Su Xiaoqi endured for a while, but it was too itchy, and she couldn't help herself.
She reached out and pressed her waist, blocking Shen Yun's fingers.
But the movement was too fast, and she accidentally pressed on the injured spot, causing her to gasp in pain.
"Ah, it hurts, it hurts..." Su Xiaoqi almost cried.
She could tolerate anything, but she was extremely sensitive to pain.
Shen Yun looked at her speechlessly, extended two fingers, removed her hand, and reapplied ointment to her.
"Mmm, it itches, it's so itchy." Su Xiaoqi broke into a smile and couldn't help but wriggle her waist left and right, trying to dodge his hand.
Shen Yun warned her lightly from above, "If you keep this up, the medicine will be wasted."
Su Xiaoqi immediately dared not move. She didn't want to experience the pain again.
She could only bite her lower lip and lie there obediently, letting Shen Yun apply the medicine.
By the end, she had fallen asleep, not knowing when Shen Yun had finished.
When she woke up, Shen Yun was already gone.
And her space had been upgraded again, reaching level seven.
The paddy fields had expanded to two mu, and the pond had also grown to two fen.
Su Xiaoqi busied herself with harvesting, put things away, and began to ponder the upgrade system of her space.
So far, she knew of two ways to upgrade her space.
The first was to do good deeds and accumulate virtue.
The second was to play kissy-face with Shen Yun.
But she had done neither just now, and it had still upgraded.
Why was that?
Su Xiaoqi was confused.
Just as she was about to retrace her steps to see if she had missed anything, she heard Shen Xiaomei calling her to eat.
There were six people eating at the Shen family's house today, with the addition of Shen Yun's maternal grandmother.
The small eight-immortal table felt a bit crowded.
In the past, with four adults sitting at each side, and the child Shen Erdan sitting close to Madam Zhao, it was just right.
Now that Old Madam Yu occupied one side, Su Xiaoqi sat at one end next to Shen Yun.
With two adults sitting so close, their arms and shoulders inevitably brushed against each other.
Su Xiaoqi was a bit restless, and it wasn't until the dishes were served and she heard Old Madam Yu's words that she returned to normal.
"Ah, San Niang, why do you have rice?" Old Madam Yu asked disbelievingly.
"Mother, this is all, all bought by Xiaoqi," Madam Zhao said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
After all, it was the daughter-in-law's dowry money.
But Su Xiaoqi had repeatedly told her not to mind.
Her dowry was just a pile of junk if it wasn't used, and it was a good thing to exchange it for grain.
"Slap..." Old Madam Yu threw down her chopsticks, a flash of anger on her face.
"San Niang, you are foolish. Yun Ge'er is a scholar. How can you use your daughter-in-law's dowry?"
Su Xiaoqi was startled, and the chopsticks she had just picked up trembled, almost falling to the ground.
Fortunately, Shen Yun quickly grasped her fingers and held them tight for her.
"Mother, Xiaoqi she..." Madam Zhao tried to explain, but didn't know how to say it.
It was true that they had used Xiaoqi's dowry.
"Hey, no, Grandmother, it's not just my dowry.
It's Shen Yun, the money he earned by transcribing books and calligraphy." Su Xiaoqi's mind worked quickly, and she immediately found a plausible excuse.
"Transcribing books. The world is not good these days. Transcribing a book for ten small coins is considered good.
But this white rice costs a thousand wen per dou. How can you afford it?" Old Madam Yu's eyes widened, clearly not believing Su Xiaoqi's words.
This granddaughter-in-law had only been in the village for a short time, but her reputation had already spread.
She had never liked her and privately thought that once Shen Yun achieved success in his studies, she would eventually divorce her and marry a virtuous woman.
Therefore, she couldn't use her dowry, or it would be difficult to explain later.
"Shen Yun, quickly tell your grandmother, didn't that Young Master Qi take a liking to your calligraphy and paintings and offer a large sum to buy them?
Was the money for buying rice and vegetables all from the deposit he gave you?" Su Xiaoqi was very hungry and didn't want to delay on such matters, so she pushed Shen Yun forward.
This was indeed true. The other party had made a very high offer, but Shen Yun felt something was wrong and hadn't agreed yet.
"Shen Yun, quickly tell your grandmother." Su Xiaoqi saw him pondering and knew he didn't want to lie. She put down her bowl and reached under the table to tickle his palm, winking at him with her peach blossom eyes.
"Mmm. A calligraphy scroll for one tael of silver." Shen Yun had no choice but to admit it, and at the same time, he secretly resolved to agree to him. He would bring him a few calligraphy scrolls and paintings next time he went to the county town.
A family like theirs couldn't always rely on the wife's dowry—even though she didn't have much valuable dowry.
Finally, Old Madam Yu was appeased, and the family could eat in peace.
Shen Xiaomei truly had some talent for cooking. Under Su Xiaoqi's guidance, she improved rapidly.
The braised pork she made was soft and fragrant, and even the stir-fried wild vegetables were so delicious that they were wiped clean from the plates.
Old Madam Yu couldn't remember how long it had been since she had eaten so much.
At her eldest son's home, living with his stingy and selfish eldest daughter-in-law,
She could not even dream of eating white rice. It was good enough to have a black steamed bun every day.
After suddenly eating some good food, she accidentally overate.
She suffered from indigestion that night and started to fuss.
Fortunately, Su Xiaoqi was a light sleeper. Moreover, when she saw Old Madam Yu eat three bowls of rice and half of the braised pork,
She knew that she would not sleep well that night.
However, the old lady disliked her, refused to listen to her, and glared at her, saying that she was stingy, unfilial, and didn't want her to eat.
Alas, a single sentence angered Su Xiaoqi, so she decided to let her eat as much as she wanted. Then she would know her mistake.
Considering Old Madam Yu's age and fragility, and the upgrade requirements of her space, before going to bed, she had brewed a bowl of stomach-soothing soup and kept it warm on the stove.
When Shen Yun heard the commotion and got up to check on her, she went directly to the kitchen, carrying the medicine.
Madam Zhao fed Old Madam Yu. After a while, the medicine took effect, and she finally fell asleep peacefully.
Madam Zhao quietly closed the door and saw Su Xiaoqi. Thinking of her mother's pickiness towards her, she felt a little apologetic.
"My mother was strong-willed her whole life. Now that she's old, her legs and feet are not convenient, and her temper is a bit strange. Xiaoqi, please be understanding."
Su Xiaoqi didn't take it to heart at all. Everyone gets old, and respecting the elderly is a traditional virtue.
However, after this ordeal, the injury on her waist seemed to have worsened, and she couldn't even walk for a while. She leaned against the doorframe to rest, waiting to feel better before going back inside.
Just then, she saw Shen Yun walk over and extend his hand to her, implying that he could carry her.
Su Xiaoqi was about to refuse, but she saw that Shen Yun wasn't asking for her opinion at all.
Instead, he reached out and hugged her directly.
Su Xiaoqi's body stiffened, and she instinctively struggled. She heard Shen Yun murmur in her ear, "If you move again, I'll have to apply medicine."
Su Xiaoqi froze. She didn't want to lie there and let Shen Yun doodle on her again.
She straightened her back, not daring to struggle.
Fortunately, Shen Yun knew his limits and didn't tease her further. He carried her to the bed, covered her with a quilt, and lay down on the inside.
Su Xiaoqi lay on her stomach, her waist aching faintly. Thinking that the day's events were not yet fully explained, she was not in the mood to sleep.
She gently nudged Shen Yun, "Hey, are you asleep?"
Shen Yun grabbed her hand.
Su Xiaoqi said, "Zhao Hai'e took me there today. I didn't know he was there."
Shen Yun replied with an "Mmm" and then fell silent.
Su Xiaoqi knew he was sensitive. Not hearing a useful response, she continued, "Shen Yun, believe me, I have absolutely no relationship with him."
There was another period of silence. Just as Su Xiaoqi thought Shen Yun wouldn't speak, his voice finally came out in a low tone:
"Don't run around recklessly anymore."
This meant he believed her!
Su Xiaoqi finally felt at ease and fell asleep.
In the darkness, Shen Yun's eyes shone like stars. He turned to look at the sleeping Su Xiaoqi, his thin lips curling into a slight smile.