Inside the tent, everyone sat quietly as Yan Mei then laughed slightly to ease off the mood.
"You all are so gloomy... it’s just some rain, no need to be so upset... here, why don’t we have some buns."
She suggested as she then brought some buns and together with Zu Shi shared them around.
Yan Mei then brought some buns towards Fuhan who sat straight with his eyes closed.
"Here, have a bun!" She stretched out her hands but he refused.
Yet she didn’t seem to take no for an answer, shoving it into his hands she pouted, "Hungry or not, when a pretty girl hands you a bun, you TAKE IT!"
With that she turned around and walked towards Lin Xu while Fuhan just stared at her, taken aback.
"Lin Xu, here have some buns, you have been working all morning you must be hungry." Yan Mei brought out two buns to hand over to Lin Xu and Mo Ying but Lin Xu didn’t seem to hear as her eyes were still focused on the outside rain.
Taking the buns from Yan Mei, Mo Ying smiled, "Thanks!"
Placing his bun down he handed Lin Xu hers, "I’m not hungry."
"Okay, then I’ll help myself." He said as he placed it in his mouth, finishing it off in two bites.
"Y-you!" Seeing that, Lin Xu was lost for words as she just sighed, rolled her eyes and moved further away from him. Read full story at 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽
After some hours, the first stage of the heavy rain ended yet the sky was still clouded and dark, but it only drizzled.
Seeing as the rain had subsided, the villagers began to step outside their caves, murmuring softly among themselves.
Some stretched their stiff bodies, others checked their bundles to make sure nothing was ruined, and a few simply stood at the edge of the mountain, gazing down at the village swallowed by gray mist and water.
"It looks like Lin Xu really was right," one villager whispered.
"Ai, we’re lucky we listened. Who knows what would’ve happened if we stayed down there."
"Truly... the heavens protected us this time."
Lin Xu stepped out of the tent, her long sleeves brushing damp air as she looked down at the faint outline of the village below.
From up here, it looked small and fragile, half-drowned in the storm. Her heart sank a little, knowing many were still there. A sigh slipped past her lips before she even realized it.
Just then, a loud growl broke the heavy silence.
Everyone turned their heads at once, and Lin Xu froze, her hand quickly pressing against her stomach. Her face turned a faint shade of pink as she looked away, pretending as if nothing had happened.
Mo Ying, standing not too far from her, tilted his head. Slowly, a smirk tugged at his lips, the kind that carried a hint of mischief.
"You seem to be hungry, huh?" His voice was low, teasing, his dark eyes glinting with amusement.
Lin Xu shot him a glare, her brows furrowing as she muttered, "You’re trying to mock me, aren’t you? After all, someone already ate my bun."
Mo Ying chuckled under his breath, clearly enjoying her reaction. "Mock you? I don’t need to. You were the one who refused to eat, remember? Don’t blame me for finishing it off."
Before she could retort, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a steamed bun, slightly warm, its soft scent still clinging to the air. Without a word, he held it out toward her.
Lin Xu blinked, her lips parting in surprise. "Why are you... giving this to me?"
"What?" Mo Ying arched a brow, his smirk widening. "Last time you thought I was a criminal, and now you’re thinking I’m a glutton too?"
For a moment, Lin Xu just stared at him, her heart stumbling in her chest as his gaze met hers with surprising intensity. But she quickly snapped herself out of it. With a huff, she reached forward and snatched the bun from his hand.
"I never thought you were a criminal!" she shot back, her voice sharper than she intended.
Then, clutching the bun like a small victory, she spun around and started to walk away, her sleeves swishing behind her.
Mo Ying’s smile lingered as he watched her retreating figure, his hand dropping back to his side. Fuhan, who had been silently observing from a few steps away, noticed the faint curve on his young master’s lips but said nothing.
Meanwhile, Yan Mei, who had been chatting with the children nearby, leaned closer to Zu Shi and whispered, "Did you see that? Lin Xu actually took food from Mo Ying’s hands. I swear they are totally starting to like one another."
Zu Shi chuckled softly, shaking her head. "What do you expect, they are married, naturally something will surely draw them together."
Yan Mei grinned, her eyes sparkling as she glanced back at Lin Xu, who was nibbling on the bun while pretending she wasn’t listening to anyone at all.
Soon the village chief and some other men left the mountain to go check how the village was and help as many people as they could back to the mountain.
Stepping forward, Lin Xu summoned all the women on the mountain as she shouted, "Since the first batch of rain has stopped, we only have few hours before the next rainfall hits... while the men are busy helping, let’s assist by making them something delicious to eat."
She announced as they all nodded in agreement.
Then Zu Shi stepped out, "We all brought foodstuffs and I’m sure most of you all didn’t come prepared since you weren’t fully sure the rain would hit or not... so now I would advise you all to join your resources together, it would be better that way."
"Alright, no problem."
Turning to Zu Shi, Lin Xu smiled, "Shi, I’ll leave you to handle the women... I’ll go see if I can help Yan Mei cook for our own tent."
She nodded and they all got into place, ready to make dinner.