Volume One, Chapter Seven: Husband, What’s Wrong with You?

Gentle and virtuous, with a soft, tender way of speaking—that was exactly what Lu Xiuyi liked.

Jiang Yuan cheered herself on silently. He liked that kind of woman? Then she would give it a try. With some effort, she could be gentle and virtuous too.

No matter how cold and unyielding Lu Xiuyi was, she was determined to melt him.

When they arrived at the field to work, Jiang Yuan was delighted to be assigned to work alongside Lu Xiuyi. Their task today was to dig up sweet potatoes.

To maintain her gentle and virtuous persona, Jiang Yuan didn’t crowd around Lu Xiuyi but instead worked obediently and quietly.

Without the usual chatter in her ear, Lu Xiuyi felt a little uneasy. He glanced suspiciously at Jiang Yuan.

After a moment of silence, seeing nothing unusual, he turned back to his work, dismissing the thought.

After digging up about half an acre of sweet potatoes, Jiang Yuan wiped the sweat from her brow and looked at the man's back in front of her. Her nose twitched slightly upward—it was her turn to make a move.

She dusted off the dirt from her hands, then lightly jogged to the edge of the ridge, picking up the water bottle she had filled that morning. With a delighted smile, she walked over to Lu Xiuyi.

"Husband, you must be thirsty. Here, have some water." She held out the bottle.

Lu Xiuyi tilted his head back, the girl's flushed face just an arm’s length away. Jiang Yuan’s dark eyes sparkled with a smile as she gazed at him.

"Thank you," Lu Xiuyi said, accepting the bottle.

He was indeed thirsty, but he never carried a water bottle when he went out. If thirsty, he would drink from the well nearby. However, today they were far from the well, so he had been holding back.

Oh no, Jiang Yuan suddenly realized she had forgotten to control the tone of her voice just now.

Quickly lowering and softening her voice, she said, "No need to thank me, husband. This is what I should do."

After speaking, she even pulled a clean handkerchief from her pocket and gently wiped the sweat from Lu Xiuyi’s face and neck, her movements tender and affectionate.

Lu Xiuyi felt something strange in his chest; Jiang Yuan seemed very different today. More precisely, she had been odd ever since they left the house.

He stood up holding the water bottle, not letting Jiang Yuan continue wiping his sweat. "Keep it for yourself," he said.

With that, the man lifted his shirt and wiped his face, revealing a muscular chest exposed to the air, his waist and abdomen well-defined.

Suddenly, Jiang Yuan felt a dry mouth; she swallowed unconsciously. His figure was truly impressive.

This scene was witnessed by Li Qingmei, who was working nearby. She stomped her foot in jealousy.

Why could they be so affectionate while she had to work herself to the bone? Her gaze, sharp as poison, landed fiercely on the couple’s exchanged looks.

In the end, Li Qingmei couldn’t bear it and suddenly stood up, walking over to Jiang Yuan with resentment in her voice.

"Jiang Yuan, you’re lazy and have problematic thoughts. You even flirt with a man in public. I’m going to report you to the village chief."

Jiang Yuan turned around at the words, disgusted by Li Qingmei’s ugly face. Impatiently, she cut her off.

"Cousin, have you been eating too much filth to talk such nonsense? What business is it of yours if I talk to my husband? If you’re crazy, go get yourself checked."

"Vulgar," Li Qingmei sneered contemptuously. Compared to Jiang Yuan, who never went to school, she had at least graduated junior high. Hearing such coarse language disgusted her.

Jiang Yuan laughed mockingly and shrugged carelessly. She was a rough country girl—what need did she have for refinement?

Li Qingmei, unable to reason with this bumpkin, threatened, "I’m going to report you."

"On what grounds?" came Lu Xiuyi’s low, magnetic voice from beside her, carrying an unintentional chill.

The man raised his brows, his dark eyes narrowing as he stared coldly at Li Qingmei.

"This is the village chief’s arrangement. If you don’t accept it, you can sue. But we can also sue you for defamation."

Jiang Yuan proudly hid behind her husband and rolled her eyes at Li Qingmei. If she wanted to provoke trouble, she couldn’t stop her.

"Jiang Yuan, you..." Li Qingmei was furious but had to admit she was intimidated by Lu Xiuyi’s gaze and dared not act rashly here.

Pressing her lips tightly, she left with a parting threat, "Jiang Yuan, just you wait."

"Husband, let’s go back. Don’t mind her," Jiang Yuan ignored Li Qingmei’s threats, busy nurturing her relationship with her beloved husband.

Lu Xiuyi’s gaze landed on Jiang Yuan’s cheek, his brow furrowing slightly. When he spoke again, his cold tone was tinged with frost.

He said, "Jiang Yuan, any conflicts you have with Li Qingmei are your own. Don’t drag the Lu family into it."

Jiang Yuan’s smile froze on her face as if a cold wind howled behind her. Her mouth parted slightly, forcing a smile.

"Is something wrong, husband?"

"The Lu family isn’t a playground for your amusement, and we cannot afford any setbacks," Lu Xiuyi’s black eyes were like bottomless pits, the coldness in them the same as when he looked at Li Qingmei.

Jiang Yuan felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave; all color drained from her face. So, his anger was not just at Li Qingmei but also... at her?

A sharp sting rose at her nose. Jiang Yuan swallowed the lump in her throat, opening her lips but finding no words.

A faint tear traced the corner of her eye.

Lu Xiuyi said no more. He cast a cold glance at Jiang Yuan before turning and walking away.

Jiang Yuan stood dumbfounded, unsure of what she had done wrong. She lowered her eyes, forcing back the heat that welled up in them.

After this episode, Jiang Yuan lost the desire to act in front of Lu Xiuyi. She kept her head down, working as if she never felt tired.

Jiang Yuan’s silence made the taciturn Lu Xiuyi even less inclined to speak. The couple toiled quietly in the sweet potato field, ignoring each other.

Their mood lasted until the work was done and they went to the production team to register their labor points.

Since they had just finished, many people were already inside registering, and the courtyard was crowded.

Lu Xiuyi’s step faltered. He looked back at Jiang Yuan, frowning. "Wait for me here."

As soon as he said this, the man took the farming tools from Jiang Yuan’s hands and disappeared into the bustling courtyard.

Jiang Yuan waited alone outside, staring blankly at the ground with no expression. When boredom struck, she kicked the stones on the ground.

Li Qingmei, watching from a nearby corner, saw Jiang Yuan alone and barely smirked. This was not her fault.

She tugged on the rope in her hand. At the other end, a Tibetan mastiff snarled, baring sharp teeth, its eyes fierce and vicious, ready to pounce at any moment.

Li Qingmei’s eyes narrowed, a chilling light gleaming within them.

With a flick of her hand, the unleashed mastiff suddenly sprinted wildly across the ground, froth dripping from its mouth, eyes shining with determination, heading straight toward Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan felt a chill down her spine. When she looked up again, her breath caught, and goosebumps rose all over her body.