Chapter 24 : Exhausted like a donkey

“You’re a little donkey, yiya yiya yo~”

Among the towering mountains and dense forests, a woman’s pure and whimsical song echoed through the air.

Sunlight filtered through the thick canopy, casting dappled light on the mountains, where dancing shadows and floating specks of dust shimmered.

A man with neatly tied hair and bright, starry eyes wielded a machete, deftly chopping a branch and taking a few steps forward.

Behind him followed a woman dressed in a fitted outfit, her dark hair pinned up high, a smile gracing her face.

In her slender fingers, she held a hemp rope.

At the other end of the rope was a little donkey, happily grazing on the grass.

“Darling, what’s this?”

The whimsical song had come from the woman’s mouth.

After pausing her singing, her clear, melodious voice immediately drew attention to a beetle crawling on the ground.

“That’s a carrion beetle, the forest’s cleaner. They eat fallen, rotting leaves and branches, turning them into nutrients to nourish the earth.”

Xu Ping’an explained to his sweet wife while continuing to dig up a patch of Panax notoginseng.

“So tiny~”

The young woman, eyes full of curiosity, crouched down, picked up a small stick, and gently poked at the beetle crawling on the ground.

As the beetle flipped over, its tiny legs flailing helplessly, her laughter, clear as an oriole’s song, rang through the forest.

“Darling’s ‘bug’ is so much bigger—um… way bigger than this one~”

“Pfft!!”

Xu Ping’an slapped his forehead.

He regretted using the term “bug” as a playful metaphor for himself last night.

Now, look at the mess—his silly girl had completely misunderstood.

“Um… Qingxuan, darling’s ‘bug’ is just a figure of speech. It’s not really a bug, nor should it be called one.”

“Oh…”

Pei Qingxuan looked up, holding the tiny beetle between two fingers, heedless of the dirt on it.

With her other hand, she tugged the donkey’s rope and glanced at Xu Ping’an.

“Darling, look! Isn’t it so much smaller than yours?”

“…”

This wouldn’t do.

He’d have to set her straight tonight.

Otherwise, if she kept comparing every bug she found to him, he’d end up explaining himself to death.

That wasn’t even the worst part.

The real problem was… what if one day she picked up a bug in the county town, looked at “little Xu,” and shouted something like that?

Then his reputation in Liuye County would be utterly ruined.

“Qingxuan, listen to me. Darling’s ‘bug’ isn’t a bug. I’ll explain exactly what it is tonight when we get home.”

“Oh~”

Pei Qingxuan, with a mix of curiosity and shyness, her cheeks faintly flushed, stole a glance at “little Xu” before lowering her head and gently placing the beetle back on the ground.

Seeing her like this, Xu Ping’an could only sigh helplessly.

This girl had clearly gotten a taste for teasing him.

Who could resist her natural charm?

Shaking his head to dismiss these chaotic thoughts, he placed the freshly dug Panax notoginseng into the herb basket and glanced at Mumu… the little donkey.

“It’s about done eating, and we’ve gathered most of the herbs around here. Let’s move on to the next spot.”

“Mm!”

Upon hearing they were moving to a new spot, Pei Qingxuan instantly forgot her earlier shyness.

Her face lit up with joy as she tugged on the reins in her hand.

“Mumu~ Let’s go, off to the next place~”

The little donkey lifted its head with a look of utter despair, its bloodshot eyes staring straight at the two people in front of it.

Thank goodness it couldn’t talk, because if it could, it would probably be cursing up a storm.

It was dragged out to trek through the mountains early in the morning when it just wanted to catch up on sleep!

It was just a donkey—did they have to work it like one?

It… was still a baby!

Tears welling up but unable to cry, the little donkey was pulled forward by an overwhelming force, its legs moving involuntarily.

Heaven only knew why this woman had such immense strength.

It didn’t want to go; it wanted to stay!

“Ang~ Ang~”

It let out two rebellious brays, but the woman only responded with cheerful laughter.

“Darling, look! Mumu’s so excited to go somewhere new~”

“Indeed,” Xu Ping’an said, glancing back at the donkey with a serious nod.

“Seems pretty thrilled.”

As expected, any weak struggle was just seen as cute by those in power.

Resigned to its fate, the little donkey suppressed the urge to bite and trudged behind the woman.

It wasn’t that it didn’t want to bite—it was just that both the woman and the man ahead of her exuded an overwhelming aura.

As a mere baby, it couldn’t muster the slightest will to resist.

The donkey glanced back at the path they’d taken, now fading into the shaded forest, and let out a despairing cry.

“Ang~~~”

Somebody save this poor child!

“It seems really happy?”

Xu Ping’an scratched his head, a bit puzzled by the donkey’s behavior.

“Mm, that’s the loudest it’s brayed since we left! It must be excited about getting to eat fresh grass soon~”

Pei Qingxuan nodded, her face beaming with uncontainable joy.

“Well… in that case, let’s cover a bit more ground today. I recall there’s a flatter area at the base of this mountain where the grass is nice and fresh.”

The little donkey… wanted to die.

By the time they returned that evening, the sun had set, and the moon hung high in the sky.

Looking at Pei Qingxuan, brimming with energy and radiating joy despite the day’s exhausting trek, Xu Ping’an felt it was all worth it.

What could be better than seeing his darling wife so happy?

As for the donkey, which looked half-dead from exhaustion, he ignored it entirely, carrying the herb basket into the house.

“Qingxuan, tie up the donkey, then wash your hands and face. We’ll start your treatment soon.”

Pei Qingxuan nodded obediently, her cheeks as rosy as peaches.

She tied the donkey to a post, then scampered into the house with small, quick steps.

After washing her hands and face, she hurried into the bedroom, a mix of anticipation and shyness in her heart.

Without even changing her clothes, she slipped under the covers.

Hiding beneath the blankets, Qingxuan felt her heart racing, as if dozens of little deer were bounding around inside her chest.

A mix of excitement and bashfulness swirled within her.

After a while, she heard footsteps approaching.

With her sharp senses, the girl immediately noticed someone entering.

Her breathing grew rapid, almost unsustainable.

Then the blanket was lifted.

Her whole body began to heat up.

But when she turned with expectant eyes toward Xu Ping’an, she froze.

Her husband was holding a cloth bag, and beside him was a pile of medicinal herbs.

“Darling, what’s this…?”

The silly girl was dumbfounded, staring blankly as her husband unfolded the bag and pulled out a slender silver needle.

“Today, we’re treating your condition first. Your illness is still serious… Why are you looking at me like that?”

As he spoke, Xu Ping’an glanced at Pei Qingxuan.

The girl’s eyes were filled with quiet resentment.