PHRC 🍁 Chapter 10: Confessing His Feelings

It was already midday when Rong Zheng returned home. He took the vegetable seeds he had bought to the Wang family. Wang Ze happened to be there and, seeing Rong Zheng, he said with a smile:

"I heard from my mother last night that you want to hire my wife and me to plant vegetables for you. I estimate three mu of land can be planted in two days."

Rong Zheng handed over the seeds he had bought. "I'm actually planning to ask you to help tend to the fields for four days. After the seeds are planted, they need to be watered every day in the early stage. I'm going into the mountains tomorrow for several days, and my return date is uncertain. I'm afraid the seeds might dry out in the sun."

He thought for a moment. "After planting, please help me water them morning and evening. How does two hundred copper coins sound altogether?"

Wang Ze was startled. "That's too much! One hundred and fifty is fine. Watering for the next few days will only take about an hour each time; we can easily do it as a favor. Besides, you already gave our family a hare. Xiaole absolutely loves it."

"If you feel that's unfair, you can just water them for a few extra days." With that, he directly handed over the two hundred copper coins and turned to leave.

Wang Ze called after him, "Alright then! Rest assured, I'll take good care of your fields."

Naturally, he was delighted to earn wages. In rural areas, income sources were scarce to begin with. All the fieldwork could usually be done by family members themselves, so people rarely hired help.

After leaving the Wangs, he went home first to heat the meat buns he had brought back from town on the stove, then wrapped them in several layers of cloth. Putting the pastries into his basket as well, he headed straight for the mountain. He wanted to see Ye Yun as soon as possible.

With his exceptional hearing, he quickly found the two brothers deeper in the forest, one gathering wild vegetables, the other digging medicinal herbs.

When Ye Yun saw him, his feelings were complicated. After their last meeting, when Rong Zheng had learned he was being beaten and had shown such anger and heartache, would he also be like everyone else, just watching from the sidelines until he grew accustomed to it?

In Ye Yun's heart, he always felt Rong Zheng was different from others. It would be a lie to say he hadn't harbored any expectations.

Ever since Rong Zheng had realized his feelings for Ye Yun, seeing him filled his heart with joy. "Eat these meat buns quickly before they get cold. Try the pastries too."

He stared fixedly at Ye Yun. My future husband, truly the more I look, the more handsome he seems.

Those eyes, that nose, those lips, absolutely everything hit all the right notes in his aesthetic preferences. No wonder he could not get Ye Yun out of his mind; even when he saw fine clothes in town, he would think of him.

"You..." Ye Yun started, meaning to ask why Rong Zheng was so kind to them.

But he felt flustered under Rong Zheng's fixed gaze. Those peach blossom eyes brimming with smiles made his face feel warm and his heart beat rapidly. He didn't dare hold the gaze any longer and hurriedly looked away.

At this moment, Ye Chen also walked over. He no longer held the wariness toward Rong Zheng that he had when they last parted. Brother Yun had said he was a good person, and he trusted Brother Yun.

Besides, children were actually very sensitive to people's attitudes. Having suffered nothing but cold treatment from his uncle's family since he was little, he could easily tell that Rong Zheng's kindness toward them was genuine.

Seeing Ye Yun look away and not accept the buns and pastries, Rong Zheng handed them to Ye Chen instead. "Little Chen, take these and eat off to the side for a moment. I want to have a few words alone with your brother."

Ye Chen looked at Brother Yun, who said nothing but also didn't object, so he took the food and walked to the side.

"In the next few days, I'm going to cross over this mountain ridge and go deeper into the wild forest to explore. I might be gone for four or five days, maybe more."

Ye Yun immediately turned his head at this, frowning. "That area is very dangerous. Almost no one goes there. Even experienced hunters with excellent skills won't venture there. I heard that once, a hunter from another village came here and, ignoring warnings, crossed the mountain to hunt, but he never came back. You've only been hunting for a little over a month. You can't be considered experienced yet."

"Oh? Is that concern I hear?" Rong Zheng couldn't resist teasing him a little.

"Do you really have to go?" Ye Yun ignored Rong Zheng's teasing, needing confirmation.

"Don't worry. My skills are decent. Even if I encounter a fierce beast, escaping won't be a problem."

But... but I don't want you to go. Ye Yun felt depressed and angry inside. He didn't want Rong Zheng to take risks, but he had no standing to persuade him further.

He wasn't anyone special to Rong Zheng. What the other person wanted to do or planned to do, how could an outsider like himself interfere?

Seeing Ye Yun's brow still tightly furrowed, Rong Zheng wanted to reach out and smooth the lines away, but afraid of startling him, he suppressed the urge.

He changed the subject. "Do you want to leave your uncle's family?"

Ye Yun smiled bitterly. "It's not that easy. We have nowhere to go."

"Do you trust me? I will definitely help you. When I come back, I'll resolve this matter for you."

Rong Zheng had actually already thought of a strategy. It would undoubtedly involve some maneuvering to get them separated from the family. Ge'er had no right to inherit property, but Ye Chen did.

Once separated, the fields that originally belonged to Ye Yun's family would have to be returned. As for a place to live, he could send them to stay in town for a while, then bring them back once a new house was built. In any case, he was confident he could handle this.

The most important thing right now was having money in hand.

Money might not be everything, but without it, nothing was possible!

"Why are you helping me?" Ye Yun didn't know how Rong Zheng would resolve things, but he was even more curious about the reason. He fixed Rong Zheng with those beautiful eyes of his, wanting an answer, even if he himself could not quite name what he hoped to hear.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, dappling the surroundings with shifting light and shadow.

Golden rays fell upon Ye Yun's body and face, making him seem more vivid and alive than ever. In that moment, Rong Zheng felt Ye Yun's eyes were utterly captivating.

The smile faded from his face as his gaze became soft and intense. "Naturally, because I like you."

Like me? He said he likes me? These words were like a stone thrown into a lake, sending ripples spreading outward, churning Ye Yun's heart into turmoil.

There was surprise, joy, and also confusion. No one had ever expressed affection for him before, leaving him at a loss for how to respond. For a long while, he could not speak.

Rong Zheng observed Ye Yun's expression and noticed he didn't seem repulsed by his directness.

Originally, he had planned to confess only after helping Ye Yun leave his uncle's family, but perhaps the atmosphere was just right now, or perhaps Ye Yun's eyes were so radiant in the sunlight, or more likely, his heart's desire made him unable to hold back!

In any case, the impulse to reveal his feelings in this moment was so strong. He wanted to tell Ye Yun that he liked him.

"Take your time thinking about it. Wait for me to come back. Don't be afraid!"

In Rong Zheng's view, not refusing was the best answer. He called Ye Chen over and, noticing the boy hadn't eaten yet, hurriedly told both of them to eat quickly.

Ye Chen, knowing Rong Zheng was good to them, smiled shyly and said, "Thank you, Brother Rong."

Not bad. It seemed his future brother-in-law would be easy to win over.

Ye Yun looked at the still-warm meat bun in his hand. He hadn't eaten one in years. Usually, he ate cold, hard steamed buns with wild vegetables. He had almost forgotten what a meat bun tasted like.

Glancing sideways at Ye Chen eating contentedly, his heart ached.

The person who had just said he liked him was being so good to them, so good it made him think this was all a dream.

Unable to stop his eyes from growing warm, he lowered his head and took small bites of the meat bun. It was soft and delicious, the meat filling bursting with infinite flavor.

After they finished eating, Rong Zheng helped them gather wild vegetables and chop firewood, then escorted them back to the main mountain path. Watching their bent-over figures, he thought: I must quickly get Ye Yun out of this situation.