Uncle Shawn, reprimanded by Auntie Hui Zhen, naturally dared not say another word. Instead, he hurriedly handed the takeout he was carrying to Yun Ge and said, “The four of us have already eaten outside. This is the takeout we specially brought back for you three. You can heat it up a bit and then eat quickly! The four of us have some work matters to discuss and will go to your dad’s study first!”

  After speaking, Uncle Shawn gave Luke, who had been silently following behind, a push, signaling him to hurry up and help heat the takeout. Auntie Min instructed Lily and the other two to remember to clean up the kitchen after eating, and then she led Uncle Shawn and the others into the study located at the far end of the first floor.

  “Can you hear what they’re saying?” Yun Ge, who had been listening at the door for a while but couldn’t make out the conversation inside, turned his head and asked.

  “No idea! I never realized the soundproofing of our home study is so good that we can’t hear a word they’re saying inside!” Lily, who was also pressing her ear against the study door, replied.

  “I say you two should stop this! Eavesdropping on others’ conversations is extremely impolite!” Luke, who was standing by, scolded with a serious look on his face.

  “Hey! Luke! You’re usually more mischievous than anyone and love to dig into others’ gossip! Why are you playing the good guy today? Could it be that you want to reform yourself and appear as a gentleman in front of Jamei, so as to win her over more easily?” Lily said sarcastically.

  “Pfft! I’m not that kind of person! I just think that Mom and Dad are probably discussing something very important. So, it’s best for us not to disturb them,” Luke defended.

  “Ha! I’d be surprised if I believed your nonsense!” Lily said with a look of disdain.

  “Whatever! Believe it or not! Anyway, I’m not the least bit interested in what Mom and Dad are talking about! If you want to eavesdrop, just stay here by yourselves! I’m going to heat up some food to eat!” With that, Luke turned and headed towards the kitchen outside.

  Yun Ge and Lily had noticed from the moment Luke entered the house that he seemed a bit off. However, the two of them, with great tacit understanding, did not ask Luke why he looked so down. Because they both thought that this matter might have something to do with Jamei.

  It was likely that something unpleasant happened between Luke and Jamei during their outing just now, causing his mood to drop so low that he was a completely different person from when he had just gotten off work.

  Thinking of this, Yun Ge and Lily exchanged glances, and then both gave up on eavesdropping, following Luke back to the kitchen. One reason was that they shifted their focus to Luke, wanting to find out what had gone wrong between Luke and Jamei. The other reason was that the two of them were genuinely hungry.

  “Luke, why are you so quiet tonight? Is there something on your mind?” Yun Ge asked casually while eating a small portion of the candy fragments mixed dish in his bowl.

  “Oh, I don’t have any worries. I just feel a bit tired after a busy day,” Luke replied in a somewhat downcast tone while picking at the candy fragments in his bowl.

  “You – didn’t have a fight with Jamei, did you? You seemed quite happy just now. Why did you suddenly start to quarrel?” Seeing Luke like this, Lily decided to ask directly.

  “Hey! Which eye of yours saw us fighting? Don’t make wild guesses, okay?! You’re really annoying when you do this!” Luke immediately glared at Lily and responded loudly upon hearing this.

  “Sigh! Forget it! I don’t have much appetite tonight! I’m going back to my room to rest first!” Luke continued, then put down his rice bowl, got up, and turned back to his room.

  “What’s going on here?” Lily glared at the back of Luke as he left.

  Then, Lily poured the mixed dish from Luke’s bowl into her own and Yun Ge’s bowls, and said, “What a coward! Since he had a disagreement with a girl, why didn’t he go and argue with her instead of coming back and putting on a foul face in front of us? ”

  “Humph! If he doesn’t want to eat, forget it! The amount of candy we can eat each day is already very limited. We might as well divide his share of candy fragments!”

  Since everyone’s emotions were off tonight, the dinner that Yun Ge and Lily had was also very uncomfortable. After the meal, Yun Ge wanted to find Luke to chat and ask him what had happened. But under Lily’s scolding and the threat of her raised fist, Yun Ge had to give up the idea and return to his room, leaving Lily alone in the hall to continue tidying up while muttering in anger.

  When Yun Ge woke up, the outside was already bright with morning light and filled with the sounds of birds. He stretched lazily, then after tidying up his room a bit, he went downstairs to help Auntie Hui Min and Lily, who got up the earliest every day, prepare breakfast for the others.

  “Hey? Good morning! Everyone is up so early today?” As soon as Yun Ge came downstairs, he found everyone already seated around the dining table. So, he hurriedly greeted everyone with great embarrassment, then turned to look out the window to make sure he hadn’t overslept due to lying in bed.

  “Hahaha! Little brother, good morning! Come over here and sit down! We’re about to have breakfast!” Seeing Yun Ge still standing there in a daze, Uncle Shawn immediately waved his hand to beckon him.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Uncle Shawn, why is everyone up so early today? Is there some special occasion?” Yun Ge asked in a low voice after taking his seat.

  “Hey! There aren’t that many special days! Everyone just got up a bit earlier today! Besides, we’ve been staying here for two days, and it’s about time we got up early to help with some chores! Hahaha!” Uncle Shawn said in a casual manner.

  “Pfft! You old rascal, you’re just good at talking! If you want to help, why don’t you come over and help me crush some candy fragments?!” Hearing Uncle Shawn say this, Auntie Hui Zhen immediately complained. At the same time, she was pressing down hard on the tool specially used for crushing candy, trying to turn the few pieces of candy on the cutting board into fragments.

  “Hey! Let’s not! How many times have you scolded me for getting in the way when I tried to help cook with good intentions? I dare not risk my warm face against your cold butt again!” Uncle Shawn said with a feigned look of fear.

  “ Humph! Hypocrite! Has your ugly face ever stopped pressing against my cold butt? If you have the guts, move to the living room to sleep starting tonight!” Auntie Hui Zhen said, giving Uncle Shawn a disdainful look.

  “Hey! I say, do you two have to be so disgusting first thing in the morning?! We’re sitting here waiting for breakfast, not waiting for you two to feed us dog food!” Upon hearing Auntie Hui Zhen’s unabashed words, everyone in the room immediately protested loudly.

  Amidst all the noise, everyone finished the relatively hearty breakfast. However, in Yun Ge’s eyes, this hearty breakfast seemed a bit meager. Because the so-called hearty breakfast was nothing more than everyone having a cup of light milk sprinkled with a few candy fragments and an extra slice of bread sprinkled with a few candy fragments.

  But Yun Ge had to marvel that although the amount of food everyone could eat at each meal was very limited, thanks to the small amount of candy fragments mixed in their food, they would quickly feel full under the magical effect of these candy fragments, and they wouldn’t feel hungry even after several hours of physical labor.

  After breakfast, Yun Ge and the others said goodbye to Old Xing, then went to work respectively. Auntie Hui Zhen stayed behind at Lily’s house to help Auntie Hui Min finish the morning chores before returning to her own home.

  “Lily? What’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?” On the way to the collection area, Yun Ge noticed that Lily, who usually chatted with him, was unusually quiet today, so he took the initiative to ask.

  “Oh, I’m fine. I probably didn’t sleep well last night, so I felt a bit tired as soon as I got up this morning,” Lily replied indifferently.

  “Since you’re not feeling well, you should ask Uncle Shawn for leave and go home to rest!” Yun Ge said with great concern.

  “No! Ah Yun! You don’t need to ask for leave for me! I’m actually okay. I’m just a bit tired from lack of sleep, and I’ll feel better after I rest a bit more!” Seeing this, Lily hurriedly grabbed Yun Ge’s arm. Then, she kept holding onto Yun Ge’s arm without any intention of letting go.

  Although Yun Ge was very worried about Lily’s health, since Lily said so, he had to give up the idea of asking for leave for her. More importantly, noticing that Lily kept holding his arm, a indescribable sense of happiness welled up in Yun Ge’s heart. This pleasant feeling was enough to make him thrilled and forget all his worries.

  However, since Lily just held onto him and kept her head down without wanting to talk, Yun Ge also kept quiet, just letting Lily hold him, while making sure his pace matched Lily’s, and then quietly accompanied Lily all the way to the collection area in the forest.

  In the following period, Yun Ge’s days were both happy and busy.

  The busyness was because he had to do the repetitive nectar collection work every day, and the happiness was because Lily was by his side every day. Moreover, Yun Ge increasingly felt that Lily’s attitude towards him had become gentler during this time, and she was very willing to stay by his side.

  Yun Ge thus became emotionally dependent on Lily. Even if he couldn’t see Lily for just a few minutes, he would feel uncomfortable all over, and even his mood would become restless.

  Yun Ge knew that the reason he felt this way towards Lily was not because he had always had a good impression of her, but because he seemed to have truly fallen in love with Lily, this gentle, considerate, beautiful, and generous girl.

  I guess Lily must have the same feelings for me! Otherwise, why would she stay by my side every day, completely disregarding others’ opinions?

  You should know that many families in town have taken a liking to Lily, so Lily’s behavior of staying with me every day has indeed brought her a lot of gossip and rumors.

  Thinking of this, a warm feeling of happiness welled up in Yun Ge’s heart again. But then, this warmth was immediately doused by a cold water of uncertainty.

  Lily must have the same feelings for me, right? But why does she always politely interrupt me when I want to further confirm our relationship or confess to her, in a way that seems coincidental but is actually intentional?

  Could it be that Lily doesn’t want to clarify our relationship? Or am I just a temporary emotional outlet for her?

  Yun Ge couldn’t help but sigh. The happy warmth that had just filled his heart was now gone, leaving behind only a sense of loss due to many uncertainties.

  “Hey! Ah Yun! Why are you daydreaming again? If you don’t hurry up and give the nectar storage box to Uncle Shawn, and if these nectars spoil as a result, won’t I have worked in vain for half the day?” Just as Yun Ge was feeling melancholic, Lily suddenly appeared from behind and knocked on his head, questioning him.

  “Oh! Oh! I was just thinking about the nectar collection process and got distracted,” Yun Ge hastily made up an excuse to answer.

  “Ha! I’m well aware of the tricks up your sleeve! Tell me! Are you secretly glancing at that new female team member again? Humph! You men are all big pigs! Not a single good one among you!” Lily continued to knock on Yun Ge’s head and scolded.

  It was at this moment that Yun Ge realized the young female team member who had just joined the Thirty-sixth Collection Team was right in front of him.

  While fending off Lily’s attack, he hurriedly explained, “Ah! It’s a misunderstanding! I really was just daydreaming here. I didn’t mean to sneak a peek at any other female team members!”

  As Yun Ge spoke, he turned around, grabbed Lily’s hands that were knocking on him, and pulled Lily over, saying, “Hey! Stop hitting! Stop hitting! Don’t you know what I’m thinking? With a beautiful woman like you by my side, how could I possibly pay attention to other women?!”

  Lily was clearly startled by Yun Ge’s bold move, but even so, she didn’t immediately struggle to pull away from Yun Ge. Instead, she just meekly let Yun Ge hold her hands and pull her close.

  Seeing that Lily didn’t dodge this time and was looking at him with somewhat flustered eyes at close range, a surge of courage welled up in Yun Ge’s heart. He brought his mouth close to a distance almost touching Lily’s lips and said with somewhat rapid breathing, “Lily, I——”

  But as soon as Yun Ge opened his mouth, Jamei suddenly appeared from somewhere and interrupted, “Hey! What are you two doing? Lily! Why can’t I collect any nectar from that flower no matter what I do? Could you come over and see if there’s a mistake in the collection procedure?”