DLSRWAR Chapter 71 Wife, hold on tight.

When Qin Yumian got home, neither Qin Xian nor Grandpa Qin was there.

She dropped her backpack and then went out again.

As she passed by Grandma Wu’s house next door, she saw Grandma Wu watering the garden with a bucket. She pushed open the iron gate and walked in, “Grandma Wu, let me help you.”

Hearing the voice, Grandma Wu turned around and, seeing it was Qin Yumian, immediately smiled warmly, “Mian-ah, school’s out?”

“Mm.” Qin Yumian took over the task of watering the garden.

“How long is the break?” Grandma Wu, a local from Sangcheng, spoke with a hint of a Jiangnan accent.

Qin Yumian scooped a ladle of water and poured it over the vegetable garden, “We’ll be going back tomorrow afternoon.”

Grandma Wu said, “When Uncle Li came back, he brought me some foreign goodies. As someone who’s already half in the grave, eating these is a waste. Take them back with you and share them with Little Xian when you leave.”

Qin Yumian shook her head, sounding resigned, “Every time I come to help you, you always insist on giving me something to take back. If you keep doing this, I might not come by anymore.”

Grandma Wu smiled affectionately, the wrinkles on her face gathering together, “Would you really stop coming?”

Having finished watering the garden, Qin Yumian set down the bucket and went to help sweep the yard, “If you insist on giving me things, even if I don’t want to, I’d have to start wanting to.”

Grandma Wu scolded playfully, “You’re not just going to help me for free, are you?”

Qin Yumian’s voice was soft, “You’ve helped our family quite a lot before. I’m just doing what I can to help you now.”

When her parents had passed away, Grandpa Qin was deeply affected, falling ill from the stress. Grandma Wu had been busy managing her parents’ affairs.

Even though Qin Yumian was young at the time, she always remembered Grandma Wu’s kindness to their family.

Residents of Xinghua Street weren’t inherently bad, but people in small towns often gossiped behind each other’s backs. Whenever a family was doing well, people would say spiteful things.

Before her parents’ deaths, their family had been the envy of everyone.

Qin Yumian’s father was handsome and was Sangcheng’s first college entrance exam top scorer. After graduating, he brought home a beautiful wife. Even though they were only teachers at No. 2 High School, the job was stable and the salary was higher than that of ordinary workers. At that time, the Qin family, while not wealthy, was a well-off family.

Furthermore, Grandpa Qin was the head of a martial arts school. He had taught hundreds of students, if not thousands, and was highly respected in Sangcheng.

After the car accident that killed her parents, some mourned their loss while others relished the misfortune, spreading cold comments.

Grandma Wu had scolded these gossips and was even misunderstood by neighbors as trying to start a romance with Grandpa Qin.

But those who knew her well understood that Grandma Wu’s husband had been a childhood friend of Grandpa Qin, and the two families had always had a good relationship.

…

After finishing cleaning Grandma Wu’s house, Qin Yumian left directly despite the elderly woman’s attempts to persuade her to stay.

At that moment, a silver motorbike drove up from a short distance away.

The young man in a white shirt deftly parked the bike in front of her, put his foot down, removed his helmet, and smiled at Qin Yumian, “Class Monitor Qin, would you like to go for a ride?”

The sun was behind him, casting a halo of light around him.

Qin Yumian found it a bit glaring and turned her gaze slightly, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to take you for a ride,” Ye Hancheng leaned against the bike, his deep eyes holding a hint of warmth.

Perhaps the young man’s gaze was too intense, Qin Yumian, almost on a whim, agreed.

Once she was on the bike, she realized—why had she suddenly agreed?

But riding around on a hot day was indeed quite pleasant.

Ye Hancheng rode aggressively, and though Qin Yumian initially only held onto the back of his shirt lightly, as he started the bike, she was pushed into his back by the momentum.

The young man’s clear voice carried a hint of amusement, “Class Monitor Qin, hold on tight, don’t fall off.”

Qin Yumian: “…”

She suspected he might be doing it on purpose, but had no proof. To avoid falling off, Qin Yumian wrapped her arms slowly around his waist.

The motorbike roared away from Xinghua Street, gradually disappearing at the end of the road.

When they stopped by the lakeside, Ye Hancheng was about to reach out to help Qin Yumian off the bike, but she had already nimbly jumped down.

Ye Hancheng’s hands were left hanging in mid-air. Qin Yumian looked at him with puzzlement.

Ye Hancheng withdrew his hand nonchalantly and looked out at the lake, “Sangcheng actually has such a large lake? Is it natural or man-made?”

The topic seemed rather trivial, but Qin Yumian answered anyway, “It’s a man-made lake.”

By the lake, some people were strolling, and elderly ladies were dancing square dance in the park nearby.

Qin Yumian and Ye Hancheng sat down on a bench, watching the shimmering water of the lake, enjoying a tranquil moment.

Suddenly, the sound of crying broke the silence between them.

Qin Yumian looked in the direction of the sound and saw a little girl in a floral dress standing by the roadside, crying.

It seemed she had gotten separated from her family.

Ye Hancheng, being kind-hearted, walked over and crouched down in front of the little girl, gently asking, “Little guy, why are you crying?”

The little girl looked at the handsome big brother in front of her, momentarily stunned, and even forgot to cry.

After a few seconds, she choked out, “I can’t find my mom.”

Ye Hancheng had never done this sort of thing before, so he turned to Qin Yumian for help.

Qin Yumian: “…”

She said, “There’s a broadcast room in the park.”

So, they took the little girl to the broadcast room to use the PA system to help her find her mom.

Ye Hancheng found the little girl quite adorable and asked her softly what her name was.

“My name is Wenwen.” The little girl still had traces of tears on her face, so Qin Yumian bought a pack of wet wipes and helped her clean up.

Ye Hancheng asked, “How old are you?”

The little girl held up her fingers, “Three and a half.”

Her sweet, little voice melted Ye Hancheng’s heart.

He looked over at Qin Yumian, his eyes unusually bright, “Class Monitor Qin, she’s really so cute.”

Qin Yumian replied coldly, “No matter how cute she is, she’s still someone else’s daughter.”

Ye Hancheng: “…”

True enough.

However, he couldn’t help but think how wonderful it would be if he and his wife had such a cute daughter of their own.

Ye Hancheng sighed inwardly and suddenly remembered that even though he had not been working hard every night, he had always been particularly attentive when it came to “tending the fields.” Despite his efforts, his wife still hadn’t gotten pregnant.

Oh, he almost forgot. He had been careful to ensure safety while “plowing the fields.”

Ye Hancheng glanced at the little girl, then at Qin Yumian, and suddenly asked, “Class Monitor Qin, do you like children?”

——