The Hot-tempered Young Master and His Village Flower Child Bride - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

A shallow, clear stream flowed through the orchard. A raised gazebo was built beside it.

They filled the large basket with lychees and the smaller basket with peaches and plums.

Chu Zhi Lu found some large leaves. She placed the washed plums and peaches in them, and took them to the gazebo. Zhao Xunyu was sitting on a wooden chaise lounge eating lychees. In front of him was a small wooden table.

On the left were several bunches of ripe lychees, and on the right were the two bunches he’d originally picked. For every five ripe lychees he ate, he ate one sour one. His intention was to eat all the sour lychees his grandmother had made him eat before he went home.

He enjoyed it at first, but after eating ten sour lychees, he started to feel uncomfortable and sighed, “So sour, it’s killing me.”

Chu Zhi Lu sat down on the other side of the table. “You can take them home and eat them slowly. It’ll be a bitter reminder of the consequences of defying Grandma.”

Zhao Xunyu put down the sour lychee. “Can I put this lychee in the stream and let it wash away? Pretend I’ve already eaten them.”

“Wasting food is a bad habit.”

Fine. He’d take them home and think of other ways to deal with them.

He peeled a perfectly ripe lychee and popped it into his mouth. “I could eat five pounds of these ripe ones! Sweet and fragrant, who wouldn’t love them?”

Zhao Xunyu took two plums, but the lychee was too sweet. As soon as he bit into the plum, his teeth felt the sourness and he quickly spat it out. “It’s so sour, my saliva is running.”

“You can’t eat sour things.”

“Sweet lychees are still the best.”

Zhao Xunyu ate so many lychees that he felt completely full. The cool breeze made him so comfortable that he began to feel sleepy. Without hesitation, he lay down on the chaise lounge, put his hands on his stomach, and closed his eyes.

“I’m going to close my eyes for a while.”

More than an hour had passed since he had fallen asleep. But there was still no sign of him waking up.

The sun shone into the gazebo and grazed his face. He just frowned slightly before relaxing again.

Chu Zhi Lu moved to shade him from the sun, just as she had done when he was a child. She watched him quietly, waiting for him to wake up.

But now she was staring at his rosy, attractive, thin lips. She wondered if kissing him would be enough to make up for eating all those sour lychees.

Zhao Xunyu stretched comfortably after his nap and sat up.

“Little sister A-Lu, did you eat all the sour lychees for me?!”

Chu Zhi Lu nodded.

Zhao Xunyu was moved. 

“You’re really kind. I even thought of taking them home and dipping them in sugar. I’m so touched. From now on, if you ever need anything, just come to me – your big brother guarantees not even a moment’s hesitation.”

***

When they returned home, Grandma Chu had already gone to visit Zhao Xunyu’s aunt.

For lunch, Chu Zhi Lu made tomato fried eggs, eggplant with minced meat, and corn pork rib soup.

Zhao Xunyu felt embarrassed to let her work alone in the kitchen, so he helped wash the vegetables and chop the garlic. He couldn’t say how much he actually helped, but he just wanted to contribute and feel more comfortable.

When he finished, he leaned over to watch Chu Zhi Lu cooking and praised her, saying, “Little Sister A-Lu, you’re perfect both in and out of the kitchen. Whoever marries you in the future must have the blessing of the ancestors from the grave.”

Chu Zhi Lu asked him to pass the salt and asked, “What about you?”

“Hm?“

“What about whoever marries you?”

Zhao Xunyu thought she was criticizing him for being clumsy and useless, so he defended himself. “Marrying me may not bring unbelievable luck, but I’m optimistic, cheerful, kind, filial, tall, and handsome. Marrying me is still a blessing.”

Chu Zhi Lu said seriously, “Anyone who marries you must be blessed by the goddess Guanyin.”

“…little sister A-Lu , your insults are so sophisticated.”

“I’m serious.”

“…” He’d be a fool to believe her.

After lunch, they distributed several large bags of lychees to their neighbors.

Neighbor Xiang’s adults were out of town. Only Xiang Feng, a fifth-grader, and his ten-month-old brother, Xiang Lei, were at home. When Chu Zhi Lu and Zhao Xunyu arrived, Xiang Lei was crying inconsolably. He occasionally called out for his mother.

“Where are your parents?” 

Chu Zhi Lu asked Xiang Feng, reaching out to pick up Xiang Lei to comfort him.

“They went to work and should be back soon.”

Zhao Xunyu looked at Xiang Lei who was wearing open cr*tch pants with his b*tt and little sparrow exposed. Without thinking, he reached out and hugged Xiang Lei.

Chu Zhi Lu looked at him with a silent question.

“Men and women should keep a proper distance.”

Zhao Xunyu awkwardly held Xiang Lei with one hand on his buttocks and the other under his armpit. He didn’t dare to shake Xiang Lei, just moving left and right by himself.

The little kid lifted his head from Zhao Xunyu’s shoulder and stared curiously at the unfamiliar face. His mouth was pouting, on the verge of crying, his body was shaking slightly, and tears were welling up in his eyes.

Zhao Xunyu tried to calm him down. “You better behave yourself, kid. It’s your lucky day that I’m holding you, if you dare to cry again, I’ll beat you up.”

Xiang Lei still pouted, but he didn’t immediately cry in the stranger’s arms. Curiously, he reached out and tugged at Zhao Xunyu’s face.

Zhao Xunyu quickly moved his head away from his hand, but Xiang Lei’s hand followed.

“Are you mesmerized by my handsomeness?”

Xiang Lei successfully held his face and waved his small hand around his face.

Zhao Xunyu asked Xiang Feng, “Why isn’t your brother wearing a diaper?”

Xiang Feng mumbled, “He did, but he peed, so I threw it away, and there are no new ones left, just the wrapping.”

His mother had told him where the unopened ones were. But he hadn’t listened carefully while he was playing. His parents would be back for lunch soon, and he was too lazy to look.

Zhao Xunyu held him and comforted him for a while. The child calmed down, and his little hand curiously waved around Zhao Xunyu’s face and hair. Zhao Xunyu couldn’t bear it and tried to give Xiang Lei back to his brother. But Xiang Lei didn’t want to go; as soon as he moved him, he began to cry loudly.

Chu Zhi Lu got a stool for Zhao Xunyu. After sitting down, he held Xiang Lei under his arms. “You are so young, yet you know how to ask a handsome man to hug you? You have good taste.”

Xiang Feng took a cracker that his brother usually ate and handed it to him. The kid accepted it and started eating, dropping crumbs all over Zhao Xunyu.

What could Zhao Xunyu do? He had no choice but to put up with it. His parents would return soon.

After finishing the cracker, Xiang Lei wanted his milk bottle. Zhao Xunyu saw him concentrating on sucking milk, found him somewhat cute, and pressed his face to his head.

Then he noticed Chu Zhi Lu smiling at him, which made him blush.

After more than ten minutes of peace, Zhao Xunyu breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the sound of a door opening in the courtyard.

Xiang Lei looked up and saw his mother and started to struggle and make noises.

Zhao Xunyu picked him up. But before he could take two steps, he felt a warm sensation on his ch*st, followed by liquid trickling down his body.

“…”

Xiang Feng yelled, “Brother! My little brother has peed on you!”

“Crap…” Zhao Xunyu felt like he had stepped on a landmine. He wanted to move away immediately, but he couldn’t let go.

Xiang Lei’s mother heard Xiang Feng. She dropped her farming tools, ran over, picked up Xiang Lei, and apologized to Zhao Xunyu.

Zhao Xunyu’s face scrunched up and he said, “It’s okay, I’ll go home and take a shower.”

Zhao Xunyu didn’t dare look down. He only felt the increasingly damp and cold sensation, a mixture of hot and cold emotions surging inside him.

As soon as he walked out of the Xiang family’s door, he told Chu Zhi Lu to keep two meters away from him.

“I am completely amazed! What kind of karma is this? To be repaid with such ingratitude! This kid is here to curse me, isn’t he? He wouldn’t let his brother hold him, he’s doing it on purpose!” 

Chu Zhi Lu was usually calm and emotionally stable, but she always wanted to laugh around Zhao Xunyu.

“He’s jealous of how handsome you are and wants to embarrass you.”

Zhao Xunyu wasn’t comforted. He continued to warn her not to get too close. “Ahhh! I almost can’t breathe! It stinks!”

Zhao Xunyu rushed home, went upstairs, and showered for over an hour.

When Chu Zhi Lu passed by the bathroom, she could still hear him ranting and raving in the bathroom.

After taking a shower, Zhao Xunyu was still unhappy. His slippers smacked loudly as he walked downstairs.

Zhao Xunyu frowned and deliberately left a space between them on the sofa. He sniffed periodically, carefully checking for any lingering odor.

He opened the collar of his T-shirt and sniffed.

“I’m so mad; if I ever hold a child again, I’ll be a dog!” he turned and asked Chu Zhi Lu, “Do you smell anything strange?”

Chu Zhi Lu took a deep breath, then moved closer to him, bringing her nose close to his shoulder and slowly trailing it toward his neck. The scent was a mixture of shower gel and his unique scent.

Zhao Xunyu resisted the urge to pull away, wondering if she had smelled something strange and was trying to find the source.

The warmth of her breath on his neck made his face flush. She noticed and quickly pulled away.

“No strange smell, it smells good.”

She had sniffed so closely; Zhao Xunyu didn’t believe that there was no problem.

He tugged at his collar anxiously and stood up. “No, I need to wash again.”