76 Another Year Old
◎Until the tips of their noses touch◎
After packing up, Tian Nongxi fetched pen and paper to write a letter informing Hao Zai Lai of the closure of Qingdu County. She didn't write to Ruiyang County, figuring Bu Qin and Manager Xu's shop wouldn't make much money, so it wouldn't hurt for them to stay.
If she didn't make any money every day, she would also be anxious.
The next day, the two set out for Xiling Town.
We traveled slowly on the road, and nearly ten days had passed when we arrived at Xiling Town.
After putting down the package, Tian Nongxi went to check the shop. She wanted to explain the situation to the guys and then, like the shops in the capital and Qingdu County, close the shop but continue to pay their wages.
After You Lang left, the chefs at the Xiling Town shop were replaced by women from nearby villages. Word spread among them, and many people came looking for work. They worked so efficiently that even when the shop was full, Tian Nongxi would still hire them.
After she said this, she thought it would be the same as other shops. Although the guys were a little reluctant, they would also be happy.
As a result, the guys who were gathered together all looked embarrassed, except for a few unmarried men living in the town who accepted it well.
Tian Nongxi thought for a moment and decided to give leave only to those who were willing to leave. Those who were unwilling to leave were not given leave. The shop remained open as usual, but the daily business hours were shortened by two hours.
As a result, she made money much faster than she expected. Her original plan to grow some vegetables and sell them was put on hold. After arriving in Xiling Town, she just ate and slept every day for the past few days.
The system kept urging her, leaving Tian Nongxi feeling somewhat helpless. She could only trust the system, not completely. The more it pressed her, the more strange it seemed to her. She brushed it off by saying she'd work harder to earn money after her birthday.
Cai Cai was on the verge of tears, "Host!! All of us are waiting for you, are you just going to watch us die without helping?! If you want to kill someone, take Cai Cai's life, not the lives of Cai Cai's colleagues!!"
Tian Nongxi, who was lying on a bamboo chair with his feet up in the sun, opened his eyes and asked listlessly, "Will you die if I don't come back?"
Cai Cai fell silent for a moment and said, "It's more terrifying than human death. In short, the host and Cai Cai are in the same boat. If Cai Cai is gone, the host's 20 million will also cease to exist."
Looking out the window, Tian Nongxi spotted Wen Tingluan, writing something with a pen in hand. Old branches slanted through the window, obscuring his brow and nose, leaving only his thin, tightly pursed lips. Even the warm sun couldn't hide his fatigue.
The wind blew through the branches, and his face flickered. Sometimes his slightly furrowed brows, half obscured by the shadows, could be seen clearly, and sometimes nothing could be seen.
I pieced together a whole face in my mind, a handsome face, but also a face that looked like a bitter melon.
Tian Nongxi thought: He must be very busy.
After simply responding and coaxing the system away, Tian Nongxi got up and walked into the house.
When she lifted the curtain and walked in, Wen Tingluan had just finished paying the bill, and his slender hands were picking up the letter and putting it into the envelope.
Seeing her coming, the tiredness on his brow disappeared and he smiled.
Tian Nongxi extended his hand to him, "I'm going to deliver a letter. I happen to be sending herbs to Bu Qin."
"Okay, thank you Xiaoxi." Wen Tingluan said softly.
She took the letter and did not leave. She took two steps into the inner room. When she came back a while later, she was holding a wooden box in her hand, and the envelope was quietly placed on the box.
With a dull thud, the box was placed on the table, so heavy that the wooden table groaned in complaint. Tian Nongxi ruthlessly ignored it and poured out piles of banknotes from his sleeves like a fairy scattering flowers.
"Gold." She opened the wooden box and pointed at the gold inside that shone brighter than the sunlight.
"Silver bills." Pushing the stacked silver bills aside.
"If it's not enough, there's more." After saying that, Tian Nongxi took a deep breath and sat down on the wooden chair.
Wen Tingluan raised his eyebrows slightly and said thoughtfully: "Thank you, Xiaoxi, but..."
"It's okay, I'll give it all to you." Tian Nongxi interrupted him, "You'll need it sooner or later."
"I'm going to mail a letter." After resting, Tian Nongxi got up and left.
In the front yard, there were customers sitting in groups of three or four, playing drinking games and playing finger-guessing games.
A clerk who was standing by saw Tian Nongxi and came forward to help her mail the letter.
Tian Nongxi was afraid that there might be something important in Wen Tingluan's letter, so he declined politely.
Waiter: "The shopkeeper is really nice to Mr. Lin."
Tian Nongxi: "He's been very tired lately and doesn't smile much."
The two guys looked at each other and shook their heads, "I can't tell."
"You don't understand him." Tian Nongxi concluded.
When she came back from the post station, she thought that tomorrow was her birthday and wanted to buy some food to prepare.
Live foolishly during muddled days.
Anyway, there is no way I will know Tian Nongxi’s birthday in this lifetime, so I might as well celebrate it on the vernal equinox so that I can remember it first when I am eighty years old.
After buying groceries and returning, he just reached the alley entrance when he heard the noise of overturned tables and chairs coming from the shop. Instantly, Tian Nongxi recalled the people who had caused trouble.
She glanced inside the door while holding the lively fish and shrimp, and saw a man who looked familiar pointing at a waiter and cursing with saliva flying everywhere.
She couldn't quite understand the local accent of Xiling Town, but she was also startled by his high-pitched tone and frowned.
She squinted her eyes for a while and remembered that this was the husband of one of the guys. He had a bad attitude when she visited him and had a sullen face and didn't let his wife show up in public.
Opposite him, the woman everyone called Jiao Niang had a pale face and said nothing. She was stopped by two servants on her left and right.
The waiters and customers gathered them in a circle and tried to persuade them, but they could not drown out the man's angry voice.
Tian Nongxi stepped into the room with a bad look on his face and asked what happened.
A familiar guest sighed and said that the man wanted to divorce his wife.
"Divorce?" Tian Nongxi was silent for a moment. Not knowing what exactly was going on, he pushed through the crowd and walked forward, saying, "Jiao Niang, take him to the backyard to sit and talk."
Jiao Niang bit her lower lip tightly, lowered her eyes and nodded.
Tian Nongxi waved his hand and prepared to let everyone go about their business, but the man kept grabbing Jiao Niang's sleeve and wouldn't let her leave, muttering something. Tian Nongxi could only barely understand words like "divorce".
Someone translated for her: "He said she was indecent."
Tian Nongxi was stunned for a moment, slapped the man's hand away, stared at him and asked, "Jiao Niang eats and lives in this shop, I don't know where the word 'self-discipline' came from?" The situation of the shop assistant in Xiling Town was special. She rented a house not far from the shop and lived there far away from home.
Seeing the man glaring at her, Tian Nongxi suppressed her anger and said, "If you have any misunderstandings, go to the backyard and talk about it. What's the point of making up rumors about your wife in front of so many people?"
The man chattered on again, and this time Tian Nongxi understood part of it. He scolded her for being in cahoots with Jiao Niang.
She laughed angrily and wanted to say something, but was stopped by Jiao Niang.
"Shopkeeper, there's no need to waste time arguing with him." Jiao Niang wiped the tears from her face and forced a smile. "He just wanted my money to gamble. If I didn't give it to him, he would tell all the people in the village about me."
"Shopkeeper?" The man finally switched to Yanchao official language, his face fierce as he looked Tian Nongxi up and down. "It's you who brought my daughter Jiao Niang up to school and neglected our family. I knew Jiao Niang was a capable woman. She can help you get rid of me and the maid."
He put down the wooden chair he was holding, sat on it, and said, crossing his arms, "I come to collect her wages at the beginning of every month. I don't know who she'll spend them on if I give them to this prodigal woman."
The real purpose is revealed.
Tian Nongxi resisted the urge to roll her eyes and patiently explained that she couldn't give wages to anyone she wanted, and the people around her also echoed her.
Someone said, "You rascal, you only know how to steal my wife," which angered the man, and he kicked the table to the ground.
Everyone was startled by him, and the rustling voices stopped immediately. Tian Nongxi protected Jiao Niang behind him, his face so cold that it could freeze.
She tilted her head and asked in a low voice. After getting Jiao Niang's permission, she looked at another waiter and said, "Xuan Niang, go report to the authorities."
The veins on the man's forehead bulged, and he slapped the overturned table leg with his palm and roared, "Report your ass!"
"You're causing trouble in my shop, why can't I call the police?" Tian Nongxi glanced at him with disdain, then quickly retracted his glance, as if afraid of offending his eyes.
The man's face was red and his neck was thick, he was breathing heavily, he rolled up his sleeves and rushed straight towards Tian Nongxi, cursing dirty words.
Seeing his hand raised in the air, Tian Nongxi reacted, raised his foot and took two steps back, and then he touched a hard chest.
A bony hand reached out from behind her, grabbed the man's hand and pushed it aside.
Although he didn't seem to have much strength, the man fell to the ground and lay on the ground coughing violently.
Tian Nongxi turned his head and saw Wen Tingluan with a stern face.
He looked down at the person on the ground, narrowed his eyes and said coldly: "Do you think your life is too long?"
After saying that, he looked at Tian Nongxi, who was behind him, and asked softly, "Is there any problem?"
"No..." Seeing Wen Tingluan's jaw tense, Tian Nongxi paused, pinched his sleeve and shook it, and said softly, "He's so fierce."
She concealed the mischievous smile in her eyes, and looked up at him with only half of her aggrieved face exposed.
Wen Tingluan carefully scanned her body, and was relieved to see that only her hair was a little messy. He reached out and tucked the loose hair behind her ears, then looked at the man who stumbled to his feet and glared at the two of them.
Tian Nongxi said in a clear voice: "He must be severely punished!"
The man was panting like an old ox that had been working in the fields for half its life. He didn't dare to move rashly. He just bent his waist and kept scanning them. With a pair of cloudy eyes, he pulled Jiao Niang out from the crowd and immediately pounced on her, "Come back with me!"
His voice was hoarse and mocking, and he was very aggressive.
"What are you going to do with so many people watching?" Tian Nongxi put his arm around Jiao Niang and brought her behind him.
Jiao Niang's body trembled uncontrollably, and she choked up in her throat: "I won't leave."
"Did you hear that?" Tian Nongxi glared back.
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a loud noise outside the house.
The man wanted to run away, but was stopped by the crowd and could not escape. He had to be forced to leave by the yamen runners.
At most, he could only stay in the yamen for a few hours, and he would be released in a moment.
The leading yamen runner asked the people involved to follow him. Tian Nongxi stroked the uneven scars on Jiao Niang's forearm, which his fingertips had just touched, and seemed to be lost in thought.
Seeing Jiao Niang leaving, she bit her lower lip and hesitated.
She always felt that some things were just something that happened conveniently, and she just helped others.
But some ideas are so deeply rooted that she cannot change them easily.
Since she couldn't change it, she never made trouble for herself.
This is the case with Huang, Liu Tian, and Jiao Niang...should also be like this.
When she was wavering, Xuanniang, who had returned with the yamen runners, shouted to Jiaoniang who was about to walk out the door, "Don't be afraid!" She put down her hands on her waist, trotted to Jiaoniang, leaned over and said something, and Jiaoniang smiled in response.
The yamen runners left in a mighty procession, and the crowd dispersed. Tian Nongxi stopped Xuan Niang, who was about to return to the kitchen, and asked, "What did you say to her?"
"It's nothing." Xuan Niang looked at her and smiled, "I just asked her to put herself first and not lie for the child."
"Oh." Tian Nongxi replied, "Go ahead and get busy."
She suddenly realized how condescending she was.
If someone tells her that I am not telling you the truth because I know you will not accept it, and that I am too lazy to waste my breath because I know you are lagging behind, she will definitely sneer.
His mind was in a mess, and Tian Nongxi stood in the hall, motionless like a stone that had grown there thousands of years ago.
The hand curled up at her side was gently wrapped in someone's palm. Wen Tingluan gently rubbed her red fingertips with his fingertips and asked softly, "Why are you so cold?"
Tian Nongxi said softly, "I just went to buy groceries."
"Hmm?" Wen Tingluan laughed very lightly.
Tian Nongxi was puzzled and looked in the direction he was looking. He saw two bags of fish and shrimp that had been forgotten by their owner, flapping towards each other across the bamboo basket.
"It turns out to be the shrimp soldiers and crab generals from the creek."
"Your body is in Cao's camp, but your heart is with Han."
Tian Nongxi walked over and pressed a jumping pomfret back.
In the evening, Jiao Niang finally came back and was surrounded by the shop assistants.
Tian Nongxi was pulled out from the backyard by Xuanniang and sat opposite Jiaoniang. Under everyone's "secret glances", he asked, "How is it going?"
Jiao Niang shook her head, "Nannan can't live without a father."
Tian Nongxi, who has no father and no mother: "..."
"You should always ask her what she thinks. What if she doesn't want you to be controlled by others?" Tian Nongxi poured her a cup of tea and pondered, "It's not impossible to bring the child out to raise. The monthly salary you receive is not bad, it's enough to raise a child."
"Yeah, yeah." The guy chirped.
Seeing that she didn't say a word, Tian Nongxi said again: "I may not come back here in the future. You can divide the money you earn among yourselves."
"How, how can this be?" Jiao Niang finally spoke, her face full of shock, and it seemed that she thought her decision was due to her.
Tian Nongxi spread her hands, she couldn't take these things away anyway.
It was hard to explain, so I just said, "You know, I'm the only daughter of a wealthy businessman in Jiangnan."
"Boss..." The guys standing around almost knelt down, but were stopped by Tian Nongxi's eyes.
She coughed uncomfortably twice and said, "You can discuss the details among yourselves. It's better to do it today than tomorrow. Let's have the day off tomorrow. Jiao Niang can think about her own affairs, and the rest of you can think about the shop. Okay, okay, let's go."
In fact, this matter is not very urgent, but she has a birthday tomorrow, and she doesn't want to make a big fuss and let everyone know. But if no one knows, it will be sneaky and weird.
As soon as she spoke, everyone reluctantly returned to their own places. Wen Tingluan walked up to her from the scattered crowd. Chu Chuntian found a heater from somewhere and handed it to her, lowering his eyes and asking, "Am I taking a day off tomorrow too?"
"Yeah." Tian Nongxi smirked, "You dare."
-
The next day, Tian Nongxi woke up very early.
She kicked off the quilt with sleepy eyes and found that Wen Tingluan had woken up earlier and all the bedding on the floor had been put away.
Looking out the window, the yard was quiet.
The leaves were so motionless that even the wind knew not to disturb them.
Tian Nongxi stretched and stared at the ceiling in a daze.
It’s not that she has never celebrated her birthday: the birthdays of the children in her welfare home are fixed, and every child who doesn’t know their birthday celebrates the same birthday - the day the welfare home was established.
All the children who didn't know their birthdays gathered together to eat a small cake, which was sometimes given fruit and sometimes chocolate, and made their wishes shyly with the encouragement of the adults.
There is no cake here, so I guess I can only have a bowl of noodles.
Tian Nongxi yawned, and when he opened his eyes again, the handsome face in front of him suddenly enlarged.
She was startled awake for a moment and asked in a daze, "What are you doing?"
Wen Tingluan put down the clothes in his hand and pulled her up, "I just found some clothes."
"Go to the temple and pray first, then come back and start cooking."
Looking at the colorful clothes placed on the couch, Tian Nongxi was silent for a moment, then nodded hesitantly, "...Okay."
Tian Nongxi stared blankly at the bronze mirror, letting Wen Tingluan braid her hair while he looked at a "Hairstyle Collection" he had found from some stall. After being kissed on the corner of her lips and told to stay still, she couldn't help but ask, "Tell me the truth, do you like playing Miracle Nikki?"
"What does this... mean?"
She loosened her hairband according to the instructions in the book, then leaned over to look into the bronze mirror and said with a smile, "Very beautiful."
There are many temples in Xiling Town, and there is a temple on almost every street. The town’s name comes from this.
Whenever we passed a temple or a stream, we thought we had arrived, but we ended up sitting in the carriage until noon.
When she got off the car, she looked at the endless sea and before she had time to doubt, she was led by the hand onto a boat.
Wen Tingluan pointed to a barely discernible dot in the distance and said, "On that island."
Tian Nongxi felt that he shouldn't be so busy and tired on his birthday, but seeing that Wen Tingluan was very serious, he just let him go.
The sea breeze was damp and cool, blowing straight into my face.
Tian Nongxi straightened his collar and asked, "Is this temple very effective? What do you pray for?"
She thought it was about marriage, but he said it was about wishing for peace and safety.
Smelling the salty smell of sea water, Tian Nongxi stopped talking and lowered his eyes to look at the white waves at the stern of the boat.
Until we boarded the boat, the low houses formed a line and we finally saw the temple located in the middle of the island.
Before getting off the boat, you can see that the place is crowded with people, but not noisy.
The two walked hand in hand to the entrance of the temple. Tian Nongxi looked up and saw a plaque with the words "Haian Temple" written on it.
Walking through people in different clothes, Tian Nongxi knelt devoutly on the cushions in each hall, closed his eyes, and made the same wish with his hands clasped together.
She didn't believe in anything at first, but when she thought about worshiping Buddha in the world of the book, she believed everything.
All I wish for is——
The person next to me spoke, and the clear voice rang out at the same time as the temple bell.
"It's Xiaoxi's birthday today, all your wishes will come true."
Tian Nongxi said "hmm" softly, took his arm and asked what they were going to do next.
The two of them had a vegetarian meal at Hai'an Temple, and then slowly returned to Xiling Town.
It was already afternoon when they arrived at the shop. Wen Tingluan asked her to rest and said that he would cook a meal of delicacies from land and sea today.
Tian Nongxi enjoyed his leisure time, but eating was difficult for him.
This dish had too much salt, that dish was mushy, and so on. The only thing that was cooked well on the whole table was the noodles.
She ate and praised the food, but ignored the fact that Wen Tingluan also had a sense of taste.
"It's okay, you will improve." After eating, Tian Nongxi patted Wen Tingluan's shoulder encouragingly, and waited until everyone went to the kitchen before secretly pouring himself some tea.
While the two were taking a walk, Wen Tingluan went to the bookstore and bought several books.
Tian Nongxi took a quick look and saw the title of the book was "The Chef Teaches You How to Cook Delicious Food".
She was so happy that she bent over with laughter, but then she remembered that she probably wouldn't be able to eat the dishes he cooked when he was a master chef, and her smile gradually faded.
A birthday is just an ordinary day. By the time Tian Nongxi reacted, the moon was already hanging in the sky, reminding her that the day was about to end.
After washing up, the moon seemed to be mocking her sentimentality.
She didn't want to look at him, so she just kept walking on her way, but stopped when her hand touched the door.
Tian Nongxi heard his own name, the vague syllables coming from the house.
So he wondered, “What’s wrong?”
The room was silent for a moment, and no one answered.
"Wen Tingluan?"
Still no one answered.
Tian Nongxi suspected that he had heard it wrong.
The moonlight is like water, everything is silent, even the water dripping from hair is silent.
How could she hear the sound?
He put his hand on the door again, and just as he was about to push it open, the person inside finally spoke:
"No problem."
A hoarse, rapid, short response escaping from the throat.
After a moment's silence, he said, "Call again."
"What?——" Tian Nongxi realized something, the words stopped on the tip of his tongue, and his face turned red.
My legs were glued to the ground, my breathing slowed, and by the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late.
She looked at the door in disbelief, trying to see the scene behind it.
The heat instantly spread throughout his body from his ears. Tian Nongxi swallowed hard and turned around to leave.
After taking only two steps, my hearing became sharper for some reason, and I could hear every breath in the room clearly.
Tian Nongxi's heart seemed to be gripped by the ink-soaked night, and it was beating against his chest.
Her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides as she walked back to the door.
His Adam's apple rolled slightly, and he put his hand on the door and pushed it gently.
——I didn’t push it open, the door was locked.
She coughed and tried to speak in a normal tone, "Open the door."
An almost inaudible sigh came from inside the house, followed by a brief sound of clothes rubbing against each other, and then the door latch was removed with a "click".
The door opened.
Tian Nongxi's throat was dry and he didn't know where to look, so he had to lower his eyes and stare at his toes as he slipped into the house.
Her wrist was grabbed violently, and her back pressed against the hard wall.
Wen Tingluan chuckled, placed his hot palms on her waist, and slowly moved closer until their noses touched.
The corners of his eyes were abnormally red, and his voice was a little hoarse: "Why did you come in?"
Forced to stare directly at his long, dense eyelashes, Tian Nongxi was even half a beat late in blinking. Her mouth was harder than anything else, and she muttered softly, "So much nonsense."
…
…
…
Tian Nongxi was woken up by a kiss.
She was half asleep and felt something falling on her face like a light feather.
He opened his eyelids with difficulty and finally saw the truth. He couldn't help but punch his fist upwards.
Because he cared about Wen Tingluan's face, he landed his fist squarely on his left shoulder, earning a muffled groan that sounded strange.
She laughed out of anger and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Wen Tingluan!"
She was extremely sleepy last night. When she looked out the window, the sky was already turning pale. She couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep without knowing when.
Who would have thought that he was awake when he woke up.
She said she was taking a bath, but she actually...
Tian Nongxi narrowed his eyes with murderous intent.
"Tian Nongxi?" Wen Tingluan replied tentatively.
Tian Nongxi said weakly: "Get lost."
Wen Tingluan stretched out the last syllable and kissed her, "Xixi, I feel uncomfortable."
His black hair spread on her naked shoulders, making her feel itchy from the bottom of her heart.
"You are punished by writing the word 'restraint' a thousand times."
"Restraint?" Wen Tingluan's eyelids drooped as he replied slowly, "Before I met Xiaoxi, I never..."
"Never what?" Tian Nongxi, who buried himself in the quilt, poked out a pair of puzzled eyes.
"Never, never...don't ask." Wen Tingluan's cheeks turned slightly red.
After teasing him, Tian Nongxi felt much better. He chuckled and wanted to turn over and get out of bed.
Her gaze fell on herself and she quickly shrank back and covered herself with the blanket.
Wen Tingluan looked at the marks on her shoulder, misunderstood her meaning, and explained, "It's been cleaned."
Tian Nongxi was angry: "Then why don't you give me clothes?!"
"Will I feel cold if I keep hugging the stream?"
She kicked him, stood up with her hands on her waist, her legs went limp and she fell into Wen Tingluan's arms.
He gritted his teeth and said, "You—bring my clothes here."
…
"It's okay, actually." Seeing Wen Tingluan massaging her legs so preciously, Tian Nongxi curled her lips, "Just a little sore."
Wen Tingluan didn't believe it and put his head down to exert his strength.
Tian Nongxi: "Really? Don't disbelieve me. I read in a storybook that being unable to come down the next day makes a man look more powerful..."
Wen Tingluan felt relieved. He looked at her and said, "The stories are all fictional. It's really... amazing that it wouldn't be like that..." He couldn't help but recall last night, and his earlobes turned crimson.
"Isn't that right? That's what everyone says. Where did you hear that?"
"The medical book I bought yesterday."
Tian Nongxi replied dryly: "You are quite studious."
"You did this on purpose?" she suddenly realized and asked suspiciously.
"What on purpose?"
“…”
Tian Nongxi propped up his upper body, held Wen Tingluan's face with both hands and looked left and right, but could not see a single flaw on his face.
She had no choice but to lie back down, her eyes still fixed on him, trying to find evidence for her guess.
After a moment, the man with drooping eyelashes trembled his shoulders slightly.
【Author’s words】
[Orange sugar][Orange sugar][Orange sugar][Purple sugar][Purple sugar][Purple sugar]
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