Chapter 162: Farming: Saving the Substitute Bridegroom 05

Returning to the bamboo loft on the mountain, it was already two quarters past the chen hour; the sky had completely darkened, and in the silence only faint animal sounds could be heard coming from the mountains and forests.

Jin Chen could see in the dark, so night did not hinder his movements; feeling his way, he precisely walked to the inner room of the bamboo loft. Yelin could see nothing, and there was no moon tonight, so he nervously clutched the corner of Jin Chen's clothes.

Only after 0731 found an unused candle in the inner room of the bamboo loft and Jin Chen lit it did it become considerably brighter.

In the flickering candlelight, Yelin saw Jin Chen's gaze toward him, lowered his head embarrassed, but the nervousness in his heart did not lessen at all.

Previously Jin Chen was foolish and ignorant of worldly affairs, but now he had regained his senses; the two had only just married not long ago, so would he demand to consummate the marriage tonight…?

"Fortune, go guard the door."

Jin Chen ruffled 0731's fluffy head.

"Howl!"

0731 scrambled up, lay down outside the bamboo loft to keep watch, and part of its consciousness returned to Jin Chen's sea of mind.

Jin Chen still did not know what his newlywed husband was thinking; he only saw him sitting on the bedside, his face growing redder, unwilling to lie down and rest, when an idea struck him.

"Do you want to wash up?"

That's right; the late-summer weather is scorching, so not bathing would surely be uncomfortable.

Jin Chen believed he had understood his husband's inner thoughts, happily went over and embraced him, gently saying, "I'll go heat some water for you to wash up."

Who would have thought that after he left, Yelin's face became even redder.

"Besides… besides needing to wash up, that definitely means we'll have to consummate the marriage!"

He intertwined his fingers, becoming increasingly at a loss.

In the kitchen.

Seeing Jin Chen about to produce a bathtub from some unknown mysterious place again, 0731 hurried to stop him.

【No way, Host, if such an exquisite bathtub suddenly appeared in your shabby bamboo loft, the Little Pitiful One would surely suspect something.】

Jin Chen clicked his tongue, and could only make do with what was at hand, finding a relatively clean wooden bucket, scrubbing it, then lighting the stove to boil water.

He sat beneath the stove, placing firewood piece by piece, then suddenly asked.

【Have you found the cause of the fluctuation in Blackening Value?】

【I have ruled out many factors, combined with the Little Pitiful One's condition today, and finally judged that it might be because the power of the Creation Spell to Destroy Flowers stimulated fragments of the Little Pitiful One's soul to awaken somewhat; knowing roughly the direction ahead would cause the Blackening Value to erupt prematurely.】

When 0731 spoke of the matter, its tone grew serious.

【If that is truly the cause, Host, you must let him know he is safe and can rest easy in sleep; otherwise, if this world discovers his soul's existence, the world will be directly destroyed!】

Jin Chen's motion of placing firewood subtly paused.

Hearing 0731's meaning, it seemed as if he already knew who his wife was.

【Alright, I understand.】

The water in the wooden bucket had already begun to bubble, and Jin Chen wrapped it in a cloth and carried it into the bedroom.

The two exchanged a glance.

"It's windy outside; just wash here."

Jin Chen placed the few soap pods he had found beside the wooden bucket, still remembering that the Heartbeat Value had not yet been triggered, so he needed to keep propriety; he proactively gave him privacy, then went outside to fetch a bucket of mountain spring water to rinse off.

Yelin breathed a sigh of relief, then took off his clothes and wiped his body clean.

The water in the wooden bucket was just the right temperature—not so hot as to cause sweat—and the warm water touching his skin eased his tension and fatigue, and Yelin's brows and eyes gradually relaxed.

It turned out he didn't have to go up the mountain every day to chop wood and boil water, enduring a scolding just to get a hot bath.

Perhaps the warm steam had reddened his eyes; Yelin softly sighed, feeling that such a life was truly hard-won.

Although he and Jin Chen were not yet familiar, Yelin thought that spending a lifetime with him would also be nice, at least sparing him the anxiety of living day to day.

When Jin Chen returned, Yelin had already lain down in the bedding.

The mountain night was cool; even though late summer was hot, one still needed to cover with a blanket at night, but previously the original self feared heat and rarely used it, so the blanket remained clean.

Jin Chen took off his outer garment and lay down, then blew out the candle.

Lying beside him and looking, Yelin dazedly felt that this was like the bridal night with flower candles—once the candle was blown out, one had to sleep.

"Go to sleep."

Jin Chen turned over, embraced him in his arms, patted him; seemingly having no intention of doing anything else, Yelin relaxed a bit more, trying to loosen his body as he lay in Jin Chen's embrace.

A scent of sandalwood swept in, mixed with clean soap fragrance and crisp cold air, making it especially fragrant; Yelin couldn't help but sniff it, gradually feeling at ease, closing his eyes in Jin Chen's embrace and falling into a deep sleep.

——

The next morning.

Yelin woke from his dream, the sky already bright.

He was slightly dazed, glancing at the weather outside the window, not knowing how long it had been since he last slept so well.

"Jin… husband?"

Yelin got out of bed, dressed, looked outside doubtfully, but upon going to the outer room still did not see Jin Chen.

"Here."

A steady voice suddenly sounded behind him; Yelin instinctively turned and saw Jin Chen walking from behind the bamboo loft, holding two small eggs in his hands.

"There's nothing to eat in the bamboo loft now; I dug out a few bird eggs for you to fill your stomach, and later we'll go to town to eat."

Yelin touched his stomach; he hadn't eaten anything last night, but upon waking this morning he really felt a bit hungry.

"There are only two eggs here; maybe you should eat them, husband…"

"What nonsense; I deliberately dug them out for you to eat."

Jin Chen interrupted Yelin's polite refusal, wiped his hands clean, pinched his cheek, and said, "No refusing; look how thin you've become."

Since that was the case, Yelin did not persist in refusing, merely making a mental note to himself not to sleep so late in the future, not to let his husband cook, otherwise he wouldn't be able to hunt, and if he again avoided work, he feared his husband would despise him.

He ate the two bird eggs in small bites and already felt full; at this moment Jin Chen was feeding 0731 the bird that had tried to come over to snatch back the eggs but ended up being caught.

After all, 0731 was not a real wolf; the feeling of having a mouthful of fur was unpleasant, so it spat several times before finally throwing up the fur in its mouth.

【Host! I also want to eat cooked food!】

【Just keep thinking about it.】

【Jin Chen gave its head another pat, then got up to wash hands.】

【0731 was so angry it kept digging holes in the ground to show its displeasure.】

【Having eaten and drunk our fill, we should head to the town.】

【Yelin remembered the last time he went to town to stroll; it was back when his father was still alive. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed, and he can no longer recall what the town looks like.】

【So he was especially excited today, closely following Jin Chen.】

【0731 went ahead to clear a path for the two, shaking off any wild beasts that tried to approach.】

【The two of them and the wolf walked along the summer mountain trail, chatting and laughing, occasionally startling a bird that fluttered its wings and flew off the treetops.】

【Ancient Cultivate Town is a fortress location, with prosperous trade, and also serves as the source of commerce for several nearby villages including Fengshu Cun; it is very prosperous.】

【This time, 0731 must protect the Little Pitiful One; instead of returning to the sea of consciousness, it obediently stays by the two's side.】

【Both individuals are handsome, and with a silver wolf accompanying them, they are very eye-catching.】