Chapter 19: Kiss Me Again, and You'll Understand?

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Lin Yang had already made up his mind. Seeing how things had progressed, he raised his voice toward the villagers gathered around the fence yard and said, “Everyone, you can all disperse now. There’s nothing exciting to see here!”

From the crowd, Aunt Wang couldn’t help but shout loudly, “Lin boy, are the things you said just now true or false?”

Others quickly chimed in as well.

“Yes, this isn’t a trivial matter; we need to get to the bottom of it!”

“Don’t make things up, or the Sun family might report you to the village committee!”

“And if you slander the young lady’s reputation with lies, that’s a serious offense!”

Lin Yang deliberately put on a gritted-teeth expression and raised his voice even more, “Aunties, don’t you all know what kind of people the Suns are? If they had nothing to hide, they would have demanded a hefty compensation from me.”

“Think about it—when has Old Sun Fugui ever suffered a loss in our village? He’s always stirring up trouble for no reason. And today, when I openly scolded his daughter, if there was no foul play involved, would they have just left so quickly like nothing happened?”

Aunt Wang nodded instinctively. “You make a good point. If Old Sun Fugui were truly wronged, there would have been an uproar. But now, he’s walking away with his daughter in tow—it really looks like they’re hiding something.”

“Maybe they’re just afraid his daughter’s reputation will be completely ruined!” Zhang Xiumei suddenly shouted from the crowd. She had never liked Lin Yang.

Aunt Wang, who already had a bit of a grudge against Zhang, naturally sided with Lin Yang this time. She gave Zhang a disdainful eye-roll and said, “If it were your daughter being smeared and slandered like that, wouldn’t you do everything in your power to clear her name?”

“Besides, how would a medical checkup at the township clinic ruin her reputation? Finishing the checkup would actually prove her innocence!”

“But this time, they left without a word in a hurry. Think about it—do you really think Sun Fugui is the kind of man to silently endure a loss?”

Lin Yang didn’t bother joining the ongoing argument any further. He gently took hold of his father and mother’s hands and turned to go inside.

As the door closed, the noisy voices outside immediately quieted down.

At that moment, Lin Yang couldn’t help but show a smug smile on his face and said, “Dad, Mom, now you believe me, right? I really have no intention of having any ties with Sun Xiaorong anymore.”

“She’s a poisonous woman with a heart of a viper. I’m no fool—I won’t fall into that trap again.”

“From now on, I’m going to focus entirely on working hard with my own hands, earning money to build a few spacious brick houses for our family, then marry a beautiful wife and take good care of you two.”

Zhao Guixiang tenderly brushed her hand over the spot where she had just struck Lin Yang, her eyes slightly reddened as she said, “You little rascal, you’ve finally come to your senses. Your mother won’t have to worry so much about you anymore.”

Lin Dahai silently picked up his old tobacco pipe from the ground. As always, he remained quiet, but the smile on his face was hard to hide.

His son had finally turned over a new leaf, and he had never felt this relieved before.

Seeing their reaction, Lin Yang couldn’t help but whine playfully, “I want to eat old hen chicken for lunch!”

“Eat what?” His parents almost said in unison.

Their perfect timing was as if they had planned it ahead.

Lin Yang suddenly thought that if he ever went a day without being scolded by his parents, life would feel somewhat lacking in flavor.

He chuckled and stopped insisting, turning around to leave, planning to visit Li Jianhua’s house.

First, to return the bicycle, and second, to see that silly girl Xiao Wan he had been longing for.

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“Come back here!” Zhao Guixiang shouted loudly.

Lin Yang turned his head, full of confusion.

Seeing his mother reach out her hand, he immediately understood and hurriedly pulled out the rest of the money.

“You little rascal, I haven’t even settled the accounts with you yet! What were you buying all those useless things for?! You even bought five bottles of Beidacang and a bottle of malted milk…”

As soon as Lin Yang heard this, he dashed off, already sensing that his mother was about to erupt like a volcano.

“You little rascal, if you’re brave enough, don’t come back! If you do, I’ll break your dog legs!”

Hearing his mother’s angry shouts behind him, Lin Yang pedaled faster.

He mounted the bicycle and sped off toward Li Jianhua’s house.

“Uncle Li!”

Before entering the courtyard, Lin Yang shouted at the top of his lungs.

At that moment, the door curtain was lifted, and Li Xiaowan stepped out. Her eyes instantly sparkled with joy as she sweetly called out, “Brother Lin!”

“Where’s your dad?” Lin Yang asked as he parked his bicycle by the west room, rubbing his hands together and blowing into his palms for warmth.

The cold wind was biting, and riding a bicycle in this weather was truly chilling.

“My dad went to catch snow frogs!” Li Xiaowan said, then suddenly like a girl who had done something wrong, she lowered her head slightly, pursed her rosy lips, and nervously fiddled with her clothes.

“Brother Lin, my dad insisted on asking how you made that money that day. I… I accidentally let it slip.”

Her voice grew smaller and smaller, tinged with guilt.

Lin Yang’s mouth curled into a sly smile. Pretending to be angry, he said, “Wow, you actually revealed how I make money. Now I’m really mad. You have to compensate me!”

“How?” Li Xiaowan hurriedly looked up, her eyes full of anxiety.

Looking at her pure, flawless face, Lin Yang’s heart involuntarily quickened.

After all, he was only twenty, full of youthful vigor, and naturally his mind wandered to the kinds of things young men think about.

Moreover, this girl was devoted to him—the white moonlight he had missed in his previous life.

Now that she was so close, how could he hold back?

He slowly lowered his head and gently kissed her tender, pink lips.

Li Xiaowan’s eyes suddenly widened, her pupils contracting sharply. She seemed as if frozen by a magic spell, her mind blank, buzzing, and her ability to think instantly gone.

Lin Yang seized the moment, embracing her fragile but warm body, deepening the kiss passionately.

His breathing grew heavier, and his hand unconsciously slipped inside the seam of her cotton jacket, touching skin as smooth and soft as silk, tender and elastic.

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“Sis…”

At that moment, a voice suddenly came from inside the house.

Li Xiaowan, startled as if electrified, pushed Lin Yang away abruptly. Her face blushed like a ripe apple, even the tips of her ears flushed red.

“Don’t come out!” she shouted in a panic.

But the door curtain was still lifted, revealing an adorable little face like a porcelain doll.

“Look what Brother brought for you!”

Lin Yang quickly composed himself, took out a fruit-flavored hard candy wrapped in paper from his pocket, and said with a smile.

The youngest daughter’s eyes immediately lit up when she saw the candy. She didn’t notice her sister’s awkwardness at all. She reached out and eagerly took the candy from Lin Yang’s hand, hurriedly unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth.

“So sweet!”

Her eyes curved into crescent moons, her face glowing with happiness.

“Little Four, it’s cold outside; come back inside quickly!” Lin Yang only then noticed the youngest girl was dressed too lightly.

“Where’s your coat?” he instinctively asked, then realized.

Li Jianhua had four daughters. Their mother had been left with a chronic illness after childbirth and often had to go for medicine. Most of the family’s income was spent on that.

As the father, Li Jianhua tried not to be harsh on his daughters, but conditions were tough. In winter, the four girls only had two cotton-padded jackets between them.

“Oh, I remember when Uncle Li and Auntie went to the city, the doctor said bear bile could cure Auntie’s illness,” Lin Yang suddenly recalled.

Li Xiaowan’s eyes dimmed slightly as she softly said, “When my mother gave birth to Little Four, she was attacked by heat evil, and heat toxins accumulated in her body, causing a condition called ‘heat extreme generating wind’.”

“Excessive heat toxins in the body cause sores and abscesses on the skin’s surface. Only bear bile can cure this illness.”

Lin Yang reached out and gently pinched Li Xiaowan’s plump, collagen-rich cheek, smiling as he said, “In a while, I’ll go get some bear bile. We’ll cure Auntie’s illness first. After all, she’ll need to help me look after the kids in the future!”

Li Xiaowan’s heart suddenly fluttered like a startled deer. She immediately shook her head, shy and worried, grabbing Lin Yang’s hand as she said, “Brother Lin, please don’t act recklessly. Every year, there are news stories about bears hurting people. I… I just want you to be safe.”

Looking into Li Xiaowan’s eyes, as beautiful as stars and filled with concern for him, warmth surged in Lin Yang’s heart.

He smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I won’t provoke any bears without absolute confidence. What would you do if something happened to me?”

“What would I do!” Li Xiaowan lowered her head, her face quickly flushing again after just calming down.

Lin Yang grinned mischievously and said, “Don’t understand what I mean? How about I give you another kiss, then you’ll get it?”