Two days later, government officers arrived to collect taxes and grain from An Jing and Xiao Changyi. Although there were four officers, all of them showed particular courtesy towards An Jing and Xiao Changyi.
An Jingxin understood that she was basking in the glow of her husband, but this time, she didn’t make fun of him. Instead, as soon as the officers left, she hugged her husband’s waist, tilted her small face upwards, and just smiled at him.
This teased him even more than bantering!
Xiao Changyi, though expressionless, couldn’t help himself. He leaned down, his forehead rubbing against hers, then his nose nuzzled hers in an appeasing gesture, and at last, his lips lightly grazed hers.
Their breathing intertwined with each other’s as An Jing’s lips were caressed by Xiao Changyi’s for quite a while before she showed a sly look, opened her mouth, and bit Xiao Changyi on the lips.
After biting, An Jing laughed heartily.
The bite wasn’t heavy but still a bit painful, and yet it was incredibly enticing to him.
Xiao Changyi’s breathing grew heavier, his caress of her lips more intense, and then gradually he deepened the kiss.
The atmosphere was beautiful, utterly intoxicating.
Once Xiao Changyi and An Jing closed their eyes, they didn’t want to open them again, indulging in the moment, feeling each other’s breathing, exchanging kiss after kiss that quickened their heartbeats.
Our love doesn’t need to be earth-shattering, nor does it crave fame or fortune, neither riches nor splendor; we only seek simplicity and warmth, tranquil years, to know and be with each other, like a gentle, everlasting stream.
The new house was completed, and the creek had been led into the yard. According to An Jing’s plan, the next step was to dig canals and construct terraced fields.
The canals would wait because the terraced fields had to be built first and then irrigated with water from the creek.
An Jing and Xiao Changyi had only cultivated two acres of land so far, all of which had been planted.
An Jing intended to open up another ten or so acres, and Xiao Changyi had no objections.
That day, An Jing and Xiao Changyi were about to go clear some land, but before they could leave, Wang Youbao arrived. Landlord Wang had passed away a month ago, and after Wang Youbao’s family had finished with the funerary affairs, he came to visit An Jing and Xiao Changyi.
Seeing that Wang Youbao seemed a little thinner but otherwise in good spirits, An Jing felt even more at ease.
"This is my first time visiting your new house; it’s quite nice," Wang Youbao said as he looked around the yard with admiration.
An Jing smiled, "It’s not as good as your place."
"You can’t say that," Wang Youbao shook his head, "Your home feels warm to me; my house might be big, but it’s just me alone, without any warmth."
An Jing immediately teased, "Get married and have some kids, then it will be warm."
Wang Youbao laughed, "That’s unlikely for now. I must observe three years of mourning for my father. Discussing marriage and children should wait until after that."
Suddenly curious, An Jing asked, "Youbao, how old are you exactly? Why haven’t you married yet?"
Truth be told, she had always found this strange. Wang Youbao was so overweight that she couldn’t guess his actual age. She roughly knew he wasn’t very old, but whether he was older than her husband, she didn’t know.
In these parts, except in special circumstances, men would usually marry at sixteen or seventeen.
Age wasn’t a secret, so of course, Wang Youbao wouldn’t hide it, "I’ll be seventeen in a month. Since my father had been sick for the past couple of years, he didn’t have the energy to arrange my marriage, and I haven’t taken a fancy to any girl, so the matter has been delayed."