The villagers were acting like workaholics at the construction site. Huang Wei checked the time; it was past three in the afternoon, so she took Huang Chengcheng home to prepare dinner.
Given how the villagers were, she figured she didn’t need to supervise them—they’d work themselves to death on their own.
When Huang Wei got home, Cheng Luyun was sitting in the yard. There was still sunshine at three o’clock. She was curled up on a rattan chair in the yard, eyes closed as if asleep. Hearing a noise, she opened her eyes. “You’re back?”
The feeling of having someone waiting for her to come home was truly wonderful!
Huang Wei couldn’t help it and broke into a smile while holding Huang Chengcheng.
Her bangs were long and messy, covering part of her eyes. Many people thought she looked gloomy, like the final boss hiding in a corner silently hating society and liable to stab someone—and her bangs were seventy-percent responsible for that image.
But now that she was smiling, her eyes sparkling, the gloomy impression instantly diminished by half.
Yet Cheng Luyun still thought her bangs were a nuisance. If not for them, she’d surely see the full extent of her smile. When Huang Wei slept, her bangs would slide to one side, revealing a pretty face. But at those times, with her eyes closed and lips pressed together, she naturally wasn’t as attractive as when she smiled.
It would be nice if she could cut those bangs off.
Cheng Luyun was startled by the thought. She inwardly complained about what she was thinking. Then she secretly blamed it all on Huang Wei—it was because Huang Wei kept saying shameless things in her ear all day that she was now thinking these ridiculous thoughts!
Cheng Luyun’s expression cooled slightly. Huang Wei, not knowing what she had done wrong this time, set Huang Chengcheng down, scratched her head, and said, “I’ll go start cooking.”
Huang Chengcheng landed and toddled over to Cheng Luyun, who scooped her into her arms. Like a little bird, Chengcheng chattered away about what had happened at the construction site. Cheng Luyun could have known everything about Huang Family Village on her own, but omniscience would make life too boring. Even in the previous loops, she rarely used her power to probe into everything, including when Huang Wei had borrowed farm tools from someone’s house to assemble the seeder—Cheng Luyun hadn’t spied.
She deliberately restrained her ability; otherwise, everyone in the instance would be an open book to her, completely devoid of fun.
Huang Chengcheng was truly happy. Ever since Huang Wei arrived, she had become much more cheerful than before. Chengcheng wasn’t an introverted child to begin with, but she’d still be a bit reserved around strangers. With Huang Wei, it was completely different—she became a happy little bee, a smile on her face all day long.
Having just gone out, her hair was a bit messy. Cheng Luyun reached out and removed Chengcheng’s hair tie, listening to her talk while redoing her hair.
Chengcheng hadn’t napped this afternoon; after being out so long, she should have been sleepy. When Huang Wei finished cooking dinner and came out to wash the vegetables for the villagers who had helped, she saw Chengcheng sound asleep against Cheng Luyun.
Huang Wei had a lot of vegetables, since there were twenty or thirty helpers. Cooking for so many wasn’t easy, but luckily they had an old-style stove, which was really convenient for large batches. Seeing her with so much, Cheng Luyun stood up, placed Chengcheng on the rattan chair, and walked to the well.
“I’ll help you.”
Before Huang Wei could refuse, Cheng Luyun had already rolled up her sleeves, squatted down, and started washing vegetables. At that moment, there was a sense of peaceful tranquility. Early summer was a bit warm, and with hands dipped in the well water, washing vegetables didn’t feel cold—it was actually quite pleasant.
Huang Wei no longer wanted to reject Cheng Luyun’s help. With her by her side helping to pick the vegetables, Huang Wei felt her heart melting.
Normally, no one likes chores, and Huang Wei was no exception.
She actually disliked washing vegetables and doing dishes. Though cooking was her hobby, the prep work and cleanup were exhausting and completely joyless. But now, with Cheng Luyun beside her, squatting by the well in the yard, hands in the cool well water, slowly cleaning each vegetable and putting it in the basket—even this tedious task felt comforting to Huang Wei.
Nearby, Huang Chengcheng slept sweetly in the rattan chair, the occasional creak of the chair audible when she turned over.
Outside, birds in the trees sang, their tiny chirps drifting into their ears.
Who wouldn’t like such rural life? This was what Huang Wei had always pursued. She felt life didn’t need much money, nor did she desire a life of luxury. As long as someone accompanied her, cared for her—best of all, loved her—she would happily accept even the plainest of days.
But she didn’t know what Cheng Luyun thought. If Cheng Luyun also liked this kind of life, Huang Wei would be so happy she’d jump three feet high.
However, good times are always fleeting. Soon, the vegetables were all washed. Huang Wei, finding herself with nothing left to wash, froze for a moment. She leaned over to look at Cheng Luyun’s side, and her blankness turned into shame.
Cheng Luyun had washed a huge pile, stacked high in front of her, while Huang Wei had only managed a few basketfuls.
Huang Wei felt a bit deflated. She claimed she could do everything, but in the end, she couldn’t even wash vegetables as fast as Cheng Luyun.
In Huang Wei’s mind, Cheng Luyun was the type who wasn’t very good at housework—after all, her hands were so smooth and soft, unlike her own. Huang Wei’s hands were genuinely rough. Compared to other women her age, her hands looked like those of a thirty-five-year-old.
She was a bit self-conscious about it. Especially with all the beauty products nowadays; even when she occasionally ran into a coworker in the restroom, they’d glance at her hands while washing up and say, “Oh my god, Huang Wei, your hands are so rough! You must not be taking care of them. Women these days have to maintain their skin, or their hands will be so rough they won’t look good.”
Whenever someone said that, Huang Wei could only force a laugh, awkwardly say, “I’ll take care of them next time,” shake off the water, and leave.
She knew her hands were rough, not just from neglecting skincare over the years, but from the work she’d done since childhood. While other girls kept their hands in their pockets in winter, she had to plunge hers into icy water to wash and pick vegetables. Every winter, frostbite never fully healed. Over the years, it was no wonder her hands weren’t smooth and delicate.
Huang Wei didn’t want to explain to anyone, nor did she need to put her wounds on display for others to judge. She carefully hid them, hoping no one would notice.
But in Huang Family Village, Huang Wei didn’t have to be so careful. Outside, whose hands weren’t rough? Many were even rougher than hers. Only Cheng Luyun’s hands were smooth, soft, and tender.
Thinking that way wasn’t good, either—it made her seem like a huge pervert.
Even as she scolded herself inwardly, Huang Wei’s gaze lingered on Cheng Luyun’s hands. They were so beautiful—fair skin, slender fingers. Yet these lovely hands were washing vegetables; what if they got swollen and unattractive? Huang Wei had just started feeling heartache when she remembered that Cheng Luyun was a ghost.
Ghost hands… probably wouldn’t get swollen, would they?
Huang Wei’s stare was a bit obvious. Cheng Luyun looked down at her own hands, puzzled: What’s so interesting about these?
“What are you looking at?”
Not one to hold back, Cheng Luyun asked directly if she didn’t understand. Still absorbed in Cheng Luyun’s fair hands, Huang Wei blurted out, “I’m looking at your hands. They’re really beautiful.”
—What is this person thinking about all day?!
Cheng Luyun tossed the last bit of vegetables into the basin, stopped washing, and stood up. She looked down at Huang Wei, a dangerous glint in her eyes. Huang Wei realized she’d misspoken, immediately lowering her head and playing ostrich, missing the displeased look in Cheng Luyun’s eyes.
Seeing her cowering like that only made Cheng Luyun angrier. Her hands opened and clenched, but ultimately she didn’t do anything to Huang Wei, just leaving her with one line: “Wash them yourself!” She then turned and carried the still-sleeping Huang Chengcheng inside. Huang Wei looked at the few remaining vegetables, shifted over, and finished washing them.
After washing, the prep work was much simpler—cutting what needed cutting, marinating what needed marinating. Then Huang Wei fired up the stove and started cooking.
This was Huang Wei’s first time cooking for twenty or thirty people. Only because the pot was large could she cook so much at once; with a small gas stove wok, she’d have to make three or four batches per dish. With so much food, stir-frying took a lot more effort, and Huang Wei was sweating. She wiped the sweat away and continued cooking.
Because she was so tired, she didn’t make many dishes—just three dishes and a soup. By the time everything was done, it was past five. She set the dishes aside, and the kitchen stovetop and table were covered with plates of all sizes.
Dinner definitely couldn’t be eaten at home, or Cheng Luyun would be angry. Since they couldn’t use their own place, they’d have to borrow a spot from next-door Sister Cui.
Huang Wei drew some well water and washed her face. The cool water on her face made her feel much better. Huang Chengcheng, probably awake from her nap, came pattering from the living room into the yard.
“Daddy~”
She sweetly called out to Huang Wei, who didn’t react at first. Only when Chengcheng called again did Huang Wei dazedly respond. To be honest, no matter how many times Huang Chengcheng called her that, Huang Wei couldn’t quite accept the “Daddy.”
Because Huang Wei was a woman, she naturally shouldn’t accept the title “Daddy.” Including “Brother Wei”—Huang Wei didn’t like that at all. She was a girl. Even if she sometimes found being a woman troublesome, she couldn’t deny that she was a woman through and through.
If only they could call me Mommy…
As Huang Wei hugged Huang Chengcheng, that thought surfaced in her mind.
