Farmer girl swaps husbands: buys a sickly villain and pampers him

Chapter 203 Linglong
Su Yaoguang and Cui Rong met with several business owners and closed several deals.

When it was lunchtime, Cui Rong took Su Yaoguang to try the local specialties, but they were told by the waiter that the restaurant was full as soon as they entered.

Looking around the hall filled with scholars dressed as gentlemen, Su Yaoguang wondered if Zhou Wangshu was there, and looked around the hall.

"I spoke to the manager, and he cleared out a private room for us. Let's go!" Cui Rong said to Su Yaoguang as he walked over.

Su Yaoguang was about to go upstairs with Cui Rong when she saw Zhou Wangshu and several students around the corner. A little girl sat next to Zhou Wangshu, looking at him with adoration, her eyes sparkling like stars. Su Yaoguang glanced at her a few more times, which caught Cui Rong's attention.

Cui Rong saw Zhou Wangshu and the little girl beside her. The little girl's gaze towards Zhou Wangshu was so direct that anyone who knew could understand it.

Cui Rong was initially worried that Su Yaoguang would be unhappy, but when he saw that her eyes were full of curiosity but not displeasure, he made up his mind.

It seems Su Yaoguang truly has no romantic feelings for Zhou Wangshu. But that makes sense; judging from their daily interactions, their relationship is more like familial.

As Su Yaoguang was about to go upstairs, a waiter approached Zhou Wangshu's table, spoke a few words humbly and politely, and then offered them a 10% discount.

"But this restaurant's specialty is chicken, and now they don't have it anymore, so it's a waste of our trip!"

The little girl next to Zhou Wangshu said disappointedly when she heard from the waiter that the chickens were sold out.

The scholar sitting next to Zhong Chushan said, "Linglong, it's alright if there's nothing today. We can come back for more next time."

“This restaurant requires advance reservations. Their menu is already booked until next month. If you can’t eat here today, you won’t be able to eat here after your exams,” Zhang Linglong said to Zhou Wangshu. “Brother Zhou, I promised to treat you to the most local specialties. I can’t let you leave disappointed. I’ll go ask the owner what’s going on. If they’re willing to add an extra chicken, I can give them extra money.”

"If Miss Linglong is interested, you can ask her. I'm not really interested in chicken. Only my wife likes to eat chicken in our family."

Zhang Fengyi said in surprise, "Brother Zhou, you don't look that old, how come you're already married?"

“It’s done.” Zhou Wangshu, who always had an indifferent expression, smiled. “We got engaged early. My family was poor, and I was my wife’s childhood sweetheart.”

Zhong Chushan almost choked on his saliva.

Chen Buyu also had a speechless expression on his face.

Zhang Fengyi glanced at Zhang Linglong across from him with a worried look.

Zhang Linglong's excessive enthusiasm for Zhou Wangshu was something he, being very familiar with his sister, understood perfectly well. His sister was notoriously picky; over the years, the family had arranged several good marriages for her, but she had rejected them all. When asked what kind of man she wanted to marry, she said she wanted a scholar who could pass the imperial examinations.

Zhang Fengyi introduced his classmates to Zhang Linglong, but Zhang Linglong complained that they were not good-looking, not funny or humorous enough, and were old-fashioned and boring.

When she met Zhou Wangshu today, her eyes immediately lit up. Her expression was so obvious that even he, as her older brother, couldn't bear to look at her.

Learning that Zhou Wangshu was already married was like being doused with a bucket of ice water. He believed that she would finally quiet down.

"If you're a child husband, does that mean you're also forced into this situation, not wanting to marry but having no choice?" Zhang Linglong asked persistently. "There's a child husband in our village too. The woman is ten years older than the man. She was too ugly to get married, so she had to buy one and raise him herself."

Su Yaoguang, who happened to overhear their conversation: "..."

I was wondering if Zhou Wangshu had met his soulmate since he was with a girl his age, but then this girl became so rude.

No wonder Zhou Wangshu used his wife as a talisman against unwanted suitors; it turns out these suitors weren't his type. She admitted she was older, after all, two years older than Zhou Wangshu! But she couldn't forgive being called ugly!

She looked at Cui Rong and said, "How do I look today?"

Cui Rong's cheeks flushed, and she said shyly, "Yao Guang looks extremely beautiful today."

He wasn't trying to make her happy; rather, she had dressed up specially for the day, and both her makeup and clothing were exquisite, radiant and spirited.

To close deals, Su Yaoguang naturally wanted to showcase her excellent makeup skills and the quality of her shop's cosmetics. The clothes she wore were a gift from Chun'e; of course, she designed them herself. She deliberately wore them, and sure enough, a tailor shop owner showed interest. Su Yaoguang also helped Chun'e secure two large orders. Once back in the county town, she went to Chun'e to claim credit and ask for her share of the profits.

Now, she's going to parade around in the city.

When Zhang Linglong spoke to Su Yaoguang like that, Zhou Wangshu's face darkened. Just as he was about to lash out, a hand patted his shoulder.

He frowned, turned around, and froze when he saw Su Yao's bright smile.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm just passing by!" Su Yaoguang said, greeting Zhong Chushan and Chen Buyu. "Thank you both for taking good care of Wangshu."

Zhang Fengyi and Zhang Linglong looked at the girl before them, one in awe, the other wary. They glanced at the other students nearby, who were curious about Su Yaoguang's identity, and also somewhat expectant. One of the students nudged Chen Buyu and whispered, asking about Su Yaoguang's background.

“Oh, she’s the young wife who raised Brother Wangshu,” Zhong Chushan said loudly on purpose. “She’s a bit older, two years older than Wangshu.”

"But if anyone says she's ugly, then they're blind," Chen Buyu said. "We in Wangshu have a very good relationship with her!"

Su Yaoguang looked like she didn't know what they were talking about.
"Am I disturbing you?"

“No,” Zhou Wangshu said.

"Then you guys eat, Mr. Cui and I..." Su Yaoguang just wanted to prove that she wasn't ugly and wasn't that old. Now that she had proven herself, she was ready to leave.

Zhou Wangshu had already spotted Cui Rong not far away. She smiled at the latter and pulled Su Yaoguang along, saying, "Let's sit together!"

"I can't leave Boss Cui standing there," Su Yaoguang whispered to Zhou Wangshu.

To others, this is seen as a symbol of their close relationship.

Zhou Wangshu's ears were itchy, and her eyes were full of affection as she looked at Su Yaoguang. She brushed a stray hair behind her ear and said, "Then I'll go with you."

With that, he stood up and said to everyone, "Everyone, please excuse me. You all continue eating. I'll find you again at the poetry gathering later."

It wouldn't do for just Su Yaoguang and Cui Rong to go together; he had to go and see. Even though he knew Su Yaoguang wasn't interested in Cui Rong, it still wouldn't work.

Su Yaoguang led Zhou Wangshu upstairs.

Zhong Chushan noticed the atmosphere was a bit dull and tried to lighten the mood with a laugh: "That kid is really not nice. He ran away as soon as he saw the pretty girl. If he won't eat, we will."