After dinner, Lin Wanwan originally wanted to help clean up the dishes, but Mother Lu gently pushed her away instead.
She had Yingzi mix a bucket of warm water for her and carry it to the small partitioned room behind the kitchen so she could bathe.
Using the warm water, Lin Wanwan leisurely washed her hair. Afterward, she pretended she had finished bathing, wrapped a towel around her damp hair, and walked out of the small room.
Lu Ye was chopping firewood in the courtyard.
A dim kerosene lamp sat nearby, casting a faint yellow glow.
“I’ve finished washing.”
Lin Wanwan walked over while drying her hair.
“You’re still chopping wood this late?”
As he swung the axe, the biceps on his arm bulged with explosive strength.
Hearing the soft, gentle voice beside him, Lu Ye responded with a low hum and glanced up.
His pupils immediately contracted slightly.
The young woman had just finished bathing. Her cheeks were flushed pink from the steam, her lips were rosy red, and her beautiful eyes shimmered with moisture.
The top two buttons of her shirt were undone, revealing her fair, delicate neck and collarbones.
She seemed completely unaware of it.
Standing extremely close to him, she looked inexplicably alluring and intimate.
Lu Ye’s grip slipped.
The axe veered off course and nearly struck his own third leg.
Fortunately, his reflexes were fast enough to stop it in time.
“Be careful!”
Lin Wanwan jumped in fright.
Her delicate brows immediately knitted together.
“It’s already so late. Can’t you chop it tomorrow? What if you accidentally hurt yourself?”
Looking at her worried expression, Lu Ye instinctively replied,
“Then I’ll do it tomorrow.”
“That’s more like it.”
The frown between Lin Wanwan’s brows disappeared.
Smiling brightly, she said,
“I’m going back to sleep now. Good night~”
Lu Ye pressed his lips into a straight line.
His voice sounded muffled.
“Good night.”
He watched her cheerful figure disappear back into her room.
Then he looked at the remaining pile of unchopped firewood beside him and thought that getting up early tomorrow to finish it would work just as well.
Setting down the axe, he headed toward the kitchen while pulling off his white cloth shirt, exposing his sturdy upper body.
…
“So comfortable~”
The moment Lin Wanwan returned to her room, she entered the shopping mall space.
She headed straight to the five-star hotel on the seventh floor and entered the VIP washroom.
After turning on the hot water, she sank into the bathtub.
Wrapped in warm water from head to toe, she felt indescribably comfortable.
All the fatigue from the day instantly vanished.
She even grabbed a tablet from one of the stores on the first floor, connected it to the hotel’s Wi-Fi, and watched dramas while soaking in the bath.
It was a long-lost moment of peace and tranquility.
Only when the skin on her fingers had become wrinkled from soaking did Lin Wanwan reluctantly climb out of the bathtub.
She applied body lotion all over herself and then happily put on a facial mask.
She stayed inside the shopping mall space until nearly eleven-thirty.
When drowsiness finally crept in, she returned to her room smelling fresh and fragrant.
Breathing in the sun-dried scent from the blanket, she drifted peacefully off to sleep.
The next morning, Lin Wanwan was awakened by knocking at the door.
Yingzi’s voice came from outside.
“Educated Youth Lin, it’s time to get up.”
“Okay~”
Lin Wanwan responded, stretched lazily, and slowly sat up.
She picked up the clothes beside her bed and got dressed.
Today she wore a white short-sleeved blouse with tiny floral patterns and a pair of light-blue flared jeans.
She casually braided her hair into two pigtails that rested over her shoulders.
After putting on her shoes, she picked up her toothbrush and toothpaste, opened the door, and walked outside.
The entire Lu family was already awake.
The pile of firewood left from the previous night had been chopped and neatly stacked in the courtyard.
She went to the kitchen to scoop water for brushing her teeth.
Mother Lu smiled and asked how she had slept.
Lin Wanwan smiled back.
“I slept wonderfully~”
No snoring.
No teeth grinding.
And she had slept alone.
It truly had been wonderful!
“That’s good.”
Mother Lu poured a ladle of water into a pot.
“Come to the main room for breakfast after brushing your teeth. Then you can head off to work.”
“No need. I have to go to the Educated Youth Residence later. We’re collecting grain today.”
After already receiving a free dinner the previous night, Lin Wanwan felt embarrassed to continue eating their food.
She waved her hand and politely declined.
Then she added a perfectly reasonable excuse.
“Oh right, Aunt Lu, do you have any hot water? I want to soak something later. Could I also borrow a couple of bowls?”
Mother Lu replied,
“Yes, there’s hot water in the main room. Take whatever you need. Don’t be so polite. If there’s something you can use, just take it.”
After washing up, Lin Wanwan quietly took five bowls from the kitchen cupboard and returned to her room.
Then she came back out and fetched the kettle from the main room.
Once the door was closed, a can of imported milk powder suddenly appeared in her hands.
This brand had a very good reputation.
It was nutritious and tasted excellent.
She had drunk it for a period during her previous life.
Using the measuring spoon included in the can, she scooped two spoonfuls into each bowl.
Then she poured in hot water from the kettle and stirred everything evenly.
A rich milky aroma immediately filled the room.
It smelled amazing~
Lin Wanwan picked up a bowl and gulped it down.
After wiping the milk foam from around her mouth with a tissue, she carried the remaining four bowls into the main room.
“What is this?”
Lu Ying happened to walk into the room at that moment and looked over with a puzzled frown.
“Perfect timing. Drink it while it’s hot~”
Lin Wanwan’s eyes sparkled.
She waved excitedly and offered a bowl as if presenting a treasure.
“Milk made from milk powder. It’s very nutritious and good for your health.”
The sweet fragrance of milk drifted into Lu Ying’s nose.
She had never tasted milk powder before and only felt that it smelled pleasantly sweet.
“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and drink it. If you don’t drink it soon, it’ll go bad.”
Lin Wanwan urged her.
Lu Ying took half a step backward.
“Y-you drink it yourself.”
“I already had some.”
Lin Wanwan smiled.
“Don’t be shy. I made five bowls. One for each of us~”
Her wrist was starting to ache from holding the bowl up.
Seeing that Lu Ying still refused to move, she simply stuffed the bowl into her arms.
Lu Ying instinctively caught it.
Rubbing her sore wrist, Lin Wanwan said,
“Hurry and drink it. I’m going to the Educated Youth Residence now. Don’t forget to let Aunt Lu, Grandma Lu, and your brother drink theirs too. If you don’t drink it now, it’ll spoil by noon and won’t be drinkable anymore!”
Knowing full well how precious food was to people in this era, she deliberately exaggerated to scare them into drinking it.
Without waiting for a response, she turned around and briskly left the Lu residence.
Her steps even seemed a little cheerful.
“…”
Lu Ying stood there in a daze.
A short while later, Lu Ye walked in and called out to her.
“Why are you standing there?”
His voice carried its usual cool indifference.
His gaze swept over her and landed on the bowl in her hands.
“What are you holding?”
Lu Ying finally snapped back to reality and licked her lips.
“Educated Youth Lin gave it to us. She made one bowl for each of us. She said it’s milk and that it’s good for our health…”
Lu Ye noticed the three identical bowls sitting on the table.
The fingers hanging by his side trembled slightly.
His voice became inexplicably hoarse.
“Where is she?”
“She went to the Educated Youth Residence.”
After answering, Lu Ying lowered her head to look at the milk in her bowl.
For the first time, uncertainty appeared on her usually indifferent face.
“Brother, what should we do with this? Educated Youth Lin said it’ll spoil if we don’t drink it right away.”
“…Drink it.”
Lu Ye had never tasted the stuff either.
He had only heard of it.
Supposedly it was even more nutritious than malted milk and much more expensive.
Something like this…
He might not even be able to afford it.
His eyes darkened.
For the first time, he became painfully aware of the gap between himself and Lin Wanwan.
He picked up the bowl on the table and drained it in one gulp.
The sweet fragrance spread through his mouth.
Yet somehow, Lu Ye tasted a trace of bitterness within it.
Taking a deep breath, he set the bowl down and turned toward the door.
Lu Ying also took a few sips.
She was instantly conquered by the sweet, smooth taste.
Just as she was marveling at how something in the world could be so deliciously sweet, she saw her older brother finish his bowl in one gulp and storm outside with a dark expression.
It looked as though he was about to go pick a fight.
“Brother, where are you going?”
“To the mountain.”