Such a Rude and Noisy Woman

"Give that album back to me now!" yelled Rachel.

Rachel tried to snatch it from Hiram's hands, but Hiram raised the album over his head. He looked at her with a big smile on his face, and said teasingly, "Why did you call me freak? I was just looking at a photo of you wearing your baby split pants. It's not such a big deal. Why should I be freak?" Rachel's face blushed to a crimson red as she heard his words. She stared at him with rage. She suspected that he might have seen her other photos as well.

The album also had some naked photos from her childhood. Hiram must have seen all of those.

"About that, I think that it's extremely unfair to me that I haven't had the pleasure of seeing your body..." Hiram said as he rested his eyes on Rachel's breasts, then he slowly moved his eyes down her body.

Rachel had seen him naked quite a few times. But Hiram hadn't seen her bare body till now.

He had seen some parts of it, though.

Rachel blushed. Her face turned as red as a ripe apple. They were in her house, and her mother was near them. She would be really embarrassed if her mother heard their words.

Just then, Fannie came out of her room and saw the couple scrambling for something. She asked in confusion, "What are you guys doing there?"

When Fannie noticed the cover of the photo album, she instantly understood what might have happened. She shook her head and said smilingly, "You are already a couple now. What are you worried about? Rachel, you stay here and keep Hiram company. I am going to the market to buy some food and groceries for preparing our meal. You both can leave only after having your lunch with me."

Fannie left the house. Rachel gave up her efforts to procure the album, as she knew that she wouldn't be able to succeed.

Rachel had always wanted to burn that photo album in the past. But Fannie treated that album as something precious and didn't allow her to destroy it. Fannie said that it was a record of her childhood journey.

"Your mother was right. We are a couple now. But I still haven't had the chance to do what a husband can do with his wife. I feel hurt." Hiram said as he shook his head. He closed the album and kept it back at its place.

Rachel was busy cleaning the house for her mother, while she was talking to Hiram. "You are hurt? I am the one who is suffering from injustice. Don't you think so?"

Hiram casually sat on the sofa and watched Rachel as she cleaned the table. He said, "Didn't I already compensate you for your suffering? Alright then, this house is in fact, quite small. How about I buy a bigger house for your mother downtown?"

"No, no, that's not necessary. My mom has friends in this neighborhood. She won't be accustomed to living in a new environment if she moves somewhere else," said Rachel. After she had cleaned the table, she started to wipe the television. Hiram sat for a while and then went to look around Rachel's bedroom.

Moments later, Fannie came back with some bags of food in her hands. Rachel helped her wash the vegetables and prepare everything.

In Rachel's bedroom, Hiram saw that the wall of her room was covered with a lot of certificates and awards. She was awarded as the most excellent student from primary school to high school. These certificates proved how hard she had studied in the past. On her desk, Hiram noticed a photo of her whole family. A man was standing behind Rachel in the picture. They were laughing happily.

The man in the photo was Rachel's father, Simpson Ruan. Hiram heard that Simpson died of an illness. He understood that his death must have brought great sorrow to Rachel and her mother.

But Rachel and Fannie were being quite brave and positive. They kept moving forward and working hard for their lives.

Hiram kept his eyes on the man in the photo. He didn't see any other pictures of Rachel's father in the living room. Rachel might have hidden away those photos from Fannie, as she probably didn't want to remind her of the great loss and sad memory. Rachel only saved one family photo in her own room.

"Come out, let's have lunch now," Rachel pushed the door open and said.

Hiram had told Rachel that he needed to do some work in the afternoon, so Rachel asked Fannie to prepare an early lunch. They had already finished cooking.

Rachel came in and noticed that Hiram was looking at the family photo on her desk. A dash of sadness flashed through her eyes. She said, "The man is my father. We were a small and happy family in the past, but one day, he..."

Rachel choked. She took a deep breath and tried to hide her sadness.

Hiram suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist. He held her tightly in his arms and said in a tender voice, "I am sorry. I came so late in your life."

The Rong family and Ruan family had a close relationship since their ancestors. Hiram felt a surge of guilt. He should've faced the relationship between the two families earlier. He should have ensured that they kept in touch with each other. If they had kept in touch, the Rong family could have found the best doctor to cure Simpson's ailment. In that case, there might have been a chance for Simpson to survive from his illness.

Rachel prevented her tears from pouring down. She raised her head to look at Hiram and said, "It's okay. What's done is done. Come out now. Lunch is served, we shouldn't keep mom waiting for us."

Rachel didn't want to bother Hiram with this matter. She didn't want him to feel guilty for the past events.

Hiram wiped off the tears from the corners of her eyes with his thumb. He nodded, "Okay..."

Throughout their dinner, Hiram explained to Fannie about Lydia's matter. Fannie assured him that she wouldn't mind it anymore. After all, Lydia was only a young girl; she wouldn't take her too seriously. Fannie was angry at the time when she heard Lydia's words for the first time. But after she calmed down and thought about it, she didn't care anymore.

If Hiram wanted to marry Lydia, he would've already married her long back. He wouldn't have stayed single for so long.

Hiram was the most eligible bachelor. Fannie understood that it was normal for women to be attracted towards him.

After the lunch, Hiram left first and went back to his company. Rachel stayed there to accompany Fannie, as Hiram wouldn't come back to his villa until the evening.

In the afternoon, Rachel didn't go outside; instead, she stayed at home to keep Fannie company. She helped her mother with the household chores, and they watched TV together.

"Mom, here is my wage card. Please keep it for yourself. You can use it to buy anything you need, " Rachel said as she handed a bank card to Fannie. This was the saving from her salary. Though there wasn't a great deal of money in it, it was enough for fulfilling some basic needs. Fannie looked at the bank card, but she didn't take it, instead, she asked, "Rachel, tell me honestly. Does he treat you well?"

Rachel blinked her eyes and thought about it. She remembered that Hiram didn't treat her well at the beginning, but gradually, his behavior towards her had changed.

"Yes, he treats me well," answered Rachel.

"Does he help you financially? Did he ever give you money for shopping?" Fannie was a bit worried, so she asked Rachel bluntly.

Rachel paused. She scratched her head, as she didn't know how to respond to this question. Then, she replied, "Mom...actually, he did give me money, but just too..."

"Too little?" asked Fannie. She had always wanted to ask her daughter this question. But she felt a little embarrassed to ask it, after all, it was a private affair between the couple. Nonetheless, Fannie thought that a man shouldn't be too miser when it came to spending money on his woman. She was worried that Hiram wasn't generous with Rachel.

Rachel smiled sheepishly and said, "No, on the contrary, he gave me too much money. It's such a big amount that I don't even know how to spend it."

"What? Too much? How much?"

Rachel then whispered the figure in Fannie's ears. When Fannie heard the number, she was startled and immediately leaped up from the seat. She was frozen. It took her a long while to come back to her senses.

"My dear daughter, you've indeed met a good husband. Though it's very inappropriate to talk about money in a relationship, it still shows his sincerity to you. Now that I am sure my choice for you is right! He is the perfect man for you! Remember to cherish him. He is a good man. A lot of girls would fight against you to get their hands on Hiram."

After the conversation with Rachel, Fannie was even more confident that she had picked the right man for Rachel.

"Mom..."

Rachel called her mother with a smile.

But right at that moment, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Fannie stood up and went to open the door. When she opened the door and saw the people outside, she was surprised. Not just surprised, she was astonished! ☐☐