Peaceful Farm Life Chapter 5 - 5 5 How could he be so pleasing to her~_1

An Jing dredged up a memory of Xiao Changyi and exclaimed in surprise, “You’re Xiao Changyi, the one who returned alive from the battlefield!”

She had indeed felt a sense of familiarity, realizing they were kindred spirits, both having served as soldiers.

Xiao Changyi remained silent for a beat before stating indifferently, “We’ve met on the road recently.” He added, “Several times.”

“Hehe…” An Jing offered a few awkward laughs. “I was too self-conscious before, always keeping my gaze lowered, so I wouldn’t have recognized anyone. The only reason I knew you survived the war was by overhearing others discussing it while I was washing clothes by the river.”

Xiao Changyi’s silence persisted.

An Jing, seemingly accustomed to his reticence, continued, “No wonder that Niu Er dislikes you.”

It wasn’t solely Niu Er who held a dislike for Xiao Changyi; in reality, a significant number of villagers harbored similar sentiments, though they kept them concealed.

Upon Xiao Changyi’s birth, his mother endured a perilous labor. While she survived, she suffered immensely, and almost immediately after Xiao Changyi entered the world, his paternal grandfather passed away. Then, on Xiao Changyi’s fifth birthday, his father succumbed to death following a minor fall.

Later, a diviner proclaimed that Xiao Changyi’s destiny was tainted by malevolent spirits, foretelling that he would cause the demise of all his elders and siblings if he remained within the family home.

Consequently, Xiao Changyi’s mother abandoned him, leaving him on the very mountain they were currently traversing.

It was the compassion of villagers that led them to find and retrieve Xiao Changyi. However, his mother refused to take him in, terrified that he would bring about the deaths of herself and her other children.

In ancient times, superstitions held considerable sway. With the fortune teller’s dire prediction branding Xiao Changyi as cursed, no one in the village dared to offer him shelter. In fact, many voices supported the notion of leaving Xiao Changyi to perish in the mountains.

Just as Xiao Changyi faced the prospect of abandonment once more, an elderly hunter from the village could no longer bear the cruelty and constructed a humble thatched dwelling for Xiao Changyi.

This old hunter carried his own considerable burdens at home, yet whenever he had enough food, he would generously share portions with Xiao Changyi, who grew up under the hunter’s care.

The old hunter passed away when Xiao Changyi was thirteen. Even without the hunter’s assistance at that age, Xiao Changyi possessed the skills to survive. Unexpectedly, when Xiao Changyi reached sixteen, his mother reappeared, requesting that he fulfill the mandatory military service obligation for the Xiao family.

Following this, Xiao Changyi enlisted and served eight years before his return two months prior.

Typically, male farmers who joined the military rarely returned alive. Xiao Changyi’s survival and subsequent return marked him as the first, thus becoming a focal point of village gossip.

A pang of sympathy stirred within An Jing for Xiao Changyi, but her curiosity outweighed it. “Was the battlefield an exciting place?”

Despite her own experiences with modern firearms and projectiles, she had never witnessed the ancient spectacles of clashing spears and thundering cavalry.

Xiao Changyi turned to look at the animated An Jing with a peculiar expression, offering no response.

An Jing then realized her spirited demeanor might be considered uncharacteristic for women of this era. She marveled at her own lack of restraint around Xiao Changyi, a man.

As a former special forces operative from modern times, her inherent vigilance remained exceptionally high.

Resting her chin on Xiao Changyi’s shoulder, An Jing meticulously studied his handsome profile for an extended period before conceding inwardly, Truly, the more she gazed upon him, the more captivating he became.

“Hold on!” Suddenly, An Jing’s gaze landed on numerous Niu Jin Grass plants dotting the mountain path, her eyes instantly brightening. She urgently requested Xiao Changyi to halt. “Let me down.”