Chapter 031

Lin Xiaohan got the fire going to cook, and Chu Xia relaxed and continued tending her own flame.

She tossed in a bit more kindling, watching the fire blaze up, then casually asked, “Why’d you get up so late today?”

Normally, he was always the first one up in the morning.

But today, Chu Xia had already finished washing up by the time he came out.

She asked offhandedly, and Lin Xiaohan replied just as casually, “Didn’t sleep well.”

Chu Xia turned to look at him, curiosity piqued. “Something on your mind?”

Lin Xiaohan glanced over at her. “You sure are nosy, huh?”

Chu Xia smiled, her eyes curving. “I am curious. A cold, stone-hearted, emotionally void guy like you—what could possibly keep you up at night?”

Lin Xiaohan: “…”

He looked at her for a moment, then leaned in slightly and said in a low voice, “Come closer, I’ll tell you.”

His mysterious tone made Chu Xia pause.

What, it’s so secret he has to whisper it?

That only made her more curious. Her eyes sparkled with gossip-hungry anticipation as she leaned in, tilting her head toward him to listen.

Sure enough, Lin Xiaohan leaned toward her ear.

And then he whispered, “Last night… in the grove… I saw… your Han Ting and Su Yun… kissing…”

Chu Xia: “…”

The moment she heard it, she thought she must’ve misheard.

Not because the news was unbelievable—but because she never expected Lin Xiaohan of all people to deliver this kind of gossip. And really, that kind of thing shouldn’t affect his mood either.

She stared for a moment, then slowly lifted her head and looked into Lin Xiaohan’s eyes with pure, unfiltered confusion.

“So… you like Su Yun too?”

Lin Xiaohan: “…”

That’s the reaction she has to hearing that?

Suddenly, the whole thing felt pointless.

He stared at her for a beat, then abruptly raised a hand and shoved her head away.

But Chu Xia immediately leaned back in, still wearing the same wide-eyed, innocent expression as she looked up at him and asked seriously, “Wait—so you actually like Han Ting?”

Lin Xiaohan: “…”

He took a deep breath, barely holding it together, and pushed her head away again.

This time, Chu Xia didn’t lean back in.

She threw another handful of kindling into the stove, then couldn’t hold back a laugh.

She knew full well Lin Xiaohan was trying to provoke her with that “news.”

But she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. She didn’t care what Han Ting and Su Yun were doing. Let them.

While Lin Xiaohan sat there with a sour face, not wanting to speak anymore, Chu Xia found the whole thing increasingly funny.

Just remembering the look on his face when she asked if he liked Han Ting made her want to laugh again—and soon she couldn’t help but let out another chuckle.

She laughed for a while, trying to stop but failing.

Finally, Lin Xiaohan couldn’t take it anymore and snapped, “Do you want to get smacked?”

Chu Xia immediately pursed her lips and fell silent, shaking her head.

Then, as her face relaxed again, she looked at him seriously and asked, “So what was it really that kept you up? Were you jealous of Han Ting? All those girls like him, and you don’t have a single one?”

Hearing that, Lin Xiaohan turned his head to look at her, eyes suddenly frosty. He gave her a cold, mocking smile.

Chu Xia was starting to get a feel for his reactions and what they meant.

And seeing his response now, she secretly thought—
No way… is he actually jealous that Han Ting has so many girls after him?

Since that was the case, she thought for a moment and then seriously suggested to Lin Xiaohan,
“Actually, if you could just adjust your temper and personality a little, treat girls a bit nicer, help out more when they need it, and smile more when you talk, I’m sure there would be girls who like you too.”

Lin Xiaohan replied flatly, “Don’t need to.”

Chu Xia: “…”

What a strange person—jealous of Han Ting for being popular with girls, yet claiming he doesn’t care. Hard to figure him out.

Since he said he didn’t need it, Chu Xia naturally didn’t continue the conversation.

She tossed a handful of firewood into the stove, then sat watching the dancing flames under the stove, half-covering her face with her hand and biting her lip to suppress laughter every now and then.

So it turns out, making someone else unhappy can actually make you this happy.

Lin Xiaohan: “…”

He picked up two branches, crossed them, and snapped them in half with a sharp crack.

Hearing that crisp and decisive sound, Chu Xia instinctively glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

She watched him shove the broken branches into the stove, and suddenly felt a chill down her spine. It was as if he wasn’t breaking branches, but her bones.

She quickly cleared her throat and sobered her expression, stopping herself from laughing.

Since Chu Xia got up earlier, her steamed buns finished heating before Lin Xiaohan’s.

When she figured the timing was about right, she waited for the last of the firewood to burn to ash, stood up from her stool, and went to wash her hands and eat breakfast.

After eating, Chu Xia didn’t go straight to school, nor did she linger in the kitchen pestering Lin Xiaohan. She figured acting more casual and natural would make it seem less like she was deliberately keeping an eye on him.

She waited for Lin Xiaohan in the courtyard with her schoolbag on her back.

With nothing to do, she went to the corner of the yard to play with the chicks, calling their names and chatting with them.

Just as she was amusing herself with the chicks, the alarm in the boys’ dorm went off.

With the sound of the alarm, Han Ting and the others got up one by one and came outside to wash up.

Ten people carrying washbasins filled the quiet courtyard with noise and activity.

Though it sounded lively at first, on closer listen, it was mostly just complaints.

All ten of them had plenty to grumble about life in the countryside,
but the one who complained the most and always had something negative to say was Gu Yuzhu.

While washing up, she muttered about how hopeless life felt and how there was no end in sight. Then she said,
“What’s that chirping noise that won’t stop? So noisy! It’s like we can’t even get a decent night’s sleep!”

Li Qiao gestured toward the corner of the yard. “Chickens.”

The chicks and Chu Xia couldn’t be seen clearly from that angle because of the boys’ dorm blocking the view.

Gu Yuzhu obviously knew the chickens were raised by Lin Xiaohan and Chu Xia, so she complained with growing irritation,
“They’ve only been here in the countryside for a little while, and already they’re living like real villagers—raising chickens and everything. What’s next, pigs? Might as well bring in cows, sheep, ducks, and geese too!”

Before anyone else could respond, a voice came from the kitchen doorway:
“Not a bad idea, actually. We’ll raise all the chickens, ducks, geese, cows, sheep, and pigs right next to your bed, so they can sing you lullabies and help you sleep.”

They turned their heads to see Lin Xiaohan stepping out of the kitchen. Gu Yuzhu’s face instantly turned pale with embarrassment.

Unlike Li Qiao, who talked tough behind people’s backs but went quiet in person, Gu Yuzhu stood her ground and said,
“What’s that supposed to mean, Lin Xiaohan? You two raise chickens that keep the rest of us from sleeping, and I’m not even allowed to complain?”

Lin Xiaohan didn’t hold back:
“If you’re asking me, I’d say you’d better just keep your complaints to yourself. If you’ve got a real issue, don’t waste your breath—go report it to the village committee. Let the Party Secretary and the village chief handle it. Or if you’re really capable, get them to send you back to the city.
But if you can’t manage any of that, then shut your damn mouth. Living worse than pigs, drooling over someone else’s bowl of zhajiang noodles like it’s gold, and still acting like you’re some spoiled little princess—what a joke.”