The sudden passing of the elderly couple this week has left Wenheng and me struggling to make ends meet.
You don't know the cost of firewood, rice, oil, and salt until you're in charge of the household. When the two elders were alive, all the household expenses were supplemented by the medicinal herbs that Old Man Zhou collected.
Old Zhou was knowledgeable and well-informed, so he was very familiar with the medicinal herbs and their growing environments.
The medicinal herbs he brought back were rare and precious, unknown to others, so he could not be considered extremely wealthy.
Wenheng and I have no worries about food and clothing, and we can even have meat occasionally. Compared to ordinary people, we are doing quite well.
I only helped out at home, doing odd jobs, but I had no practical experience in daily life.
Although I know a little about medicinal herbs, I have thought about going up the mountain to collect some to supplement my family's income.
What if I go into the mountains alone and Wenheng runs away and gets lost without anyone watching him?
Or what if I take him to the mountains where the roads are high and the paths are long to gather herbs, but he complains about being tired and throws a tantrum?
The main reason is that Wen Heng's status as the "village guardian" prevents him from leaving the area too far.
Finally, I pinned my hopes on the small plot of land left by the Zhou couple.
When the busy spring planting season arrived, Wenheng and I, with the guidance and help of kind villagers, prepared to take up hoes and rakes, roll up our sleeves, and work in the fields, plowing and sowing.
But I don't know if Wenheng is really stupid or just pretending. He imitates me very well on weekdays, but when it comes to working in the fields, he starts to act like a stubborn child and refuses to lift a finger.
When it saw me, covered in mud, about to touch it, it was so terrified that it ran away faster than a rabbit.
How can I do this all by myself?
I dropped the hoe and collapsed to the ground, gazing at this small plot of land that I could never finish cultivating or sowing seeds on, my face full of worry.
They watched enviously as the fields, cultivated through others' hard work, gradually took root, sprouted, and grew strong.
Wenheng and I just sat there staring at each other on the edge of the field, which ultimately delayed the best time for spring plowing and planting.
"It's a pity that such a good piece of land has been wasted by two little babies."
An old man from the village, who had just finished working with a hoe, passed by the abandoned fields and looked on with regret.
Wenheng and I could only sit around eating our meager savings, waiting to die, and every day we would eat sweet potatoes that we were almost sick of to fill our stomachs and solve our food problem. The only food we had in the house was running out day by day.
Holding an axe, I chopped wood while helplessly wiping away a tear of bitterness.
I was so hungry I didn't even have the energy to chop wood, boil water, or make a hot tea...
I made a loud "bang".
He threw the axe at the feet of Wen Heng, who was squatting by the wall, playing with a small flower for amusement.
The sound of the axe hitting the ground with a heavy thud startled him, making him shudder.
I looked down at him and shouted, "Go chop wood!"
You've been spoiled rotten; you even think you can freeload here.
Wen Heng blinked his clear eyes at me with an innocent and aggrieved look.
She's being cute again! She's being cute again!
I collapsed to the ground in a fit of rage, clutching my incredibly wounded heart.
I always end up so pathetically defeated by his face.
How could you do this to me? You, you scoundrel, stole my spiritual power.
In the end, I'm the one who gets hurt?
I must have had the worst luck imaginable.
Wen Heng started laughing foolishly again, placing the blooming flower in front of me: "Ah Hua, here you go."
Then, she casually put the little flower back into my hair bun.
I looked at him with a wry smile, and could only try to gently stroke his head with a touch of tenderness, like coaxing a child: "Our Zhou Lang has grown up, hasn't he? Now that you're grown up, you should help the adults with housework, right? Help me chop that pile of firewood and boil some hot water for Ahua to drink."
I pointed to the firewood in the courtyard and said earnestly.
Helplessly, Wen Heng blinked and looked at me with great confusion.
My patience has reached its limit.
Why can't I understand?
I jumped up and yelled at him, "If you keep doing this, I'll starve, die of exhaustion, and die of thirst. I'll leave you like my parents, and you'll never see Ah Hua again!"
He didn't know why he was so irritable. With red eyes, he vented all the grievances, helplessness, sadness, hunger and exhaustion that had been building up in his heart for days.
Wen Heng was somewhat flustered by my sudden outburst of temper.
She also stood up and carefully tugged at my sleeve, saying in a slightly ingratiating tone, "Good boy, Zhou Lang, Ahua won't leave."
I flung his hand away without hesitation, stormed back to the bedroom, and lay silently on the bed, my eyes blurry with tears: "I just wanted a cup of hot water..."
I dozed off on the bed for a while, when I suddenly heard the rustling sound of firewood being split outside.
I rubbed my sleepy eyes and walked outside.
Good heavens, the whole yard is piled high with firewood, more than enough for us to use for half a month.
Why did this kid suddenly seem to have a breakthrough and start chopping firewood in the yard with such seriousness?
I was seriously pondering why Wen Heng was so stupid as to not understand human speech.
Sometimes I suddenly feel like a normal person who can read people's emotions and understand right from wrong.
What exactly is the pattern that awakens this consciousness?
I carefully recalled in my mind the reasons for the various changes in Wen Heng since I arrived here...
If it's because I have his spiritual blood in my body that he likes me and depends on me...
Why was he so fond of pink flowers before I accidentally ingested his spiritual blood? And why was he able to speak after I arrived here?
He stayed by my side day and night for three days while I was in a coma, which is very unusual. How can this be explained?
Unless... in his subconscious, his consciousness initially took a liking to me?
Just like how I hated him so much back then, even if Wen Heng stood in front of me looking like a madman, my subconscious would make me recognize him at a glance.
Could it be that he remembered me after seeing my face appear out of nowhere with such astonishment that day?
Did she fall in love with me at first sight?
Given his spiritual blood, does that mean he's even more dependent on me? I need to verify that.
I leaned against the door and called out to Wen Heng with a smile, "Zhou Lang!"
He looked up at me, his eyes sparkling like stars.
I beckoned to him with my index finger: "Come here."
He put down the axe in his hand, and walked towards me with a well-behaved expression, circling the index fingers of both hands.
I raised my hand and gently stroked his head, praising him, "Zhou Lang did a very good job."
He pursed his lips and bowed his head like a big cat, letting me go along with him, and said in a pitiful voice, "Zhou Lang, be good, Ahua won't leave."
Hearing his request, I felt a little smug.
Clearing his throat, he said seriously, "As long as you are as obedient and well-behaved as you are today, and you take the dirty and tiring work with Ahua, you should cheer her up when she is sad, be the first to stand in front of her and protect her if someone bullies her, and take care of her if she is injured. You can't let her suffer, be tired, hungry, or cold, and Ahua will not leave you."
"Why?" Wen Heng tilted his head and looked at me, somewhat puzzled.
After thinking for a long time, I said, "Because Zhou Lang is Ahua's husband, and a husband should protect his wife."
After I finished speaking, I felt a wave of nausea and got goosebumps all over my body.
"What is a husband? What is a wife?" Wen Heng asked a rather profound question. How should I explain this relationship to him?
I pondered for a while, pursed my lips, and asked, "Would Ahua be happy if she didn't leave Zhou Lang?"
"Happy!" he grinned.
"This is why Zhou Lang liked Ahua."
"It just so happens that Ahua also likes Zhou Lang. Husband and wife are affectionate terms used by two people who like each other. So, Zhou Lang also makes sure Ahua is not sad and cries. He listens to Ahua's words at all times and protects her from being bullied. That way, Ahua will be happy, just like this."
Before I could finish speaking, I unexpectedly gave Wen Heng a quick kiss on his fair and innocent cheek.
Every night, gazing at the sleeping beauty beside me, I can't help but secretly kiss him—it's something I do all too often and no one else knows about.
I don't know why I suddenly had a brain fart and did this recklessly in broad daylight. Maybe this is the most direct way for me to confirm my doubts.
Wen Heng blushed crimson at my sudden kiss. I smiled and thought, "This kid really knows how to be shy."
"Do you understand?" I couldn't help but tease him by lifting his chin and asking again.
Wen Heng gazed at me with a mesmerizing look, as if bewitched, and nodded.
He looked just like a shy young lady, with an innocent and pure face, which made my heart flutter. I was so captivated by his mesmerizing features that I couldn't tear myself away.
It was truly a feast for the eyes. I couldn't help but shudder and pull myself back from my reverie, saying in a serious tone, "Ah Hua is thirsty, Zhou Lang, go and boil some hot water for Ah Hua to drink."
I eagerly awaited his response this time.
He pondered for a long time, looking somewhat confused, before finally scratching his head and blurting out, "Zhou Lang can't do it... but Zhou Lang can learn."
The tone became firm afterward.
I slapped my forehead and suddenly realized that Wen Heng had never done housework before, so how would he know how to do it?
Fortunately, he finally realized his mistake and took the initiative to ask for help, which is truly commendable.
I let out a long sigh: "Sigh... Alright, Ah Hua, make sure you remember what I'm teaching you this time, because you'll have to burn it yourself next time."
Wen Heng nodded seriously, and it turned out that it really did have something to do with me.
I can influence his subconscious instinct to summon divine consciousness.
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