Generous Indulgence, Petty Restrictions

Xia Yanchun's heart skipped a beat. Her stomach was being rubbed so comfortably by Shen Nian that she hadn't paid much attention. In a moment of distraction, Shen Nian's hand had already slipped down to the hem of her undershirt.

She quickly grabbed Shen Nian's hand, pulling it out from under her clothes, and pressed it against her lower abdomen to stop him from moving. This kind of thing...

The breathing behind her was very hot, making Xia Yanchun's ears itch. She didn't dare to turn around, and the force with which she pressed down on Shen Nian's offending hand lessened a bit.

As soon as she stopped him, Shen Nian indeed behaved. He didn't make a sound, just kept his hand pressed against her stomach over her pajamas.

"..."

Xia Yanchun didn't even dare to imagine how red her face was right now. The breath she exhaled felt a degree hotter, enough to burn her to the point of making her eyes well up with moisture.

Just thinking about Shen Nian's actions a moment ago made her heart race wildly.

This kind of thing... she still couldn't accept it for the time being...

But, but...

A small car drove by, the sound of its wheels rolling over the dirty road transmitting clearly into the room. Shen Nian's hand also stopped moving, afraid of disturbing Xia Yanchun's sleep.

Shen Nian was actually a little surprised that he hadn't been scolded just now. He had been fully prepared to let Xia Yanchun's cursing go in one ear and out the other, but in the end, she didn't say a single word.

He couldn't guess her thoughts or read her mind. It was obvious at a glance—she was simply too shy to speak.

He liked her even more now.

Shen Nian knew Xia Yanchun wasn't asleep, but he didn't disturb her. Even he felt a bit heavy-headed after riding in a car all day and wanted to get a good rest, let alone Xia Yanchun.

"Mhm..." Xia Yanchun let out a soft hum, lightly scratching the back of Shen Nian's now-behaving hand to express her dissatisfaction.

Shen Nian's hand started moving again, rubbing her stomach as he whispered breathily, "Still not asleep?"

"I was just about to fall asleep..."

"Uh..." Shen Nian let out an awkward, silly chuckle, feeling a bit apologetic.

"Hmph."

"Stop humming like a little pig, go to sleep."

He needed to honestly coax Xia Yanchun to sleep, as he had to sleep himself too.

Xia Yanchun pursed her lips, grabbed Shen Nian's fingers, and quietly pulled them upwards.

Shen Nian opened his eyes, his mind unsettled.

Xia Yanchun placed Shen Nian's hand exactly where he had touched just moments ago, then ignored everything else and closed her eyes to sleep.

"...Chunbao...?" Shen Nian called out tentatively, afraid he had misunderstood Xia Yanchun's intentions.

But he could only interpret it in one way, and his heartbeat quickened accordingly.

Xia Yanchun gave him no response. Her lower abdomen rose and fell. Even though she had just been talking, she now seemed like a fast-asleep kitten.

Shen Nian's Adam's apple bobbed unconsciously, and his ears flushed with his rising emotions. With Xia Yanchun's tacit consent, his hand started to become restless again.

Pajamas could not conceal the young girl's shyness and affection.

As expected, Xia Yanchun still couldn't indulge Shen Nian too much.

She had indulged him very generously, yet also restricted him very stingily.

Even over her clothes, she only indulged Shen Nian for a short little while.

Unable to endure this unfamiliar sensation, she quickly moved Shen Nian's hand away and turned around with a muffled sound. Not daring to meet his eyes, she shrank directly into his embrace.

"Chunbao," Shen Nian murmured blankly. He took a deep breath of the scent of Xia Yanchun's hair, feeling utterly relaxed and happy.

"Turn around."

"Don't do this..."

"Hurry up..." Xia Yanchun showed a bit of temper.

Shen Nian grimaced. After hesitating for a moment, he chose to turn around.

Xia Yanchun's arms wrapped around Shen Nian's waist, her fingertips lightly tracing the outlines of his abdominal muscles. This instantly jolted Shen Nian awake, banishing all his drowsiness and leaving him more energized than a hyperactive teenager.

It wouldn't be easy to fall asleep tonight.

...

The next day.

The rain had stopped yesterday, but the ground was still wet and soggy.

Today was probably market day. Early in the morning, there were already quite a few vehicles coming and going. The most common were tricycles, pulling cartloads of livestock to set up stalls at the market.

The prices for home-raised chickens and ducks in the town were quite high, over twenty yuan for half a kilo. Just half a kilo cost as much as a whole chicken at a fast-food burger joint.

On the town's market day, no matter how wet the roads were, people would still come out to sell their goods.

Shen Nian didn't wake up until six o'clock today. He didn't go for a workout. After cooking porridge at home, he had nothing else to do, so he went out to stroll around the market.

He didn't know how long it had been since he last wandered through the town's market. In the past, there used to be snake medicine peddlers who would bring a venomous snake to bite themselves, and then apply their own medicine. Shen Nian couldn't help but join the crowd to watch every time, feeling that they were incredibly impressive.

There was also another type who sold medicine for bruises and fractures. They would break a chicken's leg, apply the medicine, and in no time, the chicken would be jumping around alive and kicking again...

Perhaps due to the popularization of information on the internet, everyone now knew that these tricks were unreliable, and no one sold such things anymore.

It was a good thing that people could see through the vendors' little theatrical tricks, but it couldn't be denied that the current market days were no longer as appealing to Shen Nian.

Before, he could at least look at big snakes, but now there was nothing like that to see. It was dull and uninteresting.

After a long time, the weather finally cleared up.

The thick clouds receded, revealing more and more of the blue sky. Finally, a fiery red sun appeared, driving away the last traces of gloom. The rainy season had passed, and the next few days would be bright and sunny.

This was a good thing.

Shen Nian was in a good mood. He bought some green vegetables, and on his way back, he also bought a kilogram of walnuts. These things had high nutritional value and made a delicious soup when boiled with pork ribs. Coupled with his [Cooking Mastery], various effects could be maximized.

It was already half past seven by the time he got home.

His parents weren't up yet, so Shen Nian cooked the green vegetables he had just bought.

Breakfast was generally on the lighter side, and having baby greens with porridge was very nourishing.

These weren't just ordinary baby greens; they were baby greens that could relieve mental fatigue.

Chen Minyue and Shen Shi still had to go to the breeding farm later. Eating some baby greens first thing in the morning would instantly max out their condition to go make big money.

If you don't buff your parents, you'll never know how hard they can work (just kidding).

If Shen Nian had come home on the very first day of his holidays, he would definitely be called to do chores today. But he had only been back for a day. As everyone knows, a child who has just returned home is treated like a piece of gold—you can't beat them, and you can't scold them.

A little past nine, under the abundant warm sunshine, Chen Minyue and Shen Shi came downstairs together.

"Hmm? You've already made breakfast?" Seeing Shen Nian sitting on the first floor early in the morning, Chen Minyue was a bit surprised.

"Yeah, go eat quickly. The porridge is just the right temperature, but the dishes will get cold if you wait any longer," Shen Nian grinned.

"So diligent."

"Of course. How else could I get such high scores if I wasn't diligent?"

Shen Nian had a set of 'runes and item builds' for achieving high scores: ten points in persistence, ten in effort, and ten in sweat. As for his parents, they naturally just needed to stay healthy and safe.

Chen Minyue smiled. After eating breakfast and packing up her things, she got into Shen Shi's car.

Shen Nian, right now, was very reassuring in every aspect.