Ye Lan sat still at the head of the bed, his mind echoing the words, “A husband is for pampering.” Was he worthy of being pampered by someone?

Despite being covered in filth, could he still be pampered by someone?

Xu Qi finished settling her “little husband” on the bed and left the room. Thinking back on the bewildered look of the freshly acquired husband just now, she found it somewhat cute.

She went to the back kitchen, picked up a bundle of pig feed, and went to the pigsty to feed the pigs, leaving some for the donkey as well.

There were three or four large pigs and a dozen or so piglets in the pigsty, all pink and tender.

The pigs were bought after the original mistress’s parents passed away, and they initially lived in poverty. As the pigs gradually multiplied, life improved, and then Xu Qi came along…

Xu Qi took over everything left behind here, including this group of piglets. At first, she felt a slight guilt, but then she thought that perhaps the original owner might come to her world and take over her house and fiancé, so she tilted her heart again. As good as this place was, it couldn’t compare to modern life. In the modern world, there were smartphones, air conditioning, and the ability to party, unlike here, where daily life consisted of feeding pigs and working in the fields.

Sighing, Xu Qi resigned herself to her fate. As she walked back slowly, calculating how many cycles it would take to become a pig farming magnate, she made some noise while pushing the gate, which was overheard by the neighbors.

Xu Qu’s neighbor, Aunt Hu, stuck her head out and said, “I heard you bought a husband in town today?”

It must have been Uncle Man who told Aunt Hu.

Xu Qi smiled and nodded. -_-!

“Men are weak, when you first bought him, so you should treat him well. Here, auntie has stewed some chicken soup today. Take a bowl over for your husband.”

With that, she seemed to beckon someone inside and Uncle Man handed over a large bowl of chicken soup.

Xu Qi knew they were always polite, but they had never been this polite before. Aunt Hu and Uncle Man’s days were not very prosperous, and they couldn’t afford meat more than a few times a month. Today, they rarely bought chicken, so she didn’t dare accept it.

“No need, Auntie. I cooked for him at home. You don’t have to go to such trouble. Xiao Jia still has to study, so give her more nourishment. Studying is tiring for students.”

“No need, no need. There’s for Xiao Jia. We have plenty at home. Take it back, consider it a gift from Auntie.”

“Really, no need. Uncle Man already gave a gift today. The fabric of the clothes is really good. You don’t need to give this.”

Xu Qi didn’t want to accept it, standing at the door looking to Uncle Man for help, feeling a bit awkward.

Uncle Man chuckled and covered his mouth. “What I give is what I give. Your Auntie hasn’t given you anything yet, right? Take it back. Another day, invite the child to our house. It’s good for neighbors to get along.”

“If you keep refusing, Auntie won’t be happy.”

With both of them insisting, Xu Qi had to accept, feeling a little closer to them.

“Then I’ll thank Auntie and Uncle here.”

Xu Qi said awkwardly.

Both of them waved their hands, asking her to go in quickly without thanks.

In the room, Ye Lan dared not lie down, partly because of the wound on his back and partly because he was still on edge since arriving here.

Finally seeing the only familiar person, Ye Lan’s eyes brightened, but he was reserved and didn’t dare to approach. His white teeth bit his red lips as he looked at her.

Xu Qi, carrying the steaming chicken soup, approached Ye Lan and whispered, “This is sent by Auntie from next door for you to drink. Drink it while it’s hot.”

With that, she scooped up another spoonful and offered it to him.

Ye Lan was stunned. “For, for me?”

He seemed a bit incredulous, after all, back in the mansion, he hardly ever got to eat meat.

“Who else would it be for? Who else in our family needs nourishment?” Xu Qi joked.

Ye Lan’s emotions were complicated. He just knew how to evade. “Mistress should drink it. This slave doesn’t like it.”

“Don’t like it?”

He had looked at it several times when she came in earlier, and it didn’t seem like he disliked it.

But Ye Lan nodded gently. “Hmm, this slave doesn’t like it.”

“Then what kind of soup do you like? I’ll buy some for you tomorrow.”

“This slave doesn’t like soup.”

Ye Lan had no preference for any kind of soup. He had never drunk any and didn’t know which one was good.

But the aroma of the chicken soup in front of him slipped into his nose, and even though he had already eaten a bowl of porridge, his stomach still grumbled.

His ears turned red instantly, deliberately hiding them in his thick black hair so as not to show it.

“Still saying you don’t like it? If you don’t like it, why is your stomach growling?”

Xu Qi’s eyes twinkled as she reached into the blanket and touched his soft white belly.

Ye Lan was startled and moved back a bit, then stopped himself, silently lowering his head and not speaking anymore.

“Come on, be obedient, drink up. This was specially sent by Auntie next door for you.”

Xu Qi spoke to him with the gentle tone used to coax children.

Ye Lan couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

His mouth involuntarily opened, his long eyelashes fluttering, revealing the mistress’s tension.

Xu Qi gently “served” Ye Lan the chicken soup, and when everything was almost done, she sat on the edge of the bed and chatted with Ye Lan.

It was still a bit chilly now, so Xu Qi adjusted Ye Lan’s position, pressed his head against her arm, covered him with the blanket, and leaned against the head of the bed herself.

“What did you do before?” Xu Qi casually asked Ye Lan.

Ye Lan’s body stiffened, and she quickly said, “If you don’t want to answer, forget it. I just asked casually.”

“I used to be a slave in a noble family and was later promoted to be a slave for a master.”

He replied with lowered eyes, his long hair swaying slightly, covering his expression from Xu Qi.

Xu Qi gently stroked his face, “And how did you end up there?”

Where they both knew.

Ye Lan’s eyelashes trembled, “I made a mistake and was sold.”

He didn’t want to elaborate. He was used to bearing it alone, and even if he were asked, he couldn’t say it.

Xu Qi had no choice but to stop asking, but she was nervous and didn’t know what to do. After a while, she said somewhat dryly, “Well, then, you should rest for a while. What would you like to eat tonight? I’ll prepare it for you.”

“This slave listens to mistress.”

Actually, it was still early, so talking about what to eat at night was to early.

But it was Xu Qi’s first time alone with a man, especially under these circumstances, so she felt a little uncomfortable.

After pursing her lips and thinking for a while, she reached out awkwardly, pushed Ye Lan directly onto the bed.

“Hiss.”

Touching the wound behind him, Ye Lan couldn’t help but make a soft sound.

Xu Qi immediately looked anxious and let go, “Does it hurt?”

She didn’t know where to put her hands, looking distressed. How did she hurt him again?

Ye Lan was startled and looked down, never expecting someone to care about him like this, asking if he was in pain. Dimly from those clear eyes, he saw tenderness, fleeting.

“I, I’m fine.”

He lowered his brows, looking obedient.

Xu Qi breathed a sigh of relief but still felt a little unhappy, towards herself.

“Then rest well. I’ll go out and buy something.”

She wanted to make it up to him a little, after all, he was stuck with a rough man.

Ye Lan nodded.

He looked very obedient, but after Xu Qi turned around, he raised his eyes and stared at her departing figure, staring until he couldn’t see a trace of her through the small window.