Li Zhanye was somewhat suspicious inwardly. Many of Zhou Wanning’s words and actions didn’t quite match the demeanor expected of a capitalist’s young miss—instead, she seemed more like a refined lady from ancient times.
But he didn’t care what her true identity was. As long as she could stay by his side, that was enough.
“I know how to hold the brush now. Take your hand away.”
Since her coming-of-age ceremony, no one had been this intimate with her. She was truly unaccustomed to it: “You teach Xiaonan. I’m going to cook.”
Seeing Zhou Wanning rise, Li Zhanye followed her. She grew somewhat impatient: “Don’t follow me.”
“If I don’t follow you, who’s going to tend the fire for you?”
Li Zhanye said it as if it were only natural: “You’re so delicate. If you get burned or hurt, won’t you end up making a fuss at me? I’m just nipping that problem in the bud.”
Zhou Wanning was exhausted: “Shut up!”
Seeing that the little kitten was about to have her fur ruffled again, Li Zhanye, for once, didn’t provoke her further: “Alright, alright, I’ll shut up.”
Watching Zhou Wanning shoot him a fierce glare, Li Zhanye chuckled: “What a temper.”
The kitchen in Li Zhanye’s temporary hospital residence was fairly spacious, but with all three of them in there, it was still a bit cramped. Whether Li Zhanye was doing it on purpose or not, every time Zhou Wanning turned around or moved, she would bump into him.
She looked back at him, but he wore an innocent expression, holding Li Zhannan’s notebook and directing in a serious tone: “You have to write this character like this…”
No matter how annoyed Zhou Wanning was, she didn’t say anything to him.
Li Zhanye seemed to have noticed this too—as long as Li Zhannan was present, Zhou Wanning would tolerate even the most excessive behavior.
This only made him bolder. While Zhou Wanning was stir-frying, he even reached out to pinch the soft flesh at her waist, and his hand even showed signs of creeping upward.
Zhou Wanning could bear it no longer. Taking advantage of Li Zhannan’s focus on his calligraphy practice, she turned and slapped Li Zhanye. She kept her voice extremely low: “Have you had enough?”
Li Zhanye looked as if he’d enjoyed the slap. He grabbed Zhou Wanning’s hand and pressed it against his cheek. “How about you give the right side one too?”
Zhou Wanning had never seen anyone as shameless as Li Zhanye.
Seeing Li Zhannan blink his big, innocent eyes over at them, Zhou Wanning pulled her hand back. “Just tend to your fire properly.”
“At your command, wife~”
From the kitchen came the occasional sound of Zhou Wanning’s suppressed, exasperated voice, along with Li Zhanye’s hearty laughter. Just listening, one could feel a faint sense of happiness and the quiet peace of time passing.
Zhou Wanning made her usual one meat dish and two vegetable dishes, but this time there was a difference—someone in the village had an old cow that died, and Li Zhanye had bought some of the meat.
Zhou Wanning wanted to make some beef jerky for snacking on in daily life, and Li Zhanye could also take some with him when he went out to eat when hungry.
But she didn’t tell Li Zhanye this.
After the meal, Er Ya insisted on washing the dishes. Her injuries had mostly healed, and she said she couldn’t bear to sit idle any longer.
Zhou Wanning didn’t insist, because right now she needed Li Zhanye’s help with the beef jerky.
Pouring the seasonings Zhou Wanning had prepared into the basin of beef strips that Li Zhanye had already cut, Li Zhanye rolled up his sleeves and started kneading—looking no different from how one might wash clothes.
Zhou Wanning frowned. “Be gentler. Don’t break the beef apart.”
“Oh.”
“And also, don’t knead it. Just gather your hands inward and let the marinade soak into the beef.”
Watching Li Zhanye’s rough handling of the meat, Zhou Wanning’s brows knitted tightly together, wishing she could do it herself. But looking at the meat mixed with blood and water, she felt a bit nauseated.
However, the next second, Li Zhanye grabbed her hand and pressed it into the beef.
“You teach me.”
“Let go!”
Zhou Wanning was displeased. This sticky, slimy feeling made her feel like goosebumps were about to rise all over her skin.
But Li Zhanye showed no sign of letting go, and even seemed to be pressing her hand further down: “See, when you actually touch it, this thing isn’t as hard to accept as you thought, right?”
Zhou Wanning turned her head back, surprised by Li Zhanye’s extremely keen observation.
Was he… teaching her?
Before she could dwell on it, the next second she felt her hand being ambiguously rubbed by Li Zhanye: “It can work, and it can flirt. We can make this jerky often in the future.”
?
Zhou Wanning lifted her foot and stomped hard on Li Zhanye.
She shouldn’t have expected Li Zhanye to act like a decent person.
The summer sun was blazing. Early in the morning, sunlight aggressively streamed through the gaps in the curtains into the room, dazzling Zhou Wanning and making it hard to open her eyes.
The moment the sunlight came down, Li Zhanye was already awake.
He quickly threw on his clothes. “The weather’s been good these days. Everyone has to go to the fields to harvest the wheat. We need to dry it before any heavy rain comes. You have to go too.”
Zhou Wanning was confused. She had never heard of such a thing, nor had she ever done it: “What do I need to go do?”
Seeing Zhou Wanning’s soft and adorable appearance, a wave of tenderness rose in Li Zhanye’s heart. “Work. Cut wheat. Labor is most glorious. When it’s harvest season, everyone has to go. Otherwise, the people won’t have food next year.”
“Can I not be glorious?”
“How could that work?”
Li Zhanye was rarely serious: “Personal interests must never be placed above collective interests. I usually spoil you, but this matter is non-negotiable.”
Zhou Wanning pouted. “I don’t want to go.”
Her eyes were about to turn red.
Li Zhanye felt that if Zhou Wanning had truly been born in ancient times, she would definitely have been a seductive consort who brought ruin to the country. She could always use her beauty to soften his heart, making him set aside his principles again and again.
But thinking it over, Li Zhanye also felt it wasn’t a big deal. Zhou Wanning had delicate skin and had never done this kind of rough work. Even if she went, she probably wouldn’t be of much help.
If she got sunburned, or her hands got cut by the wheat, he’d be the one feeling heartbroken anyway. At worst, he could just do more work. Besides, not everyone had to go.
“Forget it. If you don’t want to go, then don’t. I’ll do your share of the work for you.”
Seeing Zhou Wanning breathe a sigh of relief, Li Zhanye said, “It’s not too much to collect a little interest, is it?”
Zhou Wanning had long been accustomed to Li Zhanye’s rogue behavior. Her snow-white arm reached out from under the blanket, opening her arms to him in invitation.
That inviting posture was utterly irresistible. Li Zhanye fiercely scooped her up, and the moment he kissed her, he clearly felt Zhou Wanning part her lips. The silent invitation nearly made him lose his sanity.
Damn it!
Zhou Wanning was simply sent by heaven specifically to collect him. A casual tease from her was enough to make him completely surrender.
He bit Zhou Wanning’s lips almost vengefully. “Don’t get cocky. You just wait—once the marriage approval comes through, I’ll have you in bed every single day.”
Despite all the times Li Zhanye had kissed her over these past days, Zhou Wanning still couldn’t quite get used to it. She gasped for air, her voice so soft it made one’s skin tingle. “Li Zhanye, you’re such a dog.”