Chapter 09: Stealing a Kiss

She simply could not understand why it was being so cowardly. “My straw man is dead…”

Her lips pouted, and her eyes brimmed with tears.

Huo Qingshan deliberately acted as if he did not see. “Do it again.”

Lin Yingying stretched out her thin, frail arm. “It’s prickly, it hurts~~”

Huo Qingshan pressed his lips into a thin line. “Go back.”

Lin Yingying looked at him aggrievedly. “If I go back, I’ll still be your wife, right~”

Huo Qingshan said, “You weren’t to begin with.”

Lin Yingying’s fine brows immediately filled with fighting spirit. Brimming with energy, she said, “Huo Qingshan, if you keep being so irresponsible, I’m going to get angry!”

Huo Qingshan asked, “And what will you do if you get angry?”

Lin Yingying stood up, stomped her foot, and put her hands on her hips. “I’ll bully you!”

Huo Qingshan lifted his head to look at her for a moment. She stood with the light behind her, yet her beauty became even more arrogant. That beauty carried an irresistible sense of aggression, enough to be fatal.

He gathered the wheat stalks together and signaled to her. “Do it again.”

Lin Yingying gave a little smile, leaned down toward him, and reached out to unbutton his shirt.

Huo Qingshan swiftly caught her slender wrist, his gaze locking sharply onto her.

Her wrist was slender, the touch delicate and smooth, as if with just a bit of force he could snap it in two. Yet it seemed to hold a powerful strength, able to reach out like this and effortlessly pierce through the shield of self-control he was so proud of, as if to pluck his heart right out.

Lin Yingying’s breath was fragrant as orchids. Like a little enchantress, she coaxed softly, “Brother Qingshan, lend me your shirt to wear, will you?”

Huo Qingshan said, “No.” Then, as if compelled by some unseen force, he added, “Men’s clothes smell.”

Lin Yingying’s smile bloomed brilliantly. “Other people’s smell bad, but yours smells good.”

Huo Qingshan: “…” He actually tasted the flavor of vanity. It was a deadly feeling.

The girl still held out those tender white arms, reddened where the wheat awns had pricked them, acting spoiled as she pleaded for him to lend her his shirt to wear.

He had no choice but to resign himself and tug open the front of his shirt. Fortunately, he was still wearing an army-green vest underneath. He took off the shirt and tossed it to her.

Lin Yingying took his shirt, but her gaze roamed freely, admiring the fine lines of his muscles. “Wow, you look so lean, but you’re actually this solid and well-built.”

His hands and face, long exposed to the wind and sun, were the color of wheat, yet the skin on his shoulders and upper arms outside the vest was a beautiful honey tone. As for the chest faintly visible beneath the vest, it seemed surprisingly fair.

This made Lin Yingying all the more curious. She reached out, wanting to tug open the neckline of his vest for a closer look.

Huo Qingshan quickly stood up, avoiding the bewitching touch of her fingertips.

He watched as she naturally slipped on his shirt, fastening the buttons neatly to the very top. His well-fitted shirt hung loose and roomy on her delicate frame. The sleeves were too long, so she rolled them up, and the hem, like the skirt of a dress, she tied into a knot. She looked lively and dashing, like a little enchantress.

Seeing his shirt wrapped around her slender figure, his throat instantly went parched with thirst.

The young men up ahead, seeing this, all took off their jackets. They didn’t have vests underneath, so they were all bare-chested, each trying to outdo the other as they called out in unison, “Little sister, look over here, brother’s a fine man too…”

Lin Yingying turned her head to look over.

Huo Qingshan’s face instantly darkened.

Lin Yingying pouted. “What’s there to show off about? None of you look as good as my Brother Qingshan.” She tilted her head back and smiled up at Huo Qingshan. “My Brother Qingshan is the best-looking man!”

Huo Qingshan: “…” He turned and went back to cutting wheat.

Even though Lin Yingying now had protective “armor,” her speed at tying wheat bundles still didn’t get any sort of buff—it was just as ugly and slow as before.

So Huo Qingshan would cut one row, then turn back to tie it up, and after meeting up with her, cut another row. Back and forth like this, the two of them somehow managed to keep pace with those young men.

Lin Yingying was feeling very pleased with herself. “See? Men and women working together makes the job faster and less tiring!”

The baby-faced youth said, “Sister-in-law, come and team up with me!”

Lin Yingying gave a smug smile. “That won’t do. Your Brother Qingshan would get jealous.”

Huo Qingshan: “…”

When Huo Qingshan came back around to tie the wheat bundles and met her again, Lin Yingying was squatting in the field, one hand propped against a pile of wheat. Smiling brightly, she leaned toward him and said, “Brother Qingshan, let me tell you something.”

Huo Qingshan gave a low hum in response and shifted his body slightly toward her.

Lin Yingying leaned in and planted a quick kiss on his ear.

The sound rang in Huo Qingshan’s ear like a clap of thunder.

Huo Qingshan: “!!!”

His peripheral vision swept quickly over the others, then his gaze shifted back, fierce and sharp as he locked eyes on Lin Yingying, like a wolf.

Lin Yingying shrank back slightly but, with righteous coquettishness, said, “I didn’t touch you with my hands or feet, so why are you glaring at me?”

Huo Qingshan’s shoulders sank. He said flatly, “Don’t do that.”

“What that?” She chuckled, looking every bit the pampered rich flower who knew nothing of the hardships of the world.

For a brief moment, Huo Qingshan found himself distracted by the sight. Then he lowered his gaze. “You know very well.”

Miss Lin tilted her head slightly, giving him a sidelong glance. “You haven’t even complimented me on how good I look wearing your shirt.” The book said men couldn’t resist their girlfriends wearing their shirts.

Huo Qingshan said, “Doesn’t look good.” Then he got up and went back to cutting wheat.

Lin Yingying: You just won’t admit it. Your eyes lit up just now!

The baby-faced youth leaned closer to Huo Qingshan. “Brother Qingshan, are you really going to marry Educated Youth Lin?”

Huo Qingshan glanced at him, his gaze cool and unreadable, but said nothing.

The baby-faced youth chuckled. “Brother Qingshan, to tell you the truth, Educated Youth Lin is like a celestial maiden from the Ninth Heaven, someone we could never hope to reach. But if you say this celestial maiden has fallen for a mortal, and you don’t marry her…”

They could, though!

Huo Qingshan swung his powerful arm, the sickle slicing through the wheat with a swish-swish, and in the blink of an eye a patch had fallen. Crystal beads of sweat rolled down his well-shaped shoulders and back, soaking into his vest. Without lifting his brows or eyes, his voice came low and cool. “Stop dreaming. Go cut wheat.”

The baby-faced youth just laughed heartily, then glanced back at Lin Yingying, who was tying up the wheat bundles. He said with a grin, “Even if Educated Youth Lin doesn’t work, just standing there in the field gives everyone a boost. Brother Qingshan, don’t say I didn’t warn you—if Educated Youth Lin were willing to marry a country man, they’d all be lining up.”

Huo Qingshan said indifferently, “Tell them to drink less and eat more vegetables.”

The baby-faced youth laughed again, then called out to Lin Yingying, “Educated Youth Lin, can you sing?”

Lin Yingying replied, “Of course I can!”

The baby-faced youth said, “Then give us all a song, will you?”

Huo Qingshan’s brows and eyes sank, intending to tell them not to make a fuss, but then he heard Lin Yingying say, “I’ll only sing for my Brother Qingshan, no one else.”

A few men started whistling—some purely to egg her on, others with a tinge of sourness.

Lin Yingying, carrying her small water canteen on her back, ran over and twisted it open, handing it straight to Huo Qingshan. “Brother Qingshan, have some water!”

Huo Qingshan lowered his gaze to look at her canteen. “I brought water.”

Lin Yingying giggled, lying with her eyes wide open. “I drank all of yours, so you have to drink mine.”

Huo Qingshan took her canteen, tilted his head back, and without touching the spout to his lips, poured a stream of water straight into his mouth—wasting not a single drop, and without letting a single drop go up his nose.

Lin Yingying’s bright peach blossom eyes sparkled as she praised, “Wow, Brother Qingshan, even the way you drink water looks so good.”

The baby-faced youth let out an exaggerated “Ooh,” rubbing his arms. “Educated Youth Lin, you’ve given me goosebumps.”

Lin Yingying turned her delicate little face toward him. “Let my Brother Qingshan treat you for that.”

The baby-faced youth hurriedly ran off. “Go on and cut the wheat, it’s not even dark yet.” Stop dreaming—this celestial maiden from the Ninth Heaven had descended to earth just for Brother Qingshan.

After finishing the water, Huo Qingshan handed the small canteen back to Lin Yingying and noticed her snow-white cheeks were now flushed red from the heat.

Above them, the scorching sun blazed fiercely, and the ground was hot and dry like a steamer basket. A delicate young woman like her would naturally find it hard to bear, and in a while, she might collapse from heatstroke.

He turned his head to look around, then pointed toward a large pagoda tree by the roadside. “Go rest there for a while.”

Lin Yingying shook her head, lying with wide eyes. “No need, I’m not that delicate. I want to work together with you.”

Although it was always Huo Qingshan cutting and tying the wheat, with her barely tying a few bundles, she was still willing to stay by his side and endure the heat and exhaustion together. This, she thought, was called sharing weal and woe!

Huo Qingshan said, “Suit yourself.” Then he turned and continued cutting wheat.

In truth, Lin Yingying was unbearably hot, her heart restless, as if a fire was burning in her blood. But being near Huo Qingshan made her feel much better.

Carrying her little canteen and holding her floral handkerchief, she followed closely behind him step by step. Seeing sweat streaming down his face and body, she held out the handkerchief. “Wipe your sweat.”

Huo Qingshan’s gaze fell again on the graceful, flowing “Ying” character embroidered on it. He pressed his lips together and casually wiped a hand over his sweat. “No need.”

Lin Yingying said softly, “Are you afraid of dirtying my handkerchief? It won’t, really. How about you use this one instead?”

She took out the large handkerchief Huo Qingshan had returned to her earlier, and while doing so, she also took hold of his rough, calloused hand. Her skin was snow-white and delicate, his was much darker than hers, and the contrast was striking.

Her hand was still wrapped in gauze, but her slender, delicate fingers were exposed, their tips fine and pointed, the nails neatly trimmed into smooth, rounded shapes, glinting with a healthy pale pink sheen.

Her delicate skin pressed against the slightly rough, wheat-colored back of his hand, bringing him an indescribably strange sensation.

An unspoken air of intimacy flowed quietly between them, and Huo Qingshan’s gaze suddenly deepened. Just as he was about to pull his hand back, she had already unfolded the handkerchief and laid it over the back of his hand. “Use this as padding when you cut the wheat, so you don’t chafe your hand.”

With clever timing, she knew when to stop, not giving him the chance to accuse her of touching him just to take advantage.

Huo Qingshan knew well her knack for pestering people. He tucked the handkerchief into his pocket and continued cutting wheat.

Lin Yingying tied up a bundle of wheat, and when Huo Qingshan came back to meet her, she asked with a beaming smile, “Brother Qingshan, do you think I’ve passed?”

Huo Qingshan said, “I’m not qualified to judge you.”

Lin Yingying smiled at him playfully, her face full of a little pride. “Then do you think I meet your standards for a wife? You told me to cut wheat with you, and I stuck it out, didn’t I?”

Huo Qingshan gazed at her. The noonday sun was blazing, and her fair, tender cheeks, skin so delicate it seemed it could break at a touch, were now flushed red as if they could seep beads of blood.

He had thought she would run off from the heat in less than half an hour, yet she had truly endured to the end—no crying, no complaining, no throwing down the job—earnestly following him and tying up the wheat bundles.

[Long-faced man: Are you blind? She only tied a few in total, the rest you did for her!]

Meeting her bright, smiling eyes, he found himself unable to say a word, so he turned and continued cutting wheat.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for the midday meal, and The baby-faced youth and the others all went off to find their families to eat together.

Lin Yingying asked, “Brother Qingshan, will your family be bringing you lunch?”

Huo Qingshan hesitated for a moment. “No. You should go back and eat.”

Lin Yingying said, “Could you… make it for me?”

The sickle in Huo Qingshan’s hand paused mid-swing. He stayed bent over without straightening, but turned his head to look at her. In that posture, his gaze looked rather fierce.

Lin Yingying thought: Such a handsome man, why does he always have to look so fierce? Not cute at all!

She walked over, squatted down to meet his eyes, and smiled. “I’ll light the fire, you cook. How about that?”

Huo Qingshan tightened his grip on the sickle handle, then released it. In the end, he simply sat cross-legged, set the sickle aside, and fixed his gaze on her seriously. “Educated Youth Lin, let’s talk.”

Lin Yingying looked at the ground, spread out her handkerchief, then hitched up her trousers slightly to sit down. But just then, a gust of wind blew her handkerchief up. She hurriedly reached out to catch it, lost her balance, and toppled right into Huo Qingshan’s lap.

Huo Qingshan: “!!!”

“Lin Yingying!!!” From over there, Ye Zhiting came rushing over like the wind. He looked as if he were making a great effort to keep his temper and maintain his composure. “You… do you still want…” He lowered his voice, forcing the next two words through gritted teeth. “…your dignity!”