Chapter 122
It's hot, and the children can't stay at home. They either run up the mountain or go to play in the river.
The mountains are shady and cooler than the foothills. In summer, many wild fruits ripen in the mountains, attracting growing children.
In those days of scarcity, when children were hungry, they would go into the mountains to find food. The nearby hills were like their backyard, and they could come and go as they pleased.
Besides, there are many children swimming in the river every day. These children have grown up in the river and all know how to swim. In addition, there are soldiers patrolling nearby, so there is no need to worry about accidents.
Parents are very at ease, letting their children run freely all over the mountains and fields. They even bring home some fish and shrimp they caught themselves to add to their dishes.
Gu Xi received many gifts from the children, such as fish, shrimp, snails, and loaches, and she thanked them with candy.
More children brought her things because of her candy, and because there were so many, she would sometimes share them with her neighbors.
That day, Xu Huaisheng was invited by his friends to play in the river.
When Gu Xi learned of this, she asked with some concern, "Who's going?"
“Cuini, Cuiyu, Xiaoyin, Qiuhong, Wenhua, Juanjuan…”
Xu Huaisheng counted on his fingers; they were all children from the family compound and also his classmates from school.
Gu Tuantuan is not currently in the family compound; she has been sent to her maternal grandmother's house in the city and will stay there for a while before returning after the start of the new semester.
Gu Xi was relieved to hear this. With so many people around, everyone could look out for each other, so nothing should happen. She smiled and said, "Go ahead, go ahead. I'll make rice cakes and mung bean soup for you at home. There will be food when you come back. I'll also invite Cui Ni and the others to come and eat with us."
She was always generous to these children, mainly because she received royalties.
Everyone in the family compound knew she could earn money by writing articles and that she was doing well, so no one said anything. Even if they felt jealous, they couldn't show it on their faces, otherwise they would be scolded.
After all, writing articles is different from other jobs; it's entirely about talent.
And if you're just jealous, you can also make money by writing articles. The opportunity is there, anyone can try it. You shouldn't be jealous of people who can make money by writing articles.
Xu Huaisheng was very happy and pulled Gu Xi to say coquettishly, "Big sister, why don't you come and play with us?" She turned to Xu Yuansheng, "Second sister, come too. Let's go swimming together. I asked Cui Ni, and the place where we swim is only for women, no men, so don't worry."
The boys and girls play separately, at a great distance, so there's nothing to worry about.
Moreover, when the women go into the water, they wear light clothing, not naked.
Xu Yuansheng was somewhat tempted after hearing this; the weather was too hot, and she also wanted to soak in the water.
Gu Xi resolutely refused.
She drowned in her past life and dislikes being near water. In this life, she will not go into the water unless absolutely necessary.
"Go ahead, I'll cook something delicious for you at home. There will be food when you come back," she said to the two sisters with a smile, her expression natural, showing no sign that she was afraid of going into the water.
The Xu sisters didn't think much of it and happily went out.
When Shen Mingzheng returned home, he found her making rice cakes alone. He learned that Xu Yuansheng and her sister had gone to play in the river and asked her why she hadn't gone.
He heard that every summer, when it gets too hot, the people in the residential compound would go to play in the nearby river.
She's in pretty good health right now, so going out for a while shouldn't be a problem.
Gu Xi put the rice cakes into the pot to steam, then quickly went out of the kitchen to fetch a basin of water to wash her face.
The kitchen was so hot that after a while, you would be covered in sweat and your clothes would be soaked.
"I don't want to go." She splashed water on her face to cool down, looking somewhat listless.
Shen Mingzheng was puzzled. He took a towel and wiped the water droplets off her face. He saw that her face was flushed from the heat, and her skin was fair and rosy, which looked very healthy and better than her previous pale appearance.
Aside from getting sick during seasonal changes when she didn't pay attention to the weather, she has rarely been sick this year.
This also proves that her health has indeed improved a lot and her resistance has increased.
Gu Xi didn't want to tell him that the trauma of drowning in her past life was too great, which made her completely uninterested in playing in the water. She simply said, "There's nothing fun about it. It's too sunny outside, and I don't want to get tanned like a charcoal briquette."
"It's okay, even with blemishes, it looks good."
Shen Mingzheng didn't think anything of it. She was beautiful, and even if she got tanned, she would still be the most beautiful girl.
Gu Xi looked up at his face, then stretched out her hand and compared the colors with his. They were practically black and white. She then said, "Never mind, I still prefer whiter ones."
Shen Mingzheng: "..." He felt like she was disgusted with him.
After the rice cake was steamed, Gu Xi took it out to cool, cut some and plated it, and ate it with him.
After finishing the rice cake, she looked at the sun outside, put on a straw hat to shield herself from the sun, and took Shen Mingzheng out to head towards the supply and marketing cooperative.
"What do you want to buy?" Shen Mingzheng asked. "Why don't you stay at home and I'll go buy it?"
Today is a day off. It's afternoon now, and the temperature outside is very high. Apart from the children who are going up and down the mountain and into the river, most people prefer to stay at home.
"No need," Gu Xi said lazily. "I'm going to buy popsicles; they'll all melt by the time I get back."
Shen Mingzheng turned his head to look at her and said, "I heard you've been eating a lot of popsicles lately. Is your stomach okay?"
"Who said that?" Gu Xi looked up and glared at him. "I've only had popsicles three times this week, one each time. Only one, what could possibly happen?"
It's so hot, it's impossible for her not to eat popsicles. Popsicles are the best way to cool off. If she weren't afraid of getting diarrhea from eating too much ice, she would love to eat several every day. It's not like she can't afford them.
The two arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative. Gu Xi bought two popsicles, one for him and one for herself.
Shen Mingzheng found it somewhat amusing. He doesn't eat snacks often, and this was truly the first time he'd ever experienced eating an ice pop while walking.
After finishing the popsicle, Gu Xi finally felt a bit cooler.
When I got home, Xu Yuansheng and the others were just coming back from playing in the water.
Their hair was slightly damp, and their clothes had dried by the time they walked back. However, when they got home, Gu Xi still urged them to take a shower, change into clean clothes, and then sit down to eat.
Miao Cuini and the others were also there. Gu Xi took out the rice cakes she had made and mung bean soup and offered them some.
A group of girls sat together, eating and chatting, discussing where to go tomorrow.
“Let’s go into the mountains to play! There are lots of edible fruits in the mountains now, some of them are very sweet and delicious,” Xu Xiaoyin said excitedly. “Aunt Gu, why don’t you come with us too? We know these mountains well, and we’ll take you to pick some delicious fruits.”
The other girls chimed in.
Gu Xi smiled and agreed, "Okay, I'll cook more food tomorrow and we can take it into the mountains to eat."
"I'll help!"
"I'll help too..."
A group of girls chatted happily, continuing to recount the fun they had playing in the mountains. Gu Xi sat to the side, listening with great interest, carefully writing them down. These were all writing materials that she could turn into stories.
However, that night Gu Xi discovered that her period had started.
Her period has always been irregular, and she can't be sure when it will come. This time it came suddenly, which made her quite upset.
It looks like I won't be able to go to the mountains with them tomorrow.
She probably ate an ice pop in the afternoon, because her period was acting up really badly this time. Her stomach felt like it was freezing, and she was so uncomfortable that she could only lie in bed groaning.
In the middle of the night, Shen Mingzheng got up to make her ginger and brown sugar water and filled a hot water bottle to put on her stomach.
On such a hot day, applying a hot water bottle would only make it hotter, but there was nothing Gu Xi could do. She experienced the discomfort of being torn between ice and fire.
Seeing her whimpering and pale, he said, "Have you been eating too many popsicles lately?" He'd heard that girls shouldn't eat ice cream before their period.
Gu Xi was in great pain, but she still stubbornly insisted, "It's definitely not..."
"How can it not be? The reaction last time wasn't this bad." He thought her health had improved and that she wouldn't have so much discomfort when her period came, but now, seeing her like this, it's even worse than when she first came to the family compound last year.
Shen Mingzheng made a decision in his heart: he would definitely not let her eat so many popsicles next time.
He got into bed, not minding the heat, and pulled her into his arms, holding a hot water bottle to soothe her stomach until she gradually fell asleep.
The next morning, when Shen Mingzheng met Xu Yuansheng, he told her about Gu Xi's period, saying that she had a strong reaction this time and that she should be careful at home.
Xu Yuansheng frowned and nodded.
Although it was embarrassing to talk about this kind of woman with a grown man, she couldn't care less about being shy because it concerned Gu Xi. She decided to stay home and keep an eye on things today and not go anywhere.
When Xu Huaisheng got up, he learned that his eldest sister had started her period, so he decided not to go out and to stay home with Gu Xi.
She went next door and told Miao Cuini to inform everyone that they wouldn't be going out today.
The two sisters stayed at home with Gu Xi, showing her concern and care, which made Gu Xi feel guilty.
She said helplessly, "It's just my period, you don't need to be so serious. Go have fun, I'll go with you next time."
The two sisters saw that her face was pale and she was lying weakly in bed, and they couldn't accept that it was "just her period."
"Big sister, don't eat so many popsicles in the future," Xu Yuansheng said seriously.
Xu Huaisheng said, "I'll keep an eye on my older sister from now on." He thought to himself that he would definitely eat popsicles secretly from now on and not in front of his older sister.
Gu Xi suddenly didn't want to talk anymore. Did that mean she could never eat popsicles again? It was so hot, it was unbearable.
Despite thinking this way, my stomach really hurts, and I regret not being more restrained lately.
She thought her period would be half a month late, and that she just needed to be careful a few days before her period started. But this time it came suddenly, which was really frustrating.
Fortunately, I only had to lie weakly for two days and recovered on the third day.
After her period ended, Gu Xi was fully recovered and was then dragged by Shen Mingzheng to exercise. Whenever there was time, he would watch her exercise and not let her slack off.
Gu Xi: "..."
The weather is so hot that even if you exercise in the morning or evening when the temperature is not so hot, you will still be covered in sweat and dust by the time you finish, which is very uncomfortable.
Gu Xi hurriedly took a shower, washing herself clean and refreshed. Then she sat on the veranda, enjoying the breeze and eating watermelon. Watching the twilight descend on the horizon, she felt that life was truly wonderful.
That evening, Gu Xi wore a tank top and shorts, pinched her arms, and touched her waist and abdomen.
"do what?"
As soon as Shen Mingzheng entered the room, he saw her lift the hem of her clothes, revealing her fair and flat abdomen and a slender and soft waist. His eyes dimmed slightly.
Gu Xi said happily, "Big brother, look, look, I think I've built up some muscles."
As she spoke, she gestured to her abdomen and arms.
Shen Mingzheng walked over and touched her abdomen. Compared to the softness of the past, it felt firmer now, but it was still quite soft. He really couldn't feel any abdominal muscles.
Although he thought this way, he verbally agreed, "Yeah, a little."
If we're talking about abs, this could be considered a single, continuous abdominal muscle.
Gu Xi was very happy and said with her hands on her hips, "If I keep practicing, I will definitely be able to develop six-pack abs."
She's not greedy; she probably can't get eight-pack abs, but six should be achievable, right?
Shen Mingzheng encouraged her unrealistic fantasies, saying that as long as she persisted in exercising, she could say whatever she wanted, and he would agree without batting an eye if she said she had eight-pack abs.
Gu Xi spent the entire summer working out diligently.
The effects of the training were obvious; her body became much lighter, and if she were to fight, she could take down ten grown men by herself—thanks to her superhuman strength.
However, Gu Xi has never fought Shen Mingzheng, mainly because Shen Mingzheng doesn't fight her.
Shen Mingzheng was only responsible for training her and teaching her some basic grappling skills, but he never sparred with her.
When Gu Xi suddenly felt like it, she would ask, "Big brother, how about we have a fight and see how far I've gotten in my training?" She felt she couldn't beat him and just wanted to test her fighting skills.
Shen Mingzheng: "...No need to fight, you've trained very well."
"Really?" Gu Xi wasn't very confident, since they hadn't sparred before and couldn't be sure of the results of her training.
Shen Mingzheng patted her head, determined not to fight her.
If she easily pins him to the ground, wouldn't he lose face? Although she has only learned some basic grappling techniques, her strength is astonishing, directly compensating for her lack of skill. He would easily suffer at her hands.
She is the epitome of "one force can overcome ten techniques".
Shen Mingzheng made her train in order to prevent a repeat of last year's train station incident. If she were to encounter something like this again in the future, she would be able to fight back against those criminals and protect herself to the greatest extent possible.
That way he can rest assured.
Although life is mostly about harmony and there aren't many unexpected events, it's better to be safe than sorry. Since he couldn't be by her side all the time, he hoped that no one could hurt her.
As for her hurting someone...
It's nothing. She's not the type to start trouble. Usually, it's others who start trouble first. She was just acting in self-defense. If something happens, it's not her fault.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
