Chapter 14

14.

Guan Yue opened the pot lid with her hands wrapped in cloth, revealing half a fish left over from last night.

She stared at the literal boiled fish for a long time before slowly adding some water, putting the lid on, and waiting blankly for the fish to cook.

To prevent the fish from spoiling, she cooked it again last night. Although it doesn't smell strange now, the sight of the fish meat, now broken into crumbs, and the memory of that unpalatable taste, makes Guan Yue lose her appetite.

Fortunately, there were still a few bird eggs. After Guan Yue finished cooking the fish, she added another pot of water and made a boiled egg. She ate it with a little salt, and it tasted much better than the fish she had cooked several times.

The bird eggs were too small, and Guan Yue couldn't bear to eat them all, so she had no choice but to eat the fish instead.

Guan Yue closed her eyes and hypnotized herself, thinking, "This is steamed sea bass, this is squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, this is pickled cabbage fish..." As she thought about it, she actually ate it.

After eating, she vowed that she would never cook fish herself again, even if it meant trading it for rice or vegetables with others, rather than eating the meat she cooked herself.

After finishing lunch, Guan Yue lay on the bed for a nap, but soon woke up refreshed.

She was afraid of accidentally falling asleep, so she only dared to sleep lightly. Before, she had an alarm clock, so she wasn't afraid of falling asleep. Now that she doesn't have one, she can only lie there in a daze for a while, and get up when she thinks it's about time.

Her body displayed strength far exceeding that of her previous body. Although she felt tired and sore before lying down, she only had some muscle soreness after waking up, and she felt she could work for another afternoon.

Guan Yue didn't make an agreement with Rui Xi about when to continue working, but she consciously took her sickle and went to the field. Rui Xi wasn't there; she didn't know if she hadn't come yet or wasn't coming. Guan Yue didn't care. She had already fallen far behind in the morning, and Village Chief Rui had done more than her. Although she expected this, Guan Yue's unwillingness to admit defeat stemmed from her resentment.

She felt that she was stronger, but her skills were lacking. She believed that if she worked harder, she could definitely be as fast as the village chief, and then the village chief would surely give her more grain.

Thinking of the rice she hadn't eaten in a long time, Guan Yue swallowed hard, rolled up her sleeves, and got to work!

When Rui Xi returned to the field, she saw that the pile of rice in front of Guan Yue was taller than hers.

Rui Xi paused, walked over, and asked, "Have you been here long?"

"No, it's just been a little while," Guan Yue said casually, wiping the sweat from her brow, clearly indicating that she hadn't just arrived a short while as she claimed.

Rui Xi is getting old and likes to take a long nap. In addition, she has a little granddaughter to look after, so she comes to the fields later than Guan Yue, who has been working for half an hour.

Rui Xi nodded, watching Guan Yue continue cutting rice without saying a word, and couldn't help but sigh: It's like she's a completely different person.

After the morning's practice, Guan Yue's movements were already quite skillful in the afternoon, while Rui Xi only helped out a little when she first arrived, and spent the rest of the time sitting on the side, making something with rice straw.

Neither of them spoke. Guan Yue was surprised, but she didn't think much of it. After all, Rui Xi was her boss. The boss could do what he wanted or not do what he didn't want to do, but she couldn't not do it. Moreover, because there was one less person to do the work, Guan Yue had to increase her speed and work even faster.

Guan Yue's hands only stopped trembling as the sun began to set.

Rui Xi walked up to her, looked at her work for the day, and nodded slightly, saying, "Not bad, keep it up tomorrow."

After saying that, she tossed out several hemp ropes and a pair of carrying poles, saying, "Stack them up, tie them up, and take them back."

Under the guidance of the old village chief, Guan Yue bundled the rice into large bundles and carried them back home. This time, Rui Xi did not rest and accompanied Guan Yue to bring the rice home.

Village Chief Rui's land wasn't far from her home, and Guan Yue strolled over there leisurely.

After taking all the harvested rice back, Rui Xi said, "Stay and have a meal before you leave."

Guan Yue was taken aback, thinking it was just a polite remark, and casually replied, "No, not really..."

Rui Xi waved her hand, interrupting her, and turned to her little granddaughter who was walking over, saying, "Bao'er, take this and play with it."

Rui Xi placed the things in her hand into Bao'er's hand, patted her head, and then closed the door, giving Guan Yue no chance to refuse.

Seeing that Village Chief Rui wasn't just being polite, Guan Yue didn't say anything more. For her now, having a hot and satisfying meal was already a great pleasure. Her feet were firmly planted on the spot, and she said, "Thank you for your help, Village Chief Rui. I'll help."

Rui Xi replied, "You're so clumsy, I don't need you. Please sit down."

"Actually..." Guan Yue wanted to defend herself a bit more, but Rui Xi had already gone into the kitchen. Looking through the window, she could see that Rui Xi had started cooking.

Actually, she wasn't that stupid, Guan Yue thought to herself, but cooking was definitely not her forte.

Guan Yue looked around and saw several wooden chairs placed in the courtyard. She casually sat down to rest and saw Rui Xi's granddaughter, Bao'er, fiddling with a toy in her hand.

Guan Yue looked closely and saw that they were several grasshopper-like insects woven from rice straw. They must have been woven by Rui Xi in the field. While they weren't exactly lifelike, they were still quite exquisite. Guan Yue admired her skill. Bao'er noticed her gaze and couldn't help but shrink back.

Guan Yue paused for a moment, then, remembering her reputation, she looked away, thinking to herself that her public image was ruined and even children were afraid of her.

Just as she was thinking this, a small hand reached out, and Bao'er's childish voice said, "You want to play too?"

Guan Yue was taken aback. "No... thank you."

Guan Yue took the straw trinket, rubbed it in her palm, but looked at Bao'er and said, "Aren't you afraid of me?"

Bao'er blinked and whispered, "I'm... I'm a little scared, but Grandma invited you into the house, so you're a guest, and she told me to play with you..."

Guan Yue suddenly realized something. She looked up at Rui Xi's profile as she busied herself in the kitchen. Rui Xi's face was expressionless, as if she knew nothing about what was happening here. But this courtyard was so close to her, and she could see everything clearly. Rui Xi would definitely not let her little granddaughter be alone with a stranger. Bao'er dared to get close, so it must have been Rui Xi's permission.

"Thanks."

Guan Yue touched the little girl's hair and smiled a long-lost smile. "Thank you too."

Guan Yue played with Bao'er for a while, while Rui Xi had already prepared the meal and brought it out. There was a table and a few chairs scattered around in the yard. Bao'er jumped onto a chair on her own, but Rui Xi slapped her hand and scolded her lightly, "Your hands are so dirty. Go wash them before you sit at the table."

Guan Yue, who was heading towards the table, stopped, looked at her hands, and obediently followed Bao'er, washing her hands before returning.

When they returned, the food on the table was already laid out neatly: a plate of dried vegetables, a plate of bright green chrysanthemum greens, and half a chicken emitting a fragrant aroma.

Rui Xi was already sitting at the table, putting food into Bao'er's bowl. She glanced at Guan Yue, nodded, and said, "Sit down."

"Thank you, Village Chief," Guan Yue said, sitting opposite Rui Xi. Her bowl was already full of rice, and the faint aroma of rice made Guan Yue, who hadn't eaten in a long time, drool. She had never felt that such an ordinary meal could make her so hungry.

Rui Xi and Bao'er didn't eat much. Guan Yue ate most of the meat on the table. Guan Yue was trying to restrain herself and not dare to eat too much, but Rui Xi saw through her at a glance and put the remaining meat in her bowl. Guan Yue ate it all, leaving even the bones clean.

Feeling a little embarrassed after finishing the meal, Rui Xi said casually, "I'll cover your meals from now on. You can just come to my house for dinner tonight."

Guan Yue was still being polite when Rui Xi cut her off with another sentence, "You don't have to come if you don't want to eat."

Guan Yue's mouth wasn't as tough as her stomach, so she immediately stopped talking and looked at Village Chief Rui with gratitude, saying that she would hand over all of the village chief's land to him and guarantee that the task would be completed as soon as possible.

Rui Xi chuckled, it was unclear whether she believed it or not, but she didn't say anything and told Guan Yue to go back early.

Just as Guan Yue was about to leave, Rui Xi asked, "That Xiao Cheng..."

Guan Yue's heart suddenly skipped a beat, but then she saw Rui Xi seem to have swallowed her words and said, "Never mind, it's nothing, you can go back."

"Okay," Guan Yue closed the door, but her mind was preoccupied with Rui Xi's mention of Cheng Lingjun. Could something have happened to Cheng Lingjun? Surely not, she lived right across from him, how could she not know something?

Even with these thoughts, Guan Yue couldn't ignore Rui Xi's sudden mention of Cheng Lingjun, so when she arrived at her doorstep, she didn't go in directly but lingered outside for a long time.

Should we knock on the door and ask?

That's not really appropriate, especially since it's already evening.

It was already dark, and the starlight mingled with the moonlight, making the ground bright. Guan Yue hesitated again and again, but still decided not to disturb the other party tonight—not because she was afraid.

Guan Yue turned and walked towards her door, but then she heard a creaking sound behind her, and she froze on the spot.

"What are you doing wandering around outside?"

The familiar voice echoed in her ears, and Guan Yue seemed to freeze, turning around haltingly.

"You're still awake?" Guan Yue greeted awkwardly.

Cheng Lingjun stood neatly dressed at the door, his eyes deep and his lips curled into a half-smile. For some reason, Guan Yue lowered her head, feeling a little guilty.

"You... why are you out?" Guan Yue made conversation. She remembered that Cheng Lingjun rarely went out at night. After all, he was a single man, and he rarely turned on the lights at night. He probably went to bed early.

Cheng Lingjun said, "Because I saw a figure lingering at my door, I didn't expect it to be you."

"Your expression doesn't seem like you didn't expect this." Guan Yue thought to herself. She looked down and saw her shadow stretched out on the ground. No wonder—he had seen her shadow.

Guan Yue felt a sense of helplessness, as if she had been caught, but in the next second, she had a feeling: Could it be that he had been watching her shadow all along, and was waiting for her to knock on the door...?

He only showed up when she decided not to knock and started walking back? This...this...could it be that she was overthinking things and just imagining things? Maybe he just happened to see someone outside the door and was afraid she was a bad person, so he waited for her?

That should be it... Yes, that should be it.