The dinner was prepared by Li's mother and Li Min. She was reluctant to use pure white flour, so she added some black flour to the noodles she specially made for Tian Jing. She, her husband, and her daughter ate noodles made of pure black flour.
Tian Jing ate the noodles made of a mixture of flours with ease. It wasn't that she was being selfish; she had mentioned it more than once, and couldn't keep repeating herself.
The Li family, accustomed to hardship, couldn't change overnight. There was nothing she could do about it.
After dinner, Li Min, of course, washed the dishes.
Li Zhengguo pulled Tian Jing back to the west room and pointed to the rolled leaves on top of the cabinet. "Are you planning to sell these again?"
"Yes, if I sell one more, the initial investment should be almost covered."
Li Zhengguo smiled. He knew his sweetie wasn't someone who was greedy for more. "Alright, we'll sell one more."
Tian Jing didn't look at his foolishness. "And you? How much did you hunt?"
She could feel the weight of Li Zhengguo's hunting basket.
"Six rabbits, two wild chickens. We'll take them all to sell. There are plenty of wild chickens and rabbits in the mountains. When we get back, I'll go hunt more wild chickens to stew soup for you."
Li Zhengguo's explanation made Tian Jing smile. She wasn't a child who would lose her mind over meat. "Why did you live such a miserable life at home before?"
This man, who knew about selling small wild game, shouldn't be such a rigid person.
Li Zhengguo went silent. He hadn't been back long, but even if he had returned earlier, he wouldn't have changed the family's situation so quickly.
"Because you came."
This statement, akin to a confession, made Tian Jing feel his indifference once again, so indifferent that he didn't care about his own family, yet was so good to her and the original owner, an outsider.
Li Zhengguo didn't know what he had said wrong. He felt that Sweetie had suddenly become cold, just like when she first came to the Li family.
He thought carefully about what he had just said and truly didn't know where he had gone wrong.
Seeing Li Zhengguo lost in thought with a dejected expression, Tian Jing sighed. She valued family ties and couldn't expect others to be the same. "Aren't you going to find the captain?"
"Oh." Li Zhengguo snapped back to reality. "I'll go now."
By the time he returned with the procurement letter from the captain, Tian Jing had already washed up and gone to sleep, wrapped in a thick quilt on the inside, with his thin quilt on the outside.
That night, Li Zhengguo dared not pull her into his quilt, but he didn't let the sleeping Sweetie notice anything amiss.
Because after he got up early to make breakfast, he entered the room to wake her up and directly pulled her out of the thick quilt.
"Sweetie, get up. We're going to the county town."
Tian Jing, groggy from sleep, immediately jolted awake. She pushed away Li Zhengguo, who was trying to help her get dressed. "I can do it myself."
Li Zhengguo, suddenly pushed away, was stunned for a moment, then returned to his usual demeanor. "Then hurry up. Breakfast is ready. I'll go prepare the cart."
"Okay."
It was still dark when the two of them left the Li family courtyard.
Tian Jing was still carrying the oil lamp. This time, both of them were silent on the road, with only the sound of the cartwheels and their footsteps.
Li Zhengguo dared not speak. He was afraid. He didn't know what he had said wrong that made Sweetie suddenly so distant towards him.
Tian Jing didn't want to speak. She didn't know what to say. Was her sudden resistance to Li Zhengguo truly because of his disregard for his family?
Her indulgence and disregard for his efforts – what was the difference from Li Zhengguo's indifference?
Although she wasn't the original owner, she had used the original owner's body.
And the original owner had treated Li Zhengguo even more coldly, using his feelings for her, leading him to a dead end, and finally saying they would never see each other again.
From what had happened, it seemed the original owner owed Li Zhengguo.
And Li Zhengguo was now walking the path of his past life, falling in love at first sight with this body, doing everything for this body, and even tolerating the soul within this body.
She didn't know if Li Zhengguo would have the same attitude if the soul within this body belonged to someone else. He probably would, right?
After all, he was infatuated with this body. As long as it was this body, it didn't matter if the soul inside was hers or the original owner's.
Oh dear, what was she thinking? This behavior, like a woman's jealousy, was not good, not good at all.
The sun rose. Tian Jing blew out the oil lamp and hung it on the handlebars.
Li Zhengguo steadied the cart and took out a bamboo tube from his embrace, handing it to Tian Jing. "Sweetie, drink some water."
With cautious flattery, it reignited the little jealousy Tian Jing had just suppressed. "Li Zhengguo, I'm not, uh, I just want to know, why are you so good to me?"
Instantly, Li Zhengguo's face turned red. His dark complexion was stained purple by the red, making his otherwise decent features look quite ugly at that moment.
Tian Jing was annoyed with herself in her heart. It was this ugly appearance that made her and the original owner's soul jealous of each other.
Hadn't she decided not to get involved emotionally? Hadn't she decided to leave in a few years without looking back?
How could she suddenly care about the original owner's soul? How could she suddenly become anxious and uncertain because of his indifferent nature?
"Forget it, I'm rambling. You don't need to answer."
Tian Jing snatched the bamboo tube from his hand, uncorked it, and gulped down two mouthfuls. The water was at the perfect temperature. She wondered how hot the water was that he had poured into the bamboo tube, and if his stomach had been scalded.
Oh dear, what was happening to her? Why did she feel sorry for this man?
"Sweetie, I like you. I like you very much!"
"Cough, cough, cough, cough." The water in her mouth hadn't been swallowed when she was startled by his sudden confession. No, he wasn't confessing to her.
"Sweetie." Li Zhengguo reached out and patted her back. "Are you okay?"
"Cough, cough, cough, I don't need you to manage me, get away."
Tian Jing pushed him away. She didn't want to accept his kindness anymore. She didn't want to be like ordinary women and be bored. She didn't want these uncontrollable emotions.
She was an ability user; she was an invincible strong person.
"Cough, cough, cough." She coughed out tears and made a decision. "Li Zhengguo, I want to leave."
Li Zhengguo's hands moved faster than his mind. When Tian Jing pushed him away, he reacted swiftly and made the most correct decision of his life: he embraced his Sweetie.
So, when Tian Jing intended to leave, she was tightly embraced by him. No matter how much Sweetie struggled, he wouldn't let go.
"Sweetie, don't leave me. I love you! Take me with you, I'll follow you to the ends of the earth."
"You love me?" Hearing these three words, Tian Jing really wanted to use her ability to break free from his grasp. "You love this body, don't you?"
Li Zhengguo paused slightly, as if he understood something. "I love you, only you."
Who knew his answer didn't have the expected effect? The person in his arms became even stronger. "Liar! If you don't let go, don't blame me for being impolite."
"I won't let go, never!"
Li Zhengguo used all his strength. At this moment, he didn't care if he injured the person in his arms. He only knew that if he let go, with Sweetie's 'lightness skill,' he wouldn't be able to catch up.
"Sweetie, I'm not lying to you. I love you, only you!"
Seeing that Sweetie struggled even more fiercely after hearing this, almost breaking free from his embrace.
Li Zhengguo simply resorted to a rogue tactic, carrying Tian Jing and falling to the side, into the soft mud by the roadside.