Ugly girl only wants to farm

Xu Chaoyan didn't notice at all. She just touched his hand and he was stunned. She reminded him again, "Didn't you say you were going to help me? Hurry up and take it. I still have to deal with this basin of water. It smells too fishy and will attract mosquitoes. Also, that stray cat is staring at my fish. You better hold the fish well and don't let the stray cat snatch it away."

When Xu Chaoyan placed a bowl of snow-white fish soup in front of him, Meng Jiuhe was still attracted by the aroma. The milky white fish soup was topped with emerald green scallions, and a rich fragrance wafted over. He couldn't help but praise, "This soup smells really good. Your cooking skills are excellent."

Xu Chaoyan looked smug and smiled broadly: "Of course! I fried the fish in lard first, and then put it in the soup to make it milky white. I put in a lot of effort. You have to have an extra bowl later, okay? Don't let your second uncle's good intentions go to waste."

Meng Jiuxia had eaten boiled fish at noon, and then drank a bowl of this fragrant and rich fish soup in the evening. She couldn't help but smack her lips several times.

"Sister-in-law, I never knew you were such a good cook. Your fish soup is so delicious, it's almost as good as a professional chef's."

Xu Chaoyan picked up a piece of fish and gave it to her, her face showing that she had already seen through her: "Don't flatter me, you'll have to do the dishes later."

Meng Jiuxia politely declined her enthusiasm while holding the bowl: "I can't eat, that's why I'm not flattering you. I'll wash it later."

When it was time to rest at night, Xu Chaoyan sat on the edge of the bed, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan, while Meng Jiuhe reviewed his lessons at his desk.

Xu Chaoyan then slowly recounted her encounter with her second uncle that day.

“My husband, I plan to go back to the village tomorrow.”

Meng Jiuhe closed the book in his hand and put it aside: "Then I will take a day off tomorrow and go back with you."

Xu Chaoyan walked over and gently fanned him a few times with a palm-leaf fan: "You don't need to come back with me. My sister-in-law and I will go back together. We should be back around noon."

Meng Jiu frowned again and again: "But I'm worried about you. The journey is long, so I'll go with you."

"You've only been at school for a short time, so don't take leave so easily. I'm just going to inform the craftsmen of the groundbreaking time and to have them bring their bedding and other necessities. I'm planning to clean out the storage room and turn it into a large dormitory so they can stay here and it will be more convenient for them to do things."

Meng Jiuhe tidied up the desk and took the palm-leaf fan from her to fan her: "I'm not hot."

Xu Chaoyan looked on in surprise. Her face was flushed and covered in fine beads of sweat because of the hot weather. She couldn't understand why this person was not hot at all, even though they were in the same room.

She was someone who craved coolness, and now she complained that the wind wasn't cool enough. She took a handkerchief soaked in well water and placed it on her forehead. A cool sensation spread across her forehead, and she hummed comfortably twice.

Seeing her looking like she wanted to cool off, Meng Jiuhe looked helpless. After a moment, he took it off for her and said gently, "You've forgotten the pain once the wound heals, haven't you? Don't roll around in pain next time."

He himself was unaware of the doting tone in his words, which also carried a subtle, almost imperceptible tenderness.

"Summer is so hot, I hate it the most. How's that thing I just told you?"

Meng Jiuhe tossed the handkerchief into the wooden basin beside him, looking somewhat disapproving as she carefully considered her words: "It's just you and my little sister at home. Wouldn't it be inconvenient to have several men staying at the house? It might cause some trouble."

Xu Chaoyan had thought about this issue before, but going back and forth would waste time and everyone would not get proper rest. Staying at home would be more convenient for meals and other things.

“I’ve thought about it too, but you don’t need to worry too much. They’re only staying overnight. We’ll have to deal with them a lot in the future. They’re all from the same village and basically watched you grow up. Aren’t you worried?”

The storage room was originally on one side and was also a tofu processing workshop. Zhang Xuyang's whole family knew how to make tofu, and each family had a separate room that was several feet away from their living quarters.

The vegetable garden and chicken coop were both nearby, and Meng Jiuhe didn't know how to object. He didn't like others intruding on his peaceful life, but the current situation didn't seem to allow it, so he nodded helplessly in agreement.

He was still pondering this matter while lying in bed when Xu Chaoyan was startled awake by his voice.

"When I have some free time tomorrow, I'll cut some bamboo poles and use them to fence off that room for them to live in separately. I don't want outsiders to intrude on our lives."

Xu Chaoyan glanced at him and, seeing his serious expression, could only nod in agreement: "Then I'll try my best these three days."

To be honest, she didn't really want to, mainly because it was too hot. But seeing Meng Jiu's resistant expression, she softened. This person was a bit of a germaphobe, and she had almost worn him out these past few days.

Seeing that she was sweating again, Meng Jiuhe casually raised his sleeve and wiped her sweat.

"Go to sleep?"

Xu Chaoyan felt that something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

The next day, she was awakened by a sound of talking. When she went out and saw the bamboo in the yard, she was shocked: "You brought these back so early in the morning."

Zhang Xuyang was carrying some broken branches, intending to throw them away: "Brother Meng, I heard that you plan to build a fence to enclose this area because some villagers are coming to stay for a while. I can lend a hand when I have some free time. Brother Meng said that the early bird catches the worm, so we can recite our lessons together and kill two birds with one stone."

Meng Jiuxia was also busy nearby: "Sister-in-law, the food is ready. We'll be going back to the village soon. My brother said to let you sleep a little longer, so I didn't want to disturb you."

Zhang Xuyang's parents came over from next door at this time: "Meng's wife heard that your family is having guests, so I asked her father to come and lend a hand. It's really inconvenient for just the two of you and a bunch of men to live at home all the time. Why don't you stay at my house? There's a spare room available."

Xu Chaoyan quickly declined, not wanting to trouble them any further.

The old woman held her hand and kept persuading her, "Although we're from the same village, we're all men. It's inconvenient for you two to use the toilet or take a bath at home. What if you accidentally bump into each other? It would be embarrassing. Besides, Yang'er and your husband are going to the county school. It's always inconvenient for you two to stay at home. Just think of it as someone keeping us company for free."

"You're going to the county school, when is that?"

Meng Jiuhe put down the bamboo pole in his hand and explained, "I haven't made any plans yet. The teacher mentioned it briefly, but I didn't intend to go, so I didn't say anything."

Zhang Xuyang then spoke up: "The Master did mention it, but we don't plan to go right now. First, we can't leave our families, and second, Brother Meng can't bear to leave you. There's no rush."

Xu Chaoyan thought for a moment and said, "There's really no need to rush this. The county school is far away, and our family is barely making ends meet. We'll see how to send you there next spring. The conditions here are limited, so we should plan this out carefully."

After several discussions, the group was arranged to stay in one of the Zhang family's houses. Xu Chaoyan only needed to pay the rent monthly, and the Zhang family refused to accept any payment.

Xu Chaoyan gave Meng Jiuhe a look, signaling him to handle it; they owed the Zhang family too much and didn't want to trouble them.

Three days passed in a flash. Several craftsmen arrived a day early to settle in and pack their things. They were overjoyed to see that their lodging and meals were arranged. In the past, they would just huddle on the ground with some straw to make do with their work.

Although it's a large dormitory-style dormitory now, it's clean and tidy, which makes people feel much happier.

These past few days, Xu Chaoyan had been thinking about sending him to the county school. At night, she would hold the pottery jar and count the pieces over and over again. When Meng Jiuhe saw her worried look, he quickly put it away.

“I count you several times a day. The jar won’t make money. I’m content with my life right now. I’m not in a hurry to go to the county school. It’s too far away. I can’t bear to leave you. You guys.”

Xu Chaoyan sighed, "Are you really content to stay here and accomplish nothing for the rest of your life? If you learn more, even if you don't take the imperial examinations, you can still do something else."

Meng Jiuhe naturally put his arm around her, as if they had done it a thousand times before. Xu Chaoyan finally realized what was wrong with her lately; this person seemed different.

Seeing her staring at him, Meng Jiuhe cleared his throat and said, "What's wrong? It's late, why don't you rest? Don't you need to hold someone to sleep with every night to feel at ease?" He spoke very softly.

Xu Chaoyan struggled a few times but couldn't break free. She looked disgusted and said, "It's so hot. Let go of me. I can't fall asleep without someone holding me. I'm all sweaty, so my shower was pointless."

Meng Jiuhe's dark eyes were full of displeasure, and his face was terribly gloomy. Xu Chaoyan couldn't help but shiver a few times. Summer was already very hot, but she wouldn't mind sleeping with this stove in winter.