Chapter 785: Chapter 528: Avoidance
Chuxia and Zhou Mikang jogged around almost the entire villa area before they ran into Lin Baohe carrying a bundle of firewood. Seeing his daughter and son-in-law, Lin Baohe visibly sighed with relief.
“Dad, let me.” Zhou Mikang said as he reached out to take the firewood bundle from Lin Baohe’s back.
“No, no, don’t get your clothes dirty.” Lin Baohe said while stepping back, “You two go ahead and jog slowly, I’ll walk back with you.”
“How can that be?” Zhou Mikang forcibly took down the firewood bundle from his back and carried it himself, “I’m young and jogging empty-handed, making Dad carry the firewood, that would be too unfilial.” Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Though the family didn’t lack firewood, Lin Baohe couldn’t sit still and particularly cared whether he was useful, so he went out to gather firewood, and the Zhou family members didn’t mind.
Chuxia once secretly felt lucky, thankful that there was no animal dung around, otherwise her dad might actually carry a manure basket all day collecting it.
It’s not that she found it embarrassing, but just imagining the old villa’s courtyard filled with drying animal dung made her shudder.
Besides, even now, many living here gossiped, thinking the Zhou family looked down on the Lin family, treating Lin Baohe and Zhao Yulan as servants.
Because of this, Old Master Zhou and Old Madam Zhou specifically talked to Lin Baohe and Zhao Yulan.
The couple were honest people, speaking bluntly; if they stayed here freeloading, they’d feel uneasy, keeping busy with something felt more secure to them.
They didn’t mind outsiders gossiping about them, but they cared about gossips concerning the Zhou family. After the discussion, Lin Baohe stopped gathering firewood.
However, since then, he’d sit there in the mornings looking dispirited, Old Master Zhou and Old Madam Zhou also noticed; he wasn’t one to sit idly, and forcing him to hold back would surely be unhealthy, so they proactively expressed, if he wanted to, he could continue gathering firewood, the Zhou family didn’t care what outsiders thought, as long as everyone was happy.
Lin Baohe wasn’t unreasonable; staying idle made him uncomfortable, but he adjusted himself, now only gathering once every few days, explaining the reason to acquaintances if met, whether they believed him or not wasn’t something he could control, but he believed that time would reveal true hearts, and one day no one would gossip.
However, his innate sense of directionlessness couldn’t change, eight out of ten times he’d get lost; funnily enough, he could find any house in the village, but here, facing similar structured old villas, he’d turn and turn till he got dizzy.
He tried many clumsy methods, including marking landmarks, counting rows…, yet always messed up, feeling embarrassed to ask unfamiliar people, he’d circle until he met a familiar, nearby neighbor, then discreetly follow them home.
This was something the couple never told anyone, hence, the Zhou family still didn’t know how directionally challenged Lin Baohe was, otherwise, they’d definitely have someone accompany him.
With the firewood on Zhou Mikang’s back, Lin Baohe felt thoroughly uncomfortable, particularly hating this flaw of his, secretly resolving that in the future when Zhou Mikang was home, he would resolutely not gather firewood, such a big official carrying a bundle of firewood, how embarrassing would it be if familiar people saw?
As if thinking it into existence, upon turning a corner, they unexpectedly ran into Ye Meiru’s mother Qiang Yuxian, her sister Ye Meiyun, and Ye Meiyun’s daughter Tongtong.
Qiang Yuxian harbored strong dissatisfaction towards Zhou Mikang, and even more so hostility towards Chuxia, Lin Baohe, and Zhao Yulan, thinking if not for this family, her daughter should have been the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law, not ended up ?
Ye Meiyun, however, bore no ill sentiment towards Zhou Mikang, understanding her sister quite well, she disapproved of Ye Meiru’s temperament, hence she truly believed her sister didn’t match Zhou Mikang.
Even though she felt Chuxia slightly unworthy of Zhou Mikang, compared to her sister, she fared much better, hence upon seeing the group, a broad smile appeared on her face: “Zhou Mikang, can’t tell, but you’re quite diligent.”
“Sister Meiyun just got here or heading home?” Zhou Mikang had a favorable impression of Ye Meiyun, thus when she inquired, he readily greeted back.
“Heading home, stayed here last night…”
“Ahem!” Qiang Yuxian coughed heavily, interrupting her daughter, “Hurry home, don’t keep Tongtong’s dad waiting, such an adult yet still so careless.”