Su Qianqian was already feeling uneasy, and seeing Lu Ye frown as if somewhat displeased made her heart tremble with fear.
Worried that Lu Ye might misunderstand her as being overly delicate, she quickly said:
“Can I save it for lunch? I really can’t eat any more.”
Seeing Su Qianqian like this, Lu Ye knew he had probably frightened her again. He sighed helplessly and said nothing more.
Instead, he reached out directly, took the bowl in front of Su Qianqian, and without a word, brought it to his lips and drank it down in a few gulps.
However, as he reached for the bowl, he clearly noticed Su Qianqian tremble slightly, which only deepened his sense of helplessness.
Su Qianqian’s little reaction had been nothing more than a conditioned reflex of her body, not directed at Lu Ye at all.
Now, seeing Lu Ye drink the leftover porridge she had eaten without the slightest hint of disgust, her face flushed bright red in an instant.
When it came time to wash the dishes, Su Qianqian insisted on doing it herself. Lu Ye didn’t argue with her and, while she washed, briefly shared some details about his own situation.
Lu Ye said he was twenty-one years old, with no parents—he had been found and raised by his adoptive father.
Now that his adoptive father had passed away, his adoptive father’s son held some resentment toward him. Tired of living a life where he was constantly guarded against, Lu Ye chose to leave his hometown and wander alone, seeking nothing more than peace and freedom.
Having arrived here, he found this place quite suitable for a reclusive life and decided to stay. He hadn’t originally planned to marry, but meeting her felt like fate.
However, he owned no land and had no roots here, relying solely on hunting to make a living.
Most of the time, he hunted pheasants or rabbits in the nearby mountains for daily meals. Occasionally, he ventured deeper into the wilderness to hunt wild boars or bears, selling them to supplement the household income.
In truth, Su Qianqian already knew all this from her memories. After all, she had been Lu Ye’s wife for nearly half a year. Although they had little contact beyond their wedding night, she still had some understanding of his circumstances.
For instance, Lu Ye seemed entirely indifferent to material possessions. Every time he sold a large catch, he spent the money as soon as he could, with little concept of saving.
Take his marriage to her, for example. If it had been anyone else, they would have at least bargained with the Su family.
But Lu Ye, aside from demanding full ownership of her, spared no expense to marry her, giving everything he had.
And now, apart from some food supplies, there wasn’t a single coin left in the house.
In her previous life, having grown up in a limited environment, her perspective had been narrow, focused only on the immediate present.
She never considered that Lu Ye’s demand for full ownership was to sever all ties with the despicable Su family, ensuring they could never take advantage of her again.
Instead, she resented the fact that Lu Ye had “bought” her, feeling like a mere commodity whose life was now entirely in his hands. This only deepened her fear of him.
As a result, she never dared to share her thoughts with Lu Ye, retreating into herself, afraid of suffering even the slightest harm.
Looking back now, Lu Ye really had the worst luck in the world to have met her.
Fortunately, she was no longer the ignorant Su Qianqian she once was. From now on, she would strive to build a good life with Lu Ye.
With this thought, Su Qianqian turned to look at Lu Ye and asked softly:
“Do you… do you have time today? Could you accompany me to Village Chief’s house?”
Lu Ye was naturally pleased to see his young bride take the initiative to speak to him.
Without even asking why she wanted to see the Village Chief, he nodded in agreement.
“Sure, when do you want to go?”
Seeing Lu Ye agree so readily, Su Qianqian breathed a sigh of relief. After putting away the washed bowls, she wiped her hands and walked over to Lu Ye, asking softly:
“Could we go now?”
“Alright!”
Lu Ye nodded, then reached out to take Su Qianqian’s hand, intending to lead her outside.
Su Qianqian, whose hand was suddenly grasped, felt as if she had been scalded and instinctively tried to pull back.
But as soon as she made the slightest movement, her hand was gripped even tighter by Lu Ye.
Then, from above her head, came Lu Ye’s magnetic voice.
“What’s wrong? If you won’t allow the consummation of marriage at night, can’t we even hold hands during the day?”
Hearing this, Su Qianqian felt her head buzzing, unable to comprehend how he could say such embarrassing words with such a straight face.
Before she could figure out how to respond, Lu Ye’s other large hand had already landed on the top of her head.
He gently ruffled her hair and continued:
“Now that you’ve married me, you are my young bride! I don’t want to frighten you, but I can’t let you keep avoiding me forever.
So it’s better for you to get used to my touch sooner rather than later. I’m a real man—I can’t play the gentleman for many more days!”
As he spoke, he bent down, leaning close to Su Qianqian, whose face was already flushed with embarrassment. He lifted her chin, forcing her to look directly at him, and asked in a husky voice:
“Qianqian, do you understand what your husband means?”
At that moment, Su Qianqian felt as if her entire body was about to catch fire. Her heart raced uncontrollably, and her head grew dizzy.
Was she being flirted with?
Was she? Was she?
Was Lu Ye doing this on purpose, or was he flirting without even realizing it?
Su Qianqian swallowed hard, desperately wanting to lower her head and avoid Lu Ye’s intensely penetrating gaze.
But with her chin held by Lu Ye—though he wasn’t using much force—she couldn’t escape. In the end, she could only suppress her panic and reply softly:
“I understand!”
“Hmm, good girl!”
Satisfied with her answer, a hint of amusement flickered in Lu Ye’s eyes. Just as Su Qianqian thought he would let her go, Lu Ye suddenly leaned down and lightly kissed her red lips.
Only then did he release her chin, straighten up, and lead her outside.
Though it was just a fleeting kiss, it made Su Qianqian’s already flushed face turn even redder.
In both her lifetimes, aside from that unforgettable wedding night with Lu Ye and the time he gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while she was unconscious—both events from her previous life—she had little real emotional connection to those memories, despite now remembering them.
And during her nearly twenty years in the modern era, she had hardly interacted with men. At most, she would admire male celebrities who matched her aesthetic tastes to satisfy her visual cravings.
Now, right from the start, she was married. Not only was her husband exactly her type, but he also seemed exceptionally skilled at flirting.
Every word and action of his tugged at her heartstrings, leaving her poor heart no chance to calm down.
Su Qianqian took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, then gently tugged at the person holding her hand and said in a negotiating tone:
“I want to go see the Village Chief for something. I noticed there are still two leftover wedding cakes from yesterday at home. Could we bring them to the Village Chief? His little grandson would probably like them.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Ye immediately understood Su Qianqian’s meaning and nodded in agreement.