Chapter 28: Reward

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Reward

Although Zhang Yun couldn’t help feeling the ecstatic thrill of a pervert, he kept a straight face and said, "What’s the matter? Are you trying to thank me? You can just say it here."

Auntie Pang glared at him. "Get off the bike, hurry up!" She made a move as if to grab his motorcycle.

Helpless, Zhang Yun got off. Following Auntie Pang’s pointing finger, he ducked into the cornfield.

The cornstalks were much taller than a person; just a few meters in, he was completely submerged in the green canopy. Zhang Yun walked forward along the furrows and saw a figure’s back ahead of him.

"Sister-in-law Xiuqin..."

The closer he got, the faster his heart beat. His palms were sweating, and his breathing involuntarily quickened.

Xiuxun had her back to him. She just said softly, "Come here..."

Zhang Yun slowed his steps. A massive wave of desire welled up in his heart. Given the circumstances, he would have to be incredibly dense not to guess what was happening. However, at this moment, his reason was also pulling at him, stopping him from taking that final step.

Stopping behind Xiuxun, Zhang Yun hesitated. "You..."

At this point, whatever he said, it would be difficult for Xiuxun to respond. She had been waiting here in advance. Whether it was out of torment or internal struggle, she had already braced herself for it.

Suddenly, Xiuxun quickly turned around!

Zhang Yun only saw a flash of dazzling white light before Xiuxun leaned forward into his arms!

"Xiu... xun..."

Zhang Yun felt as if those two syllables were barely squeezed out. His heartbeat, his breathing, and certain other aspects of him felt like they were about to explode!

Xiuxun didn’t speak. After a brief pause, she took the initiative and leaned her face closer.

Zhang Yun’s hands involuntarily moved to embrace her, but his reason forced him to take two steps back.

"We can’t do this... You don’t have to go this far to thank me..."

With this step back, he caught another glimpse of that dazzling holy light. Zhang Yun hurriedly turned around. "I’m leaving now!"

Running out of the cornfield, Zhang Yun’s face was still flush red, and his forehead was beaded with sweat.

Beside the tricycle, Auntie Pang had smashed open a watermelon and was eating it, all while keeping her eyes and ears peeled to act as a lookout. Seeing Zhang Yun rush out, she blanked for a moment. "That fast? You looked quite fit this morning. Could it be your first—"

"Auntie Pang!" Zhang Yun couldn’t help but growl. "You taught Sister-in-law Xiuqin to do this, didn’t you? This is inappropriate!"

Zhang Yun felt miserable. He had almost lost control in there. If they had actually done the deed, it wouldn’t matter much to him as a man, but if word got out, Xiuxun would be drowned in people’s spit!

Auntie Pang coughed dryly. "Well... it was hundreds of thousands! Even if you found someone to settle it, you still had to call in a massive favor. For a woman like Xiuxun, how else could she repay you?"

Zhang Yun smiled bitterly. "I didn’t ask her to repay me. I just happened to run into it. If it were anyone else in the village, man or woman, I would have helped!"

"If it were some other pretty young wife or unmarried girl, I’d believe you’d go out of your way to help. But an old bachelor? Would you really?" Auntie Pang clearly didn’t buy it.

Zhang Yun was left speechless.

Auntie Pang handed him a slice of watermelon. "We talked it over on the way. Xiuxun knows you wouldn’t demand anything in return, but it weighed heavily on her. If she were the kind of person to just accept it without a second thought, you would be disappointed in her, and I’d look down on her too, wouldn’t I?

"It was my idea, and my lips are sealed! This was the only way she could find peace of mind; otherwise, she’d feel she owed you far too much! If the two of you develop feelings in the future, getting together wouldn’t be a big deal anyway."

Taking a bite of the melon, Zhang Yun calmed down a bit. "It’s really unnecessary. I didn’t even put in that much effort."

"Are you turning up your nose at Xiuxun?" Auntie Pang scrutinized him suspiciously.

"What era do you think we’re in? Of course not!" Zhang Yun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"Exactly, what era are we in? There wouldn’t be any problem if you two really got together."

Zhang Yun was terrified of her logic. Unable to win the argument, he hastily took two more bites of the watermelon, hopped on his bike, and fled.

Auntie Pang hurried into the cornfield and saw Xiuxun crouching on the ground, sobbing.

"Don’t be sad! It’s not that he despises or looks down on you. Did you see how his veins were popping? He must have been burning with, uh... lust.

"I reckon he’s just a virgin. He got so excited he finished in a shiver, and then lost his nerve.

"Come on, tie your clothes up properly... Hey? At least he got a look, so consider that repayment enough!"

It was Auntie Pang who came up with this idea on the road and strongly encouraged Xiuxun to go through with it. Now that it had failed, she had to work hard to comfort her and build back her confidence.

Zhang Yun sped all the way home, clear images still flashing through his mind. Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, it was up close and high-definition, far surpassing what he had seen last night.

Upon returning home, the first thing he did was head to the bathroom.

"What did you do in town? Why do you look so spaced out?" During dinner, Zhang Fu noticed his son seemed distracted.

Zhang Yun was startled. "I didn’t! What do you mean, spaced out? I was... Oh, right, did I tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Zhang Fu was baffled. "You holed up in the bathroom for half an hour as soon as you got back."

"Ahem..." Zhang Yun blushed and quickly changed the subject. "I bought some fish fry..."

Zhang Fu grew even more puzzled. "Weren’t you just going to town to buy a phone and fish fry?"

"I also bought a motorcycle..."

"A motorcycle? This one is still perfectly fine. Why buy another motorcycle!"

Zhang Yun replied, "Right! I thought about that too later, so I considered just buying a car. But thinking about family use, buying something that can haul cargo would be more practical..."

"Wake up!" Zhang Fu tapped his chopsticks. "Let’s stick to the motorcycle!"

He originally felt there was no need to spend this money; compared to a car, a motorcycle was still cheaper.

"Yun," Zhang Fu lowered his voice. "Are you... thinking about girls?"

Zhang Yun felt a wave of embarrassment. "What are you talking about?"

"You’ve grown up. It’s completely normal to think about girls, hehe!"

Discussing this topic with peers would be lively, but with his dad, it was just awkward. Zhang Yun quickly deflected. "I arranged for the motorcycle to be delivered to our door. I originally wanted to return it and buy a car, but if you like it, we can keep it. I’ll go sort out the fish fry in a bit!"

"Hehe, don’t worry. In our poor area, it hasn’t reached the point where you absolutely must have a car. Having a motorcycle is good enough."

Zhang Yun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. His dad had completely gotten the wrong idea! Did he think he bought a motorcycle and wanted a car just to have better conditions for blind dates and courting girls?

"I’m going to tell you something, but don’t tell anyone else!"

Seeing his son turn serious, Zhang Fu’s heart immediately leaped into his throat. "Think it through before you speak..."

"Huh?"

"Go ahead and say it..."

Zhang Fu was extremely nervous now. Such a serious tone meant it had to be something extraordinary. Could his son really have something going on with the pretty widow, Xiuxun? What if he really laid all his cards on the table? They would be gossiped about behind their backs by everyone!

"Actually, the soft-shelled turtle wasn’t caught in our fish pond. I know a place where there are more!" Zhang Yun laid some groundwork so he would have an excuse when he brought back more turtles in the future.

"Get to the main point." Zhang Fu didn’t care about turtles right now.

"Didn’t I dig up a ginseng? Actually, I found a place where there are even more old ginseng. I’ll slowly dig them up and sell them!"

Zhang Fu nodded. "The main point."

"Is this not the main point?" Zhang Yun found it a bit strange.

"That’s it?" Zhang Fu thought he was saying all this just as a build-up.

"Yeah!" Zhang Yun was thoroughly confused.

"Haha! Good! I get it. I won’t breathe a word to anyone, lest others find out!" Zhang Fu instantly relaxed. This was nothing; he could have just said it straight out. Why so serious?

After eating, Zhang Yun received a call about the fish fry delivery. He went to wait at the village entrance to guide them straight to the pond.

At this time, Zhang Lifeng made a voice call. As soon as Zhang Yun answered, he coldly snorted, "What did you promise me? Does your word count for nothing?"