Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs

Chapter 47

The front door opened, and Xu Dengke came out with his messy hair, his eyes widening as he saw who was at the door. "Third Aunt... you... you guys?!"

Lu Yao almost burst out laughing, while Zhao Beichuan's face also turned quite peculiar. They hadn't expected to rent from Xu Dengke's aunt.

"These two gentlemen want to rent our shop. Could you write up a contract for us to avoid any trouble later?"

Xu Dengke nodded and walked into the house awkwardly. He still didn't know that Zhao Beichuan was aware of his relationship with Lu Yao and pretended not to recognize them.

"Come in," the old lady invited, and Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan followed her inside.

The Xu family had three rooms that looked dilapidated. The moment they entered, a strong stench of foot odor filled their noses, nearly making Lu Yao gag.

The eastern room was where his parents lived, while the western room belonged to Xu Dengke. It was cluttered with old clothes and socks, some of which were covered in a layer of oily mud, making it impossible to see their original colors. Lu Yao glanced around and almost vomited.

He had always thought Xu Dengke dressed neatly outside, but his home was surprisingly filthy.

Xu Dengke blushed and started gathering the dirty clothes. "You, you guys, please take a seat. I'll go get the ink and brush."

The old lady sat down, and Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan stood beside her.

After a while, Xu Dengke returned with paper and a brush. "Third Aunt, how should we write this?"

The old lady had been renting out the shop for over ten years and knew contracts well. She asked Zhao Beichuan's name and said, "Today, Zhao Beichuan rents one shop and three rooms from Xu Fengxia. The annual rent is twenty taels of silver, plus a deposit of two taels. If there is any damage to the walls or the house, the deposit will be used for compensation."

There were two copies of the contract. Lu Yao read it, confirmed it was correct, and pressed his thumbprint on it before handing over the silver to the old lady.

The old lady gave Lu Yao the keys. "If you need anything, come find me. Take good care of the shop; don't damage it."

"Okay."

Xu Dengke escorted them to the door and quickly closed it, never daring to speak to Lu Yao, fearing the man next to him might recognize him and beat him up.

*

On the mule cart, Lu Yao observed Zhao Beichuan, who was silently driving. Unable to resist teasing him, Lu Yao said, "Jealous?"

"No."

"But you look unhappy."

Zhao Beichuan wasn't jealous, just uncomfortable. If Scholar Xu had been capable, it would have been different, but seeing his pitiful state, Zhao Beichuan felt sorry for Lu Yao, remembering how he had once tried to commit suicide for such a person.

"Let's go clean up the house first and then bring Xiaonian and Xiaodou over."

"Alright!"

They returned to the rented old house, finding the small courtyard increasingly comfortable. Though smaller than the place in Wan'gou Village, it was neat and complete.

The front yard was paved with stones, preventing mud during summer rains. There was also a vegetable garden and an outhouse at the back, which they could plant vegetables in come spring.

Lu Yao unlocked the door. When they arrived earlier, they hadn't gone inside. As he pushed open the door, dust fell from the walls, indicating it had been uninhabited for a long time.