Chapter 12: Sexy Handsome Man
Bai Zhi also ducked inside to pack a few of her everyday clothes before coming out.
The village chief took the wooden basin from Hu Changlin’s hands and said urgently, "Let’s hurry. I’ll see you two over. It looks like it’s about to pour."
Zhao Lan agreed, quickly pulling Zhi’er along as they followed Brother Hu and the village chief out of the courtyard.
They were only halfway there when the rain began to fall. They jogged the rest of the way to Hu Changlin’s house. The village chief said, "You two take shelter here for now. Wait for the rain to stop before you go pack up the house, otherwise your quilts will get soaked."
Zhao Lan readily agreed. The village chief then borrowed a straw raincoat from Hu Changlin and headed home through the rain.
Hu Changlin led Zhao Lan and Bai Zhi into the house to sit down. They had barely settled in when they heard a commotion from the back courtyard. Bai Zhi and Zhao Lan quickly followed Hu Changlin to see what was happening.
It turned out to be Hu Feng, who had just returned from the fields. He was sitting shirtless under the eaves in the back courtyard, washing his sweat-drenched clothes.
Raindrops pelted the man’s lean, powerful frame. Glistening droplets slid down his smooth back, snaking their way into the waistband of his navy-blue trousers. ’Now that’s a lethal kind of sexy.’
His sun-bronzed skin did nothing to diminish his handsome features. It was a face that could make any woman’s heart skip a beat.
Bai Zhi swallowed hard, forcing herself to tear her eyes away from the man’s bare torso.
Uncle Hu said with a smile, "Hu Feng, starting today, Aunt Lan and Zhi’er will be staying in our wooden cabin. The rain’s heavy, so they’re here to take shelter for a bit."
Hu Feng glanced at Zhao Lan and gave her a nod. His eyes then swept over to Bai Zhi, but didn’t linger, and he went back to washing his clothes.
Uncle Hu said, "Don’t mind him. Hu Feng’s not much of a talker, but it doesn’t mean you’re not welcome."
Zhao Lan nodded with a smile. "I know. The last time I was out gathering wild vegetables, I nearly fell down a slope. It was Hu Feng who saved my life. I never got the chance to thank him properly."
Uncle Hu laughed heartily. "Oh, is that so? He never mentioned it. Well then, you two rest for a bit while I go make dinner. Why don’t you eat here before heading over to the cabin?"
The moment she heard the word "dinner," Bai Zhi immediately rolled up her sleeves. "Let me! I’ll make dinner. Where’s the kitchen?"
Uncle Hu quickly waved his hands. "No, no, you’re still injured. Go and rest. Once you’re healed, you can cook all you want. I promise I won’t stop you then."
Bai Zhi had already found the kitchen and walked straight in, calling over her shoulder, "My injuries are nothing, just a few scrapes. They’ll heal on their own in a few days."
Uncle Hu turned to look at Zhao Lan. Zhao Lan’s heart ached. ’My daughter is so hurt, yet she’s insisting on cooking. She must be too embarrassed to accept a free meal.’ "If she wants to do it, let her," she said. "It’s just... her cooking isn’t the best. Please bear with her."
’Her cooking is bad?’
Bai Zhi smirked. ’The one with bad cooking skills was the *previous* Bai Zhi. Today’s Bai Zhi is a gourmand, with skills no worse than a chef from a nine-star hotel.’
Other than pots, bowls, and ladles, the kitchen was bare. There wasn’t even a single vegetable sprout to be seen.
After rummaging around for what felt like an eternity, she finally found a small crock with a thin layer of rice at the bottom. By the looks of it, the rice barely covered the bottom; it wasn’t enough for two people, let alone four. In her memories, the original Bai Zhi had never once eaten a proper, fragrant bowl of white rice. Her meals consisted of either rice water or porridge so thin it could barely be called food.
The Bai Family owned five *mu* of land. If the entire harvest were used as food, it would have been enough to feed the family. The problem was, the Bai Family also had Bai Xiaofeng, who needed to pursue his studies.