Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
By the time dusk approached, the house was finally tidied up. Chen Haoxuan initially intended to just clean up casually because he didn't want to live in such a place for long. If he were to stay in this small village, he would rather tear down the house and rebuild it.
In the past, Chen Haoxuan rarely returned home, even during holidays, as he needed to earn money to support his studies. As a result, his current home lacked basic necessities like oil, salt, rice, and vegetables. With no other option, Chen Haoxuan had to shamelessly go to Chen Yina's house for meals and return to his own house to sleep.
The countryside was different from the city; while city nights were filled only with the sounds of passing vehicles, rural nights were alive with the calls of various insects and animals. Although these sounds were natural, being alone in such a large house made Chen Haoxuan feel quite empty.
The next morning, Chen Haoxuan woke up early. He was still not accustomed to living in this unfamiliar home. After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he stepped outside, thinking he had woken up early enough. To his surprise, he found that Chen Yina's family was already busy with their chores. Chen Yina and her mother were cleaning vegetables at the doorstep, while her brother Chen Feng was chopping wood nearby. Their father was nowhere to be seen; he was probably still asleep due to his poor health.
"Good morning, everyone!" Chen Haoxuan greeted them with a bright smile.
"Morning! Brother Xuan! Good morning, Xuan Ge!" Chen Yina's family responded warmly.
With nothing much to do, Chen Haoxuan walked over to Chen Feng and said, "Xiao Feng, let me help you chop some wood!" He thought it would be a good way to exercise; otherwise, if he encountered another situation like last time, he would be in trouble.
Chen Feng was quite handsome, only slightly less so than Chen Haoxuan. However, he had his own advantages—his bronze skin made him look very manly, unlike Chen Haoxuan's fair complexion that gave him a delicate appearance.
Chen Feng waved one hand at Chen Haoxuan and said, "No need! I can chop it myself; I don't have anything else to do right now."
"Nana, let me help you wash the vegetables!" Chen Haoxuan then walked over to where Chen Yina and her mother were working.
"Brother Xuan, I think you're just bored since you have nothing to do. If you're really free, I suggest you take a stroll around the village to familiarize yourself with it. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing if you didn't even know what your own village looked like!" Chen Yina joked.
Noticing that all the vegetables they were cleaning had no meat at all, Chen Haoxuan realized that Yina's family must be trying to save money. So he decided to wander around the village and see if there were any places selling vegetables. Chen Family Village wasn't too big or too small; with about a thousand households in total, it could be considered a large village in the area.
An hour later, Chen Haoxuan returned carrying five pounds of pork and one pound of beef. He had been eating and drinking for free at Chen Yina's house, and he felt a bit embarrassed not to buy some ingredients.
With one hand holding the pork and the other the beef, Chen Haoxuan said to Chen Yina and Li Ping, "I'll cook breakfast today." Although he wasn't used to eating breakfast, he had no choice in the countryside where meals were limited, and Chen Yina's family was accustomed to having breakfast. If they ate something else, they wouldn't have the energy to work.
"I'll do it instead!" Chen Yina smiled, feeling a bit shy about letting Chen Haoxuan cook. She was no longer surprised by how much he bought; back in New City, he often bought lobsters!
"Xuan! Why did you buy so much meat all of a sudden?" Li Ping said with concern, accustomed to being frugal.
"It's fine; the meat here is very cheap and fresh. Look, all this only costs a few dozen yuan," Chen Haoxuan replied with a carefree smile.
Carrying two strings of meat, Chen Haoxuan walked into Chen Yina's kitchen. Once inside, he called out, "Nana, how do you use your kitchen?"
Hearing his voice, Chen Yina rushed into the kitchen and happily taught him how to use it. The stove in her house burned wood. Chen Haoxuan knew how to use it; he just wasn't sure where to put the various seasonings.
After cutting up the pork and beef, Chen Haoxuan started cooking while Chen Yina helped him tend the fire. They worked together seamlessly, and even before the food was fully cooked, delightful aromas filled the air.
Seeing how close Chen Haoxuan and Chen Yina were, Li Ping thought to herself, "If only Xuan could be my son-in-law." She only entertained this thought knowing it was impossible because Chen Haoxuan was too handsome while her daughter was not. If she knew that Chen Haoxuan had already created a remedy to eliminate her daughter's scars and acne, she would surely be overjoyed.
When Chen Yina's family tasted the dishes made by Chen Haoxuan's own hands, they were all astonished. They had eaten his cooking before, but compared to now, it was like comparing heaven and earth.
After breakfast, Chen Haoxuan asked Chen Yina to take him around Chen Family Village. He had only wandered around the village casually and hadn't explored outside yet!
Originally, Chen Yina planned to help her family with transplanting rice seedlings, but after thinking it over, she decided to accompany Chen Haoxuan instead. He didn't realize it was time for transplanting; he thought it was still April. If he had known that Chen Yina's family was busy with that task, he certainly wouldn't have asked her to go out with him.
The delay in planting rice is due to this year's weather issues. In previous years, by this time, people would have already started wearing shirts.
Chen Yina acted like a very competent tour guide; whenever she saw a house or a person, she would introduce them to Chen Haoxuan. Unconsciously, Chen Haoxuan and Chen Yina arrived in front of a four-story Small Villa. They had almost made a complete circle around Chen Family Village, and this was the most luxurious house in the village. Chen Haoxuan asked Chen Yina, "Nana, whose house is this?"
Chen Yina quickly pulled Chen Haoxuan away and explained as they walked, "That's your brother Chen Haorong's. Your parents also live there."
"Why are you in such a hurry to pull me away? I want to see what my family looks like!" Chen Haoxuan said.
"Brother Xuan, have you forgotten what I told you before? Your family doesn't treat you well. Otherwise, why do they live in a mansion, drive nice cars, and wear gold and silver while you live in a shabby old house and have to work hard to pay for your tuition?" Chen Yina explained. Thinking back on how Chen Haoxuan's family treated him made her angry; how could his own relatives treat him like that?
"Can I at least take a distant look at them?" Chen Haoxuan pleaded. He was indeed curious about his family. He couldn't understand why, despite being healthy and handsome—though he was a bit foolish in the past—they would abandon him like that.
Comment 0 Comment Count