The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 255 Getting Closer

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"Hehe, speaking of my nephew, he's really a capable man. He started from scratch, and everyone who sees him has to give him a thumbs up..." Zhu Yuan said with a smile. "Sister, was he really as down on his luck as you said???"

"Uh..." Zheng Cuihua paused slightly, then gave an awkward smile, "Just listen to it like that..." After saying that, she turned her head back to continue stir-frying, but the speed at which she flipped the food with the spatula was noticeably faster.

"Sis, why are you keeping this from me??? I'm not going to tell anyone..." Zhu Yuan, with a gossipy look on her face, leaned closer to Zheng Cuihua. "Tell me what Yang Ming was like back then. I really don't know anything about the period after he went to university and stayed in the city..."

"If you want to know, go ask your cousin..." Zheng Cuihua stirred the food even faster.

"My cousin won't tell me..." Zhu Yuan said, looking frustrated.

"Then I absolutely cannot say anything..." Zheng Cuihua said.

"Sister..." Zhu Yuan is not young, but she is still very good at acting cute. Acting cute is a skill that women are born with, regardless of age.

"Since they don't want others to know, how can I tell them?" Zheng Cuihua's face showed a hint of embarrassment and regret. Why did she have to be so talkative?

"I'm her aunt, not an outsider, so just tell me..." Zhu Yuan urged.

"Mmm..." Zheng Cuihua shook her head vigorously, "I can't tell you. If you want to know, ask your cousin..."

"Sister, you're my own sister..." Zhu Yuan said with a flattering smile.

"No, if Yang Ming finds out, I'll be blamed..." Zheng Cuihua said with a wry smile, looking troubled.

"What's there to be unhappy about? Just think about it, my nephew went from being penniless to becoming a wealthy man. Isn't that incredibly inspiring? If I go back and tell my husband about it, and he learns from Yang Ming's success, it won't be difficult for our family to become rich..." Zhu Yuan was quite eloquent.

"It really won't work..." Zheng Cuihua was almost in tears.

"Sister, you're really unfair. You can't stand to see us doing well..." Zhu Yuan glared at Zheng Cuihua angrily and said sullenly.

"I..." Zheng Cuihua's expression turned even uglier. "I really can't say it, otherwise Yang Ming will blame me..."

"What's there to complain about???" Zhu Yuan rolled her eyes, pouting even more. "I just wanted to know about my nephew, is that illegal??? Is that immoral??? You have no manners..."

"How about I tell you something, just one thing..." Zheng Cuihua gritted her teeth, intending to pick out a relatively ordinary thing to deal with Zhu Yuan.

"Okay, okay..." Zhu Yuan immediately beamed with joy.

"Your face changes so quickly..." Zhu Yuan's change made Zheng Cuihua roll her eyes. "I remember at the beginning of this year, Yang Ming fired his boss without even taking his salary. At that time, Yang Ming only had 300 yuan left in his pocket, and he couldn't even afford to eat. So he bought several boxes of instant noodles and ate them every day..."

Zheng Cuihua didn't have a talent for storytelling, or rather, she never intended to tell Yang Ming's story in a vivid and dramatic way. However, Zhu Yuan listened with great interest and kept urging her to continue.

Many people who enjoy casual conversation know that once a conversation starts, it's hard to stop, especially when deliberately guided by someone with ulterior motives. Zhu Yuan happens to have a unique talent for guiding certain topics.

Zheng Cuihua recounted everything she knew about Yang Ming, bit by bit, until she even forgot about the food in the pot. Fortunately, the firewood in the stove was all crop stalks, which burned quickly and wouldn't burn the food or cause the pot to leak.

"So Yang Ming had it so tough..." Zhu Yuan finally learned about Yang Ming's past through Zheng Cuihua's story and couldn't help but sigh deeply.

"Yes, it's not easy for Xiao Yang..." Zheng Cuihua sighed.

"Sister, you are so lucky to have met Yang Ming..." Zhu Yuan said enviously, looking at Zheng Cuihua.

"Hehe..." Zheng Cuihua smiled and nodded slightly, "Yes, we old folks are quite lucky..."

"Tch..." Zhu Yuan looked at Zheng Cuihua with disdain, "You're a stunning beauty now, and your brother is a dashing and handsome man. How dare you call yourselves an old couple???"

"We're getting on in years, what else should we call ourselves but an old couple?" Zheng Cuihua's face was flushed.

"Shouldn't you call yourselves a young couple?" Zhu Yuan said with a mischievous smile.

"I think you really deserve a beating..." Zheng Cuihua's face turned even redder, and she glared at Zhu Yuan with a look that was both angry and reproachful.

"Hehehehe..." Zhu Yuan giggled, her eyes darting around. "Hey... Sister, I have another question to ask you..."

"What question??? Let's make this clear beforehand, if it's not a good question, then don't ask it..." Zheng Cuihua had become wary.

"I'm asking things that are perfectly natural and obvious, so of course they're good questions..." Zhu Yuan said with a smile.

"Alright, go ahead and ask..." Zheng Cuihua said.

"How often do you and your older brother meet?" Zhu Yuan asked with a mischievous smile.

"Pah!" Zheng Cuihua's face turned bright red, almost bleeding, and she glared at him, saying, "Aren't you ashamed at all??? Have you no shame???"

"We're all from the countryside, and we're all married women, what's the big deal about talking about this?" Zhu Yuan said dismissively.

"Then tell me, how often do you and your man meet?" Zheng Cuihua said angrily.

"Now that I'm heavily pregnant, he wouldn't dare touch me..." Zhu Yuan said smugly, patting her belly.

"And before??? How many times before???" Zheng Cuihua rolled her eyes and continued to press.

"What's the big deal about telling you??? We used to do it four or five times a day..." Zhu Yuan didn't think such a secret should be kept to herself.

"Cough cough cough..." Upon hearing Zhu Yuan's reply, Zheng Cuihua couldn't help but cough violently, pointing a finger at Zhu Yuan, "Are you all crazy??? Don't you want to die???"

"What's the big deal???" Zhu Yuan's face showed a smug look. "I'm a strong man, it won't matter if it happens a few more times..."

Zheng Cuihua thought about it and realized it made sense. Why should she meddle in someone else's private affairs? Did she have no shame? A mischievous smile appeared on her face as she said, "You just blurted it out like that? Aren't you afraid I'll spread it around?"

"What's there to be afraid of???" Zhu Yuan said nonchalantly, "My sister Cuihua does it seven or eight times a day, and this is nothing..."

"Huh???" Zheng Cuihua was stunned, not understanding what was going on for a moment.

"What do you mean, 'huh'???" Zhu Yuan's eyes narrowed. "Sister and brother are really still going strong, their vigor undiminished. Seven or eight times a day, what kind of physique do they have???" As she spoke, she glanced at Zheng Cuihua ambiguously.

"You...you're talking nonsense..." Zheng Cuihua immediately understood, and the blush on her face deepened even further.

"When did I talk nonsense? You were the one who said it just now..." Zhu Yuan chuckled.

"When did I say that??? You're making this up..." Zheng Cuihua pointed at Zhu Yuan's nose and said angrily.

"Then tell me, how many times a day???" Zhu Yuan laughed like a lewd little hooligan harassing a woman.

"Three times a day... ptooey, ptooey, once every three days..." Zheng Cuihua was somewhat incoherent.

"Thirty times a day???" Zhu Yuan's face showed an expression of utter awe. "That's amazing..."

"It's three times a day..." Zheng Cuihua gritted her teeth in embarrassment.

"Not bad, although she's still a bit worse than my man, she's much better than some young people..." Zhu Yuan gave a thumbs up and praised her sincerely.

"You shameless little slut, I'll fight you to the death..." Zheng Cuihua, enraged and embarrassed, threw down the shovel and lunged at Zhu Yuan with bared teeth and claws.

"Sister, sister..." Zhu Yuan quickly defended herself, "I'm pregnant, you can't bully me..." Zhu Yuan called her a little slut, but she was secretly overjoyed. Zheng Cuihua's insult meant that their relationship had become quite close after all this playful banter.

"So I'll let you bully me???" Zheng Cuihua said, still angry and embarrassed.

"Sister, we're like family... Besides, you were the one who threatened me first, saying you'd spread my private information. She told you all her private things, and you still use that to blackmail her? How can you live up to her trust???" Zhu Yuan reasoned with her and appealed to her emotions, and by the end, she looked aggrieved.

"Hmph..." Zheng Cuihua returned to the stove in a huff, stuffed some firewood into the hearth, and then started the bellows. The remaining sparks in the ashes, blown by the bellows, immediately ignited the firewood, and the hearth was ablaze again. "I'm warning you, don't go out and spread nonsense..."

"Yes, yes, yes..." Zhu Yuan nodded quickly, "I promise I won't mention it thirty times a day..."

"You..." Zheng Cuihua gritted her teeth in anger, "Three times a day..."

"Oh, oh, oh..." Zhu Yuan nodded repeatedly with a smile, "Three times a day isn't too few..."

"You..." Zhu Yuan was speechless with anger, feeling utterly helpless against Zhu Yuan. She glared at her fiercely and muttered, "You scoundrel..."

"Hehe..." Zhu Yuan giggled. "Sister, don't worry, I absolutely won't tell anyone about you and Big Brother. I swear to the light..."

"Hmph..." Zheng Cuihua snorted through her nose.

"You also have to swear that you won't tell anyone about our affair..." Zhu Yuan said, her face flushed.

"Your business???" Zheng Cuihua's eyes lit up, but a look of hesitation appeared on her face. "This...didn't you just say you weren't afraid I'd spread the word???"

"Then let's pass it around and see who..." Zhu Yuan said.

"Okay, okay..." Before Zhu Yuan could finish speaking, Zheng Cuihua quickly compromised, "Let's swear an oath together by the lamp that not a single word we say today will be told to anyone..."

"Okay, this is our secret..." Zhu Yuan said.

"Yes..." Zheng Cuihua nodded repeatedly, "No one can be allowed to tell..."

Zheng Dazhuang rode his old-fashioned bicycle back to the village. Teacher Wang Li, looking shy, sat across the back of the bicycle with her arms around Zheng Dazhuang's waist.

"Are your parents satisfied with me?" Zheng Dazhuang asked the question that he most wanted to know.

"I don't know..." Wang Li's cheek pressed against Zheng Dazhuang's back. The burning heat from her cheek seeped through his winter clothes and into Zheng Dazhuang's body, warming his heart.

"I rode my bicycle there, but I was afraid your parents would mind..." Zheng Dazhuang said worriedly.

"Idiot..." Wang Li rolled her eyes, speechless at Zheng Dazhuang's simplicity. If her parents objected, would they still let her come back with him?

"Hehe..." Zheng Dazhuang chuckled foolishly, "So, your parents don't object??? No, no, no, not your parents, but our parents..."

"Hehe..." Wang Li chuckled coquettishly, "Aren't you ashamed? Those are my parents, when did they become your parents???"

"We're getting married soon, so of course it'll be our parents..." Zheng Dazhuang said with a silly grin.

"You got off easy..." Wang Li clenched her small fist and lightly punched Zheng Dazhuang on the back.

"Hehehe..." Zheng Dazhuang chuckled foolishly, "If I can marry you, everyone in our village, young and old, will be overjoyed. From now on, our village will have a resident teacher..."

"Hmph..." Wang Li twisted Zheng Dazhuang's waist hard with her small hand. "So, you're saying that being with me is a political mission???"

"Hiss..." Zheng Dazhuang gasped in pain, pleading repeatedly, "No, no, it's not an extra... it's not an extra..."

"What's the extra thing???" Wang Li pressed.

"An additional reward..." Zheng Dazhuang said hurriedly.

"Oh???" Wang Li squeezed her little hand even harder. "So, I'm just a bonus for your political mission???"

"No, no..." Zheng Dazhuang's forehead was covered in cold sweat from the pain. "I meant, your staying in the village is the bonus..."

"Is staying in the village an added bonus?" Wang Li's tone was somewhat strange.

"Yes, yes, yes..." Zheng Dazhuang nodded repeatedly.

"So, if I don't marry you, you'll have to kick me out of the village, right?" Wang Li said.

"You..." Zheng Dazhuang stopped the car with a creak, then turned around and kissed Wang Li's little mouth.

"Waaah..." Wang Li was caught off guard by the sudden attack and almost choked. It took her a while to catch her breath before she finally responded enthusiastically. It is said that young men and women who have tasted the forbidden fruit for the first time always have a very strong need in this area.

"Tsk tsk..." A Passat pulled up beside them, the window rolled down, and a skinny, mischievous-looking young man leaned out. "A romantic bicycle trip, how romantic... Thank goodness it's almost noon, if it were evening, I wonder if our lips would freeze together???"

"You're so mean, hurry up and drive..." A pretty girl sitting in the passenger seat nudged the young man's shoulder and scolded him.

"Tantan, I think you're just jealous, aren't you??? How about we trade our Passat for his bicycle, and we can have a romantic getaway???" the bad boy said.

"Get lost..." The pretty girl laughed and punched the bad boy on the shoulder. "I wouldn't be romantic with you, you little rascal, what do you know about romance???"

"How come I don't understand??? 'Lang' means 'sounding' and 'man' means 'slow'. I even let you perform for me last night..." The bad boy chuckled mischievously.

"Oh no... are you going to die???" The pretty girl's face turned bright red with embarrassment, and she punched the bad boy hard with her little fist, but she raised it high and then gently brought it down.

"Hahaha..." The bad boy laughed triumphantly.

"What are you laughing at? Hurry up and drive..." The pretty girl glanced at the man and woman who had separated because of their interruption. Seeing that they were looking at them, she became even more embarrassed, glared at the naughty boy, and urged him repeatedly.

"Hehe..." The young man chuckled, stepped on the gas, and the Passat sped off, heading straight for Zhengjia Village.

"That's crazy, looks like a student..." Wang Li pursed her lips as she watched the Passat drive away.

"Ignore them, let's kiss..." Zheng Dazhuang wanted to continue the romance from before, so he pouted and moved closer to Wang Li's cherry lips.

"You're so annoying, who wants to kiss you???" Wang Li gently pushed him away, her face blushing.

"I have to kiss you..." Zheng Dazhuang had a lot of strength. He put his arm around Wang Li's slender waist, and Wang Li couldn't break free at all. She could only let him kiss her.

They kissed for a while, feeling their bodies drenched in sweat, before separating and continuing their bicycle journey.

"You naughty boy..." Wang Li hugged Zheng Dazhuang tightly around the waist, her flushed face pressed against his back.

"Hehehe..." Zheng Dazhuang chuckled foolishly, his feet moving with great force, making the bicycle seem to fly, with the wind whistling past his ears.

"All you do is giggle like an idiot. What else do you know besides giggling like an idiot?" Wang Li said shyly.

"Hehe, what else do I know? You know better than I do..." Zheng Dazhuang said smugly.

"How annoying..." Wang Li said shyly, hugging Zheng Dazhuang's waist even tighter.

"Hehehe..." Zheng Dazhuang was in high spirits, almost humming a little tune.

"Hmph..." Wang Li snorted, "Look at how smug you are, as if I'm already part of your family. Don't forget, we haven't even gotten our marriage certificate yet..."

"What's so special about a marriage certificate??? Brother Yang said it's just a matter of nine yuan..." Zheng Dazhuang said dismissively.

"So you mean our relationship is just a nine-dollar relationship???" Wang Li was unhappy.

"Huh???" Zheng Dazhuang was stunned, gripped the brakes and stopped the car. He turned around in surprise, "I thought our relationship was based on feelings. Turns out, we need a marriage certificate after all???"

"Of course, feelings are invisible and intangible. No matter how nice things are said today, who knows if they will change tomorrow? There has to be something real to hold them together..." Wang Li said matter-of-factly.

"You still can't forget that person?" Zheng Dazhuang asked, somewhat frustrated.

"Of course I can't forget him. That was a profound lesson, and I never intend to forget him in this lifetime, lest I repeat the same mistake someday..." Wang Li said.

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(End of this chapter)