Chapter 146: Serious on the surface, but with a devious heart inside

After sending off Liu Xiao Chuan, Chen Guanlou welcomed Miss Pan from across the way.

Miss Pan was as always, an innocent and helpless little white flower, and she had grown thinner again.

She brought over a bowl of freshly wrapped dumplings, her head buried, seemingly very shy to speak with outsiders, appearing excessively timid, "I have been taken care of by Chen Tou these days. There is nothing good in the house, so I just wrapped some dumplings; I hope Chen Tou won't mind."

Chen Guanlou stared at her, witnessing with his own eyes Miss Pan's earlobes gradually turning red, red enough to drip blood.

He gave a light cough; testing a young widow was not kind.

"Many thanks, Miss Pan. I like eating dumplings very much; the dumplings are very good. I was just worrying about what to eat tonight. Your dumplings came at just the right time."

Hearing this, Miss Pan gave a soft, gentle smile, as if a spring breeze had blown across a willow bank, carrying the fragrance of spring and the fresh scent of flowers and grass, blowing against his cheeks and into his nostrils, refreshing his heart.

He was about to get drunk!

Chen Guanlou hadn't drunk any alcohol, but he already had three parts of drunkenness. He took the bowl and said, "I'll go empty it first and return the bowl to you."

"No, no need to rush. There are extra bowls at home," Miss Pan said very urgently and nervously.

Chen Guanlou smiled at her and went into the house to empty the bowl first. In this day and age, commoners lived tight lives, and even a bowl had great use. If one bowl was missing, it felt like the kitchen couldn't function.

He knew that the mother-in-law across the way, Mother Hu, was a formidable character. If Miss Pan returned empty-handed, she would definitely be vented upon by Mother Hu, giving Mother Hu an excuse to discipline her.

He couldn't let the gentle Miss Pan suffer a round of torment because of him.

It made one's heart ache!

Although he was not Meng De, he could empathize with Meng De's heart at this moment.

After returning the bowl, Miss Pan also smiled and said thank you.

Chen Guanlou said to her, "If you have anything in the future, just come find me. If I can help, I will definitely help."

Miss Pan expressed her gratitude again and again.

From the courtyard across the way came Mother Hu's angry roar, pointing at the mulberry to curse the locust, rambling on and on.

Miss Pan's little face turned pale, and she hurried back, not daring to delay for a moment.

As soon as she left, Sister Chunxiang came out from the courtyard next door and teased Chen Guanlou, "Your eyes are dazzled."

"These words shouldn't be spoken nonsense. Miss Pan is a good woman."

"That's why there are so many people who fancy her."

"Tell me about it." Chen Guanlou heard the hidden meaning in Sister Chunxiang's words with one ear.

Sister Chunxiang looked around, pushed Chen Guanlou into the courtyard, and even closed the courtyard gate to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

"Chen Ergou uses the excuse of checking the house to run back every three days. Hmph, who doesn't know his little thoughts? He must be fancying Miss Pan, wanting to get the moon first because he's near the water."

"That bastard Chen Ergou, his previous wife was beaten away by him, and he still has the face to fancy Miss Pan. If Miss Pan really fell into his hands, wouldn't she be dead for sure?" Chen Guanlou was filled with righteous indignation; in a time he didn't know, this guy Chen Ergou actually dared to covet Miss Pan. He was truly asking for a beating.

"It's not just Chen Ergou. In the alley in front, Chen Guanqing, who is of the same generation as you, entrusted someone to inquire about Miss Pan. It looks like he has also moved crooked thoughts."

Once Chen Guanlou heard this, he was even more furious, "Chen Guanqing, that old vegetable patch, he doesn't even deserve to be old preserved meat, and he dares to covet Miss Pan."

Don't look at Chen Guanqing being of the same generation as him; he was nearly twice his age. He was already a grandfather, yet he still dared to have crooked thoughts, clearly bullying her because there was no man in her house, relying on the surname Chen, intending to bully the weak.

Chen Guanlou despised such people the most.

Sister Chunxiang told him again that because of these things, Mother Hu's temper had become increasingly violent, cursing Miss Pan wantonly every day, saying Miss Pan was not decent, flirting with others outside every day, vainly hoping to dump the two of them, grandmother and grandson, to climb high branches and live a good life. Miss Pan was so wronged that she cried every day, and whenever he saw her, her eyes were red.

"Miss Pan has done enough, yet Mother Hu still doesn't cherish her. She has to wait until she has chilled the person's heart and driven her away before she knows regret."

Chen Guanlou nodded in agreement; Mother Hu was the typical evil mother-in-law people often talked about, finding fault with the daughter-in-law everywhere.

Sister Chunxiang said again, "You are a grown man, and single at that; don't covet the little widow, or you will be gossiped about. Miss Pan has suffered for so many years; she can't suffer anymore."

Chen Guanlou smiled bitterly, "Sister Chunxiang, which eye of yours saw me coveting Miss Pan? You can't wrong me."

"I saw it with both eyes. You men are all the same; don't think that because you pretend to be serious, you can cover up your devious heart. Do you dare to swear to heaven that you have no thoughts about Miss Pan?"

This...

To say he had no thoughts would be deceiving himself.

But to say he had very strong thoughts, that wasn't the case either. People, after all, have a love for beauty. But he had a bottom line; he wouldn't use coercive means, and he wouldn't ruin a woman's reputation.

Aren't brothels fragrant? You can enjoy it by spending money, and there are no worries afterward. If you think it's not clean, you can keep a refined courtesan; you don't need top-tier beauty, just 80-point beauty plus gentleness, combined with the skills of serving people learned from predecessors, a man could die happy. And it doesn't cost much money. With his income, he could fully satisfy his various habits. And he wouldn't have to bear the infamy and responsibility.

Seeing him not speaking, Sister Chunxiang clicked her tongue twice, "I said it, you men really have no good things, especially you, lingering in the flower bushes all day without seriously taking a wife. I'm telling you seriously, you can provoke anyone, but don't provoke Miss Pan. You are a bachelor; if you provoke Miss Pan, others won't scold you, they will only scold Miss Pan for seducing people and delaying a big young man like you. By then, the spit could drown her. Miss Pan is such a gentle person, how could she withstand the rumors? Don't end up forcing her to death; that would be a sin."

"Not to that extent, not to that extent," Chen Guanlou denied repeatedly.

"How is it not to that extent? You aren't a woman; you don't know how deadly rumors are, and you don't understand the difficulties of us women. In short, if you want a woman, tell your sister-in-law, what are your requirements? Sister-in-law will find a suitable marriage for you."

"No rush, no rush, my marriage is not in a rush."

"Still not in a rush. Look at how old you are. Those your age are already fathers," Sister Chunxiang complained.

Chen Guanlou:...

He was only twenty, and that was counting the nominal year; how did he become so old?

He thanked Sister Chunxiang for her kindness, saying he would seriously consider it and talk after he had thought it through. He would fool Sister Chunxiang first.

When Sister Chunxiang left, she was still worried, "Don't covet Miss Pan; that mother-in-law of hers is not someone to be trifled with."

"Rest assured, I would covet cats and dogs before I would covet Miss Pan."

Chen Guanlou guaranteed this, but how much credibility it had, even he didn't know. However, he was currently busy practicing the "Ascension Record" and sprinting for the third chapter; he really had no heart to consider the feelings between men and women. ===== CHAPTER 147 =====