Male Lead's Canon Fodder Wife - Chapter 1181

Chapter 1181: Zhang Yulan’s Resentment
Unlike his sister who was showing a dark face, Zhang Ermu was calm and even had a smile on his face. He had already heard about what happened to Lin Muai and the reasons for her stay with Liu Piao.

In fact, he had been expecting her to come and borrow his bullock cart. After two days with no word, he had assumed they wouldn’t have any chance to interact, leaving him slightly disappointed.

But now that Liu Pan had finally shown up, he felt a glimmer of hope in his heart. As long as he seizes this opportunity, he and she will still have a chance.

Standing up, Zhang Ermu greeted him politely, “Brother Liu, what brings you to my house today?”

Liu Pan hesitated for a moment, feeling a bit awkward. He was well aware of the tension between Zhang Ermu’s family and his own, particularly due to the actions of his second uncle and his second wife.

Borrowing something as significant as the bullock cart from someone with a grudge against his family felt presumptuous. But for Lin Muai’s sake, he mustered his courage.

“Brother Zhang, I’m sorry to trouble you like this, but I was wondering if I could borrow your bullock cart,” he said.

Before Zhang Ermu could reply, Zhang Yulan cut in sharply, “Liu Pan, why on earth would my brother lend his bullock cart to you? Have you forgotten what your family did to him back then?”

Her words made Liu Pan’s face flush with embarrassment. He lowered his head slightly and replied, “Sister Zhang, I–”

The moment she heard his words, Zhang Yulan snapped and cut him off mid-sentence, “Who is your sister?”

Zhang Ermu frowned at his sister’s rude attitude and turned to his sister. He said with a stern tone, “Yulan, don’t be rude.”

Feeling upset at being reprimanded by her brother, Zhang Yulan bit her lip and stopped talking. She ignored her brother and lowered her head.

Though she continued washing mushrooms, the way she handled them showed her anger and frustration. She muttered complaints about the Liu family under her breath. Her voice was low but Zhang Ermu could still hear it.

Shaking his head at his sister’s behavior, Zhang Ermu chose to let it slide. Turning back to Liu Pan, he said, “Brother Liu, it happens that I need to make a trip to town myself. We can go together.”

Liu Pan’s eyes lit up at these words, his earlier embarrassment turned into gratitude. “Thank you, Brother Zhang,” he said sincerely.

Zhang Ermu nodded and added, “Let me inform my mother first. Please wait here.”

“Of course, take your time, Brother Zhang,” Liu Pan replied with a smile.

As he waited in the yard, Liu Pan’s gaze wandered. He saw the recently repaired fences and the rows of fish drying in the sun on wooden racks. The sight of strings of dried corn hanging from the beams of the house gave the place a sense of warmth and prosperity.

It seems that the Zhang family is living better this year. He had heard that Zhang Ermu and Li Chenze had a close relationship. Perhaps the changes in the Zhang family are due to the help of the Li family.

While Liu Pan was lost in thought, Zhang Yulan was observing him. Although she didn’t show him a friendly face, she actually understood her brother’s intentions. It wasn’t that she hated Liu Pan, she just couldn’t accept how badly her brother was being treated by the Liu family.

Just because their grandparents had been landlords and were now being punished in the labor camp didn’t mean everyone in their family was a criminal. Her second brother was clearly a very good man. Yet, in the Liu family’s eyes, he was worse than trash.

If she claimed she had no complaints about Liu Piao, that would be a lie. She had long considered her as her second sister-in-law. But when their engagement was broken, Liu Piao did nothing and even stopped contacting her brother. In the end, she too looked down on the Zhang family.

After so many years without any news, Liu Piao suddenly returned to the village and disturbed her second brother again. Did she think she was some kind of fairy and that her brother would always love her?

When she thought about what the villagers said—that her second brother was a frog dreaming of being with a swan—she was so angry that she nearly crushed the fresh mushrooms in her hand.

Fortunately, she regained her composure and avoided ruining the mushrooms. Since she couldn’t do anything about the matter, she could only glare at Liu Pan’s back while gnashing her teeth.

Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Zhang Ermu was talking to his mother.

“Mother, I’m going to town and will be back a little late. Do you need anything? I will bring it back for you,” he asked.

Mother Zhang thought for a moment and said, “Ermu, take some cloth and cotton coupons and buy a few meters of fabric and two kilograms of cotton.”

Realizing his mother wanted to make some winter clothes, Zhang Ermu nodded and said, “Okay.”

It had been several years since his parents and grandparents had worn new clothes. It was indeed time to make new ones for them. He had also earned several hundred yuan from selling mushrooms to Bajie, so buying a few kilograms of cotton and a roll of fabric wouldn’t be an issue.

After making up his mind, he went to the cabinet and took several coupons from the tin can. As for money, he had some with him, so he didn’t take any from the household expenses.

“Mother, I’m heading out now,” he said.

Mother Zhang nodded and reminded him, “Be careful on the road.”

When Zhang Ermu came out, he noticed his sister still looked upset. He walked over to her and said, “Yulan, Brother will be back a little late, so stay home and keep Mother company. Brother will buy some brown sugar for you later.”