Chapter 18 (V-Day Announcement - Bug Fixes)

Chapter 18 (V-Day Announcement - Bug Fixes)

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“Old man, this is Anguo’s girlfriend, Jiang Lai…” You Maidong had already confirmed it while cooking, so she happily told Ye Yuanliang and introduced everyone present to her.

Others also had a good impression of Jiang Lai because she was always smiling and didn't look down on people from the countryside like some people in the city.

You know, in the past, when they wore their best clothes to the city, some city people would say they were country bumpkins who had never seen the world.

But now, to be honest, even old farmers who deal with soil every day would find it disgusting. They're all covered in mud and water, or a mixture of mud and water.

In addition, the smell of mud, sweat, and straw mixed together in the paddy field made the clothes smell terrible, especially since everyone present had just come back from the field. Five or six people were like that, and you can imagine how intoxicating it must have been.

However, Jiang Lai showed no reaction at all, as if she couldn't smell the scents, and her expression remained unchanged. Based on this alone, everyone in the Ye family had a very good impression of Jiang Lai.

"Go change your clothes and come eat. Aren't you uncomfortable wearing wet clothes in this weather? Don't catch a cold," You Maidong said as she brought the food out of the kitchen.

That's how farming is. The weather in October is neither too hot nor too cold, which is the most comfortable time. People in good health can wear just a light shirt, while those in poorer health can just wear a jacket.

It's cold to go into the water to harvest rice in this weather, but it's okay while you're working because you'll actually sweat. However, if you stop and are still wearing wet clothes, you're more likely to catch a cold. So You Maidong quickly urged everyone to change their clothes, even though they had to go back to work in the fields right after eating.

"Let's eat! The lunch today is especially plentiful. Jiang Lai even brought her own spicy braised lotus root slices. I just tried a slice, and it's delicious. Qiaoyun said she hasn't had much of an appetite lately. If you eat some of these braised lotus root slices today, it'll definitely make your meal more palatable," You Maidong said happily to everyone.

"Really? Then we must try it!" Li Qingqing said. "I could smell the delicious aroma from afar. I started drooling on the way here. I was saying that Mom's cooking skills have improved." Li Qingqing realized that You Maidong really liked Jiang Lai, so she started to flatter her a little.

Everyone present understood, and they all praised Jiang Lai's cooking skills. Of course, they were right to praise her. After taking the first bite, everyone couldn't stop eating. Normally, the Ye family would talk and chat at the dinner table, but today no one cared about anything else; they were all too busy eating to keep their mouths shut.

Although Jiang Lai's cooking skills are not top-notch, if a truly top chef were to taste it, they would definitely find a lot of faults, such as the cooking time and seasoning. They would definitely lament that Jiang Lai is wasting her talents.

Because the ingredients are produced in this space, their freshness alone can overshadow all the flaws. Therefore, such good ingredients don't require much cooking skill.

Of course, not everyone has the discerning palate of a top chef. Jiang Lai's culinary skills are definitely above average; the Ye family couldn't taste any flaws. They just thought, "How can lotus root slices be so delicious? They must have been eating fake lotus root slices before."

This wasn't the first time Ye Anguo had eaten Jiang Lai's cooking, but he was surprisingly quick. His chopsticks flew, each strike precisely picking up food while also keeping an eye on Jiang Lai. In the time it took him to eat, he filled Jiang Lai's bowl to the brim.

"Uh..." Jiang Lai looked at the rice bowl that had turned into a small mountain and felt unsure where to start eating.

Jiang Lai ate with great effort, trying her best to eat, and also trying to stop Ye Anguo and You Maidong from putting food into her bowl. Unfortunately, she was unsuccessful, so in the end, there was still only a small half-bowl of rice left in her bowl.

Jiang Lai was really worried. Because of her weak constitution, she didn't have a big appetite. Even though she tried to eat more after Jiang Lai arrived, there was no effect after only a few days. Her small stomach capacity couldn't be changed even by cleansing her meridians and marrow.

Jiang Lai couldn't help but glare at Ye Anguo. It was all Ye Anguo's fault. If he hadn't kept piling food onto her plate, she wouldn't have made such a mess of leftovers, something even a child wouldn't do.

However, Ye Anguo was very perceptive. Jiang Lai had only glared at him once when Ye Anguo immediately noticed and looked at her gently, asking, "What's wrong?"

How was she supposed to answer that? Everyone's eyes were on her now. Was she supposed to say to everyone that she had leftovers?

"Uh..." Jiang Lai poked at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks, unable to speak. She had already eaten a lot today and was stuffed. The rice was already in her throat, and she would throw up if she ate any more.

Jiang Lai looked embarrassed, but Ye Anguo still asked, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Lai was incredibly embarrassed, but thinking that she couldn't leave any food uneaten, she forced herself to lean close to Ye Anguo's ear and said, "I can't finish all the food you just gave me."

Jiang Lai said that, but she was petty and blamed all the mistakes on Ye Anguo. Of course, it was also Ye Anguo's fault that Jiang Lai was left behind.

"It's alright, give it to me." Ye Anguo took Jiang Lai's bowl and ate it. No one at the table found it strange. This wasn't the era after all, where everyone was fed too much by Grandpa Yuan, and no one had anything to waste.

In an era when people couldn't even get enough to eat, obsessive-compulsive disorder about cleanliness wasn't a big deal. At most, people thought Jiang Lai's appetite was too small. Compared to Yi Qiaoyun's three bowls of rice, who had the smallest appetite among those present, Jiang Lai's bowl, even with Ye Anguo and You Mai constantly adding food to her plate, was barely more than a little over one bowl. Her appetite was even smaller than a child's.

No one else did, but Jiang Lai was quite touched because no one had ever eaten her leftovers since she was a child. It wasn't that others disliked her, but even though the soldiers and families who adopted her treated her very well, they weren't her biological parents. From a young age, she forced herself to be sensible and obedient, so she never left any food uneaten, let alone let others eat their leftovers.

Of course, Jiang Lai would never fall in love with a female lead just because the male lead ate her leftovers, like in some TV dramas; that would be too unrealistic.

Jiang Lai has always felt that she is too calm and rational when it comes to relationships, just like her answer when someone asked her if she believed in love at first sight.

Jiang Lai felt that there was a saying that made a lot of sense: "So-called love at first sight is actually lust at first sight." In Jiang Lai's view, love at first sight is just a preliminary feeling of attraction.

Falling in love at first sight with a complete stranger—you don't have X-ray vision to see through someone's appearance to their inner self. You're meeting someone for the first time, and you don't know their character, manners, or qualities... What else could you be attracted to but their appearance? At most, you might add a bit of charisma. So, the saying "love at first sight" isn't entirely wrong.

That's why Jiang Lai is too rational when it comes to relationships. Even though she is satisfied with Ye Anguo in every way, she doesn't feel a deep sense of love for him.

She simply likes Ye Anguo now, and her feelings for him deepen day by day because his thoughtfulness, maturity, stability, positive values, and sense of responsibility all meet her criteria for a partner.

Having only known each other for a few days, Jiang Lai's feelings for Ye Anguo deepened day by day. At first, she thought he was an upright and good person, then she felt that he met her criteria for a partner, and later, her feelings for him deepened even more after spending time together. But now, Jiang Lai simply likes Ye Anguo.

However, Jiang Lai's affection did not make her lose her mind. Therefore, after arriving at the Ye family today and learning about their situation, the concerns she had about Jiang Lai were resolved.

Even though her childhood experiences made her feel insecure, and even though Jiang Lai longed to start her own family, she was still rational enough not to easily give away her true feelings.

Of course, that doesn't stop Jiang Lai from thinking that Ye Anguo looked incredibly handsome at that moment.

Because there was only one hour for lunch, everyone ate quickly and finished in less than half an hour. After lunch, the rest of the Ye family members took the opportunity to rest. Harvesting rice is tiring work, and the working hours are long, so they wanted to take a nap at noon.

Because Ye Anguo went to work a little later, and because the Ye family had all eaten too much that day, Ye Anguo stayed to wash the dishes. Jiang Lai sat in a chair, lost in thought, pondering the serious question of whether she really wanted to be with Ye Anguo.

Jiang Lai isn't the type to take relationships lightly. She's longed for a family since she was little, so she dates with marriage in mind. The advantage of marrying Ye Anguo is that she's currently very satisfied with him, and his various qualities perfectly align with Jiang Lai's views on relationships.

There are also drawbacks, namely, if the feelings between the two people change, I'm afraid... after all, it's a military marriage.

Fortunately, Jiang Lai quickly came to her senses again. She has now agreed to date Ye Anguo, but marriage is a very serious matter, so she will take it one step at a time and not stop dating for fear that the relationship will break down in the future.

She's just dating now, and although she's aiming for marriage, if they find out in the end that they're not compatible and she still insists on getting married, that would be even more irresponsible towards marriage.

“…Jiang Lai? Jiang Lai…”

When Jiang Lai came to her senses, she saw Ye Anguo waving and calling her several times. Then she realized that she had been lost in thought for quite a while, and Ye Anguo had already finished washing the dishes.

"What are you thinking about? Is something on your mind?" Ye Anguo asked with concern.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about some work-related things and got a little distracted. What's wrong? Didn't you have something to tell me?" Jiang Lai asked.

"I mean, when are you going back later? I can't see you off today, the rice in the village hasn't been harvested yet," Ye Anguo said without thinking.

"Why would I need you to deliver it? I know the way, and besides, I came by bicycle." Jiang Lai laughed; she wasn't some pampered young lady.

"It's still early, how about we go for a walk?" Now that everyone else in the Ye family has gone to rest, only Jiang Lai and Ye Anguo are left in the living room. Who said they were already dating? But Ye Anguo knows that reputation is always important to a girl, so he can't let Jiang Lai sit in his room. It's also not appropriate to talk in the living room, so he suggests taking Jiang Lai for a walk.

"Okay, how about we go for a walk along the Gan River? I rarely go to the riverbank, or rather, I've never been." The original owner of this body had been in poor health since childhood, and because he had nearly drowned as a child, he was forbidden from going to the riverbank, so even though the Gan River was right on the outskirts of the city, he had never been there.

“Okay.” Ye Anguo naturally had no reason to refuse. He filled his military water bottle with cold water and said to Jiang Lai, “Let’s go.”

Just as Jiang Lai stepped out the door, she felt a blur and thought she saw someone running past. She looked up and saw only a pale yellow figure. It looked familiar, but she couldn't remember who it was.

Ye Anguo, having gone back to get his straw hat, lagged behind Jiang Lai and hadn't seen her. Seeing her standing at the door, he assumed she was waiting for him. Ye Anguo placed the brand-new straw hat on Jiang Lai's head and said, "Let's go."

"Okay." Jiang Lai put the matter aside, and the two headed towards the Gan River one after the other.

After Ye Anguo and Jiang Lai left, Su Erniu peeked out from the corner of the Ye family's wall, a smirk playing on her lips: "Ye Anguo, you shouldn't thank me too much."

There's not much to do along the Gan River; it's all water and the banks are covered in vegetation. But they didn't come out to see the Gan River. The two chatted along the way. Jiang Lai was very curious about what life in the army was like, so Ye Anguo picked out some things to tell her. Jiang Lai listened with starry eyes.

"Have some water, it's so hot today." Ye Anguo handed the water bottle he had been carrying to Jiang Lai.

"I'm not very thirsty, you drink first, I see your lips are dry." Jiang Lai told Ye Anguo to drink first. After confirming that Jiang Lai wasn't just being polite, Ye Anguo gulped down the water. He was really thirsty, but even though he was thirsty, he still remembered to leave more than half for Jiang Lai. Even though she said she wasn't thirsty, he wouldn't drink any himself.

However, Su Erniu's appearance was not unexpected. Just a few minutes after Ye Anguo drank the water, Jiang Lai noticed that his complexion was a bit off. His face was flushed and he was covered in sweat, which startled Jiang Lai.

"Ye Anguo, are you alright?" Jiang Lai asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, Jiang Lai, stay away from me," Ye Anguo said in a rough voice. He spoke as if he was using a lot of strength, and the veins on his hands and face were bulging, as if he was enduring great pain.

Jiang Lai sniffed, as if she could smell a faint, sweet scent, but before she could say anything, she saw Ye Anguo take off his water bottle, put it on the ground, and jump into the Gan River to swim.

Jiang Lai's expression changed. Her intuition told her that Ye Anguo's current change must be related to the water he was drinking. Jiang Lai opened the kettle and took a deep sniff. Sure enough, the problem was in the water.

A note from the author:

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This story will be available for purchase tomorrow, see you at 9 am!