So, You’re the Henpecked One? 34

Chapter 34

The next day, when Chu Xihuan took Lin Zhao to see her second sister, she dressed her up from head to toe. Fortunately, Lin Zhao had a good foundation, and with a little tidying up, she already looked better than most people.

Before going out, Lin Zhao touched the clothes on her body, wishing that they hadn’t been washed so that she could still smell Xihuan’s scent. But fortunately, the clothes still had the same scented fragrance as Xihuan’s, which made her heart a lot sweeter.

When the two of them arrived at the carpenter’s shop, Chu Ningyi was already inside. Her eyes lit up when she saw Chu Xihuan and she came forward to greet her, only then seeing Lin Zhao standing beside her.

“Second sister,” seeing her look over, Lin Zhao quickly put on a smile and called out sweetly.

She had a very good impression of Xihuan’s second sister. After all, she was the first person to call her “sister-in-law”! What did that mean? It meant that she approved of her and Xihuan!

Besides, Xihuan’s second sister was so gentle that Lin Zhao was too embarrassed to show her loafer side in front of her.

“Mm, have you both had breakfast?” Chu Ningyi replied, her gaze on Chu Xihuan, looking her up and down. Although they had just seen each other the day before yesterday, she was still worried that her sister was not living well and had lost weight.

“We’ve eaten,” Chu Xihuan replied warmly, then looked at Lin Zhao. “Shall we talk after we’ve settled her in?”

With Lin Zhao around, she felt that it would be a little inconvenient for her and her second sister to chat. After all, they couldn’t just let Lin Zhao stand there and watch them, could they?

“Alright,” Chu Ningyi was naturally happy with this. She had someone call over a master carpenter, introduced Lin Zhao to her, and after asking her to take care of Lin Zhao in the future, she let Lin Zhao go with the master to get busy.

Before leaving, Lin Zhao looked at Chu Xihuan with a reluctant expression, but Chu Xihuan was chatting with her second sister and couldn’t be bothered with her.

Lin Zhao couldn’t help but pout and followed the master.

The front yard of this carpenter’s shop was for displaying various goods, while the back yard was where the craftsmen worked and rested. The master who was leading Lin Zhao couldn’t help but smile at her. “Why did you come here to learn this kind of work? Isn’t it nice to stay at home, to not enjoy a good life?”

She said these words without any malice, but was genuinely a little confused. After all, even if Lin Zhao wanted to find something to do, with her status, she could have been arranged a more leisurely position where she could get paid without doing much work.

“It’s good to have a skill,” Lin Zhao replied seriously. When she was alone, it was naturally best to stay at home, but now that she was married, she couldn’t be so idle anymore, or Xihuan would not like her.

The master smiled and agreed. She had no objection to taking on Lin Zhao, as the owner had even given her a raise for it, so it was not for nothing.

Lin Zhao started to learn everything about carpentry in the back yard with the master, while Chu Xihuan was pulled into a chat by Chu Ningyi, who acted like a little spy, revealing the family’s situation and her parents’ opinions on her marriage.

After the homecoming visit, Ye Liuxiang’s attitude had clearly softened a little, but Chu Xuanzhuang still held a prejudice against Lin Zhao, only hoping that Chu Xihuan would one day come to her senses and divorce her, so that she would not be tied to a street loafer.

Chu Xihuan was not surprised by what her second sister said. She knew the two elders at home quite well. No matter how angry they were, after their anger subsided, they would still calm down and think things through.

“Xihuan, are you really sure? It’s Lin Zhao, right?” Chu Ningyi asked in a low voice, glancing at the doorway like a thief.

Chu Xihuan found her sister’s behavior amusing, but she still nodded seriously. “If there are no accidents, it’s her.”

In her opinion, the only accident would be if Lin Zhao fell in love with someone else. But from her interactions with Lin Zhao, the possibility of that happening was very slim. It was not something Lin Zhao would do, so it was very likely to be Lin Zhao for the rest of her life.

Chu Ningyi nodded thoughtfully after hearing her little sister’s words. “She seems quite nice.”

As long as Lin Zhao was standing next to Chu Xihuan, almost anyone could see her affection for her. Her eyes wouldn’t lie.

“But second sister is a little curious.” As if she had thought of something, Chu Ningyi’s cheeks grew slightly red. She lowered her voice and cautiously glanced at Chu Xihuan’s face. “Little sister, have you and Lin Zhao consummated your marriage? How do two women consummate a marriage?”

In her opinion, even if they were two women, since they both liked women, it probably wasn’t just sleeping in the same bed, right?

Chu Xihuan was speechless.

She met her sister’s curious eyes with a slightly silent expression, her ears quietly growing hot. “Second sister!” she called out, embarrassed.

Hearing her shyness, Chu Ningyi was also a little embarrassed, but she was too curious about the question. She could only blink her innocent eyes at her and beg softly, “Little sister, just tell me. Otherwise, I’ll die of curiosity. I’ll keep thinking about this and won’t be able to sleep well.”

Chu Xihuan was speechless.

She wouldn’t believe anyone who said they couldn’t sleep well now! Just like that Lin Zhao, who had just said she couldn’t sleep well, but then slept like a log!

“Little sister, little sister~” Chu Ningyi shook Chu Xihuan’s arm, almost with “please” written on her face.

Chu Xihuan said, “…We haven’t consummated our marriage yet!”

She almost said this through gritted teeth.

Chu Ningyi’s eyes widened, as if she couldn’t believe the answer. “You haven’t consummated your marriage yet? You’ve been married for so many days. What are you waiting for?”

Chu Xihuan sometimes had to admit that her second sister was very bold and direct.

Seeing that she didn’t answer, Chu Ningyi was shocked and quickly lowered her voice even more. “You’re not still thinking about Cao Jing, are you?”

Chu Xihuan was speechless. “How could that be?”

Seeing that her expression was not fake, Chu Ningyi sighed in relief, but was still confused. “Then why?” She thought for a moment, then as if she had a sudden realization, she said, “It’s not that you don’t know how to consummate a marriage, is it, little sister?”

Chu Xihuan felt that she shouldn’t have stayed to chat with her second sister. What was with all these questions today!

“I’ve only known Lin Zhao for a few days. I just think it’s too fast!” Chu Xihuan said, her face hot, almost about to storm off.

“Oh, it’s good that you know how to consummate a marriage.” Chu Ningyi sighed in relief, so that she wouldn’t have to ask Lin Zhao. After all, she could ask her little sister such a question, but it would be strange to ask Lin Zhao.

Chu Xihuan didn’t want to talk to her anymore. She just felt that her second sister seemed to have been stimulated by something today. Why was she asking about these things!

“So how do you consummate a marriage? You haven’t said yet, little sister,” Chu Ningyi looked at Chu Xihuan curiously, really very curious about this question.

It was one thing not to be aware of two women being together before, but now that she was, and these two were right in front of her, it seemed like a waste of an opportunity not to ask.

Chu Xihuan was embarrassed. “Second sister! Just stop asking!”

If she answered, it would feel strange, as if she were telling her second sister about her private life. It was too shameful!

Seeing Chu Xihuan so shy and silent, Chu Ningyi said “oh,” and her shoulders drooped in disappointment.

She was really very curious and wanted to know how two women were different from an ordinary married couple.

Seeing her second sister like this, Chu Xihuan felt a little bad. After all, her second sister had always doted on her since she was a child and had almost always granted her requests. Now, she just wanted to know these things…

“I’ll have Lin Zhao bring you a book tomorrow,” Chu Xihuan finally said vaguely. It was too strange to tell her second sister in person, but if she gave her a book to read, it would feel a little better.

“A book?”

Chu Ningyi’s eyes lit up. She had already guessed what kind of book her little sister was giving her.

“Will it be bad if sister-in-law sees it?” Chu Ningyi asked with some worry.

Chu Xihuan said, “…She doesn’t know many characters.”

Saying this to Chu Ningyi, she felt a strange sense of shame.

Chu Ningyi said “oh” blankly and didn’t dwell on the matter. “Little sister, you should come home more often. Maybe mother will hand the shop over to you.”

Actually, each of them had a shop, but because of Chu Xihuan’s marriage, the shop had not yet been handed over to her.

“No need. I can still live,” Chu Xihuan said lightly. With her older brother and second sister’s generous help, her finances were much better, so the shop didn’t make much of a difference.

Hearing her say this, Chu Ningyi immediately looked at her with a heartbroken expression. You know, in the past, her little sister was very particular about her food and clothing. Now, her standard had dropped to “still able to live.”

Chu Xihuan ignored her second sister’s gaze and accepted the situation quite calmly. Without the large income from those shops, she would just live a simpler life. It wouldn’t be to the point where she couldn’t survive.

After chatting with Chu Ningyi for a while, before leaving, Chu Xihuan went to the back yard to see Lin Zhao. She didn’t go up to greet her, just watched from a distance. Seeing that Lin Zhao was adapting well with the master, Chu Xihuan couldn’t help but sigh in relief, and her psychological burden was not so great.

Compared to Lin Zhao doing purely physical labor, this kind of work, although tiring, would give her a skill to support herself, which was obviously the most beneficial for her.

Lin Zhao’s life trajectory had almost completely changed because of her. Since the change was irreversible, she hoped that Lin Zhao could change for the better.

Lin Zhao, who was listening attentively to the master, did not notice Chu Xihuan’s arrival. She cherished this opportunity very much and wished she could remember everything the master said.

In the past, she had not thought of learning a skill, but she had no connections and no one to help her plan her future, so she just let herself drift along.

Now it was different. She had Xihuan, who helped her plan and strategize. While she cherished it, she also didn’t want to disappoint Xihuan.

She learned seriously, and the master, seeing her good attitude, was naturally more willing to teach her with all her heart. Seeing that Lin Zhao could quickly grasp her meaning, she was also quite gratified.

If the owner had sent a fool over, she would not have been willing to teach, even with the extra pay.

After a busy morning, it was lunchtime, and the shop provided meals. But Lin Zhao was worried that Xihuan at home would have no one to cook for her and would be hungry, so she chose to run home to cook for her.

However, when she returned home, she was stunned to see a disheveled Chu Xihuan.

**

Author’s Note:

Zhaozhao: Stunned