Chapter 346 - 130: The Green Tea Female Supporting Character in a Period Novel (17)
Chapter 346: Chapter 130: The Green Tea Female Supporting Character in a Period Novel (17)
Never before had Jiang Yihua so loathed the greed taking root in his heart. It felt like a desecration of the young woman. But the more he tried to crush the thought, the more fiercely it rebounded.
He went into the room, grabbed a water kettle, and left with a curt word.
Chi Yun’er filled a basin with water. The entire dormitory area was unnervingly quiet. Even in broad daylight, it felt strangely as if she were the only person in the world.
She hurried back inside and began wiping things down with a rag.
’In such a positive and diligent work environment, even a moment of laziness would probably make a person feel so guilty they’d want to bang their head against a wall until they died, wouldn’t it?’
’But beneath this zealous surface, plenty of filth was hidden away. Like the old her, for instance. Or Jiang Yihua, who was doomed to a fatal end for being far from the Capital City...’
Jiang Yihua returned with water, then brought her a coal briquette stove. After that, he delivered a cardboard box of briquettes, along with kindling and dried grass.
But that wasn’t all. Seeing she had a stove but no cookware, he went to the canteen warehouse and scrounged around for pots, pans, bowls, and ladles, managing to piece together a complete set.
Then he went to the logistics department and used work points to get a broom, a mop, a dustpan, and more. It was as if they were starting a cozy life together, and he wanted to get everything they could possibly need all at once!
Chi Yun’er had already sat down to rest. She cupped a mug of malted milk, taking small sips as she watched him bustle in and out, her eyes curving into happy crescents. She couldn’t look more content.
When he finally ran out of things to bring, Jiang Yihua wiped the sweat from his forehead. His gaze drifted, unfocused, and landed once again on the young woman’s pearly earlobe.
"I’m going to the office to see if Director Qi has swapped your work assignment with someone else yet."
Chi Yun’er chuckled, rising to her feet and grabbing the corner of his white shirt.
"Brother Hua, aren’t you tired? You haven’t stopped for a single second all morning. You’re more diligent than an ant foraging for food. I bet a lot of people are secretly laughing at you."
"Even men who are officially courting someone aren’t as attentive as you are. Really," she said, her smile brilliant, "not even Zishu could do this much."
"It’s just like," she said, pressing her lips together and laughing as she leaned her head against his arm, "when my mother brought me to join my father. The young couple hadn’t seen each other in over half a year and were finally reunited."
"My dad back then was just like you, Brother Hua, so overjoyed he didn’t know what to do with himself, just bustling back and forth, moving things into the house."
"Even when there was nothing left to do, he’d still pace around in circles, terrified my mom would find something lacking, wouldn’t see his sincere heart, and would leave because of the harsh living conditions."
Jiang Yihua went completely rigid. He felt his affliction hadn’t improved at all; on the contrary, it had gotten much worse.
The moment Chi Yun’er tugged on his shirt, an itch so maddening he wanted to claw his own skin off erupted all over his body.
But he coveted this hint of reliance, this wisp of her fragrance, this playful smile. He gritted his teeth and endured the cataclysmic itch, remaining perfectly still, terrified of hurting the young woman’s feelings.
It was truly half hell, half heaven.
"Oh, Brother Hua, are you suffering from heatstroke? Why is your face so red?"
Chi Yun’er looked up, and seeing how unnaturally red his face was, she couldn’t resist standing on her tiptoes to touch his forehead with her palm.
Jiang Yihua grabbed her wrist, his jaw tight. He wanted to lecture her, to tell her that a young woman should be more reserved, that she shouldn’t get so close, so intimate, with men—especially not a man like him, who’d been single for so long he could turn into a wolf at any moment.
But the words that came out were entirely different: "Do you have any mung beans left? How about making some sweet mung bean soup with rock sugar?"
"Everyone’s tired, hot, and thirsty after a long day. We don’t need to treat everyone to a meal to build connections, but a bowl of mung bean soup could really improve their impression of you."
Chi Yun’er chuckled and nodded. "Of course. I’ll listen to you, Brother Hua."
Jiang Yihua released her wrist, took a large step to the side, gave a nod, and then scurried away as if something were chasing him.
The smile on Chi Yun’er’s face slowly faded as she recalled the words Jiang Zishi had spoken outside her window last night, refusing to give up.
"Yun’er, I’m truly in love with you. But I can’t go back to the city, I can’t give you a good life, so I didn’t want to hold you back. But now I regret it. To hell with marriage, to hell with my future! I only want you..."
"No one in this world will ever treat you better than I do. Marriage is just a piece of paper. Isn’t my love for you enough?"
"Without my protection, you’re like a shining jewel, and men everywhere will be drooling over you. You’ll definitely regret pushing me away..."
Jiang Zishi had talked until his mouth was dry, but the woman inside the room still hadn’t given him the slightest response.
He couldn’t stop himself from speaking viciously: