Chapter 31

“Take it.”

Seeing Ge Yuan still dazed and only staring at her in a dizzy way, Ye Wanqing amusedly stuffed the wine cup in her hand into his. She then picked up the untouched cup of wine in front of him and looked at everyone at the table with open composure.

“Second, blessings for Ge Yuan and me to have sweet feelings and stay together for a long, long time. Third, hoping everyone present is healthy and safe, that life goes smoothly, without worries or fears.” Ye Wanqing smiled and raised her cup. “Cheers.”

As if a robot receiving an order from its master, Ge Yuan raised his cup along with her. It was just that his arm was a bit stiff, as if the joints could not bend.

The man was valiant and handsome, the woman charming and sweet. The two of them standing together raising cups, the warm melting evening sunlight slanting down from the sky—looking at them they were like a perfect pair.

Everyone present’s gazes fell on them, all carrying blessings.

“Bottoms up.” Old Zhong was the first to respond.

“Good, good, good.” Wei Huainong could not say any nice words. Apart from draining the wine in his cup in one go, he only nodded with a foolish smile.

Liu Lixiu said nothing. She lowered her head and quietly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Wei Hong laughed nonstop and mischievously asked, “Heavens, what is this? How is it that an ordinary meal feels almost like an engagement banquet?”

Wei Jun quickly tugged her. “You say two fewer sentences.”

If Second Sister and Brother Yuan became embarrassed, how bad that would be.

“Hee hee.” Wei Hong covered her mouth, yet those eyes were still full of teasing smiling meaning.

Ye Wanqing would not become embarrassed. She was someone who had seen all kinds of storms—what did this bit of teasing count as?

She was only a bit surprised, suddenly discovering that this meal could actually be understood this way.

“Actually what Wei Hong said is not wrong either. In our small county town an engagement banquet doesn’t necessarily need to set out how many tables of banquet. Relatives and friends gathering together to eat a meal and serve as witnesses is enough. Then today…… let’s count it as Ge Yuan’s and my engagement banquet. Although proposing it temporarily is a bit not formal……”

Saying this Ye Wanqing herself could not help laughing out loud.

This seemed a bit reckless.

She reached out and poked Ge Yuan’s arm. “Brother Yuan, what do you think?”

Ge Yuan: “……”

What else could he think?

Engagement ah!

He felt in his chest cavity there was lightning flashing and thunder rolling, all things being newly born, as if a new world was about to be opened. His deep eyes tightly stared at the little woman with a clever smiling face. His eyes were written full of nervousness. His lips moved, yet his dry and hoarse throat made him unable to say anything.

In the end he also gave up the behavior of saying something. He took the wine in his hand and boldly poured it toward his mouth. His Adam’s apple slid up and down as he drained the clear wine in the cup in one go.

As if wanting to drink dry this stirring joy and continuous feelings.

Ye Wanqing pressed her lips into a smile and like him drank the wine in her cup clean. The cup turned downward—not a drop remaining.

Sitting down to eat, only after a good while did Ge Yuan recall the words Old Zhong had instructed earlier.

He…… he was now a person with a title. This meal was equivalent to his and Ye Wanqing’s engagement banquet. What should he do? Of course it was to please Ye Wanqing’s natal family!

The Ye family indeed made people disgusted, yet the Wei family looked not bad. At the least they made Ye Wanqing close to them.

Ge Yuan suddenly woke up. Seeing Wei Huainong had the habit of drinking, he guessed he would definitely like a son-in-law who drank freely.

With this thought he toasted Wei Huainong cup after cup. He himself also drank freely. In the end he hard forced Wei Huainong, who originally only planned to drink a couple of small cups, into getting drunk and almost sliding under the table.

Old Zhong: “……”

Heavens. He told this fool to please his future wife’s biological parents. And he was good—directly drinking the person under the table!

He felt that if it weren’t for the water-spirit cabbage insistently drilling into their own silly boy’s embrace, just relying on their own silly boy’s ability to read the situation, he was afraid he would never be able to dig the cabbage back in his entire life!

—

One meal was eaten lively and noisy for one or two hours.

Wei Huainong was drunk and tipsy. Old Zhong also drank quite a bit of wine and was a bit high. The two of them were supported by Ge Yuan to rest on the beds. Ge Yuan also drank quite a bit of wine, yet seemed not drunk and looked quite energetic.

A table of leftover dishes needed someone to clean up. Ye Wanqing wanted to clean the bowls and chopsticks. Wei Jun and Wei Hong both refused to agree and joined hands to drive her to rest. The two siblings busily started with agile hands and feet.

Looking at that posture, they were people who often did work. The only boy in the family, Wei Jun, was no exception either.

Seeing Ye Wanqing watching them busy, Liu Lixiu also mildly smiled. “These two at home are used to doing it. Household chores are divided. Today you organized a large table of food. Washing the bowls and wiping the table—just let them put in some effort.”

“Then what can I do?” Ge Yue suddenly approached. A pair of black-grape large eyes blinked and blinked, very much wanting to show herself. “I’m also well-behaved and capable!”

Liu Lixiu quickly said there was no need. Such a small child—what could she do?

Yet Ye Wanqing smiled and pinched Ge Yue’s little face that had rounded quite a bit. “You go ask Fatty Wang’s mother and Auntie Meihua whether they have bamboo board beds at home. If they do, say that tonight we want to borrow their bamboo board beds to use for a bit. Please ask them to lend them to us. Only borrowing one is enough.”

“Okay!” Successfully receiving her own task, Ge Yue’s eyes grew even brighter. She patted her little chest. “You rest assured—I’m awesome!”

“Mm. You’re the most capable!”

After Ge Yue hugged her small water bucket and ran off laughing, Ye Wanqing looked toward Liu Lixiu, the corners of her lips rising slightly. “You taught Wei Jun and Wei Hong very well.”

The moment these words came out Liu Lixiu’s eyes instantly reddened.

Ye Wanqing suddenly felt a bit at a loss and secretly regretted in her heart, feeling she had touched on the wrong pot. Actually she was just a bit emotional about the division of household chores in the Ye family and the Wei family.

The Wei family labored together, while the Ye family…… from the time she could do housework, the household chores at home were almost all wrapped up by her. Once compared, she felt that previously she was simply a fool who did not know how to enjoy blessings.

Ye Wanqing explained, “I didn’t mean anything. I just…… suddenly felt a bit emotional, feeling you are truly very good.”

“It was me getting excited for no reason.” Liu Lixiu recovered her calm. Her eyes were full of mildness as she carefully said, “Child, I see you are someone who has calculations in her heart and sees her own future very clearly. You have ability. You will definitely live your days well. As for those household short-and-long messy matters, don’t put them too much in your heart. Not only does it consume mental energy—the person also feels uncomfortable.”

“That child Ge Yuan is not bad. I only hope you two can be good and support each other for a lifetime.”

Unable to completely suppress the emotions in her heart, Liu Lixiu trembled as she took Ye Wanqing’s hand. Rough hands carrying thick calluses covered the back of her hand and lightly patted once.

She was worried, afraid the Ye family’s matters would have an influence on Ye Wanqing.

After all for the past eighteen years she had thought she was a child of the Ye family. Suddenly such a large change appeared, and the things the Ye family did were so cold to the heart…… In the heart of Ye Wanqing who was not yet twenty, these matters were very likely a large threshold that was difficult to pass.

Yet what she did not know was that Ye Wanqing now was not an eighteen-year-old soul. The large thresholds that were difficult to pass in youth, in the eyes of her present self, were only a small water ditch that could be stepped over by raising a foot.

Ye Wanqing pressed her lips into a smile and lightly nodded. “Mm. I know. You don’t need to worry about me. Right now I feel I am very happy. In the future…… I will also live very well.”

Everything now was better than the previous life. What else was she not satisfied with?

The future days would all be lived out by herself. She believed in herself.

And also believed in Ge Yuan.

—

Brother Yuan was truly drunk.

Ye Wanqing still thought he was not drunk and thought he was energetic. Unexpectedly, just as she was directing Wei Jun and Wei Hong to finish cleaning the courtyard, she suddenly heard a muffled sound from beside the water well.

In the Ge family’s small courtyard a rocking water well had been dug. There was a water pump on the water well. Ordinarily scooping a ladle of water into the well to increase pressure could continuously rock out water—very convenient.

The only bad point was that the rocking handle and those parts were all iron. Rusting or aging was inevitable and they needed to be repaired from time to time.

Ye Wanqing heard the movement and turned her eyes to look. The tall and big man was squatting on the ground with a face full of confusion. A pair of eyes stared at the long rocking handle grasped in his hand, looking as if he did not know what had happened.

Seeing Ye Wanqing walk over Ge Yuan finally reacted and quickly hid the rocking handle behind himself.

Unfortunately the rocking handle was almost half a meter long. Even with his strong and robust figure the rocking handle still stubbornly exposed a large section from behind him, selling him out.

Noticing Ye Wanqing’s gaze, the clever Comrade Ge Yuan immediately stood the rocking handle upright and hid it behind him……

This way no one could see it!

Ye Wanqing: “……”

Both angry and amused. This person—just rocking some water—was there a need to use so much force? Looking at it he was truly drunk.

Ye Wanqing could not hold it and laughed out loud. Afraid the tall man would be embarrassed she quickly lowered her head and lightly coughed twice.

Raising her head again she mildly asked, “Brother Yuan, what’s wrong?”

“Fetching water……” Ge Yuan stubbornly hid the rocking handle and pointed a finger at the rocking water well. “It’s broken.”

The implied meaning was that he was a red heart facing the sun and absolutely had no intention of doing any bad thing. If there was blame it could only be blamed on the rocking water well itself not being strong—how could it drop the chain at this time.

“If it’s broken then don’t fetch water. There’s still water in the kitchen water vat. Tomorrow after the rocking water well is repaired then fetch.”

“Bathing—what to do?” Ge Yuan disgustedly sniffed his own body—a full body of wine smell.

“Go to my place to wash.”

“Ah……” Ge Yuan dazedly responded once. In the thin night color his face reddened at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Without the cover of stubble this face reddening was especially obvious.

Ye Wanqing tilted her head and approached in front of him, mischievously looking at him. “Brother Yuan, what are you thinking, hmm?”

“Nothing…… nothing……”

“Not thinking anything—why is your face so red?”

Ge Yuan subconsciously raised a hand wanting to touch his face. As a result he carelessly extended the hand grasping the rocking handle from behind his back and nearly poked Ye Wanqing’s body. Instantly his whole person stiffened.

For a moment he did not know whether continuing to hide it behind was good or abandoning himself was good.

Ye Wanqing held back a laugh and snatched the pitiful rocking handle from his hand, placed it beside the water well, and took his hand. “Alright. I’ll take you to my place to bathe. After washing I’ll send you back.”

If she let the tall man go by himself she was truly afraid he would get drunk and muddled and be unable to find the way home.

“Oh.” Ge Yuan dazedly agreed. Looking at the hand taken by Ye Wanqing he split his mouth into a foolish smile.

Wei Jun just came out of the kitchen. Seeing this he quickly said, “Sister, just leave the rocking handle. I can repair it. After I finish the things in my hands, in a few minutes I’ll get it fixed. It won’t delay fetching water and bathing. Brother Yuan doesn’t need to go over to wash.”

He was full of enthusiasm, yet what he did not notice was that the moment these words of his came out a certain someone instantly stared at him with extremely dissatisfied and aggrieved eyes, looking like a fierce wolf whose prey had been snatched by someone, his face full of unwillingness.

“You repairing the water well is also good. However I’ll still take Brother Yuan and Little Yue to my place to wash.” Ye Wanqing said. “There are so many people here. Burning several pots of water to bathe also wastes time. I’m afraid it will get too late. My place still has a stove. Separating the washing on both sides is pretty good and we can rest earlier.”

“Okay.” Wei Jun scratched his head and smiled.

Anyway he had no opinion.

Ye Wanqing instructed again, “I’ll first take Brother Yuan over. Later when Little Moon borrows the bamboo board bed and returns, then come and set up the bed for you. If I come over too late you first set up the bed. The stools are in the main room. The quilts are all placed on Elder Zhong’s bed.”

Tonight Wei Huainong and Liu Lixiu also had to sleep at the Ge family’s small courtyard. The beds were not enough so they could only set up another bed. The Wei Huainong couple would sleep in Ge Yuan’s room. Wei Jun would sleep in Ge Yue’s room. Ge Yue and Wei Hong the two of them Ye Wanqing would arrange to sleep in her small courtyard.

This way Ge Yuan would have to set up a bed in Old Zhong’s room and make do for one night. The bamboo board bed was for him to sleep on.

However Ge Yuan did not feel aggrieved at all.

First he was the host. Second…… he was going to bathe!

Happy!

—

Ye Wanqing led her own foolish tall man back to the small courtyard. The first matter was to first start burning the water.

In the county town and towns at this time only buildings had specialized bathrooms that could be used for going to the toilet and also for bathing.

Generally these single-story houses and small courtyards had no specialized bathing rooms. The sanitary conditions in the toilet also did not allow bathing. Either it was washing in the room using a wooden basin or washing in the kitchen.

After burning the water Ye Wanqing carried the mixed warm water into the room. She suddenly recalled Ge Yuan had not brought clothes over. Just as she was preparing to turn and tell Ge Yuan not to hurry she heard the door behind her being closed.

The tall man inside still used a somewhat coy voice to warn her, “Don’t come in. I…… am also not that good-looking.”

Ye Wanqing: “……”

Speaking as if she particularly coveted it!

However although she complained like this in her heart Ye Wanqing still recalled the last time she bumped into Ge Yuan bathing in the courtyard—those two long and solid long legs…… cough cough, actually they were quite worth looking at. Brother Yuan was too modest.

She could not be bothered to respond and planned to go to the Ge family’s small courtyard to fetch clothes for Ge Yuan.

As a result the moment her front foot left the small courtyard Ge Yuan opened the door with his back foot. A pair of black eyes was full of incomprehension. He had already prepared eighteen kinds of preventive measures. As a result not a single one was used.

“Truly not looking……”

In the voice there was still a bit of dim disappointment.

—

When Ye Wanqing returned with the clothes the Ge Yuan who always finished bathing with lightning speed had already finished bathing and was only waiting for clean clothes.

Ye Wanqing placed the clothes on the ground in front of the door. “I placed the clothes at the doorway. I guarantee I won’t look at you. If you’re not at ease opening a crack in the door will let you get them.”

“……Okay.” Ge Yuan opened a crack in the door, successfully got the clothes, and also did not see Ye Wanqing’s shadow. This was different from what he had anticipated. He could not help sighing once in his heart with both disappointment and confusion.

After putting on the clothes he opened the door and Ye Wanqing came in.

She first dragged the wooden basin to the doorway and poured out the dirty water inside, then used a mop to mop clean the water that had splashed onto the room floor. While she worked Ge Yuan followed step by step behind her.

After she finished being busy he tugged her sleeve. “Are you angry?”

Ye Wanqing raised her brows, a bit inexplicable. “What am I angry about?”

“I didn’t let you look—you’re angry? Otherwise why are you ignoring me?”

Ye Wanqing: “……”

She was working! Where was she deliberately ignoring people?

This fellow—unexpectedly after getting drunk he had so much drama. From whom did he learn it?

“I just knew.” Seeing Ye Wanqing not speaking Ge Yuan heavily sighed once and felt she was tacitly agreeing.

He suddenly pulled her into the room, fiercely closed his eyes once, as if making a major decision, and said, “Wherever you want to look at me I’ll let you look—okay?”

“……” Ye Wanqing dazedly shook her head, not knowing why the matter had progressed to this step, yet still answered, “I’m not angry.”

“You’re angry!”

“I truly am not……”

“Then you just don’t want to look at me. You feel I’m not strong enough?”

“It’s not that either.”

Ge Yuan became even more aggrieved and urgently asked, “Why not look? Do you not like me?”

“No. You listen to me explain……”

“I won’t listen!”

Ye Wanqing: “……”

After a moment of silence Ye Wanqing thought that if there was a mobile phone she truly wanted to record a certain someone’s current appearance. In the future if he was not obedient she would expose his black history! Let others, let himself look—how sticky he was after getting drunk.

She wanted to be a good person—was this still not giving her a chance?

Willow brows slightly raised, Ye Wanqing conveniently closed the door, locked it, and a pair of clean and pretty almond eyes looked smilingly toward the tall man in front of her. “Wherever I want to look at you, you’ll let me look?”

“……Mm.” The atmosphere was a bit off. Ge Yuan subconsciously retreated a step.

“Then will you let me touch?”

“……” With no way to retreat further Ge Yuan’s lower leg was blocked by the bed edge. He directly fell sitting onto the bed. In his voice was full of uncertainty. “Let you touch.”

“Let me touch—then that’s good.”

Ye Wanqing approached smilingly and directly reached out to lift Ge Yuan’s clothing hem, mischievously touching his abdominal muscles…… On the man’s solid and lean lower abdomen six abdominal muscles were neatly arranged. They were neither overly developed yet extremely possessed of strength beauty.

Speaking of it, previous life and this life, this man’s figure truly had always been maintained very well. Even past forty the body’s explosive power was still very strong.

Thinking of this Ye Wanqing could not help reddening her cheeks.

Her slender white fingers touched Ge Yuan’s abdominal muscles, sliding with some strokes and some without. Compared to his scalding body temperature they were a bit cool, yet this temperature made the heart even more stirred.

Ge Yuan was also not a later-generation domineering CEO and simply could not speak words like “Woman, are you still satisfied with what you see?” He even was embarrassed to ask a sentence of “Do you like it or not.”

He was extremely nervous.

Holding his breath sitting on the bed Ge Yuan felt his whole body was stiff to the extreme. His blood had solidified, as if someone had poured cement and cast him into a sculpture.

Ye Wanqing discovered his stiffness and thought she had made him embarrassed. She lightly laughed and withdrew her hand, proudly asking in return, “Know fear now? If you know fear then from now on be more honest with me.”

Saying this she stood up. “Alright. You’ve finished bathing. I’ll send you back to sleep. I’ll boil some sobering soup for you. Before sleeping first drink a bowl.”

Otherwise after drinking so much wine and not sleeping sufficiently, wouldn’t he have a headache tomorrow?

Unexpectedly when she wanted to leave she was tugged by the hand by Ge Yuan who was still sitting on the bed.

“Not leaving.” His voice was very firm.

“Not leaving?”

Ye Wanqing looked back in surprise. The next moment the man behind her suddenly locked her wrist and fiercely pulled her toward the direction of the bed. When her back heavily fell onto the bed his figure had already pressed down like a hunting leopard.

Under the lamplight the man’s figure completely enveloped her. Her hands were restrained by him. Her two legs were pressed by him. She almost could not clearly see the expression on his face, yet that pair of glittering eyes was so bright, bright enough to pierce into her heart.

“Not allowed to leave.” He said.

Ye Wanqing: “……”

Breathing suddenly became rapid.

The tall man who had always allowed her to freely tease and even been teased by her until he was at a loss and red-faced—at this moment used a pair of deep and heavy black eyes to stare at her. His gaze lingered on her face and lips as if thinking where it was good to bite.

Hunter and prey—in an instant the roles switched.

No—perhaps they had never switched.

It was just that the hunter was too cunning, using a green and innocent face to deceive the prey, lowering the prey’s vigilance, luring the prey step by step into his own trap…… Today he finally caught it!

Ge Yuan grasped Ye Wanqing’s hand and forcefully pressed it onto his own abdominal muscles, then as if exchanging lightly pecked once on her lips. Grasping her hand he randomly rubbed twice on the abdominal muscles, then kissed a couple more times.

Although drunk he was still very particular about fairness.

“So sweet!”

Yet after tasting the sweetness he also no longer cared about so many rules. Ge Yuan directly deepened this kiss.

According to the way Ye Wanqing had once “taught” him he forcefully invaded between her teeth, deeply sucking and kissing, tasting her sweetness. After Ye Wanqing’s brief daze came a heart full of complexity.

She…… did this count as lifting a rock and smashing her own foot?

Ye Wanqing wanted to cry but had no tears.

Her body and mind were mature. In the previous life she had not failed to experience human affairs. The person currently skin-to-skin with her was again the person she loved. Actually…… to put it bluntly, if the matter developed to the final step she was not that resistant either.

She was just afraid of accidents. She did not want to become pregnant with a child at this time.

“Brother Yuan……” Ye Wanqing difficultly turned her head to the side, reached out and pinched Ge Yuan’s face, working hard to call back his reason. “You’re drunk. Quickly stop.”

A drunk person would firmly not admit he was drunk. Ge Yuan was the same. “I’m not drunk.”

Saying this, no matter that his face was being pinched, Ge Yuan’s interest rose and he again kissed a round.

Moreover he was still not satisfied with this. Kissing and kissing, the boundaries he attempted, without a teacher, went from Ye Wanqing’s cheeks to the side of her neck, then followed the curve of the side of her neck downward.

Seeing the man lying on her body about to kiss to the collarbone Ye Wanqing was both shy and anxious. She slightly raised her head and bit once on Ge Yuan’s shoulder.