Chai Xiaomi tucked in the second corner of the quilt. Just as she reached for the third, she looked up and caught sight of Hongjiao with its mouth wide open. Its two slender, sharp fangs were faintly visible as it bit down hard on the cotton quilt, looking rather adorably silly.
It was just a pity that it only had one mouth and couldn't handle it all.
So, she turned her head toward the table. The young man was sitting with his legs crossed, casually swinging his foot.
He looked exactly like an idler.
She beckoned with her finger, You, come here too.
To do what? Wu Li glanced at the corner of the quilt, asking the obvious with a lazy tone.
Do you still want a quilt to sleep under tonight? I am running around in circles here, the least you could do is lend a hand. Chai Xiaomi wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, scolding him in annoyance, full of complaints.
She looked Wu Li up and down, raised an eyebrow, and said critically, Let me tell you, your type is not popular in the marriage market at all.
A meat market? A place that sells pork? It would not be very fitting to send me there, Wu Li paused thoughtfully, the corners of his eyes lifting slightly, but sending you in would be just perfect.
Imaginary black lines dropped down Chai Xiaomi's forehead. She glared at him with wide eyes, It is the marriage market! For finding a spouse!
The world is different now. Where I come from, men who cannot do chores cannot get a wife at all. You will be a bachelor for the rest of your life!
Where you come from? Wu Li playfully chewed on those words, his tone flat and unreadable. Lingyu Prefecture? How come I heard that Lingyu Prefecture has always respected men above women, and that women who marry must observe the three obediences and four virtues, and that serving their husbands and parents-in-law is their duty?
Chai Xiaomi froze for a moment, realizing she had misspoken, and said vaguely, Um... that... that is our own family's rule, set by our ancestors.
Wu Li followed her words and asked, Where is your home in Lingyu Prefecture? What about your parents and relatives?
They are gone. Chai Xiaomi's voice dropped, and her expression dimmed. That bossy energy from just a moment ago suddenly dissipated.
It was as if a dark cloud had quietly arrived, obscuring the bright moon.
Earlier, when the young girl was speaking with a mix of annoyance and animation, the silver tassels on the hairpins in her bun swayed along, rippling with fragmented light, looking incredibly vivid and pretty.
But at this moment, those tassels had also lost their movement, resting peacefully without a single tremor.
Wu Li suddenly stood up, walked over to Chai Xiaomi, crouched down, and reached out to flick the cluster of tassels.
The silver threads began to sway again, shaking out a shallow arc of light.
Chopping wood, making a fire, washing clothes, sweeping, sewing, and repairing. I know how to do any household chore you can think of. He let go of the tassels, letting them gently swing. Hidden within his lazy tone was a faint, almost imperceptible smile. I am very easy to talk to. As long as you beg me, I will do it.
Wu Li's posture was relaxed, his gaze slightly slanted, his eyes lingering on her leisurely.
The corners of his lips curved silently, waiting to see her reaction.
Hearing that she had to beg, she would probably puff up with anger again, would she not?
When she got angry, her hairpins would shake non-stop, and little sparks would burst forth from her apricot eyes, burning brightly. She looked lively, playful, and even a little... captivating.
Chai Xiaomi was in no mood to mess around with him right now.
In the past, at home, she was only responsible for holding the corners of the quilt. It was not until now, panting from exhaustion just from laying out a mattress and putting a cover on a quilt, that she suddenly realized her parents had silently shouldered the heavier burden on countless ordinary days.
She merely helped out a little, contributing some coquettishness and laughter, and was able to lie safely in a honeypot, spoiled completely unaware of the hardships of the world.
She remembered asking her dad when she was little why he gave her such a rustic name.
Her dad smiled and answered, Chai means firewood, which Dad will earn; Mi means rice, which Mom will cook; and you are the little darling caught in the middle.
Chai Xiaomi had curled her lips at the time, ...It sounds even more rustic after that explanation.
The memory drifted past lightly. She raised her eyes, meeting the young man's shifting, heterochromatic gaze. Her lips moved slightly, and her voice flowed out softly:
I am begging you, good Wu Li, please help me. You are the best.
Her slender, white fingers gently pinched his cuff. The force of her fingertips was very gentle, and her voice was soft and sweet, sincere and expectant.
She leaned closer, and her warm breath brushed over, thick and sweet, like a cat rubbing against someone to act cute.
Wu Li's mind wavered.
He seemed to smell that faint, sweet fragrance in the air again. It drilled into his nose thread by thread, so hot it felt like it was laced with sparks, suddenly igniting something.
A cluster of fire seemed to flare up in his body, burning fiercely. He abruptly turned his face away.
Chai Xiaomi frowned in confusion.
Did it not work? This trick had always worked like a charm on her parents.
Pretty please, the absolute best Wu Li in the whole wide world...
Facing the tense back of his head, unable to see his expression, she quietly leaned over and tilted her head to peek.
The silver earring on the young man's left ear had just been given to her, leaving only the one on the right, hanging solitarily by the side of his face. As he lowered his head, the earring dangled beside his cheek, trembling rather violently.
Only when she got closer did Chai Xiaomi realize that his breathing was heavy and erratic, and his Adam's apple bobbed gently.
Good Wu Li, what is wrong? Her voice was soft, laced with concern.
Enough, shut up. The young man suddenly snatched the corner of the quilt from her hands, his voice cold and his tone stiff.
How baffling. How could he just change his attitude at the drop of a hat?
Suddenly becoming so fierce, he should not be called Wu Li, he should be called rude! Chai Xiaomi secretly snorted in her heart.
However, considering that he took the initiative to put the cover on the quilt, Chai Xiaomi could not be bothered to argue with him. She quietly squatted to the side and watched.
Wu Li worked neatly and much faster than she did. His movements were methodical, and in just a few strokes, he had properly encased the quilt core into the cover. It was perfectly smooth, and he did not even need a bit of her help.
He pulled the quilt open and gave it a casual shake. Caught off guard, Hongjiao went flying out, rolling three times like a rolling pin.
Its eerie green snake-like eyes cast a resentful glance at its master, daring to be angry but not daring to speak.
Chai Xiaomi secretly rejoiced on the sidelines. Stifling a laugh, she poured a cup of rice wine and attentively offered it to Wu Li, her words sweet as honey: So this little brother is a master at household chores! It was my failure to recognize a great mountain. I take back what I said earlier; you will definitely find the most satisfactory wife in the future!
Here, you must be tired, right? Have a sip of rice wine to moisten your throat.
Wu Li lowered his eyes. The milky white liquid in the wine cup swayed slightly, reflecting the young girl's smiling brows and eyes.
That smile rippled outward with the waves, as if it had also rippled into his heart, stirring up fine, unfamiliar ripples.
Could you... He took the wine cup, but his gaze seemed fixed on the surface of the liquid. His Adam's apple rolled gently, and his voice carried a somewhat stiff awkwardness. ...stop changing how you address me every other moment.
Big brother, little brother, husband, Ah Li, good Wu Li... A constant stream of variations, and now it was little brother.
It made one's heart flutter and mind race, as if she were teasing him.
Remembering how she had previously called Jiang Zhiyu Brother Yu so crisply and intimately, Wu Li's expression darkened a bit more. Can you not just stick to one way of calling me?
"Sure." Chai Xiaomi nodded, blinking as she looked at him. "Then what do you want me to call you?"
