Liu Sisi didn’t show any restraint. She slowly sipped the chicken soup from the big clay bowl until it was all gone.
A warmth began to spread from her stomach to the rest of her body. As she lifted her head to take a satisfying breath, she found herself eye-to-eye with Di Yelei, who was closely watching her.
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“Is there something on my face?”
Liu Sisi instinctively reached up to wipe her face.
Di Yelei quickly averted his gaze and walked away, his face suspiciously flushed.
“No-nothing! You rest while I serve the rice. It’ll be ready in a while.”
How could he admit that he had lost himself watching her to the point of forgetting to blink?
Liu Sisi tilted her head curiously. The man’s mood seemed a bit strange.
From outside came a burst of laughter, followed by a little girl’s voice: “Brother, wait for me, don’t walk too fast.”
Liu Sisi turned around to see a boy rushing in from the door.
The boy was about six or seven years old, carrying a bamboo basket on his back. His face was pitch-black, only his two large grape-like eyes could be seen, rolling around in his sockets. Behind him, a little head timidly peaked out – upon seeing Liu Sisi, the head quickly retracted.
Though it was only a glimpse, it was enough for Liu Sisi to see that the little girl was no more than three or four years old.
Upon meeting Liu Sisi’s gaze, the boy showed a hint of resentment in his eyes, and then coldly snorted before greeting Di Yelei, who was serving the rice.
“Dad, we’re back!”
“Xuan’er, you’re back. You’re late today. Hmm, where is your little sister YingEr? Why is she hiding? Hurry up and wash your hands for dinner.”
As Di Yelei turned around with his chicken soup, he asked curiously.
“Ok, Dad.”
Di Xuan casually put down the bamboo basket and then took his little sister YingEr to wash their hands.
Liu Sisi looked over to find that the bamboo basket contained some wild vegetables, probably foraged by the two children.
By the time Di Yelei had set out the bowls and chopsticks, the two children had washed their hands and sat opposite Liu Sisi. Di Xuan, with a stern expression, glared at Liu Sisi before picking up his bowl to eat.
Liu Sisi didn’t care. From the moment she woke up, this boy hadn’t had a pleasant expression on his face.
Liu Sisi didn’t eat much at dinner. She nibbled just two pieces of chicken meat. Her already half-filled stomach from the chicken soup couldn’t take in any more food.
Contrarily, when it was time to wash her face and feet, she stared blankly at the washbasin for a long time before finally giving up the idea of taking a bath.
Without entertainment devices like phones and TV in ancient rural areas, Liu Sisi returned to her spot from several days ago. After trying hard to fall asleep with no success due to her full stomach, she began to count sheep, only to be interrupted by a sudden noise.
“Why haven’t you fallen asleep so late? You just recovered from your fever. You need to rest more to recover quickly.”
Di Yelei entered after pushing the door open, while taking off his clothes and moving closer to the bed. He casually lifted Liu Sisi’s quilt corner and sat down.
“What are you doing?”
Liu Sisi let out a gasp. For the past two days that she had been awake, he hadn’t been sleeping next to her.
Although she was prepared to live life at the Di family’s house, she was not ready to share a bed with a complete stranger. Especially since her fever had only just broken, she was not sure if her body could handle his persistence.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t stay put. She climbed out of bed and moved as far back as possible, curling herself into a ball in the corner of the room.
“Of course, I am just changing and resting. What else could I be doing?”
To avoid startling her, he had been squeezing onto Di Xuan’s small bed all these days, which was quite uncomfortable for his large frame.
“Rest?” Liu Sisi exclaimed.
“Of course, rest. But don’t worry, your body has just recovered, and I know you are disgusted by that sort of thing, I won’t force you. Whenever you are ready, we can share a bed. Besides, I already have two children. Even if we don’t have children, it’s not a problem.”
As Di Yelei spoke, he quickly removed his coat, revealing his trousers underneath. He lay down on the outer side of the bed and covered himself with the quilt.
Could it really be that easy?
Liu Sisi instinctively felt apprehensive towards the strange man and was still on high alert.
After lying on the bed for a moment, Di Yelei suddenly reached out and with unerring accuracy, grabbed Liu Sisi’s hand, pulling her back onto the bed. Before she could even let out a cry of surprise, she was lying back on the bed with Di Yelei’s long arms and legs winding around her, trapping her in his embrace.
“Ah! Let go–”
Liu Sisi instinctively began to resist, trying to escape from his grip.
“Shut your mouth! Go to sleep, otherwise, I won’t mind taking you right now!”
Di Yelei’s cold words sounded in her ear, which finally silenced Liu Sisi. She quickly settled down, obediently lying in his arms.
Indeed, he didn’t make any further moves. He just quietly held her as if she was a body pillow and, in no time, started snoring lightly.
Being held in someone’s arms, especially a mature man’s arms, was something Liu Sisi, who had been living alone for many years, was not accustomed to. She felt uncomfortable all over and several attempts to break free proved unsuccessful.
Turning and tossing, she tried to find a comfortable position. It wasn’t until the rising body temperature next to her alerted her to the anomaly.
“Stop moving! Do you want to sleep peacefully or not?”
A rough man’s voice spoke from very close.