Linlin withdrew her hand, looking completely at a loss.
Yan Yuan frowned. Why had he frightened her again?
He deliberately softened his tone, though it still sounded cold. “You don’t need to do any work around the house.”
Linlin looked to her brother for help.
She simply felt that since she was staying in someone else’s home, she ought to help with something. Otherwise, she would feel guilty.
Jiang Chengzhou smiled. “It’s fine. There are only a few bowls. We can wash them. Go play by yourself.”
Linlin had been terribly busy before, and now that she suddenly had nothing to do, she felt a little lost.
Especially since Yan Yuan and Jiang Chengzhou were both busy too.
By evening, they were already preparing to go out to sea.
Large yellow croaker were fetching the highest prices at the moment. However, they were afraid of strong light and would dive into the deep sea during the day, only swimming in schools toward the shore at night. They had to fish at night if they wanted a good catch.
At six or seven in the evening, before the sky had fully darkened, Yan Yuan and Jiang Chengzhou had already gathered the nets, filled the boat with diesel, and packed dry food and fresh water. They were ready to leave.
Before they went, Jiang Chengzhou reminded Linlin, “Bolt the door from the inside. Brother Yuan and I know how to get into the house. Don’t go outside at night, and get to bed early.”
Linlin bit her lip. “Brother, be careful. Come back safely.”
Jiang Chengzhou patted her on the head. “Got it, Little Housekeeper.”
After watching the two of them walk away, Linlin went to the vegetable plot and watered it. By the time she finished, she was covered in sweat.
Fortunately, she was the only one at home. Linlin tidied up the house, then hurriedly took a bath and went to rest.
At four in the morning, Linlin woke up on her own.
The sky was still dark. She got up, washed, and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast by the faint light of dawn.
There was rice, flour, eggs, and vegetables in the house, as well as sweet potatoes in the corner.
Linlin buried the sweet potatoes in the stove, then lit the fire and began making breakfast for the two men.
Her brother and Yan Yuan did hard labor. They needed to eat well and fill their stomachs.
She washed the rice and put it in the pot, then cracked two eggs into a bowl and beat them.
Next, she brought in several dried fish from outside, soaked them in warm water until they softened, cut them into sections, arranged them in the bowl, and sprinkled them with a little salt and shredded ginger. She placed the bowl in the pot to steam together with the rice.
The fragrance of the rice mingled with the salty aroma of the dried fish, gradually spreading through the kitchen.
Linlin sat in front of the stove and used the fire tongs to rake out the sweet potatoes buried beneath the ashes.
Sitting on a small stool, she ate them in tiny bites.
No one was watching her here or urging her to hurry. She could take her time and enjoy eating.
A dull thump came from the courtyard. Linlin stood up nervously and looked toward the entrance.
Jiang Chengzhou had said they knew how to get back into the house.
So this was what he meant—climbing over the wall.
Yan Yuan jumped down from the wall, and the first thing he saw was Linlin, a streak of black stove ash still clinging to the corner of her mouth. She looked rather comical.
The corner of Yan Yuan’s mouth lifted almost imperceptibly, then quickly settled again.
Jiang Chengzhou climbed over the wall right after him. The moment he saw her, he burst out laughing. “Linlin, did you crawl out of the stove?”
Linlin froze for a moment, then instinctively raised a hand to touch her face.
Jiang Chengzhou laughed. “You’re still touching it? Come over here and wash your face.”
The two young men lived rough. They used the washbasin to hold fish, so whenever they washed their faces or bathed, they simply poured water over themselves.
Jiang Chengzhou scooped up a ladleful of water from the jar and told Linlin to lower her head so she could wash her face.
Afterward, Jiang Chengzhou reached out and brushed aside the damp strands of hair clinging to her forehead. “Your hair’s so long. Won’t you be hot in summer? Why don’t you cut it?”
When he moved her hair aside, Linlin instinctively tried to dodge. But remembering that he was her brother, she stopped herself. “Cut it… I suppose that’s fine.”
With the wet hair brushed away from her forehead, Jiang Chengzhou finally saw her entire face, and he was momentarily stunned.
The younger sister in Jiang Chengzhou’s memories had been cute. Even after growing up and becoming increasingly quiet and withdrawn, she had remained a little girl in his eyes.
But how had she grown into this?
Her skin was so fair it seemed almost luminous.
Her face had just been washed, and in the morning light it possessed a soft sheen, like the gentle glow given off by a smooth, translucent pearl nestled inside a shell.
She was beautiful to the point of seeming unreal.
Jiang Chengzhou turned and shot Yan Yuan a wary glance. Then he gathered Linlin’s hair and let it fall over her face again. “Tsk. We’ll talk about it another time. Leave it for now.”
What a headache.
Jiang Chengzhou would almost rather his sister looked ordinary. She was so beautiful it was frightening.
What were they going to do?
Yan Yuan had already looked away.
Yan Yuan hated anything that drew attention. He hated changes to the status quo, and he hated trouble.
He had always lived an unremarkable life. It was safe and stable that way.
Linlin’s appearance was clearly too conspicuous.
Her fair, clean little face and delicate, beautiful features possessed a pure, straightforward beauty.
And she was far too innocent.
There was something about her purity that made it impossible to remain calm after seeing even a single glance from her.
Yan Yuan understood why Jiang Chengzhou wanted to hide her beauty again.
Because beautiful things attracted evil.
Covetousness, greed, possessiveness, jealousy…
Even he had nearly lost control for that brief moment just now, hadn’t he?
After returning from their work, Yan Yuan and Jiang Chengzhou had originally planned to rinse off in the courtyard as usual.
But now that there was a girl in the house, that was no longer convenient.
They built a makeshift shelter in the corner of the yard and carried buckets inside to bathe.
Linlin retreated to her room and passed the time reading old books.
When Yan Yuan and Jiang Chengzhou saw the breakfast waiting in the pot, both of them fell silent for a moment.
It was the first time they had come back from fishing and found someone waiting with a meal prepared for them.
“Linlin, come eat.”
“No need, Brother,” Linlin called back from the room. “I’ve already eaten.”
Jiang Chengzhou and Yan Yuan took turns cooking, and they knew exactly what was in the kitchen and how much of it there was. She couldn’t possibly have eaten already.
“Come here, or I’ll bring it to you myself.”
Linlin bit her lip and reluctantly came out of the room.
Seeing her expression, Jiang Chengzhou couldn’t help laughing. “Getting you to eat is like forcing you to do something. Hurry up and eat this steamed egg custard.”
“This is for you.”
Jiang Chengzhou pushed the bowl toward her. “There’s so much food. Brother Yuan and I can share one bowl of egg custard. You eat this one.”
As he spoke, he scooped a spoonful of the egg custard from Yan Yuan’s bowl.
Linlin lifted her eyes to gauge Yan Yuan’s reaction.
Yan Yuan knew she was watching him, so he lowered his gaze and continued eating.
The girl was too timid. He didn’t want to frighten her.
After breakfast, Linlin took the initiative to say that she wanted to learn how to mend fishing nets.
Jiang Chengzhou hesitated for a moment. Since she felt uncomfortable having nothing to do, he might as well let her learn.
Linlin was clever and mastered it before long.
“Brother, you and Brother Yuan should go to sleep. What time should I make lunch? When should I wake you?”
In the short time it took to teach her, Jiang Chengzhou had already yawned several times.
“All right. We’ll go sleep for now. If you get hungry, make something for yourself. Cook whatever you want, and don’t be afraid of wasting anything. Your brother can afford to feed you!”
Linlin obediently nodded.
Jiang Chengzhou pulled Yan Yuan toward their room. “You shouldn’t stay here either. Go back and sleep. We still have work to do tonight.”
Yan Yuan glanced at Linlin, then turned and went back to the room.
And so the days passed slowly.
Linlin gradually grew accustomed to this life.
At night, Jiang Chengzhou and Yan Yuan went out to sea to fish, while she prepared the meals at home and waited for them to return.
Compared with the life she had led before, this one was so peaceful and comfortable that Linlin even began to feel that living this way for the rest of her life might not be so bad.
It was just that the weather was unpredictable, and Jiang Chengzhou and Yan Yuan couldn’t go out to sea every day.
