Chapter 69: Drinking Tea with Yang Xiaoyun

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Drinking Tea with Yang Xiaoyun

Zhang Yun had only taught them a small lesson as a warning; he hadn’t been nearly as ruthless as he was with Li Bing.

As he rode his motorcycle out of the alley, he heard someone calling from a building by the road.

"Zhang Yun! Stop for a moment!"

Zhang Yun was a bit surprised. Did a former classmate live around here? He couldn’t recall. He planted his foot on the ground and looked up, only to see Yang Xiaoyun.

"The door is on this side. Come on in and have some tea!" Yang Xiaoyun called out.

Since he needed to kill time anyway, Zhang Yun rode around the side of the house. The first floor facing the street was rented out as storefronts, while the main entrance was on the other side.

The courtyard gate was left slightly ajar. Zhang Yun pushed his motorcycle inside, parked it, and saw that Yang Xiaoyun had already come downstairs and opened the main door.

"Teacher Yang, so this is where you live! It’s actually not that far from the middle school," he said.

"This is my parents’ house. It was newly built a few years ago; it wasn’t here when you were still a student."

Yang Xiaoyun led Zhang Yun inside. Having just finished looking over the house, Zhang Yun only now realized that she had run out wearing nothing but her pajamas!

"Have a seat anywhere. I’ll brew some tea for you," she offered.

"There’s no need, I’d feel bad bothering you. Boiled water is fine," Zhang Yun replied politely.

"It’s no trouble."

"Where are the two little ones?"

"My mom took them over to a relative’s house."

After exchanging these pleasantries, Zhang Yun confirmed that no one else was home. No wonder the courtyard gate was ajar while the main door was closed.

"Teacher Yang, your eyesight is way too good. You spotted me just as I was passing by. It seems that if any of your students try to pull any little tricks, they can never escape your all-seeing eyes!" Zhang Yun jokingly complimented her.

He thought it was too much of a coincidence, unless Yang Xiaoyun had been incredibly bored and was just staring out at the road. But given that she was in her pajamas, she must have been taking a midday nap.

He suddenly realized, "Pajamas... Mother of God!"

Yang Xiaoyun had grabbed some tea leaves and was standing across the coffee table from Zhang Yun. Right at that moment, she bent over to pour the hot water and brew the tea. The loose neckline of her pajamas fell wide open...

Zhang Yun instantly felt dizzy and lightheaded!

Even when he had seen her on the street yesterday, she had been an incredibly eye-catching presence. Now, she was hovering right in front of him, offering teasing, partially exposed glimpses...

"You have the nerve to say that!" Yang Xiaoyun looked up and rolled her eyes at him. "I just tried to voice-call you and you didn’t even pick up!"

"Huh? You did?" Zhang Yun stared blankly. Right now, his eyes and mind were entirely focused on only one thing...

Yang Xiaoyun finished steeping the tea and sat down opposite him. "Is your phone on silent?"

"I think so." Zhang Yun, who had completely forgotten to breathe just a moment ago, finally took a deep breath.

He took out his phone to check and saw that she had indeed called. "You were looking for me?"

He thought, "Wait! It’s way too much of a coincidence for her to call my phone right at that exact moment. She must have seen me."

Zhang Yun mentally reviewed the angles she could have seen from her house. He had just been by the roadside, but if she had looked from the other side of the building, she would have had a clear view of the riverbank!

"What you guys were doing just now... I saw all of it," Yang Xiaoyun said, pointing toward the front gate.

"Ha, about that..." Zhang Yun smiled. "You don’t think I was bullying them, do you?"

Yang Xiaoyun shook her head. "I was taking a nap in my room and was woken up by a motorcycle. I watched those kids and thought they looked suspicious. Later, when I saw someone approaching, I grabbed my phone to record a video. It was only after I zoomed in that I realized it was you."

Zhang Yun shrugged helplessly. "I was playing at the internet cafe over there. Those brats are up to no good; they saw my new bike, stole it, and demanded three thousand yuan in ransom. Honestly, it’s kind of impressive that they even knew how to hotwire it..."

"They were definitely in the wrong..." Yang Xiaoyun hesitated.

Because she had recognized Zhang Yun, she had hurriedly called his phone. When he didn’t answer, she ran to the balcony to stop him, intending to offer some guidance. But Zhang Yun was an adult now, no longer a junior high student. She had to be tactful about it.

Zhang Yun saw right through her. "Do you think my methods were too harsh?"

Yang Xiaoyun stood up and leaned over to pour him some tea.

"I can do it, I can do it..." Zhang Yun hurriedly stood up and lifted his cup.

But by doing this, the distance became even shorter and the angle even better... Zhang Yun was genuinely worried that he might get a nosebleed! The weather was just too dry today...

After pouring the cup of tea, Yang Xiaoyun seemed more composed.

"For kids like that, it’s appropriate to use certain methods. As long as you don’t go too far, it’s fine. I just saw you..."

By saying this much, she had basically made her point clear. She knew Zhang Yun would understand.

Zhang Yun took a long breath, realizing he had forgotten to breathe yet again. "Don’t worry, Teacher Yang, I knew my limits. I deliberately used small willow branches; they sting the skin terribly but don’t cause any real physical harm. Pinning them to the ground was just to leave a deeper impression."

"Is that so?"

"Of course! They’re still young, so I only gave them a minor punishment as a warning. Their faces got muddy, so I considerately made them go down into the river to wash up."

Yang Xiaoyun let out a PFFT and burst out laughing. Forcing them to jump into the river was being described as "considerate"!

"You aren’t much older than they are, but I can tell you’re far more mature."

Zhang Yun laughed. "Isn’t that all thanks to your excellent teaching back then? I am now perfectly upright and morally spotless!"

"Stop being so glib! I only taught your class for a few days."

Yang Xiaoyun glared at him in feigned anger, looking incredibly alluring. Watching her, Zhang Yun secretly inhaled sharply. This was his teacher!

"I’m being serious with you! You might know your limits, but your actions still crossed the line. If they decided to sue you and press charges, or if someone else saw and filmed it, you would be in a lot of trouble!"

Zhang Yun nodded. "Makes sense. Next time, I’ll find an even more secluded spot."

"..." Yang Xiaoyun couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

Zhang Yun chuckled, "Haha! I understand what you mean. Thank you for your concern, Teacher Yang. It’s fine. Worst comes to worst, I’ll pay them a little medical compensation. If it can save a few delinquent teenagers, it’s entirely worth it."

Yang Xiaoyun felt a bit helpless. "Alright then. You’re fully grown now."

Zhang Yun secretly added in his mind, "You’re definitely much bigger now..."

"By the way, didn’t the ’Teacher-Grandpa’ come back with you?"

"’Teacher-Grandpa’?" Yang Xiaoyun was extremely surprised. "You know... my dad?"

"Uh... A male teacher’s wife is the ’Teacher-Mother’. Since the masculine form of that honorific usually means ’Grandpa’, shouldn’t a female teacher’s husband be the ’Teacher-Grandpa’?" Zhang Yun felt a bit awkward. His instinct had just been to pair the male and female terms.

Yang Xiaoyun instantly burst out laughing. "You! You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you? The correct term is ’Teacher-Husband’!"

"Is it? I suppose so... A ’Teacher-Grandpa’ is actually the teacher’s teacher."

Yang Xiaoyun sighed slightly and said softly, "I’m divorced..."

Divorced? Without thinking, Zhang Yun blurted out, "Good for you!"

"Hmm?"

"I mean, there are benefits to getting divorced..."

Yang Xiaoyun smiled. "These are adult matters. You don’t have to pretend to understand when you don’t."

"I am very much an adult!"

"Even if you’re grown, you’re still just a big kid."

Zhang Yun thought to himself that as long as he could do adult things, it was perfectly fine.

Yang Xiaoyun had been in a rush to stop him purely to discuss that earlier incident face-to-face. She wanted to prevent him from acting impulsively in the future and accidentally causing a disaster. Once that was out of the way, the rest of their conversation shifted into lighthearted, casual chatting.

Yesterday at noon, they had been on the street, her two children were present, and she hadn’t been overly familiar with Zhang Yun. Because of this, Yang Xiaoyun had been somewhat reserved and only exchanged basic pleasantries.

Now that they were in her home with no one else around, she felt like she was getting to know Zhang Yun all over again. They comfortably reminisced about the teachers and the principal from their town’s middle school, along with amusing anecdotes from those days.

Today, Zhang Yun also played the part of a polite, slightly awkward guest. He was consistently modest and courteous, but he purposefully never poured the tea himself—just so he could wait for Teacher Yang to lean over and pour it for him...

HONK! The sharp sound of a car horn came from outside.

Zhang Yun felt a wave of regret. Her family had returned, so he wouldn’t feel right staying for more tea. Just as he was about to take his leave, he noticed Yang Xiaoyun frowning. She looked distinctly displeased.

He thought, "Could it be... Did she recognize that as her ex-husband’s car?"