Stingy

Bai Kangdi laughed twice, "Erhua, you might not have seen it, but when I first arrived, this house was simply unbearable. Inside and outside, it was as dirty and messy as a pigsty. The clothes on his body, who knows how many years he wore them without washing. In the middle of summer, they had formed a thick, stiff crust that could be used to crack walnuts.

His hair was like a bird's nest, a filthy bird's nest. When he talked to me, he shook his head, and oh my god, a few lice flew out. It was only after I borrowed a razor and shaved his head bald that I could see what he looked like. When we first got married, just thinking about it made me feel disgusted, and I couldn't even eat.

On the first day back home, I made him a pot of sweet potato porridge and stir-fried a plate of sweet potato leaves. He hugged the bowl and cried with snot and tears, saying he hadn't eaten a hot meal in over ten years. He swore to me that as long as I didn't leave, he would live a good life with me.

But look at him, how many days of peace have we had? He's already starting to complain about me managing him? With his lazy nature, if I don't manage him, can he live a good life?"

Hua Jinyin felt a bit nauseous hearing this, but she did have memories of Zhou Shoujia before he got married in her mind. To be responsible, what Bai Kangdi said was not exaggerated in the slightest.

Hua Jinyin couldn't help but sigh: "Aunt Shoujia, it hasn't been easy for you. Why did you agree to let that person choose a husband for you back then? What were you thinking?"

Bai Kangdi pursed her lips, revealing a bitter smile, and finally waved her hand, saying: "It's in the past, it's all in the past, let's not talk about it."

It probably touched a deep pain in her heart that she didn't want to bring up. Since she didn't want to talk, Hua Jinyin wouldn't pry. But in her heart, she had already placed Bai Kangdi on the list of suspects to be investigated.

With an unclear background, marrying someone so casually, she might very well be using it to hide her true identity.

In short, the couple didn't really have any major conflicts. It was just that Zhou Shoujia was used to being lazy, and suddenly having a wife who loved cleanliness and wanted to manage him everywhere made him unable to accept it for a while.

In her heart, Hua Jinyin felt that Bai Kangdi should have found a better man than Zhou Shoujia, but who told Bai Kangdi to insist on Zhou Shoujia?

As for Zhou Shoujia, he talked about wanting a divorce, but with his previous attitude toward life, if they really divorced, there would be another dirty, lazy loafer in the village, and the team leader would have another headache.

So for this couple, persuasion was still the best approach.

Bai Kangdi agreed not to force him to work in the future. At the same time, Zhou Shoujia would eat as much food as the work points he earned, and he wouldn't get to use a single penny of Bai Kangdi's work points.

Although Zhou Shoujia looked somewhat unwilling, he was glared at by Zhou Laifu: "What? A grown man still wants to rely on his wife to feed him? Let me tell you, if you don't agree, I won't care about your family matters. Whatever your wife tells you to do, you must do. If she beats you again, I will order all the team members not to intervene."

Bai Kangdi cooperatively raised her fist, scaring Zhou Shoujia into shrinking his neck and yelling: "I want a divorce!"

Zhou Laifu kicked him in the butt, "Did you marry a wife easily? Only an honest person like your wife is willing to live with you. Any other woman would have kicked you out to sleep in the team's pigsty long ago."

Zhou Shoujia's eyes darted around, "Team Leader, how about I go to the pig—"

*Slap!* A slap landed on the back of his head. "Don't even dream about it!"

Bai Kangdi saw the two of them to the door, her mouth constantly praising Hua Jinyin for having the style of a leader and being very good at mediating family conflicts.

Hua Jinyin was praised to the skies, but in her heart, she made another note: Sweet-talker, eloquent, experienced in the ways of the world, cannot rule out the possibility of being an enemy spy blending in with the masses.

After eating at the Zhou family's house and returning to the Youth Hostel, it was already getting dark. Seeing a figure walking on the path from afar, Hua Jinyin stopped to observe.

The person opposite called out inquiringly: "Hua Erhua?"

It was Xia Yu's voice. When his face couldn't be seen clearly, this voice sounded even more familiar. Who else could it be but that unscrupulous, bearded guy? It was just that compared to the voice she heard before, this one sounded much more youthful and energetic. Of course, he might have been pretending to be mature before.

Seeing Hua Jinyin remain motionless, Xia Yu took a few steps forward and called out inquiringly again: "Hua Erhua?"

This time, what answered him was a binding sensation around his left ankle. In the next second, his entire body was hung upside down from the large willow tree.

Hua Jinyin walked under the tree. Under the dim moonlight, the two stared at each other.

Xia Yu crossed his arms, looking helpless. Fortunately, his head was shaved bald; otherwise, being hung upside down like this, his hair would have stood on end.

Hua Jinyin showed an innocent smile, "Oh my, unable to sleep in the middle of the night, is Youth Xia here practicing martial arts?"

Xia Yu finally managed to laugh, "Is it fun?" Hua Jinyin nodded.

Xia Yu asked: "Have you played enough?" Hua Jinyin shook her head.

Xia Yu sighed, simply closing both his eyes and mouth.

Hua Jinyin reached out and poked his shoulder, and Xia Yu swung in the air according to her force.

Her playful mood aroused, Hua Jinyin changed her poke to a push, and Xia Yu swung like a swing in the air, faster and higher, but he didn't make a single sound.

Only after Hua Jinyin had played enough did she let him down. Xia Yu turned and walked away, looking as if he was sulking.

Hua Jinyin quietly followed behind, only to see that the person in front could no longer walk in a straight line.

Returning to the Youth Hostel, there was still a faint smell of meat in the air. Hua Jinyin sniffed; it smelled quite good, and she didn't know who had made what delicious dish.

Hearing the sound of Hua Jinyin sniffing, Xia Yu snorted softly, went to his room, brought out two bowls of meat, and sat at the table outside the door to eat.

Only then did Hua Jinyin see that the simple table they used to eat on had been replaced with a newly made square table and two long benches.

And the dish Xia Yu was eating must be the rabbit he hunted the day before yesterday; the aroma was coming from there.

Hua Jinyin sat opposite Xia Yu, taking a look inside. It turned out to be a spicy stir-fry, no wonder it was so fragrant.

Seeing that Hua Jinyin had looked enough, Xia Yu hugged the bowl of rabbit meat and turned around, leaving Hua Jinyin with a stubborn back.

Hua Jinyin only felt that this man was truly petty. He had made her spin around, and she had only teased him a bit, yet he was already angry?

But this rabbit meat was indeed very fragrant. Hua Jinyin asked: "Is it sweet?"

Xia Yu's movement of eating meat paused, but then he pretended not to hear and continued eating.

Hua Jinyin went back to her room and grew a strawberry plant. When she brought them out, she saw Xia Yu stretching his neck to look toward her. Seeing her come out, he snorted again and continued to bury his head in eating rabbit meat.

Hua Jinyin placed the strawberries on the table and pointed at the bowl of rabbit meat Xia Yu hadn't touched, "Trade with you!"

Without any hesitation, Xia Yu pushed the untouched bowl of rabbit meat in front of Hua Jinyin.

The rabbit meat was both spicy and fragrant, becoming more flavorful the more she chewed. It had none of the usual gamy taste of rabbit meat, and was indeed more delicious than any rabbit meat she had eaten before.

It was just that the spiciness was too intense. After eating a few pieces, she couldn't help but pick up a strawberry and put it in her mouth.

At first, Xia Yu didn't mind, but seeing her pick them up continuously, having eaten five strawberries in a short moment, he couldn't take it anymore. He hid the bowl of strawberries behind his back with one hand, "Mine!"

Hua Jinyin pouted, "Stingy!"

Glaring at him, she carried the bowl of rabbit meat back to her room to eat.