Chapter 102: Country Free-Range Chickens

“Ah?” Zeng Xiaofan frowned slightly, unable to understand why Aunt Yao suddenly reacted so strongly.

Bai Qingyao’s delicate face flushed red, and she gave Zeng Xiaofan a sharp slap, scolding, “Stop playing dumb!”

“What were you just saying? Don’t you know yourself?”

“You’re getting bolder and bolder! Not even checking if anyone’s around, and you dare to make me feed you...”

“Hmph!” Bai Qingyao’s face grew even redder as she spoke.

Zeng Xiaofan was momentarily stunned, then suddenly caught on and burst out laughing.

“Aunt Yao, what are you thinking...”

“You’ve misunderstood me!”

“I was asking if we’re having chicken for dinner tonight?”

“Did I say we’re eating chicken? I was asking you.”

“I smelled the aroma of chicken—was wondering if you cooked some today?”

“Uh...”

“This...”

“You...”

“You’re doing this on purpose!”

“Who told you not to be clear about it!”

“You... so annoying! Eating chicken? Go eat something else!”

Bai Qingyao, angry and embarrassed, turned and left Zeng Xiaofan behind, heading into the house alone.

Zeng Xiaofan could only smile awkwardly, scratching his head as he followed her inside.

Watching Aunt Yao’s retreating figure and her unsteady gait, Zeng Xiaofan couldn’t help but recall some old memories...

But before he could savor those thoughts, Xiao Changgui and Chen Lini inside the house interrupted his daydreaming.

“Xiaofan, hurry and sit down to eat~”

“Really, knowing there’s an important guest, and you still kept them waiting?”

Xiao Changgui said, then respectfully added to Chen Lini:

“Sorry, Miss Chen, we’re just simple country folk with not much to offer, so we can only serve chicken~”

Chen Lini smiled sweetly, shyly responding:

“Uncle, you’re too polite; this dish is already plenty!”

“Especially this country free-range chicken—it’s hard to find authentic ones even in the city with money~”

“I love eating country free-range chicken the most!”

“Especially the kind of roosters you have here in the countryside—they’re really huge!”

“Today I happened to see a big rooster right in your village!”

“I’ve never seen such a big rooster before, strutting proudly and looking very delicious!”

“Right, Brother Fan?” Chen Lini said with a smile, giving Zeng Xiaofan a nod.

Zeng Xiaofan felt something was off about her words but didn’t want to argue, so he blushed and nodded sheepishly:

“Uh... yeah... I guess~”

Xiao Changgui and Bai Qingyao were both surprised, and Xiao Changgui asked curiously:

“There’s really such a big rooster?”

“Don’t you see many roosters? Usually, even the biggest rooster in the village isn’t that huge.”

Chen Lini just smiled sweetly and teased:

“No, Uncle!”

“That rooster was really, really huge!”

“I’ve never seen one that big, not even on TV!”

“If we could eat that rooster, it would definitely taste even better!”

Hearing this, Bai Qingyao nodded and smiled:

“That’s easy enough! As long as it’s a rooster from the village, it’s easy to get! Xiaofan, go find out whose big rooster it is and buy it to cook for Lini!”

Zeng Xiaofan looked utterly speechless. He grabbed a big piece of chicken and stuffed it into Chen Lini’s bowl, muttering:

“Just eat quickly! So much talking!”

“Such a big chicken—be careful not to overeat!”

“Ah~” Chen Lini suddenly let out a coquettish sigh, her soft and teasing voice making everyone present awkwardly embarrassed.

Bai Qingyao, flustered, quickly asked:

“W-what’s wrong?”

“Why did the young lady suddenly cry out?”

Chen Lini, realizing her slip, felt a bit awkward but glanced at the chicken Zeng Xiaofan had just given her, then smiled crookedly and exclaimed again:

“Ah! That smelly Brother Fan just gave me the chicken’s butt!”

“Alright! You little stinker! Don’t you know proper manners?”

“Is that how you treat guests?”

Bai Qingyao reached out to hit Zeng Xiaofan, causing Chen Lini to giggle uncontrollably.

Amid their laughter and playful scolding, the meal stretched on until past nine in the evening.

After dinner, everyone washed up and returned to their rooms to rest.

Tonight was the same as the first night they stayed with Li Bixian—guests slept in Zeng Xiaofan’s room, while Zeng Xiaofan himself took the bamboo chair in the living room.

Bai Qingyao and Xiao Changgui also slept in separate rooms.

Once everyone had retreated, the tranquility of the rural night fell, the surroundings silent except for occasional distant dog barks.

After the heavy rain, the insects and frogs seemed to rest briefly. Gazing at the moonlight outside, Zeng Xiaofan recalled the night he went with Aunt Yao to the woodshed.

He felt a surge of eagerness but noticed faint noises coming from Chen Lini’s and Xiao Changgui’s rooms, showing neither was fully asleep.

So he didn’t dare move.

“Forget it... I’ll wait until they fall asleep,” he muttered, sitting cross-legged and beginning to meditate.

He chanted softly: Heaven’s Pole as the bone, Earth’s Fiend as the blood; Starry Dome as the meridians, Nine Nether as the weave; mastering the cosmos’ true change, commanding myriad laws into unity...

As Zeng Xiaofan recited the incantation, his internal energy circulated, and beams of starlight gradually absorbed into his body.

After an unmeasured time, he began to feel weary and lay down on the bamboo chair, drifting into a light sleep.

At some unknown moment between sleep and wakefulness, he sensed a slight movement beside him.

Just as he was about to open his eyes, a slender jade hand gently rested on his chest.

Startled, Zeng Xiaofan’s body tensed, and he firmly grasped the woman’s hand.

But the delicate hand softly pressed against his mouth, silently signaling him to be quiet.

Swallowing nervously, Zeng Xiaofan thought: Who else could it be at this hour but Aunt Yao?

Yet, her sudden boldness tonight surprised him.

Thinking that it was indeed Aunt Yao’s hand caressing him, Zeng Xiaofan relaxed fully and closed his eyes to savor her tenderness.

Sure enough, the jade hand soon grasped his hand firmly and then cupped his face.

Since they were in the living room, Zeng Xiaofan didn’t dare make a sound.

In the darkness, he only felt the gentle fragrance and warmth radiating from her, stirring a deep affection within him...

She said nothing, quietly holding his hand tightly until their fingers intertwined.

Feeling this gentleness, Zeng Xiaofan sensed something slightly amiss.

Her grasp was tender but awkward and inexperienced, making it somewhat uncomfortable.

Just as he tried to sit up and open his eyes to see who it was, that slender hand suddenly pushed him down.

Then, he felt strands of hair brush against his nose.

A wave of exquisite softness approached, and the woman’s fragrance grew ever more intense...