Chapter 58 ☆ Eat Melon (Part 1)

The evening wind in the countryside carried the scent of dried grass. Clouds slowly moved in from the horizon, turning the sky a light golden red and covering everything in the courtyard with a soft glow.

Xie Zhao had a broad back, and the back of his neck was tanned to a wheat color. Despite his size, he insisted on sitting on the steps to eat, stretching his long legs far out.

“Stubborn,” Cheng Yaoyao remembered her grandmother saying about Xie Zhao and couldn’t help but laugh. She gently kicked Xie Zhao’s lower back with her toes. “Hey.”

Xie Zhao didn’t react.

Cheng Yaoyao glanced at the floor. The blue bricks and stones were polished smooth like a mirror; Xiao Fei cleaned them thoroughly every day. She sat down close to Xie Zhao, feeling the warmth from his body.

Cheng Yaoyao turned to look at him. Xie Zhao’s face was red, with a faint palm print visible. His arms were marked with welts from a feather duster, clearly showing that Grandma Xie had not gone easy on him.

Xie Zhao lifted his bowl and drank the mung bean soup quickly. Cheng Yaoyao took the chance to say sweetly, “I can’t finish mine; I’ll give you half.”

“No need.” Xie Zhao wiped his mouth and took a big bite of steamed bread. As he chewed, the muscles on the side of his neck moved, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

Cheng Yaoyao narrowed her eyes. “Xie Zhao, look at me.”

Xie Zhao paused, then looked up at her. He met her captivating eyes, which were full of emotion and reflected his image.

Cheng Yaoyao lifted his chin slightly and said, “I’ll count to three…three!”

Xie Zhao lifted his bowl.

Cheng Yaoyao hummed in satisfaction and poured her mung bean soup into Xie Zhao’s bowl.

She suddenly raised her voice. “Are you listening to me?”

“Hmm?” Xie Zhao snapped out of his thoughts and met Cheng Yaoyao’s intense gaze, nodding without thinking.

“I didn’t know Grandma would hit you so hard…” Cheng Yaoyao lost her temper when she saw the scars on his face. She hummed softly, “You can’t be mad after drinking my mung bean soup. You were wrong too…”

The warmth of Xie Zhao’s hand seemed to linger. Cheng Yaoyao lowered her voice and mumbled the last part. Her face turned a little red, hidden by the sunset glow.

Xie Zhao’s face also looked slightly awkward. He took a few gulps of mung bean soup and stared at the ground as if a flower had bloomed there, more interesting than Cheng Yaoyao.

Cheng Yaoyao whined softly. She rarely showed weakness, especially to Xie Zhao, who usually did whatever she wanted. He seemed indifferent to her kindness. Cheng Yaoyao glared at him, feeling her anger rise.

“I’m not mad.” Xie Zhao suddenly looked up at her and spoke quietly.

Cheng Yaoyao was caught off guard and said, “Ah?”

Her bright little face looked confused, like a kitten trying to act tough. Xie Zhao repeated seriously, “Yaoyao, I won’t be angry with you.”

“Well… why didn’t you pay attention to me earlier…” Cheng Yaoyao didn’t know why Xie Zhao’s eyes made her feel embarrassed, like a kitten rolling over. Her voice softened, and she started to speak incoherently, “I’m upset…”

“Alright, it’s my fault.” Xie Zhao noticed Xiao Fei peeking from the kitchen and resisted the urge to touch Cheng Yaoyao’s cheek. He said, “The mung bean soup is delicious.”

The kitten not only turned over but also rolled around happily. Cheng Yaoyao took Xie Zhao’s bowl and said cheerfully, “I’ll get you another bowl!”

Xie Zhao couldn’t help but smile a little. His heart felt like it was being gently scratched, making it tingle.

After they made up, Cheng Yaoyao became more talkative. She took the chance to tell Xie Zhao that the village wanted two people from the Xie family to watch over the melon field. Xie Zhao frowned but didn’t say anything.

Cheng Yaoyao said, “Grandma is old, and Xiao Fei is timid, so I’ll go.”

“You?” Xie Zhao looked at Cheng Yaoyao with a curious expression.

Cheng Yaoyao puffed out her chest and said, “What? You think I can’t do it?”

“No.” Xie Zhao shook his head, the smile in his eyes growing. He said, “Watching the melon field is hard work. I’ll talk to the captain tomorrow to see if it can be delayed.”

Cheng Yaoyao already considered herself part of the Xie family. Xie Zhao thought about this and felt a warm feeling in his heart again.

They finished a large pot of mung bean soup and several dishes. Then, Xiao Fei and Cheng Yaoyao cleaned up the kitchen together. Cheng Yaoyao also pickled some cucumbers and basil plums to prepare for tomorrow’s meal.

Xie Zhao chopped a pile of firewood in the yard and reinforced the cucumber rack—the cucumber vines were growing so fast that they broke two of the racks. Xie Zhao cut a few thin bamboo poles, fixed the cucumber rack in a cross shape, and turned the soil in the vegetable garden.

Not only the cucumbers but other green vegetables also grew exceptionally well. Garlic leaves shot up high, tomatoes almost broke their branches, and a few plump pumpkin vines aggressively spread into the cabbage’s space.

These were planted by Cheng Yaoyao. Last time, she boiled an old pumpkin for seeds and fried the pumpkin seeds. She planted the remaining seeds in the vegetable garden, and Xie Zhao helped by spreading some fertilizer.

Xie Zhao frowned slightly. Pumpkins prefer cool and humid weather, so planting them in summer was unusual. Besides, it usually takes at least a week for pumpkins to sprout. Yet, in less than ten days, the pumpkin seedlings were thriving.

The vegetable garden, originally divided into three ridges, now seemed crowded because the vegetables were growing so well. Xie Zhao dug up two pumpkin seedlings and planted them under the Chinese toon tree nearby. He also built a rack for the seedlings to climb so that the pumpkin vines wouldn’t harm the Chinese toon tree.

Cheng Yaoyao held a basin and watered the pumpkin seedlings. Afterward, she poured the remaining water for Xie Zhao to wash his hands, saying, “Young pumpkins are the most delicious.”

Xie Zhao stretched out his hand, letting the cool well water wash away the dirt, and smiled. “Pumpkins don’t bear fruit so quickly.”

“Hmph, then let’s pick some pumpkin flowers and make soup,” Cheng Yaoyao said, pouting as she handed the basin to Xie Zhao.

The pumpkins weren’t ready yet, but the watermelon was chilled. To enjoy a cool treat at night, Xie Zhao took a basket out of the well. Droplets of water clung to the green, patterned skin, making it feel cool to the touch.

He placed the watermelon on the cutting board and sliced it open. The rind was crisp, splitting into two halves with a snap. Red juice flowed out, releasing the sweet fragrance of watermelon. The juicy red flesh was pink and sandy at first glance!

Grandma Xie was old and couldn’t eat watermelon, so only Cheng Yaoyao, Xie Zhao, and Xie Fei sat in the yard eating it.

“As soon as you swallow it, the smell of smoke disappears, and when it touches your teeth, it’s like ice and snow.” On a summer night, sitting in the yard, enjoying the cool breeze, and eating big bites of cool, sweet watermelon—there’s no greater pleasure than this.

The watermelons weren’t large, but they were very sweet, not heavy on the palate. The juice rushed down their throats, quenching their thirst and refreshing them. The watermelons were cut into bite-sized pieces, and everyone took a piece, eating until their faces turned pink, with juice dripping down their wrists. No one minded. Afterward, they washed their faces with cold well water, feeling utterly refreshed!

Cheng Yaoyao was used to eating seedless watermelon, usually cut into small pieces by servants and served with silver sticks. This was the first time she’d tried this more casual way of eating, and it was quite a novel experience.

Cheng Yaoyao held a piece of watermelon in her hand and nibbled at the sweetest part in the middle, like a squirrel. Her small face was buried in the rind, her cheeks and mouth covered with pink juice as she spat the seeds into a bowl. The watermelons these days were good in every way except that they had a lot of seeds.

While Cheng Yaoyao was still working on one piece of watermelon, Xie Fei had already eaten two. She took the opportunity to tease her. “Sister Yaoyao, you eat watermelon so slowly and even spit out the seeds.”

“I’m done!” Cheng Yaoyao hurriedly swallowed the melon flesh and tossed aside the rind she had finally finished.

Xie Zhao handed her a new piece and said, “Yaoyao, eat slowly.”

Cheng Yaoyao lay on the bamboo couch, swinging her legs. “Yes, I eat cleaner than you!”

Xie Fei pouted, saying her brother was biased. Xie Zhao handed her another piece of melon to soothe her.

Proudly holding her piece, Cheng Yaoyao took a bite. The flesh was cool and crisp, but… she noticed that all the seeds had been removed.

Xie Zhao put down the thin bamboo stick in his hand and took a piece of watermelon, eating it as if nothing had happened.

After finishing the watermelon, they picked up the rinds and seeds and threw them away. Xie Zhao fetched water to clean the ground, preventing the rinds and juice from attracting mosquitoes. He hoisted the remaining half of the watermelon back into the well to keep it cold.

After showering, Xie Fei went to bed, leaving the task of preparing a bath for Cheng Yaoyao to Xie Zhao.

Cheng Yaoyao followed Xie Zhao closely with an oil lamp in hand, saying coquettishly, “Xiao Fei has been accompanying me to take a bath for the past few days. She went to bed early today, so I had to rush through my bath.”

“…” Xie Zhao forced himself not to think about the image of Cheng Yaoyao bathing. When would she realize how dangerous it was to speak so casually about such private matters? Especially… when she was alone with him.

After getting all the water ready and leaving the oil lamp in the room, Xie Zhao said before closing the door, “Take your time. I’ll be right outside.”

“Okay,” Cheng Yaoyao replied, gently closing the door.

The sound of water gradually came from the room, and Xie Zhao leaned against the door, waiting patiently. He had only taken a quick bath with cold water, but Cheng Yaoyao was very delicate, and each bath could take her half an hour. The weather was still hot now—how would she handle it when it got colder?

Xie Zhao frowned, a thought forming in his mind. The door opened, releasing a wave of hot air mixed with the scent of roses. Cheng Yaoyao stepped out with her hair tied up, wearing a pure white nightgown. Her lips were even redder, and her skin was so smooth it seemed to glow under the moonlight.

“I’m done,” Cheng Yaoyao said, covering her mouth as she yawned, a drop of water hanging on her eyelashes.