"I'll go boil water,"
Shen Yue went to the stove and placed the water on the small stove to heat, also cooking a bowl of porridge.
Grandma's health had been declining lately, she was increasingly drowsy and could only consume liquids. Solid food was difficult to digest.
The kettle on the stove soon began to bubble. Shen Yue poured the boiling hot water from the kettle into a wooden bucket, added a basin of cold water, and carried it to the woodshed in two trips.
Qi Rui was still sitting on the stool, sweating profusely. He held a fan and fanned himself vigorously.
The young man frowned, speaking with a touch of arrogance, "Is the water ready yet?"
The room was stuffy at night, like a furnace. The fan he was holding squeaked loudly as he fanned it, as if it would break at any moment.
Shen Yue replied, "It's ready, in the woodshed."
She then pointed to a spot. Qi Rui picked up his clothes and went over.
Inside the enclosure were two pigs. Shen Yue put the pig feed in and refilled their water basins.
The two fat pigs were eating with gusto, and Shen Yue watched them from the side, her eyes glistening.
They looked so delicious. Shen Yue hadn't eaten meat in months and was so hungry her mouth was watering.
After feeding the pigs, Shen Yue dished out the porridge from the kitchen. Grandma had just woken up.
"Is the young master of the Qi family here?" Grandma's complexion was poor, looking listless.
Shen Yue lowered her eyes and nodded.
Grandma sighed, "Then you must serve him well. This young master has a bad temper. You should stay out of his sight as much as possible. The Qi family is not someone we can afford to offend."
The girl nodded obediently, her eyelashes long. "I know, Grandma."
After finishing the porridge, without saying another word, Grandma felt sleepy again and dozed off. She said she was ill and it was inconvenient to appear before Qi Rui. After all, old people were somewhat superstitious and feared transmitting their illness.
Shen Yue brought a basin of hot water to wipe Grandma down, then heated water to bathe herself.
---
Shen Yue's biological clock was well-established. She woke up precisely at six o'clock. The morning air was not as hot. Shen Yue put on a white short-sleeved shirt and started cooking.
Qi Rui was woken by the unusually loud crowing of roosters, one after another, incessantly.
It had been very hot yesterday, and Qi Rui had tossed and turned for a long time, only managing to fall asleep in the dead of night.
When he was woken, his eyes were bloodshot, and a palpable low-pressure aura surrounded him, making it hard to breathe.
Qi Rui had a terrible temper in the mornings. In the villa, no one dared to knock on his door without permission. He hadn't been this angry in a long time.
With a dark expression, he sat on the bed. His eyes beneath his long lashes were devoid of emotion. His high nose bridge framed thin lips that were slightly pursed.
The young man, just woken up, exuded an indescribable sense of pressure.
Once woken, he couldn't fall back asleep. Suppressing the irritation in his heart, Qi Rui put on his clothes.
Shen Yue had just finished cooking white porridge and had even gone to the chicken coop to retrieve an egg.
The handsome but sullen young man walked out and saw the girl. She must have woken up very early. Hearing footsteps, she looked over, her expression gentle and soft. Her bright red lips curved into a beautiful arc, with a hint of dimples.
"You're awake."
Natural and intimate.
The young man's features were deep and striking, giving him an unapproachable appearance. At this moment, his gaze was somewhat dazed.
This rural girl was surprisingly fair-skinned.
And her lips were so vibrant.
As if… as if they were often bitten.
Qi Rui's mind raced with thoughts. Realizing what he was thinking, he cursed inwardly, but his ear tips quietly turned red.
Seeing the young man standing there dazed, Shen Yue said, "There's water in the basin outside. You can go brush your teeth and wash your face."
Qi Rui was still dazed. "Oh, okay."
He obediently went outside to brush his teeth and wash his face.
Halfway through brushing, he realized why he was obeying this girl so readily. He had intended to catch the rooster outside and slaughter it, otherwise, he wouldn't get a decent night's sleep for the next few days.
He quickly rinsed his mouth, splashed some cold water on his face, and Qi Rui stormed back inside.
The girl was already sitting at the table drinking porridge. Seeing the young man walk in, she instinctively offered a slight smile, her eyes curving.
A few warm rays of light shone through the window, illuminating the strands of the girl's hair. Her soft profile seemed dreamlike, her fair face like fine jade.
Especially her eyes, which were looking at him. Reflecting a faint glow, they appeared exceptionally gentle and soft, making Qi Rui unable to look away for a moment.
Qi Rui suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, his heart pounding. His face, he didn't know why, began to feel hot.
Damn it, it was so damn hot.
---
The weather was hot in the morning. His feet were steamed by the heat from the ground, and his back was baked by the scorching sun.
In the fields, vast expanses of wheat rolled like heatwaves.
Wearing a straw hat helped block some of the sunlight, but it was still very hot. Shen Yue touched her forehead; her palms were covered in sweat. The sun was so strong it made it hard to open her eyes. Shen Yue held a sickle in one hand and the freshly cut rice in the other.
Shen Yue's back felt like it would break, but seeing the neatly piled rice at her feet, she felt a sense of accomplishment and continued to work with renewed vigor.
When the sun indicated it was nearing noon, Shen Yue went to the river to wash her hands. She hid the sickle under the rice stalks and walked back to cook. There was still a young master at home who was hungry.
By the time Shen Yue got home, her throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire. She drank a few mouthfuls of water to recover.
She moved her sore arms and went to the vegetable patch to pick some fresh vegetables.
Qi Rui was so hot he couldn't stay in the room. He found a breezy spot to cool off, holding a fan. When he got hungry, he returned and saw the girl covered in sweat, her pant legs caked with mud, looking like a refugee, dirty and disheveled.
Qi Rui watched for a while, unwilling to approach. He frowned in disgust, "Where did you go? Why do you look like this?"
The girl looked up. Her fair face was also smudged with dirt. She wore a white short-sleeved shirt, which was slightly damp from sweat, revealing beautiful collarbones and shoulders. The skin on the back of her neck was exceptionally fair.
She pursed her lips and said softly, "I just finished harvesting wheat."
Qi Rui stood before her, even his white sneakers were clean and unblemished by any dirt, creating a stark contrast with Shen Yue.
To be honest, Qi Rui had never seen real wheat. He had never dealt with anything like it, and he still had a strong aversion to dirt.
Qi Rui frowned, his facial features sharply defined and perfect. "I'm thirsty."
He said it as if it were natural and expected her to serve him.
Shen Yue didn't move. Seeing the young man frown in dissatisfaction, she said softly, "Qi Rui, my hands are dirty. You can get some water yourself."
His hands were covered in mud from picking vegetables.