So, You’re the Henpecked One? 20

Chapter 20

After Chu Xihuan finished getting ready, she turned to look at Lin Zhao seriously.

Dressed in a neat, unpatched outfit, Lin Zhao looked much cleaner and fresher. Perhaps because she was in a good mood, the smile on her face looked a little silly, but it was still quite pleasing to the eye. The only flaw…

Chu Xihuan looked down at the shoes Lin Zhao was wearing.

Lin Zhao bit her lip and tried to hide her feet, her cheeks slightly red.

Chu Xihuan rubbed her forehead, thinking to herself that she must have been really tired last night to have overlooked this.

She brought out a pair of shoes that matched Lin Zhao’s outfit today. “Try these on. See if they fit.”

They were about the same height, so their shoe sizes should be similar, right?

Lin Zhao’s toes curled in shame. She kept stealing glances at Chu Xihuan. Seeing her calm expression made her feel even more ashamed, but there was also a very noticeable flicker of joy.

Chu Xihuan doesn’t mind me wearing her shoes?

Lin Zhao pressed her lips together to control her smile and quickly bent down to change her shoes. After standing up and trying them on, her eyes curved into a smile. “They fit. Not too big, not too small.”

Chu Xihuan told her to walk a few steps.

Lin Zhao followed her instructions and walked in front of her. Chu Xihuan watched her posture to see if there was anything wrong. Finally, she nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”

There was nothing unnatural about her walking. It seemed the shoe size was a perfect fit.

Lin Zhao immediately followed closely behind Chu Xihuan, holding the gifts Chu Xihuan had prepared for her family, afraid of bumping or breaking them.

Chu Xihuan glanced at the things Lin Zhao was carrying, then turned to the ox cart parked outside the alley and asked for the price. Seeing that it was reasonable, Chu Xihuan paid and told Lin Zhao to get on.

Lin Zhao got on the cart with a confused expression. She had originally thought they would walk to the Chu residence together, but it was nice to be able to ride in a cart. She didn’t mind walking, but such a long journey would probably be very tiring for Chu Xihuan.

The ox cart was much faster. Along the way, some people who knew Lin Zhao would call out to her, their eyes darting back and forth between her and Chu Xihuan.

Whenever this happened, Lin Zhao would sit up straight, feeling extremely guilty and not daring to respond to their greetings, especially when she ran into her old friends. She wished they couldn’t see her.

Chu Xihuan sat calmly to the side. This was the first time in her life she had ridden in an ox cart. It was a little strange, but compared to the almost sealed horse-drawn carriages or sedan chairs, the open-sided ox cart was a different experience.

As for the restless Lin Zhao beside her…

A mischievous glint flashed in Chu Xihuan’s eyes. She looked at Lin Zhao and said, “Do you know what word your current state reminds me of?”

Hearing her suddenly speak to her, and about such a topic, Lin Zhao was reminded of the word she had taught her last night. She pouted and turned her head to the side, muttering, “It’s definitely not a good word.”

Xihuan is the worst!

She called me greedy just last night!

Chu Xihuan’s face showed a hint of surprise, as if she were taken aback by Lin Zhao’s answer. The smile in her eyes grew wider. “So you’re quite smart after all.”

Lin Zhao was speechless.

She looked at her with a resentful gaze. Why was it that even when she praised her for being smart, she didn’t feel happy at all!

That resentful little look made Chu Xihuan want to laugh. She was so easy to bully.

“Actually, it’s not a bad word,” Chu Xihuan continued in a good mood. “Although it has a slightly negative connotation, it describes your current state perfectly.”

Hearing her say this, Lin Zhao snorted softly, her eyes darting to her, a little curious.

“Then what word is it?”

“Zuò lì bù’ān (restless),” Chu Xihuan said with a chuckle. “A similar phrase is ‘rú zuò zhēn zhān’ (like sitting on a bed of needles).”

Lin Zhao blinked. Were these two phrases describing her previous state? But it seemed to fit perfectly…

When she had faced those people earlier, she had been so restless she had wanted to bury her head and not be seen by anyone, especially not by Chu Xihuan.

“Good girl, repeat the two phrases I just taught you,” Chu Xihuan’s voice softened, with a hint of a coaxing tone.

That voice…

So… alluring…

Lin Zhao felt a fine, tingling sensation in her heart, and her cheeks began to burn. She stammered out the two phrases Chu Xihuan had just taught her.

Seeing her repeat them perfectly, Chu Xihuan nodded in satisfaction. “And the ones I taught you last night, repeat them again.”

The ones from last night…

Lin Zhao pouted and looked at Chu Xihuan with a resentful gaze again, but she still obediently said, “Last night, you taught me ‘dé cùn jìn chǐ’ and ‘greedy’.”

She remembered those two phrases from last night the most vividly!

The smile on Chu Xihuan’s lips deepened. She didn’t feel at all like she was bullying her. In fact, she thought her teaching method was very good. Teaching according to the student’s ability would help them understand better. Wasn’t Lin Zhao a living example? She had learned four phrases so quickly in such a short time.

When they got home and she taught her how to write these characters, the impression would likely be even deeper.

The two of them swayed along and arrived at the gate of the Chu residence. Since it was her homecoming day, no matter how much they said they had disowned her, they couldn’t just keep the gate closed. In fact, a servant who saw Chu Xihuan quickly turned to report her arrival.

Lin Zhao looked at the imposing gate of the Chu residence. Even though this was her second time here, she was still very nervous.

She jumped off the ox cart first, then quickly helped Chu Xihuan down. Finally, she took the things from the cart and followed closely behind Chu Xihuan.

The Chu family members who had just arrived were all a little silent when they saw them.

The scene they saw was Chu Xihuan walking in front with a leisurely air, while the wife she had married followed half a step behind her like a maid, carrying things nervously. The two were completely different styles, but strangely, no one felt there was anything wrong with it.

And if they remembered correctly, that person, what was her name, Lin Zhao, was wearing Xihuan’s clothes?

She was willing to give her own clothes to Lin Zhao to wear? Had their relationship gotten that good so quickly?

Seeing them, Lin Zhao could tell from their clothes that they must be Chu Xihuan’s relatives. She quickly straightened up, afraid of making a bad impression.

Chu Xihuan looked up at her mother, older brother, and second sister, her eyes curving into a smile. She greeted them as usual, as if nothing had happened.

Ye Liuxiang’s gaze carefully scanned Chu Xihuan. Seeing her relaxed and at ease, it was clear that not only did she not regret marrying Lin Zhao, but she was even enjoying it?

Ye Liuxiang was speechless.

She then looked at Lin Zhao. Seeing her instinctively lean toward Chu Xihuan as if seeking protection, she immediately understood why their relationship was so harmonious.

She knew her daughter well. Although it wasn’t obvious on the surface, she was strong-willed on the inside. And that Lin Zhao, from the looks of her, could only be bullied by her daughter. No wonder Chu Xihuan was so at ease.

“Mother, let’s go to the front hall first,” Chu Xihuan’s second sister, Chu Ningyi, gently tugged at Ye Liuxiang’s sleeve. It wasn’t right for a group of them to just stand here and talk, was it?

Ye Liuxiang glanced at Chu Xihuan, hummed softly, and turned to walk toward the front hall.

Chu Ningyi followed beside her, turning to look at Chu Xihuan with a worried expression. She would probably be scolded quite a bit during the homecoming visit today.

Chu Xihuan’s older brother pointed at Chu Xihuan and Lin Zhao as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just shook his head helplessly and followed Ye Liuxiang and the others, looking as if he couldn’t control Chu Xihuan.

Chu Xihuan’s expression didn’t change at all. She followed them calmly.

Lin Zhao was so nervous she was about to die. She felt that the three of them were each more intimidating than the last, especially Chu Xihuan’s mother. Her presence was so overwhelming that she didn’t even dare to look at her, feeling as if her scalp were going numb.

Chu Xihuan glanced at Lin Zhao from the corner of her eye, a hint of amusement in her eyes. This person looked like she was about to be scared to death. Where was the arrogant loafer?

“Relax. No matter what, they won’t make things too difficult for you,” Chu Xihuan said comfortingly, a little worried that this person would be scared off by her mother and the others.

Lin Zhao immediately looked at her with a resentful expression.

Not make things too difficult for me, doesn’t that still mean they will make things difficult for me!

This person is trying to bully me for being uncultured again!

**

Author’s Note:

Zhaozhao: I understood that! [Heartbroken]