CHAPTER 102: CHAPTER 101: CAN SHE HANDLE THIS?

He Chen really did refuse, but before he could finish speaking, Yang Donglian had already picked up the pig and ran down the hill. Even if she’d heard him, she’d likely pretend she didn’t.

Ye Manman raised an eyebrow and nudged He Chen’s stomach with her elbow.

"He Chen, you seem to have a lot of admirers lately! There are only two female educated youths here, and it seems like both have their eyes on you, wanting to steal you from me."

She sighed dramatically, pretending to be troubled.

"What if I can’t compete with them? What if we ever have a fight, and one of those female youths comes to comfort you? Would you think they’re better than me and abandon me?"

"How could that happen?"

He Chen’s expression changed dramatically upon hearing this, as if facing a formidable enemy. Fearing she’d genuinely feel uncomfortable, he quickly hugged her to assure her.

"Absolutely impossible! We won’t ever fight. Even if you’re upset, you can hit me or scold me, but I will never argue with you, nor will I let anyone else comfort me. That situation will never happen."

"I won’t have any contact with other women, nor will I give anyone else a chance to get close. Rest assured!"

He patted his sturdy chest with such force that he even coughed twice, feeling a bit embarrassed and looking rather comical.

Ye Manman curled up her lips, stood on tiptoe, and pinched his nose playfully with her slender fingers, humming with a haughty air.

"Good that you understand."

"You had me worried sick, afraid someone would do something to you while sneaking around."

"Hmph, see, I have a knife."

She pulled out a small pocket knife she carried, wrinkling her delicate nose and making a threatening face.

"If you really dared lose control and let another woman pounce on you earlier, I’d have no idea where this knife might end up in my anger, hmph hmph."

Ye Manman’s hands were small. Although this little knife was meant for cutting fruit and was bought by He Chen to match his own large hands, it seemed a bit too big when she held it.

Her small hands were pale and delicate, holding a knife that, instead of being intimidating, appeared rather artistically pleasing.

But no matter how small the knife or how lacking in strength the hands holding it, carrying a knife is indeed dangerous.

He Chen was mainly worried about her accidentally hurting herself, so he proactively took the knife from her hand.

"This kind of thing is too dangerous. Be careful not to cut your hand."

"Don’t worry. Since I dare to promise, I definitely won’t give anyone a chance. Don’t overthink it and make yourself unhappy; it’s not worth getting angry over strangers."

He looked down at Ye Manman’s slightly wrinkled little nose, wanting very much to pinch it playfully like she did to him earlier, but He Chen feared his strength was too great and his fingers too rough, afraid of hurting her. So he silently watched, silently endured.

Also, it really was getting late, and they needed to go back to make lunch soon. He Chen asked Ye Manman to wait a bit further away, then went back to work.

While working, the power in He Chen’s body was particularly evident.

The tall, strong man, be it from the heat or exhaustion, had a thin layer of sweat from his neck up to his forehead. In the cold air, a faint white mist seemed to hover over the slight sheen of sweat.

The solid muscles flowed with smooth lines, each exertion causing those beautiful lines to ripple and move, and with the exertion, he’d subconsciously purse his lips, occasionally taking a heavy breath.

Ye Manman watched this display of beauty and wild strength from the side, her feelings difficult to describe with words.

She didn’t want to admit that seeing He Chen’s enticing, unaware demeanor made her long for him slightly in her heart, yet she couldn’t help feeling a bit intimidated.

Looking at He Chen’s tall, muscular frame, as hard as iron, and then down at her own slender arms and legs, Ye Manman suddenly felt a little cowardly.

No wonder people in the village used to say that marrying He Chen might be too much for her when it came to childbirth.

If he used such strength on her, Ye Manman thought she might really perish.

Should they drink rice wine that evening or not...

It was a question, and a serious one at that—serious enough that while following He Chen down the mountain, Ye Manman was constantly struggling with it in her mind.

In her thoughts were two little personas, one saying poor He Chen hadn’t had a proper meal despite being married to her for so long, fully supporting her starting their grand journey.

But another persona was staunchly opposing, arguing that since He Chen hadn’t yet experienced that, once he did, he might not control his strength well, and her fragile frame might not withstand it, resulting in her demise.

Both sides clung to their views, arguing intensely, leaving Ye Manman with a headache. Even when she sat in the yard after dinner, watching He Chen make a bath barrel, she remained preoccupied.

"Manman?"

"Manman?"

He Chen had made a rough shape and wanted Ye Manman to come over to see if the size was suitable, but calling her didn’t get a response; she just sat there, propping her chin up in a daze.

Not knowing what she was thinking about, she looked worried and distressed.

He Chen put down what he was holding and squatted in front of her to wave his hand.

"Manman?"

This worked—Ye Manman not only came to her senses but was also startled by the face that suddenly appeared right in front of her.

"Ah!"

She reflexively leaned back, but she was sitting on a small stool with no backrest. The stool tilted, about to make her fall, and He Chen quickly reached out to support her.

Yet He Chen hadn’t anticipated scaring her, nor expected her to be startled enough to nearly fall, so his response was slightly slow. By the time he caught her back, the small stool had already fallen over.

Ye Manman fell onto the ground, snapping out of her daze. The situation, however, wasn’t as reassuring as she had hoped.

Because He Chen, in fear of her getting hurt, had both knees on the ground, with one hand supporting her back and the other on the ground beside her head.

Not long ago, she had imagined such a scene in her head. Seeing the anxious face of the man above, Ye Manman’s ears immediately turned red.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Does it hurt?"

He Chen was very nervous, worried that he’d caused her harm.

If he hadn’t come over and startled her, she wouldn’t have fallen.

Feeling regretful, He Chen was about to check her condition from head to toe when, suddenly, Ye Manman shyly turned her face away for no apparent reason.

Her tender eartips had turned beet red at some point, and the blush was rapidly spreading from the sides of her face to her cheeks, as if an exquisite painting was being meticulously completed.

He Chen was dumbfounded, forgetting to even get up from the ground, just staring dumbly, supporting himself with his arm.

He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but his mouth wouldn’t open, as if it were glued shut.

His Adam’s apple moved rapidly, as He Chen looked down upon the enchanting girl before him, her face glowing a bright red, her lips vivid and alluring.

He was suddenly reminded of that rainy night...