SWDnovel Chapter 261: Lending Money to Yu Li
Chapter 261: Lending Money to Yu Li
After leaving Sha Zhu's house, Zhang Lei thought that since Lou Xiao'e was at his home, he should get her some food first. Fearing that having too much food out of nowhere would arouse suspicion, he pushed his bicycle and decided to continue fishing at Houhai.
Soon, Zhang Lei arrived at Houhai by bicycle. Just as he was looking for a secluded spot, he suddenly heard someone crying. The voice sounded somewhat familiar. He went over to look and saw that it was Yu Li. Zhang Lei walked up to her curiously and coughed lightly.
Yu Li was startled by the coughing sound, quickly stopped crying, looked up and saw Zhang Lei. She hurriedly wiped away her tears and said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm sorry."
Zhang Lei looked at her and said, "You don't need to apologize. I'm just wondering why you're hiding here crying?"
Yu Li glanced at the fishing rod in his hand and said, "It's nothing, you're here to fish, right?" Zhang Lei nodded, "Yes, I'm here to fish." Upon hearing this, Yu Li prepared to leave.
Zhang Lei called out to her, "Why are you leaving so soon? Why don't you come fishing with me for a while?" Yu Li, almost as if possessed, agreed. Zhang Lei himself felt it was a bit abrupt, after all, this was only their second meeting.
Soon, Zhang Lei found a good fishing spot. Seeing Yu Li standing to the side, he handed her his small stool, saying, "You can sit here." Yu Li shook her head, "You sit, it's not good for you to stand while fishing." Zhang Lei didn't insist. He picked up two dry bricks from the side, stacked them together, and said with a smile, "Look, I have a stool now."
Yu Li chuckled at his words: "You call this a bench?" Zhang Lei said seriously: "You don't understand, this is called returning to nature. Fishing is all about mindset." Yu Li nodded in surprise at his words.
Zhang Lei baited his hook, then yanked the rod, sending the line into the water. Yu Li watched his skillful movements without saying a word, her eyes glued to the surface, as if she were fishing herself. A moment later, Zhang Lei felt a fish bite. He patiently counted to three, then jerked the rod up, catching a fish weighing about a pound.
Yu Li was even more excited than Zhang Lei, shouting, "Wow! It's on the hook! It's on the hook!" She quickly grabbed the bucket next to Zhang Lei and ran to the water's edge to scoop out half a bucket of water. Zhang Lei smiled and said, "Let me do it." Yu Li shook her head, "No need, you sit there and keep fishing, I'll do it." After putting the fish into the bucket, she even reached out and gently poked it. Zhang Lei looked at her, smiled, and continued fishing without saying a word.
After fishing for about half an hour, the bucket was already half full of fish. Seeing that Yu Li was in a much better mood, Zhang Lei asked, "Yu Li, may I call you that?" Yu Li nodded, "Sure."
Zhang Lei asked again, "Can you tell me why you're crying?" Yu Li looked at him, thought for a moment, and said, "It's because of my mother's illness." Zhang Lei asked in confusion, "Your mother is sick?"
Yu Li nodded and then shook her head: "It's not that she's sick. My mom injured her back from working too hard years ago and now she's bedridden and has to take medicine regularly. But my dad is the only one in the family with an income, and he has to support the whole family."
Zhang Lei thought for a moment and said, "It's like this, are you short of money? If you are, just tell me, and I can help." Yu Li looked at him in surprise and shook her head: "No need."
Zhang Lei smiled and said, "Don't be so polite with me, we've met twice already." Yu Li thought to herself, "Who says you don't need to be polite on the second meeting?" Zhang Lei continued, "Don't worry, I'm lending you money, not the other way around. Why are you so worried?"
Yu Li thought about it and agreed, so she stopped refusing. Zhang Lei asked, "Besides money, is there anything else?" Yu Li shook her head. Zhang Lei asked again, "How much are you short?" Yu Li held up five fingers.
Zhang Lei asked in surprise, "500?" Yu Li quickly shook her head, "No, no, it's 50." Zhang Lei breathed a sigh of relief, took out 50 yuan from his pocket, and handed it to her, saying, "Here you go."
Yu Li looked at him in disbelief: "You're giving it to me like this?" Zhang Lei nodded: "What's wrong? Is there a problem with this money?" Yu Li quickly shook her head: "No, but you don't know me, you don't even know where I live. Aren't you afraid I won't pay you back?"
Zhang Lei smiled and said, "It's nothing, it's just 50 yuan. I'm happy to help you." Yu Li was so surprised she couldn't speak. Zhang Lei then said, "Alright, take the money and get your mother her medicine." As he spoke, he took two fish out of the bucket, "Take these two fish home and give your family some nourishment."
Yu Li couldn't understand Zhang Lei's motives. After hesitating for a moment, she still told him her address. Zhang Lei shook his head: "If we happen to meet here again, you can return it to me." Yu Li stopped thinking about it, took the money and fish, and left, looking back every few steps.
Zhang Lei didn't pay much attention. He knew that Yu Li in the TV series only became calculating after marrying into the Yan family; she hadn't become like that yet, so he'd help her if he could. He continued fishing, and after filling his bucket, he rode his bicycle home.
As soon as he arrived at the front yard, Yan Fugui saw him carrying a bucket full of fish and asked in surprise, "Zhang Lei, did you catch all of these?" Zhang Lei replied with a smile, "Uncle, the fish were biting well today, so I caught a lot."
Yan Fugui's eyes darted around, and he said, "Zhang Lei, cleaning these fish is a hassle. Want us to help you? Your third aunt is a pro at cleaning fish." Zhang Lei thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Forget it, Third Uncle, I still need these fish. I won't trouble you or Third Aunt." With that, he headed straight home. Yan Fugui watched his retreating figure, shaking his head. It was a pity he hadn't gotten any money out of him.
Reaching the central courtyard, Qin Huairu gazed at the fish with envy. Before she could even get close, Banggeng suddenly darted in front of Zhang Lei, calling out, "Fish!" Zhang Lei looked at him: "Banggeng, what are you doing?"
Banggeng was startled by Zhang Lei's appearance, but he still braced himself and said, "Give me the fish, or I'll have my grandma beat you up." Zhang Lei raised his foot as if to kick him, and Banggeng was so frightened that he quickly ran away. He was just bluffing and didn't want to argue with a child, lest people gossip.
Qin Huairu frowned and walked up to Zhang Lei without making a sound. "Zhang Lei, you're really amazing. You caught so many fish." Zhang Lei looked at her. "What, do you want to eat fish too?" Qin Huairu nodded.
Zhang Lei thought for a moment, then picked out a fish of moderate size from the bucket and handed it to her: "This live fish is for you." Qin Huairu was overjoyed: "Thank you, Zhang Lei. Why don't you come to my house for a while? I live alone." Zhang Lei shook his head: "Never mind, I have something to do." After saying that, he left, and Qin Huairu watched his back with reluctance.
Zhang Lei returned home carrying the fish. Ye Shuqin and Lou Xiao'e were delighted to see so many fish and gathered around to look. Zhang Lei smiled and said, "Tonight we're having a whole fish feast. By the way, Shuqin, give some fish to our eldest, second, and third brothers."
Ye Shuqin happily replied, "I understand, sir." Zhang Lei originally wanted to invite all three families to eat together, but considering that there were too many people at home and there were already six people including himself, it would be more appropriate to send the fish separately.
Lou Xiao'e clumsily followed Ye Shuqin in learning how to kill fish. Zhang Lei looked at her and asked with a smile, "Are you sure you can do it? If not, I'll do it." Lou Xiao'e stubbornly said, "Don't underestimate me. I've never killed fish before, but I can learn."
Seeing her willingness to endure hardship for him, Zhang Lei smiled and praised, "Well done, you've got the makings of a virtuous wife and loving mother." Lou Xiao'e proudly raised her head: "That's right."
The three of them quickly prepared the fish and put them in the kitchen. Zhang Lei lay on the recliner to rest, occasionally sipping tea made with Da Hong Pao tea and humming a little tune. Ye Shuqin and Lou Xiao'e chatted beside him, sometimes talking about children's clothes, sometimes discussing where to find beautiful women's clothing, filling the room with a warm and cozy atmosphere.