Chapter 16 Facing it together. Lin Qing'an was anxious...
Lin Qing'an was so anxious her heart almost jumped out of her chest, but luckily she quickly thought of a solution and said in a low voice, "I mean, I really love going up the mountain~"
"What's wrong with your throat?" Chen Gengnian asked as he passed by.
"Cough cough~" Lin Qing'an coughed several times in a fake cough before returning to normal and hurriedly said that it was nothing.
Distracted by Chen Gengnian, Chen Yuetao and Lin Jing didn't think about anything else.
Lin Jing joked, "Look how much the mother-in-law dotes on her son-in-law."
Lin Qing'an wasn't embarrassed at all, and said proudly, "That's right, Mother loves me the most."
However, he regretted it as soon as he finished speaking, because he saw a fleeting look of loneliness in Lin Jing's eyes.
Chen Yuetao naturally saw it too, raised her hand and gently flicked Lin Jing's forehead, scolding her playfully, "Little girl, have I not been loving enough to you?"
"That's right, that's right." Lin Jing turned to Chen Yuetao and snuggled against her shoulder, saying in a coquettish tone, "Auntie is the person who loves me the most in this world."
Seeing them smile, Lin Qing'an's lips involuntarily curled up as well. Chen Gengnian, after washing the dishes, also came over with a smile to help.
This was the first time he had seen Lin Jing like this. In people's eyes, she was a tomboy who didn't know how to cry or make a fuss when something happened. She would only solve problems with her fists like a man, and she would never back down even if she couldn't win.
The setting sun cast long shadows of the group, imprinting them on the uneven, muddy ground. The warm laughter and conversation created a scene like a painting, showcasing an unknown, priceless art in this dilapidated courtyard.
That's great!
Lin Qingan turned to look at A Meng and sighed inwardly.
This is what home feels like!
After everything was sorted out, Lin Jing and Chen Yuetao went home. Before leaving, Lin Jing said that she would give the bamboo shoots to Chen Gengnian to sell the next day.
She still has work to do herself.
As for Chen Yuetao, no matter how Lin Qingan tried to persuade her to stay, she refused to stay any longer.
Although newlyweds can only return to their parents' home three days later, there is no rule that the mother-in-law cannot visit the newlyweds' home. Moreover, given their special circumstances, they can't worry about so many complicated rules.
However, it was unreasonable to ask her to stay overnight, and she refused. Seeing that she couldn't be persuaded, Lin Jing, who happened to be going the same way, suggested that the two of them accompany each other on their way back.
Anyway, they're going back to their parents' home tomorrow, and then they can be together every day.
The two had just left when Lin Yanfeng stepped into the courtyard.
"Brother, I'm back?" Lin Yanfeng called out before even entering the door.
Lin Qing'an looked at Lin Yanfeng, who had a scholarly air about him, and was very fond of him. He quickly invited him into the house.
"Ayan, you're back! Come in and rest for a while, I'll heat up some food for you."
Just as Lin Qing'an finished speaking, Chen Gengnian came out from the backyard. He put down the feeding bucket and took over the conversation, saying, "I'll go heat it up. You two rest."
After saying that, he went into the kitchen.
"Thank you, Brother-in-law!"
Lin Yanfeng was always polite; even after they were out of sight, he was still shouting his thanks.
Lin Qingan poured a bowl of water and handed it to him, asking, "How were things? Did you have a good day at school?"
In his memory, there were two very arrogant and domineering classmates in Lin Yanfeng's school who had bullied Lin Yanfeng before. However, after Lin Qing'an found out, he and his mother rushed to the school and scared the other party once. After that, Lin Yanfeng never mentioned the matter again, but he would ask him about it every time he came back.
Lin Yanfeng shook his head, "It's alright, brother. I'm doing well at school, and the teacher is teaching well. You don't need to worry."
As soon as Lin Yanfeng finished speaking, A Meng flew over silently and landed on the empty seat, its big, dark eyes staring intently at Lin Yanfeng.
Lin Yanfeng was just as frightened as Chen Yuetao, and he almost dropped the bowl of water in his hand.
"Brother, what is this?" The man's voice trembled as he asked, still shaken.
Lin Qingan quickly comforted him, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. It's A Meng. I picked it up from the mountain today. It will live with us from now on."
"An eagle lives with us?" Lin Yanfeng's eyes widened in shock.
Lin Qingan nodded firmly in confirmation, "Yes, it's very powerful. It can not only understand human speech but also help with hunting."
"Really?" Lin Yanfeng was skeptical.
Lin Qingan didn't explain much, and immediately called out to A Meng, "A Meng, turn around."
Under Lin Yanfeng's gaze, A Meng slowly turned around, his eyes filled with helplessness and exhaustion.
Lin Yanfeng was staring intently at the incredible scene unfolding before him when Lin Qing'an spoke again, "A-Meng, fly around once."
A Meng suddenly turned its head and glared fiercely at Lin Qing'an, giving him a thorough dressing-down before reluctantly flapping its wings and flying around the yard once.
It has to be exactly one full circle; not even half a centimeter more is acceptable.
"Do you believe me now?" Lin Qingan said with a hint of smugness.
Lin Yanfeng nodded blankly, but in reality, his shock had turned into admiration.
He looked at Lin Qing'an with a face full of admiration.
"Brother, you can actually tame animals!"
Taming beasts? Lin Qing'an thought this explanation was quite good, and immediately nodded with his head held high.
"It's nothing special... I have a lot of skills, just you wait and see!"
Chen Gengnian had just come out of the kitchen when he saw Lin Qingan's appearance. It felt like a small feather was gently tickling his heart, and a ticklish feeling spread throughout his body.
"Cough cough..." He coughed twice to cover up his inner turmoil and called out, "Ayan, dinner's ready."
Lin Qing'an's gaze towards A Meng was becoming increasingly mocking and he couldn't avoid it, just as Chen Gengnian came to the rescue.
He put his arm around Lin Yanfeng and led him into the house. "Let's go eat."
Chen Gengnian urged Lin Qingan to eat some more, but Lin Qingan was too full to eat any more, and Chen Gengnian did the same, so Lin Yanfeng was the only one eating.
"What is this?" Lin Yanfeng asked, pointing to the scrambled eggs with toon leaves.
"Toona sinensis." After saying that, Lin Qing'an added, "Have you ever eaten it? If not, try a little first to see if you have any allergies."
"I've eaten," Lin Yanfeng replied without hesitation.
This was quite unexpected for Lin Qing'an. He searched his memory but couldn't recall ever seeing this family eat toon leaves before.
Seeing his puzzled expression, Lin Yanfeng said tactfully, "The food at the school is available every year."
"Huh?" Lin Qingan and Chen Gengnian were both shocked.
"So how do you all eat it? Cold dishes? Or stir-fries?"
Lin Yanfeng shook his head, "Boiled in water, just plain boiled."
Seeing his brother and brother-in-law's expressions change, Lin Yanfeng quickly added, "This is just one of the dishes, and we only eat it occasionally. The food at the academy is quite good."
Although Lin Yanfeng said that, Lin Qingan and Chen Gengnian were still skeptical, but they didn't ask any more questions.
Tomorrow happens to be market day, and it's the season when everyone sells wild vegetables, so we need to report the number of people who will be riding in the oxcart in advance.
Only two families in the village owned oxcarts: the village head's family and the Wang Shu family from Linjia Village.
So Chen Gengnian told Lin Qingan and went straight to the village chief's house to report, while Lin Qingan had dinner with Lin Yanfeng.
There was a lot of rabbit meat left. Lin Qing'an removed the toon leaves after Lin Yanfeng had only taken a couple of bites. Lin Yanfeng ate very politely, and Lin Qing'an was worried that he wouldn't have enough to eat, so he used chopsticks to pick out the meat for him and put all the meat into his bowl. But he inadvertently noticed a bruise on Lin Yanfeng's wrist.
Just as Lin Qing'an was about to ask, he saw Lin Yanfeng pull up his sleeve, trying to cover it up.
Lin Qing'an stared at Lin Yanfeng silently for a few seconds, his eyes gradually becoming deep and serious.
With something on her mind, she boiled water to wash up and went to bed early after Chen Gengnian returned.
However, Lin Qing'an secretly added some spiritual spring water to the water, controlling the amount very well so that it wouldn't hurt or disappear.
Lin Qingan had planned to tell her younger brother about moving to Chen Gengnian's house when he came back, but she didn't think about it again until she went to sleep.
Because his mind was filled with all sorts of imaginings of Lin Yanfeng being bullied.
After Lin Qing'an went over it several times, Chen Gengnian finally couldn't help but ask.
"Aqing, you can tell me what's wrong."
Lin Qing'an opened his mouth but then swallowed the words back down his throat.
He didn't know what to say and wanted to find out more about the situation tomorrow before speaking.
So he changed the subject, saying, "Brother Nian, I won't go to the market with you tomorrow."
Chen Gengnian asked in confusion, "Hmm? Why do you suddenly not want to go?"
Lin Qing'an thought for a while, but couldn't find any reason to evade the question, so he had no choice but to overturn his previous idea and speak directly.
"I want to visit Ayan's academy tomorrow."
"What, are you worried that Ayan won't have enough to eat?"
“This is just one of them,” Lin Qingan said. “I noticed bruises on his arm by chance today.”
At this point, even the most foolish person would understand the implication.
Without hesitation, Chen Gengnian said, "I'll go with you."
Lin Qing'an hurriedly waved his hand: "No need, you go sell the bamboo shoots. If you can't sell them tomorrow, they definitely won't sell well next time, not to mention there's also Sister Jing's share."
"It's okay, if they can't be sold, we can make dried bamboo shoots, it's the same."
Chen Gengnian insisted, "I'll go with you. You're his brother, and I'm his brother-in-law. We can't let him be bullied by others."
Chen Gengnian's voice was more serious and deep than ever before, which warmed Lin Qing'an's heart.
Since we're family, let's face it together.
“Okay!” Lin Qingan readily agreed, then leaned close to Chen Gengnian and whispered, “Let’s follow him secretly tomorrow and see what’s going on.”
He deliberately lowered his voice, his breath hot against Chen Gengnian's earlobe. Chen Gengnian shifted his body away before speaking to remind him.
"There are only the two of us in this room, so you don't need to get that close for me to hear you."
Lin Qingan: Die on the spot.
Having followed my master for so long in my past life, I've gotten used to speaking in a low voice when discussing important matters.
Although spring has arrived, the nights are still long and the days are short.
Lin Qing'an tossed and turned until the middle of the night before finally closing his eyes and falling asleep, and Chen Gengnian only felt at ease to sleep after he fell asleep.
Just as dawn was breaking, I heard noises coming from outside.
Lin Qingan sat up abruptly as Chen Gengnian began to get dressed, yawning and habitually asking, "What time is it?"
"Just past the hour of Yin (3-5 AM)."
As Chen Gengnian spoke, he hurriedly went over and opened the window a little to let in some light, and then quickly walked to the shelf by the bed to get clothes for Lin Qing'an.
Lin Qing'an was still a little drowsy and sat on the bed for a while without wanting to move.
My heart was anxious, but my body betrayed me.
He gradually came to his senses when he felt someone dressing him.
The two were extremely close, with Chen Gengnian surrounding him in a semi-encircling manner. His breath brushed against Lin Qing'an's ear, making Lin Qing'an feel inexplicably itchy.
He reached out and gently pushed the strong arm, then quickly took the clothes and declined, saying, "I can do it myself... I can do it myself."
Chen Gengnian then put down the clothes and took two steps back. After telling Lin Qingan to "slow down," he went out first.
Lin Yanfeng was boiling water in the kitchen, and A Meng was squatting next to him, dozing off.
Seeing Chen Gengnian come over, she asked him softly, "Brother-in-law, why are you up so early?"
Chen Gengnian pointed to the bamboo shoots under the eaves, "Go to town to sell bamboo shoots."
Lin Yanfeng then remembered, nodded knowingly, and asked, "Is my brother going?"
Chen Gengnian nodded and said he would go, then Lin Yanfeng asked, "Brother-in-law, don't you think my brother is a bit strange?"
A note from the author:
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