Chapter 71: A Big Surprise

“Mm!”

Xiao Huai’an let out a grunt, and then with a “thud,” he fell to the ground.

Ye Xin Ran never expected such a turn of events. In her panic, she tried to grab Xiao Huai’an’s hand, but she forgot the difference in height and weight between them.

She grabbed his arm, but instead of pulling him, she was pulled along, and both of them fell.

She ended up lying on top of Xiao Huai’an.

At that moment, Ye Xin Ran finally realized what the mysterious object she had kicked earlier was.

Wait… that’s not right?

Didn’t Xiao Huai’an say he couldn’t…?

He said it himself!

Xiao Huai’an clearly didn’t expect this turn of events either.

His back was pressed against the cold floor, but his body was under the soft and warm weight of hers.

Caught between the extreme cold and heat, his body reacted in a more noticeable way.

“I… I didn’t mean to do that earlier.”

Ye Xin Ran could feel the change in his body, her face flushed red as her voice grew quieter.

Xiao Huai’an suddenly rolled over, pinning Ye Xin Ran beneath him.

Ye Xin Ran was still wrapped in a blanket, so she didn’t feel the cold of the floor, but Xiao Huai’an’s gaze was somewhat intimidating, making her tremble uncontrollably.

“Y-You should get up first.”

Although she had teased him repeatedly with words and expressed her intention to see Xiao Huai’an’s body earlier, now that they were in this situation, she wished she could crawl into a shell and hide her head in it.

That was what she thought, and that was exactly what she did.

Though there was no shell, she buried her head in Xiao Huai’an’s chest, hoping out of sight, out of mind.

Xiao Huai’an had already been kicked in a sensitive area early in the morning, and now a soft, fluffy head was rubbing against his chest. Despite his best efforts to control himself, he was finding it increasingly hard to maintain his composure.

“Don’t move!”

His voice was hoarse, and he reached out to press down on her mischievous little head.

In the next moment, he stood up, wrapped Ye Xin Ran in the blanket, and placed her on the bed.

“I’ll go wash up outside. Rest for a bit and then get up.”

With that, he turned and left the room.

The moment the door closed, Ye Xin Ran dared to lift her head from the blanket.

She was mortified. This was too embarrassing!

How did things get to this point?

How are they going to stay calm and handle this situation in the future?

At that moment, Ye Xin Ran suddenly realized: wait, aren’t we already married?

In that case, an early morning kiss or some deeper exchange would be the normal thing to do, right?

She was clearly a giant in thoughts but a dwarf in actions.

She had previously mocked others for not knowing how to seize the moment, but now that it was her turn, she was nothing more than a turtle hiding in its shell.

“Still, Xiao Huai’an is really handsome. How is it that when he wakes up, he doesn’t even have any eye boogers?”

At the thought of this, Ye Xin Ran quickly touched her own eyes to make sure. Luckily, she didn’t have any either.

Soon, the sound of firewood being chopped came from outside.

Xiao Huai’an was preparing to start a fire again.

After eating two meals of baked buns, Ye Xin Ran really didn’t want to eat a third one. So when Xiao Huai’an came in, she asked, “Can we cook here? I see there are pots and bowls.”

“Sure,” Xiao Huai’an replied, “but my cooking skills aren’t that great.”

“I’ll do it!” Ye Xin Ran quickly offered.

“I want to cook some porridge.”

“Okay.”

Xiao Huai’an didn’t start the fire immediately. He looked at Ye Xin Ran and after a moment, cautiously spoke up, “Do you want to… go outside… for some privacy?”

His words were a little awkward, but since Ye Xin Ran was new to the mountains, he was afraid she might not know what to do. So he added, “There aren’t many people on the mountain. Just walk a little farther…”

“Got it!” Ye Xin Ran’s face turned red as she put on a ‘I know what you’re saying, you don’t have to say more’ expression.

She quickly walked out, and before leaving, Xiao Huai’an still reminded her, “Don’t go too far. The mountains can be dangerous.”

Ye Xin Ran stumbled a little at his words.

She left the house and escaped from the awkwardness, breathing in the fresh mountain air. She walked to a secluded spot, out of sight of the little cabin, and then quickly entered her spatial dimension.

At that moment, she was incredibly grateful that she had her portable space. Otherwise, she wouldn’t know how to handle personal matters.

She rushed to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and then came out of the space to head back.

Xiao Huai’an had evidently been waiting impatiently.

When Ye Xin Ran emerged from the woods, she saw him standing at the door, looking around. He only relaxed when he saw her and let out a small sigh of relief.

The breakfast was warm porridge and buns, served with the pickled vegetables Ye Xin Ran had brought from the bottom of the mountain.

The pickles were made with cucumbers and Yu Tou roots, crunchy and refreshing.

When Ye Xin Ran bought the pickled vegetables, Xiao Huai’an followed her in and didn’t know when she had bought this particular kind.

But these pickled vegetables really were delicious.

They were even better than freshly cooked dishes.

Xiao Huai’an usually wasn’t particular about food, but because these crunchy pickles were so refreshing, he ended up drinking an extra bowl of porridge.

After they finished eating, they extinguished the fire in the stove with water, and neatly folded the blankets on the bed.

After checking everything to make sure there were no issues, they continued their journey deeper into the mountain.

Xiao Huai’an’s destination was still far away.

However, Ye Xin Ran’s destination had actually started the moment they entered the mountain.

“How long do we need to walk to reach the next base?” Ye Xin Ran asked.

“At the pace we set yesterday, we should reach the next base by afternoon. If we push a bit more, we can reach an even farther one before nightfall,” Xiao Huai’an answered.

Clearly, Xiao Huai’an hoped to reach the farther base sooner.

But this time, Ye Xin Ran had a different opinion.

“Can we slow down today?” she asked. “I want to look for medicinal herbs while we walk.”

Different herbs have different preferences for humidity and temperature.

It’s not necessary to reach the mountain peak before looking for them.

“Sure,” Xiao Huai’an thought for a moment before agreeing.

With the goal of finding herbs, they slowed down their pace.

There were at least a dozen hunters on the mountain, and to avoid accidental injuries, the hunters would leave markers at hidden places when setting traps.

However, as outsiders, they couldn’t understand these markers, so Xiao Huai’an wasn’t comfortable with Ye Xin Ran going deeper into the mountain alone. He took the lead, and Ye Xin Ran followed behind.

Not long after, Ye Xin Ran really did find a valuable medicinal herb.

While digging, she explained to Xiao Huai’an, “This is Polygonum multiflorum, commonly known as He Shou Wu. Generally, the thicker the branches and leaves, the older it might be, but you also need to consider the size of the root when digging it up.

Even if it’s not very old, it still has medicinal properties. Even if we don’t sell it, it’s good for Chang An to consume more.”

Xiao Huai’an stepped forward to help. As he dug up the He Shou Wu, he silently took note of the shape of its leaves.

The He Shou Wu they were digging up wasn’t large, probably less than five years old.

Continuing to walk forward with Xiao Huai’an, Ye Xin Ran didn’t go far before finding an even bigger surprise.