When the pears are green

Ruyi looked at Chen Yuan with hesitation. She was afraid that if Jiang knew that she went to the man's residence alone, Jiang would break her legs.

"Detective Chen, my cousin said that the clay jar contains sweet and sour garlic and it is not heavy. Can't you take it back yourself?" Ruyi asked in a low voice.

After hearing this, Chen Yuan replied in an unbearable painful voice: "I just had a fight with someone, and was hit on the arm with a wooden stick. It hurts really badly. If Ruyi doesn't want to, I will carry her back myself. After all, I barely held her just now." After saying that, Chen Yuan reached out to take the pottery jar in Ruyi's hand.

Ruyi dodged quickly. She looked at Chen Yuan, who looked painful, and nodded in agreement. She thought that as long as she put down the pottery jar at Chen Yuan's house and left, she could explain it clearly even if Jiang Shi knew about it.

Chen Yuanqiang suppressed the upward curve of his lips and led Ruyi towards the courtyard where he rented a house.

The courtyard was very close to the market. About half a quarter of an hour later, Chen Yuan turned into an alley. He pointed to a small courtyard opposite the alley and told Ruyi that it was the right place.

"Detective Chen, you're back early today!" A woman who had just returned from shopping for groceries greeted Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan smiled and replied: "The vegetables that Auntie bought today are good. I came back early today because I had less work to do."

The woman looked at Ruyi who was standing beside her and asked with a smile, "Detective Chen, what is this?"

"This is my sister, she came from my hometown to see me. We haven't seen each other for a long time, so I'm taking her home first." Chen Yuan said and hurriedly took Ruyi to the courtyard. He was afraid that the woman would ask more questions. Once you make up a lie, you always need more lies to make up the first lie. It's better to leave as soon as possible.

In front of the slightly mottled courtyard gate, Chen Yuan took out the key from his clothes with difficulty, and asked Ruyi to help him open the door.

"I rented this courtyard. I'm not from Linhe County. I came to Heihe Town two years ago and got a job as a constable to make a living." Chen Yuan told Ruyi who was opening the door about his own affairs. He really wanted Ruyi to know more about himself.

Ruyi was a little surprised. She always thought Chen Yuan was a local. After all, Chen Yuan's accent was no different from that of the locals.

"Where is Constable Chen from?" Ruyi turned around and asked Chen Yuan curiously.

"That's where I came from." Chen Yuan answered, pointing to the west.

She heard Chen Yuan's answer and did not ask again. She knew that everyone had their own secrets. Since Chen Yuan didn't want to tell, she would be asking for trouble if she asked again.

With a creaky sound, Ruyi pushed open the gate. She turned around and returned the key to Chen Yuan, then picked up the pottery jar on the ground and entered the courtyard with Chen Yuan.

Ruyi was in a hurry to leave and didn't bother to look around the courtyard. She only saw clumps of bamboo growing by the windows of the main room, and an unknown tree growing to the west of the bamboo.

Ruyi withdrew her gaze and hurriedly asked Chen Yuan where to put the pottery jar?

"Let's put it in the kitchen first. Ruyi, help me take out the bamboo basket containing the steamed buns from the kitchen. If Ruyi wants to go back, go back. I can eat some cold steamed buns by myself." After Chen Yuan finished speaking, he sat in the chair under the tree and looked at Ruyi with a pitiful expression.

Ruyi looked up at the sun which had not yet turned to the south. She told Chen Yuan, who was acting pitiful, that she could heat up the steamed buns before going back.

"Is it okay? Will it waste time? I'm afraid your parents will blame you for coming back late." After Chen Yuan said this, he put on a pitiful expression again.

Ruyi pointed at the sun that had already passed over the treetops and replied to Chen Yuan: "It's still a while before noon. There have been times when I came back late. Just explain it to them clearly."

Chen Yuan and Ruyi went to the kitchen together. He pointed to a wooden table in the kitchen and asked Ruyi to put the pottery jar on it, and then told Ruyi the location of the fire starter.

Ruyi got the fire starter. She thought that she had to light a fire anyway, so she asked again, "Acting Constable Chen, what else do you want to eat? Since we have to light a fire anyway, why not make you something simple?"

"Then let's have egg custard." Chen Yuan didn't bother to be polite with Ruyi. He wanted Ruyi to stay for a while longer.

Smoke was rising from the chimney. Ruyi thought about leaving as soon as the meal was ready, while Chen Yuan thought it would be a wonderful thing for them to live like this for the rest of their lives. Both of them, each with their own thoughts, did not speak.

Ruyi estimated the time in her heart. When she saw that the time was almost up, she opened the lid of the pot and waited until the bowl of egg custard was not too hot to touch, she took it out and placed it on the wooden table.

"Detective Chen, take your time eating. I'm going home." Ruyi took the steamed buns out of the pot and put them back in the bamboo basket, then was about to say goodbye to Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan hurriedly stopped Ruyi: "Ruyi, why are you so anxious? You have been busy for a while, eat something before going back. You explained it to your parents before, why don't you just repeat it again?"

"Detective Chen, I used to come home late because Master Li needed drawing papers. Now I don't have the drawings, and my parents won't believe me even if I tell them." Ruyi spread her hands and explained to Chen Yuan helplessly.

Although Chen Yuan knew that there was nothing between Ruyi and Li Yun'an, he still felt uncomfortable when he always heard Ruyi mention Li Yun'an.

Chen Yuan took a big bite of the steamed bun and led Ruyi towards the gate. Just when Ruyi was about to open the gate and leave, he hugged Ruyi.

Panicked, Ruyi tried to pry Chen Yuan's arm open, but failed. Then she realized that Chen Yuan had been lying to her from the beginning and his arm was not injured at all.

"Detective Chen, please let me go. If I have offended you in any way, you can just tell me directly. Why do you have to humiliate me in this way?" Ruyi tried her best to speak to Chen Yuan in a calm tone. She was afraid that if she angered Chen Yuan, it would bring more terrible consequences.

Chen Yuan laughed softly. He could still hear Ruyi's fear of him from her tone. He increased the strength of his hands and asked Ruyi, "If I let you go, will you never see me again?"

Ruyi shook her head frantically. All she wanted was to leave here quickly and then find a way to get rid of Chen Yuan completely.

Chen Yuan picked up Ruyi and put her on the stool under the tree. He still held Ruyi captive and told her his feelings: "I originally thought of staying here for three or four years and then leaving, but I didn't expect to meet you. Few girls are afraid of me. I was very interested in your expression when you covered your mouth and hid behind your cousin. I want to spend the rest of my life here with Ruyi, but I don't know if Ruyi is willing. I heard that your mother is trying to find a marriage for you again, so I used some tricks to coax you here, and I want to ask Ruyi what she thinks."

Ruyi didn't expect Chen Yuan to have such thoughts about her. She remembered the dream in which Chen Yuan rejected her, and she was not so angry anymore.

"You are clearly lying, not coaxing me at all." Ruyi's tone still showed that she couldn't easily forgive Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan smiled and released the arm that was restraining Ruyi, then asked, "No matter what, you must give me an answer today."

"I once had a dream that I gave you a Ruyi Knot, but you rejected me." Ruyi did not answer Chen Yuan directly. She told him about the dream she had had.

"This is such a ridiculous dream." After Chen Yuan finished speaking, he brought out food from the kitchen, asked Ruyi to have a meal with him, and then sent Ruyi to the entrance of Zhanggou Village.

Ruyi walked into the house with a nervous mood. Jiang just asked Ruyi a few simple questions and didn't ask any more questions.

Ruyi heaved a sigh of relief. She handed the money from selling handkerchiefs to Jiang and hurried back to her room. She had no intention of embroidering handkerchiefs or knitting knots anymore, so she reached out to touch her shoulders.

"Ouch!" Ruyi cried out in pain, with Chen Yuan's teeth marks still on it. She kept complaining in her mind that Chen Yuan was like a puppy, and loved to bite people.