Free Web NovelChapter 36: Chapter 30: Love Letter
Zhao Tieying took Zhou Momo off for a bath, while Zhou Yan got a small bucket and put all the eels from the floor inside.
And they were a decent size, too. Five eels, each weighing a good three to five ounces.
[Five high-quality, plump wild eels]
A line of text flashed past.
Pure, natural wild eels. They were a shimmering yellow and full of life.
’Zhou Lihui must have caught these. Fanwa and Momo aren’t this skilled. That kid has a real talent for this stuff.’
Braised eel, Linjiang Shanshi, stir-fried eel... A number of classic dishes already flashed through Zhou Yan’s mind.
’He’d eaten them before, but he didn’t actually know how to cook them.’
"Zhou Yan."
He had just finished gathering the eels when a voice called out from behind him.
Zhou Yan turned to see a tall young man walking toward him. It was the student from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute who had just eaten in the restaurant. He was about the same height as Zhou Yan, with tan skin, a buzz cut, and a cheerful, athletic air.
"Hello," Zhou Yan said with a slight smile, holding the bucket. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"My name is Ma Xingye," he said, looking at Zhou Yan. "You and Xia Yao... you’re pretty close, aren’t you?" The hand hanging by his side subconsciously clenched into a fist.
"Xia Yao and I... we get along pretty well, I suppose," Zhou Yan nodded.
’He and Xia Yao had been through a life-or-death situation together. Even though they hadn’t spent much time together, their bond was definitely solid.’
’Could this Ma be one of Xia Yao’s admirers?’
’Does he think I’m too close to Xia Yao, so he’s here to pick a fight with me in real life?’
’During lunch, I saw him looking over at Xia Yao’s table pretty often. I’m almost certain of it.’
Zhou Yan glanced at the guy’s powerful biceps. They showed clear signs of training. ’If it came to a real fight, I’m not sure I’d be his match.’ freewēbnoveℓ.com
"Um, Ma, actually, Xia Yao and I..." Zhou Yan started to explain the situation.
"I know, I know. A talented man and a beautiful woman—you two are a match made in heaven." Ma Xingye forced a smile and rubbed his hands together. "Zhou, I just wanted to ask you for a favor."
"Huh?" Zhou Yan was a little confused.
Ma Xingye had already pulled out an envelope and was holding it out with both hands. "Please, could you help me give this letter to Xia Yao, and ask her to pass it along to Deng Hong?"
Zhou Yan looked at Ma Xingye, whose face was a little red.
’What the hell? What are you blushing for?’
’And also, who the heck is Deng Hong?’
"Deng Hong is Xia Yao’s roommate and good friend. She was sitting at her table at lunch today—the really cute one," Ma Xingye explained hurriedly, seeming to notice Zhou Yan’s confusion.
Zhou Yan remembered who he was talking about now. She was the petite, pleasantly plump girl with the round face who’d been sitting next to Xia Yao.
’She’s pretty cute, a real chatterbox, and seems pretty extroverted.’
’Didn’t think he’d be into her type.’
"Oh, a love letter," Zhou Yan said, looking from the envelope to Ma Xingye, confused. "Why don’t you give it to Deng Hong yourself? Or just ask Xia Yao to pass it along?"
"I... I..." Ma Xingye scratched his head, embarrassed. "I’m too scared."
’For a guy so big and tall, you’ve got no guts at all, do you?!’
Zhou Yan silently roasted him.
’Delivering a love letter for someone else... how novel. The last time I did something like this was back in middle school.’
’After all, I was usually the one receiving love letters, not delivering them.’
’Either way, this was better than getting into a brawl with some random love rival.’
"Alright, I’ll pass it on for you," Zhou Yan agreed.
"Zhou, thank you! You’re the man!" Ma Xingye was ecstatic.
"I’ll pass it on, but I can’t guarantee she’ll say yes."
"I understand."
Zhou Yan washed his hands and dried them on his apron before taking the love letter.
Ma Xingye left in high spirits, even pantomiming a jump shot as he walked away.
Having never been in a relationship in either of his two lifetimes, Zhou Yan didn’t really understand the feeling.
’After all, he could barely provide himself with a sense of security; there was no way he could give a girl the security she deserved.’
’What is love, anyway?’
’It would only slow down my money-making.’
Just as Zhou Yan was wondering when to give the letter to Xia Yao, he spotted three girls sitting on a bench on the riverbank in the distance. From the back, one of them looked just like Xia Yao.
He was thick-skinned; talking to girls didn’t make him blush.
So, letter in hand, he headed for the riverbank.
"Xia Yao."
Xia Yao, Deng Hong, and Zhu Yuyu were sitting by the river, chatting and enjoying the breeze. When she heard her name, Xia Yao turned to see Zhou Yan walking over, an envelope in his hand and a smile on his face.
"There’s something I wanted to talk to you about," Zhou Yan said.
"What’s that in his hand? Don’t tell me it’s a love letter," Deng Hong whispered, ready for gossip.
"Maybe he knows we’re leaving tomorrow, so he’s going to confess to Yaoyao? He even has the letter ready and everything!" Zhu Yuyu was also getting excited.
"Don’t be ridiculous," Xia Yao said, shooting them a mock-annoyed glare before getting up and walking toward Zhou Yan.
"Let’s talk over there," Zhou Yan suggested, glancing at the gossiping duo who were craning their necks and straining to listen.
The round-faced girl, in particular, was practically lifting off her seat, as if she wished she could stretch her neck all the way over to them.
"Okay," Xia Yao nodded and followed Zhou Yan towards a large tree nearby.
’Is he... Is he really going to confess to me?’
Xia Yao had received plenty of love letters over the years, but she had never been this nervous before.
’My heart is beating so fast!’
THUMP! THUMP!
’Her mind was a whirlwind. Should she say no? Or yes?’
’If I say no, how can I let him down easy?’
Deng Hong’s words rang in her ears: "Yaoyao, you should really think about it... If you married him, you’d be happy for the rest of your life."
’That’s right, his braised pork ribs are so good, and the Kneeling Beef is delicious too...’
Xia Yao looked at Zhou Yan standing under the tree. The autumn sunlight filtered through the sparse leaves, falling on his gently smiling face and seeming to soften his features.
’If I had to choose someone to spend the rest of my life with, he... wouldn’t be a bad choice.’
"Zhou Yan."
"Xia Yao."
The two spoke at the same time.
"You... you go first," Xia Yao said, subconsciously clutching the hem of her skirt.
’Her aunt’s warning, the vast distance between them, the gap in their family backgrounds... none of it seemed to matter so much in that moment.’
"This love letter..." Zhou Yan began, holding out the envelope.
Xia Yao hesitated for a moment before solemnly taking the letter with both hands. "Actually, I..."
"It’s from a guy in your department, Ma Xingye. He asked me to give it to you so you could pass it along to Deng Hong," Zhou Yan said with a gentle smile.
"...Huh?" Xia Yao froze, the words dying on her lips. Then she saw the inscription on the envelope: *To Deng Hong*. Her face instantly flushed red.
’What in the world!’
’Xia Yao, what on earth were you thinking?’
Her mind was in turmoil. She felt a wave of relief at not having to make a decision, but it was mixed with an inexplicable sense of disappointment.
"He’s so tall and imposing, but who would’ve thought he’d be so timid? He had to ask me to be a messenger for his messenger to deliver a love letter," Zhou Yan said with a relaxed laugh, looking at Xia Yao’s faintly flushed face. "By the way, what were you about to say?"
"It’s... nothing." Xia Yao quickly composed herself. She held up the letter with a smile. "Well, I’ll go give this to Deng. She’s actually had a secret crush on Ma Xingye for a while now. I can’t believe he’s confessing to her."
"Really?" Zhou Yan was surprised, but mostly, he was happy for them. "That’s wonderful. A love where both people feel the same way... that’s bound to have a happy ending."
"’A love where both people feel the same way...’" Xia Yao looked at Zhou Yan, repeating the phrase to herself, before turning to walk back toward the river.
"What on earth are they talking about over there? Do you think Yaoyao will say yes?"
"It’s hard to say. Yaoyao’s dream is to be a designer, after all. If she married him and settled down in this little town, would she have to give up on that?"
Zhu Yuyu and Deng Hong were practically on pins and needles, and then they saw Xia Yao walking back toward them, letter in hand, a gentle smile playing on her lips.
"Yaoyao, did you say yes?" Zhu Yuyu shot to her feet.
"That smile is so sweet, she must have said yes," Deng Hong said, rushing forward eagerly. "Yaoyao, let’s see what the letter says! We’re both dying to know."
"Say yes to what? It’s not for me," Xia Yao said with a laugh, holding the letter out to Deng Hong. "It’s a love letter from Ma Xingye... to you. He asked Zhou Yan to give it to me so I could give it to you."
"Well, Miss Deng, your favorite person, Ma Xingye, has confessed to you."
Deng Hong froze, her eyes widening in disbelief as she stared at the letter in Xia Yao’s hand. She murmured, "Ma Xingye wrote this? For me? He’s confessing to me!"
"Celestial Bodhisattva!" Zhu Yuyu was stunned for a moment, then became thrilled. "Deng Hong! Your dream came true!"
"A love where both people feel the same way. It’s so wonderful," Xia Yao said, smiling as she pressed the letter into Deng Hong’s hand. "Go on, open it and see what he wrote."
"Best friends read together!" Deng Hong said, her eyes welling up as she tore open the letter with trembling hands.
...
By the time Mrs. Zhao Hong brought the two kids back, she had already washed them up by the river.
The older one was wearing a smock, while the younger one was wrapped in an apron.
It didn’t look like she’d been too hard on them; they even came back smiling.
Zhou Momo, having bathed and changed, had her hair towel-dried and then finished it off in front of the stove. It ended up all fluffy and wild, making her look like a little kitten with its fur standing on end.
"Huihui, Fanwa, Mommy said we’re having braised eel for dinner! Let’s go catch more next time!" Zhou Momo said to the two boys in her high-pitched, childish voice.
"Deal," Huihui and Fanwa nodded.
"You still dare!" Zhao Hong glared at them, but she couldn’t suppress a laugh.
After a simple lunch, Zhou Yan pushed his classic roadster bicycle out the door to go grocery shopping.
"Xia Yao is heading back to Mountain City early tomorrow morning," Zhao Tieying said, following him out. "When you’re in town, pick up some puffed rice candy for her to take with her. She’s such a sweet girl."
"Will do," Zhou Yan replied, hopping on his bike and pedaling away.
Zhou Yan first bought some beef and pork ribs, then headed over to the docks. He saw Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai clearing away dishes, so he parked his bike in front of their stall and called out with a smile, "Jie, Haizi, my hot pots have started selling."
