Chapter 27: Wanna go to work, wife?

After dinner, Su Liyan, her face full of happiness, linked arms with Lu Yuan, and the two walked out of the siheyuan.

They weren't riding horses; it's just a post-meal stroll.

Meanwhile, the people in the courtyard saw Lu Yuan still going out for an evening walk, and their faces showed disdain.

What's so good about taking a walk to digest!

All we have left at home is barley noodles and cabbage; after eating, you might as well go to sleep quickly, so you won't wake up hungry in the middle of the night.

Everyone was thinking angrily.

Upon reaching the middle courtyard, they saw Kou Yang truly carrying something as he walked out.

He was supposed to go to work, heading to the restaurant to prepare the midnight meal.

When Kou Yang saw Lu Yuan and Su Liyan, he couldn't be bothered to acknowledge Lu Yuan, instead looking somewhat nervously and shyly at Su Liyan and saying:

"Sister-in-law, you're going out."

Lu Yuan: "????"

Eh?

Really??

What do you mean?

I'm a big living person right here, you can't see me, and you're talking to my wife??

Su Liyan also hadn't expected Kou Yang to suddenly ask her; after a moment's stunned silence, she, still holding Lu Yuan's arm, quickly nodded and said:

"Yes, you're going out too."

Kou Yang nodded, said nothing more, gave Lu Yuan a displeased glance, and then hurried away.

Kou Yang really pissed Lu Yuan off.

That scoundrel married such a good wife yet treats her so badly.

If Su Liyan were my wife, I'd definitely make her do nothing— I'd handle all the cooking and chores myself.

It's a shame Su Liyan married that scoundrel!

Lu Yuan stared at Kou Yang's back with a black line on his face; if he hadn't been able to see the label 【diligent】 under Kou Yang's star rating,

Lu Yuan really wanted to grab Kou Yang and ask, "Hey kid, are you coveting my sister-in-law?"

After Kou Yang walked away, Su Liyan looked at Lu Yuan with a strange expression and said:

"Brother, who is this uncle? Why does he call me sister-in-law?"

Although Kou Yang had walked far away, he could still hear Su Liyan's words; when she said that, Kou Yang stumbled, almost falling flat on his face.

Hearing Su Liyan's words, Lu Yuan also found it amusing, and then said:

"Didn't I introduce you yesterday? He lives in the old Kou family's house in the middle courtyard, and they run a restaurant."

Su Liyan shook her head, somewhat bewildered, and said:

"I don't remember… there were too many people yesterday…"

With such a crowd surrounding us yesterday, plus the commotion caused by Gao Xushi afterward, Su Liyan didn't remember anyone.

All she remembered today was Sun Erniang from the back courtyard.

Lu Yuan, finding it somewhat funny, continued:

"Besides, he's not an uncle; he's two years younger than me, nineteen this year, so calling him sister-in-law is fine."

Su Liyan looked bewildered; nineteen years old?

How does he look like he's thirty-nine?

When Lu Yuan and Su Liyan walked to the front courtyard, about to go out,

they heard a sarcastic, snide voice from nearby say:

"With just steamed corn buns and cabbage for dinner, you still have the energy to go out for a walk— hilarious."

Huh?

Lu Yuan turned his head and saw the Gao family having a meal.

Gao Tingyu is a workshop laborer; every day after work he tidies up in the workshop for a while, and besides, Lu Yuan had come back on horseback.

So, Lu Yuan had finished eating and was getting ready to go out for a walk, while Gao Tingyu had just returned home to eat.

The siheyuan's kitchen is inside each home, and Gao Tingyu's family has only one room; in this winter month, when they cook something indoors, the steam just gets trapped.

The Gao family's little door was open, letting the steam out.

Lu Yuan saw Gao Tingyu and Gao Xushi sitting on a small stool, gathered around a low table.

On the table were two kinds of flour dumplings, and a big pot of cabbage with two slices of fatty meat floating on top.

Faced with Gao Xushi's provocation, Lu Yuan not only didn't get angry, he actually wanted to laugh.

Could Gao Xushi be trying to tempt me and Su Liyan with those two slices of fatty meat??

"Hey, auntie's eating, it looks really good— I can tell you made it, right?"

Lu Yuan grinned at Gao Xushi.

Lu Yuan's shameless demeanor left Gao Xushi a bit dazed, but after she snapped back, she lifted her head proudly and said:

"Yeah, what's up? Want to come eat something too?"

"Haven't had any meat in months, huh?"

As soon as Gao Xushi finished speaking, Lu Yuan grinned and said:

"No thanks, I don't eat what the auntie makes; I have a wife, I eat what my wife makes."

Having said that, Lu Yuan took the blushing Su Liyan by the hand and left.

Gao Tingyu, who had been ignoring Lu Yuan since earlier, now nearly choked.

Meanwhile, Gao Xushi, gritting her teeth, began to scold loudly at the gate:

You've got a wife, awesome!!!!

What are you showing off for!!!

However, Lu Yuan had already left, and after Gao Xushi finished scolding, Gao Tingyu could no longer hold back, looking at his old mother in front of him, he said plaintively:

Mom, I want a wife!!

Meanwhile, Gao Xushi, face flushed with anger, was eating while turning back, gritting her teeth and said:

Don't worry, I've told your aunt too—I found you a city girl this time, her family's well-off, her parents are both artisans, she's ten thousand times better than that country girl Su Liyan!!

Hearing this, Gao Tingyu's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked:

When will she come then?

Gao Xushi, face flushed with anger, shoved two big chunks of fatty meat into her mouth and said:

She'll come in a few days; then we'll piss off that bastard and Su Liyan—you have no idea what Su Liyan ate for lunch, just some steamed corn buns and stir-fried cabbage, her hard days are just beginning!

Upon hearing that, Gao Tingyu was about to say something, but he lowered his head and glanced at the vegetable basin, suddenly at a loss for words.

Mom, you're angry, you're talking, but could you not eat both pieces of meat?

There are only these two pieces total, we agreed each gets one.

But Gao Tingyu is used to his own mother—after all, she's his mother—and now he's already thinking about the new wife coming over in a few days.

…………

On the street, Su Liyan held Lu Yuan's hand; each of them held a piece of peach pastry they'd just bought from a stall.

They walked toward the newly opened department store while eating.

Su Liyan gazed at the bustling crowd under the streetlights and felt a bit dazed.

When she first came here a few days ago, Su Liyan felt the imperial city was truly terrifying—that strange discomfort of suddenly arriving in a new place—but now it's long gone.

She has settled in the imperial city and married such a fine man; now looking at the city, she no longer finds it scary, but rather feels quite comfortable.

All this is because of her man; thinking of this, Su Liyan unconsciously tightened her jade-like hand clasped around Lu Yuan's arm, afraid of losing him.

At the same time, a group of female workers walked over not far away.

They chatted and laughed, wearing the Forging Bureau's uniforms, which made Su Liyan curious—this outfit looked like something her own man also had……

Seeing the group of female workers, Lu Yuan suddenly thought of something.

Otherwise……

The next second, Lu Yuan looked at Su Liyan—one hand holding his arm, the other holding a peach pastry, curiously looking around with a cute expression—and grinned.

Wife, do you want to go to work?

(Thanks to Little Bitter Gourd in the Human World for the reward of 100 book coins, thank you so much~ Also thanks to several friends who voted for monthly tickets, if you have double monthly tickets recently, please cast a vote, thank you so much~)

(End of chapter)