The next morning, Lin Heng got up to make breakfast because Qingqing was simply too sore to get out of bed.
She cursed Lin Heng silently while secretly feeling delighted at the same time.
At this rate, they would be able to hold a baby in their arms before long.
Qingqing thought this, a relaxed and satisfied smile spreading across her face.
Lin Heng walked into the room and saw his wife lying on the bed with a smile all over her face.
His heart stirred slightly as well. It seemed his wife was quite satisfied with him as her husband.
“Eat… breakfast.”
Lin Heng’s face flushed slightly as he spoke. He picked up the clothes on the bed and helped her put them on.
“Husband, my legs hurt. I can’t walk. Carry me!”
As she spoke, she stretched out her arms.
Lin Heng bent down gently, picked up Qingqing after she was dressed, and carried her to the stone table beneath the peach tree in the courtyard.
Breakfast consisted of rice porridge, vegetables, and the meat-filled pancakes they had bought at the market the day before.
After eating, the two of them sat in the courtyard, basking in the sunlight and chatting. Most of the time, Qingqing was the one talking while Lin Heng listened.
Every now and then, he would hum in response or simply say, “Good.”
Even so, Qingqing was perfectly satisfied.
“After another couple of days, shall we go into the mountains together?”
“Mm.”
It was nothing more than an ordinary little matter, yet Qingqing was overjoyed that he had agreed.
“Are there fruit trees deep in the mountains?”
“Yes!”
“What about wildflowers?”
“Mm.”
“Then when we go back, let’s dig up some wildflowers and plant them in the flowerbed in the courtyard, all right? It’s so empty right now. It would definitely look beautiful if we filled it with flowers.”
“All right.”
Lin Heng agreed. He had indeed seen plenty of beautiful wildflowers deep in the mountains.
“Husband, can you drink alcohol?”
“Yes.”
“Then next time, let’s see if we can find any wild grapes in the mountains. We’ll pick some and bring them home so I can brew wine for you.”
Lin Heng looked at the person chattering away in front of him, and the corners of his mouth curved upward unconsciously.
He got up and walked into the kitchen, beginning to prepare lunch.
Qingqing simply watched him work. Lin Heng’s cooking was delicious anyway, so she was happy to let him handle it.
Besides, after the way he had worn her out last night, she couldn’t even get out of bed today.
She would definitely make him sleep in the east room tonight. He was far too exhausting.
Three days later, in the morning, Qingqing and Lin Heng walked hand in hand toward the deep mountains behind the house.
“Husband, we won’t run into any wild beasts, will we?” Qingqing asked with some concern.
“Don’t be afraid… I’m here.”
Lin Heng glanced at the woman beside him and reassured her.
“Husband, if you can kill wolves, can you hunt tigers too? What about bears?”
You can’t wish for anything better, can you? Why do you have to make me run into tigers and bears?
Lin Heng complained inwardly.
“No. Only… very deep… in the mountains,” Lin Heng patiently explained, one word at a time.
“Wow, Husband, you can say so many words at once now. That’s great! Then say more. It’ll get smoother that way.”
Qingqing tightened her grip on his arm as she spoke.
She was so focused on looking at him that she slipped and nearly fell.
“Careful… watch the road.”
Lin Heng’s face was filled with concern.
“Husband, is the deep mountain far away? How long do we have to walk?”
Qingqing’s clingy voice accompanied them the entire way.
After walking for about half an hour, they arrived at an open area halfway up the mountain.
“Flowers!”
Qingqing looked toward the area not far ahead of them.
There was a vast sea of wild roses, azaleas, mountain musk roses, and other flowers.
“I’ll dig up some wildflowers here. You can look around nearby and see if you can hunt anything.”
As she spoke, Qingqing bent down and began digging up wild roses.
Lin Heng said nothing. He picked up a wooden stick from the ground and poked at the bushes here and there. After checking everything and finding no snakes, insects, or anything else dangerous, he took some medicinal powder from his clothing and gave a portion to Qingqing.
“To keep snakes away.”
“All right, I’ll take it. You be careful too. Don’t go too far!”
“Don’t… wander… around!”
Lin Heng reminded her.
“I won’t. I’ll stay right here and dig up flowers.”
Qingqing looked at the somewhat nagging man before her, her eyes filled with laughter.
Not bad. He was finally learning how to be considerate and worry about someone.
Watching him walk away, Qingqing thought to herself.
She had finally won over that icy-faced man. This man was slowly beginning to respond to her. It was a good start.
Things would only get better from here.
The happier she became, the more enthusiastically she continued working. Today, she would transplant all these flowers back home. Then the flowerbed would no longer be empty.
Lin Heng wandered through the woods for a while. After finding no large wild beasts, he finally relaxed a little and began slowly searching for prey.
Because he was worried that Qingqing would be unsafe alone in the forest, he did not dare go too far and simply moved around nearby.
Still, he managed to make a decent catch. He hunted a muntjac and a wild duck, then carried the game back in Qingqing’s direction.
Along the way, he saw quite a few beautiful wildflowers, so he casually picked some and tied them into a bundle with wild vines.
From far away, Qingqing saw Lin Heng walking toward her with a basket on his back and a large bundle of flowers in his arms. A smile appeared on her face.
“So many flowers! Where did you pick them?”
Lin Heng pointed toward the depths of the forest.
“Husband, help me put these roses and azaleas into the basket!”
Lin Heng took the bamboo basket off his back and placed it on the ground. He bent down and carefully put the flowers Qingqing had dug up into it.
It was the season when the roses and azaleas had already grown plenty of flower buds, so he had to be especially careful.
“Wow, Husband, what’s this?”
“Muntjac,” Lin Heng explained.
“Can we eat it? I’ve never had muntjac meat before!”
“I’ll… cook it… for you… when we get home!”
“Thank you, Husband!”
She lightly pecked him on the cheek.
A tenderness Qingqing had never seen before filled Lin Heng’s eyes and brows. For a moment, Qingqing was completely mesmerized.
“Silly…”
Lin Heng teased her in return.
“Wow, Husband, you’ve gotten mean! You actually called me silly… Which one of us is the silly one?”
Qingqing sounded a little annoyed.
Looking at the woman before him, who seemed ready to bristle like an angry cat, Lin Heng was in an excellent mood. Teasing her was actually quite fun.
Just like how she loved teasing him whenever she had the chance.
So this was what it felt like.
It was actually pretty satisfying…
“I’m… silly…”
“It has to be you. Your wife is the smartest woman in the world. Otherwise, do you think I could have tricked you into marrying me?”
Qingqing flashed him a seductive smile.
“Yes… wife… smart.”
Lin Heng couldn’t resist taking her hand. His large palm gently stroked her delicate fingers.
When they returned home, Lin Heng dressed and cleaned the muntjac and wild duck and placed them in the kitchen. Then, under Qingqing’s direction, he planted the wildflowers she had dug up in the flowerbed.
Lin Heng went to the well to draw water and water the flowers, while Qingqing went inside and found some bottles and jars. She trimmed all the wildflowers Lin Heng had picked and arranged them in vases, then found suitable places to display them around the house.
Looking at the flowers in the house and courtyard, Qingqing was in an excellent mood.
The place was beginning to feel more and more like home.
“Husband, later, could you build me a swing beneath the peach tree? I could sit on it to rest in the shade. And when our child is born, the baby could play on it too.”
Thinking about the child Qingqing mentioned every day, Lin Heng was filled with helplessness.
It seemed she cared more about the child than she did about him…
It looked like he still had to work hard to keep his wife happy! Otherwise, once they really had a child, his position would be in danger.
Dinner was once again made by Lin Heng because Qingqing wanted to eat muntjac meat, and she didn’t know how to prepare it.
Lin Heng, however, was more than happy to cook. He liked watching Qingqing eat the dishes he had made and then praise him lavishly a few times. It could make him happy for a long while!
Had he become a little too love-struck?
But it didn’t matter.
He liked it…
And it seemed his wife liked it too.