Translator: Fan Translation Studio

  Ye Xiaoxian did not answer but just looked at the pomelo flesh in her hands and felt very complicated.

  That night, after washing up, Xiao Baoshan went back to his own room rather early. His thoughts remained as before: As Little Ye finds me annoying, I’d better not disturb her for now.

  As for Ye Xiaoxian, seeing the tightly shut door to Xiao Baoshan’s room, she remained silent for a while and then also went back to her own room.

  Lying on the bed she slightly sighed. There was a lack of passion between them. She could not sense the feelings of love. Just let it be!

  Xiao Baoshan came back this time and would stay for a couple of days. He felt bored being at home and so went to the restaurant to help.

  He did not cling to Ye Xiaoxian this time when he went to help. He sometimes served the food as a waiter. However, he was too tall and strong and when he served food there was no smile on his stern face, so none of the customers dared say anything once he came over.

  Li Hongmei was afraid that he would scare customers away, so she asked him to come back and go to the backyard to help the others chop vegetables.

  Xiao Baoshan had little choice and could only go to the backyard.

  What they were doing in the backyard was washing and chopping vegetables. Xiao Baoshan then started working with the newly employed assistants. There was a door in the yard which was for the employees to come in and go out.

  Xiao Baoshan was washing the stuff and suddenly spotted Xian who came in from outside.

  An assistant asked Xian, “Sister Xian, where did you go?”


  Xian looked a bit tense. “No……nowhere particular. I just went out to buy some stuff. We were lacking some ingredients just now.” Xian then hurried back to the kitchen.

  Xiao Baoshan stopped the work he was doing and frowned slightly.

  Now Ye Xiaoxian was mainly in charge of inspection and management at the restaurant. She sometimes went to the front hall to take bills. Occasionally some customers would call her over and chat with her, asking how she cooked the dishes and how she won the prize in the provincial capital.

  Ye Xiaoxian was not very good at socializing, so once she could not manage a social conversation Li Hongmei would fill her shoes while she would find an excuse for saying she was busy in the kitchen.

  On that day, Ye Xiaoxian went to the kitchen and found there were only Little Five, Little Six and a fire-attending assistant inside. Xian was missing.

  Xiao Baoshan was not there either.

  Ye Xiaoxian did not mind where Xian went as she might go to the toilet at any time. It was just that she felt a bit upset at Xiao Baoshan not being here. Would he go back to the new house because she ignored him? Or go back to the dock?

  Ye Xiaoxian thought about it and felt that her mind was also very contradictory. When Xiao Baoshan was here she found him annoying but when he was not here she was worried that he may have second thoughts about their relationship. If he did have second thoughts, would her situation return to what it was like in the past? She was previously like a widow with a husband.

  Ye Xiaoxian went the backyard and wanted to have a look if he was washing vegetables there.

  However, Xiao Baoshan was not in the backyard either. What was more strange was that Xian was also not in the backyard.

  Seeing that Ye Xiaoxian seemed to be looking for someone, a new assistant pointed at a room in the backyard.

  In order to avoid gossip the door was not shut. Ye Xiaoxian cautiously looked inside and noticed that Xiao Baoshan and Xian were talking by the door.

  Ye Xiaoxian walked towards the door with lighter steps and heard Xiao Baoshan talking.

  “.……This is your freedom and we respect your freedom. We won’t force you to stay, but I hope if you do want to leave you should leave decisively and do not take anything here with you. Well, I’ll give you two hours to think about it. If you make up your mind, come and talk to me later.”


  Xian did not say anything but was only sobbing in a low voice.

  Xiao Baoshan soon came out of the room. Seeing Ye Xiaoxian standing outside he nodded to her slightly and added, “I was discussing something with Xian.”


  “What were you discussing?” asked Ye Xiaoxian. She had actually guessed that Xian seemed to want to leave the restaurant.

  Xiao Baoshan was yet to answer but Xian inside could not help but come out and directly knelt down in front of Ye Xiaoxian. “Sister Ye, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have met that Sister Xiang. Sister Xiang said that she wanted to hire me to be the chef of her restaurant and cook the dishes on their menu.”


  “Have you agreed?” asked Ye Xiaoxian plainly.

  “No, no, I haven’t agreed formally. Brother Xiao just told me that Sister Xiang is actually up to no good and aims to defeat our restaurant. When she achieves her goal she’ll cast me aside because if I can betray Sister Ye, I can also betray her. Betrayers will not end up well. I’m having a great time in Sister Ye’s restaurant and I shouldn’t be greedy, so I won’t go.”


  While Xian was speaking she started crying.

  Ye Xiaoxian quickly helped Ye Xiaoxian to get up, wiped her tears for her and then smiled. “Look at you. Don’t cry. It was her who came to you. It wasn’t you who volunteered to find her and besides, you haven’t said yes to her.”


  “But I……” Xian did not have the nerve to tell them that she almost said yes.

  Ye Xiaoxian said again, “Do you feel that the wage we pay you is not enough?”


  “No, it’s not like that,” said Xian.

  Ye Xiaoxian smiled. “Let’s call it a day for now. We’ll have a meeting tonight after the restaurant is closed.”


  Xian went back to work while Ye Xiaoxian looked at Xiao Baoshan. Xiao Baoshan also looked back at her. The two pairs of eyes met each other while the two people seemed to be calm, but inside their hearts something was churning up and down like the tide.

  Xiao Baoshan still thought that Ye Xiaoxian would find him annoying so he said, “I’ll go and help the others wash vegetables.”


  “Baoshan, wait a minute!” Ye Xiaoxian called him to stop.

  “Yes?” said Xiao Baoshan.

  Ye Xiaoxian walked under the eave and continued to ask him, “How did you find out about Xian?”


  “She left in the middle of work and when she came back she looked very tense. I guessed that there must be something on her mind. After I asked her she became more nervous and could not hold it back, so she spilled everything.”


  “Now I see. Thank you so much for that. Without you I wouldn’t have known about this,” said Ye Xiaoxian.

  “You’re welcome,” Xiao Baoshan said plainly as usual. This time he did not leave first as he wanted to see Ye Xiaoxian go first.

  But Ye Xiaoxian also did not go and the two of them stood there awkwardly for a while. Ye Xiaoxian then said, “I don’t have much to do for now. Why don’t you take me out for a wander?”


  “Where do you want to go? It’s cold outside,” said Xiao Baoshan subconsciously. It was indeed cold outside and he was worried that she would catch a cold.

  Ye Xiaoxian was speechless, thinking that this guy was so dumb that he understood nothing. I am asking you to date me, got it?

  She said vexed, “Never mind!”


  She was just about to turn around when Xiao Baoshan suddenly pulled her to stop. He suddenly understood something and was afraid that she would leave, so he pulled her a little bit too hard. He said, “Little Ye, wait one hour for me, okay?”


  Ye Xiaoxian did not know what Xiao Baoshan was up to, so she waited for one hour in the restaurant. During this time she also went to the front hall and taught Xian and others to cook a couple of dishes.

  While she was doing these things she was absent-minded as she kept guessing what Xiao Baoshan was going to do. That dumb guy, what else could he do? Perhaps he went back home to fetch some clothes for her.

  It was so lame. Couldn’t he take off his own clothes and put them on her?

  After around one hour Ye Xiaoxian heard Li Hongmei shout, “Little Ye, hurry up and come outside. Baoshan’s back and has brought a horse with him!”


  A horse?

  In this era, only rich people had horses.

  Ye Xiaoxian hurriedly went outside and saw Xiao Baoshan standing on the street among the bustling crowds. Xiao Baoshan, being tall and strong, led a tall white horse and looked rather mighty with a heroic bearing.

  At that moment Ye Xiaoxian’s heart fluttered. Just like in the old days when she began to get along with him. She had lived two lives and whenever she flipped, it was for him.

  Xiao Baoshan waved to her and asked her to come over.

  She just went up to him and got picked up in his arms. He directly put her on the back of the horse and also mounted the horse himself.

  “Little Ye, sit still!” said Xiao Baoshan.

  Ye Xiaoxian immediately gripped the rein. Xiao Baoshan was sitting behind, his tough and well-built chest against her back. He then waved the whip and the horse began to slowly run towards the outskirts of town.

  “Baoshan, slow down!” Ye Xiaoxian shouted hurriedly.

  She had never ridden a horse before and did not expect that riding one could be so bumpy. She felt like she was going to be shaken off at any moment.

  Xiao Baoshan rode the horse slowly at first, when they were still in town, but as soon as they were out of town it was as if he could not wait to make the horse fly. Ye Xiaoxian was shocked at first but gradually got used to the rhythm. She then tried to open her eyes and became more and more excited.

  Passion! This was the passion! Now she just wanted to shout.

  When the horse left the town, it ran along the river bank. It was spring, when all things on earth were recovering. There was green grass and colorful flowers near the river.

  Ye Xiaoxian had not been this happy for a long time. After they rode for a long while, Ye Xiaoxian pointed at a beautiful grass and said, “Baoshan, stop over there!”


  Xiao Baoshan tightened the reins to make the horse stop stably on the grass. He dismounted first and then carried her down from the horse.

  Ye Xiaoxian felt that her hands were a bit frozen and blew on them, but Xiao Baoshan gripped her hands to his chest and said, “Little Ye, it’s warmer here.”


  Ye Xiaoxian blushed and her heart leapt.

  She did not put her hands on his chest but directly put her arms around him and said happily, “Baoshan, where did you get the horse?”


  “I borrowed it from a customer who’s a businessman.”


  “Baoshan, I’m really happy today. Thank you!”


  “It’s good as long as you’re happy,” he said with satisfaction.

  Ye Xiaoxian smiled at him, clenched her fists and gently punched him on his chest. “I didn’t expect that you could be so romantic.”


  “What is ‘romantic’?” asked Xiao Baoshan.

  Ye Xiaoxian once again punched him gently and whispered, “Like this.”


  “Right, you punching me is romantic. So, can I also punch you a little bit?”


  Ye Xiaoxian did not say anything.

  Is Xiao Baoshan flirting with me?

  She turned around. “No!”


  Xiao Baoshan hugged her from behind and asked her again, “Little Ye, are you still cold?”


  “No, I’m not. You’re hugging me so how can I still feel cold?” She said shyly.

  Xiao Baoshan then wrapped her more tightly in his arms. Seeing that there was no one around he came closer to her and kissed her gently on the cheek.

  Ye Xiaoxian then turned to him and kissed him deeply and sweetly. After a long while she thought that this was what love should look like! Green grass, a white horse and a couple of lovers kissing, like some beautiful painting.