Chapter 16, Second Update

Hand in hand?

Suddenly fully awake, Lin Xuexia shot a fierce glare at the man before her. The two stood by the main entrance of the building—he inside the gate, she outside. The sunlight outside was clear and bright. Behind Fu Wei were some bedboards and a round table unloaded from the truck. The noises from the other two men had abruptly ceased; they must be watching them closely!

Xue Xiaoshan, standing by the truck, exchanged a silent glance with another man. Neither spoke, quietly waiting to see how things would unfold.

They all knew that since this morning, Brother Wei had suddenly changed! He said he found them a sister-in-law. Heaven above! It had only been a few days—how did Brother Wei manage to find a sister-in-law so quickly?

They had heard that he was going to deliver furniture to his future sister-in-law, and several brothers had vied for the chance to make the trip, but it was Xue Xiaoshan and Chen Dinggao who won this good opportunity because Fu Wei thought they were honest and quiet, less likely to frighten the new sister-in-law.

Being quiet didn’t mean they weren’t curious. Xue Xiaoshan wondered what kind of woman Brother Wei liked, and how in just a few days he could win over a man so tough and unyielding.

Back when Fu Wei was a company commander, many beautiful, delicate nurses had tried to catch his attention, but all to no avail.

Hand in hand? Why did they have to hold hands the moment they met?

Xue Xiaoshan leaned closer, wishing he could become a pair of keen ears to catch every whisper and movement.

Compared to the past romantic tales with Zhong Xiangdong, the love story unfolding between their leader and the sister-in-law was far more captivating.

Brother Wei was far more reliable than Dong Ge.

“Don’t make a scene, there are people around. Hurry up and bring the things inside. I’ve already spoken to the landlady,” Lin Xuexia said, forcing her voice to stay calm, trying to cool the ambiguous atmosphere around them.

“All right.” Fu Wei’s eyes curved into a smile as he suddenly pulled Lin Xuexia out from behind the iron gate, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and led her to where Xue Xiaoshan and Chen Dinggao stood. He introduced, “This is your future sister-in-law, my beloved, Lin Xuexia.”

Chen Dinggao and Xue Xiaoshan immediately straightened up and greeted in unison, “Hello, sister-in-law.”

Their voices rang out like a trumpet blast, echoing through the street.

Lin Xuexia finally understood why she had been so resistant to Fu Wei in a past life. This wretched man always made her want to find a hole to crawl into.

“Xuexia, this is Xue Xiaoshan and Chen Dinggao. Just call them Xiaoshan and Xiaogao. Together, they’re ‘Gaoshan,’” Fu Wei said with a smile, patting her shoulder.

Xue Xiaoshan and Chen Dinggao returned her smile warmly.

Lin Xuexia took a deep breath. “Hello. Stay and have dinner with us later.”

With that, she showed an unafraid, gentle smile filled with warmth.

She reminded herself not to be afraid, that there was nothing shameful, and she did not need to fear being the center of attention.

Because her parents had always been cautious and low-profile in the village, Lin Xuexia had developed the habit of avoiding the spotlight, fearing gossip and unwanted attention.

But over all these years, she was slowly changing.

She was determined to become more confident.

Her smile grew even brighter as her gaze passed over Fu Wei and met the eyes of the other two men one by one.

Xue Xiaoshan and Chen Dinggao’s faces flushed red. Usually surrounded by a bunch of macho men, how often did they get to see a woman? And such a young, beautiful one at that—the future sister-in-law was truly stunning, with a pure and fresh aura.

Fu Wei caught sight of Lin Xuexia’s smile and a shadowy thought crept into his heart. Her smile was so beautiful and dazzling; he truly wanted to hide her away, not letting others see her, keeping her all to himself to savor her every nuance.

“Fu Wei,” Lin Xuexia looked at him, took his hand, gently squeezed it, and gazed into his eyes with focused tenderness. “Thank you for bringing me so many things today.”

That smile, belonging only to him, melted Fu Wei’s heart. He began to despise his earlier dark thoughts. When looked at by her eyes, even the filthiest things had nowhere to hide.

***

After unloading the furniture, Fu Wei had Xue Xiaoshan drive the truck away first. Lin Xuexia stood below watching the items while Fu Wei and Chen Dinggao carried a cabinet upstairs.

Standing at the foot of the stairs, Lin Xuexia noticed Fu Wei had brought quite a lot of things—several old-fashioned wooden pieces: a wardrobe, wooden bed, bedside table, round table, four wooden stools, a storage cabinet… and an old 17-inch black-and-white TV. The old TV was quite aged but appeared well-maintained.

After arranging the cabinet, Fu Wei hurried downstairs, smiling when he noticed Lin Xuexia staring at the TV. “I had someone get this old black-and-white TV. Nowadays, many people have switched to color TVs, so lots of black-and-white ones have been phased out. I picked a good one for you to use for now.”

“Someday, we’ll get a color TV too, okay?”

Lin Xuexia smiled and nodded, then nudged the big rooster she had brought along with her chin. “I bought a big rooster today as well.”

Since Fu Wei and the others worked on construction sites, it was customary to kill a chicken before starting work. So he had brought a rooster along.

Fu Wei laughed, “Two roosters—just right to help you recover your strength.”

Before Lin Xuexia could reply, Chen Dinggao hurried down the stairs, exclaiming, “Sister-in-law, your home smells amazing!”

“There’s beef stewing on the fire. Keep an eye on it for me.”

“Sure! Sister-in-law, you look like you’re a great cook. We’re in for a treat today!”

Fu Wei glanced at the rooster on the ground, wondering if it would soon become spicy chicken, chopped chili chicken, or sauce-soaked chicken.

Though, was there even such a thing as sauce-soaked chicken?

Either way, it wouldn’t be plain poached chicken.

Fu Wei’s mind flicked through Hunan cuisine recipes, imagining the spicy dishes they were about to enjoy. The fiery taste of the peppery clam noodles from yesterday came back to him, and he thought, a true warrior can overcome any challenge.

Today, he had deliberately chosen two brothers who couldn’t handle much spice, so they could be toughened up.

Halfway through moving the items upstairs, Xue Xiaoshan came running over breathlessly. Distance was no obstacle for him.

“Xiaoshan.”

“Sister-in-law.” Xue Xiaoshan gave Lin Xuexia a sincere smile and lifted the 17-inch black-and-white TV. “I’ll take this upstairs first.”

Lin Xuexia watched his back as he climbed the stairs, a slight pause crossing her face. The name Xue Xiaoshan seemed familiar, though she couldn’t recall clearly where she had heard it. Wait… He was Xue Xiaoshan!

She remembered now—she had heard about him because he had been involved in a serious criminal case.

In her previous life, she had been wary of interacting with Fu Wei and his brothers, fearing they might be involved in unsavory activities. She had overheard rumors—some involving crimes.

Xue Xiaoshan had a mute younger sister. He had brought her to the city hoping to get treatment for her condition, to see if the big city could cure her muteness. But her illness was not cured, and she was abducted by human traffickers and sold to a remote mountain village as a bride.

The family who bought her was cruel—the men beat her, and the father-in-law, taking advantage of her inability to speak, abused her. When she gave birth, the mother-in-law, upon realizing something was wrong, planned to sell her off to another family.

At that moment, Xue Xiaoshan had come to her rescue. Finding his sister in such a wretched state, he took revenge on that entire family.

Lin Xuexia had expected Xue Xiaoshan to be a burly man, but today she found him surprisingly honest and shy.

She thought to herself, human traffickers truly deserved to die.

Now, perhaps Xue Xiaoshan’s sister had not yet been abducted, maybe not yet brought to the city for treatment—there might still be a chance to save her.

When the time came, she would have to find a way to prevent such tragedies.

***

Once all the furniture was moved, Lin Xuexia went upstairs to her room. She checked the fire and directed Fu Wei on where to place everything—the bed’s position, where the bedside table should go, where the wardrobe should stand—all according to her wishes.

After arranging everything, Fu Wei wiped down the furniture again, then personally slaughtered the chicken and applied some fresh chicken blood on the old wooden furniture to ward off evil spirits.

Whether it was effective or not, it was a ritual.

Lin Xuexia set up a brazier in the corner and, using its fire, took out a clay pot to stew the rooster.

The other rooster was prepared as white-cut chicken.

Fu Wei loved white-cut chicken, especially authentic, flavorful ones. To make it, first, scallions and ginger were boiled in water. The whole chicken was immersed in the boiling water for a few seconds, then lifted out for the same duration, repeated three times. This alternation of hot and cold made the skin incredibly tight.

After boiling for 40 to 50 minutes, the chicken was finally submerged in ice water once more. A thin layer of oil was brushed over the skin, making it silky smooth, firm, and translucent like jelly, glossy and enticing to the palate.

Besides these, Lin Xuexia also prepared stir-fried clams, stir-fried beef tripe, braised pork, and small stir-fried beef dishes, along with peanuts and other cold appetizers to accompany drinks.

Before sitting down to eat, she scooped some dishes into containers and delivered them to neighbors upstairs, downstairs, and Aunt Chunyan next door—warming meals to mark their official move-in. The house was now almost fully furnished.

Fu Wei and his brothers usually never lacked meat, but their meals were not always so exquisite. Now, tasting Lin Xuexia’s dishes, they were all astonished.

“Sister-in-law, your cooking is amazing!”

“Brother Wei, you’re lucky to have her!”

Xue Xiaoshan and Chen Dinggao were particularly impressed—luckily, they had this feast coming their way. The future sister-in-law’s cooking was simply delicious.

Fu Wei enjoyed each dish before him. They were indeed tasty, and he was surprised Lin Xuexia could cook so well. What was more, these dishes weren’t too spicy—just a mild touch of heat, with more fragrance that made one unable to stop eating.

He marveled at having found someone with such culinary skills.

Only, why wasn’t the food spicy enough?

After the meal, Fu Wei and the others helped Lin Xuexia tidy the living room, packing up a pile of garbage to take away. Lin Xuexia packed some food into boxes for them to take home to share or save for the next day.

Besides the leftover meat dishes, there were fresh cold dishes. “When the braised beef is ready tomorrow, take a pound with you too.”

“Hehe, thank you, sister-in-law!”

“No need to thank me; you’re just spoiling them,” Fu Wei said, wrapping an arm around Lin Xuexia’s shoulders as they went to the bedroom to whisper sweet nothings.

Standing by the windowsill, their hands tightly clasped together, the master bedroom had been completely transformed. The brown wooden bed was made with sheets and bedding, a bedside table with an alarm clock stood beside it, along with a two-meter-high wardrobe, and a small stool beside the bedside table.

The night sky outside was exceptionally beautiful—untouched by pollution, clear and bright, with stars twinkling.

Fu Wei looked down into Lin Xuexia’s eyes and asked, “Have you cleared things up with your family about that fiancé of yours?”

In just a few days, Fu Wei had become determined to claim the woman before him as his future wife, but the fact that she still had a fiancé gnawed at him.