Chapter 270

When Lu Xiu Bai went off the island to buy offerings for Qingming, he was spotted by Lao Mo, who called him over and gave him Zhou Yan's letter, asking him to pass it on to Jiang Ye.

"Got it, mission guaranteed to be completed."

It was a simple task; Lu Xiu Bai tucked the letter into his pocket and waved goodbye to Lao Mo.

If it weren't for the task his grandfather had entrusted to him today, he wouldn't have wanted to leave. Was that fragrance from the state-run restaurant sweet and sour pork ribs?

It smelled so good!

Lao Mo wasn't a stingy person, but he definitely wasn't overly generous either.

If it had been the couple (his brothers) who came today, he would have insisted on keeping them for a meal without charging.

But if it was the brother of his brother's wife, he would give at most a twenty percent discount.

Save where you should save, spend where you should spend. Although he wasn't getting married, he still had two apprentices to feed, didn't he?

In the kitchen, Dahai was tossing the wok, and Xiao Hai was responsible for serving dishes and cleaning up.

Compared to when they first arrived, the two brothers had undergone a earth-shaking transformation.

Ever since they met their master, they had never gone hungry again!

So they treated the restaurant as their own home, striving to do everything exactly as their master instructed!

Especially Dahai; he was the older brother and thought more deeply.

For their sake, their master wasn't even planning to start a family!

Every now and then, he could see matchmakers coming to the door. Their master was so sought-after, yet he refused the matchmakers' good intentions for their sake—it was truly...

There was no way to repay him, they could only do their best to make things easier for their master!

Lao Mo didn't know that the excuses he used to reject matchmakers would make his apprentices feel so grateful and indebted to him.

For the rest of his life, he would truly be cared for by his apprentices until the end...

Lu Xiu Bai was quite busy on his end; there were many items he needed to buy—oh no, trade for.

First, he went into the alley to trade for eggs, getting over a hundred of them, then he went to trade for spirit paper and incense candles.

Then he went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to purchase rice, flour, grain, and oil.

It was fortunate that he was strong and well-prepared, having brought sacks and baskets; otherwise, there really wouldn't have been a place to put so many things.

In the afternoon, when he returned home and handed the letter to his brother-in-law, he peeled a pineapple and started munching away—crunch, crunch, crunch.

He was thirsty!

Drinking water didn't quench his thirst!

The pineapple was sweet, sour, and juicy, with a crisp texture; it was sweeter than a regular pineapple, and eating it felt absolutely amazing!

"Eat slower. No wonder I see Lian Lian drinking milk so impatiently; she's probably just watching you eat and learning from you!"

Grandfather Lu glared at his grandson with disdain. He had thought his grandson had matured, but it was clearly just a facade.

Look, it hadn't even been two days, and he was already showing his true colors.

"Grandpa, can you stop pinning every bit of blame on me?"

Lu Xiu Bai said aggrievedly, but his pace of eating the pineapple slowed down.

This was truly his own grandfather; if he weren't, he wouldn't be so sharp!

"Hmph."

Grandfather Lu turned Xiao Nuomi to face a different direction while holding her; he didn't dare let the little one learn bad habits from her uncle.

While the grandfather and grandson were bickering, Jiang Ye was in the kitchen, opening the letter and reading it once, then without hesitation, he threw it into the stove, watching it be swallowed by the raging fire until it was completely reduced to ashes.

Some cracks cannot be repaired.

Brotherhood, too.

Zhou Yan's choice was understandable, because if it were him, he would also choose to protect his wife.

Therefore, their friendship had also come to a complete end with this letter.

Just as Zhou Yan chose in the letter, he had taken Ji Xianxian and left for Zhuhai to join his uncle; he would likely settle down there and not return.

That was fine; it saved them from the awkwardness of meeting in the future.

It was just that, no matter how cold and hard one's heart was, one would still feel a sliver of sadness.

It was already eight o'clock in the evening when Shen Man got off work.

As soon as she left the hospital, she saw her husband there to pick her up.

"Brother Jiang Ye, why do you seem a bit unhappy?"

With the children, the relationship between the two had added another layer and matured somewhat. According to how people around them addressed them, Shen Man dropped the "Brother," which felt a bit awkward to say, but was more appropriate.

"It's nothing, I just received a farewell letter from Brother Zhou. He's taking his wife to Zhuhai to join his uncle, and he probably won't be coming back."

Jiang Ye signaled for his wife to sit on the back seat, and as he pedaled, he explained.

Between husband and wife, it's best to be honest about emotional changes and what one has encountered, rather than hiding things and keeping secrets from each other.

After listening, Shen Man was lost in thought.

That was a good thing. Ji Xianxian was gone, so there was no need to worry about her causing trouble again, and out of respect for Brother Zhou, it had been difficult to tear off the mask.

Now it was great; Brother Zhou had taken her away and wouldn't be coming back. This was a great thing!

"Oh."

She held back her laughter first, not wanting to add salt to her husband's heart; she could just be happy to herself.

"Don't be sad. Brother Mo, my brother, and many of our acquaintances are still by your side."

"Mm."

Jiang Ye pedaled silently. He was a bit sad about the brotherhood, but compared to brotherhood, his wife and children were his everything!

Time can heal everything, and it can also make one forget some unpleasant memories.

"Moreover—moreover—moreover—"

On the train heading to Zhuhai, Zhou Yan's broad frame tightly protected the delicate wife in his arms.

Even though he knew the woman in his arms wasn't as weak and helpless as she appeared on the surface, the one who falls first is the loser.

He was willing to pay the price for his own heart's stirrings, even if it meant giving up everything he had.

"Brother Zhou Yan, how much longer until we reach Zhuhai?"

"Soon, one more day. Once we arrive, I'll take you to a state-run restaurant to eat something good and nourish your body."

"No, let's save some money. We'll have plenty of places to spend money in the future."

"It's okay, I have money. I'll earn more money for you to spend in the future."

"Thank you for being willing to leave your home for my sake."

"Silly, we are husband and wife, no need to say thank you. All of this is what I am willing to do."

Ji Xianxian leaned her head on the man's shoulder, her long hair covering her brows and eyes, hiding her expression.

How could there be such a foolish man?

He clearly knew she had lied to him, knew she was a bad woman, knew she was using him, yet he didn't care about any of it; he was just, purely, good to her!

Ji Xianxian admitted, she was no good person!

She didn't deserve such pure love!

But now, she was like someone floating in water, clutching the last piece of driftwood; how could she bear to let go easily?

The selfish desire to survive occupied her guilt and gained the upper hand.

This time, she really wanted to start over with this man in a brand-new place...