Chapter 21: Spring’s Sudden Release

The seedling, having just come out in a hurry, hadn’t even put on her outer clothes and was only wearing her inner clothing. She quickly draped a rain cape over herself.

The inner clothing tightly covered her neck and upper body, so there was no chance of exposure on normal days. However, because the rain cape only covered her back, and she was running in a hurry, the rainwater splashed onto her front and soaked the clothes on her chest and abdomen. 

The pure white and thin inner clothing, after being soaked by the rain, became slightly translucent and clingy… 

“Ah!” The seedling immediately raised her arms to cover her chest and turned to run back to the room, slamming the door with a “bang.” 

However, that graceful, slender figure was firmly etched in the man’s mind.

The storm came quickly and left just as fast. By the next morning, the sky cleared.

Although the seedling woke up early, she hesitated to get out of bed, recalling yesterday’s confession from Ah Xun, and how she got soaked in the rain…

Whenever she thought about the man, her face would flush, and her heart would race. She didn’t know what to say to him now.

Last night, after returning to her room and changing her clothes, she had trouble falling asleep. It wasn’t until after midnight that she finally drifted off, and today, she had decided to sleep in.

Ah Xun had hardly slept the whole night. When the rain stopped and the sky was just beginning to brighten, he quietly got up and went back to his own yard to clean up the mess. 

He checked several rooms, and only the kitchen had fared better. The bedroom was the worst, with sheets, blankets, and grass mats all soaked, and water was everywhere on the floor. 

Ah Xun removed the bedding and planned to wash and air them later. While sweeping the rainwater out of the door, He Shun and his wife came to knock on the door.

When the yard gate opened, Zhang Guihua, with concern, asked, “Ah Xun, how was the house last night? Did it leak?”

Ah Xun let them in and carefully replied, “Well, it’s fine. I just spent the night in the kitchen.”

He didn’t tell them that he had spent the night at the Seedling’s house, considering the special circumstances—being soaked in the rain and all, it might be hard to explain.

They entered the room and saw that everything was soaked—the floor, the bed, the furniture. When they realized he had stayed in the kitchen, they felt even more guilty.

He Shun said, “Your aunt is careless. She only remembered this morning that the house might not survive the storm. I scolded her a bit.”

He then turned to his wife and said, “Guihua, after a while, wash these blankets and sheets for Ah Xun, and clean up the room as well.”

“Aunt, no need,” Ah Xun was about to refuse, but Zhang Guihua, with a guilty expression, insisted, “Ah Xun, don’t be polite with me. If I don’t do something for you, I’ll feel too bad. You just let me, okay? It’s just two sheets, they’re light and won’t take much effort.”

“Also, this room must be damp after the rain. Big Hu is my nephew. His place is empty, so for the next few days, you can stay there. Don’t be shy, I’ll take you there later.”

Ah Xun knew Big Hu, but since he was staying at someone else’s house, it wasn’t ideal to impose, even if it was an empty house. 

“No need, Aunt. I’ll just sweep the water out, move the bed outside to dry in the sun, and by evening, it’ll be dry. Then I’ll switch to dry bedding and everything will be fine.”

He Shun and Zhang Guihua tried to convince him, but just then, the Seedling came over. 

She had planned to sleep in, but when she heard that Ah Xun had left, she couldn’t fall asleep anymore, so she got up to cook instead. 

Ah Xun had been coming to the Seedling’s house for meals every day. Although there had been some unpleasantness yesterday, today shouldn’t be any different—after all, apart from her, where else could the man go?

Having been there so long, he was still unfamiliar with the villagers, and spent all his time around her…

Thinking about this made the Seedling’s face flush again.

However, when the meal was ready, he still hadn’t come, so she decided to go to his place to look for him.

As for the wet clothes from yesterday’s rain—she just pretended nothing had happened…

After all, they were going to Pingzhou in a couple of days, and the trip would take several days. She couldn’t just keep avoiding him forever; He Shun and Xiangxiang would surely notice something was off.

When Ah Xun saw the Seedling’s small figure walking into the yard, his eyes immediately lit up.

The little girl pursed her small pink lips, with clear, bright eyes, taking small steps with a barely noticeable shyness, her little white hands twisting together in front of her. Her cheeks were flushed with a pink hue.

Seeing this, Ah Xun’s heart softened, and he couldn’t help but wish he could hold this delicate, shy girl in his arms.

“Seedling, you’re here,” Zhang Guihua called out cheerfully. Her loud voice overshadowed Ah Xun’s soft, deep one.

But even with the interference, the Seedling still heard Ah Xun softly calling her name.

She looked up and met his gaze, her heart racing, then quickly shifted her eyes away. “Aunt, I only have a small leak, I’ve set a bucket under it. Is everything alright at Uncle and Aunt’s house?”

He Shun replied, “Xiangxiang’s room leaked the most. The others are fine, but poor Ah Xun had to sleep in the kitchen last night. The house was uninhabitable due to the leaks. Your aunt suggested he stay at Big Hu’s, but he refused, saying he would move the bed out to dry and change the sheets, just making do.”

Hearing this, the Seedling felt puzzled. Didn’t they agree last night that he would move back?

She wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but she didn’t want to invite him again in front of the elders, so she simply said, “Hmm, I have extra sheets and light blankets, I’ll bring them over.”

He Shun stopped her: “No need, your aunt will get them from my house later. We’re going to Pingzhou the day after tomorrow, so on the way back, we can buy some roof tiles and patch up the leaking rooms.”

The Seedling nodded: “Alright, Uncle.”

After speaking, the Seedling felt like there was nothing more for her to do here. “Uncle, Aunt, I’ll head back now.”

Ah Xun watched the little figure about to leave, feeling reluctant to let her go. But then, she turned around and in a soft, sweet voice asked, “Ah Xun, I… I made breakfast. You should eat first, then come back and clean up. Uncle, Aunt, I made quite a lot, you two should come eat too.”

Zhang Guihua had already picked up the basin with the wet bedding and was pulling He Shun along. “Seedling, we won’t go. We have things to handle at home. After we eat, I’ll wash Ah Xun’s bedding.”

“Alright then,” the Seedling replied, her gaze slowly turning to Ah Xun. She always wanted to look at him but felt too shy to do so openly, so she lowered her head. “Then, you can come back with me…”

Ah Xun’s heart softened completely, and he smiled gently. “Okay, I’ll move the bed outside to dry and then come back with you.”