OL CH46

Perhaps because they had never seen such a fairy-like figure before, after Chen Tian left, some people in the fields couldn’t hold back anymore. They walked up to Bai Su and asked him, “Scholar Bai, who was that person just now?”

Hearing this, Bai Su turned around, concealing the gloominess in the depths of his eyes. Seeing that after this person asked, the surrounding people were all craning their necks, eager to know the answer, he smiled and said, “He is a relative from my family, here for a visit.”

After saying that, Bai Su lowered his head and continued tending to the seedlings in the field. He didn’t look up again, putting on an appearance of utmost concentration, which made it awkward for the person who asked to continue inquiring.

On the other side, after leaving Bai Su, Chen Tian hurriedly rushed back home.

In order to make things less exhausting for his lover, he decided to do more chores. At the very least, he had to finish all the housework before his lover returned and have dinner completely prepared.

With this thought, Chen Tian first went to the yard and chopped all the firewood there. Then, he took empty water buckets and went to the river to fetch water.

These tasks required much more physical effort than his usual chores of cleaning the rooms and feeding the chickens and ducks. Normally, considering that Bai Su always wanted him to focus on recovering from his injuries in peace, he wouldn’t do them. But today, Chen Tian had been triggered by lunch; he wouldn’t feel right if he didn’t do something. So even though his wounds ached a bit while chopping wood, he ignored it.

He soon turned and headed to the stream. Aside from a river farther away, the villagers of Li Family Village mostly went to a nearby shallow stream. The water there was clear, with small fish swimming about, and village women and children often went there to wash clothes or play.

Chen Tian deliberately chose a section farther away where there were fewer people.

After drawing water, he neatly rolled up his sleeves, walked barefoot into the stream, and planned to catch a few fish to add a dish for his lover’s dinner.

The summer stream water wasn’t bone-chillingly cold, and catching fish was not difficult for Chen Tian, though he did end up getting his clothes a bit wet.

The fish in the stream weren’t large. Chen Tian caught three or four, and seeing that it was about enough, he carried the water and the fish back.

He took a spin around the kitchen and found the family’s provisions. Ignoring the coarse grains, he went straight for the refined rice, greens, and the leftover cured meat from earlier. He cooked enough refined rice for three people, stir-fried the greens with the cured meat, and then began slowly simmering a fish soup over a low fire.

Chen Tian bustled about, and before long, the water stains on his clothes were dried by the heat of the kitchen stove. Looking at the fish soup in the pot, he looked forward to Bai Su’s reaction when he returned.

Actually, the fish he caught would have tasted better braised in soy sauce, but seeing as they lacked seasonings at home, making fish soup was more convenient and still tasted good.

Thus, when Bai Su returned and had just reached the courtyard gate, he smelled a continuous wave of aroma wafting from the house.

It was the smell of fish soup, smelling incredibly fresh even from afar, making his heart swell with uncontrollable anticipation.

Opening the courtyard gate, Bai Su walked closer. Looking at the person busy in front of the stove, a rare wave of warmth rose in his heart. Coming home to find someone waiting for him, washing their hands to make him soup and a meal—it truly was an incomparably happy experience.

Chen Tian noticed Bai Su’s return and turned his head to smile at him. “Hurry inside, change your clothes, and rest. Today, when I went to fetch water, I saw fish in the stream and caught a few. You’re in for a treat tonight.”

“What? You went to fetch water, and caught fish? didn’t I tell you to focus on healing your injuries? Stop always trying to do these chores!”

As expected, he received a scolding from his lover, but Chen Tian didn’t mind it at all. He smiled at Bai Su and continued bustling about.

Bai Su sighed, helplessly returning to his room to change clothes before coming back to act as Chen Tian’s assistant.

Very quickly, the food was served on the table.

Chen Tian’s cooking skills were excellent. Even if he hadn’t been good at it initially, he had honed his culinary skills over time to make sure his partner ate well. Moreover, he knew Bai Su’s tastes perfectly, and today’s meal was cooked entirely to his lover’s preferences.

The three of them sat around the dining table. After taking a few bites, Mother Bai began praising Chen Tian’s cooking profusely. Seeing this, Bai Su also picked up his chopsticks with great anticipation.

Just after taking one bite of the stir-fried greens with cured meat, the young man paused. The greens were crisp, the cured meat savory, and the seasoning was far better than what he could manage. The rice was perfectly cooked, neither too hard nor too soft, and the fish soup was thicker and more delicious than his own. They clearly used the same ingredients, so how could the taste be so vastly different in this person’s hands!

He hadn’t expected the beauty to not only be beautiful but also so virtuous, possessing such excellent culinary skills.

Truly intelligent and beautiful inside and out; he had really found a treasure!

Bai Su praised inwardly, his gaze toward Chen Tian filled with joy.

“Zichen, your cooking is truly excellent!”

Seeing that Bai Su liked it, a huge smile broke out on Chen Tian’s face.

The dinner was joyous, just like a real family.

Bai Su felt that the house truly hadn’t been this lively in a very long time, and all of this was brought to him by the person beside him.

Later in the evening, after washing up, the two returned to their room to rest.

Lying in bed, it was only the second time they were sharing a bed like this. Originally, this would have been a massive perk for Chen Tian, but because of today’s events, he had lost those thoughts. His mind was entirely focused on how to give his lover a good life.

After pondering back and forth, Chen Tian decided that in another two days, when his wounds were fully healed, he would go hunt in the mountains and trade the large prey for more silver. He just didn’t know if there were tigers or black bears on the mountain; those kinds of prey were the most valuable.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. Feeling restless and unable to sleep, Chen Tian tried to roll over. Who would have known that as soon as he turned, he would press right onto a wound, involuntarily hissing in pain.

Remembering he shouldn’t wake Bai Su, Chen Tian immediately clamped his mouth shut, but he was still heard by the person next to him who hadn’t fallen asleep in the first place.

“Zichen, what’s wrong? Does your wound hurt?” Bai Su sat up at once, asking with concern.

“I’m fine, I just accidentally pressed on it when I turned over,” Chen Tian explained softly.

But Bai Su didn’t believe him. Over the past two days, the wounds had mostly closed up; an occasional turnover shouldn’t hurt enough to make him cry out. That gasp of pain just now meant it must have hurt terribly.

Worried about Chen Tian’s body, Bai Su immediately got out of bed, lit the oil lamp in the room, and placed it on the bedside table. Then, without waiting for Chen Tian’s reaction, he lifted the quilt.

Who could have known that as soon as the quilt was lifted, he would see a small patch of Chen Tian’s inner garment soaked in blood.

“What’s going on here!” Bai Su’s tone was uncharacteristically urgent. He hurriedly pulled the clothes open and saw that the deepest wound on Chen Tian’s abdomen had indeed split open.

He was incredibly anxious, his eyes filled with worry as he looked at Chen Tian. He hurriedly went to fetch the ointment and fresh white cloth from the house.

When the dressing was peeled back, Chen Tian let out another muffled groan of pain, earning a glare from Bai Su.

He knew his partner must have guessed that this wound was accidentally torn open while he was working today.

Chen Tian actually felt it wasn’t that serious. He had briefly treated it when he got back, thinking it would heal in a day or two, but he hadn’t expected to be found out.

He had wanted to offer a few words of defense, but seeing Bai Su’s frighteningly dark expression, Chen Tian rubbed his nose guiltily, not daring to say another word.

He didn’t know that Bai Su, who was currently applying the medicine, was truly angry and heartbroken.

It wasn’t as if Bai Su had never been injured himself. When he first met Chen Tian and saw the severe injuries on his body, he had weirdly felt incredibly uncomfortable. But now, perhaps after spending these days together, this person had slowly walked into his heart, and Bai Su realized just how important this man was to him. Seeing Chen Tian’s wound split open because of his carelessness, an indescribable anger and a deep, intense heartache surged in his chest.

Chen Tian noticed it too. Bai Su, who was usually gentle and pleasant with him, now looked completely stony-faced, making him feel incredibly anxious.

The two remained silent for a long time. Looking at his partner who wasn’t saying a word, the heavy atmosphere felt suffocating.

Chen Tian didn’t want this to continue. Knowing his partner was soft-hearted, when Bai Su scooped up another blob of ointment to apply to him, Chen Tian pretended to groan again, as if the pain was unbearable.

Sure enough, the person opposite him paused his hands, and his next movements were much gentler than before.

Bai Su felt Chen Tian’s body trembling slightly as he applied the medicine, and he sighed helplessly, ultimately unable to bear it.

Supporting Chen Tian’s shoulders and letting him lean against his own body, Bai Su gently said to him while applying medicine to the side of his waist, “If it hurts too much, bite my shoulder.”

After saying that, he carefully continued applying the ointment.

His partner’s gentle cherishing instantly melted Chen Tian’s heart into a puddle.

Re-applying medicine to a torn wound was indeed painful, but it was a pain he could endure. Besides, how could he bear to actually hurt his lover?

However, he obediently leaned on the other’s shoulder, silently breathing in his sweetheart’s scent. Even though his body was in pain, a faint sense of happiness flowed through his heart.

Fortunately, the split wounds were only on his waist and abdomen; the other injuries were still intact. The medicine was just applied slowly because Bai Su was being too careful.

“Will you dare to mess with your body like this again?”

Bai Su’s voice suddenly rang out, breaking Chen Tian’s tender reverie. He hurriedly shook his head vigorously, his beautiful eyes staring unblinkingly at Bai Su, full of obedience.

“I just wanted to help you. Don’t worry, once my wounds are healed, I’ll go hunting in the mountains. My martial arts are very strong; I can sell the prey for a lot of money! So, so you don’t have to treat yourself so poorly!”

Seeing the beauty’s eyes seemingly filled entirely with him, Bai Su’s lips moved, but he couldn’t bear to continue scolding him. He helped Chen Tian lie down, telling him to rest well, yet his heart was in turmoil.

He felt both joy and resentment. Joy because the beauty held him in his heart, but resentment because he was so disobedient and didn’t cherish his own body.

The next day, Bai Su explained to Chen Tian that besides farming, he actually had other work in town. The family wasn’t short on silver; it was just that he hadn’t settled his accounts before. Now that he had brought the silver back, their family would live a good life, and told him not to worry.

However, for the next two days, Bai Su’s attitude toward Chen Tian was much colder. Although the food was even better than before, and he carefully applied medicine to Chen Tian every day, he absolutely did not take the initiative in his expressions or words. It was as if he was intentionally giving him the cold shoulder to punish him, which made Chen Tian feel both anxious and terrible.

During this period, Bai Su had always been considerate and intimate with him. Being suddenly left out in the cold, Chen Tian naturally hated it. But he also knew that it was his own fault for getting injured again that made his lover angry.

So he didn’t dare do anything extra, only lying obediently in bed to recover, terrified of doing anything else to anger the other party.

Finally, after seeing Chen Tian being obedient for two days, Bai Su smiled at him again.

With the help of 009, Chen Tian’s injuries recovered even faster.

After about another week, and after Bai Su inspected and confirmed that Chen Tian’s wounds were indeed fully healed and that he could help out a bit, Chen Tian was finally allowed to do some light chores.

However, he was also able to deliver lunch to Bai Su in the fields every day at noon. Sometimes, he would even help Bai Su weed the field, doing tasks within his ability.

Having not frequently come to the fields before, he hadn’t noticed. But in just a few short days, Chen Tian realized that there were quite a few girls in the fields trying to show affection to Bai Su.

It turned out it wasn’t just Li Xiaochan who came to deliver an egg that day, but girls from other families as well.

They always loved running over to give Bai Su this and that. The ones who were more reserved with their emotions were somewhat tolerable. But those with passionate, outgoing personalities, even if Bai Su rejected them, would try to drag him into conversation, making Chen Tian’s teeth itch with jealousy and causing him to release cold air as if his life depended on it.

Actually, in terms of looks, Chen Tian was definitely the more outstanding one. However, his appearance was too perfect and somewhat aggressive. Many women felt a sense of inadequacy when they saw his face, making it hard for them to take the initiative to approach him. Moreover, wearing old white clothes, he didn’t look wealthy. And because Bai Su wouldn’t let him do heavy work while he was recovering, it made him seem like he only had a pretty face and was useless at everything else.

Some even guessed that this relative was likely lazy and poor, and had been kicked out by his family, forcing him to seek refuge with Scholar Bai.

A few young men were rather eager to make a move, but except when facing Bai Su, Chen Tian always wore a cold expression, making him feel incredibly unapproachable.

On this day, after the two had just eaten lunch together and were sitting under a tree to cool off, Chen Tian held a prepared fan, fanning Bai Su stroke by stroke. Bai Su took out a handkerchief to wipe away his sweat and considerately poured water for him.

Just as the two were acting affectionate with each other, Chen Tian noticed Li Xiaochan walking over with a basket again.

Although Bai Su wasn’t close to the people of Li Family Village, he always had a smile on his face and spoke flawlessly, leaving a good impression on everyone. There were many girls in the village who admired Bai Su, and Li Xiaochan was one of them.

Although she hadn’t shown her face for many days after being dealt a blow by Chen Tian’s appearance, she eventually realized that no matter how good-looking this person was, he was still a man. Furthermore, she heard from the villagers that this person was a relative of Scholar Bai.

Since he was a relative visiting, then it didn’t matter; there was no need for her to hide. And hearing that the man had a very good relationship with Scholar Bai, she figured she should actively show her goodwill.

But just as Li Xiaochan walked close, someone chased after her from behind.

A young man quickly walked up to Li Xiaochan and smiled at her, “Xiaochan, so you came to the fields. No wonder I couldn’t find you when I went looking for you. I went to town today and saw some rouge and powder for sale, so I specially bought a box for you. Here, take it!”

Saying that, the man shoved a small round box into Li Xiaochan’s hands.

“Boss, this person is Li Zixiu.”

The voice of 009 echoed in his mind. Chen Tian nodded; actually, he could have guessed it even without the system telling him.

The Li Zixiu in front of him looked about twenty years old and had a neat appearance. Because his family’s financial situation was considered decent in the village, he dressed a bit better than ordinary folks. Wearing a long cyan gown with a jade pendant hanging from it, he put on a full scholarly facade.

But perhaps deep down, Li Zixiu still felt that Li Xiaochan was just a peasant girl who barely knew a few words. Even if the Li family was destined to become wealthy merchants in the future, right now they were just a bunch of “muddy legs,” completely unworthy of him expending much effort.

Therefore, although Li Zixiu acted deeply affectionate toward Li Xiaochan on the surface, there was a trace of disdain in his eyes. Even the box of rouge he gave her could be recognized as an inferior product at a single glance.

Seeing this, a flash of mockery crossed Chen Tian’s eyes.

Not offering a shred of true sincerity, yet acting so stingy, all while harboring delusions of marrying the daughter of a future wealthy family. What an excellent example of trying to catch a white wolf empty-handed.

Sure enough, this reincarnator truly was as thick-skinned as a basin, and his character was deeply worrying.