Chapter 23 – Pure-Hearted Yan Xiao

Yan Xiao only managed to fall asleep last night after taking cold showers for half the night.

At four in the morning, he got up to set traps in the mountains.

Although he no longer needed to hunt large amounts of game to deliver to the educated youth spot, the busy farming season was about to start. Afraid he wouldn’t have time to go up the mountain then, he still needed to stockpile some meat in the next couple of days.

Yesterday, his traps caught two rabbits and a wild boar. Today, he could make braised rabbit for Qingqing…

As for the wild boar, its meat was tough and gamey; better to hand it over to Xiao Xu from the black market to deal with.

But thinking of how the little girl ate so little made him deeply worried.

Held in his arms, she was so small, practically weightless.

Maybe today he could finish work early and stop by the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some snacks she liked.

…

Feng Tiezhu noticed that lately Yan Xiao had been acting very strange. Not only did he sometimes laugh foolishly—already scary enough, since his Brother Yan was usually so cold—but he now disappeared as soon as work was done, not even going up the mountain anymore.

Tasks that normally took an entire morning were finished in just two or three hours, as if he had endless energy.

The way he worked, sweating buckets, was like he was plowing the fields for his wife.

…

All of Wen Qinghe’s meals were taken care of by the man.

In the morning, she had a bowl of black sesame and walnut porridge he brought. Worried she wouldn’t want to drink it because it looked dark and unappetizing, he specially explained that drinking it would improve her coughing and frailty.

If she finished a bowl each morning, Yan Xiao promised to bring her snacks at noon.

Tch, was she someone who lacked snacks?

Her space was full of them!

But when the man coaxed her in his deep voice—“Qingqing, be good~,” “Qingqing, listen~,” “my good little one…”—her ears seemed to catch fire, drowning in the gentle, pampering whispers.

…

Near noon, Wen Qinghe took out the clothes she’d washed in her space to hang them outside.

Even though her space washing machine was both washer and dryer, if she kept changing clothes without ever hanging any out, people would find it suspicious.

When Yan Xiao came to deliver her lunch, he saw the little girl standing on a stool, stretching to hang clothes on the line.

Her small body swayed dangerously, making his heart race. He hurried forward, hooked her waist, and set her down.

“From now on, leave this to me. I’ll hang your clothes. Standing on stools is too dangerous.”

Wen Qinghe stuck out her tongue indifferently. “It’s just hanging up a few clothes, I can manage that!”

Once she was steady, he handed her the lunch box and told her to go inside to eat.

He then shook out the clothes in the basin, a burst of fruity fragrance drifting to his nose.

He didn’t know what kind of soap pods she used, but it was different from her own scent.

Her knitted sweater looked tiny in his large hands—just a few palms could cover it completely, like an adult holding a child’s clothing.

Feeling the half-dry fabric, he was puzzled.

The little girl was so small, frail like a weak kitten—how could she have this much strength?

But the moment he picked up two small white lace “bowls,” his doubts flew to the clouds.

At first, he couldn’t quite figure out what the thick pieces of cloth were for.

When he unfolded them, his tall, sturdy body stiffened slightly, and a faint blush crept across his handsome face.

So this was the scenery he hadn’t seen that night—was it really this… spectacular?

…

At noon, Yan Xiao brought braised rabbit, steamed fish with egg custard, and potato cakes as the staple. In the cloth bundle was also a candied haw stick.

He really hadn’t lied—he brought her snacks.

Just as she was scooping up a spoonful of egg custard, she suddenly remembered the two small items still in the basin.

Her face turned red as she rushed out—only to see the man placing the last of the little cloth pieces on the bamboo rack.

Wen Qinghe’s cheeks burned as she looked at the undergarments he’d hung up. When she opened her mouth, she choked on the air…

Startled, Yan Xiao saw her gasping for breath as she ran out. Forgetting the images that had just flashed through his mind, he frowned and rushed over to steady her breathing.

“Why did you run so fast? Do you feel unwell anywhere?”

Wen Qinghe shook her head, her face flushed, awkwardly muttering, “Cough… I didn’t realize there was still that one, not hung up…”

Looking at her face stained with crimson and recalling the soft fabric in his hands, his eyes instinctively dropped to the curves of her chest…

Heat surged through his body again, muscles tense. He tilted slightly to the side, pushing her shoulders to turn her away.

His voice came out hoarse: “Be good~ Qingqing, go eat first…”

Wen Qinghe was baffled, letting him push her back inside.

When she turned around again, he had already said, “I’ll come back tonight,” and left with an unsteady gait.

Wen Qinghe: ???

…

While eating, she recalled the man’s husky voice and his awkward steps.

She couldn’t help but chuckle. Who would’ve thought Yan Xiao was this pure-hearted?

She had just felt a little shy because her undergarments were touched by a man for the first time.

But just two little pieces of cloth, and he already couldn’t handle it?

In modern swimming pools or on beaches, there were countless girls wearing bikinis.

This country bumpkin—if she wore one for him in the future, would he look or not?