Chapter 71: Goodbye? 1
Lin Xu walked towards the backyard field and just as Yan Mei had said, Mo Bao and Mo Ying were working.
Mo Bao was busy carrying some baskets while Mo Ying was digging with a hoe.
Upon her arrival, they both stopped what they were doing. Mo Ying paused for a brief second, then smirked before he resumed.
Meanwhile, Mo Bao dropped the basket and ran towards his mama.
"Good morning, Mama!"
Lin Xu smiled warmly and bent down to hug Mo Bao as he wrapped his little arms tightly around her neck.
"Good morning, my little pumpkin," she said softly, rubbing his back. "You’re already helping Mo Ying so early?"
Mo Bao puffed out his chest proudly. "Of course! I’m strong now. Look, I carried two baskets all by myself!"
Lin Xu chuckled and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. "Really? Then Mama must reward you later."
At that, Mo Bao’s eyes sparkled. "Can it be a sweet bun?"
Lin Xu laughed lightly. "Yes, a sweet bun it is."
Behind them, Mo Ying leaned on his hoe, watching the two with a faint smirk. "He’s supposed to be helping me, not begging for buns."
Lin Xu glanced at him and replied teasingly, "Then maybe you should work faster. My son seems to be doing more than you."
Mo Ying raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that a challenge?"
Lin Xu crossed her arms, trying to look confident despite the faint pink rising to her cheeks. "Maybe it is."
Mo Ying chuckled and leaned closer, his voice dropping low enough for only her to hear. "Careful, Lin Xu. I always accept challenges... especially from you. Didn’t last night prove it all?"
"Y-you..." Lin Xu turned red immediately as she gently placed Mo Bao down so he wouldn’t hear something he wasn’t supposed to. "Mo Bao, run along now... go finish what you were doing."
She chased the little boy away as she then focused on Mo Ying.
Walking towards her, Mo Ying folded his hands, still smiling mischievously.
"Mo Ying, I-I never challenged you last night to do anything... you were the one who started, cough!"
"I started it? I like reciprocating things. All I did was reciprocate what was done to me. If you want, you should be thankful I didn’t go too far."
Lin Xu’s face turned crimson, and she shot him a glare sharp enough to cut through steel. "You—! H-how dare you talk about that so casually?" she stammered, clutching her sleeves in embarrassment.
Mo Ying tilted his head, pretending to think. "Casually? I thought we were just... reminiscing."
Her mouth fell open. "R-rem... reminiscing?! Mo Ying!"
He grinned wider, the corner of his lips curling up as he leaned on his hoe again. "Relax, Lin Xu. I’m only teasing you. Unless..." His gaze dropped ever so slightly, his tone lowering, "...you actually wanted me to talk about it."
She quickly turned away, covering her heated face with her sleeve. "Y-you’re insufferable! I should have let the wolves eat you back then."
Mo Ying laughed, the sound deep and genuine. "Ah, but then who would bring you food every morning? Who would carry your son when he falls asleep in the field?"
Lin Xu’s steps faltered. She turned her head slightly, lips pressing together. "...Still doesn’t mean you get to tease me like that."
Mo Ying shrugged. "Then stop making it so easy."
Sighing, Lin Xu placed her hands on her waist. "Listen... let’s just forget everything that happened last night... let everything go back to normal."
"Normal?" Mo Ying raised his brows. "What exactly is normal? This fake marriage? This fake family you have with me, Lin Xu? Because there is absolutely nothing normal about any of this." His tone got serious.
Her jaw dropped again, but before she could argue back, a small voice shouted from across the yard.
"Mama! Look! I finished carrying all the baskets!" Mo Bao called, waving his tiny arms proudly.
Lin Xu instantly composed herself, forcing a smile. "That’s wonderful, Bao’er!" She turned back to Mo Ying and whispered sharply, "We’ll continue this later."
"Wait... before you go. I have just one question to ask you..." Mo Ying asked, his tone slightly soft.
Then it changed drastically to a naughty one. "Did you enjoy it? Hahahaha!"
"Y-you!" Lin Xu turned red.
Mo Ying smirked, lowering his voice. "I’ll be waiting, Lin Xu. Maybe next time you’ll let me finish what I started—"
"Not. Another. Word." She cut him off with a fierce glare that made even him pause before she then walked away.
Mo Ying chuckled quietly, watching her retreat. "She says no, but that blush says otherwise," he muttered under his breath, then picked up the hoe again, still smiling.
**
The rest of the day, Lin Xu spent it trying out her new fishball recipe and finally it was ready.
She brought it outside, and seated in the courtyard were Mo Ying and Yan Mei, who were busy playing Go.
At the neat corner was Fuhan chopping some wood while Mo Bao narrated to his siblings how he helped Mo Ying all day in the farm without getting tired, including how Lin Xu had promised him some sweet buns later on.
"You guys... come have a little taste of my fishball," she called out as she placed the tray on the table, and the kids were the first to run towards her.
"Mama... it smells so nice, I wanna try." Mo Yuen smiled as Lin Xu took the chopsticks and placed one in his mouth.
He munched on it, and from his expression, you could tell it was to die for.
"I wanna try too," Yiling went on ahead, and Lin Xu found herself feeding the three of them.
Yan Mei also took the second chopstick to taste, while Fuhan stopped what he was doing and came to try it out.
Staring at Mo Ying, Lin Xu frowned. "Aren’t you going to try one out?"
"How can I try one without chopsticks?" He smiled as Lin Xu looked down, and all the chopsticks were gone. She was rushing out of the kitchen and only brought three pairs.
"Oh..." she muttered awkwardly. "Then wait a bit, I’ll go get another pair from the kitchen."
But before she could even turn, Mo Ying spoke, that usual teasing tone curling at the edge of his voice. "No need. You can just feed me."
Lin Xu froze. "W-what?"
Yan Mei quickly looked away, trying to hide her amused smile. Even Fuhan pretended to be focused on his fishball while the kids blinked innocently, not fully understanding.
Mo Ying leaned back in his chair, resting one arm lazily on the table. "You fed the others. It’s only fair you feed me too."
Lin Xu’s cheeks heated instantly. "You—you have hands, don’t you? Feed yourself!"
Mo Ying smirked. "I do. But I don’t have chopsticks."
Her eyes twitched. "Then—then wait a second, I’ll—"
Before she could escape, Mo Ying reached forward and held out a single fishball between his fingers, his gaze never leaving hers. "Fine. Then just give me permission to take it myself."
"Y-you’re unbelievable," she muttered, trying to look anywhere but at him.
But under everyone’s eyes, she couldn’t back away without making it awkward. Huffing, Lin Xu finally grabbed one fishball with her chopsticks, glaring at him. "Here. Now eat and stop talking."
Mo Ying leaned forward slightly, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Gladly."
He opened his mouth just enough for her to place the fishball inside. Her fingers brushed against his lips, and Lin Xu froze for a heartbeat.
He chewed slowly, clearly enjoying both the food and her reaction. "Mmm," he said after a pause. "Delicious."
Lin Xu blinked, her heart thumping. "T-the fishball?"
His smirk deepened. "Both."
Her entire face turned red. "You—!"
Yan Mei let out a tiny laugh, covering her mouth.
Mo Bao giggled loudly. "Mama’s red again!"
Mortified, Lin Xu stood up quickly, pretending to adjust the tray. "I—I’m going to get more chopsticks!" she stammered before hurrying back inside.
As she disappeared through the doorway, Mo Ying leaned back again, still smirking to himself.
Yan Mei shook her head, smiling. "You really enjoy teasing her, don’t you?"
Mo Ying glanced at the kitchen door, his expression softening for a moment. "Maybe. But it’s the only way to see that blush."
Yan Mei chuckled quietly. "You’re hopeless."
He didn’t deny it.
With that, Yan Mei cleared her throat. "Well, since we’ve eaten, we should all get ready soon."
"Ready for what?" Mo Ying asked, finally looking up.
Yan Mei grinned. "The lantern festival, of course! It’s tonight. Everyone in the village is going. There’ll be music, fireworks, and food stalls everywhere. You all should come, it’ll be beautiful."
The children gasped in excitement. "Really? Can we go?" Mo Bao shouted, running toward the kitchen to tell her.
From inside, Lin Xu’s voice came back faintly, "Wait—what festival?"
Yan Mei laughed, calling out, "The lantern festival! We’re all going tonight!"
Mo Ying flashed a serious look at Fuhan, and he understood him immediately.
After they were all done eating, they went in to get a change of clothes. Meanwhile, only Mo Ying and Fuhan remained out.
"The carriage will be out as early as 3 in the morning tomorrow. It’s time to finally go back, young master," Fuhan informed as Mo Ying had a rather relaxing expression on.
Should he be sad? Happy? He didn’t know, but one thing was for sure, he was going to be leaving someone dear.
"Will you be telling Lin Xu?" Fuhan asked curiously.
But Mo Ying shook his head. "If I tell her, she will try asking unnecessary questions. I don’t want to involve her in things that involve me. One day, once everything is settled, I’ll tell her who I truly am."