Chapter 241 - 208: That Brother

Chapter 241: Chapter 208: That Brother

As June arrived, the weather grew increasingly sweltering.

The discounted clothes Huai Yu had bought previously were finally unwearable, prompting her to visit the trading market once again.

To be honest, with someone coming over to help with chores the moment she opened her eyes every morning, her life had become simple and stable. It brought her an unprecedented sense of peace and security, so she wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about visiting the trading market. However, not only had the high temperatures arrived, but the morning broadcast had also forecasted continuous heavy rain for the next few days. The vegetables in the field wouldn’t withstand the downpour, so she had to seize this opportunity to sell as much as possible.

With Zhou Qian’s help, the two of them pushed a bicycle loaded with over two hundred pounds of vegetables and waited at the bus stop.

"It would be great if we had a vehicle," Huai Yu said, looking forward to the idea. "If we had a vehicle, we could sell five or six hundred pounds at a time, and we could go whenever we wanted."

They wouldn’t have to haul it trip by trip on a bicycle, sack by sack, like they were doing now. She then turned to look at Zhou Qian, who was drenched in sweat, and cheered up again. "But having you here is just as good, Brother Zhou Qian. I could never handle this many vegetables all by myself."

Zhou Qian sighed. "If it weren’t for the fact that we can’t recklessly sell your vegetables to the camp, we wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble for these items."

It couldn’t be helped. Even if their Mutant Value wasn’t incredibly low, it was still maintained around 13. The Defense Army received plenty of funding, but it still wasn’t a time when they could consume such high-quality food freely.

He then ruffled Huai Yu’s hair. "It works out perfectly. You can go buy daily necessities—just remember to get yourself a mosquito net.

"I can also head to the hospital for a checkup. It’s time for my leg to be re-examined."

"I’m going too," Huai Yu said. "It’s been so many days since I last visited Sister Chen Xing. I have to go see her."

It wasn’t that she was intentionally delaying the visit, but farming seasons were precious. Even with her plant-accelerating Superpower, the seedlings still needed time to grow in the soil to match the season. Therefore, ever since gaining Zhou Qian as a free laborer, Huai Yu had been racking her brains every day to put him to work, leaving her with absolutely no free time!

Zhou Qian nodded. "Alright."

With this many vegetables anyway, they were bound to travel together today. After chatting for a little while, the bus arrived. The doors opened, and Huai Yu stepped up first, speaking softly to the driver. "Sir, could you wait for us just a moment? We need to load our things on board. Is that okay?"

The driver glanced at her, then looked past the doors at Zhou Qian, who was currently shouldering a heavy sack and preparing to board. "Is that your brother?" he asked suddenly.

Huai Yu paused for a moment before realizing that this familiar driver had heard her story about her "two brothers" several times already. She nodded firmly. "Mhm!"

The driver laughed. "No wonder he managed to get into the Defense Army. Look at those arms and legs—that physique! He’s full of strength! Alright, put them down."

What hadn’t been brought onto buses these days? Once, a passenger from the Golden Yuan District had even lugged a whole millstone on board! It was all due to the chaotic state of the world; as long as it could be squeezed in, anything was allowed.

Zhou Qian had heard the exchange as well. He cast a sidelong glance at Huai Yu, knowing full well that this girl had spun quite a few tall tales out in public. Carrying the sack inside, he stacked it as neatly as possible in the far back corner.

He then instructed, "Little Yu, swipe the card for an extra fare."

He called out to the front, "Thank you, sir! I’ll hold onto this sack later; I promise it’ll be secure."

The driver was even more amused.

The bus continued its usual route. Sitting in the back row with Huai Yu, Zhou Qian asked in a low voice, "You even made up stories for the bus driver?"

"I didn’t!" Huai Yu blinked her large eyes, looking exceptionally innocent. "A lady on the bus brought it up, so I just chimed in. I didn’t even say much..." She wore a look of absolute sincerity. Zhou Qian remained skeptical.

Before long, the bus stopped at the Golden Yuan District. When this unfinished housing project was initially built, its promotional campaign was massive, aiming to create the largest community in Flower City. Now, it seemed that goal had been achieved—one only had to look at the massive swarm of people crowding onto the bus every time it stopped there to know. Indeed, it housed the largest number of Flower City people. Men, women, the elderly, and children chatted as they familiarly found their seats. Their voices were incredibly loud as they broadcasted all sorts of trivial daily matters to the whole bus.

Zhou Qian finally believed that the driver had merely overheard her by chance. He then noticed a middle-aged woman sitting nearby suddenly turn her head to examine them with curiosity. "Oh? Little girl, you’re heading into the city again?"

They hadn’t exchanged names, but Huai Yu found the woman familiar, likely having seen her on the bus a few times before. Therefore, she offered a shy, obedient smile.

The woman spoke with familiar ease. "Life must be a lot easier now that things have settled down, right? I can see you’ve grown a bit taller, and your face has filled out. You’re starting to look like a proper young lady—how old did you say you were last time?"

Huai Yu was left speechless. She really didn’t want to answer, but the woman shifted her gaze, landing squarely on Zhou Qian, who had been watching Huai Yu.

Being targeted by such a stare, even the battle-hardened Zhou Qian inexplicably felt his hairs stand on end, as if facing a formidable enemy. The very next moment, the woman’s eyes lit up as she looked him up and down, then glanced back at Huai Yu. "Oh my, is this that brother of yours?"

Zhou Qian was speechless. Too afraid to look at Zhou Qian’s expression, Huai Yu gave a vague nod. "Mhm..."

"Which one is this? The married one or the unmarried one?" the woman asked, looking back at Zhou Qian and clicking her tongue as she shook her head. "It’s the married one, isn’t it? Young man, I don’t mean to lecture you, but nowadays, a family living a good life together is a massive blessing. You can’t just marry a wife and forget about your own sister.

"Look at her skinny little arms and legs. How can she survive living all alone in that Defense Army family dorm thing?"

Her voice was loud, quickly drawing the curiosity of other ladies on the bus. Upon recognizing Huai Yu, one of them slapped her thigh. "Oh! It’s this little girl!" They then chimed in together, "Young man, you really shouldn’t act like that!"

Zhou Qian was absolutely dumbfounded by this sudden, unwarranted blame. He turned to glare at Huai Yu, only to see her ears bright red and her head hung low, looking every bit the picture of someone admitting fault! Grinding his teeth, he managed to force a stiff smile. "You’ve misunderstood. I’m not married yet."

Ah? Misunderstood? The women across from them froze.

Zhou Qian’s leg twitched. He turned his head, only to see Huai Yu, who had just been hanging her head in apology, now staring at him with sparkling eyes and a bizarre expression, as if to say, "You’re doomed!" Zhou Qian had no idea what she meant.

But the next moment, he watched as the woman in front of them grabbed onto the seats and shimmied past two rows, planting herself diagonally in front of the two. Her voice dropped to a much lower volume.

"Not married yet? Then how old are you this year? Your salary in the Defense Army must be quite high, right?

"Young man, the government is currently encouraging marriage and childbirth; there are even subsidies for raising children. Your job in the Defense Army is quite dangerous, too. You really need to have a family to anchor you so you won’t have any regrets... You should hurry up and get on with it!"

Zhou Qian’s brow twitched. He subconsciously shifted in his seat, attempting to curl his tall frame into the nearby sack. But it was useless. The woman had already locked onto him, her eyes brimming with enthusiasm. "To tell you the truth, my daughter is also single!"