As they went up the stairs, Mother Tang took the lead.
Luo Yang intentionally slowed his pace.
As a result, Mother Tang reached the second floor while Luo Yang and Tang Guihua had just reached the staircase landing.
At that moment, Luo Yang quickly whispered into Tang Guihua's ear, "Sister Guihua, I'll go ahead. Just say I'm very busy."
Tang Guihua smirked, pursed her red lips, and whispered back softly, "On my turf, I call the shots. Don't even think about leaving."
Saying so, she dragged Luo Yang upstairs.
When they reached the second floor, Father Tang, Mother Tang, and Tang Dexing were all there.
Ever since the Lin Family had sent people to make trouble at the Tang Family's tea shop, Tang Dexing no longer dared to go there, fearing retaliation.
After all, they weren't short of money, and Luo Yang hadn't hired anyone to watch the shop yet.
Now that Luo Yang's feud with the Lin Family had escalated to a fever pitch, Tang Dexing naturally feared even more that the Lin Family might come after him to settle scores and stayed at home all day.
Father Tang and Mother Tang were still relatively bold, usually going out together to buy groceries.
The couple was now checking out clothing piece by piece, which, under Tang Guihua's guidance, had all been bought, making them all perfectly fitting.
"Dexing, what have you been up to lately?" Luo Yang made small talk.
Actually, without asking, he knew Tang Dexing was hiding at home seeking refuge.
"I've been learning traditional Chinese medicine from my dad. Oh, right, Brother-in-law..." Tang Dexing paused when he saw his parents looking over and continued, "Brother Yang, can you teach me traditional Chinese medicine?"
Hearing their son's words, the old couple were very pleased.
"Niu Zai, since Dexing is just idling at home anyway, you might as well teach him," Mother Tang suggested.
"Niu Zai, Guihua has only one younger brother. Please help him out," Father Tang also pleaded earnestly.
With both parents speaking up, Luo Yang felt obliged to agree for the time being.
"Alright. But mastering it requires hard work," Luo Yang stated.
"Sister..., uh, Brother Yang, I can bear hardships," Tang Dexing said excitedly.
Luo Yang's skills in traditional Chinese medicine had been proven effective.
"Brother, if you're going to learn medicine from Niu Zai, you need to focus entirely on studying," Tang Guihua advised.
"Sister, I understand," Tang Dexing replied.
With that, everything seemed to be under control.
Luo Yang thought it was time to excuse himself.
Just as he was about to say, "I have to leave now," Mother Tang spoke first.
"Niu Zai, you're quite the handsome man, and you know my Guihua is one of the most beautiful women in the village," Mother Tang began slowly.
Each word seemed to come with a hit of heat.
Luo Yang kept wiping the sweat from his forehead, thinking, "I'm in trouble this time."
Seeing Luo Yang sweating profusely, Tang Guihua couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Her laughter only made Luo Yang feel hotter, and large beads of sweat rolled down his face.
Even when confronted with a hundred or so thugs, Luo Yang had never felt such internal heat.
It was as if he were sitting in a hot pot, his whole body burning.
"Niu Zai, why are you so hot?" Tang Guihua asked, pretending not to know.
"Huh? Oh, it must be because... haha, today is indeed quite hot," Luo Yang said awkwardly.
Tang Guihua then used a piece of paper to dab at the sweat on Luo Yang's forehead.
"Look at how hot you are; it's not like there's a tiger trying to eat you," Tang Guihua teased.
Father Tang gave Mother Tang a look, obviously signaling her to go easy and not to make things difficult for Luo Yang anymore.
But Mother Tang, considering her daughter's future, now that she had a good opportunity to talk to Luo Yang in person, was unwilling to let it slip by.
Mother Tang ignored Father Tang's signal and continued, "Niu Zai, let me be frank with you. You..."
She had only spoken halfway when Luo Yang's face was covered in sweat, and he looked panicked.
Seeing his expression, Tang Guihua felt both annoyed and amused.
Luo Yang had failed to maintain the composure recommended by Qin Piao, which was to be generous and proper in front of one's in-laws.
"Mom, let's not talk about this," Tang Guihua interjected.
"Some things must be discussed. If we don't, we'll still need to later, right, Niu Zai?" Mother Tang persisted.
Luo Yang had no choice but to nod dumbly, his mind racing as he thought about how to leave.
"My Guihua is like a heavenly beauty..." Mother Tang began, talking like the endless flow of the Yangtze River.
"Mom, can you let him catch his breath?"
Seeing Luo Yang drenched in sweat, Guihua couldn't bear to watch him suffer any longer.
"What do you know? Am I not doing this for your good?" retorted Mother Tang with a cold laugh.
In the Tang Family home, Mother Tang had always been very domineering.
Knowing she couldn't get her mother to stop right away, Guihua took Luo Yang by the arm and said, "Niu Zai, come with me for a moment, I've got something to discuss with you."
Luo Yang instantly felt much more relaxed and said, "I'll be right back, just a moment."
He then followed Guihua into her boudoir.
Once the door was closed, Luo Yang finally let out a long sigh of relief.
He smiled wryly and took off his shirt.
He had been frightened earlier, and was indeed soaked in sweat.
Guihua's room had a private bathroom where Luo Yang wanted to wipe down his body.
There was only a towel with embroidered flowers, which Guihua usually used to wash her face.
Seeing Luo Yang take off his shirt, Guihua knew what he was going to do and went into the bathroom first.
Luo Yang followed her in, hugged Guihua from behind, nibbled at her red lips, and then, biting her ear, he whispered softly, "Sister Guihua, you're so good to me."
Guihua turned around and gently pushed Luo Yang away, but when she couldn't, she swayed her body in protest.
"You are covered in sweat, wipe yourself off quickly," Guihua said coyly.
"Got it, Sister Guihua," Luo Yang pecked at Guihua's red lips again.
"Where did your courage go just now? My mom only said a few words, and you panicked like that. Doesn't sound like you, does it?" Guihua teased him.
"Sister Guihua..."
When Guihua was about to speak, Luo Yang sealed her lips with his, stopping her from talking.
It was a while before their lips finally parted.
Guihua took the towel, dampened it with water, then began to wipe the sweat from Luo Yang's body.
"You heard everything, right? My mom will definitely want to talk to you again," Guihua said softly, with a laugh.
"Sister Guihua, you have to help me," Luo Yang said as he turned around and hugged her slender waist.
"You don't have the guts? Next time you'll have to deal with it yourself, I can't be helping you every time," Guihua said with a smile.
"Sister Guihua, help me," Luo Yang gently rocked Guihua's delicate body in his arms.
The two moved as if they were dancing.
"I won't help, let's see how you... mmh..."
Guihua was speaking when Luo Yang once again silenced her with a kiss.
This time, Luo Yang's phone rang.
"only you, can take me to the Journey to the West..."
He thought it was An Yuying calling, but upon checking the caller ID, it turned out to be an unfamiliar number.
After answering the call, he recognized the voice of Village Chief Cheng Nan from the Xingang Brigade.
"Village Chief Cheng, hello," Luo Yang said.
Previously, Luo Yang had called Cheng Nan, proposing to construct a water canal.
At the time, Cheng Nan had agreed and was willing to discuss it with the villagers.
The canal would pass through several villagers' lands, and Luo Yang was willing to offer compensation.
Now Cheng Nan was calling, and Luo Yang guessed that he wanted to talk about the water canal project.
Cheng Nan said, "Niu Zai, Yu Baiqiang wants to invite you for a meal to discuss a big matter. Are you available?"
A big matter?
Luo Yang wondered to himself, unable to figure out what it could be.
"Yes. Let's go to the seafood restaurant in the grove. I'll treat," Luo Yang generously offered.
"It's a deal then. Don't stand me up. It would be best if you could bring your village leader along," said Cheng Nan.