Chapter 147 Quack Quack ~
As goose-feather-like snowflakes silently crushed the bamboos on several hilltops in the middle of the night, winter had definitely arrived.
In the countryside, after a heavy snowfall, the white-clad sky and earth become exceptionally quiet.
Occasionally, the laughter of children or the barking of puppies that have never seen snow would startle one or two birds lurking in the bushes in the mountains, and then the snow on the branches would fall in clumps. It would take a long time before everything would return to calm again.
In the morning, when the branches of a large camphor tree outside the window were crushed by the snow, making a crackling sound, Xiang Yao opened his eyes, rolled over in bed twice, and then got up lazily.
In this season when it's too cold even to open the windows, Xiang Yao is like a lazy cat, willing only to stay by the brazier, curled up by the fire all day long, and not even bothering to listen to other people's gossip.
Nie Baichuan set up a net made of iron wire on the brazier. Xiang Yao placed a few oranges and chestnuts on it and buried sweet potatoes in the ashes.
The whole house smells so good that anyone passing by would surely sniff and drool.
Of course, the Nie family's location is remote and few people come here usually, so Xiang Yao dared to take out some fruits and vegetables that are not common here in this season.
It’s a pity that she doesn’t have the courage to share watermelon and other summer fruits with her family in this season. Otherwise, I can’t imagine how great it would feel to eat watermelon by the fire!
However, Xiang Yao can only enjoy this wonderful experience alone now, so the happiness is inevitably a little reduced.
And...it was so cold, she stayed at home all day and had no chance to eat them.
At this moment, Xiang Yao was sitting alone by the brazier, peeling a chestnut with its hard shell burst open, and feeling worried and absent-minded.
Her melon field's "regeneration" speed has not only not improved, but it seems as if it has been frozen by the weather outside, and the fruits and vegetables are regenerating slower and slower.
Xiang Yao knew that there must be a lack of some opportunity, or the melon field system was in a state that needed to be activated and upgraded again, which led to the current situation.
But she couldn't think of any way to solve this problem at the moment, and she felt a little worried, like a thorn in her throat.
With a creaky sound, the door was pushed open from the outside, and a tall young man covered in a thin layer of snow strode in, carrying the falling snow with him.
He opened and closed the door so quickly that only a wisp of cold air could get in, and the rest was ruthlessly shut out.
Xiang Yao supported his chin, as if he was thinking blankly, but his dark eyes were rolling around as the young man walked back and forth.
Nie Baichuan took off his cotton-padded jacket that was soaked with snow and hung it aside to dry. He then changed into a thin padded jacket and sat opposite Xiang Yao, still feeling cold.
Seeing her dazed look, he smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
Xiang Yao slowly shook her head, feeling that she had no way to share her troubles, so she could only pout and deny, "No."
She asked back, "Where have you been? Why did you go out when it's snowing so heavily outside?"
She loved sleeping in in the winter. When she woke up, the house was empty, with only the breakfast in the pot still steaming.
Nie Baichuan raised his hand to wipe away the dark dust from her lips and explained, "The team leader asked me to help the scorekeeper check this year's work points. I thought there was nothing else to do, so I went."
Xiang Yao nodded: "Is there any reward for helping with this?"
Nie Baichuan laughed: "Little money-grubber."
Xiang Yao chuckled and said, "If you work hard, you have to be paid."
Nie Baichuan: "Yes, but I didn't ask for it. It's just a small favor, nothing in the first place."
Xiang Yao understood: "Indeed."
The main reason is that the Nie family has been doing quite well this year, and in a family with a poor background, it is inevitable that some people will feel unbalanced.
So if you help with some small things, that's fine. Since they appreciate your kindness, they naturally won't spread any bad words.
Helping with this kind of thing is like this, and so is finding ways to get extra fertilizer for the team every year.
Xiang Yao asked, "How is it going? Is there anyone still in debt this year?"
Nie Baichuan nodded. "Yes, but not as much as last year. When I was there, the brigade was having a meeting, discussing the possibility of exempting some of the work points owed to several families in the brigade who were in real need."
Xiang Yao thought about several families in the production team who were in financial difficulty and said, "There are indeed a few families who are really in trouble. I remember in the production team next door, there was an old lady who lost her son. Her daughter-in-law remarried last year. She is raising a baby all by herself. It is really difficult."
In a situation like this, even if you ask them to pay back their work points, they won't be able to do so. Without the labor to earn full work points, and with children to raise, being able to support themselves and their children is already considered good enough.
The brigade should provide some care.
She thought for a moment and said, "Come to think of it, we still have quite a bit of food and drink that your brothers brought over. Mom and I will sort it out and give some to them."
Nie Baichuan nodded, having no objection: "You can decide on matters like this on your own. You don't need to discuss it with me."
Xiang Yao blinked and smiled, "That won't work. This is our common property. Of course, we have to discuss it with each other before we can come in or go out."
Although the family is not wealthy now, good habits must be cultivated from the beginning. She should do this, and so should Nie Baichuan, so as to avoid disputes over financial issues in the future that would affect their relationship.
Nie Baichuan stared at Xiang Yao and said seriously, "Everything I have is yours. You can do whatever you want with it."
A popular saying came to Xiang Yao's mind, and he couldn't help but say, "What's yours is mine, and what's mine is still mine."
She had meant it as a joke, but she hadn't expected Nie Baichuan to actually nod sincerely, "Yeah."
Xiang Yao: ...
Now she can't do anything about it.
Nie Baichuan, he really gives me the feeling of being a pure love god of war...
It's a pity that this kind of description is not popular these days, otherwise she would have to customize a banner for Nie Baichuan and write those four words on it.
But speaking of it, up to now, Nie Baichuan has really acted as he said.
The money and bills in the family are almost entirely in her hands, and Nie Baichuan even enjoys the feeling of taking money from her.
Well, from this point of view, Comrade Nie Baichuan is indeed a good man.
Xiang Yao admired the man in front of her from head to toe. The more she looked, the more she felt that she had excellent taste.
I picked such a nice man at first sight.
This makes life a lot more interesting.
"What are you looking at me for?" Nie Baichuan was peeling an orange. Noticing her gaze on him, he raised his eyes, curled his lips slightly, and fed a slice of orange into her mouth.
Xiang Yao took the orange and took a light bite. In an instant, his mouth was filled with the fragrance and sweet and sour taste of the orange.
She winked her left eye slyly and made a flirting gesture: "Of course it's because you're pretty!"
"Look around, in the whole Xiangjiawan, no, in the whole brigade, where can we find a handsome man like our Brother Chuan? No, we can't find him, we can't find him at all!"
Her eyes were full of bright light, sparkling like sparks from the crackling of bamboo in the fire. She even raised her hands when she was talking excitedly.
So cute.
Nie Baichuan thought: She is so cute.
No, you won’t find anyone as lovely as Xiang Yao in this team, no, you won’t find anyone as lovely as Xiang Yao in this world.
Of course, his praise was silent, and he did not express it verbally. Instead, he leaned forward slightly, with his upper body passing over the brazier and over the roasted, sweet and sticky fruits, turning it into a kiss filled with deep love, gently landing on the tender pink lips of the cutest person in the world.
Xiang Yao was somewhat accustomed to Nie Baichuan's occasional expressions of love. He was better at expressing love through actions than the people of the present time, or even the vast majority of people in the future.
Sometimes it's a gentle, cherished kiss, sometimes it's a warm hug that makes you feel safe, and sometimes it's a magnetic voice and extremely gentle movements late at night...
He was always able to express his feelings and love very well, which made Xiang Yao often feel that if Nie Baichuan were in that era in the future, he would definitely be crowned the winner of the "Best Husband" selection on the Internet.
Well, although the Chinese are reserved and it is not appropriate to praise one's family members so grandly, Xiang Yao is keen on doing so.
Nie Baichuan couldn't help but blush at the slightest. He sealed her mouth tightly with embarrassment to prevent more embarrassing words from coming out of her little mouth.
The two of them played like this for a while, but eventually they thought that this was the main hall, a public place, and their parents might open the door and come back at any time, so they restrained themselves a little and continued to peel and eat oranges as if nothing had happened.
Xiang Yao ate another orange slice. After taking a bite, she raised her eyebrows and exclaimed, "How sweet, Nie Baichuan! How can this orange be so sweet! Come and try it!"
Nie Baichuan glanced at her and was amused by her exaggerated acting.
He thought about it and shook his head: "I have never liked eating oranges since I was a child."
Xiang Yao opened her eyes wide: "How could you not like oranges? Oranges are such a delicious fruit, how could anyone not like them? I don't believe it! I want you to try it!"
She took the remaining piece from Nie Baichuan's hand, broke off two petals, and held them to his mouth, coaxing him softly, "Come on, eat it! This one is extra, extra sweet. Come and try it!"
Nie Baichuan raised his eyebrows and met Xiang Yao's expectant eyes. He finally opened his mouth and took the orange in his mouth, along with his delicate fingers connected to the orange.
"Don't eat me, eat the orange!" Xiang Yao shouted, trying to retract his fingers.
Having someone hold your finger in their mouth is too sexy!
She blushed just by looking at it, not to mention her fingers entering the warm space, getting a little wet, and if she moved a little further, she could even touch the soft and tender orange petals...
However, Nie Baichuan held her fingers tightly and did not let go as she wished.
It wasn't until Xiang Yao understood the deep meaning in his eyes that she thought for a while and said quickly, "I admit I fooled you! This orange is sour! It's the sourest orange!"
Nie Baichuan then relaxed his mouth and released his fingers. He then admired Xiang Yao's flushed cheeks and angry eyes, and slowly chewed and ate the sour and bitter orange in his mouth.
Xiang Yao was still curious and asked, "Don't you think it's sour? I was just trying to suppress my sourness to fool you, but how could you keep a straight face? Do you really like this taste?"
Nie Baichuan smiled slightly and swallowed the food thoroughly before saying in a deep voice, "I don't like the taste, but I like you feeding me."
Xiang Yao rolled her eyes: "I hope you'll be happy to take some poison I'll feed you one day."
Nie Baichuan reached out and gently pinched her cheek, saying, "Are you going to murder your husband? Are you willing to do that?"
Xiang Yao's lips were forced to pout, and she said proudly: "When you are nice to me, I will naturally be reluctant to let you go, but if you are not nice to me, you will see whether I am willing to let you go or not."
Her eyes sparkled, and she spoke in a very psychedelic voice, "Then I'll make a bowl of black medicinal soup, put some heartbreak grass, poisonous scorpions, and dichlorvos in it, stir it all up, boil it, and then bring it to your lips - Dalang, drink the medicine~"
Nie Baichuan puffed out his cheek and smiled rather uninhibitedly: "Then I have to treat you well forever, otherwise I will disappear without a trace one day."
Xiang Yao grabbed his hand and smiled like a villain in a TV show: "Hey, you said that!"
For a moment, both of them felt that what they said was indeed a bit horrifying, corny and out of touch with reality. They couldn't help but look at each other, and then burst into laughter.
The snow on the eaves seemed to be startled by the laughter, and it slid down in large pieces, hitting the snow in silence.
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