So, You’re the Henpecked One? 60

Chapter 60

Lin Zhao’s eyes were slightly open as she looked at the close-up Chu Xihuan. The warm, soft touch on her lips was accompanied by a moist breath, and the not-unfamiliar throbbing enveloped her completely.

Compared to before, Xihuan seemed to be more proactive.

The feeling of being liked by Xihuan was also becoming clearer and clearer.

She liked this feeling.

The light in her eyes grew brighter, and her heart thumped with a strong presence, reminding her.

She really did like Chu Xihuan so, so much.

If her initial affection for her was a kind of affection for finally having a home, then as she later watched her stand in front of her and protect her, and as they spent more time together, that feeling gradually shifted from the feeling of home to Chu Xihuan herself.

“Xihuan…” Lin Zhao murmured Chu Xihuan’s name. Her nose, which had been red from crying earlier, now had a strange, pitiful, and endearing quality.

Chu Xihuan’s heart softened at the sight.

“Mm, what’s wrong?” Chu Xihuan replied softly, turning her head slightly to rub her cheek against hers.

Lin Zhao’s heart suddenly beat faster. “I like you.”

Chu Xihuan let out a low laugh. “Mm, I know.”

Lin Zhao slowly smiled, but her heart still felt a little sour and bitter, regretting her immature and impulsive actions back then.

Back then… she had really been doubting whether Chu Xihuan’s feelings for her were real.

“Are you going to buy groceries?” Chu Xihuan asked, seeing that her state was a little off, and coaxed her softly.

“Mmm~” Lin Zhao’s voice was a little soft, and she looked extremely obedient.

Chu Xihuan’s lips curved slightly, and her grip on Lin Zhao’s hand tightened.

The two of them bought groceries together, and on their way back, they also bought a string of candied haws for Chu Lin. They walked home in the white snow, leaving two long strings of footprints behind them.

Lin Zhao looked back, her eyes curving into a smile, her mood much better.

She actually had the feeling of growing old together with Xihuan.

When they returned home, Chu Lin immediately pounced on Chu Xihuan’s leg and looked up at her with a pitiful expression.

Chu Xihuan chuckled, squatted down, and rubbed her little face, then turned to look at Lin Zhao and gave her a look.

Lin Zhao understood and put down the groceries, then also squatted down with the candied haws and handed them to Chu Lin.

Seeing the child’s slightly dazed expression, Chu Xihuan said warmly, “Your mother specially bought this for you. Do you like it?”

Chu Lin looked at Chu Xihuan, then at Lin Zhao, and finally, she timidly took the candied haws and nodded slightly.

Lin Zhao’s eyes were instantly filled with the morning light, and she looked at Chu Xihuan with surprise.

Chu Xihuan nodded at her, indicating that they were getting along well.

Chu Ningyi, who was watching this family of three from the side, her smile deepened. “Shouldn’t we be making dinner? I’m hungry~” she said with a smile.

Chu Xihuan looked at her second sister with a helpless expression. Just as she was about to get up and cook, Lin Zhao stood up first. “You can play with second sister and the others. I’ll cook.”

Apart from the occasional times she had cooked for herself when she was away from the main group in the wild, she had always eaten the communal meals in the army. Lin Zhao was actually not sure what her cooking skills were like now.

Chu Xihuan looked up at her and said in a quiet voice, “You don’t need me to go with you?”

This was very tempting, but Lin Zhao looked at Chu Ningyi. It didn’t seem right to leave her second sister alone, so she shook her head. “No need. I can do it myself.”

With that, she picked up the groceries again and went into the kitchen to prepare. And since it was cold in the winter and the water was even colder, Lin Zhao didn’t really want Chu Xihuan to do these things.

Chu Xihuan looked at Lin Zhao’s back, and the large stone in her heart finally fell heavily.

In the years when she had not received any positive feedback from Lin Zhao, she had really thought that she had lost her, that she would never forgive her.

“Niang~”

The candied haws were suddenly brought to her lips. Chu Xihuan came back to her senses and, looking at Chu Lin, who was looking at her with some worry, she smiled sweetly. “You eat it. Mother has already eaten.”

Seeing that she really didn’t want to eat, Chu Lin took her hand back and slowly took a bite, then smiled sweetly.

Chu Xihuan’s heart softened at her appearance. She felt that she and Lin Zhao were really very similar. Even their reactions to eating something they liked were the same.

Chu Ningyi also came up and rubbed Chu Lin’s little head, holding back a laugh. “Little Lin’er, is the candied haw your mother bought for you delicious?”

Chu Lin, who had been eating happily, was suddenly choked by her words. She blinked her large, glassy eyes at her, as if she didn’t know what to say.

Seeing her like this, Chu Ningyi couldn’t help but sigh softly and pinch her little cheek. “Will this child grow up to be a quiet person?” she muttered.

This child was spitting out words one by one, and the total number of words was not even as many as in one of her sentences.

Chu Lin’s eyes seemed to widen even more.

“She just started learning to speak not long ago,” Chu Xihuan said with a dissatisfied expression, gently patting her second sister’s hand. “How can you say that about your own niece?”

Chu Ningyi was quite innocent. “Who told her that she can’t even call me clearly now?”

This child started speaking later than other children. At first, if it weren’t for the fact that her other behaviors were quite normal, she would have almost suspected that Chu Xihuan had picked up a mentally disabled child.

“She can’t even call me clearly yet,” Chu Xihuan said with a bit of dissatisfaction. The child was still calling her in a strange way, and she wanted her to call her clearly? Where did she put herself!

Seeing the two adults talking in front of her, Chu Lin wanted to open her mouth to say something, but she found that she didn’t know what to say. So she silently handed the candied haw she had taken a bite of to Chu Ningyi and blinked her eyes, signaling her to eat.

Chu Ningyi looked down at the candied haw in front of her with a mix of amusement and exasperation. She pushed it back with her hand. “You eat it. I didn’t mean to snatch it from you.”

Seeing her like this, Chu Lin slowly started to eat her own candied haw again.

Lin Zhao, in the kitchen, her heart itched at the faint sounds coming from outside, and she also felt a sense of satisfaction.

I really want to join their conversation, but I still have to cook.

Lin Zhao, who was seriously cutting vegetables with her head down, couldn’t help but start to think about the possibility of hiring someone to help with the laundry and cooking.

Speaking of which, in the years she was away, did Xihuan not find someone to take care of her daily life?

At this thought, she planned to have a good talk with Xihuan later.

Although it had been a long time since she had cooked, since she had already learned this skill, it was a little difficult to forget. Although there were some stumbles along the way, Lin Zhao still managed to make the meal.

She brought the steaming hot food to the main hall and called Chu Xihuan and the others to eat. She had even thoughtfully boiled some hot water in advance so that they could wash their hands.

Chu Xihuan took the child to wash her hands. The warmth of the water on her palms made her lips curve up unconsciously.

Lin Zhao was as thoughtful as ever, keeping her in her heart.

“Warm~” Chu Lin muttered in a small voice, her two little hands in the water, not wanting to take them out.

“Mm, your mother specially boiled it for you, just so that you wouldn’t be cold when you wash your hands with cold water,” Chu Xihuan said warmly, trying to create a good image of Lin Zhao in front of the child, hoping that this would make the child less wary of her and accept her better.

Chu Lin’s eyes widened slightly. She looked up at the still-busy Lin Zhao and said, “Food…” She paused, as if she were trying to organize her words, but after a while, she found that she still couldn’t say it. Her pleading gaze fell on Chu Xihuan.

Chu Xihuan found it a little amusing and explained, “That’s right. The food was also made by your mother, and it’s much more delicious than what I make. You’ll know when you try it later.”

Chu Lin nodded, then nodded vigorously again, indicating that she had remembered.

Chu Xihuan took her hand out and dried it with a handkerchief, then saw that her second sister was also soaking her hands with a relaxed expression, as if she didn’t want to take them out.

Chu Xihuan mercilessly pulled her hand out of the water and dried it. “Don’t dawdle. Go and eat. The food will get cold later.”

She hadn’t eaten Lin Zhao’s cooking in a long time, so she naturally wanted to hurry.

Chu Ningyi’s eyebrows raised slightly, and she said with a hint of a deliberate grievance, “Little sister~ You’re really treating Little Lin’er and me differently!”

She was so gentle and coaxing with Little Lin’er, but with her, she had almost rubbed her hand red!

“You’re already so old, and you’re still bickering with a child,” Chu Xihuan didn’t coax her. It was good enough that she had helped her dry her hands. If she dawdled any longer, she wouldn’t be able to eat while it was still hot.

Just then, Lin Zhao also came over. Chu Xihuan looked at Lin Zhao’s obviously red, frozen hands and quickly pulled her hand into the hot water.

Seeing this, Chu Ningyi couldn’t help but say, “You’re not worried about the food getting cold now?”

Chu Xihuan was speechless.

Lin Zhao smiled at her embarrassedly, but her eyes were filled with a happy joy.

**

Author’s Note:

Zhaozhao: [Flowers][Flowers][Let Me See][Shy]