So, You’re the Henpecked One? 24p2

Chapter 24 p2

Lin Zhao came back to her senses and only then realized that Chu Xihuan had used her other free hand to tap her forehead.

Lin Zhao was speechless.

Her face grew strangely redder. Xihuan actually noticed that I was distracted.

Lin Zhao was embarrassed and tried to focus her attention on her hand.

Xihuan’s hand is so soft!

The hand that had been holding Lin Zhao’s suddenly let go. Lin Zhao was stunned for a moment and even felt that her hand was a little cold. She turned her head to look at Chu Xihuan with a confused expression.

“Can’t you concentrate?” Chu Xihuan stared at her.

Lin Zhao’s face grew even redder.

Looking at Chu Xihuan from such a close distance, she only felt that she was even more beautiful. Her skin was beautiful, her eyes were beautiful, her nose was beautiful, and her lips, not only were they beautiful, but they were also red, looking like a bride who would eat children, but not at all scary.

Chu Xihuan didn’t know what she was thinking as she stared at her face. If she knew, she would have probably pressed her head down and asked her why she was making such blind comparisons when she was uncultured!

Seeing her staring at her in a daze, a vein throbbed on Chu Xihuan’s forehead. “Are you going to learn to read or not?”

Staring at my face, are there characters on my face?

Hearing her tone, Lin Zhao instinctively sensed the approaching danger. Her skin tightened, and she stood up even straighter, nodding repeatedly. “Yes, yes.”

Seeing her like this, Chu Xihuan felt a little better.

“Be serious. If you get distracted again, I’ll hit your palm,” Chu Xihuan said coldly.

Lin Zhao was startled and suddenly remembered the experience of being hit on the palm by her teacher as a child. She quickly focused all her attention on the characters Chu Xihuan was teaching her.

Looking at the four characters for “dé cùn jìn chǐ,” Lin Zhao pouted quietly. From the corner of her eye, she tried to look at the person standing behind her and said in a small voice, “Can I learn your name first?”

She still didn’t know which characters were in Xihuan’s name or how to write them.

Chu Xihuan was slightly taken aback, not expecting her to make such a request. She thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. “Alright, let’s start with our names.”

With that, she held Lin Zhao’s hand and wrote their two names on the paper.

Lin Zhao looked at the two names side by side on the paper. Although she couldn’t read, she could still tell which name was Chu Xihuan’s by the number of characters.

“Lin Zhao, Chu Xihuan,” Lin Zhao pointed to the two names and read them one by one.

Hearing her name being read together with hers, Chu Xihuan’s heart seemed to be gently poked. “Mm,” she hummed softly. “It’s our names.”

Lin Zhao smiled in satisfaction, trying hard to remember how to write Chu Xihuan’s name. But the more she looked at it, the more she wanted to cry.

Why is Xihuan’s name so complicated and hard to remember!

“Let’s start with your name,” Chu Xihuan’s voice softened a little, and she broke it down for Lin Zhao, explaining it clearly.

“Now try to write it yourself.”

Chu Xihuan looked at Lin Zhao.

Ever since Chu Xihuan had let go of her hand and moved from behind her to her side, Lin Zhao had felt a strange sense of emptiness.

I really wish Xihuan could always be close to me.

She composed herself and tried to control the brush in her hand, but it was still a little shaky, and the strokes she wrote were crooked. Fortunately, she could still copy Chu Xihuan’s characters.

Looking at the characters that looked like they were drawn by a ghost, it was clear that Lin Zhao had no foundation at all. Chu Xihuan sighed inwardly for her future. “Just remember how to write your name. Later, you’ll need to start learning from the strokes.”

This person had just been copying her characters, with no regard for stroke order.

“Oh,” Lin Zhao replied without any objection, her eyes occasionally glancing at Chu Xihuan’s name.

So hard to learn!

Chu Xihuan wrote out the strokes separately and taught Lin Zhao how to write them beautifully, which was also a good time to practice controlling the brush.

Lin Zhao bit her lip and patiently wrote stroke by stroke, wondering why the brush was so soft, so soft that she couldn’t control the pressure well. Whether it was too light or too heavy, the characters she wrote were not good-looking.

“Here, you don’t just flick it out like that. See how the flicked-out part has no brush tip at all?” Chu Xihuan pointed to the horizontal stroke Lin Zhao had written and began to break it down for her. Seeing Lin Zhao’s half-understanding expression, she had no choice but to guide her hand and demonstrate it again.

“Did you feel the subtle change in my brush movement just now?” Chu Xihuan asked.

Lin Zhao lowered her head slightly, embarrassed. “I felt it, but I probably can’t control it well yet.”

She couldn’t even write a straight horizontal line, let alone a beautiful brush tip.

“Mm, no rush. Practicing calligraphy can’t be rushed,” Chu Xihuan said.

Lin Zhao quietly bit her lip, afraid that Chu Xihuan would think she was stupid.

I-I’m not stupid! I’m just… just not cut out for studying.

Lin Zhao tried to justify it to herself.

Lin Zhao tried to control the brush under her hand, but she found it difficult to completely calm down and write. Looking at the characters that showed no improvement, she was anxious.

If I can’t write well, how much paper and ink will be wasted!

And… it’s really so hard!

Lin Zhao’s eyes were red with anxiety, and she also felt bad about the money for the paper and ink she was wasting. Finally, she put down the brush, turned to Chu Xihuan, and insisted, “I’m not learning anymore. I’m a loafer. Have you ever seen a loafer who is educated and cultured?”

Chu Xihuan turned to look at her, her face dark. She looked at Lin Zhao’s stubborn expression, then suddenly grabbed her ear and said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, “So you’re quite proud of being a loafer, are you?”

Suddenly having her ear grabbed, and seeing Chu Xihuan’s expression, Lin Zhao, who had been stubbornly refusing to learn, was immediately scared and wilted, biting her lower lip and not daring to speak.

Seeing her like this, Chu Xihuan was angry. “Speak. Am I bullying you, for you to look like this?”

“No…” Lin Zhao stammered.

“So why did you stop learning? Do you want to continue being a loafer?” Chu Xihuan’s tone was stern. This Lin Zhao was sometimes so obedient it was pleasing, but at other times, her actions were so infuriating they made one’s head spin.

“N-no,” Lin Zhao was even more apprehensive, scared by her stern tone. “I just feel like I can’t learn it, and it’s a waste of paper and ink,” she said in a small voice.

Hearing her say this, Chu Xihuan let out a breath. “Even if you feel like you can’t learn it, you have to learn it for me. Why are you so worried about the paper and ink? It’s not like you have to buy it.”

“If I hear you say that again, watch your skin.” Chu Xihuan let go of her ear and then pinched her cheek with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, pulling it a little.

Lin Zhao was speechless.

She was so scared she didn’t dare to make a sound.

A hint of satisfaction appeared in Chu Xihuan’s eyes. She let go of her hand and pointed to the table.

Lin Zhao immediately and silently sat back down at the desk, picked up the brush, and started to write.

After being scolded by Chu Xihuan, Lin Zhao found that her previously restless heart had strangely calmed down.

Seeing that she was being obedient, Chu Xihuan went back to her own business. However, this quiet moment didn’t last long. A noisy sound came from outside, accompanied by a loud banging on the door.

Chu Xihuan couldn’t help but sigh softly in her heart, and at the same time, she felt a faint sense of annoyance.

She and Lin Zhao exchanged a look, and then Lin Zhao immediately put down her brush and frowned.

“You wait here. I’ll go and see.”

With that, Lin Zhao walked toward the door.

The sound of the door opening was accompanied by the sound of voices. Chu Xihuan’s memory was quite good, and one of the voices sounded a little familiar, like Lin Zhao’s second auntie?

Remembering the news Simeng had occasionally brought her before the wedding, Chu Xihuan’s eyes turned cold, and she followed behind Lin Zhao with a calm demeanor.

As soon as she stepped out of the study, she saw Lin Zhao, who had opened the door, being pushed aside unexpectedly. The newcomers strode in, shouting for Lin Zhao to compensate them for their losses over the years.

Following behind Second Auntie Lin were a few other members of the Lin clan, all chiming in, also demanding compensation from Lin Zhao.

Seeing this, Chu Xihuan’s eyes grew even colder.

Lin Zhao was stunned, not expecting her second auntie to bring people to cause trouble.

Seeing Chu Xihuan, Second Auntie Lin’s eyes lit up, as if she had seen a treasure.

“Niece-in-law, since you’re married to Lin Zhao, you should also pay back what she owes, right?” Before coming, she had already found out that the Chu family did not approve of Chu Xihuan marrying Lin Zhao and even wanted to disown her.

Putting herself in their shoes, if she had such a disgraceful daughter, she would be lucky not to have strangled her.

So she could understand the Chu family’s decision.

Although the Chu family was unwilling to acknowledge Chu Xihuan as their daughter, she had still come from such a prominent family. It was impossible that she didn’t have a few liang of silver on her.

Especially since Lin Zhao had gone to buy meat on the first day after the wedding, it was clear that their family was not poor.

Hearing her words, Lin Zhao was filled with anger. “Bullshit your father! When did I ever owe you anything? I haven’t even come looking for you, and you have the nerve to come looking for me? Who gave you such a thick skin?”

She was about to be angered to death by their shamelessness.

Hearing Lin Zhao’s words, Chu Xihuan glanced at her lightly, then quickly shifted her gaze to Second Auntie Lin and the others. “You heard her. Lin Zhao doesn’t owe you anything,” she said calmly.

“Who said she doesn’t owe us?” Someone became anxious at her words. “How many things has she stolen from us since she was a child? We didn’t bother with her before because she was still young, but now that she’s married and an adult, it’s time to settle the old scores.”

“You…”

At his words, Lin Zhao’s face immediately changed. She subconsciously looked at Chu Xihuan, afraid of seeing a look of disgust in her eyes.

“What, you have nothing to say? Because that’s what you did!” The person said triumphantly, seeing that Lin Zhao was speechless.

Lin Zhao was both angry and anxious, her fists clenched tightly. She stared at the people who had barged in. Even if she wasn’t very smart, she could understand one thing.

These people had deliberately come at this time.

Just after the wedding, on a joyous day, these people had come to cause such a scene. It was more disgusting than eating shit.

Chu Xihuan looked at them and couldn’t help but smile.

“You say Lin Zhao owes you. Then have you paid back what you owe her?”

The newcomers were stunned by her words, then their anger flared. “Don’t you dare slander us. When did we ever owe her anything?”

Chu Xihuan stepped forward slowly, a smile on her face that didn’t reach her eyes, her voice calm and steady. “Then let’s do the math. Lin Zhao’s mother was quite a good businesswoman, wasn’t she? Even if she passed away suddenly, she should have left her quite a bit?”

“So can you please tell me, where did all of the Lin family’s money and shops go?”

Even if Lin Zhao’s mother hadn’t expanded her business much, her family’s wealth was already quite substantial compared to most commoners. It was unreasonable that after her death, Lin Zhao, who should have inherited the money, would end up in such a state.

At Chu Xihuan’s words, a hint of unnaturalness flashed across the faces of Second Auntie Lin and the others.

In this matter, not a single one of them was clean.

“That’s right! Tell me where the things my mother and the others left me went!” Feeling Chu Xihuan’s support, Lin Zhao felt even more confident and glared at them.

“Where did they go? You should know best,” someone glared back at Lin Zhao, seeing her more assertive than before. “If we hadn’t helped you, would your parents have been properly buried? Without our care, would you still be alive today!”

Lin Zhao’s face changed slightly, and her assertive aura slowly faded, replaced by a layer of gloom.

It was true. Without them, at the age of six, she would not have been able to properly bury her mother and the others.

Chu Xihuan, who was standing to the side, listened and said lightly, “It is true that with your help, Lin Zhao’s parents were properly buried. But did the funeral expenses require emptying the entire Lin family’s fortune? Or do you need me to ask your clan head to come and calculate all the expenses from back then, one by one?”

From this small courtyard of the Lin family, it was clear that a lot of money had been spent on its construction. To be able to spend so much money on a house at once, according to a businessman’s mindset, this sum must not have touched the foundation of the Lin family’s wealth, meaning that it was more than enough.

Under such circumstances, the Lin family’s assets would not have allowed Lin Zhao to end up in such a state.

Chu Xihuan’s words made Second Auntie Lin and the others’ faces change.

They had all benefited quite a bit from that incident back then. Not to mention whether it would be good for them to delve into it now, the clan head alone would want to chop them up one by one.

After all, the clan head had taken the largest share back then.

Seeing them all fall silent, Chu Xihuan sneered. “What, are you unwilling? Are you afraid I’ll find out that you owe Lin Zhao?”

“You shut up!” The youngest of the group was the first to lose his composure. He glared at Chu Xihuan and shouted, “If it weren’t for us, would Lin Zhao still be alive in this world? Without us, could she have protected her family’s property? Now you’re saying these things to us. We should have just ignored her back then and let her starve or freeze to death!”

His voice was so loud that even the neighbors could hear his shouts. They all tried to peek over the courtyard wall to see what was happening.

Hearing him shout at Chu Xihuan like that, Lin Zhao stood in front of her, her fists clenched tightly, staring at the man, her teeth gritted.

Chu Xihuan snorted softly. It was true that even if they hadn’t taken advantage of Lin Zhao, at the age of six, it would have been difficult for her to protect her family’s wealth. But even so, that was no reason for them to take everything from her and bully her like this!

From the fact that they had shamelessly come to demand what they claimed Lin Zhao owed them, it was not difficult to see how hard Lin Zhao’s life had been under their care over the years.

“Lin Zhao, what are you standing there in a daze for? Go and get me that carrying pole,” Chu Xihuan said calmly, looking at the carrying pole leaning against the corner of the wall.

Lin Zhao always followed her instructions quickly. She immediately ran to get the carrying pole and then looked at Chu Xihuan with a confused expression.

Chu Xihuan pointed at the still-stunned members of the Lin clan. “Beat them out.”

“Huh?”

Lin Zhao was shocked, her eyes wide, as if she couldn’t believe her ears. “B-beat where?”

Hearing Lin Zhao’s not-so-smart question, Chu Xihuan, who hadn’t been angered by the Lin clan members, was almost angered to death by Lin Zhao. “Don’t hit the head. Anywhere else is fine!” she said in annoyance.

Did she need to be taught how to hit people?

Lin Zhao’s skin tightened. She gripped the carrying pole in her hand. Although she didn’t know what would happen if she hit the members of the Lin clan, she decided to trust Chu Xihuan completely. She swung the carrying pole at them.

They were still shocked by Chu Xihuan’s words and hadn’t come back to their senses when Lin Zhao’s carrying pole hit them. The pain made them finally believe that Lin Zhao and the others really dared to hit them.

“You little bastard, you’ve grown bold. You even dare to hit us!” Someone was angry and, without any pretense, revealed a ferocious expression. If he had had a weapon, he would have wanted to tear them apart.

This time, Lin Zhao was much more alert. Without needing Chu Xihuan to say anything more, she swung the carrying pole with even more force, hitting them and making them jump up and down in pain. She drove them out of the gate one by one. Even so, they were still cursing and swearing.

Lin Zhao slammed the gate shut and leaned against it. Her palms were red from gripping the carrying pole so tightly, but her heart was filled with a sense of emptiness, as if she were both grounded and suspended in the air. She looked up blankly at Chu Xihuan, who was walking toward her.

In the past, she had never thought she could fight with those people.

Chu Xihuan looked down at Lin Zhao’s somewhat dazed expression and frowned. “What, do you regret me telling you to beat them out?”

A hint of annoyance flashed in Chu Xihuan’s eyes. She wondered if she shouldn’t have interfered in Lin Zhao’s relationship with the Lin clan members. But seeing Lin Zhao being bullied by them like that, she felt a fire in her belly.

Chu Xihuan was not one to swallow her anger. If someone made her unhappy, she would get angry.

However, at her words, Lin Zhao immediately shook her head. As she slowly came back to her senses, she looked at Chu Xihuan with sparkling eyes filled with joy.

“Xihuan, thank you for being willing to stand up for me.”

Even if she was slow, she could see that the reason Chu Xihuan had been so sharp with the Lin clan members was all to protect her.

So this was what it felt like to be protected by Xihuan.

Lin Zhao felt her heart beat faster than ever before.

**