With that sweet smile on her face, the whole scene looked awkward, even unnerving.
“You… when did you get so bold?” Bai Fulin finally found his voice after a long pause.
He and Su Xiaowan had grown up in the same courtyard. She had always liked the things that girls her age favored—pretty little trinkets, nice clothes.
In the past, even seeing a small bug would make her jump in fright.
And now… she had dared to personally kill a snake!
“Sigh, everyone has to survive somehow. You should work harder too,” Su Xiaowan said, handing the axe back to Bai Fulin and casually patting his shoulder.
Bai Fulin stiffened immediately, an indescribable discomfort surging through him.
He was usually very particular about cleanliness, and her hands had just handled a snake, blood and all, and now she had patted his clothes with them.
All he wanted was to rush home and change his clothes.
Seeing Bai Fulin so unsettled, Su Xiaowan actually felt a bit satisfied.
It wasn’t that she wanted to play tricks; if she didn’t act this way, Bai Fulin would probably misunderstand and think she still liked him, which would be a disaster.
Her reputation was already precarious; she had to improve it.
Just as she turned, she saw a group of people approaching.
The team leader, Zhang Guojun, called out: “Comrades Bai Fulin and Wang Shijun, I didn’t arrange things well before. Coming to chop this tree isn’t easy, so I’ve brought some people to help.”
Su Xiaowan immediately spotted Lu Hanzhou among them.
He was staring at her, his gaze falling on the hand she had placed on Bai Fulin’s shoulder.
His eyes were cold, with an inexplicable weight and intensity.
Su Xiaowan hurriedly withdrew her hand, feeling a flush of frustration—this was truly awkward now!
So many people were watching, and she, a young woman, was standing so close to Bai Fulin with her hand on his shoulder…
Seeing this, Zhang Guojun and the others looked a little uncomfortable.
“Comrade Su Xiaowan, what are you doing here?”
Everyone couldn’t help but wonder: she wasn’t here to pester Bai Fulin again, was she?
“I came up the mountain to gather some herbs. My mother-in-law’s health isn’t great, so I’m getting some herbs to help her recover,” Su Xiaowan explained, pointing to the bamboo basket on her back.
Luckily, her trip wasn’t in vain; the basket was full, finally proving she hadn’t lied.
“Oh, I see,” Zhang Guojun said with a nod.
It was only then that everyone noticed she was holding a snake.
It was covered in blood, clearly dead.
“This snake… did you kill it?” someone exclaimed.
It wasn’t surprising they were shocked—Su Xiaowan looked so fragile, her wrists thin enough to snap, skin fair and soft, never having done fieldwork.
Villagers often joked that Lu Hanzhou had married a decorative wife—pretty, but useless.
Who would have thought that the “flower vase” they looked down on could now hold a freshly killed snake in her hands?
Su Xiaowan softly acknowledged them and glanced secretly at Lu Hanzhou.
For some reason, she felt her husband’s gaze was both surprised and probing, yet he remained silent.
She suddenly worried: would he think she was too fierce?
After all, what normal girl would grab a snake with her bare hands?
Quickly, she explained: “When I was gathering herbs, this snake fell to the ground already dead. I thought I could use it to make medicinal wine… I was scared, but I mustered the courage to pick it up.”
Her voice trembled slightly, tinged with fragility, her eyes reddened as if she might cry any moment.
She ran over to Lu Hanzhou, body shaking slightly, and handed him the snake: “Hanzhou… what… what should we do with this? I… I’m so scared.”
She really looked frightened—her slender body trembling, tears glistening in her eyes—anyone could see she was just a terrified young wife.
Bai Fulin and Wang Shijun were both stunned.
Especially Bai Fulin.
He considered himself familiar with Su Xiaowan; he usually knew her expressions and moods.
But the girl before him now was unfamiliar.
“What? We just saw you chop the snake with one swing of the axe—now you’re pretending to be weak?” Wang Shijun shouted.
Earlier, her axe had swung with deadly precision, nearly brushing past Bai Fulin and terrifying him.
Now this fierce woman was suddenly acting delicate?
Su Xiaowan turned her head and softly retorted: “Don’t talk nonsense. I’m so thin and weak; how could I dare hit a snake?”
Then she looked at Lu Hanzhou, her voice soft: “Hanzhou, if the snake wasn’t already dead, I definitely wouldn’t touch it. Look how scary it is… Can you hold it for me? Let’s take it home.”
Wang Shijun gaped, speechless.
Bai Fulin was also momentarily at a loss for words.
How could she change her attitude faster than flipping a page in a book?
Su Xiaowan knew very well that Lu Hanzhou would eventually be drawn to Tang Wenxi because of her combination of fragility and hidden strength.
He definitely didn’t like overly fierce women.
If he knew she had killed a snake with her bare hands, he might think she was too aggressive.
But she was willing to risk it to gather more resources for the household.
Lu Hanzhou lowered his eyes, gazing at her with a deep, assessing look.
In the end, he took the snake from her hands.
He noticed the wound along its body, nearly bisecting it—a clean cut, clearly made by a sharp tool.
He glanced at Bai Fulin and Wang Shijun’s axes, noticing blood on Bai Fulin’s blade.
But he didn’t expose Su Xiaowan, turning to Zhang Guojun: “Captain Zhang, my wife is afraid of snakes. I need to go process this first.”
“All right, go ahead,” Zhang Guojun agreed.
Everyone else was envious of the snake in Lu Hanzhou’s hands.
Resources were scarce these days, and a snake could be soaked in medicinal wine. Most farmers had minor ailments, so it would be valuable.
A snake could also be cooked as a meal, and it was said to be especially nourishing.
But Lu Hanzhou’s wife had gotten it first.
Her basket was also filled with wild herbs; they had no idea what she would do with them.
Su Xiaowan followed Lu Hanzhou down the mountain.
He walked ahead, the snake in his hand light as a toy.
His muscular arm showed veins along his wrist, the smooth lines of his muscles stretching beneath a black T-shirt, radiating strength.
His tall, broad back, solid as a mountain beneath his clothes, made Su Xiaowan unconsciously swallow.
Honestly, compared to Bai Fulin, she preferred a rugged man like Lu Hanzhou.
She didn’t understand why the original Su Xiaowan had been obsessed with Bai Fulin.
Maybe it was because men with soft, delicate builds were rare in this era.
She kept staring at Lu Hanzhou’s back, lost in thought, unaware of a stone underfoot.
She slipped, toppling forward and almost falling onto him.
Lu Hanzhou, trained as a soldier, reacted instantly. Hearing the movement, he turned just in time.
Seeing her fall, he instinctively caught her by the waist.
The mountain path was uneven, and to steady them both, he braced with his legs. A sharp pain shot through his old injury in his left leg.
Su Xiaowan fell fully into his arms, her cheek pressing against his solid chest, a fresh, crisp scent enveloping her.
It smelled so good.
She hugged his waist, trembling slightly, and murmured through her sobs: “I’m so scared… this path is too dangerous.”
“Then don’t come up the mountain if it’s too hard,” Lu Hanzhou said, one arm around her waist. This was the first time he had held her.
Her waist was softer than the snake in his hand, and a gentle, sweet fragrance rose from her body. His Adam’s apple moved instinctively.