Chapter 241: Flirting with Her?

The next morning, Bai Zhi woke up bright and early. She had just finished making breakfast and was setting it on the table when Hu Feng emerged from his room, right on time. He didn’t spare her a single glance, going straight to the backyard to wash up. After he was done, he sat down at the table and began to eat. Bai Zhi opened her mouth to speak several times but couldn’t bring herself to say anything. She lowered her head in embarrassment and quietly ate her congee.

‘Am I really going to have to walk or take an oxcart to town today?’

Hu Changlin had left early in the morning to check on the ripening green wheat in the fields. Zhao Lan had also gone to their family’s plot of land. After all, the potatoes were ready for harvest; one dig of the shovel could unearth a whole pile, and there was no telling if someone might try to steal them.

It was just the two of them at the table for breakfast. There wasn’t even anyone around to help her break the ice, and she couldn’t bring herself to start the conversation.

Just like always, Hu Feng ate meticulously, elegantly, and… a lot.

But unlike other days, he never once looked at Bai Zhi and seemed to have no intention of speaking to her. Once he finished eating, he returned to his room.

Bai Zhi cursed herself internally for offending that petty man. ‘Men who hold grudges are such a headache.’

‘Fine. So what if there’s no carriage? It’s not like I can’t leave the house, is it?’

There were three families in the village with oxcarts. She went to each of their homes to ask, but as it turned out, all three oxcarts were already out for the day. She was a step too late…

‘Don’t tell me I have to carry a sack of potatoes and walk thirty li to town on my own two feet?’

She lifted the sack of potatoes, testing its weight. It had to be at least twenty pounds. Just carrying this sack from one end of the village to the other would be a struggle, let alone walking thirty li. It was a completely impossible task.

Staring at Hu Feng’s tightly shut door, she gritted her teeth, walked over, and knocked. “Hu Feng, are you busy?”

No response.

She knocked again. “Hu Feng, are you in there?”

Still no response.

She gave up and simply pushed the door open. She opened her mouth to call out again, only to see him—standing shirtless in front of the wardrobe, a clean shirt in his hands, ready to be put on…

It wasn’t the first time she’d seen a man’s body, nor was it the first time she’d seen Hu Feng’s. In fact, she had seen his bare torso the very first time they met at the Hu Family’s home.

Back then, she had only thought that he had a great figure—fit and well-proportioned. He was the type who looked lean in his clothes but was well-built underneath. Of course, what woman wouldn’t like that type?

Seeing his body again today, however, she suddenly found her mouth dry and her face flushing red. She knew it was improper and rude to stare at a half-naked man, but her eyes just couldn’t bring themselves to look away. She swallowed hard several times before forcing a dry laugh. “Oh, you were, uh, changing. S-Sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Like what you see?” Hu Feng didn’t seem to be in any hurry to put on his shirt, watching the dumbfounded Bai Zhi with amusement.

Bai Zhi froze, staring blankly at the mischievous look that filled his eyes. “Huh? What?”

“You were staring at my body and swallowing. Wasn’t that because you liked what you saw?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

That snapped Bai Zhi back to her senses—completely. ‘This guy… he’s clearly messing with me. Is he even… flirting with me?’

‘But that’s not right. I was the one who barged in and drooled over his body…’

“I was not! Who was staring at you and swallowing? Stop talking nonsense.” She turned her head away, refusing to look at him anymore.

“Is that so?” He quickly pulled on his shirt. “What did you want?”

‘This guy. He’s obviously playing dumb. He knows I need to go to town, and he knows I need the carriage, yet he still asks what I want?’