Chapter 188: Move Out

Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Move Out

"Xiao Yun, you’re an adult. If your sister-in-law makes a big fuss and launches a search party every time you don’t come home at night, it won’t do anyone any good."

Zhao Yuan said this with such self-assurance, he might as well have just called Su Wan a busybody.

Second Brother Su couldn’t hold back anymore. He shot to his feet, pointed at Zhao Yuan’s nose, and cursed, "Zhao Yuan, are you out of your mind? If we weren’t worried about Zhang Yun’s safety, why would we have spent so long looking for her? Don’t you think we’d rather be resting?"

"It’s not like Xiao Yun asked you to look for her. I’m just trying to be considerate of you all. After all, we’ll be going on more dates in the future, so this will happen more often. We can’t have you all going through this every time, can we?" Zhao Yuan maintained his smile.

"Then she could have at least let us know beforehand!"

"She forgot, didn’t she?"

"You can’t expect us to never forget anything, can you? Everyone makes mistakes sometimes."

At this, Zhao Yuan’s tone shifted. He gently patted Zhang Yun’s anxious back and said, "Besides, she has me, her boyfriend. I, Zhao Yuan, give you my word: if anything happens to Xiao Yun, you can come straight to me. I’ll take full responsibility."

Mrs. Zhao’s heart pounded with anxiety as she listened. She wanted to stop her son from talking, but Zhao Yuan shot her a look, and she clamped her mouth shut. She decided she would ask him what he was planning when they got home.

Second Brother Su didn’t believe a single word. Zhao Yuan was clearly just sweet-talking Zhang Yun.

Even if something did happen, Zhao Yuan would just sweet-talk Zhang Yun, and he wouldn’t have to take any responsibility at all. After all, Zhang Yun would be the victim, and if she herself forgave him, what could outsiders like them do? Even the law couldn’t touch him.

They were both men. ’Who was he kidding?’ If Zhao Yuan were sincere, the onlookers wouldn’t be feeling this complete lack of it.

"Zhang Yun, is that what you think, too?"

Faced with Second Brother Su’s interrogation, Zhang Yun was a little scared, but with Zhao Yuan’s encouragement, she bit her lip and nodded. "Second Brother Su, thank you for going to all the trouble of looking for me last night. But Ah Yuan is right. I’m an adult, and I can take responsibility for my own actions."

"Besides, I don’t want to be too much of a bother to you all." This, at least, was what Zhang Yun truly meant. She still had no idea how she could ever repay them.

Second Brother Su laughed, furious. "Fine. You said it. We won’t meddle in your business again."

"And don’t you worry, I’ll tell my brother-in-law about this. The only reason we’ve been so concerned is out of respect for him."

Second Sister-in-law Su grabbed his arm, signaling for him to stop talking. She then smiled at Zhang Yun. "Xiao Yun, your second brother is just angry because he was so worried. He says all sorts of things when he’s mad, so please don’t take it to heart."

Zhang Yun waved her hands. "No, no, it was my fault. I was being inconsiderate. But I really don’t want to trouble you."

"Mhm, I understand." Second Sister-in-law Su’s attitude toward her had become noticeably distant.

Mother Su hadn’t said a single word from beginning to end. Seeing the farce was over, she picked up the bowls and chopsticks and had Father Su take them inside to be washed.

She then turned to Zhang Qiao. "Zhang Qiao, thank you for all your hard work last night. You must stay for lunch. Why don’t you go rest in one of the rooms for a bit? I’ll call you when it’s time to eat."

"Auntie, I couldn’t possibly..."

Mother Su gave him no chance to refuse, calling for Second Brother Su to show him to a room to rest.

Second Brother Su warmly welcomed Zhang Qiao. No matter how you looked at it, Zhang Qiao had been busy all night, offering real, tangible help.

Second Sister-in-law Su also found an excuse to go check on the kids, and Aunt Zhao certainly wasn’t going to get involved in the Su family’s business. In the blink of an eye, only Zhang Yun, Zhao Yuan, and his mother were left in the courtyard.

Mrs. Zhao’s expression darkened. She huffed, "This Su family really has no manners, just leaving us standing here like this."

"Mom, don’t be angry. The Su family looks down on me. They’re afraid I’ll be a bad influence on Xiao Yun, so of course they’re not going to be pleasant. It’s all my fault for dragging you into this." Zhao Yuan played the part of the filial son perfectly.

Mrs. Zhao beamed. "Oh, you silly boy. How could your mother possibly blame you? I know you’re a good son."

"Anyway, it’s a good thing Xiao Yun isn’t actually part of the Su family, or I’d really be worried about you two getting married."

Mrs. Zhao reached out, took Zhang Yun’s hand, and patted the back of it, her face full of motherly affection.

The nervousness Zhang Yun had just started to feel about meeting his mother was soothed by Mrs. Zhao’s warm and loving attitude.

She was quite happy. "Auntie, I know Ah Yuan is a good man. It’s just that my sister-in-law and the others don’t know him, so they misunderstand. Don’t worry, my parents have already approved of our marriage."

"That’s wonderful. As long as you young people are happy, that’s all that matters." Mrs. Zhao’s face was wreathed in smiles, and she seemed very easy to get along with.

"Mom, you should head back and rest. Xiao Yun and I still have things to discuss."

Taking his cue and seeing that Zhang Yun was more or less placated, Mrs. Zhao readily agreed. She was tired anyway, and she still had to work today!

"Alright, you two carry on. I have to get going." Mrs. Zhao hopped on her bicycle and left.

Zhao Yuan took Zhang Yun’s hand and urged, "Xiao Yun, why don’t you just move out?"

"Move out?" Zhang Yun hesitated. "But I don’t have anywhere to live. Staying at my cousin’s place saves me rent money. I don’t have enough to rent a place on my own."

"You’ll be working soon. For convenience’s sake, you’ll have to rent your own place sooner or later."

"Speaking of convenience, I still think you should take the job at our textile factory. That way, after we get married, your commute will be easy," Zhao Yuan persuaded.

The reason Zhang Yun trusted Zhao Yuan was precisely because of this. He knew she had a job opportunity, but instead of trying to take it for himself, he encouraged her to take the job so she could earn her own money and not have to ask her elders for it.

Zhang Yun wasn’t a complete airhead. Even if she was naive, she still liked money.

"Ah Yuan, you have a point, but... isn’t it too extravagant to rent a place before I’ve even gotten my first paycheck?"

Zhao Yuan laid out his reasoning for her. "That’s not how you should look at it. Once you start working at our factory, it’ll be a long way from here. You can’t travel that far for work every day. It would be exhausting."

"I know there are places for rent near our textile factory. I can pull some strings and get you a cheaper price."

"And once we get married, we won’t need to rent anymore."

Zhao Yuan’s analysis sounded very reasonable, so Zhang Yun nodded in agreement.

"Go pack your things first," Zhao Yuan said, gesturing toward the Su family’s courtyard.

"Huh? Pack right now?"

"Yes. I’ll arrange for you to stay at a friend’s place for a few days. Once you start your job, we can get you a rental. This way, nothing unexpected will happen, and you can avoid troubling your sister-in-law’s family."

That last sentence convinced Zhang Yun. She nervously re-entered the courtyard and happened to run right into Mother Su.

"Auntie, I’m going to pack my things and move out." After saying this, Zhang Yun grew anxious, bracing herself to be scolded by Mother Su.

Unexpectedly, Mother Su had no reaction. She just looked up at her calmly. "Oh. In that case, you should contact your parents."

"What?"

"I said, you should tell your parents about this so they know where you are and can contact you in the future. You should also leave them your contact information."