Chapter 30: Love Letter

Zhao Tieying carried Zhou Momo away to take a bath, while Zhou Yan took a small bucket and gathered the several eels on the ground into it.

To be fair, there were five eels, and every single one of them was two to three catties in weight.

【Five high-quality, plump, and delicious wild eels】

A line of remarks flashed by.

Purely natural wild eels, golden-yellow and bursting with vitality.

These must have been caught by Zhou Lihui; Fanwa and Momo weren't capable of such a feat. That boy certainly had a talent for these things.

Eels could be made into braised eel, shredded eel in Linjiang style, stir-fried eel... many classic dishes flashed through Zhou Yan's mind.

He had eaten them before, but he truly didn't know how to cook them.

"Comrade Zhou Yan."

Just as he finished catching the eels, a voice came from behind him.

Zhou Yan turned around 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 shop. He was about the same height as Zhou Yan, with wheat-colored skin and a buzz cut, looking quite sunny.

"Hello, classmate. Is there something I can help you with?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile, holding the bucket.

"My name is Ma Xingye. Are you on very good terms with classmate Xia Yao?" Ma Xingye asked, looking at Zhou Yan, his hand by his side subconsciously clenching into a fist.

"Xia Yao and I... are on pretty good terms," Zhou Yan nodded.

He and Xia Yao were essentially life-and-death friends; although they didn't interact much, their relationship was indeed quite good.

Could this classmate Ma be a suitor of Xia Yao's?

Was he here to confront him in person because he felt Xia Yao was close to him?

While eating earlier, he seemed to glance toward Xia Yao frequently; it was almost certain.

Zhou Yan glanced at his strong biceps, which showed obvious signs of training; if they actually fought, he might not be a match.

"Uh, classmate Ma, actually, Xia Yao and I..." Zhou Yan intended to explain the situation.

"I know, you are a perfect match, a match made in heaven." Ma Xingye forced a smile and rubbed his hands together. "Brother Zhou, I just want to ask a favor of you."

"Huh?" Zhou Yan was a bit bewildered.

Ma Xingye had already pulled out an envelope and handed it over with both hands: "Please help me deliver this letter to classmate Xia Yao, and have her pass it on to classmate Deng Hong."

Zhou Yan looked at the blushing Ma Xingye.

*Wait, why the hell are you blushing?*

*And who on earth is Deng Hong?*

"Deng Hong is Xia Yao's roommate and her best friend. She was sitting at the same table as her for lunch today—the one who looks very cute," Ma Xingye explained hurriedly, seemingly sensing Zhou Yan's confusion.

Zhou Yan knew who she was now—the petite, plump girl beside Xia Yao with a round face.

She was quite cute, talkative, and had an extroverted personality.

He hadn't expected this kid to be into that type.

"Oh, a love letter." Zhou Yan looked at the letter, then looked at Ma Xingye in confusion. "Why don't you just give it to classmate Deng Hong directly, or ask Xia Yao to pass it for you?"

"I... I..." Ma Xingye scratched his head awkwardly. "I don't dare."

*Look at you, all big and strong, and you have no backbone?!*

Zhou Yan complained silently in his heart.

Delivering a love letter for someone was a rare occurrence; the last time he had done it was back in middle school.

After all, more often than not, it was others delivering love letters to him.

Regardless, it was better than a physical brawl with an unknown romantic rival.

"Alright, I'll help you deliver it," Zhou Yan accepted the task.

"Brother Zhou, thank you! From now on, you're my big brother!" Ma Xingye looked ecstatic.

"I'm only responsible for delivering it, not for its success."

"I understand."

Zhou Yan washed his hands and dried them on his apron before taking the letter.

Ma Xingye left happily, even making a basketball shooting gesture as he walked away.

Having never been in a relationship in either of his two lifetimes, Zhou Yan didn't quite understand the feeling.

After all, he couldn't even provide for his own sense of security, so he truly couldn't provide enough security for a girl.

What was love?

It would only slow down his ability to make money.

As Zhou Yan was contemplating when to give the letter to Xia Yao, he spotted three girls sitting on a bench on the distant river embankment; one of them, seen from behind, was indeed Xia Yao.

He was thick-skinned and wouldn't blush when talking to girls.

So, he took the letter and walked toward the river.

"Xia Yao."

Xia Yao, Deng Hong, and Zhu Yuyu were sitting by the river, enjoying the breeze and chatting. Hearing his voice, she turned around to see Zhou Yan holding an envelope and looking at her with a smile.

"I have something I want to talk to you about," Zhou Yan said.

"What is he holding? Could it be a love letter?" Deng Hong gossiped in a low voice.

"Could it be that he knows we're leaving tomorrow and wants to confess to Yao Yao? He even prepared the letter in advance!" Zhu Yuyu was also somewhat excited.

"Stop talking nonsense." Xia Yao gave them a reproachful glare and stood up to walk toward Zhou Yan.

"Let's go over there," Zhou Yan said, glancing at the gossiping duo who were poking their heads out and straining their ears.

Especially that round-faced girl, whose butt had already left the chair, looking as if she wanted to stretch her neck right over to them.

"Okay." Xia Yao nodded and followed Zhou Yan toward a large tree nearby.

*Is he... really going to confess to me?*

Xia Yao had received many love letters since she was a child, but she had never been this nervous.

Her heart was beating so fast!

*Thump! Thump!*

Her mind was a mess, already debating whether she should refuse or accept.

If she refused, how could she do it gracefully?

Deng Hong's words echoed in her ears: "Yao Yao, why don't you consider it... if you marry him, you'll be happy to death for the rest of your life."

*That's true, his braised ribs are delicious, and his beef soup is delicious too...*

Xia Yao looked at Zhou Yan standing under the tree. The autumn sunlight filtered through the sparse leaves, falling on his smiling face, making everything seem a bit softer.

If she had to choose someone to live her life with in the future, he seemed like a good choice.

"Zhou Yan."

"Xia Yao."

Both spoke at the same time.

"You... you go first," Xia Yao instinctively grabbed the hem of her skirt.

Her aunt's warnings, the four thousand miles of distance, the gap in their family backgrounds—at this moment, none of it seemed that important.

"This love letter." Zhou Yan handed the letter over.

Xia Yao hesitated for a moment before solemnly taking it with both hands. "Actually, I..."

"A boy from your department named Ma Xingye asked me to give this to you, and then have you pass it to classmate Deng Hong," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"...Huh?" Xia Yao froze, the words dying in her throat. Then, seeing "To Classmate Deng Hong" written on the envelope, her face flushed instantly.

*What on earth!*

*Xia Yao, what were you thinking?*

Her mind was in total chaos; she felt both relieved that she didn't have to make a choice and a strange sense of disappointment.

"He looks so big and strong, but I didn't expect him to be so timid that he had to ask me, a third party, to help him deliver a love letter." Zhou Yan laughed easily, looking at the slightly blushing Xia Yao. "By the way, you just said 'actually, I...' what?"

"No... it's nothing." Xia Yao quickly regained her composure. She waved the letter in her hand and smiled. "Then I'll go give it to Little Deng. She's actually had a crush on Ma Xingye for a long time; I didn't expect him to actually confess with a love letter."

"Really?" Zhou Yan was somewhat surprised, but mostly happy. "That's wonderful. A love where both sides are moving toward each other will have a beautiful outcome."

"A love where both sides are moving toward each other." Xia Yao repeated the phrase in her mind as she watched Zhou Yan, then turned to walk back toward the river.

"What on earth are they talking about behind our backs? Will Yao Yao agree?"

"Hard to say. Yao Yao's dream is to be a designer, after all. If she marries into this small town, would she have to give up her dream?"

Zhu Yuyu and Deng Hong sat on the bench, anxious and fidgeting, until they saw Xia Yao walking toward them with a beaming smile, holding the letter.

"Yao Yao, did you agree?" Zhu Yuyu jumped up instantly.

"She's smiling so sweetly, she must have agreed." Deng Hong couldn't wait to rush forward. "Yao Yao, quick, see what's written in the letter! We're dying of curiosity!"

"Agree to what? This isn't for me." Xia Yao smiled and handed the letter to Deng Hong. "This is a love letter Ma Xingye wrote for you. He asked Zhou Yan to give it to me, so I could pass it to you."

"Comrade Deng Hong, your favorite, Ma Xingye, has confessed to you."

Deng Hong's expression and movements froze instantly. Her eyes gradually widened as she looked at the letter in Xia Yao's hand in disbelief, murmuring, "Ma Xingye wrote it? For me? He confessed to me!"

"Good heavens!" Zhu Yuyu was also stunned, but quickly became excited. "Deng Hong! Your dream has come true!"

"A love where both sides are moving toward each other, how wonderful." Xia Yao smiled and tucked the letter into Deng Hong's hand. "Quick, open it and see what he wrote."

"Bestie, let's read it together!" With red eyes, Deng Hong tore open the letter, her hands trembling.

...

By the time Sister-in-law Zhao Hong returned with the two children, they had already been washed clean by the river.

The older one was wearing a smock, and the younger one was wrapped in an apron.

It didn't look like they had been punished harshly; they even had smiles on their faces when they returned.

Zhou Momo had taken a bath and changed her clothes. Her hair was half-dry from being wiped with a towel, and she had warmed up in front of the stove for a while. She looked disheveled and fuzzy, like a startled little kitten.

"Huihui, Fanwa, Mama said we're having braised eel tonight, and we'll go catching more next time!" Zhou Momo said to the two in a milky voice.

"Okay," Huihui and Fanwa nodded.

"You dare!" Zhao Hong glared at the two of them but couldn't help laughing.

After a simple lunch, Zhou Yan pushed his bicycle out to go grocery shopping.

"Xia Yao is returning to Shancheng early tomorrow morning. When you're wandering around the town later, buy some peanut brittle for her to take back. That girl is such a good person," Zhao Tieying said, following him out.

"Will do," Zhou Yan replied, pedaling his bicycle away.

Zhou Yan first bought beef and ribs, then turned toward the pier. Seeing Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai tidying up the dishes, he parked his bicycle in front of the stall and said with a smile, "Brother Jie, Brother Hai, my soup stall is starting to sell."