Ugly girl only wants to farm

Under the dim light of the oil lamp, a graceful shadow was cast on the cloth.

Xu Chaoyan stared blankly at the large wooden tub. Her family was really too poor; they used this one wooden tub for washing clothes and bathing. She really wanted to take a comfortable bath in a wooden tub.

Although the windows in the room were tightly closed, she still felt that a draft would seep in. She quickly cleaned herself up and came out with her hair still wet.

As she walked, she wiped her hair: "Take off your outer garment and stick your hair up. I'll give you a bath to cleanse yourself and wash away all the bad luck of the past year so you can welcome the new year."

She continued talking to herself, while Meng Jiuhe's earlobes turned bright red, and he sat there without moving. Although Xu Chaoyan had wiped his body before, that was when he was unconscious. These days, with Meng Jiudong's help, he had simply wiped his body.

Xu Chaoyan brought in some more hot water for him. Seeing that he was still sitting there without moving, she looked puzzled: "Didn't I just tell you to take off your outer garment? Why are you sitting there? Do you need me to help you?"

After she finished speaking, she reached out to take off his outer garment, but Meng Jiuhe grabbed her hand and said, "Um, this, I, you, you, no need."

Xu Chaoyan listened to her rambling on for a long time without getting to the point, then simply draped the cloth over her shoulder and said, "What do you mean by 'you' and 'me'? What's there to be shy about? It's not like I haven't washed you before."

After saying that, she went to take off his outer robe: "Just sit on this bed and don't move. I'll wipe you down. It's freezing cold, be careful not to catch a cold."

Meng Jiuhe lowered his head, as if making a final compromise, and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "Then can you turn off the light?"

Xu Chaoyan almost dropped the handkerchief in her hand: "This oil lamp is already flickering, and you want me to turn it off before you wipe it? I can't guarantee I won't touch places I shouldn't touch."

Meng Jiuhe glanced at her, as if struggling internally, and finally gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and said, "Then hurry up and wipe it. Turn your back and turn off the light first."

Xu Chaoyan had a smug look on her face: "That's right, it's just taking a bath, what's the big deal? I've seen all of your body, why are you being shy?"

Meng Jiuhe gripped the blankets so tightly that his fingers turned white, and his face was completely red.

Xu Chaoyan used a warm handkerchief to wipe Meng Jiuhe's arms, shoulders and back. She had just glanced at him and was surprised to find that the man's skin was quite fair, which made her extremely jealous. What's the point of a grown man being so fair-skinned? Is he going to be a gigolo?

When she reached down further, Meng Jiuhe quickly stopped her: "No need for your legs, I can reach them myself."

Xu Chaoyan rolled her eyes at him: "If you can, then bend down and let me see."

Amid Meng Jiuhe's protests, Xu Chaoyan rolled up his trouser leg. His leg injury hadn't been long, and his leg muscles were still quite strong. Seeing this, she couldn't help but chuckle and pinched his calf.

Meng Jiuhe looked up at her, somewhat embarrassed and angry. Xu Chaoyan chuckled twice to cover her embarrassment: "I heard the doctor say last time that you need to massage your leg often to check if there is any necrosis of the leg muscles. I just tried it and your flesh is quite firm. It seems that my massage is quite effective. I will massage you for half an hour every day from now on, and your leg can recover sooner."

Meng Jiuhe heard the fleeting smile on her lips. He suspected that Xu Chaoyan was doing it on purpose, trying to take advantage of him, but he couldn't find any evidence. In the end, he could only let Xu Chaoyan do whatever she wanted on his lap.

Xu Chaoyan was sweating profusely from exhaustion, but the man was still sitting there looking at her with a face full of shame and indignation. She had almost tripped and fallen because she couldn't see clearly, so she went over and lit the lamp.

Meng Jiuhe's expression was rather unpleasant at this moment, and his cold tone was like frost: "Tell me, are you doing this on purpose?"

Xu Chaoyan took a new set of undergarments and helped him change. While tying the belt for him, she explained, "This is a new undergarment I bought for you yesterday. The fabric is very comfortable. You must not tell anyone that you are wearing it. Otherwise, your sister-in-law will be furious with me and say that I wasted money on these useless things. The most intimate clothes worn underneath must be comfortable."

Meng Jiu stopped struggling and let her do as she pleased, then muttered, "It is indeed a bit wasteful. Why buy me so many things? The ones I had before were fine enough."

Xu Chaoyan pulled out his clothes and waved them in front of him: "You mean this? What's the difference between it and a rag? You made money writing Spring Festival couplets the other day, so consider it a New Year's gift."

Xu Chaoyan had fallen into a deep sleep that night. Meng Jiuhe listened to her even breathing and fell into deep thought, touching the newly bought undergarment in his hand, his mind filled with many thoughts.

He didn't seem to hate her as much anymore, and her face didn't look so scary anymore. He originally wanted to take the leg off him, but he pulled his hand back halfway.

Early morning of the 31st

Xu Chaoyan, unusually, got up early and grabbed a handful of candy for Meng Jiudong, asking him to be her cook. Today was New Year's Eve, and families with the means had already prepared cured meat and game.

She planned to cook a pot of bone broth with radish, slice a plate of dried tofu, and also slice a plate of blood tofu. She bought a small pot of wine for Meng's father in town to reward him for the many wounds he had gotten on his hands from weaving bamboo these days.

Before lunch, they had to pay respects to their ancestors. Li San Niang got up early in the morning and was busy cooking pork belly and millet rice. This year was a bit special because Meng's father's legs had not recovered properly, so only the male member Meng Jiu Dong could lead them to pay respects.

Li Sanniang was handing over the bamboo basket, repeatedly reminding him, "Jiudong, you must be careful and don't go the wrong way. Your father took you there in previous years, you should remember, right?"

Meng Jiudong patted his chest and assured, "I will definitely complete the mission."

Li San Niang was still worried: "This year, only the three of you children will go. Remember to ask the ancestors not to blame you and to bless your eldest brother to recover soon and for the family to have good weather and abundant harvests next year."

Xu Chaoyan took the basket: "Mother, can you give it to me? My little brother can't carry it, we'll be careful."

Meng Jiuxia walked ahead, holding a sickle: "Mother, if you're really worried, why don't you come with us?"

Li San Niang glanced at the house with a worried look on her face: "If it weren't for the fact that your eldest brother and father can't be left alone, I would go with you. No one goes up that mountain all year round, and I'm afraid you'll get lost."

The three of them carried their things up the mountain. At first, it went smoothly, but then they started climbing along the path. Meng Jiuxia was panting heavily as she stood to the side.

Xu Chaoyan: Ancestors, can you give me a location? Is there a shortcut? Do you still want to make offerings for the New Year? We've climbed all this way and haven't even found the ancestors yet. Are we going to exhaust them to death first?

Note: The information regarding New Year's Eve is based on my hometown's date.