The Hot-tempered Young Master and His Village Flower Child Bride - Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
Chu Zhi Lu ended up buying him “The darling of the cold school bully”.
Before Zhao Xunyu had a chance to say that he didn’t need any designer clothes, Chu Zhi Lu had already taken him to a small stall in the market. The clothes weren’t even hung up. They were just piled up, forcing customers to rummage through them.
Zhao Xunyu saw camouflage jackets, tank tops, raincoats, old man’s vests, and shapeless sweatpants. He also saw ill-fitting trousers that looked like they might come apart with a little effort. On the table beside them was a jumble of shoes: crystal sandals, canvas shoes, water shoes and spiked Mike trainers. Zhao Xunyu’s disdain was obvious. He refused to approach the stall.
“Don’t tell me you brought me here to choose clothes.”
“You guessed right.”
“Don’t you feel guilty letting me wear these clothes? If you want me to hide my looks, why don’t you just buy me a mask?”
“You may not know this, but Grandma said she would buy you clothes to make it easier for you to work.”
“She told you that?” Wasn’t she sorry for him being bitten by mosquitoes?
“Yes. And she said to buy two or three sets, with a budget of 150 yuan.”
“…” 150 yuan – that was the price he thought belonged to an average, plain piece of clothing.
Zhao Xunyu was hit several times and felt numb.
Chu Zhi Lu pulled him forward. His eyes glazed over. She picked up a camouflage jacket and held it up next to him, asking him if it would fit.
Zhao Xunyu didn’t even look at it and said sullenly, “It’s okay if you think it’s okay.”
His heart had turned to ash. Why bother choosing? Whatever Chu Zhi Lu said to buy was fine.
Chu Zhi Lu picked out three sets and asked him to try them on, but he remained motionless, unwilling to put them on. The boss said to Chu Zhilu, “The clothes I sell are all one-size-fits-all for men. They are very big and can generally fit into men’s clothes. Many women come here directly to buy clothes for their husbands, and they don’t even need to try them on.”
Zhao Xunyu couldn’t bear to look. These oversized jackets, if ‘fitting’ meant simply being able to put them on, would indeed fit most people.
Chu Zhi Lu asked about his shoe size and bought him a pair of canvas shoes.
The boss asked for two hundred, but Chu Zhi Lu bargained it down to one hundred and fifty, which was perfectly within the budget.
After that, Zhao Xunyu didn’t say a word or make a fuss. He even took the plastic bag the boss had used to pack his clothes. Chu Zhi Lu bought two cooked foods and he took the initiative to pick them up.
Something wasn’t right. Chu Zhi Lu was not used to it.
Originally, Chu Zhi Lu had planned to go home after buying his clothes. But she took him for a walk around the food street.
Zhao Xunyu walked behind her. His neck and back were slightly bent, and he looked lifeless.
He looked like a listless puppy with drooping eyelids that covered his cute, big eyes.
Chu Zhi Lu slowed her pace and walked alongside him. “Would you like some milk tea?”
Zhao Xunyu shook his head.
After a few steps, Chu Zhi Lu asked again, “There’s a trendy ice cream shop up ahead. Would you like some?”
Zhao Xunyu didn’t lift his head. “If you want some, go ahead and buy it.”
Chu Zhi Lu pursed her lips and didn’t go.
There was a shop selling audio CDs on the street. Chu Zhilu listened to some music and asked Zhao Xunyu, “Can I buy you an MP3 player to listen to music?”
Zhao Xunyu shook his head. “Forget it. I don’t need anything. If you’re not going to buy anything, let’s go home.”
They sat next to each other on the bus back to the village. There were a few empty seats. The driver was still looking for passengers and had to wait before they could leave.
Zhao Xunyu fiddled idly with his fingers.
Chu Zhi Lu tilted her head and said to him, “I want to sleep. If you’re bored, do you want to play with my phone for a while?”
Zhao Xunyu looked at her, his expression unreadable. “Forget it, phones are private.”
“There is no privacy. The password is 1030. I’m afraid I’ll drop it if I hold it in my sleep.”
She was wearing a green dress today, with no pockets and no bag.
Zhao Xunyu took her phone. “Okay. Go to sleep, I’ll hold it for you.”
Chu Zhi Lu continued to look at him, wrinkling her straight nose slightly.
“Sleep,” Zhao Xunyu said with a faint smile, but there was no real amusement in his eyes.
Chu Zhi Lu turned her head and leaned her forehead against the window. She closed her eyes and pretended to doze off.
She didn’t know how to describe the strange feeling in her heart.
Zhao Xunyu returned home and had lunch with her and his grandmother. His grandmother asked him to go lychee picking with them the day after tomorrow. He readily agreed and even took the initiative to wash the dishes after the meal.
He didn’t look like he was sulking. At least Grandma didn’t think he was unhappy and said he had behaved better.
After washing the dishes, Zhao Xunyu said he was tired and wanted to take a nap. He told everyone to call him if they needed anything. The clothes and novel she’d bought for him were still by the TV cabinet. But he didn’t take them up.
Chu Zhilu looked at him dazedly.
Uncle Liang’s business talks went smoothly. When he came back in the afternoon, he told Chu Zhi Lu and Grandma Chu that they didn’t need to cook in the evening. They could just come to his house for dinner. He also bought a lot of ingredients for a family barbecue.
At six o’clock in the evening, Uncle Liang called them on WeChat and asked them to come over for dinner. Chu Zhi Lu knocked on Zhao Xunyu’s door, and he quickly opened it.
“Uncle Liang has asked us to come to his house for dinner. He has prepared a lot of barbecue.”
“You go with Grandma, I’m not hungry now. I’ll get something to eat later when I’m hungry.”
“Let’s go together.”
“You go first, I’ll say something later when I’m hungry.”
“…Then call me when you want to go there, and I’ll show you the way when I get back.”
Uncle Liang’s house was not far from the Chu family, so it was easy to find. Chu Zhi Lu was actually afraid that he would be embarrassed to go in alone because there were so many people around.
“Um.“
Grandma Chu was not surprised to learn that Zhao Xunyu was not going. “It’s okay if he doesn’t go. He can find food for himself. The worst thing that can happen is that he will go hungry again.”
These days, many teenagers don’t like to go to other people’s houses to eat.
At eight o’clock in the evening, there were still many members of Uncle Liang’s family. Barbecuing was a way to kill time. You could chat, eat and drink during the barbecue and it could easily last until midnight.
Chu Zhi Lu absentmindedly listened to the conversation between girls of the same age. She thought that Zhao Xunyu hadn’t arrived yet, and she didn’t know if he had eaten at home.
Chu Zhi Lu secretly sighed and couldn’t sit still. She stood up and took some marinated beef, chicken wings, chicken thighs, pork, mushrooms and baby cabbage to the barbecue. She asked a child to make room for her and started barbecuing.
After barbecuing, she asked Aunt Liang for a disposable plastic box to put the barbecue in, and also put a box of warm rice in it.
After walking a few steps out of Aunt Liang’s yard, Chu Zhi Lu stopped and turned around. She went to a nearby convenience store to buy coconut milk tea, kumquat lemonade, a can of cola, and an energy drink.
Grandma had gone to square dance soon after Aunt Liang’s dinner and hadn’t returned yet.
The first thing Chu Zhi Lu did when she got home was go into the kitchen.
The leftovers from lunch were still in the pot, it seemed that Zhao Xunyu hadn’t eaten dinner.
She went upstairs and knocked on the door. Zhao Xunyu asked from inside what was the matter. She didn’t answer and kept knocking.
Zhao Xunyu hesitated for a while before showing half his face from behind the door.
“What is it?”
“Grandma asked me to bring you some barbecue. Come down and eat.”
Zhao Xunyu didn’t believe her. “Grandma asked you to bring it?”
“Mm. She said you definitely didn’t eat dinner and specifically asked me to grill some for you; it’s not leftovers. Eat it while it’s hot.”
Zhao Xunyu stared at her for a few seconds. “Okay, I’ll wash my face first.”
Chu Zhi Lu smiled at him. “Hurry up.”
Zhao Xunyu came down and Chu Zhi Lu sat on the sofa drinking her milk tea. The Thai drama that Zhao Xunyu had criticised was playing on the television.
The barbecue was on the coffee table, and Chu Zhi Lu was sitting on the sofa next to the coffee table, facing the TV.
Zhao Xunyu sat down. Chu Zhi Lu opened the lid for him and handed him some disposable chopsticks.
The takeout container was full, the enticing aroma wafting out, making one’s mouth water. The barbecue was perfectly cooked, golden brown and crispy.
“Have you eaten? Do you want some more?”
Chu Zhi Lu shook her head and said she was already full, adding that the three drinks were for him.
“So many.”
Chu Zhi Lu sipped her drink, her voice slightly hoarse.
“I just grabbed them at random.”
Zhao Xunyu ate a chicken leg and nodded in approval.
“It’s delicious.”
He asked again, “Did Grandma really ask you to bring me this?”
Chu Zhi Lu nodded. “Mm, I told her I was heading back and she asked me to grill some food for you.”
From past experience, Grandma wouldn’t be home until ten o’clock. Chu Zhi Lu had no worries.
“Oh.”
Zhao Xunyu lowered his head happily and devoured the food.
He opened the kumquat lemonade. The cool, refreshing, sweet and sour taste was invigorating.
In the drama, the female lead had a miscarriage. The male lead knelt by the bed, tearful and unshaven, begging for forgiveness.
Chu Zhi Lu: “The male lead didn’t appreciate her before, now he’s shedding crocodile tears.”
“Exactly. If you forgive such an idiot, all the suffering you will suffer later will be self-inflicted.”
Chu Zhi Lu nodded in agreement, then breathed a sigh of relief.
However, just as Zhao Xunyu had almost finished eating, Grandma Chu returned.
As soon as she entered, she smelled the strong aroma of barbecue. She saw Zhao Xunyu still holding chopsticks and gnawing on a chicken wing, and said, “Didn’t you say you weren’t eating? You went and got one yourself, all eager and excited?”
Chu Zhi Lu: “…”
Zhao Xunyu: “…?”