Chapter 32 – Fairy Brings Rice, Flour, and Oil

Considering that the young girl had just recovered from a fever, her diet needed to be light.

That evening, Yan Xiao only cooked noodles. Though it was “just noodles,” he put considerable thought into it.

The dough had eggs mixed in, and the soup base had been prepared in advance by simmering crucian carp until the broth was milky white. The soft, stewed fish meat was removed, and any remaining bones were carefully filtered out before the egg noodles were hand-rolled and added. Just before serving, a few leaves of green vegetables and a few drops of sesame oil were added.

“Wow! Smells so good!”

The milky soup, yellow noodles, and green vegetable leaves made Wen Qinghe’s appetite spike.

Seeing her delight, a trace of a smile appeared in Yan Xiao’s eyes. “Qingqing, if you like it, eat more. There’s still some left in the pot.”

“Okay~”

The obedient young girl replied, but when it came to eating, she finished only a small bowl and refused more.

Yan Xiao was about to coax her into eating a little more when the village’s loudspeaker crackled to life.

The team leader was announcing that starting tomorrow, the corn harvest would begin.

Yesterday’s rain had blown the stalks all over the field, some lying flat. Fortunately, the rain lasted only one day, and the ground had little water. After drying all day, the fields were ready to enter.

Hearing the broadcast, Wen Qinghe realized that during the busy farming season, she couldn’t contribute much. The best she could do was try not to trouble anyone.

She told Yan Xiao, “Brother Yan, I feel much better. Starting tomorrow, you should go work. It wouldn’t be right for everyone else to be delayed just because of me.”

During harvest season, everyone in the village, young and old, participates, and even school teachers give the children time off so they can help.

Yan Xiao was needed in the fields; the team leader wouldn’t allow him to stay home idle. Still, knowing the girl would be alone at home, and with no neighbors nearby, he couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

His brows furrowed slightly—he wished he could take Wen Qinghe everywhere with him, keeping her under his constant watch.

Yet he still replied with a simple, “Okay.”

That night, Wen Qinghe saw him somehow carrying several bags of yellow soil, gravel, and sharp small stones, busily working along the top of the courtyard wall.

After watching for a while, she couldn’t resist and went back to sleep.

The next morning, when she walked into the courtyard, she saw that the original one-and-a-half-meter-high wall had been raised by at least fifty centimeters.

The top of the wall was now embedded with many sharp small stones.

So his hesitation last night was out of concern for her safety?

Wen Qinghe felt a warmth in her heart, though she had no idea what time he had gone to bed.

After washing up, she noticed a pencil note on the table in the main room:

“Qingqing, remember to eat the food in the pot.”

The handwriting was neat, strong, and steady—just like him: upright and resolute.

It was surprisingly legible, revealing he had some education.

Unbeknownst to her, after meeting Wen Qinghe, Yan Xiao had practiced writing her name hundreds of times.

After last night’s work in the yard, he had replaced several sheets of scrap paper before finally writing the characters clearly.

After finishing breakfast, she reflected that he had been taking care of all her meals during this time. Each meal was either carefully prepared noodles or plain rice.

Her storage space held countless supplies of rice, flour, oil, and salt. She couldn’t always rely on him to feed her.

So she decided, while he wasn’t home, to replenish the granary herself. That way, she wouldn’t be taking advantage of his efforts.

She opened the rice jar, placed a bag of rice from her space inside, cut the bag open, and returned the empty bag to her space.

Seeing the bright white grains, she didn’t fill it completely, afraid Yan Xiao would notice. She filled it only to roughly the same level as before, so it wouldn’t be obvious.

She did the same for flour and salt, one bag at a time, keeping the levels consistent.

The oil container she carried into her space, feeling stronger there, as if she could lift more with ease.

After replenishing the rice, flour, oil, and salt, she felt satisfied.

Seeing that it was still early, she decided to check her space.

Now that the white mist had cleared, the divide was obvious: one half was pristine forest, the other half a white space seemingly meant only for storage.

She hadn’t yet had the chance to explore the forest side and didn’t know if any living creatures were there.

However, she had discovered last time that her wristwatch could move normally in the forest, meaning time flowed normally there—a pleasant surprise.

She grabbed a cup of milk tea from the storage area and wandered around, curious to explore the forest edge.

…

Before noon, Yan Xiao returned from the fields.

Though the team leader didn’t want to let anyone leave, Yan Xiao had accomplished a morning’s work that would take others an entire day. Just coming back to cook, the leader said nothing.

Returning home, he noticed the small chair he had made for the girl in the main room, a bottle of roadside wildflowers on the table, and her little snacks beside it.

With her presence, his home felt warmer, no longer cold and empty—it had become their little home.

Thinking she was still in her room, he headed to the kitchen to start preparing rice.

When he opened the rice jar and saw the clean, flawless grains, he blinked in surprise. Shutting and reopening his eyes, he still saw perfectly separate white grains—this was no illusion.

Moreover, this morning, the rice in the jar hadn’t been in this position.

Looking around the kitchen, he noticed not only more rice but also increased amounts of flour and oil.

He didn’t naïvely think this was a miracle from the heavens.

But seeing that only he and the girl lived here, these changes could only mean…

Realization darkened his ink-black eyes.

He acted as if nothing had happened, cooking as usual.

He didn’t use the newly added rice, instead scooping from deeper in the jar, and took oil from the cabinet reserve.

…

Once the meal was ready, he intended to gently ask the girl about the additional supplies later.

But when he stood outside her room to knock, he realized the room was so silent, he couldn’t even hear breathing.

He pushed open the door in surprise to find her behind it.

His body tensed slightly, but his voice remained gentle: “Qingqing, time to eat.”

In his mind, though, he was deep in thought. Once again, just like at the youth relocation site, he confirmed there were no hidden mechanisms or secret passages in this room.

…

On the main room’s eight-immortal table, three steaming dishes were laid out: chestnut braised chicken, salted egg yolk tofu soup, and pig liver with spinach soup.

Though pressed for time, he didn’t want to shortchange her.

Watching the girl obediently sit on the small chair, her little mouth adorably nibbling at the food, he couldn’t speak.

She was far too beautiful—he had never believed in deities, but the first time he saw her, he felt she was a fairy sent by heaven just for him.

So was she truly a celestial being come to undergo tribulation?

If he spoke and revealed the secret, would it affect her? Would it make her leave him prematurely?

Thinking this, his dark eyes darkened further, filled with possessive force and intense desire.

He wouldn’t allow it—he could never allow it. He would not let her leave!