Those bystanders who are just there to cause trouble shouldn't get involved.

Xue Fu pulled Gu Fei to the other side: "Don't be so gossipy at such a young age!"

After giving Gu Fei her instructions, Xue Fu suddenly remembered something and secretly glanced at Gu Chong beside her.

However, he caught her as soon as she leaned over.

Xue Fu's eyes flickered, and she subconsciously felt guilty, so she quickly moved away.

Her reaction was adorable, and Gu Chongquan noticed it all.

A soft laugh rippled through Xue Fu's ears, causing her to blush silently. On the way back, she was so embarrassed that she didn't say a word to Gu Chong.

After Gu Fei started school, every day at lunchtime she would only have Gu Chong and Gu Fei at the table, and she felt a little uncomfortable for the first few days.

Gu Chong was not a person who was impatient for quick results, and he would not rush to get a response from Xue Fu.

The proverb "boiling a frog in lukewarm water" may be crude, but the underlying principle is sound.

Xue Fu didn't go back to the fishpond for her lunch break today; she was too full from lunch to move.

She lay down on the armchair that Gu Chong had bought at some point, and leisurely took a nap under the shade of the trees in the yard.

Gu Chong was still inside washing the dishes. After he finished, he quietly walked into the yard, wanting to get closer to her.

But moving around still woke her up.

Her watery eyes opened, and she blinked, regaining consciousness.

Gu Chong rubbed his palms together and pressed them behind his back: "Go back to sleep, I won't disturb you."

Xue Fu shook her head: "There was no noise, I wasn't asleep."

Gu Chong carried a stool and sat down next to her, but did not break the tranquility of the afternoon.

The sweltering heat of September has subsided, the cicadas' chirping of midsummer has ceased, and the bushes rustle in the wind.

Xue Fu squinted and looked up at the shadows overhead. Sunlight pierced through the gaps in the trees, creating a few spots of light.

This is a very pleasant afternoon.

Before she knew it, Xue Fu was sleepy again. Her eyelids slowly closed, and her breathing gradually became shallow and steady.

Gu Chong watched silently for a long time.

He went south to Guangcheng that time.

There are many trendy things from the port city there.

He saw a camera in the overseas Chinese shop. Compared to the bulky cameras in the photo studio, this camera was much smaller and more exquisite.

All you need to do is buy some film to take photos anytime.

Gu Chong wanted to buy it the moment he saw it.

For example, right now, if he had a camera, he would definitely capture this moment.

Gu Chong didn't actually know much about Xue Fu's family background.

They hardly mentioned these things when they talked.

Xue Fu rarely mentions her family.

Gu Chong only knew that she was from Haicheng.

Although Gu Chong had never been to Haicheng, he had been to the provincial capital before. Compared to the county town, the provincial capital was many times larger and more prosperous.

Haicheng is a cutting-edge city.

When Gu Chong occasionally couldn't control his thoughts, he wondered how much of a disappointment Xue Fu would feel when she embarked on the path of being a sent-down youth and arrived at Qingtang Village to see this land.

When he went to Guangcheng to pick up goods, he personally experienced the gap between Guangcheng and the provincial capital.

Guangcheng can leave Haicheng far behind, so what about Haicheng?

Gu Chong sighed softly.

Xue Fu's afternoon nap has become a biological clock, so she doesn't sleep for very long; she will naturally wake up after about forty minutes.

When she woke up, the person next to her was gone, and there was a cup of cooled tea on the stool.

Xue Fu unconsciously licked her lips. Her throat was a little dry after waking up, so she picked up the cup and took a few sips.

She only started looking for people, specifically Gu Chong, after finishing her water.

He was neither in the front yard nor in the main room.

Thinking that he might be resting in his room, Xue Fu didn't call out to him for fear of disturbing him.

As she was getting ready to go to work at the fishpond, she heard Gu Chong calling her.

"Xue Fu?"

His voice sounded like it was coming from the backyard.

So Xue Fu went to look for her.

He was chopping wood in the open space behind the house.

Gu Chong moved the wood here specifically so that the sound of chopping wood wouldn't disturb her rest.

He had already chopped a whole bunch of them. Because there was no shade in the backyard, he was baking in the sun, breathing heavily, with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

"Go chop some firewood up ahead, I'm leaving." Xue Fu squatted down to pick up the unchopped firewood, but Gu Chong immediately pulled her up.

"It's okay, it'll be finished soon."

Xue Fu lowered her eyes; there really wasn't much left.

"All right."

There's still a while before the afternoon fish feeding time, so Xue Fu plans to wait a bit longer to help Gu Chong tidy up and move firewood.

Gu Chong, having discerned her thoughts, began urging her to go to work.

Xue Fu ignored him, squatted down beside him, rested her chin on her hand, and stared intently at him as he chopped wood.

Gu Chong has a really good physique. With the fabric clinging to his body and soaked with sweat, Xue Fu could vaguely see the strong and smooth lines of his back muscles, which exuded a strong sense of masculinity.

Gu Chong quickened his pace, not wanting Xue Fu to be sunbathing here.

He increased his strength, and this increase in strength made Xue Fu, who was standing to the side, notice something was wrong.

Gu Chong didn't notice that Xue Fu's expression had changed from relaxed to furrowed, her eyes following his right hand intently, her expression tense.

Xue Fu simply beckoned to him, gesturing, "Come here."

Like an obedient wolfhound, Gu Chong obediently went over and squatted down in the same position as her.

The two people squatted down and looked at each other.

Xue Fu chuckled, then raised her hand and slapped his left hand cleanly and decisively: "Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely."

Xue Fu didn't mince words with him: "What happened to your right hand?"

As she spoke, she reached out and began to pull at his right sleeve.

He didn't react in time and couldn't stop her. Xue Fu pulled his sleeve open, revealing his arm with the bandage removed.

A long scar running diagonally from his wrist to his elbow on his forearm muscle was inevitably exposed to Xue Fu's eyes.

This long scar looks like it was recently injured; the wound has just scabbed over, and there are still loose stitches stuck in the flesh. The surrounding flesh hasn't grown back yet.

This is a wound that looks painful.

Xue Fu's sudden action successfully startled Gu Chong.

Gu Chong felt inexplicably uneasy.

He tried to pull down the sleeve that was rolled up to his upper arm, but Xue Fu slapped his hand away with a crisp snap.

Xue Fu stared at him intently with a look that said, "You're not being honest."

"I knew it was weird when you helped me carry the package last time, but you hid it well! I only just noticed now that something's wrong with your hand!" Xue Fu said sarcastically. "You're injured and still working? Do you even want this hand anymore?"

Xue Fu was a little angry.

I'm angry that he kept it from me, and I'm also angry that I found out so late.

She made him move things during those days, and now she's really worried that it will affect his wound recovery.

Moreover, he kept it a secret from her and Gu Fei, wasn't he afraid of infecting his wound?

"Actually, it's just scary to look at..." Gu Chong tried to defend himself, but before he could finish his sentence, he was silenced by a pair of indignant fox-like eyes.

Gu Chong skillfully slid to his knees and apologized: "I'm sorry."

There won't be a next time.

Xue Fu: ...If you're so capable, apologize; if you're so capable, don't get hurt!

Xue Fu gritted her teeth and cursed, "Idiot!"

Gu Chong nodded in agreement: "I'm an idiot."

Then he was glared at a few more times.