Chapter 141 - 142: The Reason
Speaking of this, Jin Qianqian couldn’t hide her embarrassment. School had just resumed, and they’d arranged a mandatory physical exam, but her weight back then was truly shocking.
Her classmates and the upperclasswomen were all worried for her. In the end, someone came up with a terrible idea. They not only dressed her in baggy clothes but also layered several more items underneath. She nearly fainted from the heat.
But that was far from enough. Li Tian’ai, one of the upperclasswomen, even ran to the kitchen to borrow two scale weights, stuffing one into each of her pockets. Only then did she barely pass the check.
Jin Qianqian knew the truth, though. The person in charge of the weigh-in had given her several long looks. ’He must have seen right through my trick,’ she thought. ’He was just kind enough not to expose me on the spot.’
Everyone teased her about it for quite a while after that.
She glanced down at her current plump figure, which made her face look small in comparison. It wasn’t much different from back then.
"How did you know about that?" Jin Qianqian was surprised the story had reached Ancient Wen Heng’s ears.
"You’ll have to ask your dear upperclasswoman, Li Tian’ai," Ancient Wen Heng said, then refused to elaborate further. No matter how much Jin Qianqian wheedled and pouted, he wouldn’t say another word.
After making their rounds, they had given out a lot of pastries, but they had also received quite a few things in return.
People had given them handfuls of dried vegetables, a bit of cured meat, or a few eggs as return gifts.
Jin Qianqian collapsed onto the heated brick bed. Even though the village wasn’t large, making a full circuit on a snowy day was exhausting. She massaged her legs. "How about we just have something simple to eat later?"
Many people had invited them to stay for a meal, but they had politely declined.
’Even though everyone is getting by, being a guest is always an imposition.’
Ancient Wen Heng started sorting through the items they’d received. "Today, you’ll get to taste my cooking. We have cured fish and cured meat. Let’s make a hot pot."
Jin Qianqian thought of the rustic restaurant next to their old school and couldn’t help but smack her lips. "I have some pork bones and bamboo shoots here. We can add some tofu skin at the end. The flavor will be absolutely divine."
To get the bone broth flavorful as quickly as possible, Jin Qianqian even produced an old-fashioned pressure cooker.
Seeing that they had everything they needed, Ancient Wen Heng followed the steps he remembered from the rustic restaurant. He started the bone broth, then cleaned the cured meat and fish, not forgetting to prepare all the side vegetables.
After resting for a bit, Jin Qianqian set up a stove rack in the middle of the kitchen and placed a wok on top. This way, the two of them could cook and eat as they went, without the food getting cold.
Looking at the steaming hot pot of cured meat and fish, Jin Qianqian gave him a thumbs-up. "I can’t believe you actually managed to learn their secrets just by watching! With skills like these, you could open your own rustic restaurant."
"That’s an exaggeration," Ancient Wen Heng said. "You haven’t even tasted it. How would you know?"
"This aroma says it all." Jin Qianqian picked up a piece of cured meat. "I can’t wait any longer. I’m digging in."
"Careful, it’s hot—" Before Ancient Wen Heng could finish, Jin Qianqian had already popped it into her mouth, chewing while trying to cool it down with her breath.
Jin Qianqian’s eyes went wide, and she shot him another thumbs-up.
"I was really missing the food from that rustic restaurant. I can’t believe they went out of business. But now that you’ve mastered their cooking, I’ll have delicious food to look forward to!" Jin Qianqian’s face was a picture of pure bliss as her chopsticks moved nonstop.
Ancient Wen Heng took a sip of beer between bites. Hearing Jin Qianqian’s words, his eyes crinkled with a smile. "Then eat up. I’ll make it for you again whenever you want."
「 」
Snow was falling outside, but the atmosphere inside the room was growing exceptionally heated.
Ancient Wen Heng did his best to restrain himself, but he couldn’t help but get lost in the moment.
He held Jin Qianqian tightly, pulling away from her lips, breathless. "You’re really a little temptress."
Jin Qianqian gazed at him with hazy, alluring eyes, startling Ancient Wen Heng so much that he quickly covered them with his hand. If this continued, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.
"Easy now," he murmured. "We have plenty of time. We need to get your body properly conditioned first." ’Besides,’ he thought, ’she’s still just a kid who needs to grow up. If this were the modern world, she’d be a minor, plain and simple.’
Jin Qianqian bared her teeth, fighting the urge to bite the neck right in front of her. She managed to restrain herself. "Well, then let go of me first."
Ancient Wen Heng reluctantly released her. "If you’re cold out here, you could go rest in your space."
"Are you tired of me already?" Jin Qianqian put her hands on her hips, her tone playfully indignant.
Ancient Wen Heng cleared his throat. "I’m the one who needs to cool down. I’m afraid if I act on impulse, you’ll regret it tomorrow."
His words were a little too blunt. Jin Qianqian felt flustered all over and, with a single turn, vanished into her space.
"AHH!" Jin Qianqian jumped and screamed inside her space. ’I almost blurted out that I didn’t mind! Is that being too forward?’
She patted her chest. ’Good thing I reacted quickly and hid in here. It’s true what they say: a full belly and a warm bed lead to... other desires. It’s not wrong at all.’
Watching her suddenly vanish, Ancient Wen Heng shook his head with a wry smile. He pulled open the door and went outside. After a moment in the cold, he came rushing back in, a gust of cold air swirling in with his clothes.
「 」
As peaceful as it was, they still had a shop to look after in the county seat. So, after just two days at home, the pair hitched up the donkey cart and headed back to town.
They had just reached the city gate when they spotted a figure huddled in a corner.
’Motionless in this freezing weather?’ Ancient Wen Heng couldn’t help but frown.
He stopped the donkey cart at the gate and called out to the Government Official on duty. "Brother Xiao, what’s going on over there?"
"Scholar Gu, you’re back." Xiao Muliang stopped huddling by the fire and stood up, looking in the direction Ancient Wen Heng was pointing. "Sigh. Just a pitiful soul. His only family member passed away, and someone stole his home, so he has nowhere else to go."
"I thought another wave of refugees had arrived," Ancient Wen Heng said. "But he looks like just a kid. If he stays out in this cold much longer, he’ll likely freeze to death."
"Tell me about it." Xiao Muliang quickly held up his hands. "It’s not like I told him to go over there. I even called him over to warm himself by the fire, but he’s stubborn and insists on staying put."
"I think the kid’s lost the will to live. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be staying so far from the gate."
At a time like this, anyone would want to be near a fire.
Ancient Wen Heng considered this possibility as well. If the boy was determined to die, he didn’t want to be a busybody.
Just as he was about to turn away, he saw the person lift his head.
’It’s him?’
"You know him, Scholar Gu?"
Ancient Wen Heng frowned. "Not really. We’ve just crossed paths once."
In the end, his conscience wouldn’t let him walk away. Ancient Wen Heng tied the donkey to a hitching post, murmured a few instructions to the person in the carriage, and then strode over.
Jin Qianqian curiously peeked through the curtain. ’Ancient Wen Heng isn’t usually one to meddle in other people’s business. I wonder who this person is to make him break his own rule.’