Qi Chong reached out with his long arm and gently rubbed Yu Chunmiao’s head.
“If it weren’t for pinellia bringing in money, I would’ve said this long ago. After the rain, red mushrooms will keep growing until September—but you can’t go. They grow under pine needles and rotten leaves, and there are a lot of snakes.”
Yu Chunmiao said dejectedly,
“Then… then I can’t just stay at home every day. And I really like picking mushrooms.”
Qi Rong quickly offered a suggestion.
“Sister-in-law, if you like it, you could go to the nearby bamboo grove to pick bamboo fungus. The paths there are easier.”
Qi Chong smacked the back of his brother’s head without mercy.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Can’t your sister-in-law rest at home for a few days? If you dare let her go alone into the bamboo grove, I’ll beat you to death.”
Qi “Nonsense” Rong instantly backtracked.
“Right, right, Sister-in-law can’t go alone—just pretend I was talking nonsense!”
He finished speaking and ran off, deciding that washing pinellia in the backyard was much safer.
The rain fell nonstop for three days. Yu Chunmiao spent her time eating, sleeping, and keeping Qi Chong company.
That day, when she opened the door to his room, she saw him standing inside, leaning on crutches.
She hurriedly moved all the stools and chairs under the table.
“Be careful—don’t bump into anything.” As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Qi Chong looked at her concerned expression. He didn’t know why she cared so much about him, but he had already fallen deeply into this gentle warmth.
He pulled her into his arms and asked carefully,
“Chunmiao… why are you so good to me?”
He felt incredibly lucky to have met a woman like her. From the moment they met, he had already become crippled. Aside from cooking her two meals, he had done nothing for her. Yet from the day she entered the Qi household, she devoted herself entirely to him.
The woman who once swore she would marry no one but him chose to delay their wedding once she learned that the Qi family had exhausted their savings treating his father. Only days after he became crippled, she married someone else.
He didn’t feel heartbroken—only more aware of how cold human nature could be.
Yu Chunmiao wrapped her arms around his firm, lean waist and said lightly,
“Well, isn’t that obvious? Wasn’t I bought by Mother to be your wife? A wife treating her husband well—isn’t that only natural?”
She couldn’t exactly say that it started as love at first sight… and that she had slowly become addicted to his embrace, secretly looking forward to hugs, kisses, and being lifted into the air someday.
Qi Chong pulled her tighter with one arm, as if afraid she would vanish the next second. His voice trembled slightly.
“Chunmiao… will you always stay with my family?”
So he was afraid she’d leave.
She gently patted his back and said softly,
“Your whole family are good people. Meeting you all was my good fortune. On my first day here, Mother didn’t think I was a fool. She treated me so well. Unless you drive me away or treat me badly, I won’t leave.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt Qi Chong smiling. The two of them held each other quietly for who knew how long.
“Standing on one leg like a golden rooster isn’t easy,” Yu Chunmiao said, her voice muffled against his chest. “You’ve been standing so long, aren’t you tired?”
Qi Chong laughed. His right leg and the crutch under his arm had gone numb, and his left leg ached from hanging there too long.
After helping him sit back on the bed, the sounds of Qi Yuan working wood echoed from the main room.
“Second Brother got a job already?” Yu Chunmiao asked.
Qi Chong cleared his throat, a little embarrassed.
“No… he’s making a bed for me.”
Yu Chunmiao’s face instantly turned red. Qi Yuan really was an action-oriented man—she’d thought this would wait until Qi Chong’s leg healed.
“Y-you… your leg isn’t even healed yet. Why are you in such a hurry?”
Qi Chong gently shook the bed. It let out an ear-splitting creak.
“I am in a hurry. This bed really can’t be used anymore.”
TV dramas lied to me. Ancient people really weren’t shy at all.
Even as a modern, independent woman from the twenty-first century, Yu Chunmiao found herself completely unable to handle this situation.
“Doctor Yu said you need at least three months of rest,” Yu Chunmiao said softly. “There’s no rush.”
Qi Chong replied with a perfectly serious face,
“Take a look at the foot of my bed—the mortise joints are already loose. And the bed planks? The beam underneath is about to snap. Honestly, I’m afraid one day I’ll be sleeping just fine, turn over, and the whole bed will collapse.”
So… the bed really was broken?
Yu Chunmiao wished she could dig a hole straight through the earth and disappear.
“I-is it really that bad? Let me see.”
Without suspecting a thing, she inspected it seriously, checking here and there. “It really does seem like it. Even the bed leg is cracked. What kind of lousy wood is this?”
Qi Chong curled his lips into a smile, loosely resting his fist against the tip of his nose as he watched her earnest performance.
Too funny.
Too adorable.
Ever since Chen Ruolan had seen the two lying together that day, and noticed how much closer they’d become afterward, she’d been itching to get their marriage settled.
The only problem was Qi Chong’s injured leg. Still, preparations could begin. With the second son home, they could start by making a new set of furniture—especially the bed.
She was experienced. Her eldest son’s room and the other boys’ rooms were right next door. And Qi Chong took after his father—once things got going, the noise alone could keep the whole family awake.
Qi Chong had already fully accepted Yu Chunmiao and opened his heart to loving her. When his mother brought it up, he was genuinely happy.
But a simple contract of sale wasn’t enough.
The village wasn’t short on men who’d bought wives—some regretted it and resold them, others had women steal the contract and run. Bought women ranked lower than the family donkey. Even if they stayed, bore children, and ran the household, they were still looked down upon by both family and offspring.
He wanted to give her a proper marriage certificate.
His Chunmiao deserved to be the eldest daughter-in-law of the Qi family—respected by every member of the household.
After two days of clear weather, Qi Yuan and Qi Rong headed into the mountains early in the morning. Chen Ruolan went to town to buy medicine for herself and Qi Chong.
That left only Yu Chunmiao at home.
She nestled into Qi Chong’s arms and coaxed sweetly,
“Let me go tomorrow, okay? I want to pick mushrooms too. It’s really fun.”
Ever since childhood, her favorite thing had been following her grandmother up the mountains to gather fiddlehead ferns and mushrooms. The slow, satisfying process of collecting bit by bit was addictive.
Qi Chong rested his chin against her forehead and said,
“They went to the red mushroom grounds today. That’s two mountain ridges over. There are snakes, wild boars, even wolves. You can’t go.”
Yu Chunmiao pouted and protested in a near-tearful voice,
“Then why can they go? Aren’t they afraid of snakes, boars, or wolves?”
Qi Chong pinched her chin gently, his expression serious.
“You’ve seen Rong’er climb trees, haven’t you? Things like that don’t scare them at all.”
Her half-crying, half-pouting expression made Qi Chong’s heart itch. His gaze drifted unconsciously to her pursed lips.
Soft pink.
Sweet and cute.
He wondered what they might taste like.
The man’s gaze darkened—deep, heated, unmistakable. Yu Chunmiao recognized that look. She’d seen it once before, on a coach half a head shorter than her—skinny and rough—and had pushed him away and fled.
But on Qi Chong, it was different.
Desiring.
Dangerously attractive.
Like a magnet, pulling her in no matter how hard she tried to resist.
Is this… my first kiss?
Her heart pounded wildly, like a startled deer.
Come on.
Kiss me until the world spins.
Yu Chunmiao leaned closer and slowly closed her eyes. Even without looking, she could feel his breath drawing near, his body heat rising—
“CHEN RUOLAN—GET YOURSELF OUT HERE!”
A sharp, piercing female voice rang out from outside the courtyard.