Chapter 191: Set Her Heart on It
Checking his watch, it was already past 12 noon. Wang An hurried his sled toward his house in the county town.
Although the "veterinary medicine" Fang Xiu'e had mentioned last time had made him quite anxious, Wang An thought about it later and figured that the two sisters wouldn't dare do such a thing to him.
Mainly, now that he had settled things for the two of them, he couldn't just leave them completely ignored!
As he arrived at the front gate, he happened to encounter Fang Xiu'e returning with a lunch box. At this moment, Fang Xiu'e no longer had her usual unkempt appearance; she now looked vibrant and full of vitality.
Furthermore, she was dressed neatly and cleanly. Although her clothes had many patches, they gave off a sense of simple purity to anyone who saw them.
It had to be said that when a person wants to change, it is a remarkably fast and simple thing. After all, only those whose hearts lean toward the sunlight can feel its warmth.
Those whose hearts are clouded by gloom will only look at the rising sun and mutter: "This damn sun is freaking blinding!"
Seeing Wang An's arrival, Fang Xiu'e's eyes were full of pleasant surprise. She hurried forward to help Wang An lead the sled into the yard, the smile at the corners of her mouth revealing her happiness without reservation.
To be honest, seeing Fang Xiu'e's current demeanor, Wang An didn't quite know what to say. That gaze, that expression, those movements—everything betrayed Fang Xiu'e's desire to get on the kang with him!
However, Wang An felt a bit of resistance toward getting on the kang with this beautiful young married woman, because he wasn't some rutting donkey!
Moreover, he had been a bit too rough with Mu Xueqing last night, so he truly had no desire at the moment.
Sure enough, after tying up the big horse, this woman bolted the front gate again!
Wang An hurriedly said, "Your sister isn't back yet, why are you bolting the gate?"
Fang Xiu'e replied casually, "My sister is on duty at noon and isn't coming back. The county hasn't been very peaceful lately; it's safer with the gate bolted."
Holy crap! This woman's excuse was absolutely ridiculous! Who was I, Wang An? Could this woman not know?
Wang An quickly added, "Alright, stop bolting the gate. I'll just say a few words and leave."
"How can that be? You have to at least have a bite to eat before you go; it's already noon." After bolting the gate, Fang Xiu'e spoke while grabbing Wang An's hand to pull him into the house.
Although Wang An's mind was clear, his hand acted on a whim and gave Fang Xiu'e's hand a squeeze before he broke free, turned around, and took the four jumping cats off the sled to carry them in his hand.
But when Wang An touched her hand, Fang Xiu'e actually seemed quite happy.
Regardless, Fang Xiu'e's hand really was soft to the touch!
Upon reaching the doorway, Wang An threw the four frozen-stiff jumping cats outside the door before entering the house.
"Sit for a while, the food will be ready soon." Fang Xiu'e gave Wang An a nudge, trying to push him into the east room, and then began busying herself in the outer room.
Wang An didn't enter the east room but stood at the doorway watching Fang Xiu'e work.
He saw the woman add water to the pot and place a "grid-style" steamer rack inside. She then placed a few chopsticks across the rack, lifted the lid of a ceramic basin, took out four large flatbreads to place on the chopsticks, and then put the lunch box she had brought back onto the rack.
After finishing that, Fang Xiu'e went outside to the lower room and returned with a small basin containing stewed chicken and jumping cat chunks, two pig trotters, and half a boneless pig head with the ears attached. She placed these on the rack as well, covered the pot with a lid, and lit the fire in the stove.
Wang An found that this woman was truly efficient; she finished all of this in less than three minutes.
Of course, this was typical reheating of food—simply "warming it up" or "giving it a quick steam"! It wasn't cooking fresh food or new dishes.
However, in this era, no one cared about such things, or rather, the thought of not serving "leftovers" to a guest wouldn't even occur to them.
Because as long as it was food that could fill the stomach, it was a good thing! Being able to eat one's fill was enough; why be so particular?
It was like a beggar—would he complain that a steamed bun on the ground was dirty? It was the same logic.
Soon, white steam rose from the large iron pot, meaning the water had boiled. In another ten minutes or so, the food would likely be ready.
In truth, the flatbreads and the lunch box in the pot were already heated through, but since the pig trotters and pig head meat had been frozen after being cooked, they would take a bit longer to heat through.
Fang Xiu'e stopped adding wood scraps to the stove and stood up from the small stool by the hearth, saying casually to Wang An, "Put them on the table and get the bowls; I'll mash some garlic."
Hearing Fang Xiu'e's natural tone, Wang An was somewhat stunned. Because of this tone, this attitude, and this expression, Fang Xiu'e was treating him like the man of the house!
But it wasn't a big deal, so Wang An just did as she said.
Soon, the food was all served.
At this time, Northeasterners mostly placed the kang table on the kang and sat cross-legged around it to eat.
The main reason for choosing to eat on the kang was that it was warm, making the meal more comfortable.
Once they started eating, Fang Xiu'e opened the lunch box. Inside was potato and cabbage stew without any meat—there wasn't a single drop of oil, and it didn't look tasty at all.
However, Wang An wasn't a picky eater and devoured everything regardless.
"Have you both started your jobs?" Wang An suddenly remembered the purpose of his visit and asked.
"Mm-hmm, the day after you left, we finished everything you told us to do." Mentioning her work, Fang Xiu'e spoke with joy beaming from her brow.
"Mm, that's good, then it's fine. What's the pay grade?" Wang An asked again.
"Official employees. For both Xiuying and me, the monthly salary is 37.5 yuan!" Fang Xiu'e said with a blissful smile.
"Mm, when you go to work, don't forget to find a bag and pack two of those jumping cats from the door. Give one to Vice Dean Zou and one to Director Qu. You two keep the remaining two to eat," Wang An instructed casually.
"Oh, I got it," Fang Xiu'e said happily.
Having learned what he wanted to know, Wang An stopped talking and began to eat quietly.
However, the amount of meat in his bowl kept increasing because Fang Xiu'e wasn't eating; she spent the whole time putting meat into Wang An's bowl.
Wang An helplessly put down his chopsticks and said to Fang Xiu'e, "Are you sick? Why are you giving me so much? I know how to use chopsticks!"
Wang An's tone wasn't great, but Fang Xiu'e didn't mind at all. She said with a chuckle, "Hmph, I want to. Is it any of your business?"
After speaking, she began to eat her own food happily, occasionally glancing at Wang An with a look that was either provocative or seductive.
This made Wang An's meal quite speechless. It was clear that this woman had set her heart on it—she wanted to sleep with him!
After realizing the woman was acting abnormal, Wang An stopped talking and began to struggle with the pile of meat in his bowl.
After the meal, Wang An intended to take his leave. Unsurprisingly, the woman hugged him again, and this time, she hugged him quite tightly!
After Wang An tried to persuade her several times, the woman continued to do as she pleased, saying, "I'm not dirty!"
Wang An finally thought for a moment and said, "Calm down. Your good days have already arrived; there's no need for you to do this anymore, understand?"
"I just want to do it. I just want to see if you actually have any feelings for me?" As Fang Xiu'e spoke, her hands, white as the stalks of spring onions, began to act unrestrainedly!