Chapter 25: Spreading Rumors and Stirring Trouble  

She admitted that her thoughts had gone astray.  

She had thought in that direction.  

Her face flushed with embarrassment.  

She patted her small face and quickly took off the water flask slung diagonally across her body.  

Taking a few steps forward, she called out: “Third Brother.”  

Xu Mo was working hard, fully focused on cutting the wheat.  

He hadn’t expected to suddenly hear Shen Jiaojiao’s voice from the side, and it startled him.  

He almost cut his foot with the sickle.  

“You… why are you here?”  

“I brought you some water. The weather is so hot, and you’re sweating a lot.”  

She held the water flask out in front of Xu Mo, looking at him with a hint of distress.  

She really wanted to wipe his sweat for him.  

But there were people all around. Just coming over to bring him water had already drawn attention—if she went ahead and wiped his sweat, people would gossip even more.  

Xu Mo wiped his face with his own hands.  

However, both his hands and face were covered in dust from the wheat, and as soon as he wiped, his face instantly turned into a smudged mess like a tabby cat.  

Shen Jiaojiao couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.  

Xu Mo probably knew what she was laughing at—was she laughing at how dirty he was?  

Sigh! He had always been alone before and never paid attention to his appearance. Besides, working in the fields made it impossible to stay clean.  

But now, being teased by the person who was soon to be his wife, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed.  

He suddenly wanted to wash himself completely clean and show her his best side.  

He didn’t want her to see him looking so disheveled.  

“Third Brother, you look so cute like this, just like a little kitten. I love kittens the most. Back home, I used to have a fat orange cat—it was especially adorable.”  

Xu Mo’s heart stirred.  

She actually called him cute?  

Was she serious?  

Shen Jiaojiao didn’t linger on small talk.  

“Hurry and drink some water to rehydrate.”  

Xu Mo glanced at the water flask in Shen Jiaojiao’s hand.

The bottle’s opening was small.  

It was obvious that the flask was for her personal use.  

“No need, I’m not thirsty.”  

Shen Jiaojiao felt the urge to punch him twice.  

She knew exactly why he refused to drink.  

“You even used the chopsticks I ate with last time. Why weren’t you embarrassed then? And now you’re acting all shy?”  

“Hurry up and drink. I can’t stay here for long.”  

She urged him.  

Xu Mo hesitated for a moment but eventually took the flask and drank a few sips.  

As the water slid down his throat, it felt exceptionally cool and refreshing.  

It instantly cleared his mind.  

He had been feeling dizzy from the scorching sun, but strangely, after drinking from Shen Jiaojiao’s flask, he immediately felt energized.  

It was as if his entire body was suddenly filled with boundless strength.  

He felt like he could cut through an entire row of wheat in one breath without breaking a sweat.  

Shen Jiaojiao watched Xu Mo’s expression closely, feeling a small sense of satisfaction.  

That was no ordinary water—it was spiritual spring water. Drinking it could refresh the mind and strengthen the body.  

She took the flask back from Xu Mo and casually said: “Third Brother, keep working! I’m leaving now.”  

Xu Mo snapped out of his thoughts.  

Looking at Shen Jiaojiao’s fair, rosy face, he suddenly didn’t want her to leave.  

“Oh… then hurry back. It’s too hot out here.”  

“Mm, Third Brother, don’t get distracted while working! Be careful not to cut your foot.” Shen Jiaojiao chuckled.  

Not far from them, in the wheat field, Fang Qinghe had been observing the situation the entire time.  

He was also working, harvesting wheat in the field.  

Before, he never had to do labor like this. His parents and younger sister did the farm work, and the family could afford to support him.  

But lately, he had been showing up for work diligently.  

Wherever Shen Jiaojiao was, he would linger nearby.  

He claimed he was just there to work, but in reality, he was looking for a chance to talk to Shen Jiaojiao.  

Before, that group of little brats had always been around, leaving him no opportunity to get close to her.

But now that those pesky little brats were gone, he thought he’d finally have a chance to approach her.  

Who would have thought that Shen Jiaojiao would run off to Xu Mo and bring him water?  

This infuriated him.  

Had Shen Jiaojiao lost her mind? Why had she changed so suddenly?  

But Fang Qinghe still refused to believe that Shen Jiaojiao didn’t like him.  

After all, he was good-looking, with fair skin—unlike that brute Xu Mo, who was covered in muscles, had skin the color of wheat, and looked like a big, clueless oaf. Worse yet, he was always scowling.  

If Shen Jiaojiao chose Xu Mo, she must be blind.  

Sure, Xu Mo was the male protagonist of this world.  

But he was a transmigrator.  

Had he ever read a novel where a transmigrator lost to the main protagonist?  

No—transmigrators always crushed the main protagonist!  

That’s why Fang Qinghe had already convinced himself that he was the true male lead of this world.  

After all, weren’t there so many novels these days where villains made a comeback and stole the protagonist’s halo?  

While working in the wheat field, Fang Qinghe was completely distracted, just messing around.  

He had barely cut any wheat at all.  

But Mother Fang, standing beside him, was moved to tears with joy.  

“Look at my son, how hardworking he is! He’s even voluntarily helping me now. I told him to stay home and rest, but he insisted, saying I work too hard and he wanted to lighten my burden. He wants to be a real man who can support his family.  

Oh, my son is so filial!”  

The people nearby were rolling their eyes so hard they almost flipped over.  

Your son? Working hard? More like ruining the whole field!  

Look at what he’s done to those poor wheat stalks!  

Mother Fang was still busy singing her son’s praises.  

But the moment she turned her head, Fang Qinghe had already thrown down his sickle and dashed off—without even saying a word.  

Mother Fang: “…Son, where are you going?!”

Fang Qinghe didn’t have time to deal with his mother. He took off, chasing after Shen Jiaojiao.  

A few sharp-eyed villagers noticed the two of them heading in the same direction and immediately started gossiping.  

“Hey, hey, hey! Did you see that? Shen Jiaojiao is seducing Fang Qinghe again. In broad daylight, no less! Neither of them is working, and they actually have the guts to sneak off together. Tsk tsk tsk, that little vixen is nothing but trouble. She’s about to get married, and she still won’t behave.”  

“If you ask me, those two definitely have some shameful secret. Listen, one night, I was passing by the cornfield, and I heard that kind of sound coming from inside. Oh my, the way that woman was moaning—I felt embarrassed just hearing it.”  

“For real? Why didn’t you report it to the Captain? If they were caught in the act, they’d be done for.”  

“I was scared! I didn’t dare stick around, so I left. But thinking about it afterward, I really should have told the Captain. After all, fooling around like that brings shame to our village.”  

“Did you actually see who was in the cornfield?”  

“Well… not exactly, but I recognized the voice. It sounded just like Shen Jiaojiao. Who else in this village has such a delicate, sweet voice? It gave me goosebumps just hearing it.”  

They were in the middle of their heated discussion when suddenly, they felt a shadow looming over them.  

A menacing aura filled the air.  

They turned around and saw Liu Xiaolan standing there, face dark as thunder, gripping a sickle in her hand.  

“You filthy bitch! Say that again if you dare.”  

Liu Xiaolan’s expression was fierce, and she pointed the sickle straight at them.  

“Well? What’s wrong? Why aren’t you talking now? Weren’t you all just gossiping so vividly, making up stories with such confidence?”