Lu Xiao Shu was afraid that he might expose her in the future. So, she hastily suggested, “Mother, I can lead them there! I know which tree can be cut down so that it won’t hurt the others.”
She looked at Miao Cui Lan anxiously.
Miao Cui Lan thought about it and nodded, “Alright. You can go, but be careful and don’t cause trouble!”
“Yes, Mother!” Lu Xiao Shu answered and smiled at Zhou Si politely, “Xiao Zhou, let’s go!”
Xiao Zhou…
Zhou Si’s mouth twitched slightly. Hmm… Why does my name sound awkward coming out of her lips?
“Alright! Aunt Lu, I’ll be off now!” Zhou Si nodded and smiled politely at Miao Cui Lan without bringing anything up.
“Go ahead! Just be careful!” Miao Cui Lan chuckled.
“Why is it you? You’re actually staying in my village?” Lu Xiao Shu asked with a sweet smile once they left.
Zhou Si smiled gently, “Why does it seem to me that you’re not quite happy about that?”
Lu Xiao Shu was shocked. Is it that obvious? Well, of course I’m not happy! You’re my savior, but being neighbors with my savior—it just feels so wrong!
Repaying him was another thing. She would never forget that she owe him a favor, but—
The thought just crossed her mind, and Zhou Si commented absentmindedly, “I’m your savior! I can’t believe that you’re not happy to have me around!”
Why did he have to bring that up?
Lu Xiao Shu stepped on a pebble which almost made her trip. She coughed a few times and stammered, “Who, who says? I, I just, just feel that… I don’t know how to repay you, so, so I feel bad about it!”
Zhou Si could not help laughing out loud. He looked at her and said, “You can stop worrying about that. We’ll be here for quite a while. It could be a year and a half or three years and a half. So, you have lots of chances to repay my kindness. There’s absolutely no rush.”
Lu Xiao Shu watched him smiling with that pair of sparkling eyes filled with brilliance. Suddenly, she said, “You looked better yesterday…”
It caught Zhou Si off guard and left him in laughter. His eyes narrowed into two tiny crescents as he cackled.
Lu Xiao Shu was a little annoyed at his laugh. She gave him a silent poker face.
Once Zhou Si was done laughing, he saw her obvious irritation and could not help laughing again. After calming down from the coughing and laughing, he finally said seriously, “I’m still the same person as yesterday. Don’t worry. I, Zhou, will not blackmail you with something like this! I just think that since we’re neighbors, we’ll be seeing each other a lot soon. Neighbors need to help each other out. Don’t you think so?”
Lu Xiao Shu tilted her head and gave it a thought. It sounded like he’s right, but at the same time, there was something wrong with it. There was a brief hesitation on her side before she nodded, “Right…”
“Alright. I have something that I need your help with now. Will you help me?” Lu Xiao Shu suddenly changed the topic and asked him with big googly eyes.
Zhou Si answered without a second thought, “If it’s within my capabilities, I’ll definitely help you out!”
Lu Xiao Shu smiled embarrassedly and stammered, “It’s, it’s about what happened yesterday. Can you not—”
“No problem!” Zhou Si did not wait for her to finish before saying immediately, “You’re worried that your mother would scold you, right? I won’t tell them about it! But that place is dangerous so you shouldn’t go there anymore! Oh, right. Who’s that little fat guy?”
Thinking of her with that fat boy, Zhou Si felt a little irritated about it. He put on a serious expression and said, “You’re a girl, and even if you know some martial arts, how can you simply go out and play with just anyone? It would reflect badly on you if someone sees it! You shouldn’t go out without a second thought!”
You’re not my parent. Why do you care? However, Lu Xiao Shu merely agreed since she needed his cooperation. She smiled, “That fat boy is your family. He’s Zhou Yuan. We just happened to take a stroll there. Usually, we don’t go to places so dangerous!”
Usually? We? Zhou Si glanced at the grinning Lu Xiao Shu. His mind got even more disturbed by the comment.
He was not sure why, but he just did not like the fact that this pretty little girl was spending time with that fat boy. Just the thought in itself seemed funny.
Lu Xiao Shu took a peek at Zhou Si’s expression. She saw slight anger, but there was a little smile too. How would she know how exactly he was feeling inside? Besides, she did not have the mood to ponder on that. She smiled, “Since what happened yesterday was in the past, it’s only natural that we don’t bring it up to my parents. Erm… and also, my parents— they don’t know that I know martial arts. Can you keep it from them too?”
Zhou Si was shocked by her words. He asked, “They don’t know about it?”
Lu Xiao Shu nodded, “Yup. I begged my brother to teach me a little. If my parents found out about this, they would for sure teach me a lesson for not acting like a girl! Anyway, I AM a girl. What’s with looking like a girl got to do with how I act like one?”
Lu Xiao Shu muttered slowly in the end.
Zhou Si chuckled at her and nodded, “Alright, I won’t tell them. I think it’s good for a girl to learn how to kick and punch to defend herself. Your parents are probably worried that you— Oh, where are we now? Which tree do you think I should chop down?”
Zhou Si wanted to say: Your parents are probably worried that you can’t get married. But it felt like it would sound like harassment to a girl, so he changed the topic.
Both of them kept talking as they walked. Unknowingly, they had reached the forest. Lu Xiao Shu looked around and pointed to the west. “Let’s go that way! I remember that there are a few suitable firs that can be chopped down and made into roof beams. Besides, that area isn’t a place with a water source. My parents wouldn’t mind. If anyone dares to cut down any trees around a water source, my mother would never let it go! Oh, right. Are you fine by yourself? Do you want to call your uncles to help?”
Zhou Si laughed, “My first uncle is buying some daily essentials in town while my second uncle is cutting grass to cover the roof. I can do it myself.”
Lu Xiao Shu nodded and led the way. She could not help imagining the handsome and tall Zhou Si swinging a heavy ax. It was a little funny and that made her laugh.
Zhou Si thought that her laugh was very random. He looked around and asked curiously, “What is it? What’s so funny?”
“It’s nothing. I just want to laugh!” Lu Xiao Shu’s laugh got louder.
They arrived on the west side, and as expected, there were a few straight fir trees with the thickness of a bowl’s diameter. Lu Xiao Shu said, “Cut the tree facing south so that it will fall to the south. That way, it won’t fall onto the other trees.” After saying that, she found a comfortable nook to sit and watch him work.
Naturally, Zhou Si would not ask her for help. He chopped while chatting with her. Lu Xiao Shu was a very easy-going person. She quickly got familiar with him through their chatter as if they had been friends for years.
Either it was the ax that was very sharp or Zhou Si’s skills that were precise and efficient. Soon, two trees snapped and fell.
Lu Xiao Shu was not paying attention and the sudden collapse of the tree scared her out of her wits. She jumped with a yelp before running over to compliment Zhou Si.
The branches on the ground were criss-crossed and Lu Xiao Shu almost tripped on them. Panic shot up in Zhou Si and he quickly dropped his ax, hurrying over to steady her. He smiled, “Be careful! The leaves have thorns. If you fall, you’ll look like a hedgehog after getting pricked. Besides, your mother would probably nag you if you made a tear in your clothes.”
Lu Xiao Shu was startled. She chuckled and clapped her hands, “You’re a bright one. I’m not worried about turning into a hedgehog. I’m only scared of my mother’s nagging. My mother’s scolding is worse than becoming a hedgehog!”
They both laughed at that.
“Ah Si, why are you here?”
A deep male voice came from behind. They turned around and saw a young man in an indigo outfit. He had huge eyes, thick lips and olive toned skin.
“Second Uncle!” Zhou Si smiled as he let go of Lu Xiao Shu’s arms. He said to the young man, “I saw that our roof beams don’t look like they can last much longer. So, I asked Aunt Lu if I could cut down two trees to fix it. What brings you here?”
While Lu Xiao Shu thought that Zhou Si’s skills were exceptional, this uncle must be even better. Who knew if he was someone great? Anyway, there would not be any disadvantages to cosy up to him. So, she smiled sweetly at him and greeted, “Second Uncle Zhou!”
Instead, this Second Uncle Zhou merely glanced at her and grunted an acknowledgement. He said to Zhou Si, “Since you’re done cutting the trees, you should go home first. Leave the rest to me. Young lady, it’s cold in the winter. You should go home too.”
Lu Xiao Shu was rarely nice to anyone. It was unexpected that he would react that way. She thought to herself: Boring! What’s with this Second Uncle Zhou? With his scowl, he looks like someone owes him a ton of money.
Suddenly, everything turned boring to her, so she scowled back and said, “Oh.” Without looking at Zhou Si, she turned and left them.
Zhou Si could see the obvious anger behind her eyes. He hastily shouted, “Xiao Shu! Xiao Shu! Wait up! I’ll walk you back!”
Before Lu Xiao Shu could say anything, Second Uncle Zhou said unhappily, “Ah Si, I have something to speak with you!”
Lu Xiao Shu pursed her lips and decided that she might as well pretend that she did not hear him. Without turning around, she simply walked away.
“Xiao Shu!”
“Ah Si!” Second Uncle Zhou got even stricter. It stopped Zhou Si.
Zhou Si was annoyed. He stopped in his tracked and explained respectfully, “Second Uncle, actually—”
“My burning question to you is, where did that girl come from? We had just moved in yesterday afternoon. How are you already so friendly with her?” Second Uncle Zhou asked disapprovingly. From a distance away, he was able to hear their laughter and that made him very upset.
Zhou Si quickly explained, “Her name is Lu Xiao Shu and she’s Aunt Lu’s youngest daughter! Second Uncle, we’re neighbors now. Why must you make things so awkward?”
Second Uncle Zhou replied sternly, “You can’t be too close with her. Don’t tell me that you need me to explain why! Besides, she’s a girl. You should know that we can’t afford a scandal. What if it turned into a huge problem? How will you deal with that?”
