12: Chapter 12 Repairing the Range Hood

"I suppose so. I've received quite a few love letters, but I threw them all away."

"Don't throw them away! Bring them back for your brother-in-law to see. Those are the innocent, youthful hearts of young boys, after all."

Chu Xinyi looked at her brother-in-law, who was just enjoying the spectacle, and repeatedly poked her chopsticks into her rice.

"Nonsense! They don't know me at all. They haven't even seen what I look like clearly. Innocent hearts? I think it's just lust!"

"There was this one time during a P.E. class running test, I forgot to wear my school uniform jacket, and suddenly all these people appeared. Hmph, perverts!"

The peerlessly beautiful Sister-in-law was fuming, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, and her little mouth pouted. It felt less like anger and more like she was acting spoiled.

She wore long bangs across her forehead, currently held back by a pink rabbit hair clip. The face she usually kept hidden was only revealed without restraint at home.

High school girls weren't like middle schoolers; requirements for hairstyles weren't as strict. As long as they didn't dye or perm their hair or have exaggerated styles, schools mostly turned a blind eye.

And Chu Xinyi's situation was special. At her father's request, after communicating with her teachers, she kept a rather unique hairstyle.

Her bangs were very long; usually, as long as she lowered her head slightly, they would almost cover her entire eyes and half her face.

And as everyone knows, the inclusiveness—and dowdiness—of high school uniforms is beyond doubt.

That was why, for all these years, she had been able to pose as an ordinary top student.

According to Father Chu, his girl was too enchanting. She wasn't mature enough yet; it would be a curse, not a blessing. He only allowed her to lift her head and show her face after she became an adult.

It had been the same for Chu Ziqing back then.

It had to be said that although Father Chu was just a farmer, his foresight was absolutely remarkable.

Given Chu Ziqing's nature, if it weren't for this kind of upbringing, she likely wouldn't have been able to get into Provincial University, and it would have been very difficult for her to keep her virginity until college.

As for Chu Xinyi's looks, even before Zhao Xiaoshuai had broken up with her sister, he had to admit she completely outclassed her.

But exactly how high, forgive him for being a bit face-blind; he couldn't really say.

'Come to think of it, I've been interacting with Xinyi for so long, why hasn't her character profile unlocked yet?'

'I even wanted to see how many points Xinyi would get, given how strict Cheat Dad is.'

[Warning: Host detected attempting to unlock the profile of a minor character.]

[Serious Announcement: The system is not beyond the law. Please abide by relevant regulations and do not violate the 404 Convention.]

'...I just wanted to see the rating. Cheat Dad, don't make things dramatic! Besides, she's almost eighteen.'

Suppressing the awkwardness in his heart, Zhao Xiaoshuai continued the conversation, picking up where the Sister-in-law left off.

"Thinking back to when you were little, you were so skinny. You've really grown up now."

"It's all your fault! You're always stuffing pocket money into my hands and bringing stuff home. I've gotten fat from eating it all!"

The little girl puffed out her chest as she said this, as if demonstrating exactly where she had gotten fat.

Zhao Xiaoshuai unnaturally lowered his head to take a sip of soup. "It's fine, just eat. If you get fat, Brother-in-law will introduce you to a sister who is great at fitness and weight loss."

In reality, from Zhao Xiaoshuai's perspective, the young girl didn't understand what being fat or thin meant at all.

Counting the internet, in his entire life, only Meng Yawen's figure could definitively surpass the Sister-in-law's.

Aside from being born into a poor family and having a not-so-happy childhood, everything about the Sister-in-law could be described as gifted.

Mother Chu was a famous beauty in their village. After giving birth to Chu Ziqing with Father Chu, she ran off with a handsome city man.

Several years later, Mother Chu came running back, looking dejected with a big belly.

Father Chu didn't lay a hand on a pregnant woman. After smoking his dry tobacco for three days, he took her in again.

Not long after Chu Xinyi was born, Mother Chu disappeared again and hasn't shown her face since.

Father Chu raised Chu Xinyi as his own daughter.

The already poor Chu family relied on the national minimum living guarantee and the schools built by Project Hope to struggle to raise the two girls.

Back when Chu Ziqing got into Provincial University, Father Chu had borrowed from every villager he knew just to afford her college tuition.

However, Father Chu never told Chu Ziqing about these things.

Many parents are like that; they won't tell their children about the hardships and pain at home, choosing only to bear it silently. They only hope for their children to grow up happily.

But Zhao Xiaoshuai knew.

In Father Chu's view, a man must be the one to shoulder the family's burdens and must know these things. This was also one of his tests for his son-in-law.

Father Chu didn't accept a dowry, which was actually quite unconventional in the countryside.

It wasn't much money—less than ten thousand yuan—but for many people, that was already an insurmountable mountain.

After Zhao Xiaoshuai started working, he quickly helped pay off the loans. That was also the day Father Chu drank with him in private and completely entrusted his daughter to him.

Time passed by rapidly in the warmth.

"Oh, look at the time. I have to go back. Let me wash the dishes for you first."

"No need, Brother-in-law, just leave them there. I'll wash them later."

"There's no such thing as the person who cooks also washing the dishes. Remember, when you find a partner in the future, don't spoil him."

While Zhao Xiaoshuai was washing the dishes, Chu Xinyi leaned to the side, chatting idly.

'The little girl is really tall now. She must be almost 1.7 meters.'

After tidying up, he slapped his forehead. "Almost forgot. I haven't fixed the range hood for you yet."

He skillfully dismantled the outer casing and took a careful look. "Ah, it's just stuck here at the fan. I'll clean it up and it'll be fine."

He had learned some basic repairs for common household appliances like air conditioners and range hoods in private, and had once used this to earn extra money.

In no time at all, he reassembled the range hood, turned it on to test it, and it worked perfectly.

"Alright, I'm leaving. Remember to lock the door."

"Goodbye, Brother-in-law!"

With a click, Zhao Xiaoshuai left the place, feeling reluctant to part.

Every time he spent time with the Sister-in-law, it was warm—so warm that he even felt a bit greedy for it.

Unlike her carefree sister, the smarter Chu Xinyi had realized everything long ago.

When she asked her father about it, Father Chu didn't hide it from her anymore.

Knowing everything, she truly treated her brother-in-law, Zhao Xiaoshuai, as a benefactor and family.

Putting physical aspects aside, the emotional value Zhao Xiaoshuai received from her had long since far exceeded that of her sister, who only knew how to make him buy bags and phones.

But Zhao Xiaoshuai knew there was a line there; he would deliberately avoid coming to this place alone.

But now, was there still a need for that line to exist?

He didn't think about it.

...

Knock, knock, knock.

"Chu Xinyi, it's me, Zhao Wei."

With a click, the door opened. At this moment, Chu Xinyi had already let down her bangs.

Zhao Wei was Chu Xinyi's classmate. With the college entrance exam approaching, more and more students were choosing to rent a place near the campus.

"Was that chubby guy just now your brother-in-law?"

"You're not allowed to call him chubby!"

"Fine, fine, fine! 'Prosperous-looking' is fine, right?"

"Get to the point."

"Alright, alright. I just rented this place, but the range hood isn't working. I contacted the landlord, but it'll take several days for them to come and look at it."

"You're so clever and handy. You even fixed the projector in the classroom when it broke. Fixing a range hood should be a piece of cake for you, right?"

"I'll have to see. Some problems require replacing parts, and I can't do anything about that." As she said this, she went back into the room to grab her keys and followed her classmate to the door across the hall.

Chu Xinyi's nimble hands flew, and in just a few moments, she had dismantled the range hood's casing.

Compared to a certain man surnamed Zhao, she was leagues ahead.

She just took a casual glance.

"This component of yours needs to be replaced; it's too worn out. I'll help you manage for now so you can use it simply, but you should still get the landlord to fix it later."

"Xinyi, you're amazing! You even know how to fix this stuff. Where did you learn it?"

"Such a simple thing—as long as you take it apart once and look at it, don't you understand it? You just need hands."