Chapter 139: Chapter 139: What Did You Notice?
Wang Yuan was more reserved. Although she also really wanted to eat the meat, she was too shy to say so.
"Heh, everyoneâs been working hard lately. Clean them up tonight, and weâll stew them and eat tomorrow." Hua Yusen was also happy to share with everyone. "Nuanyue, you caught a chill and had a rough time today. You should eat more."
Li Qiong grinned as she looked back and forth between Zhao Nuanyue and Hua Yusen, her eyes holding a hint of mischief.
âThereâs definitely something going on between these two!â
âAlways exchanging glances, and they think we canât see it. In fact, we noticed long ago.â
"Oh, so this is to help our Nuanyue recover! In that case, we wouldnât dare eat any," Li Qiong said with a laugh. "Nuanyue, you have a cold. Iâll clean these pheasants for you later, and I promise I wonât eat a single bite!"
"Li Qiong, youâre shameless! Mr. Hua already said theyâre for everyone, but youâre still deliberately picking on me," Zhao Nuanyue argued. "Hua, Iâll get you some food! You should go change your clothes first. Nuanyang, get a basin of hot water for Hua so he can wash up."
"Okay." Zhao Nuan Yang put down his bowl and chopsticks, went to get hot water for Hua Yusen, and brought it to his room.
Meanwhile, Zhao Nuanyue quickly finished the food in her bowl, then made a large bowl of dough drop soup for Hua Yusen, secretly adding a duck egg into it.
Because it contained ginger, chili powder, and cilantro, the duck egg didnât have a gamey taste. This was a favorite of Hua Yusenâs, and Zhao Nuanyue always made it for him.
By the time Hua Yusen had washed up and changed into clean clothes, Zhao Nuanyue already had his meal prepared.
While Zhao Nuanyue was in the kitchen cooking, Li Qiong muttered in a low voice, "Hey, hey, do you see it now?"
Wang Yuan smiled enviously. "Itâs not like weâre blind. How could we not?"
Yang Guanghui was taken aback and asked curiously, "What did you see? I didnât see anything!"
"Heh, youâre a block of wood." Li Qiong shot Yang Guanghui a look. "The moment Mr. Hua gets back, Nuanyue has Nuan Yang getting him hot water and then goes to cook for him personally. Look how diligent she is!"
"Nuanyueâs always been kind-hearted. Sometimes when I come back late, donât you and Nuanyue offer to make food for me too?" Yang Guanghui said with a casual laugh. "You all should stop gossiping. When the time is right, theyâll naturally say something. Your wild guessing here will just make the poor girl blush and feel awkward."
"You know everything and youâre still playing dumb," Li Qiong said scornfully. "Fine, weâre all a bunch of gossips, and youâre the noble one. Is that better?"
"Heh, a womanâs heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea." Yang Guanghui shook his head and chuckled. "Letâs drop it. Theyâre coming."
Hua Yusen was carrying a large bowl of the duck egg dough drop soup, with bright green cilantro floating on top.
"My, my, Nuanyue really dotes on you," Li Qiong cooed. "Youâd better be good to our Nuanyue and not bully her!"
Hua Yusen smiled and replied, "Of course."
Zhao Nuanyue felt embarrassed under their stares and had to force herself to say, "Mr. Hua saved me today. I just made this meal to thank him."
"Oh, yes, you absolutely should." Li Qiongâs eyes crinkled into a smile. "Itâs only right. We understand, we understand. No need to blush!"
"Iâm not talking to you anymore. Iâm going to do the laundry." Zhao Nuanyue was too embarrassed to stay any longer and turned to leave.
While washing her own clothes, Zhao Nuanyue saw the clothes Hua Yusen had just changed out of in a basin by his door, so she took them and began washing his as well.
âBeing able to wash clothes for the one you love is its own kind of sweet happiness. At the very least, I feel like I can do something for Hua Yusen, instead of always having him take care of me.â
By the time Hua Yusen finished his meal, Zhao Nuanyue had already finished the laundry and hung it on the clothes rack.
Li Qiong and Wang Yuan covered their mouths to stifle their giggles.
Zhao Nuanyue quickly hid in her room. On the surface, she was just shy, but deep down, she felt a pang of guilt.
She even had a selfish thought: âMaybe if Hua Yusen were a free man, I wouldnât feel so guilty.â
âI shouldnât think about it. The more I do, the more it feels like my current happiness is stolen. Even though Hua Yusen says he likes me, that his heart is with me, that he loves me... what about that girl far away?â
âSheâs Hua Yusenâs fiancĂ©e. And even though in my past life, Hua Yusen and that woman broke up even without my involvement... and in that life, I was his woman...â
But now, she had become the one wedged between Hua Yusen and that woman. She was the third party. This left her feeling incredibly conflicted and hesitant.
A voice in her head screamed: âZhao Nuanyue, if you want to be an upstanding, decent person, donât meddle in other peopleâs relationships! Donât be the other woman!â
Another voice, full of temptation, whispered: âZhao Nuanyue, Hua Yusen and his fiancĂ©e are going to break up anyway. Besides, in your past life, he was your man. You donât need to feel burdened by this. Go boldly after your own love!â
The two voices flashed relentlessly through her mind, making her head buzz. She crouched on the floor, clutching her head in her hands.
"Sis, whatâs wrong?" Zhao Nuan Yang asked as he came in from outside. "Are you not feeling well?"
Perhaps Zhao Nuan Yangâs voice was quite loud. Hua Yusen, who was in the courtyard letting his dinner settle, heard his worried tone and immediately rushed in. "Nuanyue, do you have a fever? Are you feeling unwell? Iâll take you to the hospital!"
Zhao Nuanyue hadnât expected her unintentional actions to throw her brother and Hua Yusen into such a panic. She quickly wiped the tears from her face, patted her head, and said, "Iâm fine, Iâm fine. Iâm just a little dizzy. Iâll be okay after I get some sleep."
"Really?" Hua Yusen looked at Zhao Nuanyue with concern. Seeing her pale face and the tear tracks at the corners of her eyes, he felt she was lying.
"Really. I am a little dizzy, and I was just thinking about how difficult our situation will be in the future. I feel lost, and thatâs why I was upset." Zhao Nuanyue forced a weak smile. Seeing Hua Yusen only made the two voices in her heart argue more fiercely. "Iâm always encouraging others, but when itâs my turn, itâs a different story."
Hua Yusen looked at Zhao Nuanyue intently, trying to read more from her expression, but she hid it too well. He couldnât see through her.
Just then, Wu Dazhu came over in person, calling from outside, "Mr. Hua, Mr. Zhao, could you please come to the village for a moment?"
Hua Yusen and Zhao Nuanyue looked at each other, both stunned. But then they thought about what happened todayâhow both of them had gotten involved and forced Zheng Delin and his gang to retreat.
âWe got through today, but what about the future?â
âZheng Delin would never let this go. He would definitely be back for revenge. And when he returned to Nianqiao Village, he would surely make life difficult for the village and especially for those of them who had stood up to him.â