Chapter 18 This woman is so bold.

In the darkness, Zhao Wenchang felt as if the woman's voice was a feather gently scratching his tense nerves.

Before he could refuse, a slightly cool hand covered his large hand that was holding the "fat bee".

Jiang Wanqiu gently bit her lip, guiding his hand toward the source of the heat.

“You…” His Adam’s apple bobbed, and a dry, monotone utterance escaped his throat.

"Don't move." Her voice trembled violently, even though nothing had happened between them yet.

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly at that moment. Only the continuous buzzing sound and the man's increasingly heavy breathing filled the room.

The agonizing buzzing finally stopped.

As Zhao Wenchang's muddled mind gradually cleared, he was shocked to realize that he had somehow managed to grab the woman's hand tightly.

Thankfully, the room was so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, so you couldn't see his discomposure.

He instantly released the woman's hand, pushing Jiang Wanqiu away as well.

In the darkness, he couldn't see Jiang Wanzhu's face, which was already so red it looked like it could bleed.

"Cough..." Jiang Wanqiu broke the silence first, her voice a little unnatural, "The floor is cold, you... you should sleep on the kang. Maybe you got a fever because you slept on the floor and caught a chill at night."

Zhao Wenchang didn't say anything, but he scrambled up from his cot and prepared to leave.

"Where are you going?" Jiang Wanqiu heard the noise and instinctively reached for the man's sleeve.

A muffled male voice came from the darkness: "Change your pants." After a pause, he added, "And take a shower while you're at it."

Jiang Wanqiu felt a little embarrassed and silently let go of his hand, listening to the man grope in the dark to open the door and then close it with a "creak".

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Zhao Wenchang woke up. He had been dragged by Jiang Wanqiu to sleep at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed).

A blanket separated the two, like the Chu River and Han border, neither of them crossing the line.

He stared at the dusty roof beams above him, the absurd yet thrilling scene from last night playing out in his mind like a movie.

He turned his head and looked at the woman still fast asleep beside him. The morning light shone through the window paper, casting a soft glow on her peaceful sleeping face.

Long eyelashes, like two small fans, cast a faint shadow under her eyes.

When Jiang Wanqiu got up, Zhao Wenchang was already dressed and sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), staring intently at her.

"Where did you get that thing from?" he asked bluntly.

Jiang Wanqiu paused in her yawn, then casually lowered her hand, a faint smile appearing on her face, and began to make up a story: "Oh, that's something we city folks use, a massage tool, specifically for improving blood circulation and removing blood stasis. I saw you had a high fever last night, your whole body was burning hot, so I thought I'd help you clear your meridians, maybe that would help you get better faster. I never expected... hey, I've even discovered a new use for it."

She spoke without batting an eye, as if it were true.

Zhao Wenchang raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing the woman's nonsense, but he didn't refute her.

This woman... is unlike any woman he has ever met before.

She is bold, open, and even... exceptionally skilled in this regard.

Zhao Wenchang suddenly became curious about this woman's past romantic history.

The autumn harvest in the fields was at its most intense, and everyone was looking rather listless from working for days on end.

Contrary to his usual self, Zhao Fu was full of energy, a beaming smile on his face, wielding his sickle as if he had inexhaustible strength, cutting down a large patch of corn stalks. He even had the strength to help his weaker sister, Zhao Hui, carry the heavy bundles of corn onto the cart.

Looking at her brother's rosy complexion, Zhao Hui opened her mouth several times, wanting to say something, but then swallowed it back.

"Honey, take a break and have some water!" Sister-in-law Li Xiujuan came over cheerfully with a basket on her shoulder, unscrewed the water bottle and handed it to him, then took out a towel to wipe the sweat from Zhao Fu's forehead.

Zhao Fu took the kettle and gulped down a few mouthfuls. He then leaned close to Li Xiujuan's ear and whispered something.

Li Xiujuan's face flushed red instantly, and she raised her fist to playfully punch him shyly, "There are so many people here, what nonsense are you talking about!"

Zhao Hui watched from the side, feeling quite puzzled.

Something's not right, something's really not right!

How long has it been since her brother and sister-in-law were this affectionate?

Her brother is impotent, and her sister-in-law is always giving her the cold shoulder or yelling at her, so there's never a peaceful day at home.

But these past few days, my sister-in-law's face has been beaming with joy, and she looks at her brother with a sly gaze.

There must be some new development.

"Wenchang!" Li Xiujuan, with her sharp eyes, spotted Zhao Wenchang not far away and greeted him warmly, "Sister-in-law, you're not in the fields? Are you doing alright at home?"

Zhao Wenchang passed by carrying a bundle of corn stalks and replied, "That's fine, sister-in-law."

As soon as she finished speaking, a woman who was on good terms with Li Xiujuan sneaked over and winked at her, saying, "Xiujuan, Xiujuan, come here for a second, I want to ask you something."

"What's going on? Why are you being so secretive? Just tell me right here."

The other person glanced at the curious looks from the crowd, stamped his foot, and stammered, "Oh! It's nothing serious, you can come here!"

Li Xiujuan followed the woman to the back of a haystack not far away.

Zhao Hui also quietly followed and hid on the other side of the haystack to eavesdrop.

The woman asked in a low voice, "Xiujuan, let me ask you something honestly. That city girl from Wenchang's family, her medicine... is it really that miraculous? If it works, I'd like to buy some for my husband. He... he's not very good at it either."

Li Xiujuan's voice betrayed an undisguised smugness: "How could it be fake? It's incredibly effective! To tell you the truth, your older brother and I are now... hehe, like newlyweds, every night!"

Zhao Hui, who was listening nearby, frowned deeply.

She knew it! It was Jiang Wanqiu who was behind it all!

What respectable woman would carry around that kind of drug? No wonder her Wenchang brother was so easily controlled! Turns out she has some kind of wicked trick up her sleeve!

A woman who possesses such a thing is probably a promiscuous woman! Southern women are indeed destined to be prostitutes! Unlike Northern women, who are honest, dutiful, family-oriented, and virtuous.

No, she had to find a way to expose this woman's true colors and prevent her Wenchang brother from being held back by this kind of woman!

Her eyes darted around, and an idea immediately popped into her head.