Omegaverse: Salted Fish Life in the Yaoi Novel

While the omegas and alphas worked hard under the bright, hot sun, PD Xu Cui walked slowly through the village with Mo Yan cradled gently in one arm. Shen Guoxing stayed close beside him, both small hands clutching the fabric of his pants as she looked around with quiet curiosity.

The village was alive with movement. Adult men and women passed in both directions, carrying tools, baskets, or bundles of greens, their footsteps and soft conversations filling the air with steady purpose.

As they moved along the path, a man accidentally brushed against Shen Guoxing. He stopped at once, looked down, and offered a gentle smile.

"Sorry ’bout that, little one," he said. "You okay?" He asked, his tone friendly and open.

Even so, Shen Guoxing tightened her grip on PD Xu Cui’s pants and nodded rapidly, her heart thumping with sudden anxiety.

The man noticed her shy reaction and laughed softly. He then reached down and gave her head a light, reassuring pat. Shen Guoxing froze for a second, then gradually relaxed when she sensed no threat in the touch. After a moment the man withdrew his hand and looked up at PD Xu Cui.

"You guys new around here?" he asked, still wearing that easy, welcoming expression.

PD Xu Cui tilted his head slightly and gave a small nod. "You can say that," he answered simply, not inclined to offer more details while he was feeling lazy.

The man seemed to sense there was more to the answer, but he did not press. "I see...." He smiled more brightly. "Welcome to our humble village!" He spread his hands a little, as though presenting the entire place to them.

PD Xu Cui laughed at the gesture and nodded. "Thank you." The two men exchanged a few more pleasant words. In the process PD Xu Cui learned something useful: the spot where the village children usually played.

After they finished their short conversation, PD Xu Cui and the children parted from the man with smiles. "What a nice guy," PD Xu Cui remarked with quiet amusement.

Shen Guoxing, still in her meek state, simply nodded.

PD Xu Cui looked down at his eldest angelic granddaughter and smiled. He patted her head again, chuckling softly at the sharp contrast between this shy version of her and the bright, sparkling girl she usually was.

Feeling the warm touch, Shen Guoxing looked up in mild confusion. PD Xu Cui crouched so their eyes were closer.

"Do you want to go meet new friends?" he asked, gazing straight into her innocent, bright eyes.

The question made her pause. Do I want to? She asked herself. After a moment of thought she realized she felt both ready and not ready. Ready because she wanted to meet more people and finally spend time with children her own age. Not ready because shyness still held her, and she was not sure she would fit in.

She hung her head and closed her eyes tightly, caught in the middle of the dilemma. I can’t... I really can’t, she thought, stomach churning from anxiety. But after a while, she decided to make a choice after further consideration. The children here probably all grew up together. They’ll be wary of an outsider like me, Shen Guoxing thought.

Her heart raced at the imagined scene of guarded, unfriendly faces. Yet another thought pushed back just as strongly. But.... I want more friends.

The conflicting emotions left her wanting to slap herself. This is so hard! Still, after one more internal debate she nodded to herself, believing she had reached an answer. I’m going to say "no".

She opened her eyes wide and looked up. "Grandpa, I—" The rest of the sentence stuck in her throat when she met PD Xu Cui’s patient, hopeful expression. The earnest light in his eyes blocked the refusal she had prepared.

"Yes?" PD Xu Cui asked, excitement clear in his voice.

Shen Guoxing looked at his face and sighed quietly. I don’t want to break Grandpa’s hope, she thought, giving a soft shake of her head in resignation.

"Grandpa, I...." She paused and looked at him again.

PD Xu Cui smiled. "You?" His tone remained energetic, his smile bright.

Shen Guoxing pressed her lips together and hung her head. "I want to meet other friends," she said at last.

PD Xu Cui brightened at once. "Terrific!" He straightened. In his arms Mo Yan let out a small cheerful sound, as though she too approved of the decision.

PD Xu Cui chuckled and looked down at Shen Guoxing. "Let’s go?" he asked gently.

Shen Guoxing nodded slowly, then after a moment clung to his pants once more. PD Xu Cui laughed and let her keep the hold, beginning to walk toward the place the man had pointed out.

As they moved, Shen Guoxing repeated a quiet mantra to herself. You can do this, Shen Guoxing. You’re a big girl. You’re a jiejie.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Under the bright, relentless sun, Su Wanyan finally straightened her back and stretched. A series of satisfying pops ran along her spine. She calmly wiped away the sweat that had gathered after forty-one continuous minutes of work and surveyed the plot with quiet satisfaction.

All the surface grass had been cleared. She could now begin the proper tilling. She set the hoe down gently and walked back to the starting edge of her section to retrieve the shovel.

What she did not take into account was how she looked in that moment—shirt slightly damp, posture relaxed yet strong, the easy confidence of someone who had already finished the hardest part while others still struggled.

The barrage reacted at once.

[Wow.. just.. wow.]

[She’s so hot, what the actual heck....]

[Oh, damn, something below me needs some watering...]

[Excuse me... what?]

[Oh, was I not clear enough? Well, I meant—]

[No, no, I already know what you meant.. no need for clarification... But what in the name of hornyness was that?]

[Oh! Well, all I’m saying is my legs are spread wide open and I’m rea—]

[LET’S PLEASE KEEP IT PG HERE, OKAY?]

[..RUN! THE PG POLICE IS HERE TOO!]

[Damn. After covid, no one was normal anymore, huh?]

[Covid? What even is that?]

[I... I don’t know! I don’t know what covid is! He-help! Am I going crazy?!]

While the chat descended into its usual chaos and one viewer suffered a brief identity crisis, Su Wanyan reached the place where she had begun. She bent down, picked up the shovel, and tested its weight.

Hm, it’s light, she thought.

She shrugged and drove the blade into the ground. When it sank only a short distance she glanced at her thick-soled shoes and smiled. Fortunately I’m wearing proper shoes, she thought with a quiet chuckle. Then she stepped onto the top of the shovel and put her weight on it, forcing the blade deeper into the soil.

Once it was firmly seated she leaned back on the handle and turned the compact earth over in one smooth motion. The dark soil broke free with a soft, satisfying sound. Su Wanyan smiled and moved to the next section, her movements fast and precise.

This is kind of fun, she thought as she continued the rhythmic hopping and turning that made up the second stage of tilling.

Her bright, almost playful expression proved contagious. Both the nearby staff and the live audience found themselves smiling along with her.

[She’s so cute!]

[From mommy to baby real quick, LMAO!]

[Baby? I can offer to bre—]

[STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU HORNY LIL SHIT!]

[Am I the only one who sees Shen Guoxing’s and Su Wanyan’s resemblance? Especially when she’s acting like this.]

[Well, that may be because Su Wanyan is her mom.]

[...But isn’t Shen Guoxing just Su Wanyan’s—]

[DON’T CONTINUE THAT ACCURSED WORDS! SHEN GUOXING IS SU WANYAN’S AND MO XINGXUE’S CHILD! ALONGSIDE MO YAN!]

[...Rightt.]

[LMAO]

While the barrage continued its chaotic commentary, Su Wanyan kept hopping and turning soil, settling into a peaceful, almost meditative rhythm.

Meanwhile the other three alphas remained locked in a close contest, each fighting for every possible point and for the right to choose one of the houses for the next two weeks.

Forty-five minutes after the competition began, Gu Chengze finally finished clearing his grass. He straightened, wiped sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, and surveyed his work with a proud, arrogant smirk.

How easy, he thought. I bet I’m the first one finished.

He glanced across at Qin Yuran’s still-uneven section, then at Zhao Yichen’s progress, which he judged even more pathetic. Then his eyes reached Su Wanyan’s plot—and widened.

She’s already on the second step?!

His mouth fell open. He clenched the hoe in his hand and glared. She must have cheated. There’s just no way.

In denial, he searched her work for flaws, yet every section was level, smooth, and evenly turned. He gritted his teeth and continued to stare at the calmly grinning alpha.

Su Wanyan, still jumping and pulling the shovel, suddenly felt a burning gaze fixed on her. Confused, she looked up and met Gu Chengze’s eyes, which burned with open hatred.

She held the stare for a moment. Then a small, proud smirk curved her lips. Gu Chengze’s expression sharpened further, as though he were ready to attack on the spot. Su Wanyan only shrugged and returned her attention to the soil, not glancing at him again.

Even this dirt has more worth in my eyes than him, she thought, chuckling quietly to herself.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Let’s pretend I posted this at 12 AM...