So, You’re the Henpecked One? 63

Chapter 63

The next morning, Lin Zhao woke up first due to her biological clock. Seeing that Chu Xihuan in her arms was still sound asleep, Lin Zhao carefully got out of bed and got dressed, then went out to the courtyard to stretch her muscles.

Now that her activity level had suddenly decreased, for Lin Zhao, who was used to high-intensity activities, she just felt uncomfortable everywhere and had to find something to do.

As she was practicing her boxing in the courtyard, a head suddenly peeked out from outside. Lin Zhao immediately noticed the strange sight and looked over with a bit of a fierce expression. However, the next second, all the fierceness on her face disappeared, and her eyes were filled with surprise.

Mao Xiaoyun, who was trying to stand on her tiptoes to peek into the courtyard, saw that Lin Zhao had noticed her and quickly waved at her, very sensibly lowering her voice and calling out “boss.”

Seeing Mao Xiaoyun appear, Lin Zhao quickly went to open the door. She had originally planned to go and find Mao Xiaoyun after she had settled down, but she never thought that she would come to her so soon.

As soon as Lin Zhao opened the door, Mao Xiaoyun started to chatter.

“Boss! You don’t know, I wanted to come and see you yesterday, but my mom wouldn’t let me. She said that you must have a lot of things to do now that you’re back, and that I shouldn’t come and cause you trouble at this time.”

Mao Xiaoyun pouted in dissatisfaction. How was she causing trouble? But in the end, she still suppressed her excitement and waited for a day, and this morning, she couldn’t wait to come and find a chance.

“Mm-hm, I was also thinking of going to find you in a couple of days,” Lin Zhao replied, letting Mao Xiaoyun in and closing the door again, very happy about her arrival.

Mao Xiaoyun was one of her few friends, so she naturally cherished her.

“Here, this is the breakfast I brought. Let’s eat together!” Mao Xiaoyun lifted the things she was carrying a little and said with sparkling eyes, “My mom made big meat buns! They’re so delicious!”

At her words, Lin Zhao’s mouth also started to water, and she nodded repeatedly. “Your mom’s big meat buns are indeed delicious.”

In the past, when her mother had made them, Mao Xiaoyun had brought them out for her to eat. They were especially fragrant! And it was also one of the few times Lin Zhao could eat meat.

“Hehe, I knew you’d like them, boss!” Mao Xiaoyun handed the things to Lin Zhao, then looked her up and down. Seeing that she was not missing any limbs, she sighed in relief, but then couldn’t help but say, “Boss, what were you thinking back then? You suddenly ran off to join the army without a word. Sister-in-law looked for you for a long time.”

Later, she had also searched all over the city for a long time. It wasn’t until Chu Xihuan came to tell her that Lin Zhao had already enlisted that she had stopped looking. But she was also very confused by Lin Zhao’s actions.

She had guessed that Lin Zhao must have had some conflict with Chu Xihuan, but she couldn’t imagine how big of a conflict would make Lin Zhao leave in such a way.

“I…” Lin Zhao was a little at a loss for words. And at the thought that Chu Xihuan had looked for her for a long time after she had left, Lin Zhao felt her nose sting, and her eyes also felt a little swollen.

Seeing her like this, Mao Xiaoyun also tactfully shut up and instead asked, “Boss, you’re not hurt, are you? Is the battlefield very dangerous?”

Mao Xiaoyun had always known that Lin Zhao was much braver than her. Almost every time, it was Lin Zhao who stood in front of her and protected her. But at the thought of her going to the battlefield and facing a more dangerous and cruel situation, she would still feel worried.

“No, it’s alright. I have my teammates with me. We support each other, so it’s not that dangerous,” Lin Zhao said, composing herself and smiling at Mao Xiaoyun, not wanting to say too much lest she scare her.

Mao Xiaoyun was a little relieved after hearing this, then as if she had thought of something, she pulled Lin Zhao and said in a low voice, “Have you and sister-in-law made up? You’re not going to fight again, are you?”

Mao Xiaoyun was still very worried. If they hadn’t made up and continued to fight, would the boss run off to the army again?

Could you go back after you had retired?

Lin Zhao’s face was a little embarrassed, and she also replied in a small voice, “We’ve made up. We won’t fight again.”

Seeing her like this, Mao Xiaoyun was relieved. Although she didn’t know what had happened between them, she was still very happy to see that they could make up. After all, wasn’t it obvious to anyone with eyes how much the boss liked Chu Xihuan?

The two of them huddled together and chatted about many of the things that had happened over the years, and Lin Zhao also learned a lot from Mao Xiaoyun about what Chu Xihuan had done during the time she was away.

The time Chu Xihuan had spent with her in Liangcheng was much longer than she had imagined…

And she hadn’t just been doing nothing there. In order to appease Ye Liuxiang’s anger at her willful actions, she had also taken this opportunity to expand Ye Liuxiang’s merchant caravan to the entire road to Liangcheng. It was said to be quite good. If the war stopped, with the ability of that merchant caravan, it would probably be one of the fastest to go to the neighboring country for trade.

Lin Zhao listened to Mao Xiaoyun’s words and secretly puffed out her chest with a sense of pride. Although she had not paid attention to these things during the time she was stationed in Liangcheng, it did not stop her from feeling proud of Chu Xihuan now that she had heard about it.

The two of them chatted for a long time, until Mao Xiaoyun’s stomach suddenly rumbled. Only then did she blink and look in the direction of the main house, confused. “It’s been so long. Sister-in-law is still not awake?”

Mao Xiaoyun felt that she was already lazy enough and loved to sleep, but she would have been up at this time. How could Chu Xihuan, who seemed much more diligent than her, still be asleep?

Lin Zhao suddenly started to cough, her face a little red. “Cough, maybe it’s because it’s cold now, so it’s, it’s better to sleep. If you’re hungry, we can eat first.”

The two of them had been so ridiculous yesterday. Although they hadn’t messed around at night, with Chu Xihuan’s stamina, it was not at all surprising that she would sleep until this time today.

But of course, it was impossible to say such a thing to Mao Xiaoyun.

“Oh, then let’s wait a little longer. It’s better to eat together,” Mao Xiaoyun said, rubbing her stomach. Although she was a little hungry, she still felt that it was better to wait for Chu Xihuan to get up and eat together. After all, she had brought breakfast over, and it was to have breakfast with the boss and the others!

Seeing this, Lin Zhao had no choice but to go and start a fire first, planning to steam the big meat buns Mao Xiaoyun had brought, so that they could be eaten at any time later.

She went into the kitchen, and Mao Xiaoyun also followed. Although they had been separated for more than three years, they still had a lot to say when they were together.

Mao Xiaoyun suddenly realized something and asked with a confused expression, “Where’s Chu Lin? Why haven’t I seen her?”

“Oh, second sister took her to live at the Chu residence for now,” Lin Zhao replied. Seeing Mao Xiaoyun’s expression, she paused for a moment and asked, “Are you very familiar with her?”

Mao Xiaoyun looked at her with a confused expression. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be? I often come over to play with her.”

At least this was the boss’s child. Although she didn’t know if the boss would acknowledge her, she felt that it was necessary to help the boss take care of her before that. Although she hadn’t been of much help, when she played with the child, she had at least relieved a little of the little one’s loneliness of not having a playmate!

Hearing her say this, Lin Zhao was very moved. “Xiaoyun, thank you.”

During the time she was away, Mao Xiaoyun had still been thinking of helping her take care of her family.

“Hehe, you’re welcome. I didn’t help much,” Mao Xiaoyun said, scratching her head with an embarrassed and foolish smile.

“I still have to thank you,” Lin Zhao said seriously. It was true. How could Mao Xiaoyun play with a child? It was clear that she had specially come to help take care of her.

As the two of them talked, while the buns were still steaming, there was a sudden noise from the main house. The two of them both walked to the kitchen door and looked over, only to see that Chu Xihuan was already awake and was coming this way.

“Xihuan~” seeing her, Lin Zhao’s eyes curved into a smile, and she called out in a soft and clingy voice.

“Good morning, sister-in-law!” Mao Xiaoyun also greeted her with a hehe smile. “It’s good that you’re awake, sister-in-law. We can eat the buns later.” She was also very hungry. Seeing Chu Xihuan awake was like seeing the god of food beckoning to her.

Chu Xihuan smiled sweetly. “You must be hungry. I’m sorry, I woke up late today.”

She came to the two of them. Although she was speaking to Mao Xiaoyun, her hand was gently squeezing Lin Zhao’s hand in a place where Mao Xiaoyun couldn’t see, and then quickly let go, as a response to her previous call.

“Hehe, it’s just right. The buns aren’t hot yet,” Mao Xiaoyun’s eyes were almost narrowed into a line at the sight of their usual intimacy. The little bit of worry she had had was now completely gone.

Chu Xihuan gave a simple greeting and then went to tidy herself up. By the time she had washed up and returned to the kitchen, Lin Zhao had just taken the steamed buns out of the pot. “Xihuan~ These are the big meat buns that Xiaoyun’s mom made. They’re so delicious.”

“Mm, I know,” Chu Xihuan’s eyes curved. In the past, when Mao Xiaoyun came over, she would often bring some of the things her mother had made for them to eat. Chu Xihuan inexplicably had a feeling that Mao Xiaoyun had copied her and Lin Zhao’s interaction onto her and Chu Lin.

They had become the stray little dogs that Mao Xiaoyun was feeding.

The three of them sat down and ate the buns together. Lin Zhao ate with great relish. The white flour was soft, and the filling inside was oily, fragrant, and spicy, which made her very satisfied.

Lin Zhao also asked Mao Xiaoyun about her situation over the years. She never thought that after more than three years, Mao Xiaoyun was still as carefree and at ease as before. Now, her mother had even given up on her marriage, and the most she said was that if she was really worried about Mao Xiaoyun when she was about to die, she would just take her with her, so that she wouldn’t have to worry about whether she was well-fed and well-clothed in the underworld.

Hearing Mao Xiaoyun say those words so nonchalantly, Lin Zhao felt a little embarrassed, and also envious of her being so righteously loved by her mother.

Actually, every time she saw Mao Xiaoyun’s mother, she couldn’t help but wonder if, if her mother were still alive, she would also be able to be protected under her mother’s wing like Mao Xiaoyun and do whatever she wanted.

She probably could, right? After all, in her few childhood memories, her mother had always been very, very good to her.

After finishing breakfast, since they hadn’t seen each other for a long time, Mao Xiaoyun didn’t want to leave so early, so she stayed and chatted with Lin Zhao.

Meanwhile, Chu Xihuan found their behavior a little amusing, but she also gave them enough space to catch up. When it was almost noon, Chu Xihuan went out to pack some food. She wouldn’t poison Mao Xiaoyun with her own cooking, and if she let Lin Zhao cook, it would disturb their catching up, so Chu Xihuan thought it was better to just pack some food.

Mao Xiaoyun ate and looked around, couldn’t help but say, “Boss, why haven’t I seen anyone come to your door? My mom thought that there would be many people coming to your door, so she told me not to disturb you during this time.”

She had thought that if someone came, she would just keep her mouth shut and pretend to be the boss’s maid. She could even help serve some tea.

“Someone came on the first day, but I don’t like them coming to the door,” Lin Zhao grumbled. She and Chu Xihuan’s home, she still didn’t want those unimportant people to come to the door. She always felt that those people were like invading her territory.

“Oh, I wouldn’t like it either,” Mao Xiaoyun said in agreement. It was so tiring to entertain those people!

Chu Xihuan looked from one to the other, and once again, she deeply realized why these two could play together.

Mao Xiaoyun stayed for a while after lunch, and finally, seeing that she had been here for a long time, she reluctantly said goodbye and left.

After Mao Xiaoyun left, Lin Zhao looked at Chu Xihuan and blinked.

Chu Xihuan: “…?”

She didn’t understand what Lin Zhao was trying to do.

Lin Zhao’s face was a little red, a little embarrassed, and also a little joyful. She raised her hand and pointed to her lips, signaling that she had forgotten this matter when she woke up in the morning.

**

Author’s Note:

Zhaozhao: Morning and night, not a single one can be missed. [Pitiful]

Do you feel it? Actually, the end is not far away. [Pitiful]