NOVPUBChapter 214 -214: He is not my man.
Chapter 214 -214: He is not my man.
Bai Yue pulled Wang Yan to the side under a tree. The coat he was wearing outside was already torn, and his arm was still oozing blood. Bai Yue didn’t think it was looking good and anxiously asked the bystanders where the village doctor of Dawang Village was, then dragged Wang Yan along to go there.
“It’s nothing, just a little wound. I just need to apply some medicine when I get back, and I’ll be fine.” Wang Yan didn’t seem to care. He was used to getting injured every now and then from his regular work of slaughtering pigs—this little injury truly didn’t bother him.
After all, when Zhang Er Lengzi attacked him, he had managed to dodge quickly, so the cut on his arm was just a scratch. He knew it wasn’t serious, although the sight of blood always looked more unsettling to people.
However, the anxious way Bai Yue was dragging him to the doctor made him feel somewhat comforted, especially since Bai Yue was so worried that she didn’t even realize she was tightly clutching Wang Yan’s large hand.
Their fingers intertwined, Wang Yan felt utterly delighted inside.
The cut he received was worth it.
“No, you can’t just leave it. You’ve lost so much blood, how can you not have it looked at? Stop your nonsense and come with me quickly,” Bai Yue said in a fluster, speaking as if she was scolding her own son.
Wang Yan chuckled, “Then you should pick up the basket of eggs, or they’ll end up costing someone a fortune.”
Only then did Bai Yue realize she had forgotten about the eggs and hurriedly went to pick them up. But Wang Yan snatched the basket and hoisted it onto his own back before handing Bai Yue his empty basket.
“These eggs aren’t light; I’ll carry them. You take this empty one,” he said.
Bai Yue wanted to say something but ultimately didn’t utter a word.
The two went to the village doctor, who had Wang Yan take off his clothes to examine the cut on his arm. Indeed, it was just a superficial scratch that didn’t even need stitching, merely disinfection and a couple of anti-inflammatory pills to take home. As long as he didn’t get a fever or expose the wound to cold water, it would heal in no time.
Bai Yue finally felt relieved, and when they both stepped out, she had lost all interest in selling the eggs.
Moreover, with all the commotion, it was already past midday, and those who had come for the market were likely heading back. There was no point trying to sell her eggs now.
“Let’s go and try to catch the village cart before it leaves, If we’re too late, it might already be gone,” Bai Yue told Wang Yan.
They rushed to the agreed-upon tree, but the cart had already left. Now they truly had no choice but to walk back on their own.
Bai Yue felt a bit helpless now that only the two of them were left. She had wanted to keep her distance, but that seemed impossible now.
“Everyone’s gone, so we should head out too,” she said.
Wang Yan suddenly grabbed Bai Yue, startling her. Her hand reflexively pulled back as if scorched.
“If you have something to say, say it. Why are you grabbing me?” She kept her voice down, not wanting to attract attention.
Wang Yan pointed towards a nearby He Lao noodle stall, “It’s way past noon. Let’s eat something there first, then we can start walking. Otherwise, it’s several hours back on foot; who can endure that without a meal?”
Bai Yue was about to say she wasn’t hungry, but Wang Yan firmly grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the noodle stall.
He pushed her into a seat and sat down next to her, calling out loudly to the owner.
“Boss, two bowls of noodles.” 𝔫𝔬𝖛𝖕𝔲𝖇.𝖈𝖔𝖒
The boss, a middle-aged woman, readily agreed and started rolling out the noodles with a rolling-pin bed.
Seeing that the noodles were already being cooked, Bai Yue found it difficult to refuse.
“Why waste the money? We could walk back and have a meal at home,” she still grumbled quietly. She had attended the market many times but had never eaten there—not for lack of money, but because she was thrifty.
Wang Yan defended himself rightly, “You might not be hungry, but I am. After fighting for half a day, my belly’s been empty, rattling like a drum.”
Bai Yue had no choice but to concede. Regardless, Wang Yan had just helped her and saved her, so she thought, all right, she would pay for the meal as a thank you to Wang Yan.
Soon, the two bowls of noodles were brought over.
The boss’s Herle noodles were really authentic; the noodles were round and plump, topped with a layer of stew including tofu, daylilies, wood ear mushrooms, soybeans, glass noodles… There was a variety in the stew, save for the lack of meat. After a handful of chopped green onions and cilantro was sprinkled on top, it truly whetted one’s appetite.
Wang Yan opened the jar of chili on the table and asked Bai Yue.
“How many spoonfuls of chili do you want? I see you eat chili at home, too.”
“Give me two spoonfuls. It’s cold today, eating something spicy to sweat a bit should warm me up,” Bai Yue decided to not stand on ceremony since she was the one who offered to treat for the meal.
Wang Yan scooped two spoonfuls of chili oil into her bowl and then belatedly added two spoonfuls to his own bowl.
Then he buried his head and started slurping up the noodles. Seeing him enjoy the meal, Bai Yue thought and said, “Brother Wang, I can’t finish this bowl by myself. I haven’t even started, let me push half of it onto your bowl.”
She felt that one bowl surely wouldn’t be enough for Wang Yan.
Wang Yan glanced at Bai Yue. This woman, her heart is just too kind, “You eat first; if you have leftovers you can’t eat, I’ll have them. I had three buns before heading out to the market this morning. Although I’m hungry now, I can’t eat much either.”
Bai Yue rolled her eyes. You say you can’t eat much, yet you insisted on having this meal with me; these two bowls of noodles aren’t free.
It made her teeth itch with frustration.
Bending her head down, she too began to eat with gusto – never mind him.
Yum! The Hele noodles really tasted good.
Before she knew it, she had reached the bottom of the bowl, even slurping up the sauce and broth until none was left.
Bai Yue put down her chopsticks and felt her face flush with embarrassment. She had just said she couldn’t finish her bowl, yet now she had nearly finished it all; wasn’t she just slapping her own face?
Luckily, Wang Yan wasn’t even glancing her way. He had finished eating, wiped his mouth, and at some point had already started chatting with the landlady, who was in her forties. They talked happily, and Bai Yue watched Wang Yan laugh so heartily and carefree that it made her blood boil.
“Landlady, the check please,” Bai Yue cut off their conversation.
Seeing that Bai Yue had finished eating and stood up, Wang Yan got up and picked up the basket of eggs from the ground.
“Let’s go!”
Bai Yue spoke irritably, “We haven’t paid yet.”
The landlady laughed, “Girl, your man paid a while ago. When going out to eat, we never have women pay the bill. Though women may be in charge at home, holding the purse strings, when it comes to eating out, of course, you have to give your man some respect,” she grinned and began wiping the table with a cloth.
Bai Yue was just about to open her mouth to say he is not my man.
Wang Yan had already picked up the empty basket and walked towards the door.
Bai Yue hurried after him.
“Hand me that basket of eggs, I can carry it myself.”
Wang Yan cast a glance at her, “It’s not proper to let a woman carry heavy things. Just keep it quiet and carry the empty basket,” he said and continued walking ahead.
Bai Yue had no choice but to pick up the empty basket from the ground and follow from behind.
The two of them left the market, one in front of the other, and hardly spoke on the way. Bai Yue lagged behind Wang Yan by three or four steps to avoid suspicion, for fear that someone familiar might see them and gossip would spread.
When they got back to the village, Wang Yan set down the basket of eggs in the yard, went to the backyard to check on the pigs, and talked with Li Haiping and Li Haian for a while before leaving.
Bai Yue put the shoes she had cleaned for Wang Yan into his basket, along with two new pairs she made for him. In the future, if Wang Yan talks about getting engaged, his fiancee should do these tasks. She wanted to avoid any further complications with Wang Yan and have a clear account between them.
