After bundling herself and the little kids, Su Wan walked to the entrance of their house. It was still early in the morning, if not for Lin Chen pulling the stunt of filling her room with those flowers she wouldn't have woken up so early. The golden glow of the sun still had its reddish glow, the cold winds from the sea breeze harshly pummeled against their skin making it turn blue from pale. At this time, the hard-working villagers of the Dong Tong village were up and about to their daily jobs braving against the snow piled up in their paths.
Even if the weather was cold enough to freeze someone to death, there was no such thing as staying home and bundling up on the Kang for the hard-working farmers, their fields were still waiting for them to come and rescue them from the freezing snow, the selfless fields has nurtured generations after generation of their family's farmers. And now it was time for the farmers to repay their gratitude by managing their fields properly.
" Hello, are you third brother Fang?" asked Su Wan once she reached the outer courtyard where a tall and thin figure was standing, the young man was still dressed in his spring clothes with only a flimsy cotton-padded jacket that did almost nothing against the cold winter winds. The young man's face was slightly flushed and because his complexion was paler than others, he looked like his entire face was on fire.
" Y-yes, I - I'm Fang Xiaolin's third brother, my - my name is Fang Kai" answered the young man, he wasn't stuttering because he was born with it but because he was just too cold. He had woken up at four to travel all the way to the Dong Tong village. Actually, he set off in just his clothes and nothing else, this thin cotton-padded jacket was given to him by his sister who couldn't see him trembling like a wet dog. However, Fang Xiaolin's family wasn't well off either and she could only give Fang Kai, her husband's old jackets to wear.
Thus, Fang Kai was still feeling cold despite having a jacket on his body, after all, it has snowed last night and a single layer of clothing couldn't protect him against the winter properly.
Su Wan watched him shiver and her heart couldn't help but sympathize with him. Fang Kai was two years younger than Fang Xiaolin who was eighteen that is to say he was only sixteen yet at the tender age of sixteen he has to wake up at four and travel for three hours in the snow to sell meat. It was really too hard for some people, alright .
" why don't you come inside?" asked Su Wan, seeing this young man who was so thin and malnourished that his cheeks were sunken with his jaw sharp enough to chop someone, Su Wan's old mommy heart couldn't help but melt. The boy was so cute looking and small, even though he was taller than her, Su Wan was certain that she could make him fall on his butt with just a single push.
" I-is it alright?" Fang Kai would have refused if possible but right now his pitiful condition didn't allow him to be picky. He was already seen shivering like a wet dog by her, so there was no need for him to shrink away from the kindness that she was providing him. Fang Kai, was a realistic individual, even though Su Wan looked stunning in her lotus cyan coloured fox fur robe, with three little kids sticking to her, he didn't dare to have any other thoughts regarding her.
After all, compared to her who lived in such a big house, had such good clothes to wear -he was like a dirty rat who crawled in front of her. Thus, Fang Kai only took some appreciating glances at Su Wan's delicately flushed face and nothing more. Was she someone he could randomly have ideas about? Of course not.
" what's wrong with it? You are my friend's brother so you are like my brother as well " said Su Wan as she ushered Fang Kai to follow her inside, then she thought about something for a while before blinking her big eyes and languidly laughed " however, I'm afraid that if I let you stay here, you might really become a frozen popsicle "
" Then thank you sister " Fang Kai good-naturedly thanked Su Wan before picking up his basket in which he brought the meat he wanted to sell and followed Su Wan inside. Now that the latter has consented he too wouldn't stand on ceremony.
Though Su Wan was from the modern world, she still knew how to act tactfully in the era she was currently living in, so instead of bringing Fang Kai to the kitchen or anywhere else with a closed off area, she brought him to the front hall which was closest to her parents-in-law's room. The front hall was still cold since mother Lin and father Lin didn't wake up yet, last night incident weighed on the minds of both elderly quite heavily thus the two of them didn't sleep all night and only fell asleep at dawn, everyone understood their predicament and tactfully didn't wake them.
Su Wan first lit the brazier in the front hall where they normally entertained their guests before sending Qi Mei to bring some hot water from the kitchen, drinking warm water in such cold weather was good for their health. Once she was done settling the matter of entertaining the guests she picked up Qi Zhi and hugged him before sitting down. Don't think that just because she was bundled up she wasn't feeling cold at all, she disliked winter the most and since the body she was residing in had a broken foundation, she needed to take even better care of herself. This is why she hugged Qi Zhi to warm herself, even more, she couldn't risk catching a chill before she got her first period no matter what.
"Sister Su, thank you for your hospitality" after drinking the hot ginger and sugar water that Qi Mei brought, Fang Kai felt his entire body warm-up. He gave Qi Mei a friendly smile that displayed his dimples before looking at Su Wan because he didn't pay attention to Qi Mei after that, he missed his chance to see the little girl's blushing because of him. Don't look down on Qi Mei just because she was ten years old in this era girls could get married at fifteen thus, Qi Mei was mature enough to get embarrassed and shy when a good looking man, smiled at her. Of course, she blushed only because she found Fang Kai cute and nothing more.
Qi Shuyan looked at his sister who has gone red in the face and pursed his lips before looking at Fang Kai, what was good about this guy? Wasn't he just a pretty boy? The thirteen-year-old lad couldn't understand the importance of having ' an idol like good looking face' and could only ponder about it helplessly.