"I'm back!" Lu Yu pushed open the door, and warmth and fragrance wafted towards her.
Shen Xuan and Afu were still busy by the stove. "Wife, you're back?"
"Mm, I'm back early today." Lu Yu smelled the aroma and sniffed, "It smells so good."
Shen Xuan, busy nearby, occasionally looked up at Lu Yu. He found Lu Yu gazing at him with a gentle expression, the corners of her eyes curving. He lowered his head, and a blush of unnatural redness crept onto his fair face, as if he had applied rouge.
Seeing Shen Xuan secretly glancing at her, his expression a mix of wanting to look yet being shy, Lu Yu felt that this kind of life wasn't bad. A relaxed life, simple interpersonal relationships, and most importantly, a delicious husband, hehe.
Realizing she might have lost her composure in front of her husband, she quickly withdrew her expression and turned to drink some tea.
In the evening, the two strolled along a country path. Since marrying into Canghe Village, this was Shen Xuan's first time walking around the village, attracting curious glances from the children playing in the fields.
"This is your first time here, isn't it?"
"Mm," Shen Xuan nodded.
The gentle country breeze brushed against his cheeks. The feeling of freedom was wonderful.
"Come catch me, I'm here!"
"Come on, come on, over here!"
A group of children, about five or six years old, were playing hide-and-seek in the fields. Their voices came from a distance, approaching Shen Xuan.
Shen Xuan's gaze followed a little girl hiding behind a haystack near him, and he couldn't help but smile. His eyes were like water, and a look of envy was evident in them.
When he was young, he had wanted to join other children playing hide-and-seek in the manor. However, Zhao Liu, on the grounds that boys should be steady, forbade other children from playing with him. Every time, he could only watch with envy.
At that time, besides Afu, no other children his age were willing to approach him. They were all eager to serve Zhao Liu and Shen Jia. Gradually, this led to his quiet disposition.
But his fundamental nature wouldn't change; it was merely hidden.
The scene before him evoked memories of his childhood. Those days were always joyful, without too many worries.
Feeling Shen Xuan suddenly stop beside him, Lu Yu turned her head. Seeing Shen Xuan's gentle gaze at the children, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a doting smile appearing on her lips, her eyes fixed on him.
Sensing the gaze upon him, Shen Xuan turned around and looked directly into Lu Yu's eyes.
Through her eyes, he saw a tranquil world where only he existed, making it impossible to look away.
This time, he didn't panic. He smiled at her, his eyes curving, revealing his clean, even teeth.
"Ouch!"
The little girl, her eyes covered, was searching for the sound she had just heard. However, unable to see the path, she bumped right into Shen Xuan, causing him to stumble. Fortunately, Lu Yu was quick and reached out to steady him, preventing a fall.
But the little girl was not so lucky. She sat down on the ground, removed the cloth from her eyes, and looked at the two people in front of her in confusion. She hadn't expected anyone else to be there, and she hadn't heard any sounds when she approached.
That's right, of course, she wouldn't have heard. The two of them had been standing there, gazing at each other, not walking or speaking.
Seeing the girl fall, Shen Xuan quickly pulled his arm away from Lu Yu's support and bent down to help the girl up.
"Brother, are you okay?" The girl, once helped up, looked at the unfamiliar man in front of her and asked with concern.
She thought no one was there and believed all her companions were hidden. She was intimately familiar with the terrain here and had rushed to this spot at full speed, wanting to catch the companion who had just made a sound. Unexpectedly, an unexpected obstacle appeared.
"I'm fine! I'm very sturdy." Saying this, she punched the air twice to prove her words.
"This brother isn't from our village, is he? I've never seen you."
"Mm, we haven't seen you either." Seeing the girl fall, her other companions also rushed over. They had all lived in the village since childhood and had seen everyone living there.
"I wasn't here before, so you haven't seen me." Facing a group of innocent children, Shen Xuan's words became more numerous.
"You weren't here before, so will you be here in the future?" The girls were good at catching loopholes in words and spoke up one after another.
"Mm, I will be in the future." Shen Xuan nodded at them.
"Brother, did you move to our village? Where do you live?" The girl who had bumped into him eagerly asked.
"He lives with me." Lu Yu, who had been ignored for a long time, finally had a chance to interject. As she spoke, she moved closer to Shen Xuan.
She secretly grumbled, "Talking to children isn't as interesting as talking to me. I brought you here, and you're just leaving me aside like this."
"Why? Brother, are you her relative?"
"Then why haven't you come before?"
"Brother, were you from the town before? Your voice is so nice."
"Your voice is also very nice." Shen Xuan smiled shyly at the children's praise, bending down to pat her head.
The girls were very talkative. Normally, the adults were busy working, and only they, peers, played together. No adult had ever spoken to them so patiently.
Seeing that Shen Xuan hadn't answered their previous questions, one of the girls had a flash of inspiration. "Brother, could you possibly be Sister Lu's husband?"
"Husband?" A younger girl didn't understand what a husband was and looked at them with confusion. "What is that?"
Before Shen Xuan could interject, he was interrupted by the girl who had just spoken. "It's a man who lives with his wife every day!"
After saying this, she stood there proudly, accepting the admiration of the other children.
Shen Xuan was startled by her words, his face quickly flushing red. Seeing that the little girl was about to say more, he quickly spoke up, "Yes, I am her husband."
After saying this, he belatedly glanced at Lu Yu, saw her smiling and looking at him, and quickly turned his face away, the blush quickly creeping up to his ears.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yu felt as if her tail was wagging all the way to heaven. However, seeing her husband's easily shy nature, she shook her head. This wouldn't do. She should train him more in the future and let him get used to it sooner.
The children chattered around Shen Xuan, asking him endless questions, all of which Shen Xuan patiently answered. The children sat on the ground. Seeing this, Lu Yu also pulled Shen Xuan to sit down and join their group.
Laughter and joy echoed in the sky above the fields, lingering for a long time.