Wen Zhaoye hoeed the ground, and after finishing, he was covered in sweat and his skin was red. He then led her back to the yard of his house.

He glanced at the girl beside him, stopped in his tracks, and, remembering his intention to teach her a lesson, said:

"Is your headache better?"

Recalling a series of unfortunate events, Wen Jiaojiao's beautiful face broke into a suppressed chuckle, and she nodded:

"Hmm." With the work done, my head naturally feels better.

"Then we can get to work."

Wen Zhaoye's crimson lips curved into a barely perceptible smile as he finished speaking. Then, to her astonishment, he walked to the small vegetable garden in the yard and gazed at her intently, saying:

"Hurry up, your head doesn't hurt anymore, what are you hesitating for?"

Wen Jiaojiao's expression froze for a moment, just in time to glance up and see Wen Xiaojian lying on the flatbed cart being pushed back by Xu Cuifen. Her smile returned, and she waved to greet him:

"Dad's home."

Wen Xiaojian looked at Wen Jiaojiao with eyes full of affection and said gently:

"Hmm, Jiaojiao, you've been busy all day, are you tired? Is anything bothering you?"

Seeing that the person who had backed her up had returned, Wen Jiaojiao showed concern for her. A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes as she met Wen Zhaoye's gaze, and she said in a wicked voice:

"Brother, guess what will happen next?"

Wen Zhaoye frowned slightly, not immediately understanding the meaning behind her gaze. He had just handed the hoe to Wen Jiaojiao when he watched as she covered her forehead and was about to start pretending again.

His handsome face darkened, and he resignedly put away his tools, bent down to hoe the weeds, and understood what she meant, saying:

"I bet you're my dad's real daughter. I can change my surname now."

Upon hearing this, alarm bells rang in Wen Jiaojiao's mind. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment, and a sense of foreboding sent a chill from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.

Her face turned pale, and she tremblingly withdrew her delicate hand that had been resting on her forehead in a pretentious gesture, her voice trembling as she said:

"What surname should you change to?"

Wen Zhaoye's white polyester short-sleeved shirt was soaked with sweat, clinging transparently to his body and revealing his broad, strong physique.

He roughly wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with his arm, his hoeing motion continuing, his tone completely flat as he said:

"Jiang."

Jiang Zhaoye? The name of the ruthless villain in the story?

Wen Jiaojiao's pupils swayed slightly from shock, and suddenly all her ailments vanished. She patted her hands and exclaimed, "Heh-teh!"

"Brother, hand me the hoe, you go and rest. I'll show you what a professional is."

Wen Zhaoye hadn't forgotten that Wen Jiaojiao had just tried to shirk her responsibilities, even arguing with him despite her love for him, all to avoid doing chores.

He paused, looking completely bewildered, and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Suppressing her urge to cry, Wen Jiaojiao forcefully snatched the hoe and, under Xu Cuifen's dumbfounded gaze, hoeed with practiced skill and great effort, scolding:

"What? What's wrong? I'm known for being hardworking and I love to work. From now on, I'll take care of all your chores, big and small. If you don't let me do any work, then you're looking down on me."

Wen Zhaoye's eyes were filled with astonishment, but he still refused:

"No need, I just want you to..." experience a day of hardship and get a taste of life. I don't intend for you to do everything all the time.

Before he could finish speaking, Wen Jiaojiao threw down her hoe, stepped forward, and pushed against his broad back, interrupting him:

"Don't talk, go back to your room and lie down. The whole family is counting on you. It's so hot outside. What will we do if you get a headache or fever?"

Wen Zhaoye was forced to sit on a bamboo chair in the main room, watching her rush off to the vegetable garden again to diligently hoe the ground.

His gaze softened, and a hint of barely suppressed arrogance lingered between his brows.

In the end, isn't it just that they feel sorry for me again?

Under the scorching sun, the soil in the vegetable garden was cracked and parched. Wen Jiaojiao gasped for breath, beads of sweat clinging to her flushed cheeks as she swung the hoe, a picture of dejection on her face.

My life is so miserable. If I had known this brat was the villain, I would have fawned over him every day.

She had only been hoeing for about ten minutes when Wen Zhaoye couldn't bear to watch any longer and was about to tell her to take it back when Xu Cuifen gave him a disapproving look and spoke first:

"Jiaojiao, come back. We don't need to weed anymore. Mom will just water it a little this evening and pull it out."

Wen Jiaojiao was drenched in sweat as if she had been washed. She took a breath and just put down the hoe...

Before she could even utter a sigh, she saw Wen Zhaoye scooping rice to cook. Tears welled in her eyes, and she forcefully snatched the rice from him.

"Why are you working so hard? Don't you know how to take a break?" I also want to hide away and slack off a bit.

Wen Zhaoye rubbed the stray hairs at the back of his head, gazing at her delicate face glistening with sweat. He felt she was being a little too overprotective, and couldn't help but speak up:

"No need, I'm not tired."

I'm so tired!

I'm exhausted!

Wen Jiaojiao roared like a dragon in her heart, but forced a stiff smile on her face and said in a gentle tone:

"Let me and Mom cook, and you take care of Dad. It will be easier for you to look after him if he needs anything."

Wen Zhaoye glanced at Xu Cuifen, only to meet her eye roll. Her expression changed drastically, and she smiled, saying:

"It's Zhaoye. You go and rest. My daughter and I will handle it."

Wen Zhaoye thought that Xu Cuifen wouldn't really order her around, so he nodded reassuredly.

"Alright."

Seeing that he had finished speaking, Wen Jiaojiao walked to the table and reached for the kettle. She immediately and swiftly snatched it back, saying in a very polite manner:

"Brother, let me pour it for you. Would you like some tea leaves in it?"

"No...no need." Wen Zhaoye's pupils contracted slightly, and he finished speaking in shock.

As she puffed out her cheeks and slowly blew on the hot water in the enamel cup, the already flushed face of his handsome man grew even more intense.

I wondered why he insisted on pouring me water; it turns out he was afraid to kiss me and wanted to get close to me this way.

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