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Just as Ye Xiaohan was startled to realize that a little child had seen through her identity, the girl behind her spoke up, timidly tugging at her brother's sleeve. "Second Brother, isn't this the bad woman? Who else could it be?"
Hearing the words "bad woman," Ye Xiaohan snapped back to reality, feeling somewhat embarrassed that she had been intimidated by such a small child. She adjusted her emotions, restored her usual expression, and slowly turned her gaze to the young man.
"If you have nothing to do, take your sister and go play. This room smells bad; you shouldn't linger here."
Ye Xiaohan had noticed the foul odor in the room when she entered, but she was too weak to do anything about it.
Lu Yang cast a disgusted glance at the disheveled woman on the bed. The moment her gaze fell on him, he nearly succumbed to it. He had thought that after receiving a lesson, this woman would have learned her lesson, but it seemed she only resented them for being in the room. To say that the smell was bad was just an excuse; she should take a look at herself in the mirror first.
He reached out and pulled Lu Xiaoqi closer, turning on his heel and slamming the door behind them.
Having taken medicine and feeling utterly fatigued, Ye Xiaohan didn't have the energy to speculate about what was wrong with the young man. She closed her eyes, preparing to rest for a while.
...
She didn't know how long she had slept, but eventually, hunger overcame her fatigue and woke her up.
"Oh dear..."
She exclaimed softly as she slightly lifted her arm, only to feel a sharp pain that made her cry out. Gritting her teeth against the piercing ache, she slowly climbed out of bed. Originally planning to step outside in search of something to eat, she paused at the door upon hearing voices outside.
"Big Brother, why did you bring her back? The doctor visit cost us one or two silver coins; that's all we have left! Didn't you say you wanted to save that money for Xiao Qi's bedding? Winter is coming soon; how can Xiao Qi endure this?"
"Big Brother has his plans. Xiao Qi will have her bedding; I won't let her freeze." Lu Bei's voice was heavy and muffled.
Ye Xiaohan peeked outside and saw a scene that could only be described as bare walls—this family was so poor that even thieves wouldn't bother with them. She knew Lu Bei's family had little money, but she hadn't expected them to be in such dire straits. Ye Xiaohan thought that once she recovered, she would help improve their living conditions before leaving; it would be a way to repay their kindness.
To avoid awkwardness, Ye Xiaohan turned to leave, but unexpectedly tripped over a doorstop, making a loud noise.
Now both people outside were aware of her presence. Ye Xiaohan could only brace herself and feign calm as she opened the door.
Seeing Lu Bei was not surprising for Ye Xiaohan; she was already in the room, and when she let out a small gasp earlier, he knew she was awake. However, since her second brother was present, he refrained from checking on her. Now that she had come out, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Facing Lu Yang's disdainful gaze, Ye Xiaohan felt embarrassed, but thankfully, Lu Bei seemed to be a decent person.
Before Ye Xiaohan could gather the courage to speak, her stomach kindly announced her thoughts.
"Grrr..."
The loud growl of her stomach shattered the awkwardness among the three. Lu Yang was so furious that his eyes nearly rolled back in his head, while Ye Xiaohan awkwardly chuckled, feeling a bit embarrassed.
In that moment, Lu Bei felt as if he had been melted by her smile, his eyes wide and unblinking.
Seeing his older brother's foolish expression, Lu Yang helplessly covered his forehead. It seemed like their family was about to undergo another change; hopefully, this time it would be for the better. He shot a warning glance at Ye Xiaohan before quietly leaving.
Ye Xiaohan understood what Lu Yang meant but felt there was no need to dwell on it now.
"I'll go get some sweet potatoes for you. Just wait in the room; don’t overexert yourself until your injury heals."
Watching the tall man rush off, Ye Xiaohan smiled lightly. She had initially thought there was nothing to eat but was pleasantly surprised that sweet potatoes were available.
Lu Bei moved quickly and soon returned with two sweet potatoes in hand, placing them in front of Ye Xiaohan.
Shy at first but always hungry—that was Ye Xiaohan's life motto. So she wasted no time and grabbed a sweet potato to munch on.
However, as she bit into it, she noticed it seemed to be getting darker. Was it spoiled? A sense of unease crept into her mind; eating something bad in this era could lead to serious trouble. Suppressing her hunger, she turned to Lu Bei and said, "This sweet potato seems rotten; it might make someone sick."
She tried to lower her voice to sound sincere, hoping Lu Bei wouldn’t think she was being picky.
Upon hearing this, Lu Bei's expression darkened slightly. He reached over to take the sweet potato from her hands and examined it closely before suddenly bursting into laughter.
Ye Xiaohan found his laughter puzzling and thought to herself that he must be crazy. What was so funny about a rotten sweet potato?
Yet Lu Bei's gaze remained fixed on her hand with an oddly intense look.
Ye Xiaohan looked down and suddenly seemed to discover something.
She tapped on the sweet potato she had deemed spoiled, her face instantly flushed as she shyly asked, "Could you get me some water?"
Lu Bei stifled a laugh and went to fetch water for his little wife. He had never noticed before how adorable she could be.
When Lu Bei handed her the basin of water, Ye Xiaohan gestured for him to step outside first. However, this action seemed to irritate Lu Bei. Ye Xiaohan planned to wash her hands and wipe her body as well, but regardless of their past relationship, she couldn't bring herself to undress in front of this man.
Under Ye Xiaohan's insistence, Lu Bei reluctantly left the room.
As soon as she looked into the basin, Ye Xiaohan nearly tipped it over in shock.
"Damn it! My face looks like a pig's head, all swollen and covered in bruises! This is terrifying!"
After a good amount of cursing, Ye Xiaohan finally accepted the harsh reality of her battered body. She reassured herself that it was just because she had been beaten that she looked so terrible; once the swelling went down, everything would be fine.
After washing with two large basins of water, Ye Xiaohan felt slightly cleaner. However, facing her tattered clothes, she found it impossible to put them back on.
She rummaged through the wardrobe and found nothing but two sets of Lu Bei's worn hemp garments!
Ye Xiaohan was petite; although she had gained some weight, her short stature made her look even smaller. Lu Bei was tall, and according to 21st-century fashion standards, they had the cutest height difference! Lu Bei's shirt practically covered her knees when she put it on.
Dressed in his oversized shirt, Ye Xiaohan stepped outside to find Lu Bei and ask for another sweet potato.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw Lu Bei leaning against a post. He stared at her in surprise as she emerged.
His gaze fell on her legs; despite being marred with bruises and cuts, they were still undeniably feminine, causing a wave of heat to rise within him. Clearing his throat twice, he forced a stern expression and said to Ye Xiaohan, "What nonsense is this? This is unacceptable. Get back inside."
Ye Xiaohan was baffled by Lu Bei's reaction and was pushed back into the house before she could respond. By the time she realized what had happened, the door was already closed behind her.
Not long after, Lu Bei rushed back in a hurry. He tossed a pair of pants in front of Ye Xiaohan and said coldly, "These are Xiao Qi's pants for next year; you can have them for now."
Ye Xiaohan reached out to take them and slipped them on casually. Fortunately, since they were meant for Xiao Qi next year, they were a bit small but only reached halfway down her calves—similar to modern capris. Initially confused by Lu Bei's anger, she later recalled the customs of ancient times and understood why he was upset about women’s modesty. Thus, she chose not to argue and obediently wore the pants.
Everything was packed up, and Lu Bei threw down a sweet potato before saying to Ye Xiaohan, "I'm going up the mountain for a bit. Don't cause any trouble at home."
Cause trouble?
Ye Xiaohan wrinkled her nose slightly. With her current state, where even a gust of wind could knock her over, what kind of trouble could she possibly cause?
To reassure Lu Bei, she obediently nodded.
After Lu Bei left, Ye Xiaohan felt bored. She picked up the sweet potato and wandered around the small yard while nibbling on it.
There were just two shabby thatched houses surrounding a tiny courtyard. It was small but quite clean.
After wandering around for a bit, Ye Xiaohan ran into the little girl, Lu Xiaoqi.
Without her Second Brother around, Lu Xiaoqi seemed noticeably nervous and appeared to be quite afraid of Ye Xiaohan.
It was clear that both men in the house cared for this little sister, and Ye Xiaohan thought about trying to build a good relationship with her.
However, Lu Xiaoqi stared at Ye Xiaohan for a few moments before suddenly bursting into tears with a loud "Waaah!"
Now it was Ye Xiaohan's turn to be dumbfounded, unsure of how to respond.
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