Chương 30: Love Letter

Zhao Tieying took Zhou Momo to take a bath, and Zhou Yan took a small bucket and put the eels on the ground into it. Sure enough, each of the five eels weighed two or three ounces. A note flashed across his face:"[Five high-quality, plump wild eels]". Purely natural wild eels, golden yellow and full of vitality. This must have been caught by Zhou Lihui; Fanwa and Momo didn't have that kind of skill. That kid was very talented in these areas.

Eels could be used to make braised eel, Linjiang eel shreds, stir-fried eel… Zhou Yan's mind was already filled with many classic dishes. He had eaten them, but he really didn't know how to cook them.

"Comrade Zhou Yan." He had just finished catching the eels when a voice came from behind him. Zhou Yan turned around and saw a tall young man walking towards him. It was the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute student he had just eaten at the restaurant. He was about the same height as Zhou Yan, with wheat-colored skin, a buzz cut, and a sunny disposition.

"Hello, classmate, what's up?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile, carrying a bucket.

"My name is Ma Xingye. Are you and Xia Yao close friends?" Ma Xingye asked, his hand unconsciously clenching into a fist at his pocket.

"Xia Yao and I... we're pretty good," Zhou Yan nodded. He and Xia Yao were practically best friends, though they didn't interact much, their relationship was indeed quite good. Could this classmate Ma be an admirer of Xia Yao? Perhaps he felt Xia Yao was close to him and wanted to meet her in person? During dinner, he seemed to be glancing at Xia Yao frequently, so it was probably true. Zhou Yan glanced at his strong biceps, clearly showing signs of training; he might not be a match for him in a fight.

"Um, classmate Ma, actually, Xia Yao and I..." Zhou Yan tried to explain.

"I know, you two are a perfect match, a match made in heaven," Ma Xingye said with a forced smile, rubbing his hands together.

"Brother 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 handed it over with both hands: "Please help me give this letter to Xia Yao, and have her pass it on to Deng Hong." Zhou Yan looked at Ma Xingye, who was blushing slightly. Wait, why are you blushing like that? And who is Deng Hong?

"Deng Hong is Xia Yao's roommate, her good friend. She sat at the same table with her at noon today, the one who's very cute." Ma Xingye seemed to notice Zhou Yan's confusion and quickly explained. Zhou Yan knew who it was—the petite, plump girl next to Xia Yao, with a round face. Quite cute, talkative, and outgoing. He hadn't expected this guy to like this type.

"Oh, a love letter." Zhou Yan looked at the letter, puzzled, and asked Ma Xingye, "Why don't you just give it to Deng Hong, or ask Xia Yao to pass it on for you?"

"I... I..." Ma Xingye scratched his head awkwardly, "I don't dare." Look at you, so tall and strong, where's your backbone?! Zhou Yan silently complained in his heart. Delivering love letters for someone is quite unusual; the last time he did it was back in middle school. After all, most of the time, others deliver love letters to him. Anyway, it's better than having a public feud with some random love rival.

"Okay, I'll deliver it for you," Zhou Yan agreed.

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

"I'll just deliver it for you, I can't guarantee success."

"I understand." Zhou Yan washed his hands, dried them on his apron, and then took the love letter. Ma Xingye walked away happily, even mimicking a basketball shot as he went. Zhou Yan had never been in love in either of his lives and didn't quite understand this feeling. After all, he couldn't even provide for his own sense of security, let alone give a girl one. What was love? It would only affect his earning speed.

As Zhou Yan was thinking about when to deliver the letter to Xia Yao, he noticed three girls sitting on a bench on the riverbank in the distance, one of whom, judging from the back, was Xia Yao. He was thick-skinned and didn't blush when talking to girls. So she took the letter and walked towards the river.

"Xia Yao." Xia Yao, Deng Hong, and Zhu Yuyu were sitting by the river chatting and enjoying the breeze when they turned around at the sound of her voice. They saw Zhou Yan holding an envelope, smiling at them.

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

"What's he holding? Could it be a love letter?" Deng Hong whispered gossipingly.

"Does he know we're leaving tomorrow and want to confess to Yao Yao? He even prepared the love letter in advance!" Zhu Yuyu was also excited.

"Don't talk nonsense," Xia Yao glared at them angrily, then got up and walked towards Zhou Yan.

"Let's go over there," Zhou Yan said, glancing at the two gossipy girls who were craning their necks and straining their ears. Especially the round-faced girl, who had practically jumped off her chair, practically stretching her neck to their side. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

"Okay," Xia Yao nodded, following Zhou Yan to the large tree nearby. Could he... really be going to confess to me? Xia Yao had received many love letters throughout her life, but she had never been this nervous as she was today. Her heart was pounding! Thump! Thump! Her mind was in turmoil, her brain already contemplating whether to refuse or accept. If she refused, how could she say it gracefully? Deng Hong's words echoed in her ears: "Yao Yao, why don't you consider it...

marrying him would make you happy for the rest of your life." Yes, his braised pork ribs were delicious, and his braised beef was delicious too... Xia Yao looked at Zhou Yan standing under the tree, the autumn sunlight filtering through the sparse leaves and falling on his smiling face, making everything seem softer. If she had to choose someone to spend her life with, he didn't seem so bad.

"Zhou Yan."

"Xia Yao." They both spoke at the same time.

"You... you go first." Xia Yao subconsciously clutched her skirt. Her aunt's warning, the four thousand miles of distance, the difference in their families—none of it seemed so important at this moment.

"This love letter." Zhou Yan handed her the letter. Xia Yao hesitated for a moment, then solemnly took the letter with both hands.

"Actually, I…"

"It's from a boy in your department named Ma Xingye. He asked me to give it to you, and then you can pass it on to Deng Hong." Zhou Yan said with a smile." …Ah?" Xia Yao was stunned, the words she was about to say stuck in her throat. Then she saw the address 'To Deng Hong' on the envelope, and her face flushed red.

"What?! Xia Yao, what are you thinking?" Her mind was in turmoil, a mixture of relief at not having to make a decision and a strange sense of loss.

"He looks tall and strong, but I didn't expect him to be so timid. He even needs my help as a fourth party to deliver a love letter." Zhou Yan smiled easily, looking at Xia Yao's slightly flushed face.

"By the way, what did you just say about actually you...?"

"N-nothing..." Xia Yao quickly regained her composure, waving the letter in her hand and smiling.

"Then I'll give it to Xiao Deng. She's actually had a crush on Ma Xingye, and she didn't expect him to confess his feelings with a love letter."

"Really?" Zhou Yan was somewhat surprised, but more than that, he was happy.

"That's wonderful. A love that's mutual will have a beautiful ending."

"A love that's mutual." Xia Yao looked at Zhou Yan and silently repeated it to herself before turning and walking towards the river.

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

"It's hard to say. After all, Yao Yao's dream is to be a designer. If she marries into this small town, are we going to expect her to give up her dream?" Zhu Yuyu and Deng Hong sat anxiously scratching their heads, when they saw Xia Yao walking towards them with a smile, holding the letter.

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

"Smiling so sweetly, he must have said yes." Deng Hong couldn't wait to rush forward.

"Yao Yao, quickly see what's written in the love letter? We're both so anxious!"

"Yes 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, and then to you."

"Comrade Deng, your favorite Ma Xingye has confessed to you." Deng Hong's expression and movements froze. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the letter in Xia Yao's hand, murmuring, "Written by Ma Xingye? For me? He confessed to me!"

"Heavens!" Zhu Yuyu was also stunned, but quickly exclaimed excitedly, "Deng Hong! Your dream has come true!"

"A love that's mutual, how wonderful." Xia Yao smiled and stuffed the letter into Deng Hong's hand.

"Quickly open it and see what it says."

"Good sister, let's read it together!" Deng Hong opened the letter with red eyes, her hands trembling.... When Sister Zhao Hong returned with her two children, she had already washed them clean by the river. The older one was wearing a smock, and the younger one was wrapped in an apron. They didn't seem to have really slapped him hard, and he even came back with a smile on his face. Zhou Momo had taken a shower, changed her clothes, and dried her hair with a towel.

She then stood in front of the stove to dry it for a while, looking a little cat with its fur standing on end.

"Huihui, Fanwa, Mommy said we're having braised eel tonight! Let's go catch some again next time!" Zhou Momo said to the two boys in her childish voice.

"Okay." Huihui and Fanwa nodded.

"You dare!" Zhao Hong glared at them, but couldn't help laughing. After a simple lunch, Zhou Yan pushed his bicycle out to buy groceries.

"Xia Yao is going back to Shancheng early tomorrow morning. Why don't you buy some rice candy in town for her to take back? She's such a nice girl." Zhao Tieying followed him out and said to Zhou Yan.

"Okay." Zhou Yan replied and rode off. Zhou Yan first bought beef and ribs, then went to the dock and saw Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai cleaning up the dishes. He parked his bicycle in front of the stall and said with a smile, "Brother Jie, Brother Hai, my hot pot is now on sale!"