The Hot-tempered Young Master and His Village Flower Child Bride - Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

When Chu Chunliu had finished instructing Zhao Xunyu, she turned to Chu Zhi Lu. 

“I’m going to check on the lychees in the orchard on the mountain tomorrow. They should be ready to be picked in a day or two. Take Zhao Xunyu to the county in your uncle Liang’s car and buy him some long-sleeved shirts and trousers.”

Chu Zhi Lu agreed.

After Chu Chunliu finished talking, she got up to find her square dance companions. Zhao Xunyu watched her leave the courtyard, then looked down at his mosquito-bitten arms and sighed.

“Grandma doesn’t say it, but she really cares about me.”

Chu Zhi Lu glanced at him but said nothing, letting him continue to enjoy his grandmother’s awkward but heartfelt affection.

Zhao Xunyu, now happy, generously forgave Chu Zhi Lu for her inexplicable coldness that morning. He beamed at her and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t encourage you to help me steal my phone back. The matter has been resolved.”

“How was it resolved?”

“Grandma found out, scolded me and that was that. You know what, Grandma is actually quite open-minded. I overreacted.” He didn’t mention all the begging and swearing he’d done.

“So what was the private content?”

Zhao Xunyu scratched his head and said, “It was just a joke with my friends, calling each other ‘Dad’.”

“…” Chu Zhi Lu was unusually stunned, seemingly not understanding. “Huh?”

“Well, guys like to call each other ‘Dad’ as a joke. Anyway, it was a joke. I was afraid Grandma wouldn’t understand and tell my dad.”

“…That’s quite unique.” So she had overestimated him and worried unnecessarily?

With his worries over and his grandmother’s concern evident, Zhao Xunyu felt on top of the world. He began to act up. “Call me ‘Daddy’ and let me hear it.”

Chu Zhi Lu said nothing, but gave him a cold look that spoke volumes.

“Hee hee…“

***

Zhao Xunyu was sound asleep, oblivious to the time. Suddenly, the ‘brick’ next to his pillow emitted a shrill ringtone, jolting him awake.

“Wo-oo-hh~ That’s the Qing-Zang… Plateau~~~!”

Zhao Xunyu relaxed his muscles and angrily pressed the answer button. “Who is it?”

“Get up. I’ll give you ten minutes. The uncle who was kind enough to give us a ride is already waiting for us on the first floor.”

This guy was sleeping like a log. They’d been knocking for a long time without any response.

Zhao Xunyu looked at the time: 6:10. It was barely dawn!

“Is it necessary to leave so early? Everyone else hasn’t got up yet, right? Are we going to stand on the street in the cold wind?”

“Uncle Liang has to send the fruit to the fruit market owner for inspection. While it’s still fresh, the sooner the better. Hurry up.”

Zhao Xunyu sighed in resignation.

He washed and changed like a zombie, his steps still unsteady, terribly sleepy.

Uncle Liang drove a van. There were originally two rows of seats in the back, but the back row had been removed to make room for more goods. Several baskets of fruit were stacked in the back. The van smelled sweetly of grapes and lychees.

Uncle Liang put a package for his son on the passenger seat, and Zhao Xunyu sat next to Chu Zhi Lu. They kept their distance at first, but after they sat down, Zhao Xunyu leaned back and immediately fell asleep. After a while, perhaps uncomfortably, he shifted and leaned towards her. A few minutes later, he was leaning against her shoulder, his head resting on hers.

Chu Zhi Lu stiffened and gently pushed his head away. Less than a minute later, he was leaning against her shoulder again.

Chu Zhi Lu looked in the direction of Uncle Liang, who had been concentrating on driving and hadn’t noticed what was going on in the back seat.

Zhao Xunyu’s hair tickled her neck. He was so close. Chu Zhi Lu could smell his unique scent.

Clean and refreshing, like the sun and the sea.

Chu Zhi Lu’s gaze lowered as she discreetly observed him. He slept with his eyes closed, completely unguarded, his long, thick eyelashes like two little fans.

Chu Zhi Lu never followed celebrities. Famous male idols or internet personalities never impressed her.

But now she couldn’t look away from Zhao Xunyu’s face. She couldn’t say for sure whether she was curious to see how he’d changed over the past ten years, or something else entirely.

Ten years ago, Zhao Xunyu was a chubby, white, bright-eyed glutinous rice ball. He was very different now.

At eighteen, Zhao Xunyu’s features were sharply defined yet softly sculpted. His upper face was strikingly handsome, with deep-set eyes and a prominent nose, exuding charm and a strong aura. But his chin was short, his lips thin, with a slight smile, and the lower half of his face had a youthful innocence and sunshine. The combination wasn’t contradictory. It was striking and alluring.

In addition, his eyes were slightly round and his gaze was clear. It was a look that most people could easily recognize as beautiful.

Even his slightly long blue and green hair didn’t look out of place, but rather gave him a refined and noble air.

Although she found his thinking erratic, his temper volatile and his behaviour childish, Chu Zhi Lu had to admit that he had a most attractive and deceptive appearance.

Uncle Liang accidentally caught sight of their posture and teased with a smile, “Are you two resuming your childhood relationship?”

Chu Zhi Lu’s tone was flat. “No, he just tosses and turns in his sleep.”

“He’s quite handsome. If you two have children, they’ll be wonderful. You two were inseparable back then. Everyone said you’d marry him for sure.”

At the time, Chu Chunliu had no intention of adopting Chu Zhi Lu. She was emotionally distant and didn’t want the extra burden. When the baby was left on her doorstep, she didn’t see it as fate, just that the parents had specifically inquired about her.

The baby’s swaddling clothes had the date of birth written on them: five months old. She suspected that the mother was pregnant again. That’s why she abandoned the little girl.

Chu Chunliu wanted to take the baby to an orphanage. But one-year-old Zhao Xunyu clung to Chu Zhi Lu’s blanket and kept calling her “little sister”. He wouldn’t let Chu Chunliu take his little sister away. As soon as she let go of his hand, he kicked his legs and cried uncontrollably.

Zhao Xunyu’s mother said that since her son was so fond of her, and since the little girl’s parents had specifically chosen the Chu family, they might as well raise her as well. The Chu family wasn’t short of resources. Adding a little girl was like adding a little more water to a pot of soup.

If they really wanted to, it might be like raising a little wife for their son from a young age, or at least having an extra granddaughter to look after Chu Chunliu in her old age.

So Chu Zhi Lu stayed with the Chu family.

As a child, Chu Zhi Lu had a weak constitution. She was often ill and very thin and small. Zhao Xunyu’s mother and grandmother encouraged him to play with his little sister. Under the guidance of the elders, their bond grew naturally, especially after Chu Zhi Lu could run and jump. She clung to Zhao Xunyu and never left his side.

At that time, Chu Zhi Lu didn’t call Chu Chunliu “grandmother”, but followed Zhao Xunyu in calling her “maternal grandmother”.

Everyone in the village had said that the Chu family had raised a child bride for Zhao Xunyu.

But things had changed so much. The two children hadn’t been together for many years, and the Zhao family had become so wealthy.

Uncle Liang’s words hadn’t been serious. They had mostly been teasing, but he had subtly tried to steer Chu Zhi Lu towards this idea.

They looked very good together. Whether they had a destiny or not was up to them.

Chu Zhi Lu shifted her shoulder to make Zhao Xunyu more comfortable. 

“Things from childhood were too far away now. They didn’t carry much weight.”