Chapter 117: Zhuang Zhuang is a Man

The next morning, seeing that it was getting late, Yang Jia asked Mrs. Yang to bring him to Xiaoguo’s house. It was not appropriate for a man to go alone and knock on the door.

Mrs. Yang knew the reason for his request, so she didn’t refuse. Even if he didn’t mention it, Mrs. Yang was intending to bring him over.

They came to Xiaoguo’s house and knocked on the door.

After a while, Zhuang Zhuang’s voice sounded, asking them to wait for a while.

They could hear the sound of running feet approaching. Soon, someone was behind the door.

“Aunt!”

Zhuang Zhuang opened the door and greeted Mrs. Yang. He looked at the person beside Mrs. Yang and blinked. “Hello, Brother!”

Those who were not married had to be addressed as brother or sister. “Mother is always right!”

Zhuang Zhuang thought to himself.

His greeting made Mrs. Yang and Yang Jia so happy that they couldn’t stop smiling. Zhuang Zhuang was really good with his words.

“Where’s your mother?”

When Mrs. Yang was done laughing., she looked at Zhuang Zhuang’s face and asked.

Zhuang Zhuang opened the other door beside him to reveal Xiaoguo, who was cleaning up in one corner of the courtyard.

She was cleaning up the spot where the hut will be built. Although it was called a hut, it was actually a shed that could be locked. At first, she wanted to do it herself, but she was afraid that she couldn’t build a proper one. It wasn’t appropriate to call Qin Anming back to build it, so she thought it was better to find someone in the village to help her.

“Sister-in-law, come in!”

Xiaoguo heard the sounds behind her. So she turned around and told them to come in quickly.

When Zhuang Zhuang heard this, he moved aside and let them in.

Mrs. Yang rubbed Zhuang Zhuang’s head and led Yang Jia into the house.

Zhuang Zhuang remembered his mother’s words and left the door wide open. He kept an eye on the puppies so that they wouldn’t run out.

“Xiaoguo, this is Yang Jia. Yang Jia, you can call her sister-in-law.”

Mrs. Yang introduced them to each other. Xiaoguo nodded at Yang Jia and greeted him. Yang Jia also greeted her as Mrs. Jiang. He knew that she was Brother Danhe’s wife, so he called her Mrs. Jiang.

Xiaoguo acknowledged his greeting and looked at the obviously young boy in front of her. A boy?

He was a boy. It was obvious that he was young. At this age, he should be a high school child.

Xiaoguo didn’t wish to judge a book by its cover. But could such a young child move a wooden plank?

Before Xiaoguo could suspect anything, Yang Jia had already displayed his abilities. Indeed, he had not spent three years in the military camp for nothing.

As soon as he entered the house, he got to work. He first took measurements and calculated the number of wooden planks needed before heading out to buy them.

There were plank shops in the village. One of the shops used to be in the timber business. Now that the man had returned, it was open for business again.

Yang Jia went to the wood seller’s house alone and moved four large planks and a small board back to Xiaoguo’s house. He put the items on credit so that Xiaoguo could settle the payment.

Xiaoguo nodded in agreement. She didn’t expect Yang Jia to be so reliable. It was better to keep the accounts separate so that things are clear cut, and confusion could be avoided.

Xiaoguo made a mental note to get the money settled in the afternoon.

The hut was easy to build. In fact, it was even easier than Xiaoguo had imagined. Within a day, it was all done.

Xiaoguo returned to the house and took out five taels of silver. After Yang Jia was done washing his hands, Xiaoguo handed him the money.

“See if it’s enough. I’m just following the market rate in the county. Check if the amount is correct.”

Yang Jia took it and was shocked. Why was there so much?

“No need, no need! Two taels of silver is enough.”

He took the two taels of silver and handed the remaining three taels back.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Five taels is just right! Keep it!”

Yang Jia wouldn’t accept it. No matter what, he didn’t want it. He insisted on stuffing it back into Xiaoguo’s hands.

Although money was good to have, he could not go against his conscience. At most, he should be paid two taels. He would not take a single cent more.

Just as the two of them were arguing, Zhuang Zhuang happened to come across a verse that he did not understand. He came out with his book and was going to ask Xiaoguo about it.

As soon as he came out, he saw the two of them pulling and pushing each other. Zhuang Zhuang thought that his mother was being bullied. He instantly exploded and rushed over to push Yang Jia away. He shouted, “You can’t bully my mother!”

Xiaoguo and Yang Jia were both stunned by the imposing voice.

Xiaoguo hugged the angry Zhuang Zhuang and apologized to Yang Jia apologetically. “I’m sorry. Zhuang Zhuang doesn’t understand what’s going on.”

Yang Jia reacted and laughed out loud. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Zhuang Zhuang is quite protective of you. Haha!”

Xiaoguo felt warm inside, but she still smiled apologetically.

Zhuang Zhuang realized that he had misunderstood Yang Jia, so he quickly apologized to Yang Jia.

A true man should own up to his mistakes.

Yang Jia expressed that it was fine and accepted Zhuang Zhuang’s apology. In fact, he didn’t think much of it at all. It was Xiaoguo who told him to accept the boy’s apology. Being young was not an excuse for making mistakes.

Yang Jia instantly understood Xiaoguo’s intentions, so he accepted Zhuang Zhuang’s apology and let bygones be bygones.

After which, Xiaoguo insisted on giving him the remaining three taels of silver. Yang Jia was still not prepared to accept it. Xiaoguo rolled her eyes and handed the money to Zhuang Zhuang. She asked him to act cute and give the money to Yang Jia. This way, he wouldn’t be able to reject her.

Zhuang Zhuang immediately understood what Xiaoguo meant. He took the silver and stuffed it into Yang Jia’s hands. He kept looking at Yang Jia with his big round eyes, making it difficult for him to refuse.

Yang Jia paused and sighed as he took the silver.

When he saw the poetry collection that Zhuang Zhuang was holding, his eyes lit up.

“Zhuang Zhuang, is this poetry book yours?”

Zhuang Zhuang looked down and nodded. It was his.

Xiaoguo also looked at the poetry collection. She blinked twice and looked at Yang Jia in confusion. What about the poetry collection?

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I like reading too. I’ve always liked all kinds of poetry, so I couldn’t help myself when I saw it.”

Yang Jia scratched his head and said embarrassedly.

Xiaoguo nodded in understanding. “I see.”

Zhuang Zhuang’s eyes blinked as he looked at Yang Jia. “I still have many others, I can lend them to you, but you must take care not to wrinkle the books. How about that?”

Zhuang Zhuang also liked poetry very much. He was very happy to meet someone who also liked to read. Since Yang Jia had similar interests as him, he was willing to share his poetry books.

Yang Jia was also very happy. He could not help but feel a little excited. However, he knew that he should not agree impulsively. He had to get Xiaoguo’s permission first. Hence, he looked up at Xiaoguo.

Xiaoguo looked at Yang Jia and guessed what he was thinking. She nodded. “The books belong to Zhuang Zhuang, so he has the right to decide.”

This meant that Zhuang Zhuang had full authority.

Yang Jia thanked her profusely and Zhuang Zhuang dragged him into the house. They went to the bookshelf that Xiaoguo had gotten for Zhuang Zhuang, and Yang Jia was asked to choose the books he wanted to read.

Yang Jia was stunned as soon as he entered the room. His jaw dropped in shock. The wall was filled with books. From left to right, they were arranged in a neat and organized manner.

There were all kinds of books in different genres. Yang Jia’s eyes were almost unable to keep up. Wasn’t this a small library! It was amazing!