19 - Little Peasant Wife

fxshu.cc 独宠农门小娇妻gl 上(19)_乙纯【完结】_腐小书 13–17 Minutes Upon reconsideration, she realized her own greed. It was already commendable to enable Liu Er to grow strong and healthy by purging impurities from her body. Cultivation is a challenging journey; Liu Er didn't need to walk her same difficult path. In the future, both she and Shen Lu Man would protect Liu Er, ensuring she faced no harm. Upon hearing these words, Shen Lu Man was overjoyed. She quickly expressed her gratitude, but Jing Ao Xue waved it off, saying there was no need. After all, she was also Liu Er’s mother, and it was only right to think about her well-being. Shen Lu Man knew this too well; however, in the past, Jing Ao Xue had never fulfilled her responsibilities as a mother. Now that she was considering Liu Er's needs in all matters, it delighted Shen Lu Man greatly. But still... Shen Lu Man frowned slightly, puzzled: Why would a cultivator at the Golden Core stage research such a prescription? Logically, it didn't make sense, as those at that level wouldn't need to stimulate potential or could use better elixirs than mere mortal herbs for purging impurities... At this thought, her heart skipped a beat as she glanced unobtrusively at Jing Ao Xue, who was already placing the herbs into the furnace to begin concocting them. She shook her head. Perhaps this Golden Core cultivator considered their descendants? The cultivation world isn't solely composed of cultivators; there are many mortals as well. Maybe this cultivator carried out research for the sake of mortal loved ones. She tried convincing herself of this, but a seed of doubt remained in her heart. She didn’t dwell too much on it, given that they currently resided in the mortal realm and returning to the cultivation world would be as difficult as ascending to heaven. The benefits of the prescription were plentiful, and there was no reason to discard it over a mere suspicion. While Shen Lu Man was grappling with internal conflicts, Jing Ao Xue had already pre-treated the herbs using her wood-element abilities. When the water in the cauldron had reduced by half, she motioned for Shen Lu Man to step in. Concentrating, Shen Lu Man infused the concoction with wood spirit energy. After a quarter of an hour, she finally produced a pill radiating a pale, luminescent green light. After consuming the pill, she turned to retrieve clean clothes, while Jing Ao Xue carried hot water to adjust the temperature in the bath. When Shen Lu Man returned, she found Jing Ao Xue sitting on a stool by the bath, saying, "Go ahead and take off your clothes and get in. I’ll add more hot water in a moment." Shen Lu Man bit her lip, casting Jing Ao Xue a glance. Seeing her calmly seated by the bathtub without any intention to look away or leave, she felt awkward. Standing for a moment longer, Jing Ao Xue made a move as if to help her undress, causing Shen Lu Man's face to flush with embarrassment. Hastily, she turned to undo her sash. As each piece of clothing slipped from her body, she was left in just her undergarments when she suddenly felt warmth approach from behind. A shiver ran through her as she turned awkwardly, arms crossed over her chest, to find Jing Ao Xue simply picking up clothes from the floor, naturally saying, "You’ve already shed them, so go on in. I’ll hang these up for you." Completely undressed, with Jing Ao Xue’s focus solely on the clothes, Shen Lu Man was at a loss for words. Jing Ao Xue carefully collected the garments, extending her hand, "Pass me the one you're holding over your chest as well. I’m idle, so I could wash it for you." Awkwardly, Shen Lu Man stammered, "Th-thank you!" “Don’t mention it; it’s no bother.” Jing Ao Xue replied with a cheery smile, believing her efforts to please Shen Lu Man were working, seeing as her cheeks were flushed and her eyes teared up with emotion. Shen Lu Man was speechless, feeling the sudden urge to hit something! “By the way, your skin is so fair, and you have a great figure,” Jing Ao Xue commented earnestly, inspecting her with a hand on her chin, "nice curves and all." Fuming, Shen Lu Man's head seemed to steam with anger. She had thought Jing Ao Xue unfeeling or clueless about her, but judging by her last remark, she was appallingly forward! Overwhelmed with embarrassment and anger, Shen Lu Man didn’t care about her nudity anymore and pushed Jing Ao Xue out of the bathroom. Jing Ao Xue stumbled back, just as the door slammed shut in her face, with a loud "bang." Luckily, she dodged quickly; otherwise, her face would have been squashed flat. Bewildered and slightly aggrieved, she thought: What’s wrong with this person? She’s so hard to please! Chapter 20: The Demihuman Jing Ao Xue sat dejectedly by the door, listening to the sound of water as Shen Lu Man entered the bathtub. She was genuinely baffled by Shen Lu Man’s earlier behavior. In Jing Ao Xue's eyes, they were both women, and it was no big deal for them to see each other's bodies. Before the apocalypse, she had grown up in an orphanage where resources were scarce, so young boys and girls often bathed together. Later, when she went to primary school, she boarded there, and the bathhouses were communal, though segregated by gender, with many girls bathing together. As she moved on to middle and high school, despite her aloof nature, she couldn't reserve a bathhouse for herself, so she naturally bathed with others. After the apocalypse, conditions worsened. Initially, she struggled until her wood-element abilities advanced unhindered, making her powers stronger than others and allowing her to finally have her own room and bathroom. Growing up in such an environment made her indifferent to women seeing each other's bodies. Given this, Jing Ao Xue’s confusion was understandable. However, she was no longer living alone and had to maintain a good relationship with Shen Lu Man. Reflecting on the events of last night and earlier, she realized that Shen Lu Man's awkward behaviors weren’t a matter of vanity but stemmed from genuine shyness. Shyness was a somewhat foreign concept to Jing Ao Xue. Her thick skin had long been honed to fortification levels, and after ten years in a post-apocalyptic world, any sense of shame ranked lowest in priority—survival was paramount. But this wasn’t the apocalypse. She paused, realizing that since crossing over, she hadn’t fully adapted to this new world. Her original self increasingly overshadowed the host's memories which had gradually faded, leading her to live more like her former self. Yet she was not entirely a woman here; she was of a third gender, a demihuman. In Shen Lu Man's eyes, she was viewed as a "husband," akin to the familial role of a spouse. Therefore, Shen Lu Man’s shyness and awkwardness about being naked in front of her were understandable. The mundane world here was akin to ancient Earth societies, where daughters were inherently more modest. Shen Lu Man’s circumstances were unusual—her original counterpart couldn’t provide, compelling Shen Lu Man to become the breadwinner. In observing other families in the village, while the women helped out in the fields, they primarily stayed home doing embroidery and taking care of children. When some young village girls sometimes crossed her path, they would immediately lower their heads to avoid her gaze. Jing Ao Xue slapped her forehead in realization, thinking she remembered this as an alternate world, yet overlooked such an important detail. Understandable, given that demihumans looked no different from others. Demihuman females shared the same anatomical makeup as women, and demihuman males mirrored that of men. It was not an apparent difference but rather a sense—an uncanny ability of demihumans to emit a unique aura, distinguishable to others. Henceforth, she needed to be more conscious of her identity as a demihuman—especially avoiding casual closeness with Shen Lu Man, like during bath times. However... Jing Ao Xue scratched her head, thinking about the next five days of medicinal baths, and not just in the future but dealing with tonight. Given her earlier ignorance, Shen Lu Man had kicked her out, undoubtedly due to anger. Jing Ao Xue hung her head, thinking: This is a mess. Her intention was to endear herself but due to negligence, she upset Shen Lu Man even more. She should apologize—apologies usually help. Standing, she hesitated before gently knocking on the door. She didn’t expect it to open but merely wanted to catch Shen Lu Man's attention. No answer came from within, just as she anticipated. Feeling awkward, she rubbed her nose and said, "I'm sorry—I acted too rashly earlier. I promise not to do it again." Still no response. Shuffling her feet, she added, "Just keep soaking, I'll fetch some hot water. Then you can adjust the temperature yourself. How about that?" After a long pause, Shen Lu Man finally whispered affirmatively, and Jing Ao Xue breathed a sigh of relief, grinning. "Alright, I'll start boiling the water now. Sorry again for earlier; it wasn’t intentional. If you're upset, I could let you see me undressed as compensation?" Immediately after speaking, Jing Ao Xue regretted it. Could this solve anything? It was a stupid suggestion. Indeed, Shen Lu Man quickly shouted a refusal, "No need, just go away!" Head down, Jing Ao Xue retreated to the kitchen, lighting a fire to boil water while sighing and sternly reminding herself: She's "the man" here. Even in a woman's body, she held the masculine role within this household and needed to be mindful and responsible, maintaining proper decorum with Shen Lu Man. Such embarrassing incidents should be avoided in the future, or else... Jing Ao Xue tilted her head—what then? Reflecting seriously, she mused that they were already married. Seeing each other naked should be normal between spouses. In the apocalypse, she had been a loner, and now with ready-made family here, shouldn’t she cherish this chance? Moreover, she was fond of Liu Er and had a good impression of Shen Lu Man. Living like this forever should be her hidden delight. The only concern now was whether Shen Lu Man still wanted to live with her! Reflecting on her interactions with Shen Lu Man over the past few days, Jing Ao Xue laughed bitterly. The outlook seemed bleak. If not for her original host’s connection, Shen Lu Man might have already left. Why Shen Lu Man insisted on staying with her original self was a mystery. As it is, she benefitted from transmigrating here. Feelings can’t be forced. She wouldn’t mind dating a woman; she saw plenty of male partnerships in the apocalypse. Early apocalypse times saw women weak in combat, with many dying. During mid-apocalypse, ignorance led to using weak women as tools or zombie bait, causing further casualties. Once survivor bases formed societal scales, it was glaringly evident—women's numbers had plummeted. What was 110:100 men to women pre-apocalypse had turned to 20:1. Most men faced a lifetime of bachelorhood. For stability, leadership implemented marriage policies for men but prohibited women from doing the same.