CHAPTER 106: CHAPTER 105: DREAM

With He Chen, a human-shaped constant-temperature hot water bottle, Ye Manman had a particularly sweet and restful sleep.

The only thing that made her feel a bit embarrassed was that she seemed to have had that kind of dream.

In the dream, she and He Chen were embracing face to face, and she kept pulling hard at his clothes.

He Chen, on the other hand, shed his usual shyness and timidity, and was exceptionally bold.

His gaze was fiery, as if flames were burning in his eyes, continuously searing their souls.

His large hands were rough yet powerful, and when they gently touched her cheeks and neck, it felt electrifying, always making her heart itch and her body unable to resist squirming a bit.

Ye Manman remembered that in the dream, she was also exceptionally passionate and bold, with both legs wrapped around his waist like an octopus, wishing to attach all her suckers onto him.

They had never kissed each other like that in reality.

In the dream, they both were desperately seizing everything from each other.

Their breaths were scorchingly hot, entwined together, inseparable.

According to the scientific knowledge Ye Manman had learned, they were diligently exchanging the bacteria in each other’s mouths, alternating, mixing, and then swallowing them down.

When Ye Manman opened her eyes in the morning, she was still drowsy, but her pointed ears were the first to blush.

She touched her lips, feeling a bit different, as if they were slightly swollen.

But she thought this was due to the intensity of the dream’s sensation, so she didn’t pay much attention.

After getting up and freshening up, He Chen was already fixing the bath barrel with bamboo strips and wire.

His strength seemed endless, his energy exceptionally vigorous, working tirelessly without showing any fatigue, always spirited.

Ye Manman particularly admired this about him, as she tended to sleep more and often felt lazy, lacking such energy.

"He Chen, is this almost done?"

He Chen really worked swiftly, especially when motivated, working quickly and meticulously.

Ye Manman ran her hand over the bath barrel, clearly made of wood, yet not at all rough to the touch.

"Yes, it should be usable today. This type of wood is very suitable for making water-containing barrels, it won’t crack when soaked, I’ve finished polishing it. You can check later to see if there’s a spot not polished enough, but it shouldn’t be rough to the touch."

He was forcefully tightening the wire, and after ensuring it was tight, he used pliers to bend the wire tips inward, making sure no matter how the hand touched or grabbed it, it wouldn’t scratch. Only then did He Chen satisfactorily put away his tools.

"I’ll pour some water in here first to test for leaks and let the wood absorb some water to make it more sturdy later on."

He Chen fetched a bucket of water back and poured it all in, and they both crouched by the bath barrel examining it for leaks. Ye Manman looked at the brand new bath barrel, and the thoughts that were quiet yesterday came alive again.

She casually glanced at He Chen a few times, watching him squatting and bending, pressing around the bath barrel with his fingers. Ye Manman was suddenly reminded of that ridiculous dream.

She suddenly recalled the tingling sensation of his fingers lightly pressing her face.

Moreover, his fingers looked thick and quite long, with prominent knuckles. If they didn’t have those calluses, his hands might actually be quite attractive.

Ye Manman realized her thoughts were starting to drift, so she quickly reined them in.

Watching the clear water sway in the bath barrel, her face flushed slightly, and she decided to find something else to do to distract herself.

"He Chen, it seems we haven’t had fish for a while. How about we make grilled fish today?"

"Yesterday I wanted roasted suckling pig, but someone else got to it first. Today we won’t have piglet, besides being seen by others it might not look good, let me tell you a different way to prepare fish."

Since coming here, she had only tried braised fish and fish chunks in the state-operated restaurant. Just now, while staring at the bath water, Ye Manman suddenly remembered the grilled fish she had eaten before.

That kind of fish, fried first, sprinkled with various seasonings and slow-grilled on an iron plate, was perfect for today.

Today is New Year’s Eve, a perfect day to slowly enjoy grilled fish, sip some rice wine, and perhaps even accomplish her grand ambitions!

Ye Manman, after suggesting the grilled fish, realized her suggestion was remarkably insightful, achieving multiple goals at once, and she couldn’t help admiring her cleverness.

Anyway, now there’s the bath barrel, no need to fear cold showers, they can have as many baths as they want!

"Alright, then let’s have grilled fish tonight."

He Chen saw her round eyes gleaming and so joyful, and the guilt and anxiety he felt for sneaking a kiss last night gradually dissipated, leaving him feeling more relaxed and happy.

Their village had two ponds.

One was beside the fields, used for storing water specifically for irrigation, rather dirty with standing water accumulated by rainfall, a small pond.

The other connected to the main river, considered a small tributary of the big river, flowing with fresh water, often attracting people to fish.

Of course, in this deep winter, there were basically no fish in the river. At least in their river, fish were almost absent in winter, and nobody went fishing. Most river visitors were women bringing dirty clothes and basins to wash laundry.

After all, not every household had a robust man like He Chen to carry water daily, ensuring a full water tank at home.

Most village women only brought basins or buckets to do laundry by the river, convenient and saving the trouble of fetching water.

Now, with the weather so cold and it being New Year’s Eve, hardly anyone came to the river for laundry. When He Chen and Ye Manman arrived with the bucket, there was no one around.

But He Chen remained cautious, continuously scanning around until Ye Manman exclaimed "Here come the fish," prompting him to turn and bend down to catch them.

However, there seemed to be too many fish this time, each quite large, so He Chen caught a few and stopped, as the two of them couldn’t eat that much.

After all, the fish were alive, and the water was flowing, so after they left, the fish would naturally swim away again.

The two returned home particularly happy, just missing Yang Donglian who was heading to the river with dirty clothes for laundry.

Yang Donglian was quite proud now, no longer having thoughts on He Chen. After all, villagers said she was blessed like a Lucky Baby, and she would certainly marry into a good family one way or another.

Wanting to marry He Chen was merely for a better life; since marrying into a good family offered the same, there was no need to persistently pursue him.

Yang Donglian deliberated if, after finishing the small wild pig in two to three days, she should go into the mountains again, hoping for another small wild pig blessed by heaven.

Unexpectedly, as she set down the dirty clothes and basin to soak them, an enormous fish suddenly leaped from the water.

"Wow!"

Initially startled, Yang Donglian quickly beamed with joy, stepping into the water without bothering to remove her shoes, reaching out to catch the fish.

Upon stepping into the water, Yang Donglian found several large fish floundering around her, causing her to laugh uncontrollably.

"Hahaha, so many fish! Turns out I really am a Lucky Baby!"