“Ugh… it hurts… be gentler…”
“Be a good girl, Xiaoyuan. It’ll be over soon.”
Qin Nanfeng coaxed her like a child, his voice gentle and persuasive.
“Hurry up! You’re taking too long. This is all your fault!”
After some shuffling, it took some time before everything was finally finished.
As Lin Xinyuan felt the cooling sensation, the stinging pain and discomfort seemed to fade significantly, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief.
However, when she looked up, she saw a certain someone rubbing his wet fingers with a thoughtful expression.
“You pervert!”
Lin Xinyuan’s face burned instantly as she spat the words in a low voice.
“Heh…”
Qin Nanfeng raised an eyebrow, not bothered by his girlfriend’s words at all.
“What do you mean, ‘pervert’? It’s not the first time we’ve done this. Why are you so shy?”
“You guy…”
The girl was furious, but considering her current situation, she decided that a wise person should know when to back down and chose to avoid a direct confrontation for now.
Afterward, Qin Nanfeng first removed the soiled bedsheets, intending to put them into the washing machine.
Lin Xinyuan looked at the small dark red spot on the fabric and then glanced at the mess in the trash can, feeling an overwhelming sense of shame.
Since it was inconvenient for her to get out of bed, he had gone downstairs to get her food in a lunch box and was now personally feeding her.
In truth, she had tried to get out of bed; after all, if Grandpa Qin found out, she wouldn’t know how to explain it.
However, she ultimately gave up under Qin Nanfeng’s persuasion.
For the next 2 days, Lin Xinyuan felt an inexplicable sense of awkwardness and shame.
Fortunately, although Grandpa Qin seemed to have noticed something was wrong, he showed no intention of asking questions, which saved her from more embarrassment.
‘What on earth was I thinking back then?’
‘To actually provoke this guy… and in an elder’s house too…’
At the thought of this, Lin Xinyuan couldn’t help but feel as though she had committed a crime.
It left her feeling restless and wanting to avoid the Yellow-Haired Brat whenever possible.
She began to cut down on their communication, leaving Qin Nanfeng feeling somewhat helpless.
Before they knew it, the day to leave Quancheng arrived.
They had stayed there for over 10 days already, and since they had other places to visit, they didn’t linger any longer.
“Grandpa, goodbye…”
At the front gate, the girl sat in the car and waved to the old man standing outside the window.
During their time together, Lin Xinyuan could truly feel that Grandpa Qin’s attitude toward her was excellent.
He had even seriously taught her his culinary arts, allowing her to make significant progress in that area.
Therefore, aside from the respect she held for him as an elder, she also felt a sense of admiration similar to what one would feel for a master.
“Good, good. You two stay safe.”
Grandpa Qin felt very reluctant to see them go, but he didn’t say anything sad.
He simply watched the two of them silently, his eyes filled with approval and warmth.
“Also, Xiaoyuan, when you have time, you should practice your knife skills. That’s the basic foundation…”
The old man advised the girl before changing the subject.
“Of course, it’s just so you can make food taste good. It’s enough as long as you’re happy eating it and others are happy eating it too.”
Even though Grandpa Qin was satisfied with the girl’s learning ability, he knew the younger generation wouldn’t enter this profession.
He couldn’t bear to let his own family do the heavy physical labor of a chef; it wasn’t a level of exhaustion an ordinary person could endure, let alone a beautiful, delicate young lady.
This was simply an elder’s hope for the younger generation.
Making good food and living a good life was his greatest wish for his grandson and his future granddaughter-in-law.
“Yes, I know, Grandpa!”
Lin Xinyuan nodded quickly, her expression very serious.
She had originally asked Grandpa Qin for culinary advice just because she wanted to prove something to the Yellow-Haired Brat.
But after this period of learning, she had actually started to like the feeling of cooking.
Especially when she heard Grandpa Qin’s unhesitating praise after noticing her progress.
It was even more so when she saw the sense of pleasure Qin Nanfeng felt when eating her food, which made her unable to stop.
“Go on… it’s getting late…”
Grandpa Qin didn’t say anything more, only casting a brief glance at Qin Nanfeng.
Noticing the old man’s gaze, Qin Nanfeng naturally understood his meaning.
Thinking back to the conversation they had about the girl that day, he gave Grandpa Qin a very serious nod.
Seeing this, Grandpa Qin felt deeply comforted. He then turned around and slowly walked back.
Goodbye, Quancheng.
The vehicle slowly started. The girl watched the departure of that slightly lonely, old figure with a ramrod-straight back.
She gazed at the city carefully, a different kind of emotion bubbling up in her heart.
She thought to herself that she would definitely come back to this place to visit the old man.
*
1 month passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Qin Nanfeng took her further north along Qilu to Heihe at the northernmost tip of the country.
They witnessed the aurora and then traveled through the provinces of Mongolia and Xinjiang before finally circling back to Tengchong in Diannan.
For a girl who had never been anywhere before, everything was fresh and new.
She was greatly shocked by many strange and wonderful sights, and she had even been unable to sleep because of some bizarre stories she had heard.
Along the way, all kinds of delicacies and unique specialties showcased the inclusive diversity of the land.
They saw yellow sands, grasslands, and even forests and mountains.
Although they couldn’t tour everything in detail due to time constraints, it was enough to make one feel refreshed and happy.
The girl’s smile never seemed to stop. Her mood became increasingly cheerful, and her eyes sparkled with incredible brightness.
The gloomy girl from before seemed to have vanished without a trace, leaving only this sweet, smiling girl.
Qin Nanfeng simply stayed by her side quietly. Watching Lin Xinyuan be happy, his own lips couldn’t help but curl into a smile.
Time flew by. Their joyful and carefree time was rapidly coming to an end.
With the start of school approaching, no matter how reluctant they were, they had no choice but to wait for the next opportunity.
After taking the girl out to play for so long, he followed Lin Xinyuan back to Zhannan to visit her grandfather and grandmother.
After staying for 2 days, he had to return to Tianbei City first.
After all, Qin Nanfeng had left the company’s affairs to his subordinates during this time.
It had been a quiet period, which allowed him to relax his nerves after years of tension. More importantly, it allowed him to take the girl on a journey.
It was… making up for regrets.
Although it wasn’t quite enough, there would be many opportunities in the future. He would not fail her expectations.
No matter which “her” it was… at least he had managed to do this much.
Even if it was a dream, it was worth it.
It wouldn’t matter even if he died.
As she watched the youth leave, Lin Xinyuan felt somewhat reluctant to part, but knowing she would see the Yellow-Haired Brat again in a few days made it less painful.
The few days at home were very ordinary, with nothing special happening.
Her second cousin, Tang Chengmin, hadn’t returned for summer break.
Not only did he find home boring—having stayed home for so long during the pandemic—but he was also reportedly involved in a collaborative school project.
As for Tang Yanyun, the high school student, her summer break had ended just yesterday, and she had returned to school.
So now, she was the only junior left at home.
While it was a bit boring, she kept herself busy by writing and occasionally going to the fields with her grandfather.
If there was anything special to mention, it was that her mother seemed to have recently quit her job in the town.
At first, Lin Xinyuan didn’t think much of it, but one day Mother Lin approached her and said she was planning to go to Tianbei City with her.
At that moment, Lin Xinyuan seemed to realize something.
She remembered that she had given Sister Ou’s phone number to her mother. Could they have been in contact during this time?
Or was her mother simply thinking about moving to a new first-tier city like Tianbei City for development?
Lin Xinyuan couldn’t figure it out and could only guess. Since Mother Lin didn’t seem to be acting unusual, she couldn’t be sure.
But she thought that even if that wasn’t the case, she could contact Sister Ou later to let these two friends meet each other once again.