years and I just want him to feel real pain.
Chu Zhi Lu asked, “So Liu Yin Yin didn’t know that Gu Jie was with her to take revenge on you, right?”
“She probably doesn’t know. When she heard that Gu Jie was in the hospital, she went to see him.” He even gloated when he talked about it. “Liu Yin Yin saw that Gu Jie was as ugly as a pig, so she just told him to take care of his injuries and that she’d see him later. It’s hilarious.”
“This is why I said you were impulsive. Gu Jie showed off Liu Yin Yin in front of you, and I think he was just happy to rub salt in your wound. After the examination, you found out that you’d been ‘cuckolded’. You could have pretended to be angry and confronted him, made a recording beforehand, and led him to reveal his motives. He’s smug. He wouldn’t hesitate to verbally insult and mock you.
Liu Yin Yin’s actions when she visited him didn’t seem like she was deeply in love with him. You also said that she bullied her classmates. When she hears the recording and knows that she was deceived and used as a tool, she will most likely not let him go. Gu Jie is better off. After they quarrel, Gu Jie would think about Liu Yin Yin’s lies, his painstaking pursuit, and the joke you played on him, and he might get back at Liu Yin Yin.
If things don’t go as I said and you’re not satisfied, then you can take action. If you go up and hit Gu Jie directly, it will be seen as you going too far in the eyes of outsiders.
Others don’t know that Gu Jie and Liu Yin Yin got together just to get back at you. Only you and Gu Jie know that. If you clarify your relationship with Liu Yin Yin and people believe you, they’ll think you hit Gu Jie because you were unhappy that he stole your bootlicker. If they don’t believe you, they will think that you were angry about being cuckolded and lashed out at the third party, making your clarification seem like a desperate attempt to salvage your pride.
Either way, people will think that you hate Gu Jie because of Liu Yin Yin. You said that you and Gu Jie don’t get along, but you’ve never fought like this before. Even if you tell Liu Yin Yin the truth now, she won’t believe you.”
Chu Zhi Lu spoke calmly and at a moderate pace. Surprisingly, Zhao Xunyu didn’t interrupt even once.
Chu Zhi Lu sighed. “So, from my sympathetic point of view, you were a bit impulsive.”
“…” Zhao Xunyu fell into dead silence.
They walked for a few minutes, Zhao Xunyu still pondering over what Chu Zhi Lu had said, looking serious, forehead furrowed, ch*st rising and falling.
Chu Zhi Lu smiled gently, peeled a lychee, and held it to his mouth. He opened his mouth and took a direct bite without paying any attention.
Finally, Zhao Xunyu gave in. “Forget it, it’s done. We probably won’t interact again, so it’s no loss.”
If he kept thinking about it, he’d drive himself crazy.
“Mm.“
This was as succinct an answer as it could be. Zhao Xunyu stopped walking and turned his head to study her. Chu Zhi Lu also stopped and met his gaze.
“Little sister,” Zhao Xunyu chose his words carefully, “you are quite cunning.”
Chu Zhi Lu blinked innocently. “Am I?”
‘What do you mean by ‘angel’s face, devil’s heart?’ This was it.
But Zhao Xunyu liked it.
“I see you have potential. Follow me, and I guarantee you’ll eat meat every day.”
Chu Zhi Lu readily agreed, “Okay.”
“So easily tricked?”
“Mm.“
Zhao Xunyu laughed out loud. In return, he peeled a lychee for her.
Chu Zhi Lu didn’t reach for it. She leaned forward and bit into it. Zhao Xunyu’s fingertips touched her rosy, soft lower lip, making him shiver involuntarily.
Chu Zhi Lu, with the lychee in her mouth, smiled slightly at him, making her look less cold and more lively and cute.
Zhao Xunyu couldn’t help but gently poke her puffy cheek. “Little sister A-Lu, don’t play dumb.”
They continued walking.
Chu Zhi Lu couldn’t stop smiling. “Were your grades pretty good?”
“So-so. I just studied harder in the last three months before the college entrance exam.”
Zhao Xunyu wasn’t a diligent student, but he didn’t slack off completely either. His grades fluctuated depending on how burnt out he felt. Of course, before the college entrance exam, he would study hard and frantically add tasks to his schedule.
Xu Qingchen and Song Ting could see how tense he was. During their lunch together, Xu Qingchen and Song Ting deliberately shared light-hearted jokes.
Zhao Xunyu concentrated on eating, listening halfheartedly, catching key words like “misinsertion” and “rhythm”, and asked, “Do you use a lot of interjections when you write English essays?”
Song Ting: “…”
Xu Qingchen: “You’ve gone crazy. If you don’t come back with top grades, I’ll look down on you.”
Zhao Xunyu was realistic, and getting top scores was impossible. If he could get into a good university, he’d be satisfied, and his father’s life would be complete.
After studying for two or three months, Zhao Xunyu slept for a whole day and night after the exam. Once that kind of energy and mind was dispersed, it could never be condensed again. Now when you talk to Zhao Xunyu about reading, he doesn’t understand a word.
“What university do you want to go to?”
Zhao Xunyu said matter-of-factly, “None.”
“Then why did you want to ask for the goddess’ blessing?”
“I just said it casually. I consider any university I can’t get into to be my dream university.”
“…”
“What about you? Where do you want to go?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’ll decide after the results.”
“Me too. What score do you think you have?” He asked casually.
Zhao Xunyu was relaxed. He had completely let go after the exam and didn’t estimate his score. He just felt that he had done well. When others asked, he said he got a perfect score.
His reasoning was: Before the results come out, my score is perfect because I would never write down what I think is wrong. My perfect score will stand until the real results are in. I hope you won’t insult my perfect score and my confidence with estimates.
“730.” The perfect score was 750.
Zhao Xunyu nodded seriously. “Pretty good, only twenty points below my perfect score.”
“I’m not kidding.”
Zhao Xunyu smiled carelessly. “Little sister A-Lu, if I get first place in the exam, you won’t mind, right?”
“I don’t mind. I hope you’ll always smile so happily.”