The Favorite of the Sick and Weak Lady - Chapter 14

“I have to call you to eat,” Xiao Yu grumbled, then turned back to the kitchen. A moment later, she returned with food and placed it across from Song Luoning. Ignoring her, she started eating.

She couldn’t just have porridge all the time. Today she had made flatbread. Seeing that Xiao Yu wasn’t talking, Song Luoning pursed her lips, took a piece of bread herself, and began to eat.

Just then, a knock came from the door, accompanied by a clear, crisp female voice: “Young Master.”

The voice sounded like the young maid who worked for her cheap mother. Xiao Yu stood up, glanced at Song Luoning, then turned and went out to open the courtyard gate.

“Young… Young Master, the Madam asked me to bring two men to teach you how to plant rice,” the young maid said, still timidly.

“Plant rice?” Xiao Yu was stunned for a moment, then remembered the three acres of land her cheap mother had given her. Her mother was probably afraid she would sell the land again. But planting rice wasn’t a bad idea. If she sowed it now, she could harvest it in July. By then, her rice huller, winnowing fan, and stone mortar should be ready, and they would come in handy.

Xiao Yu glanced at the two men behind the young maid. They were dressed in short robes with dark, tanned skin, a typical look for farmers. Xiao Yu nodded, motioning for them to wait in the courtyard. She then returned to the house.

Seeing her return, Song Luoning’s brows furrowed slightly. “Husband, who were those people outside?”

As long as they weren’t here to cause trouble, it was fine. Song Luoning was worried she would be implicated and looked at Xiao Yu with a scrutinizing gaze.

“My mother sent them to help with planting rice,” Xiao Yu answered casually, sitting down and picking up her chopsticks again. Her mind automatically went back to the winnowing fan. The rice she was planting wouldn’t be ready until July. It was only March, so she had to wait at least four months.

She felt like she couldn’t wait another day.

Especially since she was living under the thumb of Miss Song. When would this endless cycle end?

“Is husband going to plant rice?” Song Luoning’s question pulled her back.

Xiao Yu nodded. Did she have a choice in this situation?

Xiao Yu quickly finished her meal, tidied the dishes and chopsticks, and prepared to go out. Song Luoning stopped her, “Husband, Luoning will go with you.”

?!

The young miss wants to go?

Xiao Yu thought for a moment. Although the young miss was delicate and weak and coughed every now and then, if she stayed cooped up in the house, she might get sick. It might be better to keep an eye on her.

She didn’t have any extra money to pay for the young miss’s medical bills.

Besides, maybe if they spent enough time together, they would develop feelings for each other, and the young miss would treat her better.

After all, people grow fond of even a cat or dog they’ve had for a long time.

Sowing seeds was a hard job. Before leaving, Xiao Yu prepared some water and food and put them in a basket. The group followed the young maid to the field.

The field was dry land and needed to be tilled before sowing. The two men first demonstrated how to use the hoes. Xiao Yu followed behind. Since this was her first time doing farm work and her body wasn’t strong, she was very slow. By the time noon came, she had only managed to till two rows, and her hands were so tired they wouldn’t listen to her.

At noon, the young maid and the two men left, saying they would come back to teach her when it was time to sow the seeds.

So… she had to till the rest of the field herself.

Xiao Yu pursed her lips.

She was afraid this was going to be the end of her.

Xiao Yu suddenly felt like she had been sold by a human trafficker to a poor, remote place.

At home, she had to serve her master daily, and outside, she had to do this back-breaking farm work. The end of this life was nowhere in sight.

A lump formed in her throat, and she felt like crying.

Fortunately, Linyang County had plenty of rain. While most places in Baisheng were dry in the spring, it had rained several times here, so the tilling wasn’t too difficult. As long as she persevered, she could finish an acre of land today.

Luckily, she had brought food, so she didn’t have to go back at noon, which would have wasted a lot of time.

But…

Xiao Yu looked at Song Luoning. She didn’t know if her body could handle it.

She pursed her lips. If she wanted to go back, she could take her back. It would be a bit of a hassle, but it was fine.

It was better than losing her money.

She would ask for her opinion after they finished working.

After a while of adapting, Xiao Yu had become proficient at tilling the land, and her speed had increased. With the sun directly overhead, Xiao Yu carried the hoe back to the edge of the field.

The young miss sat alone under the sun. Her forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat, and her cheeks were slightly red. Seeing her return, she handed her a handkerchief and smiled softly, “Husband, you’ve worked hard.”

Xiao Yu was stunned for a moment, biting the soft flesh inside her lip. She silently took the handkerchief. The faint, clean scent instantly filled her nostrils. It was more intense than any she had smelled before, making her feel inexplicably drawn to it. Xiao Yu subconsciously took a few more breaths, then came to her senses, turning her reddened face away.

After a moment’s thought, she said, “Do you… Do you want me to send you back first, or stay and go back together? I should warn you, if we go back together, we’ll have to wait until evening.” She said, eyeing Song Luoning.

If she weren’t afraid of her getting sick and having to spend money, she wouldn’t have cared about her. Xiao Yu emphasized this to herself again.

Song Luoning didn’t pay much attention to her words. She took a bowl of water from the basket and handed it to her again. “Have some water first.”

Suddenly being so nice to me…

Xiao Yu’s outstretched hand paused. She was a little afraid that in the next second, she would give some inappropriate order.

She didn’t have the energy to do anything right now.

Unless Song Luoning wanted to work her to death.

“Do you want to go back in a little while?” Xiao Yu asked again.

“Although Luoning can’t help husband, staying here to keep you company is also good,” Song Luoning’s voice was soft and gentle, landing in Xiao Yu’s heart and making her feel a strange sense of glee.

Pfft!

What was she so happy about?

She was just not leaving, right?

Alright, she admitted that hearing Song Luoning’s words made her feel warm inside. She had been inexplicably transmigrated here. Although her life these past few days hadn’t been incredibly difficult, she had been living on pins and needles. After all, she was just an undergraduate who suddenly found herself in a strange environment. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t scared, especially since she had to be wary of the people around her.

Of course, the most direct person around her was Song Luoning.

Xiao Yu quickly adjusted her emotions. Her voice was still a little unnatural as she said, “You said it. Don’t change your mind later and want to go back. I won’t have time to take you.”

“…”

This scoundrel.

After a long pause, Song Luoning bit the soft flesh inside her lip. “Husband, you’ve worked hard all morning. Take a break.”

Then she took the flatbread out of the basket. Since they hadn’t prepared any side dishes that morning, they each ate a piece of bread with water.

“Song Luoning.”

“Hmm?”

Xiao Yu thought for a moment. “Are you really not going back?” Can your delicate body really handle it?

Song Luoning was stunned, but quickly recovered. She wondered why this scoundrel kept trying to get rid of her.

Did she have some other motive?

Going back now was indeed the best choice. Because of her health, she had always been told she couldn’t go here or there. For some reason, today she felt rebellious.

What was she trying to do behind her back?

She wasn’t going to let her have her way.

Song Luoning said, “Hmm, Luoning will stay and keep husband company.”

She wanted to see what she was up to!

Xiao Yu looked up at the sun, a faint worry in her heart.

Forget it. If she wants to stay, she can stay. They can just go back earlier.

The two were silent for a while.

“Song Luoning, don’t you like listening to stories? How about I tell you one?” She was just sitting there, so she might as well give Song Luoning a little educational lesson, letting her know that not only is equality important between men and women, but everyone is equal.

“The stories I tell are definitely better than the old man at the teahouse,” Xiao Yu added, afraid she would refuse.

Storytelling was second nature to her.

Song Luoning hesitated. She didn’t believe this scoundrel could tell a good story. However, it was truly boring to just sit there, so she might as well humor her.

And it would save her the trouble of dealing with her.

“Thank you, husband.” Song Luoning smiled softly.

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