Chapter 16: Felt Like Someone Was Peeking  

Xu Mo’s body stiffened, and his hand trembled, nearly cutting himself with the sickle.  

In an instant, the tips of his ears and his neck turned completely red.  

“Shen Jiaojiao, you…” He struggled to continue but couldn’t find the words.  

His gaze darted around in a panic.  

Fortunately, no one was around.  

“You… You should mind your words and actions.”  

In the end, that was all he could manage to say, a statement neither harsh nor soft.  

Shen Jiaojiao found his reaction absolutely adorable.  

Such a tall and strong man, yet he could be this shy.  

“Third Brother, I’m about to marry you soon. What’s the big deal if I kiss you?”  

Shen Jiaojiao deliberately leaned in close to Xu Mo. “Third Brother, have you never been in a relationship? Never kissed anyone before? How can you be this shy?”  

Xu Mo was completely flustered.  

How could this woman be so bold?  

What kind of girl acted like this?  

“Shen Jiaojiao, you must not behave recklessly. If someone sees, it wouldn’t be good.”  

Xu Mo was already a man of few words, someone who didn’t like talking much.  

Now, faced with such teasing, he had no idea how to respond.  

Even though Shen Jiaojiao was soon to be his wife, they weren’t married yet, were they?  

If someone saw them, he truly worried it would damage her reputation and lead to gossip.  

Shen Jiaojiao held back her laughter and said: “Then, Third Brother, if you don’t leave now, I’ll hug you and kiss you until your lips swell.”  

Xu Mo was both embarrassed and exasperated.  

So that was it!  

She was just trying to drive him away?  

At that moment, he didn’t know whether to be angry or amused.  

After calming himself, Xu Mo spoke seriously. “Shen Jiaojiao, this work is exhausting and difficult. You don’t need to do this.”  

“But I can’t just idle around at home. If I marry you in the future and do nothing, people will talk. They’ll laugh at you and say that the wife you married is just a decoration, a useless freeloader wasting food.”  

Xu Mo suddenly became anxious. “You are my wife. I will take care of you. It’s none of their business, and you don’t need to pay attention to them…”  

As he spoke, he started feeling embarrassed again.  

In his moment of urgency, he had blurted out the words you are my wife.  

At that moment, Shen Jiaojiao really wanted to pounce on Xu Mo and kiss him until she was satisfied.  

This man—he was truly someone who protected those he cared about, especially his wife.  

“Third Brother, call me ‘wife’ again. I think it sounds especially nice when you say it.”  

“Shen Jiaojiao.”  

Xu Mo gritted his teeth, his face turning red.  

Shen Jiaojiao burst into laughter. “Third Brother, hurry up and go do your own work! If you don’t leave now, those aunties might think we’re doing something improper in the soybean field.”  

Hearing this, Xu Mo suddenly snapped back to reality.  

He had no choice but to give up on persuading Shen Jiaojiao.  

Forget it.  

Weeding was such tiring work—maybe after one day, she wouldn’t even want to come back tomorrow.  

Xu Mo handed the sickle to Shen Jiaojiao, pointing out which plants were soybean seedlings and which were weeds. He also taught her how to hold the sickle properly to avoid injuring her hands.  

After giving his instructions, he watched her cut the weeds for a moment before leaving.  

To be honest, just seeing the way Shen Jiaojiao held the sickle made him nervous.  

Would she end up cutting her own foot?  

After Xu Mo left, Shen Jiaojiao focused on weeding.  

The soybean field was full of weeds—some tall, some short, some long, some tough. Some were so thick and stubborn that cutting them was truly a struggle.  

Before long, Shen Jiaojiao felt pain in her palms.  

She loosened her grip on the sickle and looked down at her hands. The skin around her knuckles was reddened, showing signs of chafing, with faint indications that it might break if she continued.  

At this rate, if she finished weeding the entire field, her hands would definitely be ruined.  

As expected, this job was not easy, and earning work points was even harder!  

Despite her complaints, she still picked up the sickle and continued working.  

For half an hour, Shen Jiaojiao hadn’t even moved from her spot, still tugging at the weeds beside her.  

If one were to say she wasn’t taking the work seriously, the way she concentrated—her fierce, determined expression and the effort she put into battling the weeds—made it seem otherwise.  

But if one were to say she was taking it seriously…  

Half an hour had passed, and she had only pulled up a small handful of weeds, with some soybean seedlings mixed in.  

It was now around 2:30 in the afternoon, and the sun was still blazing hot.

The cicadas in the trees chirped incessantly, their cries grating on the nerves.  

Shen Jiaojiao felt dizzy and lightheaded. Suddenly, she had the eerie sensation that someone was watching her from behind.  

She paused her movements, cautiously wiping the sweat from her forehead.  

Then, she quickly turned her head.  

Behind her, there was nothing but sun-wilted crops.  

She assumed it was just her imagination and didn’t think much of it.  

But the moment she turned back, that unsettling feeling of being watched crept over her again.  

She spun around once more, yet there was still nothing.  

A shiver ran down her spine.  

This field was in a remote area, surrounded by mountains, rocks, and trees.  

She glanced to her left—  

And nearly screamed in terror.  

Just ten steps away on her left, there was a grave mound.  

It was partially covered by weeds, which was why she hadn’t noticed it earlier.  

Now that she saw it, her scalp tingled, and a chill ran down her back.  

She almost burst into tears on the spot.  

Even though graves were common in rural areas, she was still scared out of her wits.  

At this moment, the hand gripping the sickle trembled uncontrollably.  

“Xu Mo… Xu Mo…”  

Right now, she deeply regretted driving Xu Mo away earlier.  

If only he were still here.  

“Fairy Sister-in-law! Fairy Sister-in-law! I’m coming!”  

Suddenly, a little girl’s voice rang out from a distance, growing closer.

Shen Jiaojiao immediately snapped back to her senses, standing up as if she had just been rescued. She looked toward the approaching figure.  

“Xu Meili!”  

She was overjoyed—it was Xu Mo’s Fourth Sister.  

The little girl who had followed Xu Mo to bring her lunch that morning.  

Xu Meili bounced over the uneven terrain like a little monkey, jumping and climbing with ease. In no time, she reached Shen Jiaojiao, grinning widely to reveal a set of bright white teeth.  

“Fairy Sister-in-law, my Third Brother sent me to help you!”  

Shen Jiaojiao was so thrilled that she wanted to scoop Xu Meili up and spin her around.  

“Thank you so much! You came just in time—I was nearly scared to death just now!”  

She pointed at the small grave mound beside them, still shaken.  

Xu Meili, however, was completely unfazed.  

“We’re all used to it. It’s nothing, really. Fairy Sister-in-law, if you’re scared, you can go rest under that tree. I’ll do the work for you.”  

As she spoke, Xu Meili swiftly took the sickle from Shen Jiaojiao’s hands, crouched down in the soybean field, and started cutting the weeds.  

The little girl was quick and skilled.  

In just a few strokes, she had done more than Shen Jiaojiao had managed in half an hour.  

Shen Jiaojiao hurried to snatch the sickle back. “How can I let a child do this work? Just stay here and keep me company. Give me the sickle!”  

Xu Meili tilted her little face up, looking pitiful. “Fairy Sister-in-law, please don’t fight me for it. If I don’t help you today, Third Brother won’t give me White Rabbit Creamy Candy.”  

?  

Shen Jiaojiao was baffled. What did that have to do with anything?  

Xu Meili sighed and confessed honestly.  

“At lunch, I accidentally said something wrong, remember? Third Brother said I made you angry, so he took away the White Rabbit Creamy Candy you gave me.”