---

Chapter 37: The Easiest Person to Bully

Chen Sisi stomped her foot in anger, but unfortunately, with the fence between them, even if she wanted to scratch or bite Yi An’an, she couldn’t reach!

“Honey, don’t talk to some random, sketchy woman. What if you end up being tricked into raising someone else’s child? You wouldn’t be able to explain it!” Yi An’an glanced up again at the dazed Zhan Nanhui, then let her soft little hand move from his neck to his forehead and gently caressed it. “Your background’s already bad to begin with—makes you the easiest target for bullying!”

At the mention of Zhan Nanhui’s background, he gave Chen Sisi a cold look.

He sneered, and no longer cared about being tricked by Yi An’an. He turned around and walked into the shed.

Chen Sisi was nearly furious to the point of fainting. She wanted to scream and curse at Yi An’an to vent, but she was also afraid the villagers would see her interacting with Zhan Nanhui. After all, Zhan Nanhui’s political status was a clear issue—until he got into university, he was still considered a “bad element”!

After stamping her feet a few more times, Chen Sisi could only admit defeat and leave, muttering angrily to herself.

Meanwhile, inside the shed, Zhan Nanhui placed Yi An’an on the kang (heated bed) and turned to light a candle.

Yi An’an rolled to the inner side of the bed, kicked off her shoes, and began undressing while lying down. She took off her wool coat and started unbuttoning her shirt. Looking at Zhan Nanhui, who was standing by the kang staring at her, she asked, “Weren’t you supposed to be on piglet watch these past few days? What, the sow’s not giving birth now?”

Zhan Nanhui stared at her and asked, “What does ‘husband’ mean?”

Yi An’an beamed, “It means partner or lover. But I think calling you ‘husband’ sounds more intimate.”

Zhan Nanhui’s face flushed slightly. He turned his face away, his lips twitching a bit, then turned and walked out. “I’m going to check on the sow!”

Yi An’an finally let out a breath. Phew! At least she got away with pretending to be asleep.

When she couldn’t undo the buttons on her shirt, she tugged hard and ended up exposing some skin—which Zhan Nanhui saw when he turned back and came in again.

Zhan Nanhui quickly raised his arm to block his view.

Yi An’an pulled the quilt over herself and nervously asked, “Why did you come back?”

“I wanted to ask—if a male lover is called ‘husband,’ what do you call the female one?” he asked, face turned away and voice low.

“Wife!” Yi An’an answered.

Zhan Nanhui nodded, then turned and left.

This time, Yi An’an watched him walk all the way out of the yard before continuing to undress. Once done, she lay down comfortably to sleep.

It had been an exhausting day!

As she slept, a delicious smell wafted into her nose. She sat up and looked at the small table in front of the kang. There were two bowls placed on top of each other.

Her stomach growled. She hadn’t finished dinner earlier, and now the aroma made her feel even more famished.

She put on her clothes and got off the kang. Lifting the lid, she saw two steamed buns. Judging by the smell, they seemed to be meat-filled.

Yi An’an took a bite. They were a bit cold, but still quite tasty—maybe because she was genuinely hungry.

She quickly ate both buns and drank half a bowl of hot water. Her body warmed up, and she snuggled back under the covers for a good night’s sleep.

That Zhan Nanhui—despite his cold face and words, he actually had a kind heart.

Back in the pigsty, Zhan Nanhui brought his new quilt with him but found there was no place to put it.

He used to sleep right on the straw here without issue, but now he had gotten used to taking showers and sleeping in a warm bed. Returning to this miserable pigsty was a bit hard to readjust to.

He thought about going back, but remembering the dream from earlier, he felt a bit guilty and decided to tough it out for one more night.

He rearranged the straw, laid down a sheet, placed his quilt on top, and went to sleep.

He tossed and turned for a while, then finally fell asleep—only to dream strange, vivid dreams again. This time, there were sounds—moaning and seductive voices—that made him sweat all over. When he finally woke up, he realized the sow was giving birth.

That night, Zhan Nanhui ended up both washing his underwear and helping the sow deliver piglets. It was a busy night!

The next morning, he was chopping pig feed when he heard Yi An’an’s voice outside: “Zhan Nanhui, breakfast time!”

He responded, then suddenly remembered the underwear he had hung outside to dry. In his panic, he knocked over the pig feed bucket and rushed out.

Yi An’an stood outside the pigsty, glowing in a bright red wool coat with a matching red ribbon in her hair, holding a small basket. Her eyes landed right on the pair of underpants hanging from the tree branch.

Zhan Nanhui rushed over, yanked them down, and stuffed them into his pocket. “You… what are you doing here?”

“Bringing you breakfast! Since you left me dinner last night,” Yi An’an said with a smile, handing him the basket. “I have to catch a bus to town today and I’m short on time, so I’ll get going!”

She turned and walked off after speaking.

Zhan Nanhui finally let out a breath, feeling his face heat up. He wasn’t sure if Yi An’an had guessed anything.

He looked inside the basket—pan-fried buns, golden brown on the bottom, looking and smelling delicious.

Smiling, he set them aside, washed his hands, and began eating happily.

Having a wife really was better than being a bachelor!

A few bites in, he suddenly remembered how the woman was dressed—still that red wool coat that wasn’t warm enough. Would she have to wear that patched-up old cotton jacket from Tang Ah-ren again in the evening?

Zhan Nanhui quickly put down the bun, grabbed the cleanest cotton-padded jacket he had, and ran after her.

Meanwhile, Yi An’an had just put on the cotton jacket over her red coat after leaving the pigsty.

She walked slowly, then heard footsteps behind her. Turning back, she saw Zhan Nanhui.

“What’s up?” Yi An’an asked.

Zhan Nanhui looked at the jacket she was wearing, then subtly hid the jacket he was carrying behind him. “Nothing. I’m out of pig grass—just came to gather some.”

Yi An’an eyed the hand behind his back. “What’re you holding?”

“A sickle and a basket!” he replied quickly, turning away and hiding the jacket in front of his chest. He muttered, “You should hurry, or you’ll miss the bus!”

Yi An’an mumbled, “Ugh, yeah, and I don’t even have a watch. So inconvenient!”

Then she turned and hurried off.

Zhan Nanhui turned to watch her retreating figure, lost in thought.

When Yi An’an arrived at the salon, she saw a huge crowd gathered outside.

She walked up, and Sister Hua quickly pulled her aside and exclaimed, “We’ve hit the jackpot! All these people are here today to book perms!”

---