R70 Chapter 9

Do You Have Feelings for Yuan Ye?

Yuan Ye was caught completely off guard and drenched from head to toe by the basin of dirty water.

Water dripped down his hair, his clothes clung tightly to his body, and he looked utterly disheveled.

He stood there in place, stunned for a few seconds, before raising his hand to wipe the water from his face, his expression somewhat helpless.

Seeing this, Sun Hongying’s face flashed with panic. She hurriedly walked over, “Oh my, isn’t this Yuan Ye? Why are you standing at the door without making a sound? You came right to the house and didn’t go in? I didn’t see you and splashed water on you!”

“Come inside quickly and dry yourself off. Your Uncle Wu’s clothes should fit you just right. Don’t catch a cold!”

Yuan Ye pressed his lips together. He wanted to go in, but thinking about his current state made him feel too embarrassed. He could only reply flatly, “It’s okay, Aunt Sun. I wasn’t paying attention.”

Seeing that his expression wasn’t as natural as before, and thinking that Yunzhu was home today, Sun Hongying immediately asked with a smile, “What are you doing at our door so late at night? Don’t tell me you came to see our Yunzhu?”

Her words were laden with meaning, her tone carrying a mix of probing and teasing.

Yuan Ye caught the subtext in her words. His brow furrowed slightly, but quickly relaxed again.

He raised the lunchbox in his hand and said calmly, “I came to return the lunchbox. I borrowed Yunzhu’s lunchbox at noon and wanted to return it early.”

Sun Hongying glanced at the lunchbox in his hand, and her smile deepened. “Oh, returning a lunchbox? Then why don’t you just come in? Why stand at the door? Yunzhu is inside.”

Yuan Ye shook his head, his tone still flat. “No need. I just needed to return the lunchbox. It’s getting late, I won’t disturb you.”

After speaking, he placed the lunchbox on the stone steps at the door and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Sun Hongying quickly called out to him, “Hey, Yuan Ye, you’re soaking wet. Why don’t you come in and dry off? Don’t catch a cold.”

Yuan Ye paused, turned back to look at her, his tone distant yet polite. “No need, Aunt Sun. I’ll just go home and change clothes. You carry on with what you were doing.”

The voices of the two attracted Wu Yunzhu and Wu Jianguo, who were in the courtyard. Father and daughter exchanged glances, and finally Wu Yunzhu stood up and walked to the door to take a look.

“What—what happened!” Wu Yunzhu was startled to see Yuan Ye looking like a drowned rat. Then she saw the basin in her mother’s hands and understood everything. “Mom!”

Sun Hongying’s face flushed. “This is really my fault. I didn’t pay attention after opening the door.”

“Yuan Ye, come inside quickly and take a hot bath and change into clean clothes. Otherwise, if you walk home like this, you’ll definitely catch a cold.”

Seeing Yuan Ye standing still, just looking at her, Wu Yunzhu walked over helplessly.

“What, don’t recognize the way around my family’s courtyard?”

As she spoke, she took Yuan Ye’s hand and led him into the courtyard.

Sun Hongying was stunned. Her daughter had taken Yuan Ye’s hand, hadn’t she? She wasn’t seeing things just now, was she?

Yuan Ye also froze for a moment. He looked down at Wu Yunzhu holding his hand.

Wu Yunzhu’s hand was slender and soft, her fingertips slightly cool.

Her fingers were long and well-defined, yet not rough at all. Instead, they had a delicate luster.

Her palm was slightly moist, as if a thin layer of sweat had formed from nervousness, but this didn’t affect the warmth of her fingers.

“Xiao Ye is here?”

Wu Jianguo’s attitude toward Yuan Ye had always been very clear—he liked him!

In Wu Jianguo’s eyes, Yuan Ye came from a good family and could be considered to have grown up pampered.

Yet he had no airs of a young master at all, nor any arrogance of considering himself superior to others.

He was calm and composed, willing to work hard and endure hardship, smart and reliable.

At the time, he had intended to match Yunzhu with…

Wu Jianguo sighed silently. These were all matters from ancient history; he shouldn’t be thinking about them anymore.

“Mm…” Yuan Ye didn’t know what to say for a moment. “I’ll borrow your room to change clothes.”

Wu Yunzhu also seemed to realize something. Her fingers trembled slightly, and she withdrew her hand.

On an autumn evening, the chill was growing stronger.

After Yuan Ye’s clothes were soaked with cold water, they had already become stiff in a short time, clinging to his skin and piercing cold.

Standing in the Wu family’s main room, he couldn’t help but shiver, his lips turning somewhat pale.

Seeing this, Wu Jianguo frowned and quickly said, “Xiao Ye, you go wait in the inner room first. I’ll get you a few buckets of hot water. In this weather, if you catch a cold, it’ll be serious.”

Yuan Ye wanted to decline, but seeing Wu Jianguo’s concerned expression, he finally nodded and said softly, “Thank you, Uncle Wu. I’m troubling you.”

Wu Jianguo waved his hand, his tone hearty. “You child, why be so polite! Go in quickly, don’t stand here in the draft.”

Yuan Ye entered the inner room and sat on the edge of the kang, rubbing his arms, trying to warm himself up.

His gaze inadvertently swept over the furnishings in the room—simple yet tidy, exuding a warm atmosphere.

Several old photos hung on the wall, one of which showed Wu Yunzhu as a child, with two little braids, smiling brilliantly.

Before long, Wu Jianguo came in carrying two buckets of hot water and poured them into the large bathtub in the corner of the room.

Steaming vapor diffused through the air, bringing warmth.

Wu Jianguo tested the water temperature and nodded with satisfaction. “Alright, the temperature is just right. Wash up quickly and change into clean clothes. I’ll go find you a thick coat so you don’t freeze.”

Yuan Ye stood up and said gratefully, “Uncle Wu, I’m really troubling you.”

Wu Jianguo patted his shoulder and smiled. “Don’t be polite with me. Wash up quickly, don’t delay.”

With that, he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

On the other side, Sun Hongying and Wu Yunzhu were rummaging through drawers and cabinets looking for clothes suitable for Yuan Ye.

While searching, Sun Hongying secretly observed her daughter’s expression. Seeing her earlobes turn red and her eyes flicker, she immediately had some suspicions.

“Yunzhu,” Sun Hongying asked, feigning casualness, “what do you think of Yuan Ye?”

Wu Yunzhu was folding one of Wu Jianguo’s old coats. Hearing this, her hands paused for a moment, then she said nonchalantly, “He’s quite good. Hardworking and reliable.”

Sun Hongying smiled, her tone meaningful. “Yes, this child is really good. Good family background, sensible person. Quite a few girls in the village have their eyes on him.”

Wu Yunzhu pressed her lips together and didn’t respond, just kept her head down folding clothes.

Seeing her silence, Sun Hongying moved closer and lowered her voice. “Yunzhu, tell Mom the truth. Do you have… some feelings for Yuan Ye?”

Wu Yunzhu’s face instantly turned red, her earlobes burning even more.

She raised her head and looked at Sun Hongying reproachfully, saying in a low voice, “Mom, don’t talk nonsense! Now is not… not the time to talk about such things.”

Sun Hongying persisted, continuing to press. “Why isn’t it the time? The matter between you and that scoundrel Xie Yun will have to be resolved sooner or later. Yuan Ye is a really good child. If you have feelings for him, Mom supports you!”

Wu Yunzhu was both embarrassed and anxious from her words. She stamped her foot and said coquettishly in a low voice, “Mom! Stop talking! I’m not even divorced yet. It’s not appropriate to talk about these things.”