Love letters are not allowed in the exorcism notebook!-Chapter 862 - 109: An Older Sister Is Not Out of the Question

Zhang Huan pulled Dumpling aside and asked in a low voice, "I didn’t hear what you guys were talking about earlier when your sister was inside the room. Don’t take that old lady seriously. If there’s something bothering you, tell your sister!"

Dumpling panicked immediately: "It’s nothing, really nothing!"

Zhang Huan glared at him: "Are you gonna tell me or not? If you don’t, I’ll go talk to your big brother!"

"No, no, no!"

"What’s going on? Speak!"

"Well... uh... honestly, this is kinda my fault..."

The script he had carefully planned suddenly went off track. Feeling completely at a loss, Dumpling, cornered by Zhang Huan’s relentless questioning, hesitantly began delivering his lines.

"So, um, earlier, Cai Xiaofang was persuading me to buy the handmade stuff she made... The money shouldn’t have been spent, and now I can’t balance the accounts. I couldn’t explain it to my big brother. So I thought I’d come to her to discuss whether I could return it... or maybe borrow some money first and pay her back after the New Year."

"How much did you spend?"

"A little over ten bucks."

Zhang Huan nodded, reached into her pocket, and pulled out ten two-yuan colorful banknotes, counted them, and stuffed them into Dumpling’s hand.

"Sister, what are you doing? I can’t take your money!"

"Who said I’m giving it to you for free? Listen to me—don’t panic, alright? A real man has to stay composed. This isn’t a big deal; you’re acting like the sky’s falling. Take this money, go back, and sort out your account. You know what they say, even brothers need to keep clear records between them. Sorting this out is more important than anything. As for the stuff Cai Xiaofang sold you, if it’s something you don’t need, bring it back to me. I’ll handle the refund for you. Don’t worry and don’t be polite with me."

"It’s almost New Year anyway. Just think of this money as a New Year’s gift from your sister. In return, speak highly of me in front of your big brother, and next year, if there’s any needlework or stitching to introduce, send it my way. That’ll make us even!"

Dumpling held the money tightly, wanting to say something but hesitating.

Zhang Huan raised her hand and patted his head, smiling: "What’s up? Feeling touched? Wanna cry for me?"

"I’m not—"

"Good, no need to cry. A man doesn’t shed tears easily. What’s the big deal anyway that’s worth crying over? You’re an educated guy; after graduation, you’ll go to high school, and later to college. Don’t listen to those old women nagging about you—it’s nonsense. What do they know? Are they even qualified to comment?"

"I didn’t cry!"

"Alright, alright, you didn’t cry. I didn’t see anything. I’ve got other work to do in the shop, so I won’t chat with you any longer. Keep the money safe, be careful on your way back!"

Dumpling stood where he was, watching Zhang Huan stride back into the shop before turning away, feeling somewhat lost.

At the corner, he saw his big brother squatting by the wall with a group of companions, the atmosphere heavy.

Before Dumpling could speak, Matuan suddenly said, "It’s freezing cold—my hands are frozen numb. Let’s go grab a hot pot later, alright?"

Yang Tianyu quickly raised his hand: "It’s on me!"

Wang Yunxiao nodded: "Let’s go!"

Not far away, there was a restaurant that served hot meat dishes. Everyone had already noticed it earlier.

But this place didn’t serve lamb boiled in a copper pot—it specialized in lamb ossobuco stew.

After sitting down, Youtiao asked Wang Yunxiao: "Big brother, what do you think?"

"It’s great."

"But her age is a bit up there."

"That’s her nominal age."

"Still, the gap seems too big."

"Dumpling likes them older, doesn’t he?"

"I do not!"

Dumpling tried his best to argue: "What are you guys even talking about? I have no connection to her! Can you stop messing around?"

Wang Yunxiao and Youtiao both turned to him: "Who are we even talking about?"

Exasperated, Dumpling said, "Do you think I don’t know who you’re talking about?"

"We’re talking about Cai Xiaofang’s mother."

Pfft—

Little Gourd covered his mouth, laughing non-stop, while Dumpling’s face turned red: "Do you guys think this is funny?"

"See? You’re already defending her, and you say there’s no connection."

Youtiao cleared his throat and said with a straight face: "You already squeezed cat tears out in front of her. There’s no way you’re walking away without her taking responsibility."

"I! Did! Not! Cry!"

"Stop arguing. Who cares if you cried or not? She’s already at that age—how much time does she have left to slowly cultivate a connection with you?"

Wang Yunxiao turned to Little Gourd and asked, "Do you know why Zhang Huan still hasn’t gotten married despite her age?"

"Yeah, when she was younger, she promised herself to someone, but the man died before their marriage. This left her with a reputation for being unlucky to her husband. Later, during the Tianmen plague, she lost both her parents. Her uncle and aunt took over her family property and arranged her engagement to some old man. Refusing the match, she sought shelter from the Church and went to work at a factory, staying single ever since."

Little Gourd had done his homework on the identities of the workers, recounting the details fluently.

"She’s very capable—on the surface, she seems feisty enough to keep things in order. But privately, she’s generous and sincere, so her female coworkers all appreciate her. When the plant closed down, they were willing to follow her into new work."

"How old is she this year?"

"Twenty-one."

"That’s not too old."

Wang Yunxiao directly asked Dumpling: "So what’s your take? Got any thoughts? We’re all close brothers here—no need to feel shy. Say what’s on your mind!"

Dumpling replied helplessly: "She doesn’t have that kind of intention toward me. Big brother, what do you want me to say?"

"Don’t worry about whether she does or not."

In these times, women in their twenties were basically out of the romance game.

Zhang Huan herself hadn’t considered herself a woman in that aspect for a long time. The first time Wang Yunxiao saw her, he noticed that this feisty sister had built up a solid physique in the factory, with calloused fingers to match. Her actions and demeanor were bold, almost like a man.

Moments like today, with her softer and emotional side on display, were rare.

For women at her age, trying modern romantic stuff was just laughable.

She’d laugh, thinking you too childish and immature.

The smartest approach would be laying it all bare—showing up at her door and asking directly.

If it’s a yes, great; a no? Walk away.

The key focus here really depended on Dumpling’s attitude.

What do you think? Got any feelings?

The brothers all knew, if you put it into modern terms, Dumpling had a bit of a "mom complex." He tended to gravitate toward older women.

If that wasn’t the case, he wouldn’t have summoned his grandmother the first time he ventured into the Outer Dimension.

Dumpling looked irritated: "Big brother, could you consider marrying your own wife first before worrying about me?"

That one sentence almost made Wang Yunxiao crash defensively.

"And you, Brother Youtiao—are things finalized with Chen Yan yet? Can the two of you make it work? Does her father know about the two of you?"

Youtiao fell silent too.

"And you, Little Gourd—"

"Think carefully before you speak."

Little Gourd gave him a death stare, expressionless.

"And you, Matuan—"

Dumpling calmly changed the subject: "Don’t think I don’t know—you two brothers—"

"Hey! Don’t just spout nonsense!"

Matuan got flustered immediately: "I’m warning you, you can mess around with food, but don’t mess around with words!"

Youbing pressed Matuan down and told Dumpling: "Tonight, the two of us are heading to that old lady’s house to leave her a little souvenir."

Dumpling smirked and nodded: "Alright, count me in then."

(Elder Sister Zhang Huan, drawn by the author’s assistant)