Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  Xie Wu was in the midst of settling the Jiang family matters. With Master Jiang and Jiang Jingshan missing, the Jiang family had been thrown into chaos. They needed to add fuel to the fire to make an example of the Jiang family to others.

  However, while he was busy, Xie Wu received a first-order command from Young Master Xie. He thought it was something very urgent, but it turned out to be this!

  A fire-heated brick bed?

  Xie Wu did not understand why Young Master Xie wanted a fire-heated brick bed in the middle of the night. He understood Young Master Xie quite well, but this was his first time receiving such a mission from him.

  Xie Wu knew that first-order missions were of high importance, so he did not dare to delay it and immediately sent people to start renovating the villa overnight.

  Meanwhile, Xie Limo was hugging his wife and sleeping on a fire-heated brick bed.

  The next day, the roosters in the village started crowing loudly once the sun began to rise.

  The continuous crowing and clucking was an even better alarm than an alarm clock.

  No matter how much Yun Bixue loved sleeping in a brick bed, she was still awoken by the crows.

  She opened her eyes and stared at the sky that was still dark outside and said, “The sky is not really bright yet. Why are the roosters crowing so early?”


  Xie Limo looked up and checked the time on his watch. Although he did not take a proper look, he knew what time it was. “It’s half past five now.”


  Yun Bixue grumbled a little and said, “It’s still early. I’ll sleep for a while more. So this is how early people wake up in the countryside.”


  Xie Limo patted Yun Bixue’s head tenderly. Her heart had been hung up for the whole day yesterday when they were trying to save Yangyang. She finally managed to relax now, so she should have a good sleep too.

  “I’ll keep you company. Just sleep.”


  Once she slept again, she slept all the way until it was seven-thirty. When she woke up, the sky had only just brightened, and this time, she felt more energized. She turned to Xie Limo and said, “I really like sleeping on heated brick beds, but it’s time to get up now. Let’s go to the market to take a look,”


  Once they were dressed in proper attire, Yun Bixue and Xie Limo started to wash up in the kitchen area.

  There was no hot water in the countryside during winter. Xie Limo wanted to pour the hot water from the thermos flask into a basin and wait for it to cool off a little before letting Yun Bixue use it, but she waved him off and said, “I’m not that delicate. I can just use tap water. Mother Su said that this tap water is owned and monitored by them at home. It’s channeled from the spring water in the mountains, and it would be fine even if we drank it just like that.”


  As Yun Bixue said that, she turned on the tap and started to wash her hands. “Limo, the water is a little warm. Quick, try it. It’s not cold at all.”


  Xie Limo tried it and thought for a while before he said, “This water is channeled from the groundwater in the mountains. Its temperature comes from that of the temperature underground, that’s why it’s not cold.”


  Once they were done washing up, Yun Bixue and Xie Limo went over next door to where the Su family stayed.

  Mother Su asked, “Did you have a good sleep last night? Is the brick bed warm enough?”


  “Auntie, everything is good. This place is really good for one’s health. If I stay here when I’m old, I will surely live for a long time.”


  “Aiya, you’re right on this. There’s an elderly centenarian couple in the village. They are more than a hundred years old and are still very healthy.”


  They had breakfast as they chatted with each other. Later, Yun Bixue and Xie Limo followed the Su family to the marketplace. Su Lenghan made sure that Yangyang wore really thick clothes and brought her along as well.

  Mornings in the countryside were very lively as well. Smoke can be seen rising up from the chimneys as children ran around and played, having snowball fights while the villagers walked in groups of twos and threes towards the main road.

  The marketplace was on the main road at the entrance to the village, spanning from the mouth of the road to its end. There were many people at the marketplace as well.

  Mother Su and Father Su would greet people whenever they met familiar faces. Some people were also curious as to who Xie Limo and Yun Bixue were.

  Mother Su said that they were their distant relatives and esteemed guests, so everyone else did not probe further after that.

  Yun Bixue looked around as she walked. She could sense that everyone felt contented and happy from the smiles on their faces.