Chapter 52 The stimulation was like slippery ice lingering on the tongue. ...

Zhong Ying closed her eyes and wrapped the blanket tighter around herself. The pillow she was lying on was cold. She buried her head and shrank even deeper into the blanket. This was the worst thing about the cold weather. It was difficult to get out of bed. Every morning, getting out of bed felt like an ordeal.

etc.

My gradually awakening mind finally began to function.

It's clearly not winter anymore; it's springtime in April, with flowers blooming everywhere. Besides, we've already passed Grain Rain, and Summer Solstice isn't far off. How could it be cold?

Zhong Ying opened her eyes and met a pair of dark eyes that were inches away from hers.

Her eyes met Li Linshi's. They lay face to face on the bed, so close that his face was like an enlarged painting, every detail clearly visible. His snow-white skin contrasted sharply with his black hair, his high nose and smooth jawline, and his dark eyes were like a mirror, reflecting Zhong Ying's bewildered face.

Zhong Ying blinked. The current situation was really troubling her brain, which had just "started up." What was going on? Why was this ghost sleeping in the same bed as her? No wonder she felt cold; the "air conditioner" had been moved to the bed and was radiating cold air directly at her. Who wouldn't feel cold?

The room remained quiet, and as time ticked by, the eye contact gradually became somewhat ambiguous.

Zhong Ying sensed it, but she felt that the strange atmosphere was mainly due to two factors.

First, the terrible location—on the bed.

Secondly, according to Hall's concept of interpersonal distance, a distance of 0-0.5 meters is considered a very close relationship. Obviously, she and Li Linshi are currently only 10 centimeters apart at most, which is too close.

Zhong Ying felt uncomfortable and wanted to lean back to create some distance.

Li Linshi didn't need to sleep, so he kept watching her, including Zhong Ying's every reaction after she woke up. At first, she was stunned, as if she couldn't quite process what was happening, but after a while, she realized what was going on and tried to back away.

His eyes, which were like a calm pool of water, were instantly stirred.

Zhong Ying was grabbed by Li Linshi again, but this time it wasn't her neck that was being grabbed, but rather the area above her neck.

With one hand, a long, slender finger with distinct knuckles gripped Zhong Ying's chin, preventing her from retreating.

She couldn't back down, but Li Linshi bent down and did what he had wanted to do last night.

Zhong Ying's eyes widened immediately, and she felt a cold touch on her lips.

The few remaining ten-centimeter distances have also vanished.

Zhong Ying felt as if her brain had suddenly shut down.

Why did he suddenly kiss me?

Li Linshi kept his eyes fixed on Zhong Ying, his eyes slightly narrowed. Before she could raise her hand to press against his chest and try to exert force, he took the initiative.

The knuckles gripping her chin tightened, and Zhong Ying subconsciously opened her mouth. The light touch on her lips, like a snowflake falling, instantly changed its flavor, penetrating deeply, like slippery ice lingering on her tongue, an unyielding and forceful entanglement, the movements surprisingly fiery.

After a long while, Zhong Ying finally pushed Li Linshi away.

She was panting, her ears were red and swollen, and her heart was beating erratically.

Li Linshi's face didn't change much, after all, he was already in a "still" state, but the suppressed desire made his handsome eyebrows and eyes have a bit more alluring and sensual.

Zhong Ying spoke, but it was a sentence that Li Linshi did not expect.

"Are you going to eat my tongue?" Zhong Ying asked in surprise and doubt, her eyes full of vigilance.

Li Linshi's hand, which had been unconsciously gripping her lower back during their kiss, froze. He gritted his teeth, "I was just..."

He was somewhat embarrassed to use those overly intimate words, and could only ask, "Why would you think that?"

“Oh,” Zhong Ying said, feeling a little relieved. “I watched a horror movie when I was little. I’ve forgotten the plot, but I remember one scene vividly: a man and a woman were kissing in a car, and then the woman bit off the man’s tongue.”

Li Linshi: ...

Zhong Ying tried hard to ignore the hallucination that her tongue still seemed to be stuck in the intense movements just now. If Li Linshi hadn't intended to bite off her tongue and murder her, then what had just happened...

No matter what she thinks, it seems to point only to the simplest conclusion: it was just a simple kiss.

Zhong Ying felt like her brain was about to shut down again. Given Li Linshi's conservative personality in the past, he definitely wasn't like her, whose hormones were raging and who wanted to have sex. So his act of kissing her could only be due to lust.

"You wouldn't..." Zhong Ying thought to herself, but the question slipped out, "You wouldn't have fallen for me, would you?"

The warm touch seemed to linger, and Li Linshi pursed his lips. "...Mmm."

He's still not used to facing his own emotions directly.

People in this era tend to suppress and restrain their emotions. Children won't say "I love you" to their parents, and husbands won't say "I love you" to their wives, as if it's something shameful to be seen by others, and they keep quiet about it.

Zhong Ying took a breath, shocked like an idol drama viewer. No, how did she fall in love with it? Did she miss an episode?

"Wait a minute." Zhong Ying got up to sit up, and Li Linshi let go of her hand, also restraining himself to move back a little, and then sat up as well.

Zhong Ying couldn't understand it. She frowned slightly and asked, puzzled, "How could you fall in love with me?"

“Me,” Zhong Ying pointed to herself, quite self-aware, “selfish, lazy, pleasure-seeking, and profit-driven—”

“You’re very good.” Li Linshi interrupted her. Although Zhong Ying was indeed not as bad as she described, did he not know that she was selfish, cunning, and eloquent? Yet, she still shone in Li Linshi’s eyes. He genuinely thought Zhong Ying was very good. Her flaws did not overshadow her virtues; on the contrary, they were a very vivid part of her being.

Zhong Ying couldn't help but bite her lip. This was the second time she had heard him say those words, and her thoughts suddenly became a little chaotic.

"Let me think about it carefully." Zhong Ying sighed, "Besides, I was originally planning to go see Yang Zhiqing first thing this morning to do some ideological work with her..."

Upon waking up to this "stimulation," Zhong Ying felt that she had almost completely forgotten the speech she had prepared before going to bed the night before.

Li Linshi nodded.

Crossing the boundary has become a fait accompli.

——

In late April, on a sunny day, the village school, which had been closed for a long time, reopened and transformed into a nursery for the Tonggan Production Team. Little children were brought there by their parents.

Looking at them, Zhong Ying couldn't help but sigh, "I have to say, children are like seedlings in the field; looking at them is like seeing life and hope."

Just like when Zhong Ying was considering where to "retire" in her later years, she had actually seriously thought about whether or not to marry Li Changgui. After all, Li Linshi disagreed no matter what, and Li Changgui had already been reincarnated and did not need to be consulted.

But Zhong Ying ultimately persisted in her pursuit of Li Linshi because Li Changgui's family lacked a certain "vitality".

Both Li Changgui's parents lost their son, but they were trapped in the grief of losing their only child for a long time and could not get out of it, as if the dark clouds had never dissipated.

Li Ming's family still has two sons and the next generation of grandchildren. Life is the opposite of death, which can gradually fade the pain.

Therefore, even though Zhong Ying is now haunted by ghosts, she does not regret her choice back then.

Yes, she was entangled with Li Linshi.

Li Linshi hasn't been going back to Ganlin River lately; he spends all his time with Zhong Ying.

It is said that even the most virtuous woman can be swayed by a persistent suitor. Zhong Ying was also getting a headache from his persistence. She was somewhat attracted to his body, but it was clear that Li Linshi wanted more than just a momentary pleasure.

"Seriously, could you leave for a moment?" Zhong Ying whispered to the ghost beside her, and continued without changing her expression when he looked at her with his dark eyes, "It's a bit cold, really."

Zhong Ying said deliberately, "You might not feel it yourself, but at that time I felt like I had a block of ice in my mouth."

This trick used to work. Zhong Ying remembered that the "white shirt revealing her nipples" trick had repelled the ghost twice, allowing her to escape death. But now, perhaps Li Linshi's threshold had risen, he didn't run away in embarrassment or anger when he heard it. He just looked at her quietly, lost in thought.

Zhong Ying stared at him expectantly, but eventually gave up and silently wrapped her clothes tighter around herself.

And two female educated youths walked towards her.

Zhong Ying eventually persuaded Yang, the educated youth, to use the powerful tactic of "a strong youth makes a strong nation," which successfully led Yang Meijuan to pursue a career in education.

“It’s definitely cool under the trees,” Chen Lina said as she walked over.

Zhong Ying smiled politely.

Yang Meijuan asked solemnly, "Can I start by teaching you the simplest characters like 'one, two, three, four, five, six' today?"

“Of course,” Zhong Ying reassured her when she saw her tense face. “Don’t be nervous. I’ll keep an eye on things on the first day. This is our first time running a daycare center, so we’ll handle any issues together.”

Both female educated youths felt a surge of strength within them.

“Auntie, Auntie—” Zhong Guoqiang ran over like a little chick and hugged Zhong Ying’s leg, looking up at her with eager eyes.

As Zhong Guoqiang listened to his mother, grandparents, and uncle praising his aunt one after another, he felt that his aunt was tall, mighty, and amazing, and his admiration for her was soaring. His aunt was so amazing that she could even organize and set up a daycare center!

Zhong Ying rubbed Zhong Guoqiang's head and waved to Miao Suyun, who had brought him over, "Sister-in-law."

Miao Suyun smiled at her, looking very reassured, "Little sister, I'm going to work now. Guoqiang can go home for lunch by himself."

The nursery has no canteen. Just like the previous village school, the children go home to eat at their own homes when it's mealtime. After all, they are all in the same village, just a few steps away.

Zhong Ying refused, saying, "I'll take him back."

There were a dozen or so children in total. Even without Zhong Ying, the three aunts and the two female educated youths could easily take the children home for meals. After all, they were all young children, so it was better to take them home.

Zhong Ying and the other children were brought over, and Auntie San also came over, carrying her little Guoqiang pendant as she walked into the school building.

Seeing that the room was full of children of similar age, who all knew each other through kinship, the children chatted excitedly as if at a party, while Yang Meijuan and Chen Lina stood by and watched over them.

Li Guangfu and his cousin Li Guangzong did not get along, and the two sat far apart. Li Guangfu went to sit with Nie's four siblings and chatted.

Nie Xiaoyong saw someone come in through the door and immediately burst out laughing, "Ha, Guangfu, your aunt has been snatched away by someone else!"

Li Guangfu turned his head to look when he heard the sound, and sure enough, he saw his aunt holding a child's hand.

Zhong Ying looked around and was about to bring up the matter of dividing the class into large and small classes when she felt someone grab her left hand.

“Auntie!” Li Guangfu grabbed Zhong Ying’s hand. He had accepted the new family member these days. His aunt was beautiful and didn’t fool children like other adults. He liked this aunt.

The two little ones, about the same height, locked eyes, as if struck by lightning. Zhong Guoqiang understood the other's gaze and immediately, not to be outdone, gripped Zhong Ying's right hand tightly, "Auntie!"

“This is my aunt!” Li Guangfu pulled hard on her hand.

“My aunt!” Zhong Guoqiang’s little face was stubborn as he pulled her toward him.

Caught in the middle, Zhong Ying was pulled and tugged, feeling helpless. As a teenager, Zhong Ying used to scream when watching old TV dramas about two men vying for one woman, fantasizing about how exciting it would be to be in such a chaotic situation herself. But back then, she certainly couldn't have imagined that "two men vying for one woman" would play out in her real life like this.

"My aunt is mine!"

"This is my aunt!"

Two boys, both four years old, are vying for her as their daughter.

Zhong Ying didn't find it very interesting; there was no thrill of a chaotic scene. She glanced at the frowning male ghost beside her, and realized that the two ghosts combined didn't give her as much excitement as this one.

As an adult, Zhong Ying easily broke free from the hands of the two men on either side of her, saying, "Stop arguing, you are both my nephews."

Whether you call him aunt or maternal aunt, he is still her nephew.

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Author's Note: Zhong Ying: It could be twenty-four or thirty-four years old, but it shouldn't be four years old (this isn't the kind of chaotic scene I wanted).