Massage 

Meng Yuanzheng looked slightly confused. Isn’t it normal for a man to wear only shorts at home with his wife?  

Lin Miaoyin was just teasing him, but seeing his embarrassed expression, she looked away and coughed softly. “Put on your clothes. There are so many mosquitoes, you’ll be covered in bites soon.” 

“Mmm.” He pulled a shirt out of his cabinet, slipped it on, and buttoned it all the way up—even the very top button.” 

Lin Miaoyin glanced at him speechlessly. “Why are you buttoning it up so tightly? Don’t you feel hot?” 

“Not hot.” He lowered his head and began drinking the porridge.  

“Hey, let me ask you, didn’t you say that Zhu Wanqin gave you the gloves when she went to the mountains? You also said that every educated youth had one. How come now it seems that she gave it to you on the road, and the other educated youth don’t have it?” 

She stared at him suspiciously. 

Meng Yuanzheng raised his head, holding his chopsticks. “If I tell you, don’t get angry.” 

“Mm, I won’t get angry.” Lin Miaoyin looked at him with even more suspicion. 

“She came to find me, and I wasn’t planning to take them, but…” He avoided her gaze.  

“But she forced you?” 

“No,” he denied, “but I thought your hands would hurt from pulling weeds, and I forgot to buy gloves for you.” 

After saying that, he lowered his head and didn’t look at her. 

Lin Miaoyin took a sip of porridge and paused. “So, you accepted her kindness just so you could give me the gloves?” 

“Mm. I didn’t mean to deceive you. It’s just that you asked that way, so I went along with it.” 

Oh, Lin Miaoyin felt a sweet happiness blossoming inside her; this man is truly adorable. 

“Alright, alright. I don’t blame you. Just stay away from her in the future. She must be plotting something bad toward you. If she needs anything from you, tell her to come to me. I’ll handle it.” 

“Mm.” 

“And if those other female educated youth try to get close to you by making an excuse that they are from the same hometown, just don’t pay attention to them. I’m telling you this—decide for yourself what’s more important: your wife or the people from your hometown.” 

“Mm.” He said, nodding quietly, looking totally obedient. 

Lin Miaoyin felt a maternal sense of satisfaction, like she was raising a son—one who was so well-behaved that it warmed her heart. 

After dinner, Meng Yuanzheng boiled some hot water to wash the dishes, and Lin Miaoyin went to take a bath. 

Meng Yuanzheng carried a bucket of warm water to the simple bamboo bathhouse behind the house and was about to leave. The bathhouse was enclosed by bamboo walls, with a cloth serving as the door. The floor was paved with bluestone slabs, allowing the bathwater to drain into the ditch. It had been built by Lin Miaojun back in the past. 

It was not completely dark when Lin Miaoyin take a bath the first two times, but it was completely dark today. There was only a small kerosene lamp, barely lighting up the place. Coupled with the lingering fear brought by the black snake in the past two days, she felt uneasy. When she saw Meng Yuanzheng turning around to leave, she subconsciously shouted, “Don’t go!” 

Meng Yuanzheng turned around and saw Lin Miaoyin standing there without saying anything. She just shook her head at him, so he turned and walked away again 

After Lin Miaoyin shouted, she regretted it. Was she really going to make him stay and watch her take a bath? That would be embarrassing. It’s just a little dark, so what? She was being dramatic. If there were a snake, it wouldn’t bite her first. If it tried to get in, she’d definitely hear it and smash its head with the bucket. 

Tomorrow, she must take a bath first, without fail.  

After mentally preparing herself, she lowered the cloth curtain and started undressing. Just as she removed her pants and was left in her undergarments, she heard footsteps outside. Startled, she stopped and listened carefully. 

The footsteps stopped not far from her, and there was no sound after that.  

Trembling with fear, she summoned all her courage to ask, “Who is it?” 

“It’s me,” came the low, deep voice. 

A wave of relief washed over her. Though pleased, she pretended to be angry and asked, “Why are you standing out there scaring people?” 

“I’m standing guard for you. Go ahead and take a bath.”  

“Oh.” She secretly bit her lip, feeling happy. What should she do? She felt that this man was getting better and better. Bah, stop it, she scolded herself. 

After taking a bath, she lifted the cloth and saw Meng Yuanzheng standing nearby. His head raised slightly as he looked at the moon, his posture gently echoing the famous line, “I lift my head to admire the bright moon, and bow it to think of my faraway homeland.” 

She wonders if he was reminiscing about his own family. 

“I’m done, let’s go.” She grabbed the bucket and walked over to him. Meng Yuanzheng snapped back to reality and headed inside. 

She put the bucket under the eaves, threw the dirty clothes into the basin, and sat on the chair, not wanting to move. Her arms were sore and weak, and her waist was aching slightly. 

So useless. She scolded herself again in frustration. 

Meng Yuanzheng quickly washed the dishes, rolled up his sleeves, and began to fetch water from the well. Lin Miaoyin glanced at him, “What are you doing?” 

“For washing the clothes. ” 

“I’ll come back and wash it tomorrow afternoon, I’m too tired today.” She didn’t want to move. 

“I’ll wash them.” Meng Yuanzheng said as he put both of their dirty clothes in a basin and brought it to the well. He then found a washboard, brush, soap, and stool and began scrubbing. 

The clothes were especially dirty today and needed thorough scrubbing. Lin Miaoyin stared at his back, feeling like she was in a dream. She tapped her head and asked herself, “Where is this place?”  

It didn’t make any sense. This was a novel. Who was standing in front of her? The villain in the original story. What was he like? Lazy, selfish, and pretentious. Is this really the same Meng Yuanzheng? 

Unbelievable.

After spending half an hour hanging the clothes to dry, washing up, and finally locking the door, they could finally go to bed. The lamp was placed on the bedside table. 

“Come over here and sit,” Lin Miaoyin called him. 

Meng Yuanzheng, who was adjusting the quilt, looked over in confusion but still sat in front of her. 

Standing behind him, Lin Miaoyin extended her hand to grasp his shoulder and began to massage it.  

He must be very tired after carrying manure all day. If I don’t give him a massage, he won’t be able to move his arms or shoulders tomorrow. 

She massaged his shoulders, then worked on muscles around his neck. Suddenly, Meng Yuanzheng let out a sharp hiss. 

“What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” she asked nervously. 

“No, it’s fine. It actually feels good,” he said softly. 

“If you feel any pain, just try to endure it,” she said, continuing to massage his shoulders and arms. Then, she placed both hands on his head, gently twisting it from side to side. Next, she massaged the top and back of his head, including his temples. 

After a while, her hands felt sore. She shook them out and sat down on the edge of the bed. 

“How is it? Feel any better?” 

“Mm, much better,” Meng Yuanzheng said as he stood up, stretching his arms and rolling his neck. 

“Who taught you this?” he couldn’t help but ask.  

“I created it myself.” She raised her eyebrows, “Don’t worry, I won’t break anything. It’s all based on science.” 

Meng Yuanzheng gave her a strange look, but then replied, “Seems good.” 

“Hey, I was about to say you have no muscles at all, you’re like a boiled meat… um, ahem,” she quickly stopped herself from saying chicken. 

“What?” He didn’t hear it clearly. 

“It’s nothing, I just said you need to exercise more,” she said with an awkward smile.  

“Hmm.” Meng Yuanzheng murmured, deep in thought. Then, without warning, he leaned toward her, Lin Miaoyin sensed something was wrong and reached out to stop him, grabbing her own collar as if she was facing a formidable enemy. 

“What are you doing?” 

Meng Yuanzheng stopped and smiled faintly. “I was going to give you a massage. What are you thinking?” 

Authors note:  

I was shameless at the beginning 🤭 

The supporting characters are growing restless, hoping to take a larger part in the plot, but the author put them in their place. 💪