Yama Reborn-Chapter 402 - 399 [Deaf, Right?]

Chapter 399: Are You Deaf?

Swinging the knife!

CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP...

Zhu Dazhi finished chopping the ribs, quickly put down the knife, shook his wrist, and turned to shout to the outside of the kitchen.

"Sister, I’ve finished chopping the ribs!"

"Okay, just leave them there!"

Zhu Xiaojuan responded from outside, her tone somewhat perfunctory.

When Zhu Dazhi walked out of the kitchen, he saw his sister sitting on the sofa, carefully flipping through a booklet.

"What are you looking at?"

"The materials from the wedding company," Zhu Xiaojuan sighed. "Can you believe how expensive weddings are these days? Take this wedding company, for the wedding banquet’s decoration, between Package A and Package B, it’s just the addition of fireworks, some different colored balloons, and two more types of flowers... That’s a freaking extra thousand yuan. It’s a whole month’s salary for me."

Zhu Dazhi came over, sat down beside Zhu Xiaojuan, grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the table, and took a bite.

Zhu Xiaojuan gave her brother a disapproving look. "Just chopped ribs, hands full of grease, not even washed before grabbing food to eat. You’re going to end up with diarrhea!"

"No worries, I’m immune to all ills right now!" Zhu Dazhi patted his chest and crunched on the apple, muttering, "What were you saying just now? An extra thousand yuan? Talk to my brother-in-law about it; my brother-in-law has money."

"We can’t spend all his money, though," Zhu Xiaojuan suddenly sat up straight, grabbed Zhu Dazhi forcefully, and said earnestly, "Turn around, I need to have a serious talk with you."

"Go ahead."

"Turn around, sit up straight!" Zhu Xiaojuan glared. Zhu Dazhi, still intimidated by his sister, promptly put down the apple and sat up properly.

"Listen to me, Dazhi. Although I’ve been with your brother-in-law for years, there are certain things that are hard to say but need to be said. Once I’m married to him, it supposedly means we’re one family, which is true. But the Zhu family is the Zhu Family, and his—Wu Lei’s—Wu family is the Wu Family. How can it be that during a marriage between two families, only one family spends while the other doesn’t chip in a single cent? What would people think of us? Is the Zhu Family giving away a daughter or selling a daughter?"

Zhu Dazhi widened his eyes. "What? Someone’s been talking behind our backs? Who?!"

"What are you planning to do?"

"Whoever the hell has been gossiping, I’ll go and kick down their door."

"Sit down!" Zhu Xiaojuan glared again and then pulled her brother closer, sighing softly. "There’s a lot that I haven’t been able to tell you before, but once I marry him, our Zhu Family will only have you left. Many truths our parents aren’t here to explain to you, so I have to teach you."

Zhu Dazhi’s eyes reddened. "Sister, just tell me. I’ll listen to whatever you say, all of it."

"I’ve been with your brother-in-law for all these years as his girlfriend, following him, and it wasn’t really a big deal. But our family doesn’t have much. Your brother-in-law is someone who has been to prison, and he just so happens to have started a business and made some money. This has made some of our relatives and acquaintances start saying unpleasant things. ’The Zhu Family’s good daughter has followed an ex-con; isn’t it just because the guy has money?’ It’s as if our family—as if I’ve sold myself to your brother-in-law and am now clinging to a rich man for a living."

"Fuck that!" Zhu Dazhi’s eyes reddened. "Who said it? I’m going to torch their house! Those crappy relatives, it would be better not to deal with any of them at all! Over these years, just the two of us getting by, when we’ve been through the toughest and hardest times, did even one of these relatives give a damn about us? Did they give us a hot meal or even one kind word? None of them did! And that’s fine! Everyone’s life is their own; we’re not looking to rely on or beg anyone. But... this bullshit gossiping behind our backs, what’s that all about! We won’t associate with them! We’re better off with no contact, as if we never had these relatives to begin with!"

Zhu Xiaojuan sighed again. "I’ve long since realized with these relatives of ours, if we don’t associate, we don’t associate. It’s actually better to cut them off cleanly. But, Dazhi, have you ever thought about it?

"Let’s just pretend we’re deaf to all those nasty things our own relatives say, as if we siblings didn’t hear them. And as for those people, let’s act as if we no longer acknowledge them from now on... But... what about his Wu Family?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your brother-in-law isn’t some disaster-prone lone star; he has his own relatives and friends. If someone on our side says something ugly, we can disown that relative. But what if a relative from the Wu Family says something strange? Are we supposed to force your brother-in-law to disown them too?"

"Uh..."

"These are the reasons why, for these past few years... even though your brother-in-law was earning enough to support me, I refused to just stay home. The job I had was exhausting and didn’t pay much, but I insisted on keeping it. He repeatedly told me to quit my job and stay home, but I refused. That’s also why, when your brother-in-law suggested giving you some money to start a small business after you graduated, I immediately rejected the idea. I just had you work in your brother-in-law’s shop, toiling away, reeking of machine oil every day, a smell you couldn’t wash off. The work may be tough and tiring, but when you get your salary from your brother-in-law at the end of each month, you can hold your head high! You earned this wage through your own hard work! No matter what anyone says, that’s nothing to be ashamed of! We can’t let it reach the ears of the Wu Family’s relatives that we, the Zhu siblings, are living off me selling myself to your brother-in-law in return for him supporting us. Do you understand all these principles?"

"Yeah, I get it."

"So, for this wedding, even if I contribute less, I can’t not spend any money. At worst, your brother-in-law can spend more, and I can spend less. But we still have to pay our share!"

Zhu Xiaojuan shook her head. "Luckily, I’ve managed to save some of my salary over the years."

"If you don’t have enough, I’ve got some saved up too, since I barely spend any of my paycheck."

"Keep your money for later when you’ll need it for dating, relationships, getting married, buying a house, etc." Zhu Xiaojuan shook her head.

"Brother Lei said..."

Just as Zhu Dazhi was about to mention that Wu Lei had previously said he would handle everything when he got married and bought a house, remembering what his sister had just said, he swallowed his words and nodded vigorously. "Right, I understand. But I don’t really have anywhere to spend money now, so if you’re short, just use mine first."

"There’s no need; it’s enough. Wedding banquets are all about putting on a show for others. All the fireworks, balloons, flowers... whether there’s more or less, it’s all much the same."

As Zhu Xiaojuan spoke, she picked up the brochure from the table, looked at it deeply, then tossed it into the trash can.

"That blasted wedding company, such a rip-off! Hmph!"

Zhu Xiaojuan sighed, stood up, and went into the kitchen to cook the ribs.

Zhu Dazhi rose and followed her, leaning against the kitchen doorframe. "Sis, you mentioned relatives gossiping earlier. Who exactly was it?"

"Why do you want to know? Looking to cause trouble?" Zhu Xiaojuan said, as she packed the ribs into a large bowl, marinated them in cooking wine, and went to turn on the stove to boil water. "People can say what they like; it’s their mouth. If they do, we’ll just stop associating with them."

Zhu Dazhi’s eyes darted around. "You don’t have to tell me; I already know. It’s Third Aunt’s family, isn’t it?"

Zhu Xiaojuan turned to look at her brother. "How did you know?"

"A few days ago, when I was fixing cars at the shop, I saw Third Aunt come to our place. She happened to be looking to buy a car and wandered into our shop, where she saw me."

Zhu Dazhi continued, with a curl of his lip, "She looked at me several times before she recognized me. After finding out I worked at that shop, she pulled me aside, asking if I could help her get a discount."

"You didn’t help her?"

"Of course, I did. I got her a discount. I even told the salesperson at the shop to consider it a volume sale, not to make a profit, and that I’d treat them to milk tea later. We basically sold it to her at the store’s cost price."

"Then what?"

Zhu Dazhi glared. "What then? She still wasn’t satisfied! She thought the discount wasn’t deep enough, that it could be cheaper. When she heard the store was my brother-in-law’s, the way she acted, she pretty much wanted to take the car without paying a cent. Of course, I couldn’t allow that. As a result, she left, very unhappy and muttering to herself."

Zhu Dazhi said this with a snort. "Just shows that old hag is no good." After finishing, he asked Zhu Xiaojuan, "The one you mentioned, the one who gossips, is it her?"

Zhu Xiaojuan hesitated. "Don’t ask! Whether it’s her or not, it’s none of our business anymore. And you’re not allowed to cause any trouble!"

"Got it."

Zhu Dazhi reluctantly returned to the living room and sat on the sofa for a while, listening to the clanking noises from the kitchen. Zhu Xiaojuan was actually quite good at housework, but she was heavy-handed and made a lot of noise. The sounds she made cooking a meal were so loud, it was as if she were about to demolish the kitchen.

Zhu Dazhi had grown accustomed to it since childhood, so it never seemed odd to him. Suddenly, he secretly took the wedding company’s brochure from the trash can, glanced at it carefully a few times, and then tossed it back in.

After sitting for a while longer, he stood up and shouted towards the kitchen, "Sis, I’m going out for a bit."

"Where to?" Zhu Xiaojuan emerged holding a spatula.

"I’m bored at home. I’m going to the internet café to play some games."

"...Alright, just be back before dinner. Don’t eat at the internet café; it’s a waste of money. Besides, instant noodles have no nutrition."

Zhu Dazhi replied, "Got it," and darted out.

「 」

After leaving the house, Zhu Dazhi ran out of the residential complex, wandered on the street for a while, then found a bus stop. After waiting a few minutes, he hopped onto a bus.

After transferring buses twice, Zhu Dazhi got off and looked around at the somewhat unfamiliar streets.

Then, relying on his memory, he walked, trying to recognize the roads.

He also stopped at a few small shops along the street to ask for directions and finally managed to find the place.

It was an old-style residential complex.

Walking in, he quickly found his target based on childhood memories.

He hadn’t visited his Third Aunt’s house in many years, but once he found the residential complex, it was much easier to navigate.

Zhu Dazhi remembered it was the first building in from the complex entrance, the leftmost unit, top floor, also the leftmost apartment.

He quietly made his way upstairs, reached the top floor, and stopped in front of the door to the leftmost apartment.

Zhu Dazhi pressed his ear to the door for a while, confirming this was his Third Aunt’s apartment. He recognized the old hag’s voice speaking inside.

Without knocking, he stood at the door thinking for a moment, then craned his neck to look down the stairs, making sure no one was nearby.

Zhu Dazhi went back to his Third Aunt’s front door, unzipped his pants, and took out his ’tool’...

My goodness, the piss he’d been holding in the whole way came out in a satisfying stream, and he even deliberately aimed to draw several circles on the door with it.

After relieving himself so thoroughly, Zhu Dazhi felt a surge of satisfaction. He zipped up, spat on the door panel, then darted downstairs and fled.

「 」

Next, he headed to the car dealership on Daming Road.

At the dealership on Daming Road, Zhang Linsheng was still seated behind the counter, facing the computer.

There weren’t any games on the computer; Zhang Linsheng was idly playing Minesweeper out of boredom.

In those days, this computer was still considered a luxury for many families.

Seeing Zhu Dazhi walk in, Zhang Linsheng glanced up, then quickly returned his gaze to his game of Minesweeper.

"Cigarettes are on the table, help yourself."

Zhu Dazhi didn’t smoke. He picked up the tea mug on the table and took a sip—he knew it was Zhang Linsheng’s, but there wasn’t much formality between brothers like them.

Only after taking a sip did Zhu Dazhi freeze.

He spat a few times, and several bright red goji berries came out of his mouth.

"Damn! Senior Brother, how old are you to start drinking this stuff?"

Zhang Linsheng’s face immediately turned red as he snatched the mug away. "Who said you could use my mug?"

Zhu Dazhi glared. "Getting defensive, huh? I mean, didn’t Master prescribe a vitality-boosting tonic for you before? What, has your body gotten this weak?"

Damn! This is unbearable!

What man could tolerate this kind of talk?!

Brother Haonan almost jumped onto the table to challenge his Junior Brother to a duel!

"Who’s weak?! Who’s weak?! What the hell are you babbling about! Which of your eyes saw me getting weak?!"

Zhu Dazhi shook his head. "You think I don’t recognize this stuff? At home, my sister makes it for my brother-in-law to drink every day!"

Zhang Linsheng rolled his eyes in annoyance. Master was right!

This Junior Brother is great in every way, except he just can’t keep his mouth shut!

"If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, get lost!" Zhang Linsheng slammed the mug on the table.

But he made up his mind: starting today, he would stop drinking this stuff!

He didn’t need it in the first place! He was only twenty years old!

The age when his energy was at its peak, his body as strong as an ox!

It was all Xia Xia, insisting that he drink this stuff every day.

Women, no matter their age, always like to make their men take supplements.

Always buying a bunch of useless junk!

Hmm... there’s still a big jar left at home. Next time I go home, I’ll bring it for Father.

At his age, he should find it useful.

Thinking this, he shot Zhu Dazhi a sideways glance. "Speak up. Why did you come here? Aren’t you working at the Tangzi Street shop today?"

"I have the day off today," Zhu Dazhi shook his head, then his expression became a bit sheepish. "It’s boring at home, so I just came out for a stroll."

Brother Haonan stared at Zhu Dazhi for a few moments, frowning. "Just for a stroll?"

"Hmm..."

"Then go have fun. Stay for dinner later. Xia Xia went out shopping; when she gets back, we’re going for barbecue. Join us."

Brother Haonan was also a straightforward person. He sat down and played games for a while, but then he noticed Zhu Dazhi beside him, looking uneasy and fidgeting.

"You’re not acting yourself. Is something on your mind?" Brother Haonan frowned, picked up the cigarette pack on the table, and lit one for himself. "Spit it out. You’ve bothered to come all this way; if there’s something, just say it."

Zhu Dazhi chuckled sheepishly. "Um... Senior Brother, do you have any money?"

"Huh?"

The moment Zhang Linsheng heard this, he burst out laughing and teased, "What, you’ve come to borrow money from me? Damn it, Zhu Dazhi! You still have such a sharp tongue when you’re asking to borrow money? Who comes asking to borrow money and starts off by saying the lender is weak?!"

After chiding him, Zhang Linsheng reached for a leather bag behind his chair. "So, how much do you need?"

"Uh..." Zhu Dazhi hesitated, trying to figure out the amount.

Zhang Linsheng frowned. "No, wait... why do you suddenly need money? You haven’t gotten yourself into trouble, have you?"

"No, no..."

"Got into a fight? Hurt someone and need to pay compensation?"

"No! Ever since I started practicing martial arts, I haven’t fought with anyone. Master repeatedly warned that if I dare to fight outside, he’ll break my legs when I get back."

"Then... you didn’t start gambling, did you?"

"Only an idiot would gamble." Zhu Dazhi glared. "I’m not stupid."

"Then is it a woman..." Brother Haonan shook his head. "No, that’s not right. It’s not a woman—you’re clueless when it comes to them; you’re not interested in women."

"Who are you calling clueless?" a clear, young voice came from the doorway.

Turning their heads, they saw Xia Xia enter, her hands loaded with bags large and small.

Zhang Linsheng raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Every time you go shopping, you buy so much. The house is almost out of space for clothes, and you can’t wear them all anyway."

Xia Xia shot Brother Haonan a playful glare, her tone half-coquettish, half-petulant. "It’s the change of seasons, and I didn’t spend that much money. Look, I found a coat that I think would look especially handsome on you!"

"It’s still twenty-eight degrees today, and you want to wear a coat?"

"Keep it for winter," Xia Xia deftly changed the subject. "So, who were you calling clueless just now?"

"Him, Dazhi. He’s clueless when it comes to women," Zhang Linsheng said, pointing at Zhu Dazhi.

Xia Xia curled her lips and gave Zhang Linsheng an odd look, laughing. "Calling someone clueless? If it weren’t for me... Hmph, you weren’t much better than Dazhi in that department."

Zhu Dazhi, seeing Xia Xia had returned, felt a bit embarrassed and scratched his head. "Maybe I should head back first. My sister’s making stewed ribs at home tonight..."

"Stay right there!" Zhang Linsheng grabbed Zhu Dazhi. "No way. You must have run into trouble. You’re not the type to ask me for money without a good reason. No, what if you did get yourself into trouble? You need to explain before I let you leave."

Xia Xia looked surprised and exchanged a glance with Zhang Linsheng. Then...

Zhu Dazhi, having no choice, was pulled back by Zhang Linsheng and slowly began to explain everything.

"So, you want to get your sister that package from the wedding planning company?" Zhang Linsheng asked, a bit surprised.

Zhu Dazhi’s face turned red. "Yeah, yesterday or the day before, I saw a line on TV. It said something like a woman only gets married once in her lifetime, so she shouldn’t settle for less..."

Zhang Linsheng laughed.

Xia Xia, on the other hand, was quite moved and gently slapped Zhang Linsheng. "Why are you laughing! Dazhi is right; that’s how it is for women. If I had a brother who treated me like that, I would definitely cry from being so touched."

"I know my sister. She says she doesn’t want it... but it’s really just because there isn’t enough money. When she threw that brochure in the trash can, her eyes still lingered on it..."

Xia Xia seemed genuinely moved. She went up and patted Dazhi on the shoulder. "Leave this to me! Come on, I’ll go with you! With your clumsy way of speaking, you’d just be a lamb led to the slaughter there."

Zhang Linsheng asked, "Go now? What about the barbecue tonight? The table’s already booked."

"Forget the barbecue! The restaurant isn’t going anywhere; we can eat there tomorrow. Today, I absolutely must help Dazhi fulfill this wish for his sister!"

Xia Xia tossed her hair with a dashing flair and began to pull Dazhi toward the store exit.

"...Wait, should I come with you?" Zhang Linsheng got up, intending to join them.

"No need, you stay here." Xia Xia gave a sly smile, then turned and ran back a few steps, hooking her arm around Zhang Linsheng’s neck and whispering into his ear, "Among the clothes I bought, there’s a small bag. Put it in the back where no one can see it. It’s the lingerie I bought... When I come back tonight, I’ll wear it for you..."

Brother Haonan’s eyes immediately lit up!

Alright then...

I’ll keep that jar of goji berries at home for myself. No need to give it to Father Zhang Tiejun anymore.

「 」

Never mind Xia Xia, who had gone out with Zhu Dazhi.

Zhang Linsheng stayed in the store until evening. Not feeling like going out to a restaurant, he just had some noodles delivered from the noodle shop across the street to tide him over.

In the evening, he called Chen Nuo. It wasn’t for anything in particular, just to chat a bit, and he also mentioned Zhu Dazhi’s situation.

Ever since Chen Nuo had reappeared after his year-long disappearance, Zhang Linsheng had developed the habit of calling him every few days, even if there was nothing specific to discuss.

It was as if he needed to confirm that this young master was still around and hadn’t pulled another vanishing act.

On the phone, Chen Nuo just laughed when he heard about Zhu Dazhi’s situation.

Then they started talking about Brother Lei’s wedding at the end of the year.

"Wedding planning companies definitely rip people off. It’s not like they get repeat business—who has repeat weddings? So, they gouge you for as much as they can, one-time deal. Last time, I heard Brother Lei talking about the cars for the wedding..."

On the other end of the phone, Chen Nuo laughed. "I’ve already spoken to Luo Qing about the wedding car. His dad, Luo Dachan—Boss Luo—bought a new Mercedes this year. We can borrow it for the day, so the lead car is sorted."

"Hmm, as for the cars following behind, let me think... I recently met the owner of a car rental shop nearby. They handle rentals for business and tourism purposes. I heard it’s pretty good—they’ve acquired several new vehicles, a whole fleet of Ivecos. I think that’s quite decent."

Yes, in 2002, Ivecos were still considered pretty decent vehicles by the general public.

However, Chen Nuo, upon hearing this, immediately objected.

"Ivecos? No! Definitely not! Don’t use them for a wedding; it’s inauspicious."

"Inauspicious? How are Ivecos inauspicious?"

Chen Nuo hesitated for a moment...

How could they not be inauspicious?

How does that jingle go again?

Iveco, Jinbei van, first it hauls the living, then the funeral urn...

"Anyway, don’t use Ivecos for the wedding... There’s still over a month to go; we can figure something out for the cars. Don’t worry."

It seemed Chen Nuo had something else to attend to. After chatting for a bit longer, he quickly hung up.

Zhang Linsheng was actually a bit puzzled. Chen Nuo had said he was at home, so why did it sound like a child was crying in the background?

It didn’t sound like just any child; it sounded more like an infant.

Could I have misheard?

「 」

By evening, Xia Xia had returned alone.

The grandmaster of "green tea" arts returned, looking exhilarated. She sat down, grabbed Zhang Linsheng’s water mug, gulped down a whole mugful in one go, then let out a sigh, an expression of satisfied reminiscence on her face.

"You... what happened?"

"Ah..." Xia Xia sighed deeply. "That place... really, women shouldn’t go. I could barely walk; I didn’t want to leave."

"What place?"

"You wouldn’t understand," Xia Xia shook her head. "You can’t imagine what it’s like for a woman to see a room... an entire room! Filled with all kinds of wedding dresses! I’m telling you, in that kind of environment, any woman would get weak-kneed and soft-hearted. Then, whatever price they quote, you’d just pay it."

Zhang Linsheng still didn’t get it. In fact, most completely straight men wouldn’t understand this kind of female psychology.

"Just imagine... if you men walked into a room, and in front of you, an entire wall was covered with Ultraman figures. Behind you, a wall of Shohoku team jerseys from Slam Dunk. In front of you, another wall full of Transformers. Behind you, a wall of Gundam models. And on the floor, countless Saint Seiya figures, Dragon Ball memorabilia... and so on. What would your reaction be?"

Zhang Linsheng instantly understood. "Damn!!"

After imagining that scene, Zhang Linsheng quickly shook his head. "Right, so, did everything get sorted out?"

"Of course! When I handle things, they get done. It wasn’t a difficult task, just a matter of spending money," Xia Xia laughed. "I even haggled the price down. The extra cost for that package was a thousand yuan, but I bargained it down to an extra eight hundred. And they even threw in an extra set of fireworks."

Zhang Linsheng had no doubts about Xia Xia’s capabilities and smiled, giving her a thumbs-up.

"Oh right, I’ve got some juicy Bagua—want to hear it?"

"Huh?"

Xia Xia sidled over conspiratorially, sat directly on Zhang Linsheng’s lap, hooked one arm around his neck, and began whispering in his ear.

"When Dazhi and I went there, we told the people at the wedding planning company that Dazhi was secretly arranging it to fulfill his sister’s wish. We also asked them to help keep it from Zhu Xiaojuan, and just provide the services for the more expensive package on the day, to give her a surprise. The staff at the wedding company who assisted us were all young women, and they were incredibly moved. The way they looked at Zhu Dazhi instantly changed. Such an understanding and good younger brother—what woman wouldn’t like him?"

"And then?"

"And one of the young women there seemed to have taken a fancy to Dazhi."

Zhang Linsheng’s first reaction was: Which girl is this? Is she blind?

Ah no, deaf, right?

Could someone who isn’t deaf actually like Zhu Dazhi?!

A normal person could spend five minutes with Zhu Dazhi and not want to beat him up—only because they couldn’t win against him!

"Impossible, right?" Zhang Linsheng was skeptical.

"Really!" Xia Xia tried to suppress her laughter. "That’s the most interesting part. I noticed Zhu Dazhi also seemed a bit different from usual."

"Different how?" Zhang Linsheng suddenly perked up.

"When I went to try on dresses, that young woman stayed and chatted with Zhu Dazhi. When I came back, she was laughing non-stop, practically doubled over, and told me that Dazhi was incredibly witty and interesting, and that he had her in stitches."

"Wait... are you sure she said he ’had her in stitches’ and not that he ’drove her up the wall’?"

"It’s true!" Xia Xia’s tone became serious. "I’m telling you, I chatted with both of them for a while longer. For about ten-odd minutes! And Dazhi didn’t say a single irritating thing!"

That’s impossible! was Brother Haonan’s first reaction.

"Dazhi seemed especially happy and even told the young woman a joke—and it was actually quite funny."

Are you sure it was a joke and not him roasting someone?

Zhang Linsheng was rather surprised.

"I subtly inquired. That young woman is the daughter of the wedding company’s owner. She didn’t get into college, so she’s just been kind of playing around and helping out at her family’s company. As for her looks..."

Xia Xia thought for a moment, recalling. "I think she’s quite good-looking, very pretty. Definitely more than good enough for Dazhi."

Xia Xia’s own looks were those of a little demon.

If even she said the girl was "quite good-looking," then she must truly be attractive.

Zhang Linsheng was still puzzled: Is this girl seriously ill in some way?

"So I took matters into my own hands and did something," Xia Xia said.

"What did you do?"

"It seemed the young woman genuinely wanted to get to know Dazhi and even proactively asked for his phone number. Dazhi doesn’t have a cell phone, so I stopped him before he could say so. I told her his phone was just lost and got her number instead. After leaving the wedding company, I immediately took Dazhi to the mall and bought him a cell phone for eight hundred yuan."

Zhang Linsheng’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued!

Buying a phone and all that wasn’t the main point.

The key was...

"After getting the phone, we activated a number for it on the spot, and then I had him send a text message to the young woman."

"And what happened after that?"

"And then, on the way back, you should have seen Dazhi! He kept pulling out his phone to check it, waiting for her to text back. But she was probably busy, so she hadn’t replied yet."

"And after that?"

Xia Xia looked at Zhang Linsheng with a smile. "And then? Then I came back here."

Alright. Zhang Linsheng felt a bit disappointed.

"I think this has potential; it might actually work out. I’ve never seen Dazhi like he was today. He actually spent an entire afternoon in that shop without saying a single confrontational word."

This was like the sun rising in the west...

Zhu Dazhi actually falling for a girl? And managing not to roast anyone?!

Zhang Linsheng mulled it over for a while, then something suddenly clicked!

Wait a minute!

"Hey? What were you saying earlier? You said you went to try on dresses? What were you trying on at the wedding company?"

"Trying on wedding dresses, of course."

"You... why were you trying on wedding dresses?" Zhang Linsheng felt a little nervous.

Xia Xia sighed. "Don’t be nervous; I don’t have any particular ideas. I understand you’re only twenty, and we’re not at the stage of discussing marriage yet. But for any woman, seeing a room full of wedding dresses, of course she’d want to try some on."

After a pause, Xia Xia dropped another bombshell that shocked Zhang Linsheng even more: "I also rented one for two days. It’ll be delivered in a couple of days."

"???"

Zhang Linsheng was stunned. "You... why did you rent a wedding dress?"

Xia Xia giggled, twining around Zhang Linsheng like a snake. She sat on his lap, her body nestled in his embrace, wriggling gently as she whispered in his ear:

"Even if we do get married, it’ll be years from now... You’re only twenty... Don’t you want to see what I look like in a wedding dress, for us to... But if you want to experience that, you can’t possibly wait for several years, right... So I rented one. It’ll be delivered in a couple of days. You’d better not say you don’t want to!"

HOLY CRAP! HOLY CRAP!! HOLY CRAP!!!

Zhang Linsheng was instantly aroused!

He was silent for a few seconds.

"The wedding dress... when will it be delivered?"

"In a couple of days. They’ll deliver it, but their business is so busy, if they can’t manage by then..."

"No problem! I’ll go pick it up!" Zhang Linsheng answered decisively.

With this interlude, the young couple immediately forgot about Zhu Dazhi’s stroke of romantic luck and dropped the subject.

However, Zhang Linsheng was still a bit curious.

Zhu Dazhi, how could he fall for a girl? What kind does he even like?

「 」

That evening, after Zhu Dazhi and Wu Lei had dinner at home, while Zhu Xiaojuan was in the kitchen washing dishes, the two men sat smoking.

"Brother-in-law, I’ve taken a liking to a girl," Zhu Dazhi suddenly blurted out.

"What the hell?" Brother Lei almost fell off his chair! Eyes wide, he asked, "Really?"

"Really!"

"...What happened? Which girl? Where is she from? What does she do? How old is she? What does she look like? No, wait, how did you end up liking her?"

Zhu Dazhi wore a dreamy expression. He then tossed away his cigarette and gestured with his hands.

He gestured, then seemed to feel it wasn’t adequate, so he spread his hands wider and gestured again.

"Big!"

That single word was Dazhi’s answer.