Chapter 52 If you don't want a divorce, then you won't.
The next morning, Huo Nanchen changed into his sportswear and prepared to go for a morning run.
As soon as I entered the living room, I saw Lin Xili waiting there, dressed in casual sportswear.
"Didn't you say I'm fully recovered now? I want to go for a run."
Huo Nanchen nodded slightly: "Okay, let's go together."
On a crisp spring morning, the air still carried a chill, and exhaled breath condensed into white mist.
The two ran one after the other on the asphalt road in the field, their footsteps distinct and rhythmic.
Lin Xili hadn't done any strenuous exercise for six months. At first, she was a little out of breath, but she gradually found her rhythm.
Following behind Huo Nanchen, I felt the exhilaration of long-lost exercise and the sense of security that came with regaining control of my body after recovering from hyperthyroidism.
After running and getting home, I was slightly sweaty. I took a hot shower and felt completely refreshed.
Grandma Huo had already prepared a simple breakfast.
While having breakfast, Huo Nanchen said to Lin Xili, "Dr. Zhang Jie is on duty today, so there's not much going on at the health center. I'm off today, do you want to go out for a walk?"
Grandma Huo immediately chimed in, "Go away, go away. Xi Li will be going back to work in Hong Kong after the New Year. It's rare for him to have free time. You young people can go out and have some fun. Don't worry about this old lady."
Looking at Huo Nanchen's calm invitation and her grandmother's earnest gaze, Lin Xili felt a warmth in her heart and nodded: "Okay."
Huo Nanchen drove her to a farm on the edge of town.
The farm is nestled against the mountains and beside the water, covering a large area and divided into different zones.
This place seems particularly lively today; looking around, most of the people here are young couples.
One corner of the farm is particularly eye-catching.
Many people gathered around pyramid-shaped mounds of dry earth.
Some were adding firewood to the bottom of the mound to start a fire, while others were carefully poking at it with long sticks. The air was filled with the unique smell of the soil being baked and the aroma of smoke.
"This is... a kiln firing?" Lin Xili asked curiously.
She grew up in the city and had only heard Wen Qing mention this kind of rustic charm in casual conversation; she had never experienced it firsthand.
"Mm," Huo Nanchen replied, leading her straight to a pre-booked, already-built earthen kiln.
He was clearly not a first-timer; he greeted the owner with practiced ease.
The boss quickly brought over a bundle of firewood, long pliers, and other materials.
Huo Nanchen rolled up his sleeves and deftly added firewood into the cave, igniting it and watching the flames leap up as he controlled the heat.
Lin Xili watched quietly from the side, feeling that there was something completely out of place between what he was doing and his overall demeanor.
Once the clay clods were heated until they were red-hot, Huo Nanchen asked the owner to bring the prepared ingredients.
Five cleaned pigeons, a few eggs, some sweet potatoes, and some chestnuts and peanuts.
Huo Nanchen carefully wrapped them separately with tin foil, and then used long pliers to dig out the ash from inside the kiln.
They then placed the wrapped food deep inside the scorching cave, and used tools to push over and break up the red-hot clay, finally placing it on top of all the ingredients.
"It will be ready in about an hour," Huo Nanchen said to Lin Xili after washing his hands.
The two sat down at a simple table set up beside the kiln.
"Would you like some wine?" Huo Nanchen asked. The farm's homemade rice wine was low in alcohol and had a mild, sweet taste.
Lin Xili looked at the milky white liquid and nodded: "Okay."
The warm rice wine, with its subtle sweetness and warmth, soothes the mind and brings a sense of relaxation and tranquility.
Not far away, another couple had just knocked on their earthen kiln, and a burst of steaming heat and rich aroma instantly erupted out.
The boy carefully peeled the scalding hot sweet potato, blew on it to cool it down, and fed it to the girl.
The girl giggled and took a bite, then snuggled into the boy's arms, the two whispering sweet nothings to each other, intimately close.
Lin Xili subconsciously looked away, picked up her wine glass, and took another sip.
She knew that her relationship with Huo Nanchen was far from being that open and intimate.
That kind of feeding and cuddling seemed both strange to her, and she felt that given their personalities, they wouldn't do it.
Lin Xili stroked the warm, rough earthenware wine cup, his gaze fixed on the blurry outline of the distant mountains. His voice was soft, as if speaking to Huo Nanchen, yet also as if talking to himself:
"From childhood to adulthood, I have doubted many times whether I was adopted by the Lin family."
Huo Nanchen paused slightly in his hand holding the ceramic cup and looked at her.
“It’s like my family always treats me like I’m invisible,” she continued, her voice trembling slightly.
"They only think of me when they need me. For example, when they need a daughter to maintain the appearance of a harmonious family, or when they need a tool for a marriage alliance..."
"It seems like my parents only ever have my brother and sister. I also want to be like my sister, occasionally being willful and throwing tantrums."
“But they always tell me, ‘Xili, you need to be sensible.’”
She forced a bitter smile, saying, "It seems like the word 'sensible' was a label made for me."
"Later, I was actually happy about the marriage alliance with the Xu family."
She paused, her voice lowering slightly, "Back then, I really liked Xu Yanchi. I naively thought that my parents finally understood me this time and cared about my happiness."
"During the premarital checkup, hyperthyroidism was diagnosed. Because she couldn't get pregnant while taking medication, and there was also the fear of it being hereditary... the Xu family canceled the engagement without hesitation."
She took a deep breath, as if she could still feel the bucket of ice water that had been poured over her head.
"And my parents' first reaction wasn't to care about my health, but to think that I... was completely useless."
"It has become a disgrace to the Lin family, a burden they are eager to get rid of, and they are making me marry a divorced man in order to make Snow's wedding date come true."
Huo Nanchen listened quietly, his expression unreadable.
He recalled what Lin Xili looked like when he first arrived in Lixiang Town six months ago.
So that's where the heavy shackles came from.
Lin Xili downed the rest of the wine in his glass in one gulp. The warm wine now had a slightly burning sensation as it slid down his throat.
She turned her head to look at Huo Nanchen, her eyes slightly blurred with the effects of the alcohol.
"Now that they know my hyperthyroidism is completely cured, they want to force me to divorce you again."
She turned to look at Huo Nanchen and said earnestly, "I don't want a divorce, Huo Nanchen, I don't want to divorce you."
She knew that her parents couldn't persuade her otherwise, and would definitely go to talk to Huo Nanchen, even if it meant trampling on his self-esteem.
Will someone with such a strong sense of self-respect eventually compromise?
Huo Nanchen stared at her and saw the unease in her expression, a fear of being abandoned again.
"If you don't want to divorce, then don't. I'll find time to talk to them about it."
He didn't ask her what she planned to do, nor did he question whether she was being impulsive; he simply took on the troubles from her family of origin himself.
At this moment, the boss came over to remind them that their kiln was ready.
Huo Nanchen got up, used a tool to clear away the now-scalding soil, and took out the ingredients wrapped in tin foil one by one.
The moment the foil was opened, a rich aroma wafted out – the pigeon meat was tender, the eggs were flavorful, and the sweet potatoes were soft, sweet, and glutinous.
He placed a pigeon and the reddest piece of sweet potato on the plate in front of Lin Xili.
"Try it, but be careful, it's hot."
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