The Fantastic Little Farmer

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Uninvited Guest

Yesterday, when Xiuxun helped Zhang Yun stop his bleeding, she had only been close to him. Now, she was half-leaning against his body!

Yesterday, Xiuxun’s clothes had been perfectly intact. Now, having just been pulled from the water, her thin summer clothes were thoroughly soaked!

Zhang Yun silently chanted to himself, ”See no evil,” as he supported her up the bank. ”Careful...”

”I... I can’t walk...” Xiuxun’s face was a bit pale. She was exhausted from the fright.

”Okay, there’s no rush. Let’s rest for a moment now that we’re ashore. Do you want to sit down?”

Zhang Yun tried to help her sit, but Xiuxun seemed to remember something and hurriedly shook her head. ”No! We can’t do this!”

”Huh?” Zhang Yun’s eyes widened. He wondered what she meant by ”can’t do this.” He hadn’t done anything, and what had happened earlier was just an accident.

”We’re both soaking wet. It wouldn’t be good if someone saw us like this,” Xiuxun said, struggling to walk up the slope. ”Let’s go to the wooden cabin first.”

Seeing her stumbling on weak legs, Zhang Yun bent down and swept her into his arms.

”Hey! Put me down quickly. Don’t let anyone see...” Xiuxun panicked instantly and scrambled to free herself.

Having gained the Experience of carrying a girl this morning, Zhang Yun didn’t say another word and just broke into a run with her in his arms.

Xiuxun soon gave up resisting. If she were to slowly shamble over there herself, they were even more likely to be spotted. Since he was already carrying her, it was better to get inside quickly.

Zhang Yun placed her on the bed and checked on her condition with concern. ”Sister-in-law Xiuqin, did you sprain your ankle?”

Xiuxun hurriedly shook her head. ”Um, can you... can you...”

Originally, she had wanted to avoid being alone with a man in the small wooden cabin. But now they were inside, she was on the bed, and they were both drenched. What was she supposed to do?

”Understood. I’ll step outside.”

The confined space of the cabin, combined with the bed right in front of them, created an entirely different atmosphere. Afraid he might make a mistake if he stayed too long, Zhang Yun quickly retreated outside.

Stepping out, Zhang Yun let out a long breath. This situation was developing beyond his expectations. He had tucked away that piece of jade, but her bamboo basket was still lying out on the slope. It wouldn’t be good if someone saw it.

”Sister-in-law Xiuqin, I brought your basket over.”

The moment Zhang Yun pushed the door open, he heard a low gasp. A flash of fair skin caught his eye before Sister-in-law Xiuqin turned her back to the door and scrambled toward the inner side of the bed.

”You... you...”

”Sorry, I didn’t know you were...” Zhang Yun hurriedly set the basket down. ”I won’t come in. You can latch the door.”

He hadn’t expected Xiuxun to take off her clothes to wring out the water so quickly...

Standing on the hillside, Zhang Yun felt his entire body burning up. ”Sigh, it must be that petal’s fault again!” he thought.

Since he needed to take off his clothes to dry them anyway, Zhang Yun simply entered his Personal Space. He plucked another petal and ate it. Only five petals remained on that flower.

Zhang Yun took a look around. After half a day, the remaining nine ginseng plants had grown even more lush. The two small softshell turtles had already grown significantly larger!

He wondered where that little turtle was. He didn’t know where it had scampered off to, and he feared it might have been bitten to death and eaten by the softshell turtles.

Looking at this space with its soil, water, flowers, and grass—and now animals—Zhang Yun felt it was practically a miniature earthly paradise. He decided to just call it the Peach Blossom Spring Space!

He didn’t linger for long. After coming back out, he hung his clothes on a tree branch to dry and jumped into the water to swim.

Meanwhile, Xiuxun was incredibly embarrassed. She wrung as much water out of her outer clothes as she could, but she didn’t dare wring out her undergarments. Spread out inside the cabin without any sunlight, the clothes were drying very slowly.

It would be bad if she went out in wet clothes and bumped into someone, but it would be even worse if she hid in here and someone came along.

Xiuxun had already latched the door from the inside. She wasn’t trying to guard against Zhang Yun, but rather feared that someone else might wander in before Zhang Yun could stop them. Anxious with nothing to do, she noticed a few cracks in the wood and peeked through them to observe the situation outside.

She discovered that these cracks had been left intentionally. From this angle, one could see the entire fish pond! It was meant for someone inside to watch for fish thieves.

Peeking through the gaps, Xiuxun saw Zhang Yun swimming in the pond. His swinging arms and fluid movements fully displayed the vigorous physique of his youth. The sight made her breathing quicken a little. She wanted to look away but found herself somewhat unable to tear her eyes away...

Zhang Yun had no idea that Xiuxun was watching him swim through the cracks. Just like yesterday, he figured no one was around and swam about with wild abandon.

Xiuxun’s summer clothes were made of a fabric known in the countryside as ”Dacron.” Dacron was a phonetic translation from Cantonese during the early days of the reform and opening-up period. Nowadays, it was generally called polyester, a type of quick-drying synthetic fiber commonly used in sportswear.

So, while Xiuxun felt anxious waiting for her clothes to become half-dry, it actually hadn’t taken very long at all—it was much faster than cotton would have been. Of course, there was nothing to be done about her undergarments...

Seeing her emerge from the cabin, Zhang Yun hurriedly swam to the shore and scrambled up the bank.

”Sister-in-law Xiuqin...”

”Just call me Xiuxun...” As soon as the words left her mouth, Xiuxun realized it sounded inappropriate and hastily added, ”No, it’s better if you still call me Sister-in-law, or else people will gossip.”

Zhang Yun smiled. ”Then I’ll only call you Xiuxun when no one else is around.”

”Uh...” Xiuxun hesitated, feeling as though he made it sound like they shared a secret.

”Are your clothes dry?” Zhang Yun took a look. They weren’t clinging to her body like they had been when they were soaking wet.

Normally, the clothes she wore were rather shapeless. He hadn’t expected that when they clung to her skin, her curves would be so Linglong. As expected, a beautiful woman also had a great figure.

Xiuxun brushed back her hair, which was still only half-dry after being rubbed with her clothes. ”There’s sun and wind outside, so they’ll dry faster. I’ll... be leaving first.”

”Alright.” Zhang Yun nodded. Right now, it was inconvenient for the two of them to walk together, let alone while still damp.

”Don’t play in the water for too long. Is it really that hot?” Xiuxun cautioned. After saying this, she blushed slightly.

She wondered why a young man in the prime of his life would feel so hot. Was it merely because of the weather?

Without waiting for Zhang Yun’s reply, she walked off at a brisk pace.

Zhang Yun shrugged and jumped back into the water. He truly was feeling hot.

He soaked until the fiery heat in his body dissipated. Judging by the sky, it must have been past five o’clock. Only then did Zhang Yun change back into his sun-dried clothes and fetch a large softshell turtle from the Peach Blossom Spring Space.

Looking at its size, it was already about two or three catties, much larger than the two wild reservoir turtles at the market. Based on this standard, he estimated he could ask for a price of two thousand. Since he and his father wouldn’t be able to finish both, he left the other one in the space to continue raising it.

Upon returning home from the mountain hollow, Zhang Yun finally discovered that his phone screen was completely black!

He had jumped straight into the fish pond to save her, and later, after stripping off his clothes to dry, he had gone back into the water, completely forgetting that his phone had been soaked. Zhang Yun thought of Xiuxun again. He didn’t know if she had a phone on her, but since she was alone in the cabin, she should have had time to wipe it dry, right?

”Dad! Look what I caught! We can have a great tonic tonight!”

Zhang Yun shouted excitedly, but before he even entered his own yard, he saw a sedan parked at the gate again!

If it wasn’t Li Dajiang’s car, whose else could it be? The lawyer from the Dajiang Cement Plant?

Zhang Yun scoffed coldly. This morning, he had genuinely been inclined to let things go and make peace. Were the members of the Li Family all coming back one by one to cause trouble? If that was the case, he had to deal them a vicious blow!