“Are you crying?”
Yue Chunhan frowned slightly, his eyes fixed intently on Su Zhi.
Su Zhi’s eyes were very beautiful—shaped like almonds, round and bright, the corners slightly upturned with a touch of red. Her eyelashes were thick and lovely, like tiny brushes.
From the labor, her face was flushed and damp with sweat. Even her pupils seemed to shimmer like autumn water, rippling with layers of misty moisture, clear and dewy—very much like she had been crying.
Especially when Su Zhi looked up at Yue Chunhan and their eyes met, those eyes appeared even more pitiful and captivating. Paired with Su Zhi’s flushed, disheveled cheeks, damp and messy strands of hair, and the scratches on her face, she looked even more innocent and pitiable.
Su Zhi wiped the sweat from her face and explained, “I’m not crying, I’m just hot from the sun.”
Yue Chunhan had initially thought she was slacking off and his expression had turned stern, but now he pursed his lips, his expression complicated.
Yue Chunhan knew Su Zhi had never done much manual labor before, had never worked in the fields, but he hadn’t expected her to be so delicate. Su Zhi’s skin, fair and tender that morning, was now flushed red, covered in scratches, and her fingertips were red, swollen, and chafed.
Seeing Yue Chunhan approach with an unpleasant expression, Su Zhi bit her lip and continued cutting corn, bending over and swinging the sickle. Though her movements were still somewhat unskilled, at least she wouldn’t cut her own face. But her wrists ached terribly, her fingertips turned white from the force, and more sweat beaded on her face, dampening her hair.
Yue Chunhan stood beside her for a while, then let out a heavy sigh. He stepped over, snatched the sickle from Su Zhi’s hand, and said coolly, “Go home first. I can handle what’s left here myself.”
Before Su Zhi could react, Yue Chunhan raised the sickle. Without even wearing gloves, he grabbed the surrounding corn stalks and swiftly cut down several. The work that would have taken Su Zhi a long time to finish, Yue Chunhan did effortlessly, like a machine, leaving the exhausted Su Zhi wide-eyed in astonishment.
Yue Chunhan was tall and well-built, with handsome features and dark eyes cold as winter stars. When he did such physical labor, light sweat dampened his clothes, revealing the solid muscles of his chest, the veins standing out against his honey-toned skin—exuding raw strength.
Su Zhi’s hands really hurt, but she could sense the surrounding villagers watching them from a distance, as if enjoying a spectacle. She couldn’t help but blush.
She had been the one to volunteer to come to the fields. Su Zhi felt that even if she worked slowly, she could at least alleviate some of Yue Chunhan’s burden. She wanted to help, so she didn’t listen to him and go back. Instead, she cautiously continued cutting corn stalks behind him, planning to wait and go home with Yue Chunhan.
While cutting, Su Zhi occasionally looked around and noticed that the heroine Qiao Yue, who had been resting under the tree earlier, was gone—perhaps she had gone home.
Su Zhi sighed inwardly. Truly the treatment of a sweet romance period novel heroine was much better than that of a cannon fodder ex-wife of the second male lead.
Previously, when Yue Chunhan wasn’t home, Yue Tiantian would go to the grandmother next door for meals. With an elder taking care of her, Su Zhi wasn’t too worried about Yue Tiantian, focusing entirely on the farmwork in front of her.
Her strength was small; it took several swings to cut down a stalk. Her fingers were red, swollen, and chafed, and her body was sticky with sweat. Su Zhi endured it, though her movements were slow, she persistently followed behind Yue Chunhan, stubbornly lasting until noon.
Yue Chunhan glanced back several times, seeing Su Zhi’s flushed but earnest, focused expression. He unconsciously raised an eyebrow, said nothing, but noticeably sped up his work.
Many villagers around were cutting corn stalks. Most brought lunch, eating quickly and resting briefly before speeding up again to avoid falling behind and letting work pile up.
Yue Chunhan had also brought lunch. The noon sun was even more scorching. Under the only large tree at the edge of the field, a wide patch of shade was cast. Villagers gathered in twos and threes, squatting or sitting on the ground, taking out their lunchboxes to satisfy their hunger.
Yue Chunhan walked toward the tree roots. Su Zhi wiped her sweat and followed behind. The male and female villagers around watched the newlywed couple with playful, curious eyes. Though they dared not tease Yue Chunhan openly, their gazes shamelessly swept over Su Zhi.
Su Zhi, the renowned village beauty, was very famous. Usually, they didn’t have the chance to observe this charming beauty up close so freely. Now, many villagers’ eyes lingered on Su Zhi’s flawless, fair skin, her shimmering, misty eyes, her full, rosy lips…
“Gulp…”
Someone couldn’t help but swallow audibly, the sound clear in the quiet afternoon.
Yue Chunhan’s dark, cold eyes swept over them one by one. The men who had been staring with lustful gazes instantly lowered their heads, hunching like quails, not daring to look at Su Zhi anymore.
But there were also those captivated by beauty, fearless even in the face of danger.
Yue Chunhan found a quiet spot and casually sat cross-legged on the grass. Su Zhi followed but hesitated.
The grass was dusty and dirty, with scattered twigs and pebbles—not very clean. Su Zhi stood beside Yue Chunhan for a moment, about to sit on the ground with him, when Yue Chunhan glanced at her and snorted.
Su Zhi recognized the look in Yue Chunhan’s eyes—it was the same expression he had when she wanted to wash her hands after using the outhouse that night. He was annoyed at her being troublesome!
Su Zhi puffed out her cheeks, ready to argue with him, when she saw Yue Chunhan take off his outer shirt and toss it onto the grass beside him, then lift his chin slightly. “Sit.”
Yue Chunhan knew Su Zhi was particular and full of fussy habits. He didn’t want to waste words arguing with her, so he simply laid out the padding for her, saving himself the trouble.
Su Zhi hadn’t expected him to do this and glanced at Yue Chunhan in surprise before carefully sitting down beside him.
The outer shirt that had shielded Yue Chunhan from the sun that morning was now spread flat beneath Su Zhi, separating her from the insects and dirt on the grass.
After a morning of hard work, Su Zhi was indeed hungry, but she had no expectations for lunch, still haunted by the morning’s experience.
Sure enough, when Yue Chunhan opened the old-fashioned aluminum lunchbox, inside lay several pieces of cut corn flatbread. This time, for convenience, he hadn’t even brought pickled vegetables.
Su Zhi accepted the corn flatbread Yue Chunhan handed her with a complex expression, feeling immense pressure build inside her.
She was hungry, very hungry. Yet facing this coarse flatbread, she found it hard to swallow.
The flatbread had completely cooled over the morning, becoming colder, harder, and rougher than when it was warm earlier. It felt harder than a brick in her hand; Su Zhi was afraid biting into it might chip her teeth.
But seeing that the surrounding villagers’ lunches weren’t lavish either—just making do with whatever they had—and considering how starving she truly was (she hadn’t eaten much since transmigrating and had done physical labor all morning), Su Zhi braced herself and took a bite, even though she disliked it.
A sour, astringent taste spread in her mouth. The cooled flatbread was so dry it practically crumbled; the fibers were coarse. The sensation in her mouth was indescribable—hard to swallow, yet impossible to spit out. Su Zhi’s eyes nearly teared up from the strain; it was truly scratchy on her throat.
Yue Chunhan had anticipated this and handed her a water canteen, hoping she could manage. Unexpectedly, a hand suddenly reached out from Su Zhi’s right side, holding a soft, plump, white steamed bun.
A tall, thin man grinned obsequiously at Su Zhi, chiding Yue Chunhan, “How can you give Su Zhi such coarse flatbread? She should eat this.”
As he spoke, he pushed the plump white bun closer to Su Zhi, urging her earnestly, “Su Zhi, I steamed this fresh this morning. It’s still warm in my lunchbox. Eat this instead of that corn flatbread.”
The man had recently moved to the village, so he wasn’t fully aware of Yue Chunhan’s notorious reputation. Instead, he was instantly captivated by Su Zhi’s beauty and charm.
Now, his face filled with expectation as he offered the bun to Su Zhi, repeatedly urging her, “Eat it, Su Zhi. You deserve better food.”
The bun in his hand was steamed to a soft, fluffy texture. Su Zhi hadn’t been particularly fond of plain steamed buns before, but since transmigrating, the food had been so poor that even this ordinary bun seemed incredibly precious.
The plump white bun formed a stark contrast with the coarse corn flatbread Yue Chunhan had handed her. Yue Chunhan watched Su Zhi with deep, dark eyes, saying nothing. The surrounding villagers were startled by the man’s boldness, holding their breath as they cautiously watched the scene unfold.
Countless eyes were fixed on Su Zhi.
A sweet, soft steamed bun versus a coarse, sour corn flatbread—anyone would know which to choose. Su Zhi indeed glanced at the tall, thin man. Yue Chunhan’s dark eyes turned icy, while the tall man’s eyes lit up.
“Thank you for your kindness, but this is enough for me.”
Su Zhi pressed her lips into a polite smile, holding the coarse corn flatbread with both hands. Afraid the man might say more, she lowered her head and took a small bite, washing it down with the water Yue Chunhan had handed her, though her expression was strained.
Seriously, how could she choose someone else’s offering right in front of Yue Chunhan? That wouldn’t just belittle Yue Chunhan—it would be slapping him in the face! Su Zhi still wanted to live a few more years.
Beside her, Yue Chunhan watched Su Zhi for a moment before looking away. He lowered his eyes, chewing the flatbread in large bites, a faint, barely audible snort escaping him.
·
After the difficult lunch, the afternoon brought another round of exhausting farmwork. Su Zhi hadn’t eaten much and felt weak all over. Her strength was so small that it took several swings to cut down a corn stalk, and she felt lightheaded, as if on the verge of collapse.
Yue Chunhan said nothing. His tall, lean, and powerful body shielded Su Zhi as he worked at a dizzying speed, clearing the field of corn stalks. Su Zhi, disoriented and chopping away, suddenly realized only a few stalks in front of her remained uncut. She couldn’t help but revise her estimation of Yue Chunhan’s physical strength upward yet again.
Su Zhi even wondered if Yue Chunhan was human. He seemed like a tireless machine. She hadn’t been much help with the many stalks; Yue Chunhan had cut almost all of them himself, at an astonishing speed.
The cut stalks were tied into bundles of about a dozen each by Yue Chunhan using straw ropes he twisted. His strength was incredible; this physical labor seemed effortless for him. He easily bundled the scattered corn stalks and stacked them into a pile. These would be taken home later, rearranged, and stacked properly to serve as fuel for cooking and heating for a long time.
The surrounding villagers were still working, but Yue Chunhan lazily called to Su Zhi, his outer shirt slung over his shoulder, “Done. Let’s go home.”
Su Zhi recognized the shirt on his shoulder as the one she had sat on at noon. For some reason, her face warmed. Hearing Yue Chunhan’s words, she nodded and followed.
Home! Finally, they could go home and rest!
Su Zhi was exhilarated, already missing the not-so-soft rural earthen kang.
The two walked side by side on the village dirt road. The village was not far ahead. Yue Chunhan’s dark eyes subtly glanced at Su Zhi’s hands hanging by her side—red, swollen, and chafed—and the several scratches on her face. He was just mustering the words to say something when he was interrupted.
A handsome young man walking toward them seemed familiar with Su Zhi. The moment he saw her, his eyes lit up, his face beaming with joy as he reached out a hand to grab Su Zhi’s arm.
“Su Zhi—! It really is you.”