Chapter 8: Explanation

The air suddenly went quiet, and the crackling of dry wood being consumed by the roaring fire became exceptionally clear.

Qin Xian picked up the items on the table and said nothing, but his face darkened.

Li Yingtang felt a pang of guilt. "Ah-Xian, listen to me. Your birthday is at the end of the year; I was just saving up to buy you a gift."

"No need to explain to me."

"Let's eat," Li Yingtang said cautiously.

"Not hungry."

Li Yingtang: "..." Angry, are you? You're not hungry, but I am. The duck soup in the iron pot was bubbling away, and a ring of flatbread was pressed against the sides of the pot, the parts touching the broth stewed to a rich brown—it looked delicious.

She couldn't help but pick up her chopsticks, grab a duck leg, and take a bite. The meat was tender and fresh.

"Ah-Xian, hurry up and eat. Don't be angry, it's not worth it."

Qin Xian: "...I'm not angry."

Li Yingtang finished the duck leg and grabbed another large piece of meat, sitting down beside him and chewing away. "Ah-Xian, I was wrong. I shouldn't have kept it from you."

Qin Xian: "." Eating while talking—is this what an apology looks like?

Just as he was about to lecture her, he felt something soft on his face.

He widened his eyes in surprise.

The woman's bright red lips were covered in grease, yet he didn't find it dirty at all.

"How can a young woman behave like this? You are too improper. You..."

Li Yingtang leaned in, wrapped one arm around his neck, and planted another kiss on his cheek.

She smacked her lips, the scent of meat lingering, but her own scent was even sweeter. "We've already hugged, isn't it normal to kiss twice? We're people of the new society, don't be so old-fashioned. Don't be mad anymore, okay? I promise next time I'll hand over everything I earn." Once she learned how to sew, she would make a special pocket just for her secret stash.

Qin Xian raised a hand to lightly rub the spot where she had kissed him, emphasizing, "It's not about the money."

Li Yingtang finally understood what he was angry about and placed a duck leg into his bowl. "I shouldn't have hidden it from you. From now on, I won't hide anything from you. Hurry up and eat."

Qin Xian didn't speak.

Li Yingtang observed his expression; it had clearly softened.

Her hanging heart finally dropped.

Taking advantage of the harmonious atmosphere, she quietly retrieved her secret stash. When she snuck a peek at his reaction, their eyes met. She gave a silly laugh and, as if casually, changed the subject: "Ah-Xian, did you help me get that introduction letter?"

"You didn't even tell me where you live, so how was I supposed to get someone to write it?"

Li Yingtang choked. "Next to the hospital, of course."

Qin Xian took a silent breath. Is this what she meant by not hiding anything from him? "The crematorium is next to the hospital."

Li Yingtang: "." Sweat! She immediately changed her tune to cover it up: "I meant nearby, my fault for not being clear. I'll write it down for you when I have time. Sss~ the food is so hot."

Qin Xian sneered: "Can't you write it now?"

Li Yingtang: "My hands are frozen numb."

Qin Xian gave her a meaningful look. Her hands were numb, yet she could still use chopsticks to pick up meat and vegetables, and she could still hug and touch him.

...

After dinner.

Li Yingtang washed up and returned to her room. She was tired from being out all day and fell into a deep sleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

She woke up early the next day, finished breakfast, and made double-skin milk with goat milk as a post-meal dessert.

First, she heated the goat milk and poured it into a bowl.

Once a milk skin formed on the surface, she pressed the skin aside, poured the milk into another bowl, added sugar and egg whites, and stirred well. She then strained it through cheesecloth and poured it back into the original bowl.

She steamed it in a pot for fifteen minutes, let it sit for five or six minutes, took it out, sprinkled it with peeled hawthorn cubes, and carried it into the infirmary.

"Ah-Xian, I made double-skin milk. Try it."

Qin Xian’s gaze fell upon it—it was white and tender, and when scooped, it looked a bit like the cooling jelly people ate in the summer.

It melted in his mouth, sweet and silky. "Did you add eggs and sugar?"

"Mm, I wanted to add more sugar, but I ran out." Li Yingtang ate her own portion. "Mmm, so sweet. It's good, right?!"

"You used up half a jar of sugar?"

Li Yingtang: "...It wasn't half a jar, just barely two spoonfuls."

Qin Xian: Two spoonfuls isn't much? This spendthrift!

"Is the little Qin wife in?"

"Oh, Auntie Liu, I'm here." Li Yingtang opened the door to let Auntie Liu in.

"What are you two eating? It's white, soft, and smells so fragrant."

Li Yingtang: "A dessert I made myself. Want some?"

"Well, that would be lovely, I won't stand on ceremony." Auntie Liu took the spoon from Li Yingtang's hand and started eating the double-skin milk. "It tastes so good, so smooth and sweet, I feel like I could swallow my own tongue. What did you make this out of? How is it so delicious?"

Li Yingtang was petrified by a thunderbolt.

She had just been polite; she didn't actually think the woman would eat it, and in such large mouthfuls!

She had been here for two days and had finally managed to make a dessert, and she hadn't even had two bites yet.

Her heart ached so much she broke into a cold sweat, and she had to dig her nails into her palms to keep her cool. "Auntie Liu, did you need something?"

"It's like this," Auntie Liu said, her mouth still full of double-skin milk. "My niece from my maiden home is coming over today to go on a blind date with a young man from the next village. I figured since you married so well, you must have a good eye for men, so I wanted to ask you to come over and help me vet him."

Li Yingtang gritted her teeth. Vet him? Fine, vet him, but why are you eating my double-skin milk?! She took a long breath, trying to remain calm. "Alright, you go back first, I'll tidy up and come over."

"Eh, alright then." Auntie Liu finished the rest of the double-skin milk in one go, put down the bowl, and wiped her mouth. "Delicious, thank you."

Li Yingtang gave a stiff, insincere smile. "You're welcome."

As soon as the woman left, she started jumping up and down. "I'm so mad! I spent half an hour making that dessert. She actually ate it! I thought she was a nice person, how could she do this?! A human locust, she inhaled a whole bowl in a few bites."

Qin Xian was both annoyed and amused. "Who told you to be polite to her? People in the village don't even see white flour, let alone desserts made with goat milk. Once you offered, it was never going to be safe. Eat this portion."

"That was prepared specifically for you." Li Yingtang clenched her fists. "So she wants me to vet him, does she? Just watch how I mess this up!" She stomped off, fuming.

From a distance, she could see a group of women standing at the base of the wall by Auntie Liu's house, hands tucked into their sleeves, soaking up the sun.

"Little Qin wife!" Auntie Liu called out enthusiastically. "This is my niece, Lirong."

"Hello Lirong, I'm Li Yingtang." After introducing herself, Li Yingtang looked the girl over. She was eighteen or nineteen, her cheeks chapped and dark, but her features were delicate.

She was wearing a bright red cotton-padded jacket, and a dark scarf was wrapped from her head down to her chin. She hid shyly behind Auntie Liu.

The girl pursed her lips and kept her head down, not responding.

Auntie Liu laughed. "I told this girl about you, but she's a bit shy. Unlike you, you're bold and greet everyone you see."

Someone chimed in: "Are you getting used to living here, Doctor Qin's wife?"

"When do you plan on going back to the city?"

Li Yingtang smiled. "I'm used to it, and I don't plan on going back to the city for now. Has the blind date arrived yet?"

Someone replied: "The young man hasn't come yet."

"He's here, he's here! Look, that's him, and the one next to him is his mother. What do you think?" Auntie Liu whispered, pointing to a man and woman on the road ahead.

Li Yingtang subconsciously pulled her scarf up over her nose and looked over. The man was a bit chubby and quite short. He didn't match the girl's figure or appearance at all.

The girl came to her own blind date.

The man brought his mother—was he afraid the girl would scam him or something?

"Is this the girl? Oh my, her eyes are so pretty, why is her skin so white? Like jade. Take off your scarf, let me see what your nose and mouth look like," the man's mother ordered Li Yingtang directly.