Chapter 311 Seaside Outing
Ye Shenge’s eyes widened in surprise as she heard the words. This was a newly built courtyard, her future seaside home.
“When did you build it?”
Zi Yisheng whispered in Ye Shenge’s ear, savoring her emotion.
“I started building it the day you first said you wanted to play by the sea. From now on, whenever you want to come to the seaside, we’ll have a place to stay.”
Was Ye Shenge moved? She thought any woman would be touched by such a gesture, by a man who considered her so deeply.
Ye Shenge’s voice caught in her throat. Today had truly been an unforgettable experience for her.
“Thank you, thank you for doing so much for me.”
Taking advantage of the darkness and the fact that no one was paying attention to them, Zi Yisheng stole another kiss on the lips he had tasted earlier that day.
“Never say thank you to me.”
Ye Shenge couldn’t help but punch the chest of the man who had brought her to tears several times.
The courtyard was large, with at least ten rooms, all equipped with the basics like beds and bedding, enough for everyone to squeeze in and sleep tonight.
Ye Shenge didn’t have her own room either, so she had to share a very large bed with her mother, Grandma Bai, and Aunt Zhen. It was late, but no one could sleep.
Especially Ye Mama. The scene she had longed for in her past life had finally come true. Her daughter was engaged and would soon be married, having her own life, no longer needing to rack her brain just to live a few more years. She suddenly felt that coming to this world was a good thing.
“Daughter, now that you’re engaged, get along well with Zi Yisheng. I don’t think he can wait much longer; he’ll surely marry you as soon as you’re of age. A couple’s life is about compromise; you can’t let him always accommodate you. But you have a good temper, so it’s hard even if you want to quarrel.”
Grandma Bai, however, thought differently. She didn’t understand her daughter’s thoughts. Hadn’t she and her daughter always been doted on by their respective husbands?
“Nannan, don’t listen to your mother. When a man marries us, he should pamper us. Otherwise, what are they for? We don’t lack money or beauty. The reason we choose them is because they are good to us.
A truly doting man will tolerate you no matter how bad your temper is. If he changes later, it’s because he changed. We can just pack up and leave. Your own happiness is the most important thing.”
Ye Shenge, beside them, was still overwhelmed with emotion. Her grandmother’s and mother’s words barely registered.
Only Aunt Zhen thought of her own deceased husband. Pamper! She had never even heard of such a word. Living together was just about making ends meet; dreaming of more depended on whether one had the ability. It seemed that such things as love and pampering were only possible for the rich and powerful.
The next room was occupied by Ye Baba, Ye Mu’en, and Zi Yisheng. The atmosphere among these three was far from harmonious; the first two had completely lost the celebratory mood of the proposal, and were only exuding coldness.
Zi Yisheng sensed it but didn’t care. He had achieved his goal; getting engaged was like stamping his mark on her, and she wouldn’t be able to escape him in this lifetime. As for his future father-in-law and brother-in-law, as long as he played the victim a little and let his wife feel sorry for him, winning them over would be easy.
Zi Yisheng didn’t know how he fell asleep. He heard his father-in-law’s earnest advice and his brother-in-law’s threats but didn’t retain them. He immediately felt all his tense emotions relax.
When daylight broke the next day, Ye Shenge opened her eyes, dark circles under them. Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, she remembered what had kept her up all night, and a sweet smile involuntarily spread across her face.
Everyone else in the room was gone. Ye Shenge assumed they had woken up early to play by the sea, but when she stepped out of the room, she found no one there. She had no choice but to walk out of the courtyard with an unwashed face.
What greeted her eyes was the vast, rippling sea. The surface of the water was a bit dazzling under the sun. Ye Shenge shielded her eyes from the glare and walked step by step towards the sea.
The barbecue stall that had been set up last night was gone, leaving only the traces of the fireworks.
“You’re awake. Did you sleep well?”
A familiar voice came from behind her. Ye Shenge quickly turned around. Today, Zi Yisheng wasn’t wearing glasses, and he looked very different. How to put it, the glasses blocked a lot of the light in his eyes.
“Why are your eyes so dark? Didn’t you sleep well in a new environment?”
Zi Yisheng had been quite happy, but seeing the girl’s state, he felt a pang of heartache.
“It’s okay, I’ll just sleep a bit more at noon. It’s mainly because the surprise you gave me yesterday was too great. By the way, where is everyone else?”
Zi Yisheng dropped the dry branches he was holding and pulled Ye Shenge back.
“They’ve all gone back, saying they wanted to leave us some alone time.”
Ye Shenge’s face immediately flushed red. They were all quite considerate. She had a feeling that this man in front of her was behind everything!
“Let’s go eat something first, and then I’ll take you to catch some seafood.”
“You cooked? Can it be eaten?”
Zi Yisheng was chagrined. Cooking was indeed his weakness. He had tried to learn when he was in the Bai Rong Brigade, but repeated failures had made him give up.
“Aunt Zhen made the meal before she left.”
Ye Shenge looked at her hands. She could only make noodles and porridge; cooking stir-fries was almost a dream.
“Then what about our meals after this?”
“Don’t worry, people from the nearby villages will bring us food these few days.”
Ye Shenge was content as long as there was food, and immediately ran to wash up. Seeing that even her toothpaste had been squeezed for her, her heart was filled with joy.
Breakfast was simple. After eating, Zi Yisheng took Ye Shenge to a shallow beach. Both of them were wearing brand new rubber shoes to prevent the cold seawater from wetting their footwear.
As soon as Ye Shenge reached out to touch the water, she felt the chill. Although it wasn’t bone-chilling yet, she didn’t feel like putting her hand in.
“Don’t touch the water. Just watch from the side. If we catch anything today, we’ll ask the villagers to come and have a seafood feast at noon.”
Although Ye Shenge was obedient, her eyes were fixed on the water, eager to find a target.
Zi Yisheng also had a rare moment of leisure, and he was quite enthusiastic about accompanying the young girl. He threw his jacket to her, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and stepped into the water.
“Brother Zi, is that a shrimp? Hurry and catch it.”
The aquatic creatures were extremely difficult to catch in the water, and neither of them had suitable tools. The result was that they chased the fish and shrimp around with no success.
Ye Shenge was amused, while Zi Yisheng’s back was about to break from bending over.
“Shouldn’t we go borrow some tools? Even a net would do.”
Zi Yisheng, who could usually solve all problems with ease, was also discouraged at this moment and could only stop and come ashore at the girl’s suggestion.
“Let’s go borrow some tools.”
Ye Shenge enjoyed the scenery along the way, finding the place very soothing. When she saw the pitted creatures clinging to the rocks, she became excited.
“Look, these are oysters! We must borrow tools to pry them open later, and take them back for everyone to enjoy.”