She’s a Girl
Su Su didn’t bother calling him back, but she found his defeated expression quite amusing. After all, she was already here, the female lead had been driven away, and now her plan was to help the Lin family live a good life and make others jealous. If anyone wanted to take advantage of them? Ha, she wasn’t that gullible.
She no longer had the mood to read, unaware that outside, Kang Jianguo had just exited and, as he approached the eldest cousin, coldly snorted, “Look at how pleased Lin Chuan is. I don’t think the woman in that room is anything special; she’s even condescending.”
“She seemed fine to me,” replied the cousin.
“Fine? She deliberately took out a foreign book and pretended to read it, acting like she’s so knowledgeable just because she studied a few more years than I did. Pretentious! I won’t bother with her anymore. People like her are out of our league.”
“What? Why were you in the new bride’s room?” The eldest cousin had a slight liking for Su Su—after all, she was young and beautiful, and which man wouldn’t appreciate that? But he only regarded her as a sister-in-law, with no inappropriate thoughts. Hearing that Kang Jianguo had actually gone into her room, he felt it was crossing the line.
However, being an optimistic person, he didn’t dwell on it or say much, merely adding, “Then let’s just keep our distance from her in the future.”
“Hey, do you see where Lin Chuan went? Could he have gone to see his ex-fiancée? Trying to have the best of both worlds—what a player.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Lin Hai, who was passing by, glared at them and said, “I’ll tell my mother.”
“What are you going to tell her? Hey, you little brat, stop right there!” Kang Jianguo was still afraid of the Second Aunt, so he tried to stop Lin Hai. But Lin Hai ran so fast that he was gone in an instant.
Meanwhile, Lin Chuan wasn’t off to see his ex-fiancée. He had been called away by Lin Donghe, and it was, unsurprisingly, about Qin Yueyue.
Once they were in a secluded spot, Lin Donghe said, “Big Brother, we’re about the same age, only a few months apart. I call you ‘Brother’ out of respect because you’re a hero. But as a hero, how can you be so petty and make things so difficult for a young woman? You humiliated her.”
He was about to say more, confident that Lin Chuan, known for his reticence, wouldn’t respond. But to his surprise, Lin Chuan said, “Who’s humiliating who? I’m the one getting married, and she’s standing there crying. Anyone who doesn’t know better would think I wronged her. Do you have any idea what kind of mess you’ve made? Don’t come to me looking for trouble.”
For the first time, Lin Donghe found Lin Chuan so hard to deal with. Frowning, he retorted, “She wasn’t crying.”
“Do you think everyone’s blind? Should I call a few witnesses? I’m getting married, and she comes here laughing, crying, and making a scene. Does she think my family is full of fools? I don’t care about her, but I won’t tolerate anyone making my wife suffer. You all better sort this out. If it happens again, don’t blame me for taking it up with the village secretary to see if her behaviour is proper.” Lin Chuan shot Lin Donghe a disdainful look and sneered, “You’re flattering yourself if you think a college student would take a liking to you, a farmer. Watch out, or you’ll end up with nothing.”
“She’s not like that,” Lin Donghe said, his face red, suddenly finding himself unable to argue with Lin Chuan.
“I know exactly what kind of person she is,” Lin Chuan replied. “And let me tell you this: just because she’s a young woman doesn’t mean my wife isn’t. My wife is much younger than her, and I won’t let her be bullied. Don’t think you can take advantage of her when I’m not home. If you try anything, don’t blame me for making you pay. Oh, and the recorder? I’m taking it with me to the army. Don’t even think about getting it back.”
Lin Chuan, who usually didn’t speak much, had plenty to say today, likely thanks to the alcohol. After giving Lin Donghe a piece of his mind, he shoved him aside and walked back to the rear yard with his hands in his pockets.
As soon as Lin Chuan arrived, Lin Hai ran up to him to report. Lin Chuan frowned and said, “Stay at the door. If any boy tries to sneak into your sister-in-law’s room, give him a beating.”
“Today? Can I really do that today?”
“Does beating people need a special occasion?”
“Well, I guess not.”
Lin Hai immediately stationed himself at the door. Sure enough, a few village boys tried to peek at the new bride but were all chased away by him.
As the guests began to leave, only the men in the front yard stayed behind, drinking and chatting.
The rear yard was mostly tidied up. Lin Chuan’s mother approached him and said, “That Qin Yueyue brought over a few eggs as a gift. I had Lin Hai return them, along with a bowl of food as a thank-you. Our family doesn’t need to take advantage of her. The money we spent all these years on her? Just think of it as feeding a dog.”
“What bowl of food? Keep the eggs. Consider them something I bought.”
“You stubborn boy…” Lin Chuan’s mother sighed. Their family, being one of only two in the village, often went out of their way to maintain good relations with others to avoid trouble. But hearing Lin Chuan’s insistence, she realized there wasn’t much for others to criticize and decided to let it go.
Lin Chuan, however, was eager to return to his “house,” but there was still work to do. After he and his family finished tidying up, it was already past three in the afternoon. Fortunately, his brother Lin Hai helped a lot, borrowing a donkey cart to take a few distant relatives home. By then, only the Lin family remained in the house.
Lin Chuan’s mother reheated some food and told him to call his newlywed wife to come and eat.
Feeling a warmth in his heart, Lin Chuan happily went to fetch Su Su, only to find her dozing off after sitting in the room for so long.
For some reason, he felt his entire body heat up. Trying to calm himself, he gently woke her up, saying, “Su Su, wife, it’s time to eat.”
Su Su woke up, rubbed her eyes, and asked, “What did you just call me?”
Lin Chuan, a bit embarrassed, blushed and replied, “W-wife.”
It sounded a bit rustic.
“Why not just call me ‘wife’ or something better?”
“We don’t use that term around here.” Not wanting to upset her on their wedding day, Lin Chuan quickly added, “But, if no one’s around, I can call you that.”
He’s even negotiating?
Su Su didn’t mind and nodded, saying, “Alright.”
Then, to her surprise, Lin Chuan took her hand and led her to the front yard. Yes, held her hand.
Before their marriage, this man had been so reserved, always keeping a three-step distance while walking. Now, hand-holding felt like a big leap.
She glanced at her hand and then at Lin Chuan, who was acting so serious. Suddenly, she thought, Maybe I married a secret romantic?
Lin Chuan: Her hands are so soft. I want to squeeze them.
When they reached the house, he let go of her hand like a machine, saying, “I’ll go get the food.”
Su Su: “…” Is this man secretly two different people?
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