Chapter 37 Put Down That Country Bumpkin, Let Me Do It 13

Chapter 37: Put Down That Villager, I'll Take It From Here: Part 13

Yan Bai understood and was deeply moved by Luo Shuisheng's simple, direct, yet profoundly wise words.

Who said villagers lacked insight?

They simply experienced different things than city dwellers, which didn't mean their depth of thought was inferior.

City people don't understand rural affairs either, do they? Labeling them as 'lacking insight' was too one-sided.

Life's trials are fair to everyone; how one develops depends entirely on their own comprehension.

Yan Bai was deeply drawn to his uninhibited attitude and reached out to grab his hand.

"Luo Shuisheng, I don't care what others say either. I want to be with you. But I think we can still discuss who exactly is the *wife*."

The Demon Venerable's old habits from across three thousand minor worlds died hard; he was still stubbornly clinging to his audacious ambition to be the one on top.

But in this world, the difference in their builds was so obvious. Thinking he could reverse their roles was probably just a pipe dream!

Nine-Tails Fox snickered mischievously, not disturbing the two lovebirds.

It was as if a firework had gone off in Luo Shuisheng's head. The anxiety of the entire afternoon transformed into pure joy, overwhelming him with happiness. He felt almost breathless, as if he might drown in this sweet delusion.

Yan Bai gazed into Luo Shuisheng's eyes. The profound affection deep within those dark pupils was like the most beautiful mirage in the world, luring one to sink into it.

As if bewitched, Yan Bai tugged on Luo Shuisheng's collar, pulling his head down, rose on his toes, and gently kissed those gem-like, radiant eyes.

Luo Shuisheng felt a jolt of electricity spread from the point where those soft, thin lips touched his skin, coursing through him at lightning speed to every part of his body.

His whole being felt slightly intoxicated, light and floaty, very much like the time he drank a whole *jin* of strong liquor when he was eighteen.

But this was far more wonderful.

Luo Shuisheng looked at Yan Bai's lips and, as if by instinct, leaned in to kiss them.

Their lips pressed tightly together, yet it wasn't enough, though he didn't know what else to do.

Seeing his awkwardness, Yan Bai found it somewhat amusing. He parted his lips slightly and extended a smooth, fragrant tongue...

A long time later, Luo Shuisheng finally emerged from Yan Bai's room on unsteady legs. He had never known a kiss could be so intoxicating.

If he hadn't heard Shi An and Xiao Tao'er talking, he wouldn't have been willing to let go.

Yan Bai's face was flushed red. He pretended to be a picture of seasoned calm, but inside he was a complete mess.

In his memory, this was also his first kiss.

If Luo Shuisheng hadn't been equally inexperienced, Yan Bai would have definitely given himself away.

As Yan Bai left the room, he remembered to tell Luo Shuisheng to take the basket of food to the kitchen.

Luo Shuisheng didn't refuse. In his understanding, things were settled between them now. From this moment on, they were family, so naturally everything should be shared.

After putting the things away and having Xiao Tao'er set the table, he went to the cellar to retrieve a small box he had hidden away.

Yan Bai and the other two were already seated around the *kang* table. Luo Shuisheng, holding the small box, sat down beside Yan Bai and solemnly addressed Xiao Tao'er and Shi An.

"Yan Bai is one of us now. He and I are a couple. You must treat Brother Yan the same way you treat me."

Shi An and Xiao Tao'er were both completely confused. Shi An, being bolder, spoke up.

"Aren't couples supposed to be one man and one woman?"

Luo Shuisheng looked at him disapprovingly.

"Who told you it can only be one man and one woman? Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it's not possible.

It's true that two men together is relatively rare, but other than us both being men, what's wrong with it? Do you like Brother Yan?"

Xiao Tao'er immediately raised her hand.

"I do!"

Shi An, reacting a beat slower, hurriedly followed suit.

Yan Bai chuckled softly.

"I like you both too. We're family from now on. I'll be in your care."

Luo Shuisheng opened the box in his hands and pushed it towards Yan Bai.

"This is our family's assets. I want you to look after this. Any money I earn in the future will also be given to you."

Yan Bai looked inside the box. Neatly stacked were several piles of paper money: ten-yuan notes, five-yuan notes, one-yuan notes, and even ten-cent notes.

Notes of each denomination were stacked together, bound with rubber bands. Next to them lay an old, worn plastic booklet.

Yan Bai estimated there was at least a thousand yuan. In this era where the average monthly wage was only a few dozen yuan, this was definitely not a small sum.

The corner of Yan Bai's mouth twitched.

"We've only known each other for a day, and you're giving me your money. Isn't that a bit rash? What if I took it and ran?"

Luo Shuisheng smiled.

"I believe you wouldn't."

Yan Bai looked at this overly trusting guy, speechless for a moment.

Luo Shuisheng then picked up the small booklet, opened it, and showed Yan Bai.

"My family's situation is like this. Over ten years ago, my father fell ill, and we borrowed a lot of money. Some loans were ten or eight yuan, others were tens or even hundreds. We practically borrowed from the entire village.

I've calculated it; it totals over three thousand. I've only saved a little over a thousand so far, not enough to pay it all off.

So, I'm a man with debts.

But don't worry. I can earn money to repay the debts, and I can also make sure you live a good life in the future. Don't be afraid."

Looking at his slightly nervous expression, Yan Bai got up, walked to the doorway, fished out a small cloth pouch from the inner pocket of his army coat, and handed it to him.

"Open it and take a look."

Luo Shuisheng opened it with some hesitation. Inside was a pile of scattered paper bills along with various rice coupons and meat coupons.

The money looked considerable, probably two or three hundred yuan.

Luo Shuisheng hurriedly tried to return it to him. Yan Bai smiled.

"Since you've already taken yours out, naturally I can take mine out too. Aren't we family?

When we can, we'll pay it back. We'll pay it back together, and we can earn more later. It's fine."

Yan Bai pushed the small box back to Luo Shuisheng.

"I haven't moved in yet, and it's not safe to keep this money at the educated youth settlement. It's safer at home.

These grain coupons, meat coupons, and stuff like that can all be used. Don't just let them sit there and go to waste.

We have plenty of meat. If we can't use all the meat coupons, you can trade some with others for cloth coupons. Winter is coming, and we need to make a few sets of cotton clothes for the two little ones. Your clothes are too thin; you need to get yourself something thicker soon."

Luo Shuisheng looked at him, his eyes shining brightly, but his voice caught.

He didn't voice his sentimental thoughts, feeling they would sound too shallow and insincere, almost like trying to buy goodwill. Instead, he just held Yan Bai's hand on the table, unwilling to let go.

Yan Bai had appeared in his life, with such good conditions, yet he was willing to endure hardship with him. Luo Shuisheng secretly resolved to give Yan Bai a good life and take good care of him.

Yan Bai gave his warm hand a squeeze back, smiling as he looked at Luo Shuisheng. The two of them didn't speak, their gazes intertwined, filled with joy.

Xiao Tao'er and Shi An blinked as they watched the two. Their eyes were practically glued to each other, not speaking or eating—what were they doing?

Xiao Tao'er hesitated for a moment.

"Brother Yan, Big Brother, are we gonna eat?"

Yan Bai came back to himself, a rare look of embarrassment on his face.

"Of course we're eating. Your big brother's cooking is the best. What's with the feast today? There's even beggar's chicken?"

A whole beggar's chicken, with two vegetable dishes on the side—in this day and age, it truly counted as a lavish meal.

Luo Shuisheng tore off a chicken leg for him.

"This pheasant was caught in the mountains. If you like it, I'll catch more in the future. Our family won't lack meat."

Yan Bai ducked his head to hide a smile. The villagers all thought the Luo family was living the most destitute life, but who knew they could eat a whole chicken in one meal?