Chapter 312: Chapter 312: All Newbies
Gu Jiaojiao blushed, her little scheme exposed. "You were pretending to be asleep..."
"Well, if I hadn’t been awake, how would I have heard my dear wife gulping so loudly?"
Su Shuochi’s gaze was full of affection, and his voice held a bewitching tone. "Come on, tell me. You wanted to eat me up just now, didn’t you?"
Flustered, Gu Jiaojiao lightly punched him twice. "No, I didn’t..."
"Yes, you did. You were just thinking about eating me up." ’I’ve been waiting for you to make the first move all along.’
His wish granted, Su Shuochi roared with laughter. Before Gu Jiaojiao could even react, he had her pinned beneath him.
He had long been dying to devour the woman before him, so they could be together for lifetime after lifetime.
Like a ravenous child, Su Shuochi went on and on, tireless...
Just moments ago, the moon had been bright and the stars brilliant, but in the blink of an eye, the stars began to thin.
Clouds drifted across the sky, and a light drizzle began to fall...
Sheng Shiwu had a fight with his second brother last night and had planned on venting to Gu Jiaojiao today, but it turned out she had to perform acupuncture with silver needles on their older cousin.
He didn’t see Gu Jiaojiao and her husband at the worksite all day, right up until sunset. Sheng Shiwu had spent the entire day hauling bricks.
Too exhausted to think about much else, he rode his bicycle home after sunset since Gu Jiaojiao never showed up.
He hadn’t ridden his bike in a long time, having always bummed rides back and forth in Su Shuochi’s car.
As Sheng Shiwu reached his home, he saw his sister standing at the courtyard gate. "Yueyue, why aren’t you going inside?"
"Third Brother... what’s wrong with Second Brother? He’s definitely home, but he won’t answer me when I call for him."
Sheng Shiwu thought, ’...What’s wrong with him? He doesn’t want to see you, that’s what. And neither do I.’
"Oh, him? He’s been going crazy at home lately. Last night, he was even smashing up the tables and chairs!"
"What! How did Second Brother get so unreasonable!" Sheng Yueyue complained, annoyed.
She had waited at the Ren family’s home all day for them, but they never appeared. Her father-in-law wanted her to invite Old Man Ren and his grandson to the Song family home for dinner.
But after waiting all day, she still hadn’t seen either of them. When she asked the Ren family’s cook, the woman knew absolutely nothing.
That’s why she came back to the Sheng residence, to see if Old Man Ren was there. But when she got here, she’d been calling for her second brother for ages, and he wouldn’t open the door.
If she couldn’t get Old Man Ren to come, her husband would give her the cold shoulder again.
"Yueyue, do you want to come inside and help us make dinner?" Sheng Shiwu asked, his tone uncharacteristically gentle.
He worked from dawn to dusk every day, and on top of that, he had to cook when he got home. He was exhausted, too!
"What about the family cook?" Sheng Yueyue demanded, her voice rising.
’Look at this third-rate fool, looking like a common laborer,’ she thought with a surge of contempt. ’He wants me to cook for two idiots? He can dream on.’
"The housekeeper quit after Mom and Dad got divorced. With just us men in the house, it would cause talk if she stayed here alone."
Sheng Shiwu offered the explanation kindly. She was his sister, after all, and knowing she wasn’t happy with the Song Family made him feel bad, too.
"She’s an old woman, what kind of gossip could there possibly be? That’s ridiculous! And look at you, covered in dirt every day. It’s a disgrace. If no one’s cooking, then take me out to a restaurant!"
Hearing the disdain in his own sister’s voice, the little bit of guilt he’d felt moments ago turned to ash. He said nothing more and just pushed his bike.
"Ugh, forget it. Don’t come to a restaurant with me while you’re covered in dirt. It’s embarrassing. Just give me some money, and I’ll go eat by myself."
Sheng Yueyue said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, her tone dripping with disgust.
"Dad’s away on a business trip. I don’t have any money on me," Sheng Shiwu said, keeping his head down.
’He was afraid if he looked up, he’d punch her!’
"Then go make a phone call. Ask why Old Man Ren and his grandson haven’t come back yet."
"Who... Who am I supposed to call and ask?" Sheng Shiwu was so angry he stammered. He instantly decided against telling her the truth.
The truth was, he had called Gu Jiaojiao before coming home to ask about their older cousin’s condition.
The cousin himself had answered the phone. He’d explained a lot and told Shiwu that he and his grandfather had left for Yun City overnight.
"Forget it. An idiot is just an idiot. I’ll go wait at the Ren residence!" Sheng Yueyue said, then turned and left.
She hadn’t managed to invite the old man, but she could still have dinner at the Ren family’s house. That was better than going home and facing her vicious mother-in-law.
Sheng Shiwu watched his sister’s retreating figure, his heart a turmoil of emotions. ’Pitiful people always have their detestable side!’
He couldn’t be bothered with her anymore. He pushed his bike into the courtyard. He still had to cook for his second brother—that fake invalid!
「The next day.」
Su Shuochi had no idea what time it was when he heard a knock on the door. He looked down and saw that his wife was still asleep in his arms.
Her arms, visible outside the covers, were covered in dark bruises. She was still sound asleep.
’I’ll have to be gentler next time,’ he resolved, carefully pulling the blanket over her.
They hadn’t fallen asleep until nearly dawn. He could still smell the sweat from the night before on his body, but it did nothing to dampen his good mood.
After getting dressed, he quietly opened the bedroom door, went out into the courtyard, settled into his wheelchair, and called out, "Who is it?"
It was Su’s mother’s gentle voice. "Chi, Jiaojiao, are you two really still home?"
"Mom, what’s up?" Su Shuochi asked as he opened the courtyard gate.
"Oh, it’s nothing. I finished selling buns for the day and decided to stop by. I saw the gate wasn’t locked, but I couldn’t push it open, so I figured you two were still here."
Su Shuochi smiled. "We went to bed late last night. I only just woke up, and Jiaojiao is still sleeping."
"Oh, is that right? I hope I didn’t disturb you. I’ll go make some breakfast for Jiaojiao."
"Mom, we’re about to head to the worksite for a meal. You can go on home. We’ll be back for dinner tonight."
Su Shuochi quickly refused. ’If his mother saw the marks on his wife’s body, she would tear him to shreds!’
"Alright then. You two go on and get to your business. I’ll go home and get dinner ready," Su’s mother said, her voice tinged with disappointment.
Her son and daughter-in-law were leaving for the Imperial City tomorrow morning. They hadn’t come home for dinner last night, and now they wouldn’t be home for lunch today either.
At least Chi had promised they would be home for dinner tonight. She had to go back and prepare a proper feast.
Once his mother had left, Su Shuochi immediately closed the gate and turned to get busy in the kitchen.
’Should I make breakfast or lunch?’ he wondered. ’Let’s just make lunch!’
Seeing how late it was, Su Shuochi ended up just making a plate of scrambled eggs with scallions and a simple vermicelli soup.
Gu Jiaojiao woke to the smell of eggs and got out of bed like she normally would.
Her legs buckled, and she nearly collapsed. Su Shuochi, who had just walked in, was scared half to death and lunged to catch her.
Their eyes met, and everything was understood without a word. A moment later, Su Shuochi helped her wash up.
Gu Jiaojiao ate a bowl of vermicelli soup and half the plate of scrambled eggs, then opened the car door to get into the driver’s seat.
"Heh heh... Jiaojiao, why don’t I drive? You can rest in the passenger seat for a bit," Su Shuochi said, rubbing his nose guiltily.
"Hmph!" Gu Jiaojiao rolled her eyes at him, though she wasn’t truly angry.
’After all, they were both novices, with no sense of restraint!’
"Come on, honey, don’t be angry."
"Which one of your eyes sees me being angry?"
"Heh heh... As long as you’re not angry." ’I saw it with both of them,’ Su Shuochi thought, but he wouldn’t dare say it out loud.
