Ugly girl only wants to farm

Meng Jiu let her do whatever she wanted with his hands, and after a moment, he finally asked, "Have you touched enough?"

Xu Chaoyan smiled awkwardly: "I thought you were sick with a fever. I just wanted to make sure you were alright, since your voice sounds strong."

Meng Jiuhe quickly withdrew his hand and lightly patted the back of her hand: "What kind of nonsense are you thinking about all day? Hurry up and lie down so I can rub it for you."

Xu Chaoyan then lay down on the bed. She was still unsure if this person really intended to give her a massage. Meng Jiuhe gently rubbed her waist with some clumsiness. Although the force was not particularly strong, it relieved some of the soreness.

She had just finished her period, and after a long day of working with her back bent over, she looked extremely tired.

Meng Jiuhe's pressure was just right. As he massaged her, she slowly closed her eyes. Only when she heard even breathing beside her did Meng Jiuhe stop.

Seeing her lying there asleep, a faint smile appeared on his lips, and he gently turned her body upright.

Xu Chaoyan has always been a restless sleeper, and she likes to sleep while hugging something. Since coming here, this habit has not changed. She put her feet on Meng Jiuhe and hugged him like she was hugging her teddy bear, looking very satisfied.

Meng Jiu sighed helplessly. Her squeezing made him sleep on the edge of the bed, with half of his body almost hanging off the edge. He thought to himself, "Isn't this person hot? In the middle of summer, she's still moving closer to me."

Despite his reluctance, he still reached out and put his arm around her shoulder. Seeing the sweat on her forehead, he took a palm-leaf fan and began to fan her gently.

He had originally planned to ask her about her outings while she was still awake, but she interrupted him and he didn't get the question out.

Xu Chaoyan woke up to the sound of a rooster crowing. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and stretched. She had slept very comfortably. It was the height of summer, and the weather was hot, making it difficult to fall asleep at night. But for some reason, she slept very soundly last night, and in her dazed state, she felt a cool breeze blowing by her side.

She stood there in a daze for a while before picking up her clothes, getting dressed, and getting up. The spot next to her was already empty. Touching the bed, which still had a little warmth left, she guessed that Meng Jiuhe had also just gotten up.

She opened the door and wandered around outside for a couple of minutes, stretching and yawning, before noticing Meng Jiuhe feeding the chickens and rabbits. A slight morning breeze blew by, and she couldn't help but shiver; it was still a bit chilly in the morning.

When Meng Jiuhe saw her looking over, he said, "I've already fed these chickens, and the hot water in the kitchen is ready. Go wash your face and wake yourself up."

Finally, he added, "It's a bit chilly in the morning, put on a coat."

Xu Chaoyan nodded, picked up the wooden basin, fetched some warm water, and called him over quickly: "You should come and wash up too, so you don't get your clothes dirty. You still have to go to school. Don't meddle in these household chores anymore. If you get up early in the morning, review yesterday's lessons. Morning is when your memory is at its best."

Meng Jiuhe closed the door to the chicken coop before carrying the basket over and speaking gently: "I had nothing to do this morning anyway, so it's no big deal to do these little chores. You and your little sister must be tired at home. I can finish my schoolwork ahead of time. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Xu Chaoyan scooped up a handful of hot water and poured it on her face, roughly washing her face. Meng Jiuhe frowned when he saw this, took a handkerchief from the side, soaked it in water, wrung it out gently, and handed it to her: "Be gentle, be careful not to rub your face raw. Wipe the water off."

Meng Jiuxia happened to come out of the house at that moment. She saw her elder brother and sister-in-law standing there very close to each other, talking about something. She wisely didn't go over to disturb them and went straight to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the day.

Every day after breakfast, Xu Chaoyan and the others would go out with Meng Jiuhe to try their luck. After being turned down several times, Xu Chaoyan began to doubt whether her method was feasible. She was torn between listening to her sister-in-law's advice and doing odd jobs for a few more days.

At least there's still income. These days, watching my coins dwindle every day is like a knife to my heart; it hurts so much.

"Fire Boy, is that you? Didn't you marry into Hongmiao Village? What are you doing here?"

The sudden sound interrupted Xu Chaoyan's thoughts. She stared blankly at the old man in front of her, looking completely bewildered.

Meng Jiuxia, standing to the side, quickly tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Does this person know you? Are they a relative of yours? And why are you called Huowa (Fire Child)?"

The man was puffing away on a pipe when he saw her looking confused, so he asked again, "Huowa, don't you know Second Uncle?"

Then he muttered to himself, "That's right, Second Uncle rarely comes out. Sigh, ever since your father remarried, Second Uncle has rarely visited your house, so it's normal that you're a bit distant with me."

"Second Uncle, hello there! Where are you headed? It's all my fault for not recognizing you at first. Please don't be angry with me." Xu Chaoyan quickly realized that she couldn't refuse a smiling face, so she greeted him first.

Second Uncle smiled kindly, then took a couple of puffs of his pipe. Seeing her worried expression, he asked, "Huowa, what's wrong? I heard you got married. Are you having a hard time? Why are you in town? Didn't your father move away? Did you suffer some mistreatment at your in-laws' house? Come, Second Uncle will stand up for you."

Xu Chaoyan smiled gently: "Second Uncle, you misunderstand. I have not been wronged. My sister-in-law, husband, and I live not far from the town."

After saying that, she looked embarrassed and was too ashamed to mention the setbacks they had encountered.

Seeing her embarrassed expression, her second uncle assumed she had been mistreated at her husband's family home, and he gave Meng Jiuxia a cold look.

Meng Jiuxia felt the unfriendly gaze directed at her. She took a step back timidly and muttered softly, "Sister-in-law, your second uncle doesn't seem very friendly to me. What did I do to offend him?"

Xu Chaoyan then said helplessly, "To be honest, my sister-in-law and I are planning to find some short-term jobs in town. My husband is still studying and we have to cover all the daily expenses, so we are struggling to manage. We want to ease the burden on our family."

Uncle looked puzzled: "When you got married, I heard that your father gave you some dowry. Besides, your husband's family was said to be doing well in the village. How come they are in such a sorry state, and you two have to come out and find work yourself? You look so thin. Uncle feels so sorry for you. When you were little, your hands and feet were chubby like lotus roots. How did you become so thin?"

Xu Chaoyan chuckled twice: "Second Uncle, what are you saying? When I was little, I was chubby and wobbled when I walked. How was that cute? Now, being slim is all the rage. Isn't my figure just right? You know about the earthquake incident last time. Something happened to my family."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Meng Jiuxia before continuing, "Now, only my husband, my sister-in-law, my parents, and my younger brother are left at home. Their whereabouts are still unknown."

When the second uncle saw the little girl's downcast expression, he quickly stopped her, saying, "It's just a coincidence that we ran into you two today. Come on, let me take you to the shop to buy some cakes and candies to take home and eat."

Xu Chaoyan never expected that her second uncle would speak to her so kindly, treating her like a child.

Feeling a little embarrassed, she quickly declined, saying, "Second Uncle, I'm not a child anymore. I'm married now and I don't eat sweets."

Second Uncle suddenly put on a stern face: "Even if you're seventy or eighty years old, you're still a child in front of me. You must accept what Second Uncle gives you. You can't refuse what your elders bestow. Back when your mother was alive, she took good care of my family. Now that she's gone, it's only right that she takes care of you as well."

"Before, it was because your father remarried that your stepmother was not very welcoming to us poor relatives. She was afraid that we would come to our door less often, so please don't overthink it."

Since her second uncle had said so, Xu Chaoyan couldn't refuse any longer. It was also a good opportunity to ask him about things in the town. Her second uncle had lived in the town his whole life and knew more people than she did.

Xu Chaoyan and Meng Jiuxia each carried a bag of candy. Their second uncle insisted on taking them back, saying that they should have a meal before going back, and that they could stay in town more often so they could visit each other more often.

Before Xu Chaoyan could even speak about the setbacks they had encountered these past few days, her second uncle managed to extract the information from Meng Jiuxia in just a few words, and then looked at her with a pained expression.

Xu Chaoyan thought to herself, "As expected, experience counts."