The Hot-tempered Young Master and His Village Flower Child Bride - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Application for an Extra Meal

Getting his phone back was like getting his private stash of money back, so Zhao Xunyu no longer had to scrimp for flowers in the village. He went directly to the county and bought three bouquets.

One was to congratulate Chu Zhi Lu on becoming the top student, one was for his daily courtship, and one was to apologize.

All three bouquets were red roses, and he included a card with each one to prove his sincerity.

Large cakes at the bakery needed to be ordered a few hours in advance. Luckily, the village was close to the county. He said he wanted to order two cakes, and since the bakery offered delivery, they agreed to deliver them to his door when they were ready.

He also called his dad and told him to buy groceries when he arrived in the county and to invite two or three tables of relatives and neighbors over for dinner that night.

He instructed Zhao Qingtang to buy extra food, saying it was better to have leftovers than for everyone to go hungry. He told him to buy pre-processed vegetables so that he, Grandma, and his little sister wouldn’t have to work hard washing and preparing them when they returned. He specified how much chicken, duck, fish, and meat to buy and whether to buy cooked food or freshly slaughtered, prepared meat. He asked him to buy drinks and barbecue ingredients for a barbecue in the countryside that evening.

‘Putting on airs as if he were the host,’ Zhao Qingtang retorted impatiently. “When the oil bottle tipped over in the kitchen, I didn’t see you go in to help pick it up. Go play in the mud. Do I need your guidance?”

Of course, just because Zhao Qingtang said this didn’t mean he understood kitchen matters. The Zhao family always hired professional chefs to cook. Neither Zhao Xunyu nor Zhao Qingtang helped with the oil bottle.

He naturally believed that professionals should handle professional matters and that there was no reason to exhaust oneself by cooking for a long time for a happy gathering. He was quite direct, contacting the best restaurant in the county and ordering four tables of the most expensive dishes.

However, the atmosphere was the main focus of a home barbecue, so he carefully selected the ingredients himself instead of just finding a barbecue shop owner.

When Chu Zhi Lu and Grandma Chu were alone, Grandma Chu asked her directly, “Are you and that boy together now?”

Chu Zhi Lu admitted, “Yes.”

“Your personalities are very different.” Zhao Xunyu was childish and playful, while Chu Zhi Lu was quiet and rational. She didn’t seem optimistic about it.

“Mm,” Chu Zhi Lu nodded. “I’ll try my best.”

Grandma Chu smiled slightly. “He’s quite lucky.”

***

Zhao Xunyu peeked into the living room but only saw Chu Zhi Lu. He quickly brought all three bouquets to her. He grinned, showing eight teeth, and asked, “Chu Zhizhi, do you like them?”

She took out the cards from each bouquet, read them, and said, “Bought flowers lack sincerity.”

Zhao Xunyu was quick to understand and replied, “Then I’ll pick some myself later. But since I already bought these, why don’t you take them, too?”

Chu Zhi Lu didn’t respond, so Zhao Xunyu took that as a tacit agreement and pressed further. “Chu Zhizhi, can I have your WeChat? I don’t even have your WeChat.”

“Let’s talk about it later.”

Since she didn’t outright refuse, Zhao Xunyu kept pestering her until she gave in. After adding her on WeChat and viewing her Moments, he sent her a picture. The picture and his newly changed profile picture were a matching set for couples.

He didn’t say that he wanted to use matching profile pictures with her. He just said that he thought the picture was nice and recommended that she use it as her profile picture.

Chu Zhi Lu was indifferent.

Fortunately, he had successfully added her on WeChat and saw a ray of hope. Zhao Xunyu wasn’t discouraged and went out to pick flowers.

When he returned, excitedly carrying eleven lotus flowers, he ran into his dad.

Zhao Qingtang stood outside the gate and frowned in distaste at what he was holding. “What are those?”

“Flowers that I picked myself for my little sister.”

“Aren’t you afraid people will think you’re stingy?”

“Stingy? This is genuine sincerity. She didn’t like the roses I bought her.”

“…”

Four tables were set for dinner—not too many and not too few. Since it wasn’t the college entrance exam celebration banquet yet, they didn’t invite the whole village. Only the Chu family’s relatives and close neighbors were invited. It was considered Zhao Qingtang’s return to the village to catch up with relatives and friends, so no gifts were required.

The atmosphere at the table was lively. Even the sulking Song Zhi Yuan was persuaded to drink a glass of wine.

Zhao Xunyu couldn’t sit with Chu Zhi Lu. His view of her was blocked, so he kept craning his neck to see her.

Zhao Qingtang couldn’t stand it. He impatiently clicked his tongue and exclaimed, “Look at you! Can’t you just eat properly?”

Zhao Xunyu took a bite of rice and replied, “I’m in love. Don’t mind me.”

“Finish eating and get out!” His little sister hadn’t even looked at him. It was more like unrequited love.

After eating, Zhao Xunyu wanted to leave, but Chu Zhi Lu was inseparable from her girlfriends. He sent her several WeChat messages, asking her to go for a walk. She replied telling him to go with Li Yi because she was busy.

Zhao Xunyu refused. What was the point of two grown men taking a walk? He wanted to stay and be a ‘waiting stone’ for his wife. So, he pulled Li Yi along to help them with the barbecue.

After grilling a plate, he would deliver it first to Chu Zhi Lu. His eagerness was so apparent that it was clear to everyone what he was up to. Some elders teased them, saying that they had achieved success in both their studies and love.

Zhao Xunyu, thick-skinned, smiled and thanked them.

After three days of patient coaxing, Chu Zhi Lu finally allowed him to kiss and hug her again. Zhao Xunyu was ecstatic. His efforts to study conversational tactics and strategies online and consult with others on WeChat had paid off.

However, Zhao Xunyu shared a room with Song Zhi Yuan, who stayed up until three or four in the morning every day. This prevented Zhao Xunyu from staying in Chu Zhi Lu’s room for long. During the day, Chu Zhi Lu had to go to the county or city for interviews, so Zhao Xunyu could only get close to her on the road. When they were home and people were around, they couldn’t do anything.

Finally, when Chu Zhi Lu was free, Zhao Xunyu excitedly planned an outing for the next day. He hadn’t spent time alone with her in many days and missed it terribly.

At eleven o’clock that night, Chu Zhi Lu received a picture from him. It showed a devil with pointed horns and a wicked grin revealing fangs. It held a dinner knife in one hand and a fork in the other. On the table in front of the devil was a plate with a large chicken leg on it labeled ‘Chu Zhizhi.’

How do you know that my girlfriend is Chu Zhizhi: Applying for an extra meal tomorrow.

[Devil/Grin]

Chu Zhi Lu: Sure.

***

Chu Zhi Lu was woken up by her grandmother that morning. It sounded like she was trying to chase someone away. Her tone was stiff, cold, and controlled, but her anger leaked through.

Chu Zhi Lu frowned, opened the curtains, and looked outside. Grandma Chu was standing at the courtyard gate, which was only slightly open. She couldn’t see who Grandma was talking to.

Not in the mood to wash up, she threw on a coat over her nightgown and hurried downstairs.

“Grandma, what’s wrong?”

She quickly walked to the courtyard gate and saw her grandmother’s chest heaving with anger. She put her arm around her grandmother’s shoulder and gently patted her to help her calm down. Then, her gaze fell upon the person causing the trouble.

The person was about forty years old, slender, with refined makeup, wearing a distinguished and elegant black suit. She looked wealthy, but not like someone connected to the Chu family. Yet, she seemed guilty towards her and Grandma.

Chu Zhi Lu looked closely at her eyes, which were filled with guilt, and saw a hint of familiarity.