"Er Meng, what exactly do you want to say?"
"If you have something to say, say it quickly. Otherwise, I'm going back. There's trouble around a widow's door. You're a young man who's not even married yet. I, as a sister-in-law, can't ruin your reputation."
Although she had some suspicions, Zhao Chunyan dared not dwell on them.
Er Meng's family wasn't well-off, and he had many siblings, so many girls looked down on him.
But he was a young man in his prime. He had probably never even held a woman's hand. No matter what, he wasn't someone she, a widow with three children, could aspire to.
Moreover, Shen Laifu had earned a lot of money lately by catching fish with Chen Yang, and they were already discussing building another room. With a new house, they could split the family. The girls who previously looked down on Er Meng might now be unwilling.
Zhao Chunyan wouldn't dare to have any improper thoughts.
"Sister Chunyan, I, I, I like you."
"I want to take care of you and live my life with you."
Shen Er Meng stammered, but finally mustered the courage to speak his heart.
Listening to him, Zhao Chunyan covered her mouth, her heart pounding.
Putting aside other things, looking at Shen Er Meng's tall and strong physique, he seemed even sturdier than ordinary men. If she had such a man to help her.
If both husband and wife were willing to work hard, their lives would surely get better and better.
Furthermore, her three children had always gotten along well with him. Most importantly, Zhao Chunyan found the sunny young man very appealing.
It wasn't just men who liked young and beautiful women; women also liked young, strong, and handsome men.
However, this thought flashed through Zhao Chunyan's mind and disappeared. She dared not think about it further.
Shen Laifu's family had treated her and her orphaned children well. She couldn't ruin the young man of their family. Er Meng wasn't married yet, how could he want a widow with three children like her?
"Er Meng, sister-in-law also went through your age. I know the hardship of being unmarried at this age."
"But once this passion passes, it passes. There can be no outcome."
"You should let Uncle Laifu arrange a marriage for you and find a good girl. Sister-in-law is not good enough for you."
Zhao Chunyan lowered her head, daring not to look at Shen Er Meng.
She was afraid that the longer she looked, the more improper thoughts would arise in her heart.
Such an honest and virile young man, who liked her and was good to her children, and she, a widow who had been without a man for several years.
Zhao Chunyan knew that if she didn't stop her inner thoughts in time, she would truly fall.
If that happened, Shen Laifu and his wife would probably point at her and curse her, calling her a vixen for seducing their son.
After speaking, Zhao Chunyan prepared to go inside. She couldn't stay alone with Shen Er Meng any longer.
She was afraid she wouldn't be able to control herself.
But as she was about to turn, Shen Er Meng, who had been timidly standing by, suddenly grabbed her hand.
"Er Meng, what are you doing? Let go of me."
Zhao Chunyan said, but felt a surge of brute force pulling her into his embrace.
Suddenly crashing into the man's heated chest, Zhao Chunyan's bones seemed to melt, and her legs instantly went weak.
"Er Meng, don't do this, don't. Sister-in-law begs you."
Zhao Chunyan's voice was on the verge of tears. She didn't want to ruin Shen Er Meng's reputation.
She also didn't dare to have wild thoughts.
"Sister-in-law, I like you. I want to take care of you."
Shen Er Meng felt Zhao Chunyan's soft and boneless body, and his whole body felt like it was struck by an electric current, burning hot.
He held Zhao Chunyan tightly. He had a premonition that if he let go now, he would completely lose this woman.
"Er Meng, don't do this."
"Sister-in-law is not good enough for you. You can find a pure girl. Sister-in-law still has three children. Sister-in-law can't hold you back."
"Sister-in-law, please, let sister-in-law go."
Zhao Chunyan's voice was tinged with tears. She disliked herself for being so useless, letting a man hug her and her body go soft, unable to even walk steadily.
"Sister-in-law, I don't care."
"I'll raise them too, and I'll raise you. If you bear me sons, I'll raise them too."
"My parents raised eight siblings, and compared to my father, I can have five more with you."
Shen Er Meng didn't know why, but after hugging someone, his thoughts suddenly opened up, and he stopped stammering.
"Pfft, who wants to have five more with you."
Zhao Chunyan secretly scoffed at Shen Er Meng's words. This silly boy was truly living up to his name, "Silly Er Meng".
Being spoken to like this by Shen Er Meng, Zhao Chunyan felt a stir in her heart.
Unlike men who only coveted her body, Shen Er Meng's sincerity and bravery made her heart flutter.
"Then you can have as many as you want. I have plenty of strength. I can work, and I can catch fish. I can always earn money to support you all."
Shen Er Meng patted his chest vigorously, very excited.
"Er Meng, let sister-in-law think about it carefully."
Zhao Chunyan looked at Shen Er Meng, feeling a headache. She was both hopeful and fearful.
She also wanted a good life and a man to rely on, especially a young, virile, and loving man.
But her situation made her deeply insecure.
"Sister-in-law, I..."
Shen Er Meng wanted to say more, but a figure outside the courtyard almost scared the souls out of both of them.
"What are you doing out there? Not sleeping at night."
Shen Laifu looked at his son hugging the young widow, his heart filled with indescribable emotions.
Before, their family was poor, and their eldest daughter was married off. Their second son was almost nineteen, but he hadn't found him a wife.
Now that the family's fortunes were improving, he was planning to build another room to find a wife for this boy.
He never expected his son to sneak out in the middle of the night and hook up with the young widow next door. If it were a thirty or forty-year-old bachelor, it would be one thing, but his son was only nineteen and had never even touched a woman's hand twice.
He could not agree to this.
"Er Meng, don't argue with your father. Just say I seduced you. Push all the blame onto me. I'm a widow, I'm not afraid of what others say."
At this moment, Zhao Chunyan regained her strength and quickly struggled out of Shen Er Meng's embrace.
Shen Laifu's attitude instantly brought her back from her fantasies. As a widow, she shouldn't have any improper thoughts.
"Sister Chunyan, I, Shen Er Meng, will absolutely not be a person who abandons you."
Shen Er Meng held Zhao Chunyan's hand. Listening to his words, even though Zhao Chunyan knew it was unlikely between them, her heart was still touched.
"Dad, I just like Sister Chunyan. I want to be with her."
Shen Er Meng straightened his neck and looked at Shen Laifu. This was the first time in his eighteen years of life that he had disobeyed his father.
"You, you little bastard, I think you're blinded by this woman."
"She has three children, and you're only eighteen and want to be a stepfather to someone else? You useless thing, I'll beat you to death."
Shen Laifu almost exploded with anger when he heard his foolish son's words. He rolled up his sleeves and prepared to hit him.