CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 68: HE CHEN, THE MASTER OF ALL TRADES

During the days at home recovering, Ye Manman’s injuries had mostly healed, just some scars that hadn’t yet fallen off kept itching, making her want to scratch them from time to time.

But she didn’t want to leave scars, so she forced herself not to scratch them, and this frequent self-restraint made her mood more agitated than usual.

He Chen suggested taking her out shopping to relieve her agitated mood; staying at home doing nothing every day surely made her want to mess with those scars.

He didn’t want her to feel so uncomfortable, so he stayed up late sewing two masks according to Ye Manman’s description, using clean cloth strips, and even boiled them in hot water for a long time to dry them.

Anyway, they now got disinfected every time they went in and out, so wearing masks would certainly be no problem.

Thinking about going out shopping, Ye Manman’s mood dramatically changed; she no longer felt any pain and began bouncing around, ready to get into the car.

Seeing He Chen actually handed her two masks, Ye Manman was stunned when she received them.

"No way, you actually know how to do this?"

Actually, that day when He Chen suggested going out shopping, Ye Manman just casually mentioned that wearing masks would be safer, and He Chen casually asked what masks looked like, so she casually explained, never expecting he would actually make them.

These are needlework tasks not all women can do, not expected from someone as brawny as He Chen!

And looking at the white mask in hand, the stitches were neat, with black threads arranged tidily, stitching the square cloth pieces and slender cloth strips together, surprisingly with a lot of design.

Ye Manman was somewhat reluctant to admit that she was caught off guard.

It seemed she wasn’t as good at this kind of thing as a man...

"You’re really incredible, He Chen, I find you to be quite the versatile person. How do you know all these needlework tasks? It’s unbelievable!"

The two put on their masks and set off, Ye Manman holding onto his sturdy waist, continually marveling.

"Honestly, I’m not good at needlework, you’re amazing."

The novel mentioned that He Chen was just a housekeeper, an automatic cash dispenser, a master chef, a full-time nanny, yet it turns out he had hidden talents too.

He knew these sorts of niche things.

Feeling Ye Manman’s uplifting mood, He Chen also felt relieved from deep within; he had worried Ye Manman might go out shopping with a sullen face.

"This is something I learned myself."

Recalling the past, He Chen surprisingly didn’t find it so unbearable now; actually, he felt lucky to have this skill that could make a difference for Ye Manman today.

"I didn’t have clothes to wear when I was young, grew fast, so I wore adults’ old clothes, but they were oversized at first, and with work, they got easily torn, so I thought to sew them myself."

"At first, I couldn’t do it well, kept pricking my fingers, I had much strength, every prick left a hole in my finger, later I got scared of pricking myself, so I thought of some techniques, originally just wanting not to prick myself, later when I got older found the patched holes ugly, feared ugliness."

"So later as I kept sewing, they started looking good, and gradually I got skilled."

He slowly and calmly recounted his childhood stories; though they sounded painfully tough, his smile was relaxed, feeling good.

"Luckily I knew how to sew clothes, when I heard about the mask I knew how to make it, I guess I did it right?"

When He Chen smiled, his voice was low, Ye Manman’s head leaned half against his back, feeling the vibrations on her cheek.

Her forehead seemed inexplicably itchy.

She almost couldn’t resist scratching the small scar on her forehead but held back and just touched it to ease the itch.

Moreover, she didn’t know what was worth laughing about in this past; it sounded upsettingly bitter, yet He Chen laughed.

"Humph, what’s so funny? Life was so miserable before. I wish you didn’t know how to do this."

Not knowing might have made his childhood a bit better.

Though Ye Manman had seen parts of He Chen’s past in dreams, those were only the parts related to her, and how he lived over the decade after she was gone, she couldn’t imagine.

If it were her living that kind of life, Ye Manman couldn’t predict how she would turn out.

Maybe she’d have turned into a mess, sucked dry by Hongmei and her vampire-like family.

It had to be said, He Chen’s patience and resilience were incredibly strong, of a strength she couldn’t imagine.

After all, Ye Manman had never suffered any unfairness since childhood, because even if life was unfair, the scales tilted her way.

"I used to think I was so miserable, felt I couldn’t escape the shadow of their family, maybe I’d grit my teeth and endure that forever."

He Chen chuckled softly again, his voice carrying a survivor’s relief and joy.

"But the hardest time back then I met you, and later when I thought life was settled and ready to compromise, I got to marry you; so I think I’m still luckier than most."

"My greatest fortune is having you in my life."

"If all the childhood hardships were conditions set by heaven for me to marry you, I would rather have had it even harder then."

"That way, maybe I could have married you a bit earlier."

He rarely spoke so much, even seemed a bit literarily.

But all these were heartfelt words from He Chen, now considering all the losses from those years as accumulating blessings for the future.

People say losses are blessings, he had suffered so many losses, and heaven pitied him enough to send Ye Manman back to him.

Thinking of this made He Chen incredibly happy.

Yet, Ye Manman felt exceptionally uncomfortable listening to this.

Her heart felt heavy.

"Idiot."

She grabbed tightly onto the fabric at his waist, mind wandering if her life was too smooth, thus heaven made He Chen’s childhood so painful to bind them together.

It felt like an unseen force had entwined their destinies.

One would have an exceptionally good life and the other exceptionally tough, or like now, both living just happily enough.

Like their lives balancing each other out.

She disliked this feeling.

"We won’t have hard days in the future; we must live well, earn lots of money, live well. I want to go to college, then go to Jing City with you, take you abroad."

Ye Manman embraced He Chen’s waist, twisting his belly like venting anger.

"Humph, from now on, we’ll only be envied by others; your good days are ahead."

She had clear understanding of her strengths and weaknesses; in this era where wealth came from labor, her physique wasn’t advantageous, but relying on her mind could swiftly reach the forefront.

And this springboard was the new round of the college entrance exam.

Ye Manman was fully confident to excel into Jing City, by then earning lots and lots of money, making life never as hard for He Chen as it was before.

He Chen felt warmth in his heart, seeing the path ahead smooth, released a hand, secretly holding one of the mischievous little hands on his waist, his coarse fingertip gently caressing, his chest subtly vibrating when smiling.

"Okay."

"I’ll follow your lead."