Chapter 31: Closer Than Ever Before

Chi Wan was a little fierce, and a little bit sassy.

Her sweet words, every single one, hit Huo Nanchuan’s heart like a hammer.

Like a hot current, it surged past all obstacles, rushing forward without a care.

That was also Chi Wan’s most charming trait.

She possessed a strong and fiery life force, as if she would never give up in the face of any difficulty, always bright and radiant.

This was exactly what Huo Nanchuan loved most about her.

Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he loved every aspect of Chi Wan, no matter what she looked like.

The dilapidated courtyard.

The messy and disordered environment.

Everything was so unremarkable, yet because of Chi Wan and Huo Nanchuan’s tight embrace, the surrounding air was filled with an ambiguous and alluring atmosphere.

It was as if they could even smell a faint scent of peach blossoms in the air.

This was also the closest Chi Wan and Huo Nanchuan had ever been to each other.

It wasn’t just the close proximity of their bodies, but also the honest connection of their hearts at this moment.

“Let’s be a real couple!”

“Get yourself all clean and wait for me!”

Every seemingly ordinary word carried not only intense emotions but also strong implications.

As she spoke, Chi Wan couldn’t help but blush, her fair skin turning a warm red, but she stubbornly kept her eyes fixed on Huo Nanchuan.

She wouldn’t allow this man to take a single step back.

As for Huo Nanchuan.

He not only didn’t want to step back, he was desperate to take a step forward.

Huo Nanchuan’s lips were still warm and moist from Chi Wan’s soft kiss, the sensation lingering like a faint electric current, tingling and buzzing.

Even the pain of her bite couldn’t suppress this throbbing sensation.

The mere taste of her lips, a mere brush of their teeth, couldn’t satisfy him.

Huo Nanchuan’s eyes burned with desire.

A flame flickered in his black pupils, growing stronger and stronger.

His hands had unconsciously wrapped tightly around Chi Wan’s slender waist.

Even though his hands were covered in grime, they might dirty Chi Wan.

But what did it matter?

At this moment, their hearts were connected, belonging only to each other.

Huo Nanchuan’s chest rose and fell, his body surging with emotions, but he held back, unable to speak.

However, his arms around Chi Wan tightened like steel, holding her so tightly.

Chi Wan felt the heavy pressure on her waist, a slight pain.

But she didn’t want to push Huo Nanchuan away.

Raising her flushed face, she stared intently at Huo Nanchuan with shy but radiant eyes.

She breathed softly, asking, “Huo Nanchuan, what’s your answer?”

Huo Nanchuan’s low, deep voice, tinged with a hint of raspiness, answered softly.

“Xiao Wan, from the moment I decided to hold you, no matter what happens in the future, I will never let go.”

His words were like a lifetime vow.

Just like the strength of his arms around her, powerful and unwavering.

Hearing this, Chi Wan’s heart swelled with joy, her red lips curving into a seductive smile.

So alluring, yet so charming.

Her eyes sparkled as she replied, “If you dare to let go, I will really ignore you!”

Neither of them uttered the words “I love you.”

But there was no doubt about the love that overflowed in their hearts at this moment.

Closer…

Closer…

Huo Nanchuan’s chest heaved, his breath growing hot, his gaze like a hand gently stroking Chi Wan’s delicate skin, finally settling on her soft lips.

He wanted to kiss her fiercely.

Chi Wan, so close to Huo Nanchuan, could feel the changes in his body.

And the flames that were about to burst from his black eyes.

She blinked.

Her long, thick eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings.

Then.

She tilted her chin slightly, closing her eyes.

An unspoken invitation.

Next.

Huo Nanchuan’s breath grew heavier.

A hot breath brushed against Chi Wan’s cheek.

The next second.

Not only would their bodies be close, but so would their lips…

Silently and in perfect harmony, their heartbeats quickened, anticipating what was to come.

However.

Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling –

A bell chimed from the box outside the courtyard gate, breaking the intimate atmosphere surrounding the couple.

Their movements froze abruptly.

Huo Nanchuan and Chi Wan’s bodies stiffened simultaneously.

Chi Wan opened her eyes, her clear pupils filled with confusion, bewilderment, and a hint of regret.

Damn it…

Just when things were going so smoothly, the location was not suitable…

It took so much effort to pry open this wooden man’s mouth!

Chi Wan thought this as she pursed her hot lips, a little annoyed.

Huo Nanchuan’s heart and body felt the same way.

But as a man, he was calmer and quicker to react than Chi Wan.

He lifted Chi Wan from her embrace and carried her back to her chair.

He even carefully tidied her clothes.

When he saw the grime on Chi Wan’s clothes, he couldn’t help but frown.

His wife shouldn’t be treated so poorly.

He would never let anything dirty her again.

He would make sure she ate the best food, used the best things, wore the most beautiful clothes, and always remained clean, fair, and delicate!

The man silently swore this to himself.

Chi Wan sat back in her chair, her body still tingling from the lingering heat.

She glanced outside, but besides the bell, she didn’t hear any footsteps.

There was probably no one outside.

Chi Wan gently grabbed Huo Nanchuan’s clothes, perhaps still clinging to him after their moment of intimacy.

It was a silent expression of her affection for him.

Huo Nanchuan loved these little gestures of hers.

But.

He shook his head and said softly, “Not now, Brother Zheng will be back soon.”

Huh?

Chi Wan frowned after hearing Huo Nanchuan’s words.

She had been too focused and hadn’t paid attention to the sounds outside.

But after the bell, she listened carefully, but she didn’t hear any footsteps.

How did Huo Nanchuan know Zheng Kui was coming back?

Confused, Chi Wan picked up a cold cup of water and took a sip, licking her lips.

Huo Nanchuan continued to repair the bicycle parts, assembling a new bicycle.

Everything seemed to return to normal.

Calm and natural.

Just a minute or two later, the courtyard door was pushed open, and a tall, burly figure walked in.

It was Zheng Kui.

Apart from his slightly fierce appearance, Zheng Kui was actually a very cheerful person.

He walked in with a big smile on his face, talking loudly.

“Hey hey, I came back unexpectedly, I hope I didn’t interrupt your little couple’s chat.”

After saying this.

Zheng Kui’s gaze swept back and forth between Huo Nanchuan and Chi Wan.

There was a hint of meaning in his eyes.

“Brother Zheng, this is your place. If anyone is intruding, it’s us who are intruding on you.”

Huo Nanchuan responded calmly and unhurriedly, shifting the topic without a trace of emotion.

But Chi Wan’s heart wasn’t as calm.

She had heard clearly that there were no footsteps in the alley outside.

This meant that Zheng Kui had been outside for a while.

The bell that interrupted their moment was probably his doing.

This meant that Zheng Kui had come back earlier.

Was it when she hugged Huo Nanchuan?

Or when she kissed him?

Could it be… that Zheng Kui had heard everything she said, every word, without missing a beat?

“I want to be a wife with you, a real wife, a genuine wife!”

“When you go back tonight, get yourself all clean!”

Chi Wan’s mind echoed with the words she had spoken, those suggestive and ambiguous words…

She sounded like a woman who was unsatisfied and desperate.

To think that a stranger had heard these words, it was too embarrassing!!!

Chi Wan’s mind buzzed, a wave of heat rising to her face.

She picked up her water cup and gulped down the entire glass in one go.

Fortunately, neither Zheng Kui nor Huo Nanchuan mentioned what had happened before.

Huo Nanchuan continued to repair bicycles, and Zheng Kui helped out.

Working together, they were much faster.

Before noon.

Huo Nanchuan had assembled five bicycles that could be ridden normally from the pile of scrap metal, plus two unfinished ones.

He instructed Zheng Kui, “Brother Zheng, these two bicycles just need a rear wheel, you can add them later.”

Zheng Kui nodded repeatedly, grinning from ear to ear.

Huo Nanchuan was a reliable worker. He not only repaired the bicycles but also polished each one until it shone like new.

In big cities, these damaged bicycles would be treated as scrap.

He only paid a small amount of money to collect them.

But in the small county town, bicycles were in high demand, and the price was always high.

Zheng Kui could make a good profit from the difference, so how could he not be happy?

“Take a break, wash your hands, I’ll go back to the house and get you the money.”

Zheng Kui said this.

He had agreed to pay Huo Nanchuan ten yuan per bicycle.

Compared to the price the bicycles could be sold for, this repair fee wasn’t very high.

But Huo Nanchuan had earned a total of seventy yuan for the work he had done today.

The monthly salary of a town resident was only twenty or thirty yuan.

Huo Nanchuan had earned seventy yuan in half a day, which was a considerable amount of money.

If the villagers knew that he could earn seventy yuan in half a day, their jaws would probably drop.

Just as Zheng Kui was about to go back to the house.

Huo Nanchuan stopped him.

He said, “Brother Zheng, I won’t take the money today, I’ll use it to buy a bicycle from you, what do you think?”

Huo Nanchuan wanted to buy a bicycle!

Chi Wan listened from the side and her eyes lit up.

Zheng Kui immediately burst into laughter, his voice as loud as a bell.

“Of course, of course! It’s my brother Huo who wants it, I’ll give it to you. But don’t say buy or not buy, I’ll still give you your wages, and consider the bicycle as my wedding gift to you. May you and your wife have a happy life together.”

With that said.

Huo Nanchuan didn’t refuse.

He smiled faintly, thanking Zheng Kui for his kindness.

Zheng Kui went back to the house and not only brought out seventy yuan but also a cloth bag, which he handed to Huo Nanchuan.

He instructed, “It’s the same as before, but the customer is in a hurry this time, they need it within ten days.”

Huo Nanchuan opened the cloth bag and took a look, understanding what was inside, he nodded. “Okay, ten days is ten days.”

This was another deal.

Just like that.

When Chi Wan and Huo Nanchuan left the courtyard, they had an extra shiny bicycle.

This wasn’t just their bicycle.

It was the first bicycle in the small village.

If they rode back, they wouldn’t have to walk the mountain road or take the donkey cart, and they would definitely scare the villagers.

Chi Wan thought happily, unable to help but reach out and touch the back seat of the bicycle.

She couldn’t help but ask, “Nanchuan, why did you decide to buy a bicycle?”

Huo Nanchuan held the handlebars with both hands, his gaze gentle as he looked at Chi Wan, smiling as he asked back, “Don’t you like it?”

“I like it, of course I like it—”

Chi Wan’s words came out, then stopped abruptly.

So, Huo Nanchuan bought this bicycle because he knew she liked it, even though he spent all his money on it?

This thought just flashed through her mind.

The man’s magnetic voice came again.

“When we were in the courtyard, I noticed you kept looking at the bicycle.”

That’s right…

Chi Wan had wanted a bicycle from the beginning, because with a bicycle, she could travel between the village and the county town more easily.

But she knew that bicycles were very expensive, not something she could easily afford.

Huo Nanchuan not only understood her longing at that time, but he also fulfilled her wish.

“Nanchuan, you are really too good to me!”

Chi Wan couldn’t help but hug Huo Nanchuan lightly.

Then she quickly let go.

They had just walked out of the alley, the midday sun shining on them, as if bathing them in a golden glow.

Huo Nanchuan’s heart also soared with Chi Wan.

He used his strong arms to support the handlebars, crossed his long legs, and sat on the bicycle.

He stepped on the pedal with one foot and kicked the ground with the other, waiting for Chi Wan to get on.

Chi Wan lightly touched the ground with her toes.

She sat on the back seat of the bicycle, her arms wrapping around the man’s waist, holding him tightly, her cheek pressed against his broad back.

“Are you holding on tight?”

“Yes, yes, I’m holding on tight!”

With a push from Huo Nanchuan, the bicycle wheels started rolling, making a rumbling sound as they moved forward.

They went to the state-owned restaurant first and had a simple lunch.

The dishes for that day included braised pork belly.

Huo Nanchuan ordered it for Chi Wan.

After taking a bite, Chi Wan leaned over to him and whispered, “The braised pork belly here isn’t as good as yours.”

Huo Nanchuan’s eyes softened. “I’ll make it for you again when we get home.”

Chi Wan listened, a happy smile spreading across her face.

After leaving the state-owned restaurant.

The next stop for Chi Wan and Huo Nanchuan, and the purpose of their trip to the county town, was the supply and marketing cooperative.