"Li Erya, I have witnesses this time. Don't embarrass yourself here," Lan Yan said, hands on her hips, bursting into laughter.
Li Erya's face instantly lost all color, and she stood rooted in anger. She glanced at the increasing number of villagers attracted by the commotion, listened to their whispers, and then ran away.
Tears were streaming down her face as she left. She couldn't figure out what Lan Yan had done to get Jun Yelan to speak for her!
The remaining villagers began to murmur, "Is this still the Lan family girl! She actually knows how to manage a household."
"Her family lost their main labor force, and her child-husband is too weak. This household naturally cannot do without her. She has grown through hardship, and we shouldn't have been so harsh on Lan Ya."
Seeing the tidied courtyard and Jun Yelan not being scolded, these villagers thought Lan Yan had improved and attributed it to Lan Chuo's accident.
Lan Yan, seeing this, was saved the trouble of explaining. She smiled and said, "Esteemed elders and fellow villagers, from today onwards, I, Lan Yan, have turned over a new leaf. I will take good care of this family and will not cause trouble for the villagers anymore."
Previously, the original owner had always clashed with the villagers, leading to almost everyone in the village disliking her.
The villagers also knew that the Lan siblings had a hard time, and now they had to support Jun Yelan as well. They became less critical and left, hoping Lan Yan's words were true.
Lan Yan watched them leave, a smile blooming on her lips. Finally, things were changing.
Jun Yelan stood behind her, his gaze fixed on Lan Yan. His probing thoughts had lessened. He could feel that the person before him was completely different from before, or rather, two different people.
Lan Yan turned and saw Jun Yelan looking at her like this. She touched her face, but there was nothing dirty on it. She blinked her eyes and said, "Jun Yelan, thank you for earlier."
"Also, what I said to the villagers is what I want to say to you. I will treat you well from now on."
Jun Yelan's eyes quivered slightly. This person was saying such things again. Did she know that promises couldn't be made lightly? He felt Lan Yan was increasingly careless and sat down to continue tending to the chicken coop.
"Why isn't there any response?" Lan Yan murmured. She turned and saw Jun Yelan start working, so she sat down to help.
Working together, they soon finished the chicken coop and placed it in a corner of the yard.
Lan Yan then opened the chicken cage and watched the chicks eagerly run out, wandering around the coop. "Little chicks, you must grow up obediently. Once you grow up, you can be eaten."
A hint of eeriness touched her smile.
The little chicks thought: *Wuwuwu, we don't want to grow up.*
Lan Yan closed the coop door and looked up at the increasingly gathering dark clouds. "Is it going to rain?"
By evening, as they entered the house, thunder rumbled overhead, accompanied by sudden flashes of lightning. At the same time, a light rain began, gradually intensifying. The pattering sound of the rain could be heard even from inside the room.
Lan Yan was sewing clothes. Seeing Jun Yelan enter, she picked up a ruler and said, "Just in time, I'll measure you." She walked to Jun Yelan's side and placed the ruler on his shoulder.
Before Jun Yelan could react, he stared at the person so close to him, feeling quite uncomfortable. He moved his arm, but Lan Yan held his sleeve.
"Don't move, I haven't finished measuring," Lan Yan said, holding the ruler and making comparisons, jotting down notes on paper, then proceeding to measure his chest. She leaned forward slightly, the ruler brushing against his chest.
She looked up, meeting Jun Yelan's downward gaze. The room fell silent for a moment, until raindrops landed on Jun Yelan's shoulder.
Jun Yelan frowned, turned, and placed a basin on the ground to catch the leaking rain.
Lan Yan looked up at the roof and discovered several places were leaking. She went to get basins and buckets. However, there were too many leaks, and not enough containers. Raindrops were even falling onto their bed.
"I'll go check the roof," Jun Yelan said, walking outside, grabbing tools, and setting up the unused ladder against the roof. He climbed up the ladder.
Lan Yan followed him out, holding the ladder from below. She watched Jun Yelan's slender yet determined back in the darkness and called out, "Jun Yelan, be careful."
Rainwater streamed down her hair, her entire face wet, and even her eyelashes were dotted with water droplets. Her eyes remained fixed on Jun Yelan above, fearing any mishap.
Jun Yelan stood at the top of the ladder. He first located the leak above the bed and covered it with planks and straw. The roof was too badly damaged and needed rebuilding. He could only plan for that tomorrow in daylight.
He cast a cold glance, then gripped the ladder with both hands and began to descend. However, the ladder, soaked in rain, had become slippery. He missed a step and almost fell backward.
Lan Yan below immediately cried out, "Jun Yelan! Go down slowly." Oh my, falling from there would be serious.
Hearing the worried voice, Jun Yelan felt a strange sensation in his heart. He quickly refocused his attention and slowly descended the ladder.
As his feet touched the ground, Lan Yan grabbed his arms and looked up into her worried eyes.
Lan Yan nervously scanned Jun Yelan all over and asked, "Are you hurt? You're soaked. Hurry and go inside to change."
"Are you worried about me?" Jun Yelan blurted out involuntarily. As soon as he spoke, he regretted it and turned to walk inside. What was he doing just now!
Lan Yan called out from behind, "Of course, you're my child-husband." Seeing Jun Yelan pause and then move further away, a faint smile graced her lips.
She looked down at her own wet clothes, shivered, and decided to go inside.
The two stood at opposite ends of the house. Jun Yelan looked at Lan Yan. Her clothes clung to her, revealing her figure.
He turned and said, "You change first." He went into the adjacent room.
Lan Yan didn't have time to call him back and had to take out clothes from the cabinet and change. "Achoo!" She sniffed. With such heavy rain, would she catch a cold!
Jun Yelan, having changed in the next room, heard her sneeze. He went to the kitchen and brewed a bowl of ginger soup. He handed it to Lan Yan, not looking at her, and said, "If you catch a cold, I'll have to take care of you. Drink this."
He was doing this based on Lan Yan's recent actions.
Lan Yan nodded, took it, and drank it down in one gulp, feeling much more comfortable. She put down the bowl and quickly burrowed into the covers. Sleeping in this weather was the most comfortable.
However, when she saw the floor soaked by the rain and then looked at Jun Yelan standing still.
Oh no, Jun Yelan had nowhere to sleep tonight!
Jun Yelan hugged his thin blanket, preparing to spend the night on the chair.
But Lan Yan grabbed his sleeve, tugged it, and asked, "Jun Yelan, why don't you sleep here?" She moved further into the bed, leaving half the space empty.
Jun Yelan looked over, slightly stunned.