My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 101 Big Rat
Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and on this afternoon, Zhou Jiye and Xu Guoqing, weary from their journey, finally returned to Shanghai.

Compared to last time, although the train was also delayed on the way back this time, it wasn't as long as before. Moreover, they had enough money and were well-prepared, so they didn't suffer any more hardships.

Back in Shanghai, the two agreed to meet again the next day, then parted ways at the train station and took separate buses home.

After taking the bus with his luggage to the stop, Zhou Jiye got off and quickly walked home.

Having been away from home for so long, Zhou Jiye was already thinking about the home-cooked meals and the comfortable bed, and of course, his wife Lin Ying.

When they arrived home, it was a little after four in the afternoon. Lin Ying and Lao Wen should still be in the West Palace at this time. Zhou Jiye simply took out his key and opened the door.

Upon entering, Zhou Jiye could faintly hear music from a record player coming from Fang Manxia's room on the second floor, along with intermittent humming sounds. However, because of the floor between them and the closed door to the upstairs room, Zhou Jiye didn't listen carefully and assumed that Fang Manxia was entertaining herself upstairs.

Carrying his luggage, Zhou Jiye headed towards the room. As soon as he reached the door, he saw it was open. Peeking inside, he saw Lin Ying bending over and mopping the floor. Her body swayed back and forth, making her look exceptionally alluring from behind. Zhou Jiye's heart immediately warmed. He quickly put down his luggage and tiptoed over.

"My dearest wife! I'm home! Did you miss me? I missed you so much..."

Zhou Jiye quietly came up behind Lin Ying, reached out and hugged Lin Ying's slender waist tightly, and habitually leaned forward and patted her.

"what!"

Just then, a scream of at least 120 decibels suddenly rang out, startling Zhou Jiye so much that he hurriedly let go and covered his ears, which were throbbing with pain.

Lin Ying, whom he had just been holding, suddenly darted away like a startled rabbit, hiding in a corner and wildly waving a mop in front of her, as if facing a formidable enemy in a defensive posture.

"You...who are you?"

Zhou Jiye was stunned. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the person he had just been holding was not Lin Ying, but a strange girl who had appeared out of nowhere.

The girl was quite frightened by Zhou Jiye's actions. Her expression was a mixture of shock and anger. She stared with innocent eyes and gripped the mop tightly.

"What happened?"

Just then, another girl's voice came, and a short-haired girl rushed down the stairs like a gust of wind. When she saw Zhou Jiye standing in the room in a daze, the girl was stunned for a moment, stopped, tilted her head to look at the travel-worn Zhou Jiye, and suddenly called out with a grin, "Brother-in-law!"

"Brother-in-law?"

Zhou Jiye's mind went blank for a moment, and he didn't react. He carefully looked at the short-haired girl, then turned his head and saw the long-haired girl who had been startled by his actions. Only then did he realize that the two girls' faces looked somewhat familiar. After thinking carefully for a while, Zhou Jiye finally remembered who they were.

"You...you're Niandi? You're Pandi?"

"Hehe, you called me by the wrong name. My name is Lin Xi, and my third sister's name is Lin Wen."

"Lin Xi? Lin Wen?"

Zhou Jiye was even more confused by these two unfamiliar names. Shouldn't these two girls be the third and fourth daughters of the Lin family? That is, Lin Ying's two younger sisters, Lin Niandi and Lin Pandi? What about Lin Xi and Lin Wen? Could it be that he remembered wrong?

Compared to Lin Ying, Zhou Jiye's time in this world was far too short. His memories of the Lin family members were limited to the remnants of the original owner's memories. Moreover, they left their hometown not long after getting married and came to Shanghai. So, to be honest, Zhou Jiye hadn't had much interaction with Lin Ying's younger sisters.

“Brother-in-law….”

At this moment, the girl named Lin Wen, who had been switched at birth by Zhou Jiye, had lost her vigilance and defensiveness. Her anger had subsided, replaced by a touch of shyness. She lowered her head slightly and called Zhou Jiye "brother-in-law."

"Wait, who are you? What are you doing in my house?" Zhou Jiye asked hurriedly.

Lin Xi couldn't help but giggle and cover her mouth to laugh. She immediately began to explain. After she finished explaining, Zhou Jiye suddenly realized that Lin Wen and Lin Xi were just the third and fourth daughters of the Lin family, Lin Pandi and Lin Niandi.

"By the way, Third Sister, what were you yelling about just now? You were shouting so loudly, it scared me to death! I thought something terrible had happened." Nian Di... no! From now on, it's Lin Xi who remembered Lin Wen's scream just now.

Lin Wen's face flushed red instantly. Zhou Jiye's hug from behind had startled her quite a bit.

To be honest, Lin Wen, a seventeen-year-old girl, had never been touched by any man other than her father and younger brother since she was a child. Zhou Jiye had not only hugged her waist just now, but even... Thinking about this, Lin Wen's mind was in complete turmoil. What kind of situation was this! Zhou Jiye was also at a loss for words. He really thought it was Lin Ying. The two were sisters, looked alike, and had similar figures. Moreover, Lin Wen had long hair like Lin Ying and was wearing Lin Ying's coat. It was normal for him to mistake her for someone else.

Moreover, Zhou Jiye had no idea that these two girls were in his house. How could he possibly think of anything else? There were only two women in the house besides himself: Fang Manxia and Lin Ying. He couldn't possibly mistake Fang Manxia for his wife, could he?
What was originally just a small act of intimacy between husband and wife turned out to be a hug with the wrong person. Recalling the subconscious action he had taken when he hugged Lin Wen, Zhou Jiye was momentarily embarrassed and didn't know how to explain himself.

"There was a mouse just now..." Lin Wen said, blushing.

"Yes, yes, a rat, a big rat, it suddenly jumped out and I was almost startled too." Zhou Jiye breathed a sigh of relief and gave Lin Wen a grateful look. This girl is quite quick-witted. Well, this reason is good. At least I didn't get into trouble.

"A mouse? Where is it?"

Lin Xi glared and asked, looking around before quickly picking up the broom that was lying to the side, as if she was about to fight the rats for three hundred rounds.

“It ran out…” Lin Wen pointed to the window. Lin Xi peeked out and looked in that direction, then looked at the still-shaken Lin Wen and burst out laughing: “I say, Third Sister, really, when did you become so timid? What are you afraid of? You were never afraid of these things back in our hometown.”

"Didn't you get startled?" Lin Wen rolled her eyes at her. "You were working peacefully, and suddenly a big rat ran out and startled you. Wouldn't you be scared? What do you think, brother-in-law?" As she spoke, she deliberately looked in Zhou Jiye's direction, as if asking him whether what she said was right or wrong.

Before Lin Xi could answer, Zhou Jiye quickly chimed in, agreeing with Lin Wen and nodding repeatedly: "Third Sister is right. Anyone would be shocked if they encountered this. It's all because of that damned rat."

As he spoke, Zhou Jiye feigned indignation, but inwardly he was both amused and exasperated. He'd actually been turned into a rat—what a ridiculous situation!

Just then, Fang Manxia came downstairs.

"Xiao Zhou is back?"

"You're back, Grandma. How have you been while I was away?"

"I'm doing great." Fang Manxia was in good spirits: "I'm eating well and sleeping soundly. What could be wrong? And these two children keep me company and keep me company. This old woman has been very happy these days."

At this moment, Lin Wen and Lin Xi quickly stepped forward, one on each side, to support Fang Manxia. The three of them looked very affectionate. Seeing this, Zhou Jiye suddenly became curious: When did these two younger sisters-in-law arrive? How long have they been here? And why are they so warm and friendly with Fang Manxia?
Fang Manxia rarely sees outsiders and doesn't like them coming to her home. So how did Lin Ying manage to persuade her to keep her two younger sisters?
Zhou Jiye was filled with doubt, but he couldn't ask these questions right now. He could only wait for Lin Ying to return and inquire about them.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Jiye suddenly remembered something and quickly took out the gifts he had brought back from Lingnan from his luggage.

The gifts for Fang Manxia and the others were silk scarves. Although the quality wasn't as good as the real silk from Hangzhou, the colors and styles were exceptionally beautiful. He had specially bought these Hong Kong goods in Guangzhou. He had bought several extra, originally intending to give them to Fang Manxia and Lin Ying after returning, and then to Lao Wen's wife and daughter. Now, it was perfect—one for each of the three of them plus Lin Ying. As for Lao Wen, he would have to make do.

"Thank you, Xiao Zhou, that's very kind of you."

Fang Manxia accepted the gift with a beaming smile. She had seen many good things before. Although this thing wasn't worth much money, who wouldn't be happy to receive a gift?

Needless to say, Lin Wen and Lin Xi had never seen such a beautiful silk scarf before. Back in their hometown, a girl in the countryside was considered lucky to have a red ribbon in her hair. Even in the county town, a silk scarf like this was a rare find.

"Wow! So beautiful!"

Lin Xi held the silk scarf in her hand, looking around with undisguised excitement in her eyes. She would put it on her head for a while, and then drape it over her shoulders. Seeing her childlike actions, Fang Manxia immediately laughed, beckoned her over, and then took the silk scarf and helped her tie it.

"This is how you tie a silk scarf, look carefully..."

Fang Manxia taught Lin Xi and Lin Wen as she tied the scarf. The two girls watched her technique carefully and finished tying it in no time. They happily ran to the mirror by the wardrobe and looked at themselves from all sides. They found that the scarf tied around their necks was not only beautiful but also very elegant. Wearing it gave them a new kind of charm that they had never had before.

"Thank you, brother-in-law!" Lin Xi said happily to Zhou Jiye. Lin Wen hesitated for a moment and then thanked him as well. Fang Manxia glanced at Lin Wen subconsciously, then looked at Zhou Jiye, her brows furrowed slightly and her eyes questioning. Zhou Jiye didn't know how to explain. The old lady wasn't so easily fooled by the two girls. She had a sharp eye and noticed something was wrong at a glance.

Zhou Jiye gave the old lady an awkward yet polite smile and casually made up a few words to brush her off. Fang Manxia didn't press the matter; she just smiled and shook her head.

Then Zhou Jiye felt really uncomfortable being in front of the three women, mainly because of the embarrassment of hugging the wrong person earlier. He quickly said that he was covered in dust and needed to take a shower. He hurriedly rummaged through the closet for a few clean clothes, stuffed them into a net bag, and rushed out the door.

He had been taking showers at home, but today he decided to go to a nearby bathhouse. If it weren't for what happened earlier, Zhou Jiye wouldn't have been so embarrassed. It was better to stay away for now and wait for Lin Ying to come back. Besides, avoiding her for now would save him from other troubles.

(End of this chapter)