Chapter 101 : Be Gentle

Three people stood at the door, staring at each other in surprise, each face showing astonishment.

Liang Junqiang cleared his throat, a slight flush appearing on his tanned face. Instinctively, he moved a bit farther away from Huang Yali, who was standing very close to him, and forced a laugh, saying, “Of course it’s a surprise!”

He thought he could only be so intimate with Huang Yali at home because there were no other people around. Who would have guessed that Liang Qingqing had returned without a sound, and judging by her expression, she must have overheard their conversation.

“Well then.”

Liang Qingqing noticed Liang Junqiang’s small movement and her smile deepened. Perhaps it’s a human tendency to enjoy a bit of mischief, and she liked seeing a straightforward person feeling embarrassed.

Her gaze swept between the two, finally resting on Huang Yali. This was the first time she had seen Huang Yali after the county training. Huang Yali was dressed in a beautiful indigo blouse, her long hair braided into a single pigtail that hung in front of her chest. She seemed a bit shy, her cheeks flushed, and the tips of her ears were bright red.

Liang Qingqing truly didn’t expect her second brother and Yali to have such a connection. When she first heard the news from Fan Yanxing, her jaw almost dropped in surprise, thinking he was joking. It wasn’t until she heard Liang Junqiang admit it in person that she could believe it.

Their coming together was indeed a lovely story.

She trusted both of their characters completely, and while their future life might not be perfect, it would certainly be filled with love and happiness.

“Yali, what happened to my second brother’s hand?”

Hearing Liang Qingqing change the subject, Huang Yali breathed a sigh of relief and began to explain, “He’s been learning carpentry from a master recently and hurt his hand while sanding. I just accompanied him to the clinic to apply some medicine, it’s not too serious.”

“Thankfully, it’s not serious.” Liang Qingqing glanced at Liang Junqiang’s hand, which was wrapped in gauze with a bit of blood, but not much. Hearing that it wasn’t serious from Huang Yali made her feel relieved. Her attention then shifted to something else, and she asked curiously, “Learning carpentry from a master?”

“Yeah, and it’s thanks to you and Yanxing.” Liang Junqiang exchanged a look with Huang Yali, his eyes curving into a smile.

“Huh?” Liang Qingqing was puzzled, wondering how this involved her and Fan Yanxing.

“Yanxing ordered a lot of furniture from the village carpenter and asked me to keep an eye on things. Over time, I found working on this quite interesting and wanted to learn. At first, the master was unwilling to take me as an apprentice. If it weren’t for the money you two spent, he probably wouldn’t have paid any attention to me,” Liang Junqiang said with a wry smile.

“Oh, I see.” Liang Qingqing nodded in realization. “Learning a trade is a good thing. It’s better to make a living this way than working in a factory.”

“That’s what I think too. Yali supports me in this.” Liang Junqiang glanced at Huang Yali, his eyes brimming with tenderness, but he quickly averted his gaze and looked back at Liang Qingqing. “So why are you back today? Aren’t you working?”

“I just got back from a business trip. The bureau gave me a few days off, so I came back to see you all. I even bought some local specialties that aren’t available here. I’ll let everyone try them later.” Liang Qingqing winked playfully. “I received my salary and bonus this month, and it’s quite a sum. Everyone gets a gift, so don’t be polite with me.”

With that statement, she cut off any further conversation from the two of them. Seeing Liang Qingqing’s smiling face, Liang Junqiang and Huang Yali exchanged a look and decided to go along with the cheerful mood. They chatted at the door for a while, and since Liang Qingqing was tired from her morning journey, she went to her room to rest.

Liang Junqiang originally planned to go to the fields to inform Ma Xiuzhi and the others that Liang Qingqing had returned, but she stopped him. Since it was almost time for them to finish work, there was no need to call them now. It would be better to wait for their return and give them a surprise.

However, before Ma Xiuzhi and the others arrived, Fan Yanxing showed up. He had hurried back, and when he arrived at the Liang household, he was drenched in sweat, which startled Liang Junqiang and Huang Yali, who were sitting in the living room.

“Where’s Qingqing?” Fan Yanxing, panting, looked around the living room but didn’t see Liang Qingqing. A trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes. He only learned that she had returned after coming back from the finance bureau, so he immediately took leave.

“She said she was tired and is resting in her room,” Huang Yali quickly got up to pour a glass of water for Fan Yanxing. However, he wasn’t in the mood to drink. He wiped his face, thanked her briefly, and said, “I’ll go see her.”

Without waiting for their response, he hurried toward Liang Qingqing’s room.

“Isn’t this a bit inappropriate?” Huang Yali hesitated, watching Fan Yanxing’s disappearing figure with a look of surprise. The idea of being alone in a room before marriage seemed quite improper to her.

Liang Junqiang, already used to such matters, chose to ignore it and reassured Huang Yali, “They’re about to get married anyway. We might as well pretend we didn’t see anything.”

Huang Yali nodded, then shifted her gaze to Liang Junqiang with a slight smile, “How about we go to your room instead?”

Hearing this, Liang Junqiang swallowed hard, feeling like he was setting himself up for trouble but also experiencing a hidden thrill. Before he could respond, Huang Yali cut him off with her own words, “After all, we’re getting married soon too.”

A gentle breeze swept through the living room, leaving it empty.

Meanwhile, Fan Yanxing hurried to Liang Qingqing’s room. As he was about to knock on the door, he noticed it wasn’t completely closed. He gently pushed it open. After several days apart, he felt nervous. His heart raced, and he took several deep breaths to muster the courage to step inside.

The door closed with a creak, immediately alerting the figure on the bed. Liang Qingqing turned her head to see him and sat up in surprise, “How did you come back?”

“I came back as soon as I received your message and took leave.” Fan Yanxing had initially intended to sit in the room and wait for her to wake up, but he hadn’t expected to wake her up instead. He furrowed his brow in frustration and asked, “Did I disturb you?”

Liang Qingqing shook her head. She hadn’t actually fallen asleep she had just been lying in bed, lost in thought. Otherwise, such a minor noise wouldn’t have disturbed her. “I wasn’t asleep.”

Hearing this, Fan Yanxing finally relaxed. He quickly moved to the side of the bed, sat down, and looked at her from all angles. Then he pinched her cheek and sighed, “You’ve lost weight.”

“Lost weight, where?” Liang Qingqing swatted his hand away, rubbed her sore cheek, and grumbled, “You’re talking nonsense.”

Fan Yanxing didn’t argue about whether she had lost weight or not. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in the crook of her shoulder. His voice was hoarse and tender, “Qingqing, I’ve missed you so much. Did you miss me?”

Her body tensed at the warmth of his breath, making her feel a bit uncomfortable and causing her to instinctively shrink back. Yet, she wrapped her arms around his waist and softly replied, “How could I not miss you?”

After a pause, she sighed, “Long-distance relationships are really hard. No wonder so many people break up because they can’t handle it.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Fan Yanxing suddenly lifted his head, his brow furrowing deeply. “We’re not breaking up.”

His tone was firm and decisive, without a hint of hesitation, but his eyes carried a trace of carefulness and anxiety, as if he feared hearing a different answer from her. This insecure look prompted Liang Qingqing to gently stroke his back and raise her voice to reassure him.

“Of course, we won’t break up. There’s an old saying that distance makes the heart grow fonder. I think seeing each other every day is nice, but after a while, it can become monotonous.”

Instead of comforting Fan Yanxing, her words only deepened his frown, making him look as though the sky was falling. “You’ll get tired of me?”

“……”

Liang Qingqing felt like she was speaking to a brick wall. After a three-second pause, she could only sigh and say, “What I mean is, every situation has its pros and cons. As long as you don’t cheat, don’t commit domestic violence, and don’t change your heart, we won’t break up or divorce.”

Having said this, if Fan Yanxing still couldn’t understand, she would be at a loss for what to do.

Fortunately, after staring at her suspiciously for a long while, Fan Yanxing nodded, though he then shook his head, “You can rest assured that I will never do anything to hurt you.”

“Qingqing, I like us to be together every day. It would be even better if I could see you all the time.”

Hearing this, Liang Qingqing looked at Fan Yanxing strangely. Why didn’t she realize that he said such disgusting words before?

The contrast is huge, but she likes it very much.

“Alright, I understand.” She smiled slightly, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a playful look. This one look caused the situation to take an uncontrollable turn. Fan Yanxing pressed his hand to the back of her head and kissed her deeply, as if to prove the sincerity of his words through action.

The hot breath melted into the air, tinged with traces of ambiguity that continued to ferment until it completely exploded.

Liang Qingqing sat astride his legs, tilting her neck back to accept his kiss, their lips and tongues intertwined. After a moment, a small section of her fair waist slipped through the fabric of her clothes, and the next second, her bony fingers fell on it, leaving a series of red marks on it.

“Be gentle, it hurts a little.”

Her muffled words only caused him to pause momentarily before he shifted, pulling aside more of her clothing and pressing against her. As his body pressed down on hers, she could only lie weakly on the bed, her long hair spreading out over the pillow, exuding a faint scent of gardenia.

“Did you change your shampoo?” His voice, now deep and hoarse, carried an unmistakable hint of intimacy.

She nodded, her body trembling uncontrollably. The things around her began to blur, and she felt disoriented, her mind sinking into a haze. She tried to grasp his hand but found herself immobilized.

A chill crept up between her legs, and she instinctively closed them.

“Be good, open up.”

Liang Qingqing bit her lower lip, drawing in her breath quietly. Her long lashes fluttered as she hesitantly and reluctantly tried to push his head away. “I haven’t washed…”

“It’s fine.” Whether she had washed or not didn’t matter. It would all end up in his mouth anyway, and he didn’t mind.