Faced with Li Xiu's flirtation, Sister Chunhua's body stiffened, and the blush on her face grew deeper. Staring at Li Xiu, she quietly moved her leg away.
After the meal, Sister Chunhua prepared to leave with her daughter.
Yang Ruixue stroked Xiao Qingqing's head and said, "I really hate to see Xiao Qingqing go."
"Once the new house is built, Sister Chunhua can bring Xiao Qingqing over to live here," Li Xiu said calmly.
"Really? That's wonderful!" Yang Ruixue clapped her hands.
Watching Sister Chunhua leave, Li Xiu suddenly felt a "whoosh" inside his body. A warm current surged from within, rapidly spreading to his limbs and bones.
He could hear his bones cracking and felt his muscles tense up—a sensation of shedding his mortal shell and being reborn.
During his hunt in the mountains earlier, he had felt somewhat fatigued, but this time, he felt completely refreshed.
Li Xiu clenched his fists and felt his strength grow to an astonishing degree, as if he could tear a fierce tiger apart with his bare hands.
Damn it!
Li Xiu knew that the raw wild turtle blood he had drunk earlier was taking effect.
His physical constitution had directly increased six-to-sevenfold.
Not to mention that pacifying a few women would be more than effortless; even his martial arts prowess and intelligence had multiplied several times over.
"What's wrong?" Yang Ruiling asked in confusion, seeing Li Xiu standing there in a daze.
"Nothing." Li Xiu grinned, scooped Yang Ruiling up in his arms, and spun her around in a circle. "I feel like I have so much strength!"
"Ah!" Yang Ruiling was startled, her pretty face turning slightly red as she hurriedly said, "Put me down, Ruixue is right here!"
"I want a turn too, I want one too!" Yang Ruixue reached out her arms, looking aggrieved.
Li Xiu laughed heartily, set Ruiling down on the ground, and picked up Ruixue to spin her around.
Both women giggled uncontrollably.
"Once the new house is built, we'll all be able to live in a spacious and bright big house," Li Xiu said cheerfully.
"Darling, can Sister Chunhua really move in and live with us?" Yang Ruixue blinked her large eyes, looking at him expectantly.
"She can. Raising a child all by herself is quite exhausting for her," Li Xiu chimed in.
If Sister Chunhua came to live here, wouldn't her favorable impression of him, Li Xiu, grow even stronger?
Li Xiu stretched his muscles, feeling an endless torrent of power surging throughout his entire body. The effects brought by a six-to-sevenfold increase in physical constitution were simply overwhelming.
Watching the two sisters clear away the bowls and chopsticks, watching their busy backs, Li Xiu felt a warm glow in his heart.
"I'm going out for a walk to clear my head."
"All right, make sure you come right back," Yang Ruiling said without looking up.
"Don't run around everywhere," Yang Ruixue said, raising her head with a teasing smile.
Li Xiu walked outside the house and took a deep breath of fresh air. The air in this world was exceptionally crisp.
There were no car exhaust fumes—only the fragrance of soil, flowers, and grass.
"Good evening, Brother Li Xiu!"
"Evening, Brother Xiu."
"..."
Along the way, everyone in the village who saw Li Xiu took the initiative to greet him, a hint of awe in their eyes.
His past self had been a hopelessly gambling-addicted drunkard.
Yet now, just a few hunting trips had completely transformed the villagers' favorable impression of him.
Li Xiu walked a short distance down the path and arrived in front of Li Fengwu's house, which was still brightly lit.
"Brother Xiu!" Working busily, Li Fengwu caught sight of Li Xiu and waved at him excitedly. "Come on in and sit for a while!"
Before Li Xiu could politely decline, Li Fengwu pulled him into the courtyard.
Li Fengwu said gratefully, "Brother Xiu, we really owe this to you. The meat from this share is enough for Wenqin and me to last for days!"
"Just a trivial matter," Li Xiu smiled. "We'll go hunting again next time."
"Wenqin, Brother Li Xiu is here!" Li Fengwu shouted toward the house, then instructed Li Xiu, "Have a seat, I'll go make some tea."
The door was pushed open, and Zhang Wenqin walked out from inside.
When Li Xiu looked over, he was slightly stunned.
Zhang Wenqin was quite tall, around one hundred and seventy centimeters. Beneath a coarse linen short skirt, a pair of straight, long, beautiful legs were exposed.
Although she was a farm girl, every movement of hers exuded a unique charm.
"Brother Li Xiu," Zhang Wenqin nodded gently, her voice soft.
Li Xiu snapped back to his senses, nodding in response. "Sister Wenqin."
Catching Li Xiu's gaze, Zhang Wenqin's face instantly flushed red, and she hurriedly lowered her head.
Li Xiu sighed inwardly: I had no such intentions, so why do all these beauties fall for me the moment they lay eyes on me?
Since ancient times, beauties have always loved heroes!
Li Fengwu brought over the tea, completely oblivious to the unusual tension between the two of them, and smilingly handed the cup to Li Xiu.
"This is good tea I specially saved for you. I wouldn't normally dare part with it."
Li Xiu took the tea, took a small sip, and tasted a faint, bitter fragrance.
Li Xiu reached into his robe and fished out a small porcelain vial. "I have some rock honey here. Take some for your family to try."
"This... how could I possibly accept this!" Li Fengwu waved his hands in refusal, yet couldn't help swallowing hard.
One had to understand that rock honey was a rare delicacy in ancient times. When Li Xiu had gathered rock honey in the mountains, everyone had felt too embarrassed to ask for a share, and yet Li Xiu had actually brought some specifically as a gift.
"Take it, don't stand on ceremony," Li Xiu said, placing the rock honey on the table.
The two men chatted for a while longer before Li Xiu got up and left.
As he walked home, he pondered his plans for the near future.
For the next period of time, Li Xiu stopped going out hunting and focused entirely on the construction progress of the new house.
A five-bay main house, a spacious courtyard, and tall, imposing gates—it looked quite impressive.
While it couldn't be called luxurious, it was certainly the best house in the village.
The villagers worked with boundless enthusiasm, and Li Xiu naturally wouldn't treat them poorly, everyday having his two wives prepare delicious dishes for them.
Possessing supreme physical fitness, Li Xiu could help carry extremely heavy loads, and his pace far exceeded expectations.
Nor was Li Xiu stingy; every day he provided the two women with the finest food available.
Eating meat, drinking rock honey...
Sister Chunhua also frequently brought Xiao Qingqing over to eat with them.
...
On this day, Sister Chunhua came with Xiao Qingqing, carrying a basket of freshly picked wild vegetables.
"Sister, hurry and sit down to eat," Li Xiu warmly urged. "We made some good food today, let's all have a taste together."
As he spoke, Li Xiu pulled a flask of fruit wine from his bosom and placed it on the table.
Over the past few days, Li Xiu had secretly brewed a batch of fine wild fruit wine using wild berries.
"What is this? It smells quite nice," Yang Ruixue said curiously, leaning in and sniffing hard.
"Wild fruit wine, a great restorative." Li Xiu smiled as he unscrewed the lid, and a rich alcoholic aroma mingled with the fresh scent of wild fruit instantly filled the air.
"It smells amazing! Can I drink some?" Yang Ruixue's eyes shone, her mouth watering.
Li Xiu filled a bowl for everyone, then filled one for himself.
"Come, come, everyone, this is a rare delicacy indeed."
The wild fruit wine was fragrant and mellow on the palate, carrying the crisp scent of fruit. Drinking it down in one gulp left the entire body feeling warm and indescribably comfortable.
"This is so refreshing! This flavor is much better than the rice wine we usually drink," Yang Ruiling exclaimed in wonder.
"Such good wine! Darling, can I have another bowl?" Yang Ruixue couldn't stop herself, a pretty flush spreading across her cheeks.
Sister Chunhua had also drunk a bowl, her lovely face flushed pink.
After everyone had a few bowls, a mild intoxication set in, and the atmosphere inside the room instantly grew much livelier.
Li Xiu had drunk quite a bit as well, and his head felt a little dizzy.
He stealthily nudged Sister Chunhua's foot with his own beneath the table.
Sister Chunhua gave a start, two patches of crimson flying to her cheeks. She shot Li Xiu a seductive look, remained silent, and quietly moved her foot away.
Having drunk several bowls in succession, Sister Chunhua finally reached her limit. She stood up unsteadily and said, "I... I need to go home. It's time for Xiao Qingqing to rest, and if we stay any longer, she'll start acting up again."
"Sister, it's the middle of the night, don't go back. Just sleep here at my place—anyway, my house has plenty of room," Li Xiu said, drunk as he was, though his gaze remained fixed squarely on Sister Chunhua.