Chapter Twelve Zhang Nianyue

  Ye Ziran walked into Ye Lao's courtyard and saw a slender university student standing beside Ye Lao, chatting with him.

  She was about 1.6 meters tall, wearing a light white floral dress, with smooth and delicate skin as smooth as silk, and seemed to be blown away by the wind. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders, paired with her red lips and white teeth, and a charming smile, not to mention in Jianan, even in the provincial capital, Ye Zhenran had never seen such a beautiful girl.

  "Xiao Ye is here, come and see, this is Nian Yue, Heng Liang's daughter." Ye Gu saw Ye Zhen enter the door and look at Zhang Nianyue, and he was a little stunned, so he called out in time.

  Yeran suddenly came to his senses and said: "Old Ye, we have a guest..."

  "Haven't seen a beauty before." Before he finished speaking, the female college student was somewhat displeased with his rudeness, "Grandpa, who is this wooden guy?"

  Ye Lao turned his head and looked at her, seemingly used to her willfulness, saying: "Xiao Ye is my friend from a different generation, I got to know him through playing bridge with your dad."

  "Wood can also play bridge?" Zhang Nianyue deliberately exaggeratedly rounded his small mouth, "When did bridge become something that everyone can play?"

  Watching the beautiful woman teasing him with a sly smile, Ye Zhenran was at a loss for words for a moment, and was unlike his usual self. Just as he was hesitating, Zhang Nianyue suddenly became surprised: "Ah, this wooden head I seem to have seen somewhere."

  Yeh's words left Yeh Lao, Cai Shu and the others stunned. Yeh Lao smiled and said, "This is your first time meeting Little Ye, how can you say you've met before?"

  "This, let me think" Zhang Nianyue made a thoughtful expression, "Right, where did Mu Tou graduate from?" Zhang Nianyue asked. "Mu Tou" seemed to have become a nickname for Ye Zhenran.

  As for this title, Ye Zheyen didn't show any displeasure and replied: "I graduated from J University in 1988."

  Zhang Nianyue then clapped his hands and laughed, saying: "Ah, I see! You're that Ye Zhenran. I was wondering why you looked so familiar. You were the president of the student union back in the day. I remember listening to one of your speeches in the school auditorium during my freshman year. You were so full of hot air back then, what happened to you today?

  Everyone then uttered a sound of "oh", and Ye Lao smiled, saying, "Nian Yue, stop calling out like a wooden chicken. Let's sit down and chat, and let Ah Cai go prepare dinner."

  Ye Ziran and Zhang Nianyue sat beside Old Ye. Zhang Nianyue seemed to be very interested in Ye Ziran, staring at him with a puzzled expression, unsure whether it was because he couldn't understand why Ye Ziran had become so taciturn or because he couldn't fathom how the top student from back then ended up in a small place like Changsha.

  Ye Ziran adjusted his emotional state and didn't say a word, picking up the apple beside him to peel it. After peeling an apple, he split it in half and gave one half each to Ye Lao and Nian Yue, saying: "Ye Lao, eat some apple, apples are commonly known as the fruit of intelligence, beneficial for the mind. Nian Yue, also eat some, eating apples is good for your complexion."

  "Then you don't usually eat apples yourself?"

  "Also eat." Ye Zhenran raised his eyes and looked at Zhang Nianyue, unable to understand why she said that.

  "It's supposed to be good for your brain and looks, so how did you end up being both stupid and ugly?" Zhang Nianyue raised an eyebrow and continued to tease him, her bright eyes hinting at a smile.

  Ye Ziran touched his darkened face and said, "I've just become healthier." Seeing the sly look in Zhang Nianyue's eyes, Ye Ziran also gradually returned to normal. "Be careful, or you'll turn black too after staying at Chang Jia for a few days."

  Zhang Nianyue indeed showed a worried look, and said angrily: "Wooden head, you accompany me to the department store tomorrow to buy Youyi." In the early 1990s, all sorts of famous cosmetics had not yet entered the market, and domestic "Youyi" brand cosmetics were also slightly famous.

  Zhang Nianyue was influenced by Ye Zhenran's darkening, and the old couple at Ye's home were just two old men. She wanted to go shopping, it seemed that she had to be accompanied by Ye Zhenran.

  Ye Ziran smiled and agreed, for a moment, he was filled with joy and affection for Zhang Nianyue's straightforward and quick wit. In a daze, he felt as if he had encountered an extremely perfect treasure, treasuring it so much that he couldn't bear to let go.

  The next day, Zhang Nianyue found Ye Zhenran's dormitory and asked Ye Zhenran to accompany her to buy cosmetics.

  It's a good thing it was Sunday and there were no other people in the dorm, otherwise, seeing such a beauty would probably make them feel like they're looking at a wild beast.

  The weather in July is already very hot. Changjia is located in Jiangnan, although there are no high mountains, but many hills. Looking south from the street, a hundred meters high continuous small mountain is a green landscape. In the middle of the county town, there is a small river running through it, and the river bottom is mostly smooth egg stones washed by water. Changjia is indeed a beautiful place. No wonder Ye Lao didn't want to stay in the big city, but wanted to live in Changjia all the time.

  Two people came out of the dormitory and walked along the river towards the town.

  "Wooden, the scenery here is great. When I was in Changsha, you should accompany me to walk through every mountain here." Zhang Nianyue pointed at a small hill in the distance without any hesitation.

  "I have to go to work, I can only accompany you after I get off work."

  "Well, Wooden Head, I'm asking you, why didn't you stay in the provincial city and come to a place like this?"

  "When I graduated, I felt that the provincial capital was not suitable for me, so I thought of coming to a local place to do something."

  "What office are you holding now?" Zhang Nianyue asked with a look of relentless pursuit.

  "I'm the deputy village head now," Ye Zhenran said with a hint of pride.

  "What level of official is a deputy township head?"

  Deputy departmental level.

  "Only deputy section level?" Zhang Nianyue was shocked. With big eyes, it's quite cute, no wonder she's a beauty. "The department heads in our school are all at the full section level, and deputy section level is just equivalent to the deputy director of the teaching and research office. You came here just to be this kind of small official?"

  "It's not about the size of the official position, as long as you can get things done. I just treat being an official as a profession, just like being a teacher at school or an engineer at a factory - it's all just a job. To be honest, I really enjoy this profession, it's full of challenges." Ye Zhenran patiently replied to Zhang Nianyue's astonishment.

  Zhang Nianyue tilted her head and thought for a while, then fell silent. As she walked, she gently kicked the small stones by the river with her feet, kicking them into the river one by one.

  The two of them walked for a while, and Zhang Nianyue seemed to have thought of something important. He asked seriously: "Muhou, you're a small official and also a university student from the provincial capital. You must be very popular here. Honestly, how many girlfriends have you had? Is your current girlfriend pretty?"

  "I've never had a girlfriend."

  "Deceiver!" Zhang Nianyue was angry now, her eyebrows slightly furrowed when she was angry. "You deceived people, Grandpa said you were an honest person, it seems that Grandpa was deceived."

  "So you tell me, do you have a boyfriend?" Ye Ziran counterattacked.

  "I didn't, because Dad wouldn't let me talk to friends when I was studying, besides, I also looked down on the schoolboys." Zhang Nianyue's face slightly flushed with discontent, looking at Ye Zhenran, "You don't tell the truth, and I won't care about you anymore."

  "What I said is true, there's a reason why I don't have a girlfriend."

  "What's going on?" Zhang Nianyue looked at Ye Zhiran with a suspicious expression, "Don't make anything up, I'll get very angry."

  "I don't have a boyfriend because of Yang Qing."

  "Who is Yang Ying?" Zhang Nianyue's interest was immediately piqued.

  Ye Ziran then told him everything about what had happened between him and Yang Xiang.

  Yang Ying is a talented woman in the computer science department at J University, renowned for her exceptional abilities not only in literature but also in the field of computer science. She has a particular interest and specialized research in computer viruses. During her junior year, J University organized an academic conference on computer viruses, attended by many well-known professors and graduate students in the field. Yang Ying participated in the conference as a college student and successfully cracked a new virus created by others during an on-site exercise. Only one expert was able to crack the virus she had programmed. This achievement caused a small stir at the time. Not only is she highly intelligent, but she is also extremely beautiful. At the time, male students in her department conducted a survey of female students across the campus and unanimously agreed that Yang Ying's beauty could rank among the top three. However, considering her exceptional talent, they felt it would be an insult to include her in the list of beauties, so they did not rank her as one of the school flowers or department flowers.

  Ye Ziran and Yang Ying had been in a relationship for over two years, and to others, they seemed like a match made in heaven. However, the truth was that Ye Ziran and Yang Ying had never even held hands before.

  Many dates, many conversations, Ye Zhenran pursued Yang Ying for more than two years, but Yang Ying was unmoved. In her heart, she only regarded him as her best friend.

  Because Yang Ying secretly had a crush on her brother-in-law.

  Just like the twists and turns in a movie, her sister's husband deeply loved her sister. Her sister was involved in a car accident and had her left leg amputated, but he married her anyway and took care of her all along. Perhaps it was his deep affection that moved her, and he became the most perfect man in her heart.

  Until the eve of graduation, Ye Zhenran confessed to Yang Ying, but Yang Ying still politely rejected him. She finally chose to escape and went to the United States across the ocean.

  As Ye Ziran slowly recounted his past with Yang Xiang, Zhang Nianyue was sometimes tense and sometimes moved. When she heard about Ye Ziran's selfless acts for Yang Xiang without seeking anything in return, she showed sympathy; when she heard about the beautiful moments between Ye Ziran and Yang Xiang, she smiled thoughtfully.

  Two people, one speaking with emotion and the other listening intently, before they knew it, noon had arrived.

  "Wooden, Yang sister went to America, have you contacted her?"

  "No." Ye Zhen shook his head.

  "Do you still miss her now?"

  "No, I almost forgot about her."

  "Really?" Nian Yue gazed into his eyes, which were clear and bright. Nian Yue said softly, "It's better to forget, even if you really remember her, just treat her as a memory of yours, but don't sink in again, it's not good."

  "Thank you, I've been talking to you for a long time, didn't I bore you?" Ye Zhenran's thoughts slowly retreated from his memories, looking at Nianyue's beautiful face, and his heart felt a little more tender.

  Nian Yue shook her head and didn't answer. The two fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts. A gentle breeze blew by, the willow tree's long branches swaying in the wind, warming the fields of their hearts.

  "Wooden head, I'm hungry, take me to a restaurant, don't go home to eat." After a while, Nian Yue returned to reality.

  "Alright."