Chapter 22 TGBW

 FlamingoBees 

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 Chapter 22: 

Chopping Firewood ・You'd Better Put on Some Clothes

 

Chu Wei Leng was unaware of what Lou Jian Jia was thinking. If he had known, he wouldn't know how he would react.

After finishing his meal, he put the bowls and chopsticks into the basin and began to wash them.

Lou Jian Jia had intended to tidy up, but seeing Chu Wei Leng start, she immediately stopped.

Chu Wei Leng had just finished washing two bowls when he turned around and found that his wife was nowhere to be seen.

Whether it was his imagination or not, this time when he came back, this girl from the Lou family not only didn't stick to him anymore, but also seemed to have some opinions about him.

Her attitude towards him was completely different from before.

Lou Jian Jia had just gone to the main room to fetch a scale.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

After fetching it, she returned to the kitchen and weighed five pounds of flour, starting to make liangpi.

Chu Wei Leng intending to wash the bowls and chopsticks in the basin and carried them to the well.

When Madam Zhao saw her son starting to work, she immediately said, "Don't bother, leave it there. Wait until Mother finishes washing clothes, then I can wash them."

Chu Wei Leng indeed didn't used to do these chores much.

But, having done all sorts of work in the army these past few years, he could do everything, including washing pots and pans. He could even do laundry and sewing.

"No need, Mother, I'll handle this little task," Chu Wei Leng said firmly, continuing to wash the dishes.

Seeing her son's determined attitude, Madam Zhao didn't insist further.

Watching her son crouched on the ground, washing the dishes with his head down, Madam Zhao whispered to him, "Though it's been three years since you've seen your wife, Mother knows you miss her dearly. But you should also take care not to burden her too much."

Not paying attention for a moment, Chu Wei Leng exerted force, and with a crisp sound, the bowl broke.

If he said he didn't understand much about these things before, now, after spending these few years in the men's camp in the military compound, he's heard all sorts of talk.

What is there left not to understand? He immediately grasped what his mother was saying.

"Oh dear, let go quickly, don't prick your hand," Madam Zhao anxiously watched her son's hand. "I told you to leave it, I would wash it, but you insisted on washing it."

"It's the son's fault, not being careful with his hands," Chu Wei Leng picked up the broken plate and threw it away.

After returning, he continued washing the dishes.

Unexpectedly, Madam Zhao hadn't finished yet and continued, "Look at the dark circles under your wife's eyes, all caused by you. She's a good girl, be more considerate."

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"Mother, things aren't as you think," Chu Wei Leng explained.

Madam Zhao chuckled, "I say you still feel embarrassed."

"It really isn't as you think..." Chu Wei Leng continued to explain.

"Alright, alright, you're still embarrassed in front of your mother. Your wife isn't as coy as you. Okay, I won't say anything more," Madam Zhao said with a smile.

Chu Wei Leng: "..."

How could he not remember doing these things?

What did the Lou family girl admit to?

Why did the Lou family girl admit to it?

With these doubts, Chu Wei Leng glanced at the kitchen.

After completing the preliminary work, Lou Jian Jia came out of the kitchen.

It was around noon, and there was still more than an hour before the food for sale was ready.

After busy for more than half an hour, and with poor sleep last night, Lou Jian Jia was feeling a bit tired and wanted to go back and lie down for a while.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped out, she saw Chu Wei Leng chopping wood in the yard.

Seeing Chu Wei Leng's figure, Lou Jian Jia stopped in her tracks.

After a moment's thought, she lifted her foot again, not looking sideways, and walked towards her own room.

During this process, she tried her best not to look in Chu Wei Leng's direction.

However, as she got closer to Chu Wei Leng, she couldn't help but sneak a glance at him.

Yesterday, she didn't notice it while he was wearing clothes, but Chu Wei Leng's body was quite sturdy, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, without an ounce of excess fat.

With the hot weather and prolonged activity, sweat dripped down his back, shimmering in the sunlight.

Each droplet of sweat followed the curves of his shoulders and back, flowing down...

Staring at a man's back for so long, Lou Jian Jia felt her cheeks grow warm and quickly averted her gaze.

Even though her eyes had moved away, the image of what she had just seen lingered in her mind.

If it weren't for the scars on his back, his physique would be considered perfect.

However, with these scars, it added another kind of beauty.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

A wild and masculine aura.

Seeing that the male lead had no reaction, Lou Jian Jia couldn't help but sneak another glance.

Indeed, no one could easily succeed, not even the male lead.

Even though he possessed the halo of the protagonist, that didn't mean all problems could be solved with it.

These scars were the best proof of that.

Who was Chu Wei Leng? He was someone who crawled out from a pile of dead bodies.

Over the past few years, he had fought in numerous battles, big and small, sharpening his senses.

The moment Lou Jian Jia walked out of the house, he noticed it, and naturally, he also noticed her staring at him.

He had been careless.

Back when there were only three people in the house, during the summers, he always liked to bare his arms.

Many young people in the village liked to do the same.

After all, summers were too hot, and rural people weren't too particular about such things, especially when it came to modesty between men and women.

~ Part 2 ~

In the military, let alone women, even a female mouse was rarely seen. They were accustomed to practicing martial arts bare-chested.

But now, there was a woman in the house.

Although she was technically his wife, their relationship was not as simple as husband and wife.

He had intended to put on his clothes the moment Lou Jian Jia appeared.

But then he thought, as a man, was it too deliberate to put on clothes just because a woman saw him?

So he decided to wait until she left before dressing.

Unexpectedly, not only did this woman not leave for a long time, she also stopped and stared at him.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

He couldn't help but stop what he was doing and turn to look at her.

Lou Jian Jia met Chu Wei Leng's gaze.

"Wife?" Chu Wei Leng's voice was filled with confusion, as if asking her what was wrong.

"Hmm, I was just passing by, you can continue," Lou Jian Jia replied without a hint of embarrassment at being caught, and then casually glanced at Chu Wei Leng's chest.

Indeed, his chest muscles were well-developed, and he even had abdominal muscles.

After looking, she lifted her foot and walked towards the house.

Chu Wei Leng furrowed his brows slightly and glanced down at his chest.

At that moment, Chu Wei Leng believed that Lou Jian Jia now was the same as she was three years ago.

It's just that she hid it well now, not as overt as before.

As Chu Wei Leng was thinking this, Lou Jian Jia stopped in front of the door, turned to look at him, and said, "By the way, I'll remind you, you'd better put on your clothes."

"Why?" Chu Wei Leng raised an eyebrow slightly. "Didn't the lady just look at me for a long time?"

Chu Wei Leng bluntly exposed her.

This woman was very bold just now, but now she knew to be shy and put on an act?

Sure enough, different attitudes in front of people and behind their backs.

She pretended quite well in front of Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao.

Even though she was exposed, Lou Jian Jia remained indifferent. "I'm afraid my parents will worry if they see," she said calmly.

If it weren't for Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao, Lou Jian Jia wouldn't have said another word.

After saying that, she went back to her room.

Chu Wei Leng stared at the door for a long time, then went to the clothesline to take down his jacket and put it on.

He had to admit, Lou Jian Jia was right.

Over the years, he had accumulated quite a few scars on his body, some of which almost sent him to meet the King of Hell.

If his parents saw them, he didn't know how worried they would be.

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Lou Jian Jia didn't look outside anymore, she went to the cabinet and took out new sheets, covers, and pillowcases, then changed them.

Afterward, she lay on the bed to take a nap.

Although she was extremely tired, she couldn't fall asleep today.

Once she couldn't fall asleep, she would start thinking about other things. Listening to the sound of chopping wood outside, her thoughts drifted away gradually.

Although she knew the general plot of the book and when the male lead would return, she still didn't feel as calm inside as she had imagined.

This reminded her that she needed to make many decisions.

Like her own future.

Originally, the male lead was just a paper character to her, but now he was a living, breathing person.

Paper characters seemed thin and shallow, but the reality of Chu Wei Leng was different.

The male lead's personality was somewhat different from the description in the book.

Except for that moment last night, he behaved like an ordinary peasant in his daily life.

Upon careful consideration, she understood that this was probably related to Old Master Chu.

In the original book, the previous owner ran away with the family's money, Old Master Chu had no money for treatment, and he died.

When the male lead returned home, he learned of his father's death.

His father was particularly important to him.

The male lead's personality changed instantly.

He became aloof, focused solely on climbing the social ladder and seeking revenge for the original protagonist.

Now that Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao were both alive and well, and the family was still harmonious and warm, his temperament hadn't changed much.

If she didn't actively provoke him, didn't take away his family's money, and peacefully parted ways with him, would he still seek revenge on her after achieving success and fame?

After a while, the sound of chopping wood outside ceased.

Lou Jian Jia was lost in her thoughts, her mind in a haze, barely aware of the changes outside.

After what seemed like a quarter of an hour or maybe half an hour, Lou Jian Jia felt that there seemed to be some movement in the room. She slowly opened her eyes.

Upon careful listening, she indeed heard faint noises.

Realizing that the room was no longer her exclusive space, she immediately sat up in bed and looked towards the source of the sound.

Sure enough, it was Chu Wei Leng.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

What you fear is what you attract, indeed.

He was rummaging through the only bundle he had brought with him and seemed to find what he was looking for. When Chu Wei Leng turned around, he caught sight of Lou Jian Jia looking at him with sleepy eyes.

Her demeanor, in this drowsy state, appeared much gentler than when she was fully awake.

"Did I wake you?" Chu Wei Leng asked, though there was no hint of apology in his tone.

Lou Jian Jia hadn't fully come to her senses yet, gazing at him blankly.

"Here," Chu Wei Leng handed the porcelain bottle to Lou Jian Jia. "Bruise medicine."

He glanced at Lou Jian Jia's bruised wrist.

Gradually waking up, Lou Jian Jia calmly replied, "No need, thank you."

Though Chu Wei Leng had gripped her tightly yesterday, it didn't hurt much. Her skin was sensitive, making it look worse than it was.

She hadn't expected Chu Wei Leng to apologize and then offer her medicine.

Chu Wei Leng's hand didn't retract: "Put some on. It might spread by tomorrow."

Lou Jian Jia furrowed her brows slightly. She wasn't one to be overly dramatic, but she genuinely didn't need it.

Chu Wei Leng's hand reached forward again.

Seeing his insistence, Lou Jian Jia took it: "Thank you."

"It's my fault, no need to thank me," Chu Wei Leng said.

With that, Chu Wei Leng left the room.

Lou Jian Jia glanced at Chu Wei Leng's departing figure, holding the porcelain bottle tightly in her hand.

The male lead, for now, seemed relatively kind to her.

It seemed that the matter of separation might be resolved earlier than expected, clearing the boundary with the male lead before the female lead appeared.

By staying far away from the male and female leads, she could distance herself from the center of the story. 

In doing so, she could certainly avoid many complications.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

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