Zhao Shumin's Gift

The young man tailing Zhao Shumin was naturally a very timid person.
Just now, he had been enticed by Zhao Shumin’s curvaceous figure and harbored improper thoughts.
He wanted to come forward and see if there was any chance of developing a relationship with this auntie.
If he could pull it off, every single night in Shanghai from then on would truly feel like heaven.
At this moment, upon hearing Li Ziyan shout at him to scram,
he was so scared that his legs turned to jelly, and he turned tail and ran with a flushed face.
In this era, the cost of committing crimes was simply too high, so he didn't dare to actually step out of line.
Even if Li Ziyan hadn't stepped in, the most he would have dared to do was pester Zhao Shumin a little.

After the trailing young man departed,
Zhao Shumin’s heart was still pounding wildly, utterly unable to calm down. She couldn't help but associate this with the rolling pin she used for dough.
Although Li Ziyan was somewhat reluctant to let go of Zhao Shumin, he knew that if things continued this way, it would be inappropriate.
Now, his relationship with this sharp-tongued woman was quite harmonious, and past grievances were water under the bridge.
Besides, they were co-renting neighbors, so he still needed to maintain a good relationship with Aunt Zhao.

Zhao Shumin patted her chest, clearly still lingering in a state of fright.
At any given moment, any woman would feel utterly terrified when encountering such a situation.
The sight of Zhao Shumin patting her chest made it completely impossible for Li Ziyan to look away.
"Are you alright, Auntie?"
"Um... I'm fine. It scared the life out of me, that guy wanted to act like a hooligan."
Puttng the pepper spray back into her peeling handbag, Zhao Shumin slowly calmed down inside.
"Auntie, let's go home first."
"Okay."
The two walked together, though a lingering sense of dread still gripped Zhao Shumin's heart.
"It's a good thing you were there, Xiaoyan, it's a good thing you were there."
Although she had a sharp tongue, her combat power fundamentally belonged to a mere woman, leaving her entirely helpless when facing such a situation.
"By the way, Xiaoyan,"
"How come you appeared here?"
Zhao Shumin felt a sense of wonder in her heart; she couldn't figure out why Li Ziyan would show up in this place.
"Auntie, I saw you coming out for overtime today, and I ran into you coming to work around here before."
"So I figured it wasn't safe for you and came over to check on your workplace."

"I never expected to run into this incident."
A warm sensation couldn't help but well up inside Zhao Shumin.
This kid was truly too good to her. Knowing she was working overtime and still keeping her in mind—this sentiment was genuinely sincere.
Thinking about this, Zhao Shumin felt a twinge of guilt for previously tearing Li Ziyan's clothes.
"Xiaoyan, thank you so much."
"If it weren't for you, Auntie would have been in real danger this time."
"Auntie really shouldn't have treated you that way before."

Li Ziyan smiled and said, "Auntie Zhao, you didn't know what the situation was back then either, so you can't be blamed."
Li Ziyan still remembered the time Zhao Shumin had torn the neighbor's aunt until she bled.
However, that incident really couldn't be blamed on Aunt Zhao; that other woman's character was indeed quite poor.
Regardless, Li Ziyan knew that deep down, Zhao Shumin's nature was actually very kind.
"Yeah, Xiaoyan, let's go home first."
Along the way, Zhao Shumin's mind kept replaying the scene of Li Ziyan saving her just moments ago.

For so many years, Zhao Shumin had never held any status in her family. Back then, when her parents found out she was a girl, they had even wanted to abort her on more than one occasion.
Growing up, she had spent her entire life amidst disdain and insults.
Life after marriage hadn't been any better; Zhao Shumin had constantly been the target of domestic violence, and later her husband even had an affair, taking up with an extremely ugly mistress before divorcing her.
Afterward, she single-handedly raised Shang Shunsheng.
Because she was too pretty and well-endowed, countless people tried to harass her
and take advantage of her. As a widow, if she hadn't put on a shrewish front,
she would have been bullied to death sooner or later. Over time, Zhao Shumin developed her current thoroughly shrewish persona.
Yet, this had not changed her underlying nature as a kind-hearted woman.

"Auntie Zhao, you're actually quite gentle when you're quiet."
Li Ziyan looked at the serene Zhao Shumin walking beside him and said with a smile.
The current Zhao Shumin and the shrew who had straddled his chest and torn his T-shirt were truly worlds apart.
"Actually, Auntie wasn't like that in the past either, I was just bullied too much."
"From now on, Auntie definitely won't treat you like that anymore. Xiaoyan, you're a very, very good kid."
As she spoke, Zhao Shumin's mind drifted back to Li Ziyan's bad habit of "stealing other people's things."
She had no idea that she had completely misunderstood Li Ziyan.
She merely felt that such a habit would surely land Li Ziyan in prison sooner or later.

After all, stealing other people's stockings and high heels was undoubtedly an extremely dangerous act that would invite the sanction of the law.
"Yeah, Auntie, I believe you. Actually, you're a very gentle woman."
Upon returning home, Li Ziyan parted ways with Zhao Shumin and went back to his room, intending to go straight to sleep. Glancing at the Telunsu milk he had drank earlier, he noticed the yogurt had somehow slipped into the drawer.
However, overcome with exhaustion, Li Ziyan just wanted to rest first. After all, as a working stiff, he still had to punch in at the company tomorrow and couldn't afford to waste time.
Shortly after lying down, a knock sounded at his door.
"Xiaoyan, open the door."
Recognizing Zhao Shumin's voice, Li Ziyan walked over and pulled the door open.

At this moment, Zhao Shumin had changed into a set of black pajamas that clearly had been worn for many years. Her hair was damp, evidently having just taken a shower.
The fragrance of shower gel emanating from her body made Li Ziyan feel a sudden wave of dry heat.
And Aunt Zhao was clearly in a completely relaxed state, preparing for bed right after her bath.
"Auntie Zhao..."
"What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
Li Ziyan swallowed hard, feeling as though he were dreaming.
Could it be that the plots from the short stories he loved to read were actually coming true?
"Xiaoyan, Auntie wants to talk to you about your habit of taking other people's clothes."
At that moment, the voice from next door sounded again.
Zhao Shumin's face flushed slightly.
"Auntie knows that young people have boundless energy every day."
"So, if you have certain thoughts, it's actually completely normal."
"But there are some things we absolutely cannot do, Xiaoyan."
Pulling one of her own garments from behind her,
Zhao Shumin said softly, "Xiaoyan, this is Auntie's T-shirt."
"If you like clothes, Auntie will give you this one."
"From now on, you must never go out and steal other people's clothes again."
"If you get caught, you'll really go to jail."
"In the future, if you're going to fantasize..."
"Actually, as long as Auntie can help you, Auntie doesn't mind."