After quickly wiping herself clean, Lin Qinghe called You Rong back into the room, extinguished the lit oil lamp, and the two lay down to sleep.
In the darkness, Lin Qinghe looked at You Rong's broad back and sighed silently before closing her eyes to sleep.
No matter how she looked at it, this You Rong was a tough nut to crack, and she would need to summon all her energy to face him.
Tired from a whole day's work, Lin Qinghe's breathing soon stabilized, and she fell into a deep sleep.
You Rong, his back to Lin Qinghe, turned over, staring at Lin Qinghe in the darkness, lost in thought.
The next morning.
Accompanied by the crowing of a few roosters outside, Lin Qinghe nudged her pillow and opened her eyes, still groggy with sleep.
It was still dimly lit, and she was naturally sleepy, but she had to get up and make breakfast for You Rong.
Lin Qinghe carefully lifted the quilt, sat up, and first checked her right foot. She found that the sprain had improved significantly, and most of the swelling had subsided. However, it would still hurt a bit when she walked.
After tidying her clothes, Lin Qinghe looked at the sleeping You Rong, a little troubled.
She had to get off the bed, and You Rong would have to move aside first. With her sprained right foot, she wasn't confident she could step out without bumping into him.
Should she wake You Rong up?
Just as Lin Qinghe was fretting, You Rong woke up.
Lin Qinghe met his deep eyes, startled, and stammered slightly, "You... you're awake."
You Rong nodded slightly and said, "En," then sat up, put on his outer clothes from beside the bed, and said in a low voice, "I'll make breakfast."
"No need! You sleep a little longer, I'll do it!"
You Rong remained silent, his gaze falling on Lin Qinghe's right foot.
Lin Qinghe understood his meaning and said with a smile, "My right foot is fine. It's much better. It might still hurt a little to walk, but making breakfast is no problem."
After speaking, Lin Qinghe got out of bed. To prove her words, she tried to walk a few steps. Her gait was a bit uneven, but it wasn't like yesterday when she couldn't even stand.
"See, I'm fine. Then... you sleep a bit longer, and I'll make breakfast."
Watching Lin Qinghe's retreating back as she left the room, You Rong thoughtfully lowered his eyes. After a moment, he got up and walked out.
In the kitchen, Lin Qinghe was mixing flour in a clay basin. She planned to render the pork lard she bought yesterday to use for stir-frying. She would chop the cracklings finely and pick some wild scallions from outside to make a crackling and scallion pancake for breakfast. As for the pork, she had black beans at home, which she could stew with pork that evening and save some for later to stew with other dishes.
Just as Lin Qinghe scooped out some flour, she turned around and saw You Rong, startling her. She asked, "Why are you up too? Shouldn't you be sleeping longer?"
You Rong's expression was calm. "I'm used to waking up early. I couldn't sleep." He scanned the kitchen and walked over to pick up the wooden bucket. "The water in the缸 is gone. I'll go fill it."
After speaking, You Rong picked up the wooden bucket and left.
Lin Qinghe didn't dare to overthink it. She assumed You Rong saw that her mobility was limited and she couldn't fetch water, making it inconvenient for You Rong's mother to use water at home, so he took the initiative to fill it. After all, he definitely wouldn't do it for her.
As she thought about it, Lin Qinghe frowned again, worrying about the stagnant progress bar.
She shook her head and mumbled, "Forget it, don't think about it. Let's make breakfast first. Don't let You Rong miss breakfast and have to go do odd jobs."
You Rong filled the water bucket in the kitchen, and Lin Qinghe had already rendered the lard. She chopped the cracklings finely and fried them into scallion pancakes. Then, she boiled a pot of sweet potato soup to go with the pancakes.
Seeing You Rong return, she smiled, "Breakfast is ready. Put down the bucket, wash your hands, and then come and eat."
You Rong nodded, indicating he understood.
Lin Qinghe walked out and looked at the cabbage planted in the yard, muttering, "I need to water this today, otherwise the ground will be too dry, and the cabbage won't grow..."
After her mumble, she went into the front room. You Rong heard every word and picked up the wooden bucket to fetch water again.
Lin Qinghe waited for You Rong for a long time, letting You Rong's mother eat first. She then went out to see You Rong returning with water and watering the cabbage patch she had planted.
Lin Qinghe hurried over and said, "You Rong, don't bother. I'll water it myself when I have time at noon. Hurry inside and eat breakfast, or you'll be late for your odd jobs."
You Rong panted slightly, "Just a little more. I'll eat after I finish."
Lin Qinghe couldn't persuade You Rong, so she let him be.
After watering, they both went inside to sit down and eat. You Rong's mother repeatedly praised Lin Qinghe's cooking, saying how delicious everything was.
Lin Qinghe smiled and put a piece of pancake into You Rong's mother's bowl. "Mother, eat more if you like it. I have some leftover cracklings and wild vegetables at home. I'll chop them up and make dumplings for you at noon."
Seeing Lin Qinghe becoming more and more like a wife, You Rong's mother smiled with delight, nodding repeatedly, "Good, good..."
When Lin Qinghe was serving You Rong's mother, she hesitated for a moment and then put a piece of pancake into You Rong's bowl. You Rong didn't say anything but looked up at her, as if asking why.
Lin Qinghe quickly lowered her head and ate, feigning ignorance.
She thought You Rong would disdainfully take it back, but unexpectedly, he ate it. Although he ate it with a poker face, Lin Qinghe still felt it was good progress, and the corners of her mouth turned up involuntarily.
Looking at the scene before her, You Rong's mother was full of relief, her smile deepening.
After breakfast, Uncle Wang came to call You Rong to go out. Before leaving, You Rong reminded his mother to take her medicine and then looked at Lin Qinghe. His gaze drifted down to her right foot and he said, "Remember to reapply the medicinal oil to your foot."
You Rong left after speaking. Lin Qinghe stood frozen for a long time before reacting. Her eyes lit up, and when she checked the system's progress bar, the smile on her face instantly froze.
Lin Qinghe was almost on the verge of collapse.
You Rong, do you have a heart?!
Even with all this, the progress bar still hasn't increased? Is this reasonable?!
While You Rong was away for the whole day, Lin Qinghe's legs and feet were inconvenient, and she couldn't do much work. She went through You Rong's clothes and mended all the torn ones. Soudu Novel Network
Lin Qinghe noticed that You Rong didn't have many clothes, just the same few. The weather was already getting cool, and it would soon be cold. He didn't have any decent, thick clothes.
Not only did You Rong lack them, but You Rong's mother did too, and Lin Qinghe herself also lacked them.
Lin Qinghe thought she should find someone to make some thick clothes before it got cold, but thinking of the mere hundred coins she had, she became worried.
She wanted to do something to make a living, but she didn't even have the initial capital.
"Alas--" Lin Qinghe sighed repeatedly, racking her brain, but couldn't think of any small business that could earn money without capital.
One day passed. By the time You Rong returned, it was already dark. After checking on You Rong's mother, he went back to his room to change his dirty clothes. Lin Qinghe came in, holding a bowl of steaming stewed pork with wild vegetables.
"I made this meat dish today and specifically saved it for you. I also saved a few dumplings I made at noon for you. Try it quickly..."
You Rong's eyes flickered. "...No need. I've already had dinner at the employer's house."
Even though he had eaten, in such a poor era, no one would prepare meat dishes to entertain hired help. Being provided with enough steamed buns and flatbreads was already quite good.
Lin Qinghe insisted on thrusting the large bowl into You Rong's hand and said, "Eat it quickly. Mother and I have already eaten. This is specially saved for you. You work so hard doing manual labor outside, how can you not eat more good food to replenish yourself? Eat quickly..."
You Rong hesitated for a moment and then picked up his chopsticks and ate.
Eating the fragrant dumplings, You Rong had a moment of daze. He... hadn't eaten anything so delicious in a long time.
He had painstakingly saved money to buy medicine for his mother, and he couldn't even afford to buy rice and flour, let alone meat.
Lin Qinghe watched You Rong eat, uncontrollably swallowing her saliva, her face suddenly flushing red.
You Rong didn't hear her swallow, did he?
This is too embarrassing!
However, Lin Qinghe couldn't be blamed entirely. She had been controlling her appetite, fearing that if she ate too much, there wouldn't be enough for You Rong's mother and You Rong. She hadn't eaten her fill in the past few days. Today, she had made a meat dish, thinking that You Rong and his mother should eat more, so she hadn't eaten much herself.
Seeing You Rong eating so heartily now, she unconsciously swallowed.
With a flushed face, Lin Qinghe said awkwardly, "Um... the water is boiling in the kitchen. I'll go check!"
Just as she was about to leave, You Rong suddenly called out, "Wait."
Hearing him call, Lin Qinghe didn't stand up and instinctively turned to look at him. "What's wrong... Mmm..."
Lin Qinghe had a dumpling stuffed into her mouth. She froze and blinked at You Rong, confused.
You Rong said, "I've already eaten dinner, so I can't eat that much. Don't waste it."
Is that so?
Although Lin Qinghe doubted it, the dumpling was already in her mouth, and she couldn't spit it out, so she ate it.
After she swallowed, You Rong picked up a piece of meat from the stew and put it into her mouth, with the same reason: "...Don't waste it."
Lin Qinghe got used to it and didn't find it strange anymore. She accepted any food You Rong brought to her mouth.
As they ate, one bite at a time, You Rong's eyes flickered.
The daily interactions between a husband and wife seemed to be like this...