Lin Qinghe sat outside the door for a long time. It was already dark. Fortunately, the moon was high in the sky, and its bright moonlight shone down, so Lin Qinghe was not fumbling in the dark and unable to see anything.
The oil lamp in the house had long been extinguished. You Rong and his mother must have already fallen asleep.
Lin Qinghe was full of fatigue. She had never expected that You Rong would be so unyielding and drive her out without a word.
However, thinking about what the original owner had done, even though Lin Qinghe was suffering now, she couldn't say that You Rong was entirely wrong.
Alas... who told the original owner to be so troublesome!
Thirsty and tired, Lin Qinghe fumbled all over herself and was devastated to find that she was penniless. Even if she left, she wouldn't have a place to stay.
Lin Qinghe thought for a moment and walked towards You Rong's kitchen.
She came in wanting to find some water to quench her thirst.
The kitchen was very simply constructed, spacious and empty, with only a stove, a water缸 (water vat), and a pile of firewood.
Lin Qinghe scooped up a ladle of water from the water vat and drank several large mouthfuls. The feeling of dryness and thirst slowly subsided.
Since she had nowhere to go, the pile of straw placed outside the kitchen door gave Lin Qinghe an idea.
She brought in a large bundle of straw and spread it out in the corner of the kitchen, making it a place to sleep.
Lying on the straw-covered ground, Lin Qinghe looked at the crescent moon in the night sky through the large hole in the damaged roof and felt a sense of desolation.
To think that she, a dignified golden-medal task-taker, had fallen to such a state, having to live in a kitchen, without even a bed, only able to sleep on a pile of straw.
As expected, anything related to You Rong brought her no good!
Lin Qinghe muttered under her breath, "The You Rong who lost consciousness in the system is not the real him. Don't have any good impressions of him. He is a complete scoundrel, a jinx. Getting involved with him will always bring trouble..."
Lin Qinghe cursed You Rong from head to toe, and finally, unable to resist her sleepiness, she fell asleep with her arm as a pillow.
The next morning.
As dawn broke, You Rong woke up. He, who usually fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed, had not slept well that night, perhaps due to Lin Qinghe's disturbance.
He rubbed his temples, got out of bed, washed his face with cold water in a wooden basin, and intended to go out to prepare food for the whole day.
Uncle Wang had arranged a job for him. Someone in the neighboring village was renovating a house and needed a strong person to help carry pillars. So, before You Rong went, he had to prepare all the meals for his mother for the day.
You Rong opened the door and walked out. Seeing the empty courtyard, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He had worried too much. A woman like Lin Qinghe would leave when she couldn't achieve her goal and wouldn't waste her time at his house.
You Rong walked to the kitchen and was about to start cooking when he caught sight of a huddled figure in the corner of the kitchen. He froze for a moment, then his brows furrowed tightly.
She hadn't left yet and had even made a bed out of straw in the kitchen to sleep in.
You Rong walked over with anger on his face, intending to wake Lin Qinghe up and drive her away.
When You Rong reached Lin Qinghe, he found that she was sleeping soundly. Her sleeping face was completely different from her usual appearance, looking meek and serene. He opened his mouth but inexplicably didn't make a sound.
Perhaps sensing You Rong's direct gaze, Lin Qinghe stirred, frowned, mumbled something, and slowly opened her eyes. She was awake.
Meeting You Rong's stern face, Lin Qinghe shivered violently, quickly got up from the straw pile, patted the straw off her body, and chuckled dryly, "You Rong, so early, you... you're awake."
You Rong's brows were tightly furrowed. "Why haven't you left yet?"
Lin Qinghe took a couple of steps and met You Rong's disgusted gaze. She stopped, not daring to get too close to him.
Lin Qinghe said anxiously, "I'm not leaving. I truly want to talk to you properly. I know I've made many mistakes before. Believe me, I've come back this time truly wanting to live with you!"
Facing You Rong's sarcastic eyes, Lin Qinghe immediately raised three fingers and said sincerely, "I can swear to heaven! I've come back this time truly wanting to live with you, and I'll change all the bad things from the past! I will definitely change! And then I'll take good care of our home! If I lie even a single word, I will die a terrible death!"
Lin Qinghe's oath made You Rong waver slightly, but it was fleeting. The next moment, he still insisted, "I don't want to live with you anymore. Take the divorce letter and leave quickly."
"I..."
You Rong, who was impervious to persuasion, left Lin Qinghe helpless. She racked her brains to find a way to get You Rong to agree to let her stay.
You Rong said again, "Remember to leave quickly. I won't take you in. It's useless for you to cling here!"
After speaking, You Rong turned around and started preparing the day's food. He lifted the wooden lid of the large pot, washed it, and put sweet potatoes in to boil.
Lin Qinghe naturally wasn't going to leave. She tried to please You Rong. Seeing him about to light the fire, she immediately went to the stove and squatted down to help light it, shamelessly saying, "You Rong, let me!"
You Rong's brows were tightly furrowed, and he looked at Lin Qinghe with extreme displeasure.
As if he couldn't be bothered to deal with Lin Qinghe, You Rong ignored her and turned to take out a medicine pot to brew medicine for his mother.
Lin Qinghe lit the fire and vied with You Rong to do the work, washing the bowls and chopsticks, and even sweeping the floor of the kitchen.
You Rong's brows were tightly furrowed, and his thin lips parted and closed several times, as if he were about to scold Lin Qinghe, but he finally swallowed it back with a grim face, choosing to ignore her.
Three quarters of an hour later, You Rong took the boiled sweet potatoes out and put them in a bowl.
You Rong's eyes caught a glimpse of Lin Qinghe shrinking into the corner of the kitchen, as if afraid of being driven away, trying to minimize her presence. He hesitated for a moment, then took the sweet potatoes to Lin Qinghe. Sudan Novel Network
Lin Qinghe's heart skipped a beat, thinking that You Rong was still insisting on driving her away.
She put on a pained expression, "You Rong, I really..."
Before she could finish speaking, You Rong handed her two sweet potatoes. His stern face still held a cold expression, and his tone was equally unpleasant: "Take them! Eat them and leave quickly! No matter what you say, my decision is made, and I won't change it!"
You Rong disdainfully stuffed the sweet potatoes into Lin Qinghe's hand and then entered the house with his mother's medicine and sweet potatoes.
Lin Qinghe, holding the still hot sweet potatoes in her hand, felt inexplicably relieved.
She could tell that You Rong was someone who was harsh on the outside but soft on the inside. He was inherently kind and honest. If she put in more effort and wore him down, she didn't believe he could truly have the heart to drive her away!
Lin Qinghe happily ate one sweet potato and put the remaining one back into the large pot.
The family was poor, and they usually didn't have enough to eat. You Rong was an adult man and would likely be working in the fields later, so his appetite would be larger than hers. She'd save it for him.
Two quarters of an hour later, Lin Qinghe was still in the kitchen, contemplating how to soften You Rong into letting her stay, when she heard someone outside calling You Rong's name.
She walked out and saw a middle-aged man in his early forties standing outside the fence of the courtyard.
You Rong also came out of the house and met Lin Qinghe's gaze. You Rong stopped, his brows tightly knit.
The man outside said, "You Rong, hurry up, or you'll be late for work!"
"Uncle Wang! I know. You go ahead, I'll catch up to you by running!"
"Alas! Alright, then hurry up!"
Uncle Wang left. You Rong, with a grim face, looked at Lin Qinghe and warned, "I'm going out now. You'd better leave quickly! And don't have any wicked ideas. I have all the money on me, so you can't steal it!"
Lin Qinghe's face was embarrassed, and she hurriedly explained, "I won't! You Rong, believe me, I really won't do that this time!"
Facing Lin Qinghe's explanation, You Rong snorted dismissively. He withdrew his gaze and strode away.