Chapter 21: A Bit of Inferiority  

During the summer, as he walked outside, Summer saw that almost everyone carried a banana-leaf fan in their hands.  

While working, they would tuck the fan’s handle into the waistband at the back of their pants.  

Whenever they felt hot, they would take it out and fan themselves for a while.  

Shen Jiaojiao, however, did not have a banana-leaf fan. Instead, she had a very stylish fan.  

It was a dark green folding fan.  

The fan surface was made of silk, adorned with exquisite embroidered patterns.  

It was a small gift that her Third Brother had specially brought back for her from abroad.  

Shen Jiaojiao took out the folding fan, fanning herself as she untied the ribbon holding up her hair.  

In an instant, her dark tresses cascaded over her shoulders, reaching down to her waist, making her look delicate and enchanting.  

Her hair was black and glossy, with a slight natural wave.  

She had just washed it, and the lingering moisture made it appear damp, giving her the look of a fairy who had mistakenly wandered into the mortal world—so stunning that it was almost unreal.  

At that moment, the door sounded with a knock.  

Shen Jiaojiao opened the door and saw Xu Mo standing at the entrance, holding a lunchbox.  

She leaned against the doorframe, her left arm wrapped around her waist while her right hand held the dark green fan, lazily fanning herself.  

Her figure was flawless, curvaceous in all the right places, with not an ounce of excess fat.  

Just standing there quietly, she looked like a living painting.  

Xu Mo was momentarily entranced.  

Her demeanor and appearance bore an uncanny resemblance to a young lady from the Republican era in an old movie.  

At that moment, Xu Mo suddenly realized that he was completely unworthy of Shen Jiaojiao.  

This feeling struck him so suddenly that a deep sense of inferiority engulfed him.  

He had never thought about this before.  

Because they had been intimate, he had simply wanted to take responsibility for Shen Jiaojiao.  

There had been no feelings of affection in his heart.  

So, the question of inferiority had never crossed his mind.  

But now, he felt it.  

And it left him at a loss.  

He was just a country bumpkin from the countryside.

His father was gravely ill, and his family was so poor that they could barely make ends meet.  

On top of that, he was seven years older than Shen Jiaojiao.  

And Shen Jiaojiao…  

She was a golden phoenix from the city.  

Although he didn’t know the specifics of her family background, judging by the way she dressed, her family couldn’t be struggling.  

Moreover, she was a high school student—an educated intellectual.  

And what about him? He had only attended middle school.  

It seemed like there was nothing about him that made him worthy of Shen Jiaojiao.  

“Xu Mo, what are you standing there for?” Shen Jiaojiao looked at him suspiciously.  

What was wrong with this guy today? Why did he seem so lost in thought?  

“Oh.”  

Xu Mo snapped back to his senses and quickly handed the lunchbox to Shen Jiaojiao.  

Then, he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small red medicine bottle.  

“This is red medicine. Apply it to broken skin to disinfect it.”  

Shen Jiaojiao’s eyes instantly lit up with a smile.  

She had thought that Xu Mo didn’t care about her.  

But unexpectedly, he did.  

He even brought her red medicine.  

In reality, this man just wasn’t good at expressing his emotions.  

But people like him were often the most devoted and deeply affectionate.  

Shen Jiaojiao reached out to take it.  

As she did, she deliberately brushed her fingers against Xu Mo’s hand.  

His fingertips trembled, and the medicine bottle almost slipped from his grasp.  

“Give me the lunchbox from noon, and I’ll head back.”  

He hurriedly turned to leave.  

After all, he hadn’t brought Xu Meili with him this time.  

If anyone saw him lingering here too long, there would be gossip.  

“Aren’t you going to apply the medicine for me yourself? Help me, please! I’m afraid I won’t do it properly.”  

She looked at Xu Mo with a pitiful expression, her cheeks puffed up and lips pouting.  

She looked absolutely adorable.

Xu Mo was so flustered that even his heart trembled.  

The tips of his ears turned red again.  

“It wouldn’t be good if someone saw us.”  

This time, he was acting a little unusual.  

He didn’t lower his voice in embarrassment to scold Shen Jiaojiao.  

Nor did he say, “Shen Jiaojiao, mind your behavior.”  

Instead, he simply murmured, “It wouldn’t be good if someone saw us.”  

Shen Jiaojiao sensed an opportunity.  

She discreetly pointed toward the window behind her bedroom.  

“Why don’t you climb in from the back?”  

By now, it was already late at night.  

And behind the house was a small elevated hill.  

There was only a narrow ditch between her house and the hill.  

So, even if someone did try to climb through the window, no one would be able to see.  

When the house was built, Shen Jiaojiao had specifically considered ventilation, which was why she had a window left open at the back.  

Now that she thought about it, she had been quite wise.  

Not only did the window provide ventilation, but now it could also make things easier for Xu Mo.  

Xu Mo gave Shen Jiaojiao a complicated look.  

Then, without a word, he simply turned and left.  

Shen Jiaojiao: “…?!”  

What the heck!  

If he didn’t want to climb the window, fine, but did he really have to leave without even taking the lunchbox?  

Frustrated, Shen Jiaojiao shut the door.  

She returned to her room and opened the food container.  

Inside were white flour steamed buns and braised pork.  

The same dishes as at noon.  

Shen Jiaojiao felt touched again.  

She knew that white flour was a luxury in this era.  

And having meat for every meal?  

No one in the entire village dared to eat like this!  

Besides, Shen Jiaojiao was well aware of how poor Xu Mo’s family was.  

Earlier that day, Xu Meili had even told her that in the past, their family only had meat during the New Year.  

On normal days, they survived on coarse grains and wild vegetables.  

Yet, both times that Shen Jiaojiao had eaten meals prepared by Liu Xiaolan, there had been meat.  

It was clear just how much Liu Xiaolan valued her.

She made up her mind—she had to buy some grain and send it to her future mother-in-law’s house.  

She couldn’t just keep eating for free!  

Although she had plenty of food stored in her space, she needed a proper excuse to take it out.  

Just as Shen Jiaojiao picked up her chopsticks, ready to eat, she suddenly heard a soft tapping sound at the back window.  

She was startled.  

Was it Xu Mo? Or someone else with bad intentions?  

Since the window was covered by curtains, she couldn’t see who was outside.  

Shen Jiaojiao slowly approached.  

She lifted a corner of the curtain.  

What she saw was a furry head crouching below the window.  

At the same time, the person outside seemed to hear her movements and lifted their head.  

It was dark outside, but the moonlight was bright enough.  

Shen Jiaojiao saw Xu Mo’s face, looking nervous and guilty, like a thief caught in the act.  

At that moment, she almost burst out laughing.  

And at the same time, she felt excited.  

This felt just like an illicit affair!  

So thrilling.  

No wonder rural people always seemed to have some unspeakable encounters in the cornfields.  

Shen Jiaojiao unlatched the window and pushed it open.  

“Xu Mo, hurry up and come in.”  

Xu Mo placed his hands on the windowsill, and with a slight flex of his arms, he swiftly flipped himself inside.  

The movement was smooth and effortlessly cool.  

Shen Jiaojiao quickly shut the window and pulled the curtain down tightly to cover it.  

Then, without hesitation, she threw herself into Xu Mo’s arms.  

“Third Brother, your waist is so slim, and your muscles are so firm.”  

Xu Mo had taken a bath before coming.  

Although he hadn’t used any soap, his entire body exuded a raw, masculine scent—the kind that was most intoxicating.  

Xu Mo hurriedly pushed her away.  

“Shen Jiaojiao, don’t mess around.”  

If she moved any more, he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back.  

Shen Jiaojiao knew better than to tease him too much at this moment.  

After all, they were in a risky situation.  

If someone found out, people would start calling her a shameless vixen again.