Chapter 59

Aunt Wu wasn’t kidding. She really got up and went to the kitchen to bring over several bowls of deer blood soup with deer antler and ginseng lean meat. The largest bowl was served to Pei Ji’an, while slightly smaller portions were given to Pei Zheng, Lu Nong, and Aunt Wu herself.

In fact, deer blood is not only known for its aphrodisiac properties. It can also treat cardiovascular diseases, insomnia, and rheumatism in the elderly. For young people, it enhances immunity and improves blood replenishment, making it an excellent warming herbal medicine.

Deer antler is effective for kidney deficiency and alleviating women’s cold uterus and infertility. It also nourishes qi and blood, strengthens the body, and when combined with ginseng in a soup, it can boost immunity, slow aging, and enhance physical health.

Aunt Wu’s soup was exceptionally well-made. Although deer antler and blood can have a strong, fishy taste, Aunt Wu managed to minimize the odor to bring out the flavors of the ingredients.

Pei Zheng grimaced as he picked up his bowl and reluctantly took a sip. After drinking it, his expression changed immediately. He took another sip… then another, and ultimately finished the entire bowl.

“Grandma Wu, it’s really delicious,” he gave her a thumbs-up.

The essence of humanity is that good food always attracts.

Aunt Wu proudly raised her chin, “Of course.”

Gu Xiaohuai smacked his lips, “Xiaohuai, eat.”

Pei Zheng chuckled, “Be good, you can eat it when you’re a bit older.”

Gu Xiaohuai understood and shook his head stubbornly, “I want to eat!”

Seeing this, Lu Nong took advantage of Gu Xiaohuai’s distraction, picked up his small spoon, poured a bit of tea into it, and pretended to scoop out soup from her own bowl to feed Xiaohuai. “Ah, open your mouth. Brother won’t give Xiaohuai any, but Mama will let you taste a little spoonful. After drinking it, you can’t ask for more.”

“Mm-hmm.” Xiaohuai nodded obediently and drank the spoonful of tea.

…Even a child can be deceived. Pei Zheng was astonished. Can it really be done like this?

Wait, why are you stepping on me? What do you mean Brother won’t give him a drink, but Mama will?

Pei Zheng was irritated and downed the rest of his drink in one go. He silently reached for the bottle but was interrupted as soon as he touched it.

“Put it down.”

Pei Zheng quickly withdrew his hand.

Lu Nong winked at him and imitated Pei Zheng to carefully reach out to the wine bottle, getting closer and closer, then holding the bottle, picking up the bottle, pouring herself a glass of wine, and taking a sip.

No one stopped her.

Pei Zheng: “…” Ha, childish!

After dinner, Lu Nong took out some homemade cherry cupcakes from the kitchen and distributed them to everyone. Gu Xiaohuai only received a tiny piece.

The creamy cupcake was topped with a perfectly ripe, candied cherry. The cherries had been frozen in the refrigerator during the summer, and although they weren’t as fresh as when picked, they served mainly as decoration and were better than nothing.

Lu Nong plucked the cherry off her cupcake and took a bite. With her slender, fair fingers holding the pickled cherry, she brought it to her red, moist lips, looking enchanting.

The candied cherry was too sweet, causing Lu Nong to frown slightly. She put down the remaining half but quickly reconsidered, not wanting to waste food. She braved the excessive sweetness and finished the other half of the cherry.

When she looked up again, she noticed everyone was watching her. Confused, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

Aunt Wu covered her mouth and chuckled, “It’s nothing, nothing at all. There are more cherries in the kitchen, and we can have as many as you want, Nong Nong.”

Lu Nong preferred fresher cherries. “Let Xiaozheng and Xiaohua have them as snacks. They are too sweet for me.”

The passion that night was inevitably intense. Pei Ji’an didn’t know what came over him as he kept biting her lips, kissing each of her fingers one by one. After kissing, he grew even more passionate, as if he were enchanted.

Lu Nong could hardly bear it and opened her misty eyes, murmuring softly, “Um… what are you doing—”

Pei Ji’an and Lu Nong exchanged glances without saying a word. His eyes darkened, and before she could finish her sentence, he leaned down to seal her lips again, devouring her mouth as if tasting something forbidden. His fingers tightened around hers.

After a while, he lifted her, and the deep position left her no room to speak.

Eventually, as their intensity calmed, Pei Ji’an still wouldn’t let her off the hook. He held her and moved slowly, not as intensely as before, but with lingering effects that were hard to resist.

Lu Nong worried that if this continued, even if nothing was left inside, she might still end up pregnant.

“Let’s buy some condoms,” Lu Nong gasped.

Pei Ji’an exhaled heavily and replied, “Alright.”

Lu Nong felt relieved, finding a comfortable rhythm that lulled her into drowsiness. Suddenly, Pei Ji’an asked, “Why don’t you want children?”

Lu Nong was startled. She turned to look at him, surprised that he would ask so directly.

From what Lu Nong knew about Pei Ji’an, he always respected her opinions and rarely asked why. Sometimes he guessed the answers, while other times he preferred to observe her and draw conclusions on his own.

Lu Nong didn’t want to give Pei Ji’an a perfunctory answer. As she tried to turn away, he noticed her intention and held her facing him, a move that connected them in ways they hadn’t anticipated.

Lu Nong felt a sudden shock and gasped, “Uh…”

Pei Ji’an was indeed a man who had self-control ingrained in him. Although his body was responding strongly and Lu Nong suddenly shrank back, he maintained his steady pace, neither rushed nor slow.

Lu Nong almost fell to her knees. Was this intentional, or was it really intentional?

He held Lu Nong close, lifting her legs onto his waist. “Hmm?”

Lu Nong whispered, “I’ve heard that giving birth is very painful. I’m afraid of the pain, and it can leave ugly stretch marks. Besides, Xiao Huai is still young.”

Sometimes she thought that she must love someone deeply to want to have a child that resembled him. Yet, even if Lu Nong loved someone, she could only invest fifty percent of her heart. It was impossible for her to give her all.

This might be a common issue among modern people, an evolutionary trait. With the internet being so advanced, people see countless cases that expose the selfishness of human nature and the essence of love. They no longer foolishly give of themselves and become self-satisfied; instead, they learn to love themselves more.

There is nothing wrong with this. First, one must learn to love oneself.

Never give with the expectation of being moved in return. Be it parents, children, or lovers, even the closest people can bring disaster if you give selflessly. The more you give, the more you feel wronged and desire reciprocation. You end up investing more until you become ensnared, suffering deeply.

And don’t think that wealthy people are immune to emotional hurt. In matters of the heart, everyone is equal. As a clear-headed and logically-minded wealthy person, Lu Nong had never given a man the chance to deceive or hurt her.

After she spoke, Pei Ji’an fell silent. He covered Lu Nong’s mouth with his hand and pondered for a moment. “What should I do with you?”

Lu Nong was puzzled. Did he think she was being willful?

She was about to argue with Pei Ji’an when, unexpectedly, he pushed her against the headboard of the bed, pinning her hands above her head in a way that suggested there was no tomorrow.

When Lu Nong woke up the next day, the sunlight was bright, and Pei Ji’an was already gone from her side.

What’s wrong with this person!

Miss Lu put on a strappy nightgown and rubbed her waist in dissatisfaction. Her thighs ached, and she struggled to get out of bed and walk to the mirror.

The woman in the mirror had messy hair, a sultry expression, and swollen lips that looked as if she had just eaten spicy food. There were kiss marks on her neck and collarbone, and the marks below her collarbone increased.

These were all remnants from last night.

Pei Ji’an was someone who knew boundaries. In the hot summer, she would dress lightly. Knowing that she was still in school. He rarely left kiss marks on her, and if he did, they were usually in places that weren’t easily visible.

But last night was different. Did she say something that provoked him?

Lu Nong sat by the window in a rattan chair, trying to recall. She had told Pei Ji’an to buy some condoms, and he had agreed with a normal attitude.

Then he asked her why she didn’t want to have children.

Her response was that she heard childbirth was painful, she feared the pain, and she would also get unsightly stretch marks. Moreover, Xiao Huai was still young.

Wait a moment. Lu Nong suddenly stood up. Hadn’t “she” already given birth? Why did she say “I heard”?

Did Pei Ji’an realize she had a problem? Did he suspect her?

No, that couldn’t be right. Pei Ji’an was someone who was absolutely rational and exceptionally self-restrained.

She had reason to believe that if Pei Ji’an suspected she was not the “Lu Nong,” the first thing he would do was to maintain a façade of calmness rather than cover her mouth and say something ambiguous like, “What should I do with you?” before proceeding to have sex with her in a punishing manner.

If Pei Ji’an had fallen in love with her, Lu Nong found it even harder to believe. The reasoning was still the same, Pei Ji’an was a person of absolute rationality. He had even stated that the country came first, making it impossible for him to fall in love with her without confirming whether she was a spy.

Lu Nong couldn’t understand Pei Ji’an. Yet even if he suspected her, she wouldn’t panic because she was the genuine Lu Nong and had nothing to fear from investigation or questioning.

She would just need to be more careful in the future and avoid revealing any clues.

After finishing her thoughts, Lu Nong pulled back the curtains and was greeted by a bright white view. No wonder the daylight seemed much brighter than usual. It was snowing outside!

A thick layer of snow covered the yard, and everything was silent, with only the occasional branches shedding the heavy snow.

Lu Nong was thrilled. This wasn’t just the first snowfall of the year. It was the biggest snowstorm, perfect for making a snowman.

She hurriedly dressed and ran downstairs, where Aunt Wu had just entered, shaking off the snowflakes from her head. “What a heavy snow! We’ll have a bountiful harvest next year.”

“I’m going out to make a snowman!” Lu Nong zipped past Aunt Wu like a gust of wind, rushing outside with excitement.

“Hey, it’s cold out there. Dress warmly and don’t catch a cold!”

“I know! I’m dressed warmly enough!”

Aunt Wu shook her head. “This child is already a mother, yet she still talks like a carefree girl.”

The heavy snow continued to fall, covering the path that had been cleared earlier with a fresh layer.

Lu Nong spun around in the snow and dove into the little garden. She packed a snowball and rolled it on the ground until it grew into a large snowball. Then she made a smaller snowball and placed it on top as the head.

The snowman was finally complete!

To stabilize the snowman, Lu Nong used a shovel to pile snow around it. After finishing, she sat on the ground, panting. Her already sore body was now even more achy.

“Goodness! Why are you sitting in the snow?” Aunt Wu came out with gloves, seeing Lu Nong sitting in the snow and quickly rushing over to help her up, slipping the gloves onto her hands.

Lu Nong obediently let Aunt Wu put the gloves on her. In this house, you could offend anyone, but not the old lady.

“By the way, Godmother, where are Xiao Huai and Pei Zheng? I haven’t seen them around,” Lu Nong asked. It wasn’t like Pei Zheng to not come out and play in the snow.

Aunt Wu replied, “Pei Zheng took Xiao Huai out early in the morning. They probably went to play with that group of kids.”

Lu Nong nodded and then asked Aunt Wu, “Godmother, do we have any carrots? The snowman needs a nose…”

“Stop right there! Carrots are vegetables. Don’t waste food,” Aunt Wu firmly rejected Lu Nong.

Lu Nong touched her nose, feeling quite funny, like a child being rejected by her parents. She was already so old, but she was still suppressed by the old lady. She couldn’t live like this.

There was no other option. Lu Nong had to find a stick to replace the missing parts. She used pebbles for the eyes, placed a small bucket on its head as a hat, and a tree branch as arms.

Once finished, Lu Nong went back inside, holding Xiao Bai for warmth while admiring the snowman from a distance.

“Xiao Bai, what do you think? Is the snowman that mom made beautiful?” Lu Nong pointed at the snowman for Xiao Bai to see.

Aunt Wu was speechless. “Are you seriously trying to reason with a dog? It can’t understand you. Is the dog supposed to call Xiao Huai ‘brother’ and me ‘grandma’?”

Lu Nong pretended to be surprised. “You agree?”

“Come on, Xiao Bai, quickly call Grandma!”

Aunt Wu: “…”

“Let’s go, Xiao Bai. We’re going out to find your brother and see what they’re playing without you.”

She set Xiao Bai down, and he happily followed Lu Nong as they headed outside.

As they stepped out, the snow was so thick that Xiao Bai dove headfirst into it. Lu Nong had to pick him up with one hand while Xiao Bai scratched the ground in frustration.

“Okay, okay, Mom will carry you,” Lu Nong said gently, petting his head.

When they reached Sister Qin’s house, she was shoveling snow. Upon seeing Lu Nong, Sister Qin greeted her warmly but then glanced around and quietly asked, “Have you offended Zhao Xin and her group?”

Lu Nong was puzzled. “Offended? I don’t think so.”

She hadn’t seen Zhao Xin recently, and even Sister Huo next door hadn’t come by to act as a mediator. She thought that group had calmed down, but Sister Qin’s words hinted that trouble might still be brewing.

“Zhao Xin is sick. Haven’t you gone to see her?” Sister Qin clicked her tongue. “It spread all over the compound, saying that Zhao Xin and you suffered together, but you were fine, and she was sick. Huo Xiaoling advised you to go see her, but you refused without any mercy. The rumors were so detailed that everyone said you didn’t know how to behave.”

Lu Nong frowned. What exactly did Zhao Xin want?