"Shen Nanchu, you..."
Pei Zhengnian was speechless.
"Don’t want it?"
Shen Nanchu immediately pulled the bamboo stick back.
Halfway through, Pei Zhengnian grabbed it.
"I do."
Pei Zhengnian’s gritted teeth and exasperated expression unexpectedly amused Shen Nanchu.
"Hurry up and work. They’re almost here."
Shen Nanchu released her left hand and handed the bamboo stick to Pei Zhengnian.
She still held another one in her right hand.
Gripping the bamboo pole, Shen Nanchu wedged it into the gap between several large rocks.
Using the principle of leverage, she applied just the right force, and soon the stones tumbled down.
Pei Zhengnian had wanted to say something, but seeing the approaching tractor, he shut his mouth.
......
"Captain Feng, bad news—the road ahead is blocked by fallen rocks!"
The burly man in the driver’s seat shouted.
"No kidding."
Feng Kangping, sitting in the passenger seat, wasn’t blind. Of course he could see it.
"Clear the road."
With so many rocks, clearing a path would take considerable time.
But no matter how late it got, Feng Kangping was determined to return.
Staying overnight in Wang Family Village? Absolutely out of the question.
That would be worse than forcing him to eat dirt.
The sun was already dipping below the horizon.
Soon, it would be completely dark.
And Pei Zhengnian was waiting for precisely that moment.
"You go back first."
"I’m not going back."
How could Shen Nanchu miss something this interesting?
"No, you’re going back," Pei Zhengnian snapped, his face so dark even a beauty filter would have crashed.
"Eldest sister-in-law is like a mother. You dare disobey me?"
Shen Nanchu countered with a classic move.
"You..."
Sometimes, Pei Zhengnian really wanted to crack open Shen Nanchu’s head to see what was inside.
[Disgust Points +1]
Shen Nanchu wondered if she was hallucinating.
She quickly connected with her system. "Did you secretly pocket my disgust points?"
System: "Host, this system is the epitome of integrity. I would never do something so shady."
Shen Nanchu: "Then why did he only give me one point?"
System: "Host, maybe it’s because you haven’t seen each other in a while? The familiarity’s worn off?"
Shen Nanchu thought about it. "Makes some sense, but not much."
System: "..."
"I’ll give you ten more. Go back."
Pei Zhengnian was truly at his wit’s end.
"No."
After waiting so long for the male lead, how could Shen Nanchu miss this golden opportunity to "bond"?
In the end, Pei Zhengnian couldn’t out-stubborn her and had no choice but to let her tag along down the mountain.
Feng Kangping squatted by the roadside, waiting for his men to clear the rocks.
By the time the sun fully set and darkness enveloped them, five or six men with red armbands had finally cleared the path.
Feng Kangping, who had long been starving, finally exhaled in relief.
Taking one last drag of his cigarette, he flicked the butt to the ground and crushed it underfoot.
"Let’s go home."
As the red ember died out, the surroundings plunged into darkness.
Whoosh—
The sound of a bamboo stick cutting through the air.
"Goddammit, who hit me?"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
"I got hit too!"
"Me too!"
A wave of terror surged through Feng Kangping.
"Who’s there?"
"Who’s playing tricks?"
The only response was the rhythmic thuds of bamboo sticks and the groans of his men.
Feng Kangping’s heart pounded like a drum, his back drenched in cold sweat, limbs trembling.
In pitch darkness, who could land hits so accurately?
Unless...
His pupils shrank. Trembling, he took a step back.
Then something sharp poked his back.
Feng Kangping shrieked and bolted like a madman.
Shen Nanchu was unimpressed.
She’d just poked him with a bamboo stick. Was he really that scared?
Having finished beating up the red-armband men, Pei Zhengnian finally turned his attention to Feng Kangping.
The darkness did nothing to hinder him. Clutching the bamboo stick, he advanced toward Feng Kangping.
His eyes gleamed like frost under the moonlight, piercing through the night as they locked onto the fleeing man. The shadows beneath his brow concealed a simmering ruthlessness.
Whoosh!
Pei Zhengnian struck Feng Kangping’s left shoulder.
"Aaaah—!"
Feng Kangping’s agonized scream tore through the night.
The left shoulder was done. Now the right, for symmetry’s sake.
Another strike landed on his right shoulder.
Feng Kangping collapsed, pale and twitching, scrambling backward in desperation.
Still trying to run?
Seemed his legs still had strength.
Pei Zhengnian swung the bamboo stick again.
One strike per leg.
Feng Kangping howled like a slaughtered pig.
Soon, the pungent stench of urine filled the air.
He’d pissed himself?
Pathetic.
Shen Nanchu, perched on a large rock with her chin propped in her hands, wrinkled her nose in disdain.
Seeing how cowardly Feng Kangping and his men were, Pei Zhengnian lost interest in beating them further.
Disgusted, he tossed the bamboo stick aside and tugged Shen Nanchu’s sleeve. Time to leave.
They slipped away as quietly as they’d come, leaving no trace behind.
The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, casting a silvery veil over the green rice fields. The world was silent save for the occasional chirp of insects.
Shen Nanchu and Pei Zhengnian walked along the narrow path between the fields.
Pei Zhengnian led, while Shen Nanchu trailed behind, hands clasped behind her back.
After a while, Shen Nanchu stopped.
Noticing the absence of footsteps, Pei Zhengnian turned to look.
Shen Nanchu stood on the ridge, bathed in moonlight like an ethereal fairy—serene and enchanting.
Pei Zhengnian averted his gaze after a single glance.
This woman was poison. Stare too long, and his heart would malfunction.
His brow furrowed slightly.
"What now?"
"I can’t walk anymore."
Shen Nanchu was simply feeling lazy.
Pei Zhengnian fell silent.
They stood facing each other on the field path, wordless.
Finally, Pei Zhengnian relented.
"Can’t you tough it out?"
"Not a chance."
As soon as Shen Nanchu spoke—
[Disgust Points +2]
Only two?
They really must have grown distant.
Shen Nanchu flashed Pei Zhengnian a cheeky grin.
"Carry me."
"Or I’m not moving."
Pei Zhengnian’s temple twitched, his jaw tightening.
"Shen Nanchu, don’t push it."
[Disgust Points +5]
Now that’s more like it!
"If you don’t carry me, I’ll tattle to Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, and Dad."
Shen Nanchu played the spoiled card.
She’d just pulled off a major feat—the Pei family would undoubtedly side with her.
[Disgust Points +10]
Pei Zhengnian clenched his teeth, his gaze icy.
[Disgust Points +30]
In the end, he surrendered.
Turning around, he crouched down.
Shen Nanchu’s eyes curved into crescents as she lunged onto his back.
A familiar fragrance enveloped Pei Zhengnian, and the softness pressed against him turned the tips of his ears scarlet.
"Shen Nanchu, stay still. Stop squirming."
"What’s wrong? Is your heart racing?"
......
