Chapter 111: Sweet Nothings

Chapter 111: Sweet Nothings

Lin Shu remained silent at Aunt Wang's words, simply lowering her head, her shy demeanor returning.

Of course, she knew a good thing when she saw it; A Ye was good to her, and she would naturally reciprocate.

Making a few pancakes was nothing compared to A Ye carrying her nearly thirty miles through the night. If she had to walk it herself, even without stopping, it would likely take a full four hours—and that was a conservative estimate, given the dark, slippery roads at night, which would slow anyone down. A round trip on foot would be eight hours! She’d spend the entire day doing nothing but walking.

Once Aunt Wang left, Zhou Ye, who hadn't objected earlier, now voiced his disagreement: “A Shu, you’re still sick and need to rest. I can make the pancakes; you can just guide me from the side.”

It made him happy that Lin Shu was thinking of him, but since she had only just recovered from her fever and wasn’t fully well, how could he let her cook?

“I need to move around more now; just sitting around isn't good for me. You can ask Aunt Wang when she comes back if you don’t believe me. Making a few pancakes won’t tire me out. You can help by picking some wild onions and cracking and beating the eggs.” Lin Shu wasn’t pointlessly pushing herself; she truly felt much better after resting.

Zhou Ye had no choice. If he insisted she not cook, she would likely say that she found joy in making pancakes, and he’d be taking that away from her.

So he did as she said, handling all the preparatory tasks and leaving only the actual pancake-making to her.

Wild onions were plentiful in the nearby fields. Zhou Ye quickly gathered a bunch, washed them in a basin of water, and chopped them finely.

Aunt Wang brought two eggs, which Zhou Ye cracked into a bowl and whisked vigorously in one direction until well beaten.

Meanwhile, Lin Shu transferred the heaping bowl of flour Aunt Wang had provided into a larger bowl, added water, and stirred it into a thin batter.

She then added the beaten eggs and chopped wild onions, along with a pinch of salt, and mixed everything together.

Since Aunt Wang had earlier made porridge, the stove still had embers. Zhou Ye skillfully added more firewood, and once the iron pan was hot, he reduced the heat by adjusting the amount of wood.

The two worked together—one making pancakes, the other tending the fire.

Zhou Ye, watching from the side, noticed Lin Shu sweating from the heat and asked Aunt Wang for a palm-leaf fan.

Mindful that Lin Shu had just recovered from a fever, he fanned her gently, creating a light breeze that made her more comfortable.

“It’s so hot by the stove. Cooking in this weather is really tough,” Lin Shu complained, but her hands moved swiftly, and a slight smile curved her lips.

“A Ye, the fire’s too high. Turn it down a bit, or the pancakes will burn.”

Zhou Ye acknowledged her and, after fanning her a couple more times, crouched to adjust the firewood in the stove.

Aunt Wang occasionally glanced at the young couple, her face beaming with a smile.

She had been young once too, and she and her husband had also been very much in love. Her husband had been good in every way, except he was somewhat frail, which made their intimate moments less satisfying. Still, he had been very handsome—it was his looks that had drawn her to him in the first place.

Unfortunately, he had passed away too soon, leaving her at an age where remarrying was difficult. So she gave up the idea of taking another husband. With her father above and a filial son below, her life was manageable even without a man.

In these times, everyone fell ill occasionally, and when they did, they needed a doctor. With her father and son skilled in medicine, their livelihood was secure. She had relied on her father when young and could now rely on her son. Once her son married, her burdens would lighten even more.

Aunt Wang had given Lin Shu a generous portion of flour, enough to make five large pancakes.

By the time the pancakes were done, Aunt Wang had already served the rice porridge and pickled vegetables.

There were several types of pickles: besides the usual salted radish and dried vegetables, there were even pickled cucumbers.

“Sit, sit. Make yourselves at home; don’t stand on ceremony,” Aunt Wang urged.

In truth, Old Wang the itinerant doctor’s family was well-off. Every market day, Aunt Wang would buy a pound of pork in town. But since it wasn’t market day, there was no meat to serve. Aunt Wang’s cooking was average, and the grandfather and grandson preferred her pickles over her cooked dishes. So most mornings, they ate porridge with pickles. At noon, she would steam a batch of buns, which the two men could eat whenever they felt hungry. In a way, they effectively had three meals a day.

Lin Shu picked up a piece of pickled cucumber. With one bite, its crisp, salty flavor proved perfect with the porridge, and she praised it highly.

“Aunt Wang, try the pancake I made,” Lin Shu said. She had set aside four pancakes for Zhou Ye and cut the remaining one into strips, filling a plate for them to share.

Aunt Wang smiled. “You’re so thoughtful, dear.”

“By the way, where is Brother Wang?” Lin Shu asked. She had heard from A Ye that Aunt Wang’s son had helped brew the medicine. It was time for breakfast, but he was nowhere to be seen.

“Him? Don’t worry about him. He already gulped down a bowl of porridge and went to the mountains to gather herbs. He won’t be back until nearly noon.”

Lin Shu praised, “Brother Wang not only treats illnesses but also gathers herbs. He could open his own clinic someday and become a proper physician!”

Aunt Wang chuckled. “I don’t expect him to open a clinic. It’s enough if he becomes an itinerant doctor like his grandfather. Their skills have been passed down through generations, but they’re considered folk remedies, not as formal as those of clinic physicians.”

Lin Shu said, “Being an itinerant doctor is impressive too. In these ten villages, Grandpa Wang is the only one. When Brother Wang takes over, folks around here can turn to him for minor ailments instead of going all the way to town. Both Grandpa Wang and Brother Wang are very capable!”

She said this partly to be polite, knowing that every mother likes to hear her child praised.

Aunt Wang was indeed pleased but modestly replied, “He still has a long way to go compared to his grandfather. He needs another year or two of training.”

The two chatted and laughed, while Zhou Ye remained silent throughout, focused on his meal.

He suddenly realized something: hearing Lin Shu praise another man made him feel sour, even if he knew it was just politeness.

Aunt Wang’s son, Brother Wang, was quite handsome with fair, clean skin—unlike the rough, sun-tanned men in the village. He himself, weathered by wind and sun, was dark and coarse, clearly a farmer who worked the land.

Zhou Ye glanced at Lin Shu’s fair, rosy cheeks and her delicate hands and grew even quieter.

After a moment of gloom, he remembered something and suddenly felt better.

What most people thought didn’t matter; what mattered was Lin Shu, and Lin Shu had said she liked him just the way he was.

With that thought, Zhou Ye’s mood lifted. He took a big bite of pancake, puffing out his cheeks as he ate.

After the meal, the two didn’t linger. They bid farewell to Aunt Wang and left.

The clothes Lin Shu had worn the previous night, soaked with sweat, had dried. She changed back into them before departing. As they walked along the path leading out of Dao Xiang Village, the pair—a tall, sturdy man and a young, beautiful woman—drew many sidelong glances from villagers who didn’t recognize them.

Lin Shu walked demurely beside Zhou Ye like a proper young wife until they were out of the village. Then her true nature emerged: she tugged at Zhou Ye’s arm and whined, “A Ye, I’m tired. Carry me back.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zhou Ye crouched down in front of her.

Lin Shu giggled. “You’re really going to carry me? Weren’t you worried about damaging my reputation in front of others?”

“A Shu, just get on,” he said.

Lin Shu blinked, then climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Once she was settled, Zhou Ye stood up steadily, holding her thighs. He knew she was teasing him. Before, he had mistakenly thought she wanted to marry someone else, so he had kept his distance to avoid gossip. But now that he knew she liked him and he saw her as his future wife, those concerns had faded.

“A Shu, last night I knocked on several doors carrying you. People saw us,” Zhou Ye said.

“So what? They probably thought we were siblings,” Lin Shu replied, then burst out laughing.

With A Ye’s frantic, almost bandit-like urgency and his constant attention to her, anyone could tell he was carrying his sweetheart, not a sister.

Well, from today on, Dao Xiang Village would have a new piece of gossip. She could already imagine the title: “Brave Man Carries Wife Thirty Miles Through the Night for Doctor—What a Devoted Soul!”

“Pfft!” Lin Shu buried her face in Zhou Ye’s neck, stifling her laughter.

Zhou Ye felt a tickle where her face touched his neck, a sensation that spread to his chest. But he didn’t move an inch.

He didn't want to move.

As the tickling sensation spread to his chest, it also brought a tingle of sweetness to his heart.

Carrying Lin Shu on his back under the warm morning sun, he felt as though he was bursting with energy.

"A Ye, am I really heavy? Aren’t you tired from carrying me all this way?" Lin Shu whispered close to his ear.

Zhou Ye replied softly, "Not tired. A Shu, I could carry you for a lifetime."

Lin Shu immediately covered his mouth and pinched his earlobe firmly, then snapped, "How old are you to be talking about a lifetime? Stop saying such nonsense from now on—just treat me well without all that talk. Didn’t I tell you? I don’t like smooth-talking men."

Though her words were full of disdain, she took advantage of the fact that Zhou Ye couldn’t see her face, and her smile was brighter than the wildflowers along the path.

Tsk, how annoying! Why does A Ye keep spouting these corny lines from time to time? So corny!