The ticklish sensation at her waist made Lin Aiyun laugh involuntarily. She instinctively leaned back, still holding his face. Her hazy, misty eyes seemed about to spill over as she drew closer, shortening the distance between them.
“Hm?” He pressed again.
Unable to withstand his persistence, she straightened up, her fingertips tracing his sharp brows. Before he could react, she bent down and pressed a quick kiss to his lips—light as a dragonfly skimming water, like a feather brushing past.
“There—that’s how I’ll take care of you, alright? I’m going to get you some ointment.” She made to leave, but he caught her waist, holding her in place. Her backside settled against his thigh as his hand gripped the nape of her neck.
“Not enough. At least…” His voice trailed off as he leaned in to peck her soft lips, kissing and tasting every corner. Mindful of where they were, he didn’t dare linger, but he still bit down a few times before pulling away.
Heaven knew how long he’d held back these past two days, not daring to touch her. Now that he’d finally seized an opportunity, of course he was going to get his due.
“This is how I want you to take care of me.”
His voice was low and husky, his lips brushing her earlobe as he deliberately blew warm air against it. He even patted her there, the firm skin bouncing back under his touch. His eyes darkened, and he pulled her back—but before he could touch her again, she swatted him away.
Since she’d grown up, no one had ever spanked her, let alone in such a teasing, flirtatious way. Her face burned red as coal, shame washing over her. She bit her lip and glared at him, giving his chest a hard punch.
But Xiao Cheng showed no sign of remorse. He clutched the spot she’d hit and grinned mischievously: “That works too—hits and scolds are love. Aiyun loves me to death.”
“Shut up.” His voice wasn’t quiet. If her parents heard, she’d never live it down.
Without thinking, she reached up and covered his mouth. Shame crept up from her heart, spreading to her neck, her cheeks, the tips of her ears—flooding her skin with red, making her look all the more endearing.
“Alright—I’ll shut up.” Xiao Cheng tilted his head, his big eyes looking at her pitifully, as if he’d done nothing wrong but wanted to obey her anyway. Whatever she said, he’d do.
Knowing full well he was faking it, Lin Aiyun still found herself softening. She jabbed a finger at his nose and put on her fiercest voice: “Stay put—I’m going to get the ointment.”
He nodded. Only then did she let go and go ask Zhang Wenhua for the medicine.
But when she came back, she found Xiao Cheng had stripped off his shirt. He sat upright on the chair, back straight, waiting like a lamb for slaughter. If the main hall door weren’t wide open, she’d have sworn this was his bedroom, not a public space.
Even if no one was coming by, could he at least rein in his peacock vibes? As if he wasn’t deliberately showing off his devilishly handsome looks.
This was too much.
Why was Xiao Cheng so strange today? He wasn’t normally like this—well, he did occasionally tempt her with his body, but never this boldly.
“Put your shirt back on.” She hurried over in three quick steps and grabbed his top. But since she still needed to apply the ointment, she only managed to drape it over his chest, half-covering him.
Her eyes had been on him the whole time. Now, up close, the prominent curve of his neck drew her gaze. She swallowed and focused on fumbling with the ointment.
Xiao Cheng, meanwhile, casually tugged his shirt even lower. When she opened the cap and looked down, his firm, sculpted chest was right there, throwing off her rhythm.
“Xiao Cheng, we’re at my house.” She took a couple of deep breaths and reminded him.
“But we’re the only ones here.” He admitted it, practically confessing.
She paused, then stepped forward and pressed the damp towel against his back, gently wiping away the sweat. Then she applied the ointment to the peeling skin, her voice soft: “Did something happen?”
“No.” He shook his head instinctively, but the cool touch on his back made him pause. Pressing his lips together, he couldn’t help adding: “Today I heard that a lot of young men in your village have proposed to you.”
Hearing this, Lin Aiyun let out a breath of relief. She continued applying the ointment, a small smile tugging at her lips: “So you’re jealous? No wonder it smells so sour around here.”
“Yes, I am.” Xiao Cheng didn’t bother to deny it. He pressed his forehead against her waist and murmured: “But you turned them all down.”
“Mm, I didn’t like them.” She nodded, even patting his head reassuringly.
Ever since she’d come of age, matchmakers had been visiting the house. At first, her mother had welcomed them warmly, hoping to find her a reliable man. But later, she found that most of them came for her looks—lacking substance, sincerity, and reliability. So her mother had put out word that she wasn’t looking for a match, and the commotion died down.
Do you like him? The one you once wanted to marry?
The question rose to Xiao Cheng’s lips, but he swallowed it back. He let out a soft scoff, scolding himself for being irrational. He knew her heart better than anyone—why dwell on a passing shadow from the past?
“You love me.” His thin lips curved in a smug smile as he looked up at her, his high nose bridge brushing against her elbow.
She flinched, pressing harder on his back. Feeling him tense under her fingers, she stopped and frowned: “Did I hurt you?”
“No—just ticklish.” His voice was even huskier now, as if it had blended with the drifting clouds outside. The veins on his neck stood out slightly, and at some point, his long legs had crossed, as if hiding something restless beneath.
Lin Aiyun focused on applying the medicine and didn’t notice.
“Hang in there—almost done. Later, you should apply some to Zhou Jin too.”
“I really want to get married soon.” Xiao Cheng muttered to himself, but she still caught it. She didn’t understand why he’d brought it up again, but she cleared her throat: “Didn’t you and my father pick a date yesterday?”
“You eavesdropped?” His eyes sparkled with amusement, his tone certain.
She realized she’d slipped. Her lashes fluttered with regret as she stammered a defense: “No—I just happened to overhear a word or two when I went to the kitchen for water.”
“Oh? Is that so?” His disbelief was written all over his face. His dark, probing gaze lingered on her features, a half-smile playing on his lips.
“Of course.” She stuck out her chin, the picture of stubborn defiance. She’d never admit she’d eavesdropped because she’d been worried her father might say something harsh and the two hotheads would end up fighting.
Xiao Cheng said nothing. He waited until she’d finished applying the ointment, then hooked his fingers around hers. His voice turned serious: “I want to hurry things up. I had someone calculate an auspicious date—it’s the end of this month.”
“So soon?” She gasped.
“But I won’t cut any corners.” He rubbed her palm and added meaningfully: “After we have the banquet here, we’ll bring your family to the capital. They can stay until next spring before coming back—plenty of time.”
“If they like the capital, they can stay for good. I know you’d miss them, and I want them by your side too. But it has to be their choice—I can’t force them.”
Leaving home to live in a new city, even under the most generous conditions, wasn’t a decision everyone would make.
Her intuition told her Xiao Cheng’s rush to pick such an early date wasn’t just about marrying her quickly.
A thought struck her—in her past life, something major had happened in Jiangming Province later that year. Her heart raced. Could Xiao Cheng know about it? Powerful people always had better information. She didn’t dwell on it.
Instead, she said: “I’ll convince them. Remember—I have my own savings now.”
They might feel awkward spending their son-in-law’s money, but they wouldn’t be as hesitant with their daughter’s.
She’d always planned to use her embroidery earnings to settle her parents and brother in the capital—not in luxury, but comfortably. Then they could find work at a factory. At least for the next twenty years, they wouldn’t struggle. After all, private business wasn’t going to be easy in the coming decades, and factory workers had good benefits.
Though she hated to admit it, even a small county’s workers lived better than villagers like them. In the city, life was always better than toiling in the fields.
There was no idyllic countryside in this era—just endless, exhausting farm labor.
Having lived a second life, she didn’t want her parents to toil so hard anymore—working for the family’s rations, scrambling for work points. And if Kangzi went to the capital, he’d have better opportunities for growth.
So when she learned that embroidery could earn so much money, she’d been working as hard as she could to complete pieces. This was her leverage at this critical moment—to convince her parents to go with her and stay.
In her past life, Jiangming Province had been caught in war from the start of August. It was chaos for over a month before final liberation. Though Nangou Village wasn’t directly affected, the fighting outside made life hard for everyone.
Food prices skyrocketed. Poorer families who couldn’t hold out risked going into the mountains to survive—at least there they could dig up wild vegetables and tree roots. Staying home would only mean starvation.
The Lin family was relatively well-off in the village, but they’d still spent nearly all their savings to weather the crisis safely.
Not long after the war ended, New China was established, ushering in a new chapter. The central tasks were to consolidate the new people’s government and quickly restore the national economy.
A series of beneficial new regulations were issued—class divisions, land reform…
And Xiao Cheng… In her past life, she’d asked him how he’d avoided that disaster. He’d always brushed it off, changing the subject after just a few words. Seeing he didn’t want to talk about it, she’d stopped pressing. All she knew was that Xiao Cheng hadn’t been sent down, hadn’t been persecuted—he’d gotten through that period smoothly, even becoming the director of the Capital Steel Factory.
In this life, it would be the same, so she wasn’t too worried about him.
“A husband and wife are one—my money is your money. Don’t draw such clear lines, alright?” Xiao Cheng tugged her hand helplessly, bringing her back to the present. “Only when you’re comfortable with it can they truly accept my sincerity.”
Her gaze settled on his face, and she slowly nodded. She’d been able to accept his kindness easily because she’d grown used to it over so many years of genuine care in her past life.
But she knew her parents and brother couldn’t do that—at least not yet.
They’d feel that accepting too much would put them in a weak position. If they took less of his money, they’d have more confidence in front of him and be better able to protect her.
“Then when we go to the capital, I’ll need you to arrange a place for them.” She held his hand and smiled playfully. He laughed: “Don’t worry—I’ve already taken care of it.”
“So you had this planned all along?” She tapped his nose, then rubbed it gently.
“I’m the one taking you away. Once I marry you, they become my family too.” Xiao Cheng didn’t deny it. His gaze dropped, long lashes sweeping down, his eyes full of love as he looked at her. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have to leave your hometown. This is what I should do—what I must do.”
“Xiao Cheng.” Her brows relaxed, her voice soft as she called his name.
“I’m here. I’ll always be here.” His voice was steady and strong, filling her heart with warmth.
How precious—and how rare—to have someone you could trust completely, lean on without reservation.
Lin Aiyun reached out and hugged him. But their embrace was quickly interrupted by a loud voice from the kitchen. They pulled apart in a fluster—she jumped back three feet in one leap, landing by the door.
“Time to eat!”
Only when she realized Zhang Wenhua hadn’t come over and was still in the kitchen did she breathe a sigh of relief. The next second, she caught Xiao Cheng suppressing a laugh. She glared at him and turned away. He hurriedly pulled on his shirt and followed.
“Wonder what Auntie made.”
“Remember to give this to Zhou Jin.” Still annoyed at his earlier laugh, she ignored his attempt to change the subject.
Xiao Cheng caught the ointment she tossed over and nodded. Just then, Zhou Jin emerged from his room. “Here. For you.”
Zhou Jin took it, looking surprised: “Thanks, Brother Cheng.”
“Your sister-in-law gave it.”
“Thanks, sister-in-law.” His reply was straight and formal—ignoring Lin Wenkang, who was walking behind them. Lin Wenkang clicked his tongue and corrected him with a laugh: “Not yet—don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“Soon enough.”
Zhou Jin’s words pleased Xiao Cheng, who rubbed the back of his head with a carefree laugh.
“Let’s eat. We’ve got work to do this afternoon—gotta eat well to keep up our strength.”
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