Chen Erbao desperately wanted to tell Xu Sheng that his question mark didn't mean he had a problem—it meant he thought Xu Sheng had one.
"Bro, that's not a question you should be asking."
"You already have Sister Qin, yet you still want to find other women?"
Xu Sheng chuckled.
"Don't worry, I know my limits."
Initially, Chen Erbao had felt a little uncomfortable about what Shen Qin had done to him. But now, that last bit of discomfort vanished.
This couple… they were definitely a match made in heaven.
'You two can play your wild games, but don't use me as your shield.'
But of course, Chen Erbao could only keep these thoughts to himself.
...
Chen Erbao wrote Xu Sheng a few prescriptions for herbal decoctions. After helping him pick up the herbs from the clinic and reminding him to avoid raw or cold foods, he headed home.
The very first thing he did was flip open Xu Sheng's diary.
After studying it for a while, Chen Erbao came to a decision.
'I'll go to the Medicine King Hall in town!'
His reasoning was simple. For one, the Medicine King Hall in town was just a small herbal shop, a subsidiary of the main branch in the city. The Shopkeeper, no matter how audacious, wouldn't dare to lowball him and tarnish the Hall's reputation.
For another, the wild Gastrodia was simply too valuable. If he went to the county seat, the price wouldn't necessarily be any higher, and it would be more likely to attract trouble.
'It's settled, then.'
The next day, Chen Erbao woke up early. He went out into the courtyard, stark naked, and began practicing a set of fist techniques.
After Chen Qing and his family came to cause trouble, Chen Erbao had realized the importance of having good fighting skills. The night before, he had decided to make this practice a daily habit.
This Fist Technique was the opening form from a manual recorded in the Joyful Technique. After trying it, however, Chen Erbao discovered that even the opening form was incredibly profound.
Perhaps because it was designed to complement the Joyful Technique, after he finished the opening form, Chen Erbao felt a warmth spread through his body, as if he had an endless supply of energy.
He felt ready to take on the world.
Chen Erbao sucked in a sharp breath. His "battering ram" was even larger than usual.
Just as the thought crossed his mind—
GULP.
Hearing the sound of someone swallowing, Chen Erbao instinctively glanced to the side. He saw Xiaorui, the daughter of Auntie Six next door, peeking over the wall, staring intently at him.
Lin Rui had just turned twenty and was attending university in the city. She had only been back for a short time since summer break started.
She wore a short, floral-print dress and had her hair in two pigtails. With her large, sparkling eyes and the cherry-red lips beneath her delicate nose, her face was absolutely adorable—a perfect "loli" look.
Back in their childhood, Chen Erbao had been the king of the village kids, and Lin Rui had been his little shadow. His most vivid memory of her was the time she'd caught a fat green caterpillar, wiped her runny nose on it, and asked if it was edible.
Chen Erbao couldn't believe that in the blink of an eye, Lin Rui had blossomed into such a beauty.
"Brother Er Bao, you're so… big…"
It wasn't until Lin Rui's voice broke the silence that Chen Erbao's mind went blank. Without a second thought, he bolted into the house.
'My God, does Xiaorui always wake up this early?'
To maximize the effects of the Fist Technique's opening form from the Joyful Technique, it was best to practice without clothing. According to the manual, this allowed for better contact with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
That was why Chen Erbao had woken up extra early—he was afraid of being seen.
Whatever you fear most is sure to happen.
Chen Erbao's head throbbed. A moment later, a loud BANG BANG BANG came from the door.
"Brother Er Bao, it's me, Xiaorui! Can you open the door?"
Peeking through the window, Chen Erbao saw Lin Rui knocking and felt like crying.
'How in the world did you get into the courtyard?'
'I'm sure I didn't open the main gate.'
He glanced at the courtyard wall and it clicked. 'Of course. She climbed the wall.'
Lin Rui loved doing that as a kid; he hadn't expected her to be the same as an adult.
Without even time to put on underwear, Chen Erbao hastily threw on some clothes and opened the door.
Looking down at Lin Rui, Chen Erbao was so startled by her swaying chest that he nearly stumbled.
The girl had the face of a "loli," but her figure was truly stacked.
Her skin was fair and tender, her chest full and firm.
'Is this the legendary "baby-face with a bombshell body"...?'
"Xiaorui, d-did you need me for something?"
A wave of unease washed over Chen Erbao.
Lin Rui walked right into the room and shut the door behind her.
"Brother Er Bao."
She looked up, her large, shimmering eyes reflecting his image.
"You told me back in high school that you'd marry me once I got into college."
"But I got into college, and you were about to marry Chen Jiaqi!"
"You were just playing me!"
Chen Erbao scratched his head.
'So that's what this is about.'
He hadn't been trying to fool Lin Rui. It was just that, for some reason, the older she got, the more she seemed to fancy him. When she was in high school, in the first blush of love, she had even run to his house one night and insisted on sleeping in his bed.
How could Chen Erbao possibly handle that? He could only come up with an excuse, telling her he'd marry her if she got into college.
After that, he hadn't seen much of Lin Rui.
He never expected her to remember those words to this day.
Back then, Chen Erbao had only said it because he wanted her to focus on her studies.
He looked at Lin Rui. "Xiaorui, the truth is…"
"No need for excuses."
Lin Rui stared intently at Chen Erbao, approaching him step by step.
"I know your engagement to Chen Jiaqi was called off. You're single now."
"And Brother Er Bao, as it happens, so am I."
"I even wore my hair in pigtails, just for you."
"I hear you guys like grabbing pigtails from behind."
"So, Brother Er Bao… want to give it a try?"
Huh?
'For real?'
Before Chen Erbao could react, he felt a tug at his crotch. The young woman closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss him.
Panic flared in Chen Erbao's mind.
Never mind the seven or eight-year age gap between them; the thought of Auntie Six's legendary tongue-lashings was enough to stop Chen Erbao from getting involved with Lin Rui under such unclear circumstances.
Seeing the girl's eyes flutter shut, Chen Erbao didn't dare hesitate for another second. With an agile leap, he twisted free from her grip on his shorts, snatched the pants he'd tossed aside, and pulled them on. Then, he hoisted a burlap sack onto his shoulder and bolted out of the courtyard.
"Xiaorui, Brother Er Bao just remembered he has something important to do!"
"Gotta go now! You should head home if there's nothing else!"
Lin Rui's eyes snapped open just in time to see Chen Erbao leap over the wall and flee.
The young woman pouted in anger and stomped her foot hard on the ground.
"Brother Er Bao, you can run, but you can't hide forever!"
"You're single now anyway. Sooner or later, I'll make you mine."
"Just you wait!"
Just as she was about to toss aside the pair of floral shorts in her hand, Lin Rui recalled the sensation of grabbing Chen Erbao. She noticed that the part of the fabric she had gripped was slightly damp.
She couldn't help but recall something her teacher had said in health class.
"This… couldn't be Brother Er Bao's…"
She instinctively sniffed at it with her delicate nose, then carefully put the shorts away as if they were a precious treasure.
Just as she was about to leave, she seemed to think of something. "Since I've received a gift from Brother Er Bao," she mused, "I should give one in return."
Her eyes scanned her own clothes before finally landing on the nude stockings she wore on her thighs.
"You'll do."