Jiang Wangchuan scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“You heard those troublemakers at the village entrance just now.”
“I was kicked out of my family home, so I didn’t get any farmland.”
Lin Suhe blinked her big eyes in confusion.
“Brother Jiang, why were you kicked out?”
“My mother died when I was very young.”
“Not long afterward, my father remarried.”
“My stepmother and I… didn’t get along very well.”
“So my father drove me out.”
Although Jiang Wangchuan only spoke a few simple words, Lin Suhe could tell they hid painful memories.
She immediately blamed herself.
“I’m sorry, Brother Jiang.”
“I shouldn’t have asked.”
Jiang Wangchuan laughed heartily.
“It’s nothing.”
“That happened many years ago.”
“Living alone wasn’t so bad.”
“I was free.”
Lin Suhe smiled brightly, as lovely as a blooming peach blossom.
She spoke softly.
“You’re not alone anymore.”
Jiang Wangchuan sold his animal hides quickly.
He was the only person selling hides on the street, and the owner of a clothing shop bought them to make winter clothes.
With the money they earned, they bought the tools needed to make sugar.
The “encyclopedia” in Lin Suhe’s mind worked like a search engine. Whenever she wanted to know something, the answer would appear.
After shopping, they had quite a few things:
Jiang Wangchuan also bought Lin Suhe a new outfit and a new pair of cloth shoes.
She was overjoyed.
She had hated wearing clothes covered in patches, but she also knew that neither of them could afford luxuries right now.
Pouting, she complained,
“My old clothes can still be worn.”
“We should save our money.”
Jiang Wangchuan looked her up and down before saying calmly,
“Your sleeves and pant legs are already too short.”
“Your shoes are too small too.”
“Judging by your height, you’ll probably keep growing.”
“So buy one set for now.”
“When we earn more money later, I’ll buy you more.”
Seeing that he was still wearing patched clothes himself while spending money on her made Lin Suhe deeply grateful.
…
On their way back to the village, Jiang Wangchuan tied all of their purchases together with hemp rope and slung them over one shoulder.
Then he crouched down in front of her and patted his broad shoulder.
“Suhe.”
“Hop on.”
Blushing, Lin Suhe climbed onto his back.
The two of them headed home together.
After only a few steps, Jiang Wangchuan suddenly pulled a large steamed meat bun out of his clothes as if performing magic.
He handed it to her.
Holding the still-hot bun, Lin Suhe asked in surprise,
“Brother Jiang!”
“When did you buy this?”
“I didn’t even see you.”
“I bought it while you were staring at the steamer.”
Before transmigrating, Lin Suhe hadn’t eaten expensive delicacies every day, but her meals had always been balanced and nutritious.
Since arriving in this world, she hadn’t had a single bite of meat.
She had been craving it, so she had unconsciously stared at the steaming buns for a long time.
She hadn’t wanted to mention it.
She never expected Jiang Wangchuan to notice.
She broke the bun in half and held one piece out to him.
“Brother Jiang.”
“I can’t finish a whole one.”
“You eat half.”
Knowing she simply didn’t want to eat alone, Jiang Wangchuan accepted it without refusing.
The two of them happily shared the fragrant meat bun.
When they reached the entrance of the village, Lin Suhe hurriedly said,
“Brother Jiang.”
“We’re almost in the village.”
“Please put me down.”
“What are you embarrassed about?”
“You’re already my wife.”
“Are you afraid people will see?”
Since Jiang Wangchuan was firmly supporting her legs, she couldn’t climb down by herself.
She could only bury her face in embarrassment as he proudly carried her through the village.
He walked down the road as though showing her off.
Many villagers teased them along the way.
Some were friendly.
Others were sarcastic.
But Jiang Wangchuan was in such a good mood that he answered everyone with a bright smile.
…
After returning home, Jiang Wangchuan washed all the tools they had bought and laid them out in the yard to dry.
Tomorrow, once everything was dry, they could begin making sugar.
Most villagers couldn’t afford candles.
Once it became dark, there was little they could do except go to bed early.
Jiang Wangchuan was no different.
In the past, he would simply rinse himself with cold water in the yard before sleeping.
Now that Lin Suhe was living with him, he worried that his delicate little wife would get cold.
That evening, he specially heated a pot of water so she could wash herself inside the room.
Tonight, Lin Suhe didn’t sleep in her clothes.
She removed her outer robe, wrapped herself in the blanket, and lay on the inside of the bed.
In the darkness, Jiang Wangchuan saw her bright, watery eyes looking at him.
He grinned.
“What are you looking at?”
“Is your husband really that handsome?”
“You’ve been looking at me all day and still haven’t had enough?”
Lin Suhe buried her face in the blanket and mumbled,
“You’re praising yourself.”
Jiang Wangchuan looked confused.
“What?”
“Who’s praising themselves?”
“I don’t think there’s anyone in our village who sells melons.”
As he spoke, he lay down on the outside edge of the bed.
The wooden bed creaked and sank slightly under his weight.
The bed wasn’t very large.
Since Lin Suhe wasn’t pressed against the wall tonight, they naturally ended up lying close together.
She immediately felt the warmth and strong masculine presence coming from him.
Her heart began pounding.
“You…”
“Aren’t you going to use the blanket?”
she asked softly.
“No.”
“My body runs hot.”
“I get too warm under a blanket.”
Lin Suhe had always been sensitive to the cold.
Hearing that, she wrapped herself even tighter in the blanket.
Unfortunately, it was very thin.
It was nothing like the thick comforters she had used before transmigrating.
Still feeling chilly, she cautiously moved a little closer to Jiang Wangchuan.
Sure enough, even through the thin blanket, she could feel the comforting warmth radiating from his body.
It felt wonderful.
Lin Suhe was comfortable.
Jiang Wangchuan, however, was becoming increasingly restless.
Last night, he had only been thinking about sending her home at daybreak.
He hadn’t let his mind wander.
Now everything was different.
The soft, delicate girl beside him had truly become his future wife.
What healthy young man could lie in the same bed with his beautiful little wife without imagining things?
Even so, they had only been together for two days.
He didn’t want to frighten her.
He remembered hearing the older men in the village chatting before.
They had said this kind of thing couldn’t be rushed.
If it happened, a man should make sure his wife felt comfortable, so she wouldn’t fear intimacy afterward.
Thinking of that, he quietly moved closer to the edge of the bed to cool himself down.
But every time he moved away…
Lin Suhe unconsciously moved closer.
She kept inching toward him until half of his body was hanging off the side of the bed.
Finally, Jiang Wangchuan couldn’t take it anymore.
He suddenly rolled over.
His tall body hovered above her.
One muscular arm rested on each side of her head.
His voice was low and hoarse as he asked,
“Suhe…”
“What are you trying to do?”
“Are you trying to tempt me into making you mine tonight?”