Chapter 85: Three People on the Road

When the others had already drifted off, Bai Qingyao frowned and chided him softly, “In the middle of the night, where am I supposed to find you grapes or peaches?”

“Just talking nonsense again...”

“Go to sleep already!”

“Don’t!” As he spoke, Zeng Xiaofan seized her hand and pulled her close.

“Ah...” Bai Qingyao gasped in alarm.

“What... what are you doing?”

Zeng Xiaofan smiled with deep meaning.

“You’ve hidden grapes on your body... I’m going to find them and eat them up.”

With that, he reached out and tugged down the strap of Bai Qingyao’s dress.

Her rounded, lovely shoulder was instantly bared, and with the strap gone for support, the neckline slid down at once, revealing a field of snowy white.

“Ah...” Bai Qingyao let out another soft cry, and Zeng Xiaofan answered with a low groan at the same time: “Mm.”

“I... I really don’t have any grapes...”

“I’m wearing a dress; I don’t even have pockets. Where would I hide grapes?”

Embarrassed crimson flooded Bai Qingyao’s face as she tried to break free, but Zeng Xiaofan held her hand tightly, pressing his nose against her neck.

“Aunt Yao... they say the size of a person’s fist is about the size of her heart.”

“How is it that your hand is so small, yet your heart is so big?”

Bai Qingyao spat at him in shame, but Zeng Xiaofan did not grow angry. Instead, he looked intoxicated, grinning wickedly.

“Aunt Yao... don’t spit it out. Spit it into my mouth...”

As he spoke, he suddenly lifted his head with domineering force, and his unbridled lips sealed her red ones.

In an instant, Bai Qingyao lost all resistance.

Only after sunrise did Zeng Xiaofan finally sink into deep sleep.

These days, he no longer needed to sleep through the entire night. After exertion, a brief, profound rest was enough for his body to recover as good as new.

Bai Qingyao was different. Already exhausted to the point of collapse, she slept sprawled out on the wooden sofa.

Seeing this, Zeng Xiaofan smiled faintly, carried her back to the room, and laid her on the bed. He gave her cherry lips a gentle kiss before turning and walking out the door.

Another bright, sunny day had dawned, and it was time to start the farm work again.

The morning air carried both sunlight and the scent of night dew, and breathing it in was a delight in itself.

After such a wonderful night, Zeng Xiaofan felt sweetness in his heart, and as he walked, he could not help but laugh to himself.

Now and then, when he saw no one around, he would lift a finger to his nose and inhale it, savoring some delightful lingering fragrance.

Just as Zeng Xiaofan was making his way contentedly into the deep mountains and old forests to gather medicinal seedlings, the home of Village Chief Jin Youcai was also lively. Zhao Qinglong and Laizi Wen had been invited over early to drink tea.

With a smile that was not a smile, Jin Youcai poured a cup of tea and set it before Zhao Qinglong, asking dryly, “Brother Qinglong, feeling any better?”

“I hear you took quite a beating at Xiao Changgui’s place a couple of days ago?”

“I also heard it even damaged your foundations, and you were only discharged last night. I hope you’re better now...”

At those words, Zhao Qinglong trembled all over with rage.

“Damn it! It was all that Zeng Xiaofan!”

“To hell with him—I’m sworn enemies with him for life!”

Jin Youcai only smiled blandly.

“Hey now... don’t get so worked up.”

“We’re all fellow villagers here. If something comes up, we can talk it through properly.”

“No need to fight to the death, right?”

“Unless he really did you terribly dirty... but I see your body is fine, isn’t it?”

“As long as your body is all right, everything else can be discussed. Have some tea, have some tea.”

Jin Youcai pushed the teacup a little closer to Zhao Qinglong again. Zhao Qinglong was so angry his nostrils flared, and though he picked up the cup, his little finger involuntarily curved daintily.

Even his voice turned somewhat sharp as he spoke.

“What do you mean, my body is fine!”

“Fine my ass...”

“That damned Zeng Xiaofan, I’ll never forgive him as long as I live!”

The harder Zhao Qinglong shouted, the thinner and more high-pitched his voice became, almost like a eunuch’s.

He too realized something was off, and hurriedly tucked away the dainty gesture, lowering his voice.

“Anyway, I’m not letting him off.”

Of course Jin Youcai heard the strangeness, but still asked with a faintly amused look, “What? Something really happened to your body?”

“I heard he ruined your seed pouch. Is that true?”

“Damn it!” Zhao Qinglong slammed the table and shot to his feet. Just as he was about to explode, he realized it was indeed not something to advertise.

Though his seed pouch had been ruined, it was best not to spread the news, or else he would become the village’s laughingstock.

Thinking of this, Zhao Qinglong ultimately forced down his anger and sat back down, taking a deliberate, self-possessed sip of tea.

“Well... it’s not ruined, exactly. The doctor said it’ll heal after a while.”

“But that grudge against this kid, I’ve settled it in my heart.”

“It’s either him or me in this lifetime.”

Seeing that Zhao Qinglong’s hatred had been fully stirred, Jin Youcai finally smiled faintly and said in a low voice, “Exactly. That boy really doesn’t know how to conduct himself.”

“To tell you the truth, brother, I don’t like him either.”

“Oh?” Zhao Qinglong was no fool and immediately asked, “Why do you have a grudge against him too, Brother Cai?”

“Mm. That kid went and ruined my not-yet-married daughter-in-law, Li Bixian.”

“He spoiled a fine match for my family. How could I possibly forgive him?”

Hearing this, Zhao Qinglong shot up from his chair again, slapping the table.

“Exactly, exactly!”

“That bastard’s got some kind of disease! He specializes in ruining other people’s good fortune!”

“What I do with Li Bixian is none of his damn business! What if I want Bai Qingyao to pay off her husband’s debt with her body—what the hell does that have to do with him!”

“Damn it, not only did he wreck my plan, he also got me... got me injured!”

“That heaven-cursed brat!”

“Brother Cai! Then we’re truly united in hatred... in hatred... in that thing called hatred!”

Jin Youcai gave a sinister smile. “United in common enmity.”

“Right! That’s it—united in common enmity! Anyway, he’s our shared enemy now!”

“Brother Cai! We have to kill him!” Zhao Qinglong said excitedly, his voice seething with rage.

Jin Youcai only smiled faintly and glanced at Laizi Wen beside him. Laizi Wen blew at the uneven fringe over his forehead, and his hoarse voice rasped like a broken gong leaking wind.

“Exactly!”

“I’m done with him too! Who told him to dare get close to Bixian?”

“I was the first to take a fancy to Bixian!”

“If the village chief’s son were the one marrying Bixian, I’d have nothing to say!”

“But why him?”

“A bastard, a poor loser just like me—what gives him the right to taste Bixian’s lips when I can’t?”

“Hmph, he has to die!”

Only then did Jin Youcai nod, lifting his teacup with a dark smile.

“So, then, the three of us are brothers sworn in peach orchard today?”

“Drink this cup of tea, and from now on we’ll deal with that boy together. How about it?”

“Good!”

“Right, right!”

“Just so, let’s kill him together!”

“With Brother Youcai leading the way, crushing him will be easier than crushing an ant!”

“Heh heh heh...”

The three clinked their cups together and all laughed.