On the way to the fields, although An Jing and Xiao Changyi deliberately slowed their pace, Wang Youbao still struggled to keep up.
Wang Youbao followed behind An Jing and Xiao Changyi, breathing heavily and wiping sweat from his brow.
Even though Wang Youbao had no idea what a "third wheel" was, seeing the couple ahead holding hands, he genuinely felt somewhat superfluous.
"You guys..." Wang Youbao opened his mouth but didn’t continue. Holding hands in public might be inappropriate, but it wasn’t a big deal between husband and wife.
Moreover, as soon as he spoke, he felt as if asking them to stop holding hands would be committing a sin, as if the couple were meant to be loving and sweet towards each other.
So, after uttering just two words, he couldn’t bring himself to continue.
"What’s wrong?" An Jing turned around, looking at Wang Youbao.
Wang Youbao quickly said, "It’s nothing." After a pause, he added enviously, "An Jing, you and Changyi really have a good relationship."
An Jing chuckled, "He’s my husband, how could our relationship not be good?"
Wang Youbao suddenly felt a bit eager to get married himself.
Noticing that the sweat on Wang Youbao’s forehead had increased and his breathing had gotten louder, An Jing finally couldn’t hold back any longer and suggested, "Youbao, maybe you should consider losing some weight?"
"Losing weight?" Wang Youbao was startled.
"It’s just that you’re too overweight now. Look at what being overweight has done to you."
"..." Wang Youbao was silent for a long time before he defended himself loudly, "I’m not fat! This is a sign of prosperity! It’s a blessing! My dad says all of our family’s blessings are on me!"
"Denying it doesn’t change the fact that you’re overweight."
"I’m not joking with you; I’m being serious," An Jing continued. "If it were just a little weight, I wouldn’t mention it, but you get so out of breath just from walking a short distance. That doesn’t look like you’re blessed; it clearly shows you’re in poor health."
Wang Youbao knew he was in poor health, but the idea of losing weight made him pull a long face, "If I lose weight, my dad will cry..."
"Last year, I did lose a bit of weight. Each time my dad saw me, he would cry. He would buy lots of food and watch me eat it until I gained the weight back. Only then did he stop crying."
"I’m at a weight now that my dad is very satisfied with."
"..." An Jing remained silent for a while before speaking more bluntly, "But if you continue , you might die young. If you die before your dad, I imagine he’ll cry even harder." This guy really was way too overweight!
Wang Youbao knew An Jing wasn’t cursing him but was genuinely concerned for him, yet this made him even more: "..."
"Alright, you should think about it carefully for yourself. I believe you know the state of your own body better than anyone else." An Jing didn’t say much more.
Wang Youbao felt very heavy-hearted.
He was, of course, aware of his condition. Although he appeared prosperous, a symbol of fortune, his health was truly poor, constantly requiring medicinal tonics that never seemed to improve his condition.
He used to be able to walk a bit further, but now, just a bit more walking left him breathless.
He might actually die young, just as An Jing had said.
His gloomy mood caused him to lose interest in everything, and after An Jing and Xiao Changyi caught two fish in the field, the three of them headed back.
Once the fish were killed and cleaned, it was time to cook lunch.
An Jing stood by the stove, pouring oil into the pot to cook the fish, while Xiao Changyi sat at the stove’s entrance, stuffing wood into the fire.
As for Wang Youbao, he stood at the entrance to the kitchen, watching An Jing and Xiao Changyi inside.