"Manman, you're too skinny. You need some nourishment." Hearing Xiao Yiming's words, Luo Manman did not refute anymore, and felt even more touched in his heart.
After collecting the clothes, he tidied up the sleeping kang s one by one.
He went to the kitchen, washed the mushrooms and cut them into chopped spring onions and ginger.
By this time, Xiao Yiming had already cleaned up the hen and the things inside the chicken stomach had also been cleaned up cleanly.
"Let me do it." Luo Manman took it and cut the hen into pieces.
"Then I'll go and light the fire." Xiao Yiming added a few pieces of dried wood into the cave, and the flames continued to burn vigorously.
Luo Manman put some oil in the wok, some green onion and ginger, stir-fry it more or less, and then stir-fry the mushrooms. When it was about time, he scooped some water from the water vat and poured it into the wok.
After covering the pot with the lid, Luo Manman glanced at Xiao Yiming and saw him staring at him with his blazing gaze.
Her face heated up as she avoided his gaze. She then saw him say, "Wifey, you're really capable."
Seeing that his wife was embarra.s.sed, Xiao Yiming did not tease her anymore. The stewed chicken needed a few more hours, so he added some more firewood and pulled a few more bellows to increase the intensity of the fire.
Seeing that it was about time, Luo Manman added salt and started to dig for rice to cook.
At this moment, Xiao Yiming came over to help him. Luo Manman hurriedly pushed him away and said, "Let me do it. You have been busy all day, you must be tired."
Xiao Yiming pushed him with his words. At first, he did not move, but later, he suddenly stood up, causing Luo Manman to be unprepared. With her unstable center of gravity, she stepped on a log of firewood and was about to fall onto the ground, when a pair of large hands pulled her into their embrace.
Xiao Yiming's wide embrace gave her a sense of security, and the sweat on his body did not make Luo Manman frown either. Instead, it made his feel that he was diligent.
The two of them maintained this posture for a short while, and Xiao Yiming seemed to enjoy such intimate contact. Then, he regained his senses after Luo Manman coughed lightly, "Manman, are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine. Let me cook."
"Alright, I'll clean up the wood in the front yard. After the firewood from the stove hole turns into charcoal, you can put it in this jar."
"Alright." After Xiao Yiming finished explaining, he touched Luo Manman's hair and laughed as he went to the front yard to pack up.
The little chicken stewed with mushrooms for around two hours before the fragrance filled the entire room. There were pieces of charcoal with sparks from the fire in the kitchen stove as Luo Manman placed them into the jar one by one.
"Aunt, it's time for dinner."
"It's here, my wife." Soon, the family of three gathered around the table, eating delicious and luxurious chicken stewed mushrooms.
There were three big bowls of chicken and soup in the pot. The fragrance filled the air, causing one's stomach to rumble with hunger.
Xiao Yiming even used his chopsticks to give Luo Manman a piece of fat chicken as he said, "Manman, don't be so polite at home, you must be hungry, eat quickly."
After saying that, he looked over and saw Xiao Niang looking at him. After being stunned, he quickly picked up a piece of meat and pa.s.sed it to his mother. "Mother, you eat it.
Seeing that Xiao Niang did not make a sound, he must be thinking about his own decision.
After all, the hens at home were pretty good at laying eggs. They were expensive to sell, and could sell for some money every time they brought a chicken to the market.
However, his wife was too thin. It was obvious that she was undernourished. She was well-prepared at home, so she had to make up for it.
"Manman, come and drink a bowl of chicken soup. You're too skinny. Eat more and make up for it." Xiao Niang smiled as he scooped a bowl of soup in front of Luo Manman, as though he was thinking about something.
"En, then you should eat too, auntie. I'll do it myself." Luo Manman's appet.i.te was very good, and she made an exception to eat another bowl of rice.
Xiao Niang laughed all the time, as if he could see the fat grandson landing heavily on the ground.
After finishing his meal, Luo Manman was still the one who had to clean up the tableware. He put the extra chicken stewed with mushrooms into the wood kitchen cabinet.
Fortunately, it was still early summer and not particularly hot yet. It wouldn't be bad if he ate more food.
As night fell, the entire mountain village became quiet. At the top of the mountain, there were a few stars that were blinking.
If it was in the past, Xiao Yiming would listen to the villagers chatter under the great banyan tree at the village entrance. At this time, he only wanted to go to the river bank to take a bath, then come back early to chat with Luo Manman.
When Luo Manman walked out of the courtyard, she saw Xiao Yiming bringing a wooden bucket and a towel out. He had already taken off her shirt, revealing her wheat coloured fine clothes at her waist.
It was a standard six abs. He couldn't tell that this fellow's figure was so impressive. This was the legendary style of clothing, and taking off his clothes must have skin and bones.
"You …" Luo Manman was caught off guard, but when she saw the man in front of him, she couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
Luo Manman, what's going on in your mind?
Seeing her lower her head in shyness, Xiao Yiming could not help but want to see more carefully.
After these past few days of nourishment, although his wife's skin was dark, her face was a little oily. However, what was that layer of red on her face?
He walked in and called out, "Wifey, what are you thinking about?"
Seeing that Luo Manman did not say anything, her voice became louder, "Wifey …"
"Ah …" Luo Manman raised her head and saw the enlarged handsome face, and could not help but shout out.
"I …" She would never admit that she was daydreaming.
"Wife, I'm going to bathe by the river. Do you want to come with me?" Xiao Yiming saw her embarra.s.sed look, and joked.
"You, if you want to go wash, then go. I'll just do it at home." Luo Manman stomped her feet in shame. After saying that, she ran to the kitchen to boil some hot water for a bath.
Xiao Yiming laughed, then took the wooden bucket and left. After working for the day, he was drenched in sweat, the water in the creek was cool and comfortable.
Xiao Yiming stepped on the road in the countryside, facing the cool evening breeze, feeling satisfied.
They meandered along the edge of the field until they came to a small stream by the Juan Creek.
The sky was a little dark, so it was difficult to see the manor clearly. However, it was possible to see several villagers washing their bodies by the stream with their bare arms.
"Yiming, hey, you came so early today." Some villagers joked.
"Mhmm, I just finished eating. I thought I'd come early to wash up since there weren't many people here." Xiao Yiming replied.
The shifty w.a.n.g Ergou grinned: "Brother Liu Shan, you don't know about this. Wash early and go home, you can get on the brick bed with your wife …"
Hahaha … Everyone burst into laughter.
Xiao Yiming's face stiffened: What nonsense are you talking about?
"I'm just spouting nonsense. Aiyo, you should stop pretending. Everyone here is a man, what's there to be embarra.s.sed about?" "What are you pretending for? You've been a bachelor for more than twenty years, and now you're finally free. How about it, although your wife isn't good-looking, but the taste should be good right?" w.a.n.g Ergou continued to laugh, his laugh was very ambiguous.
"w.a.n.g Ergou, this is a couple's business, don't talk about it." Liu Shan said in all seriousness, as if he understood what was going on.
The newlyweds? There was always a lot of it.
"Alright, stop talking. Once you're done bathing, give me a spot." Xiao Yiming's face was still stiff.
"Oh, you can't joke around anymore. I say, Xiao Yiming, it can't be that you haven't settled your wife yet, right?" w.a.n.g Ergou guessed as he saw Yue Yang's red face.
"Yuming, I'm done washing. Come to my place to wash up." Liu Shan tied his jacket to his waist, put on a pair of underpants, filled a bucket of water and turned around to leave.
Once Liu Shan left, only the w.a.n.g Ergou and Xiao Yiming remained by the river.
"I say, Xiao Yiming, you really didn't manage to finish it, what's wrong with you? Are you not going to take the initiative or not? "
Honestly speaking, if it was his wife, he really wouldn't be able to eat her. However, when necessary, he could still eat her.
This new wife had already been at the Xiao family for three or four days, and Xiao Yiming did not even touch her? Was there something wrong with him? Or did he regret buying an ugly wife?
"Does this have anything to do with you?" Xiao Yiming did not bother to pay attention to him, his legs stepping into the stream, he began to wash himself.
"Didn't I care about you? "You know, do you regret buying it?" w.a.n.g Ergou did not give up and asked. Who told him to be so curious?
If you regret it, you can sell it to someone else.
"No." The sound of flowing water could be heard in the stream.
"Or can't you?" w.a.n.g Ergou's words did not stop until one was shocked to death.
"That's not it, I say, w.a.n.g Ergou, are you annoyed? If you're done washing, then scram, and if you can't even wash your body, no wonder you can't get a wife." Xiao Yiming was getting impatient.
"Oh, angry, I can't marry a wife? How many miles is my daughter-in-law?
I say, since Xiao Yiming has married his wife, let's quickly do it, free of charge.
The w.a.n.g Ergou shook his head, silently holding the wooden bucket, and leisurely walked away while whistling.
w.a.n.g Ergou's mouth was really broken, but after hearing his words, he remembered that her daughter-in-law looked embarra.s.sed at night, maybe her daughter-in-law would also wait for him to take the initiative.
When Xiao Yiming thought here, he was elated. Just as he finished washing up, he heard light footsteps coming from the side of the gra.s.s.
"Who?" Doesn't sound like a man's footsteps? Xiao Yiming was already standing on the sh.o.r.e. Just as he was about to return with the bucket filled with water, he saw a slender figure flash past.
"It's me, Yuming."
"What are you doing here? Could it be that you've been hiding here all this time, watching a man bathe, so that a young lady wouldn't be ashamed of her family? " Xiao Yiming's tone was ice-cold, and his expression did not look good.
"Hey, Yuming, how can you say that about me? I just pa.s.sed by the village entrance and w.a.n.g Ergou said you were here, that's why I … " Qiu Ju kept rubbing her hands together as she explained in a embarra.s.sed and angry manner.
Xiao Yiming was too lazy to listen to her explanation, just as he was about to walk over with the barrel, he saw Qiu Ju spreading her arms wide to block his path: "Yuming, don't leave in a hurry, I have something to tell you."
"Get out of the way, don't block the way." My wife is still waiting for me at home. " Xiao Yiming stressed the word wife very much.
She didn't want to have too much interaction with her. If she were to be seen by other villagers later, there would be many rumors and gossip tomorrow.
He was fine, it would be a crime to ruin the reputation of this girl.