278, Disappointment (20 more updates
All was contentment.
Xie Zhinuan, suffering from lower back pain, didn’t cook for Li Hengyi, who persevered anyway, eating a few bites of food and drinking two mouthfuls of soup before sipping the tea Xie Zhinuan had prepared for him.
He forcefully suppressed the urge to vomit.
Xie Zhinuan wasn’t picky and ate with great relish.
A few grains of rice unwittingly clung to the corner of her mouth, of which she was completely unaware.
Li Hengyi raised his hand and gently wiped them away with the pad of his finger.
“?” Xie Zhinuan looked puzzled.
Li Hengyi showed her the grains of rice on his finger.
“So there were grains of rice!” Xie Zhinuan suddenly realized and became more careful while continuing to eat.
Watching her adorable manner, Li Hengyi smiled softly and ladled some soup for her, “Try this chicken soup, it smells quite good!”
“Mm-hmm, thank you!” Xie Zhinuan said as she took a sip, finding the taste to be quite good indeed.
Yuanbao placed Xie Yi in the basket with Routuan, teasing him with every bite he took, and Xie Yi laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Seeing him so happy, Yuanbao was also happy to play along, even offering him some vegetable leaves to taste.
After Xie Zhinuan finished her meal, she took Xie Yi to a secluded spot to relieve himself.
She was very careful with Xie Yi’s secret, not wanting more people to find out, so she tended to do many things herself.
Especially bathing and washing his bottom.
Once back in Fengping County, she would entrust these tasks to Aunt Chen, but Aunt Chen would have to swear to keep Xie Yi’s matters to herself. As for the wet nurse, even if hired, she wouldn’t be allowed to know Xie Yi’s secret; her job was simply to feed him milk.
After Xie Yi was done, Yuanbao brought over water.
Xie Zhinuan cleaned his bottom.
“…”
Yuanbao thought of these hands still needing to cook and felt an inexplicable ache for his master.
“What are you looking at? I wash my hands, and I wash them several times before cooking each time!” Xie Zhinuan said sternly.
She huffed.
Yuanbao touched his nose, “Miss Xie, you’re quite clever sometimes!”
“So are you saying I’m sometimes very dumb?” Xie Zhinuan retorted.
Yuanbao chuckled but didn’t dare contradict Xie Zhinuan.
“Miss Xie, after we return, will you still take care of him yourself?” Yuanbao asked.
“As long as I have time, I will definitely take care of him myself, and even if I’m busy, I’ll leave him with someone I can trust!” Xie Zhinuan stated, then instructed Yuanbao, “Can you send a message to Aunt Chen and Grandma Chen to come to Fengping County? Or have them come here?”
She didn’t know how many days they’d stay, and she indeed required someone by her side.
“The master has already sent someone. Aunt Chen will arrive soon. As for Grandma Chen, she might have to stay in Xiaohe Village for a few more days. The oranges and pomelos you planted haven’t been harvested yet. They need to be picked and transported to the county!”
Xie Zhinuan nodded in understanding.
She thought about how Li Hengyi often considered things more thoroughly than she did.
In managing household affairs, she still lacked experience.
After another hour or so of travel, they arrived at the place Lian Huai had mentioned where the wine was stored, also known as the Lian Family Liquor Workshop.
Unfortunately, the place was desolate and overgrown, the weeds taller than a man, the houses decayed, completely in disrepair.
“…” Lian Huai gazed for a long time, his heart sinking repeatedly.
Ten years had truly changed far too much.
All that he had believed in was gone with the wind.
He took a deep breath and then found a stick to knock around as he moved forward.
The mute servant followed behind, on guard, ready to react in case they encountered any poisonous snakes.
Xie Zhinuan sighed, holding Xie Yi and settling down in the shade beside the carriage with the three pets, giving Xie Yi some water to drink.
“With no one living here and nobody to take care of it, the house is prone to collapse. Besides, this house probably collapsed a decade ago!” Li Hengyi commented softly, using a fan to cool Xie Zhinuan.
Chapter 279