Liu Duo couldn’t be bothered, so he talked some more, “My reward isn’t just for anybody. You should feel honored.”
Honored? Geez…
“Just say it then. What it is you have for me?” Liu Duo played along.
So, Ye Mo’s ears slowly reddened as he pressed nearer to her. Her heart beat quickly. Could it be that his reward was a kiss?
She wouldn’t want that!
Just when she thought he was going to kiss her, Ye Mo whispered by her ear, “When you’re done menstruating, I’m giving myself to you as your reward!”
Liu Duo felt thunderstruck by the announcement. Was this an appointment to make love? What kind of reward was that?
He and Ye Liu shared the same name, and that name was ‘shamelessness’! They just wanted to take advantage of her!
Ye Yang may have been aloof, and he wanted intimacy too, but he wouldn’t cross the line in terms of actions and words. Ye Ling, the complete opposite, was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper.
She didn’t know where the strength came from, but she shoved him aside, “Who would want your reward? Not me!”
She sneered at him and left.
He snickered, “I’ll give it to you, whether you like it or not! I’ll be waiting!”
Liu Duo was used to his shameless proclamations, but that didn’t stop the corners of her mouth from twitching. There were no limits to his shamelessness! It was almost like a work in progress, upon which he would make improvements every day!
When she got downstairs, Liu Duo sat beside Ye Yang. Ye Mo arrived behind her, but there weren’t any available seats around her, so he had to sit elsewhere.
After lunch, when they were resting, Li Wazi suddenly noticed his wife wearing a pair of earrings. It was the exact pair he had seen in the shop.
So he walked over, “My dear, where did you get these earrings?”
If he remembered correctly, his wife didn’t have any accessories. They didn’t have money to buy those things.
Little Lian shot him a coy look, “Sister Duo gave them to me. What do you think?”
She seemed to be blaming him for failing to notice.
Those were from Liu Duo?
He glanced over at Liu Duo who was speaking to Ye Ling.
Earlier he thought the two hadn’t been able to make up their minds and had therefore asked for his opinion. Who could have known it was for his wife?
“Oh, they’re gorgeous!” Li Wazi looked back at his wife. She certainly looked much prettier with earrings.
Little Lian blushed shyly when her husband praised her.
Li Wazi laughed heartily at the sight of his wife’s reaction. He went over to thank Liu Duo.
“Liu Duo, thank you very much,” he expressed his heartfelt gratitude.
She knew what he meant. She merely waved at him to say that it was but a small matter. A pair of earrings didn’t cost much.
She stayed with them a little longer before retiring upstairs for a nap.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye. Liu Duo finished her drawings and passed them to Ye Liu, “Liuzi, please take these to Miss Fang on your way.”
“Alright. Is there anything you want to eat, Little Duo? I can bring some back for you,” Ye Liu offered as he kept the drawings safely on his person.
“Some fruit then. That would be all.”
He nodded and, with Li Wazi’s help, moved the bamboo shoots into the ox-cart. Those were for the restaurant.
Ye Mo packed up the accounts book, brushes, and ink into the bag that Ye Ling had specially sewn for him. He also went to help load the stock.
It wasn’t long before Ye Yang carried his farming tools and headed out the door.
