The Golden Silkworm Gu vibrated its six wings and, with a herding motion, quickly drove the army of Gu worms into the box.
Then, it flew back and landed on Lin Fan's hand, tilting its small head and nodding, as if expecting praise from its master.
Lin Fan could sense its distinct emotions.
Pride, happiness, like a child awaiting a reward.
"Well done."
Lin Fan stroked the Golden Silkworm Gu's head with his finger, then held it and pushed it into the box.
The Golden Silkworm Gu seemed unwilling to return to its former dwelling, wriggling its body incessantly.
Surprisingly, this little fellow possessed great strength. Lin Fan clearly felt that it was just playing around with him; if it were serious, its strength could be a hundred times greater.
"Quite powerful."
Lin Fan was astonished. Ants can lift over four hundred times their body weight and tow over a thousand times their body weight, exhibiting incredible strength.
The Golden Silkworm Gu shared structural similarities with ants, thus able to unleash such astonishing power.
"Find a place to hide yourself, don't let my sister-in-law find you."
Lin Fan thought for a moment, then closed the box, but released the Golden Silkworm Gu.
"Xiao Fan, why aren't you coming out to open the door yet?" Xia Xue called again, having waited impatiently outside the main entrance.
"Coming, coming!" Lin Fan hurried out to open the door.
"Xiao Fan, what were you doing inside?"
Xia Xue, holding an umbrella and carrying steaming hot food, had been standing under the eaves for five or six minutes.
"When you called me, I hadn't even woken up yet," Lin Fan said with a simple, honest smile.
"It's raining so heavily, why did you come over? You could have waited for me to come back for a meal."
"If I waited for you, the food would be cold by then."
Xia Xue entered the clinic, shaking the raindrops off her body, which made her clothes wet and dry in patches. She glared at Lin Fan with a hint of annoyance.
Her wet dress clung to her body, revealing her slender figure.
Xia Xue adjusted her clothes and then pushed away the hair stuck to her face. Only then did she notice Lin Fan staring at her intently, lost in thought.
"What are you looking at?" Xia Xue turned slightly, casting a chiding and shy glance at Lin Fan.
Lin Fan gave a dry chuckle, "Sister-in-law, you're so fair."
Hearing this, Xia Xue's face immediately flushed. She raised her hand, "I'll smack you to death!"
Lin Fan gently reached out and caught Xia Xue's wrist.
"Sister-in-law, I didn't mean to."
"I think you did."
Xia Xue pouted, her chest heaving, which made Lin Fan's eyes widen.
"When are we going to get married?"
"What madness is this, so early in the morning?"
Xia Xue patted Lin Fan's hand, "Let go!"
Lin Fan ignored her and continued speaking to himself, "Once we're married, we can be together openly. We have a house now, and a lot of money. We don't need to worry about our future."
"Let's wait another two years," Xia Xue's biggest concern was still the villagers' gossip.
After all, their relationship was not easily explained.
Although her husband Lin Feng was most likely deceased, without a body, he was still considered a missing person.
"Sigh!" Lin Fan sighed helplessly, "Two years, then another two years. When will it end?"
"I know you're worried about gossip. Don't worry, anyone who dares to say a single word will be banned from my clinic for life. If they get sick, they can fend for themselves."
"Not just them, but their entire families, their relatives, I won't treat any of them. I don't believe their whole family will never fall ill."
Xia Xue smiled at this, "You're even doing collective punishment?"
"My clinic has been open for so long, I haven't earned much money, and I'm constantly busy. What am I doing this for? Isn't it for a good reputation, and to avoid people gossiping about us in the future?"
Lin Fan's expression turned serious, and he added, "If they take their chopsticks to eat, and then curse at us after putting them down, then I'm sorry, I have a temper too."
Xia Xue began to ponder carefully.
She wasn't an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl who would do something she'd regret for a lifetime on impulse.
She knew very clearly that she was willing to marry Lin Fan, but...
"I'll go back and test my parents' reaction. Don't rush. I'll give you an answer by the end of the year at the latest."
"It's a deal!"
Lin Fan jumped up excitedly, grinning.
"Look at how happy you are," Xia Xue's face was flushed.
If she were to marry Lin Fan, their relationship would be that of husband and wife, no longer sister-in-law and brother-in-law.
"Hurry up and eat. You're not young anymore, yet you're so restless, bouncing around like a monkey."
Xia Xue gave Lin Fan a sideways glance and snatched the breakfast from his hands.
*Smack!*
Lin Fan seized the opportunity to kiss her on the cheek, "Heh heh, you smell so good!"
"Annoying pest, go wash your hands quickly and come back to eat," Xia Xue pushed Lin Fan away, feigning disgust.
"Alright." Lin Fan nodded, then went up for another kiss, "You're going to be my wife!"
"You!" Xia Xue pretended to hit Lin Fan.
Only then did Lin Fan happily run off.
"You rascal," Xia Xue cursed with a smile, thinking about the outcome at the end of the year. She felt both happy and scared.
The strong wind and heavy rain beat against the roof and windows, and the water flowed down the eaves with a rushing sound.
The sky was a dull gray. The mountains, the trees, the distant village, were all invisible.
In the clinic, Lin Fan sat at the table, contentedly eating his delicious breakfast.
Xia Xue sat opposite him, holding a sieve, carefully picking out pebbles from the mung beans.
"Sister-in-law, you can pick them later when the weather clears up. It's so dark, it'll strain your eyes," Lin Fan advised.
Xia Xue looked up and sighed softly, "When the weather clears up, I'll still have to busy myself with building the house."
"Oh, right Xiao Fan, for the new house, should we use putty, or a mixture of shell powder and diatom mud?"
Lin Fan was stunned. He really didn't know anything about building houses.
Xia Xue continued, "Xiao Yue and I asked around. They all say that wealthy families in the city use diatom mud. It's very expensive."
"Use the expensive one," Lin Fan said decisively. "Use whatever is good, whatever is expensive, absolutely do not economize."
"As if your money is inexhaustible," Xia Xue retorted.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry, we have money. If I spend it all, I can earn more."
As Lin Fan said this, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Sister-in-law, before, on Mount Luofeng, was there a mountain god temple?"
"Why are you asking this?" Xia Xue frowned slightly.
"Our village is undertaking major construction on Mount Luofeng. I was thinking, according to the old customs, we should go and pay respects at the mountain god temple. Secretary Tian is young and doesn't understand these things. I have to care." Lin Fan fabricated a story with a playful smile.
Xia Xue thought for a moment, "I heard the elders in the village say that a long, long time ago, there was a mountain god temple on Mount Luofeng, and its incense was very strong. Later, for some reason, it fell into decline."
"Then, during the era of vigorous movements, they probably thought of it for some reason and demolished it completely. The villagers took the beams and bricks home to build their houses."
"Right, Aunt Li's pigsty was built with stones taken from then."
"I heard her say that by the time they went, even the foundation stones were almost dug up. She and her husband used a wheelbarrow to transport the large stones used for the foundation."
...
The more Lin Fan listened, the more speechless he became.
The dignified mountain god temple of Mount Luofeng was demolished to build a pigsty. This was too insulting to people... no, too insulting to the gods!