Chapter 106: Old wooden house

It took a little over an hour to almost finish cleaning the little wooden house.

During this time, Lin Xinyuan just sat there, bored and lost in thought.

There was actually phone signal here, but she just couldn’t bring herself to care.

Whenever she thought of that certain guy, her mind couldn’t stop spinning, trying to analyze their situation.

She remembered that they had some moments of intimacy before, but that didn’t really prove anything, right?

Besides, that annoying blond kept trying to gross her out afterward!

Still, Lin Xinyuan trusted Qin Nanfeng.

After all, that guy had a way with women, countless beautiful girls liked him, and him fooling around like that had nothing to do with her…

Thinking about this made her feel awkward and inexplicably uncomfortable…

It must be jealousy.

She seemed to realize something was wrong, but she didn’t want to let go of her current situation with Qin Nanfeng.

She thought, how nice would it be to stay like this forever…

Didn’t that annoying blond say he’d come find her soon?

When would he actually come…

So boring…

Every day, besides writing, to be honest, Lin Xinyuan didn’t know what else to do.

She didn’t feel comfortable staying with her grandmother and the others either.

“Xinyuan? It’s about time, come on in and sit down!”

Not far off, her second cousin’s call brought Lin Xinyuan out of her daze.

“……”

She stood up and walked toward the little wooden house, glancing at the cleared area.

Not long ago, this place had been overrun with weeds—hardly recognizable now.

Only now did she realize this place seemed somewhat familiar.

The wooden house looked quite old, with a ring of small stones laid around it.

Nearby was also a fire pit made of stones, clearly meant for making fires.

Lin Xinyuan recalled some childhood memories; she seemed to know where this place was…

This spot…

When she was very little, she had come here to play with her two cousins.

Originally, this place was built by her grandfather and others years ago as a rest spot while managing the eucalyptus forest.

Later, as lumber sales dwindled, it was gradually abandoned.

In the end, it became their group of kids’ “Secret Base,” and it was her cousin who had brought her here back then…

Lin Xinyuan still remembered that if you walked left from the wooden house’s door, there was a creek where they used to catch fish.

The creek was very clear, and the fish were small, about the thickness of a thumb.

Back then, they’d use sticks they found on the ground to skewer and roast the fish, completely clueless about the heat; they’d either be undercooked or charred black like coal—but they still enjoyed eating them.

Afterward, the two cousins were fine, but she ended up with stomach problems and a fever late into the night.

Still, no matter what, those days were some of the few happy moments of her childhood…

Now, Lin Xinyuan finally understood why her grandfather wanted to bring them here.

This place indeed evoked many fond memories.

Though it was cold in winter, the atmosphere was deeply moving.

The little house, the fire pit, the creek…

This was the quiet feeling she often yearned for when playing survival games…

Standing before the wooden house, she immediately spotted Tang Chengmin inside.

According to the girl’s memory, there should have been wooden stools and a small bed her grandfather made, but after so many years of termite damage, those were likely rotten beyond recognition and probably cleared out long ago.

Only the house built from burnt solid wood had withstood the years, still standing firm.

Tang Chengmin was sitting on a stone they had moved in temporarily as a stool and pointed to another stone nearby.

“The wooden stools all rotted away, so sit on the stones for now. If needed, we can go buy some in town tomorrow.”

Lin Xinyuan nodded silently and walked over to sit down.

Looking inside the house, she asked curiously, “Where did Grandpa go?”

“Oh, Grandpa went to gather firewood.” Tang Chengmin said, pulling a sweet potato from a plastic bag beside him and waving it in front of her with a chuckle. “I’ll start the fire first. Later, we can roast sweet potatoes by the fire!”

Ignored once again…

Lin Xinyuan felt a bit helpless.

It was true her health wasn’t great, but she wasn’t so weak she couldn’t move.

Her grandfather and the others being so overprotective was honestly a bit much.

Though touched, she immediately insisted on going with them.

Tang Chengmin didn’t refuse; after all, it was fine to have his cousin watch nearby, and without a phone here, it was indeed boring.

The flames gradually rose.

Soon after Tang Chengmin got the fire going, Grandpa returned, carrying a pile of good-quality firewood.

These were large logs that burned longer, unlike small twigs that quickly turned to ash.

There was no denying it—roasting by the fire on a cold winter day was truly comforting.

Grandpa carefully placed each big log into the fire, the wood crackling “pop pop” nonstop.

Lin Xinyuan watched quietly and thought that if it were nighttime now, it would be just like the cozy fireside chats in games…

As the wood slowly turned to embers, Tang Chengmin threw in the sweet potatoes, burying them in the coals to bake using the high heat.

The sweet potatoes were small, the ones her second cousin had brought from home that morning.

They’d be ready quickly.

“They should be done now, Xiao Yuan, here!”

Grandpa deftly took a sweet potato from the ember with a stick and handed it to Lin Xinyuan after it cooled slightly.

“Thank you, Grandpa… you eat too…”

Lin Xinyuan took it, letting out a soft hiss, moving the hot sweet potato back and forth between her hands.

After only a few seconds, she put it down on the stone.

Looking at her palms, her fair fingers were a bit red.

Though it had cooled somewhat, the temperature was still too high for her delicate skin.

“Hey, be careful.” Grandpa warned, but inside, he was pleased.

His granddaughter’s change in attitude recently made him happy, so he had thought of this place.

After all, the wooden house needed cleaning yearly, so he figured it was worth a try to have his grandson bring the girl here—and he was very satisfied with the result…

Judging by the girl’s reaction, there was a sense of nostalgia, probably thinking back to old times.

This was clear from how much less reserved she was around the elder.

This trip was the right call…

The old man thought secretly, but Lin Xinyuan didn’t know or think much about it.

She was just focused on the sweet potato in her hands.

She tried to break it apart, pulling it open bit by bit, and instantly a strong, fragrant steam rose.

Lin Xinyuan hadn’t eaten sweet potato in a long time and naturally hadn’t smelled this aroma for a while.

The scent immediately stirred her appetite.

The reddish-orange flesh was inviting, tempting her to taste.

Under Grandpa’s gaze, she felt awkward but took a small bite.

It was very sweet and soft…

If it weren’t for the temperature, Lin Xinyuan might have felt like eating ice cream.

Funny enough, they ate sweet potatoes because they were poor as kids, but now they were ridiculously expensive in the city…

Anyway, Lin Xinyuan would never spend that kind of money buying them outside.

She secretly glanced at the elder, who was eagerly watching her reaction.

She quickly looked away and softly said, “Delicious…”

Grandpa smiled happily, ignoring the grandson beside him, which made Tang Chengmin twitch the corner of his mouth.

He was the one who brought the sweet potatoes, after all…

“Grandpa?”

Grandpa glanced at Tang Chengmin, then at his outstretched hand, and his old face relaxed.

“What? Don’t know how to use your hands? You want me to wipe your nose and bottom too? You’re grown up! Go on, go!”

The old man waved dismissively, clearly a little annoyed.

Wait, it’s only been the second day here?

Why was he already so biased!