Against the Light - Chapter 82
Chapter 82: Probably a Useless Sheep
Gu Xinran was truly glad she had decided to shear the sheep outside.
She had considered every possibility but never expected this: the sheep didn't make a sound the entire time. The camerawoman, on the other hand, screamed more pitifully than the sheep. :)
At one point, she even suspected she might have accidentally cut the camerawoman. But it turned out that every time the sheep moved, the camerawoman would shriek, seemingly out of pure fear.
Gu Xinran rubbed her eye socket and led a completely bald sheep back to their house. She filled a basin with water and began to carefully wash the wool.
The fleece was a single, connected piece. When spread out, it covered a large area. Looking at the dirt on the wool, Gu Xinran's heart pounded with apprehension. There was no washing machine here; she could only clean it bit by bit by hand. Watching basin after basin of clear water turn murky and start to stink after the wool was submerged, even she felt a little nauseous.
After nearly an hour of washing, she had only just finished the first pass. But she was thorough, and the originally gray wool had become much whiter.
"What are you doing?" Bai Yilan's voice came from behind her. Gu Xinran glanced back. "Did you sleep well?"
Bai Yilan kneaded her shoulder. "It was okay. What are you… huh? You sheared the sheep??"
"Ah, that wooden bed is too hard. I wanted to make a soft mattress for you."
Bai Yilan frowned, walked closer, and stared into her eyes. Her left eye socket was slightly red. "You… got kicked by the sheep?"
The corner of Gu Xinran's mouth twitched. She glanced at the camerawoman beside them, who clasped her hands together and offered an apologetic smile.
How was she supposed to explain to Yilan that the camerawoman had been so frightened by the sheep that, in a moment of panic, her hand slipped and the camera smashed into her face…
"Oh, you. You could have done anything else, but you had to go and provoke that sheep. It's fine even if we don't have a soft mattress," Bai Yilan chided gently, her fingertips lightly stroking the red mark on Gu Xinran's eye socket. When she turned and saw the bald sheep, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"How could that be okay? Sleep is the most important thing. Hey, how about this? Since we have nothing to do right now, you can design our house."
Seeing her full of energy, Bai Yilan nodded. She moved a small stool to sit beside her, picked up a stone, and began to draw on the ground.
She would occasionally look back at the wooden house behind them, sketching its exterior with careful strokes. Then, she drew the interior layout next to it.
Resting her chin on her hand, she frowned in thought for a moment before letting her imagination run wild.
She then drew another story on top of the exterior sketch of the wooden house, adding a large balcony.
The first floor was mainly for the living room and kitchen. In her vision, the entire first floor would be a combined living and dining room—spacious and grand.
The second floor was a bedroom, with an open-air balcony extending from it. She even drew a few tables on the balcony, looking as if she planned to have afternoon tea there. It was quite a beautiful dream.
The rooms in the east courtyard she designed as a gym, a tea room, and a study. The rooms in the west courtyard were guest rooms, reserved specifically for friends.
After finishing the rough layout, she began to add details.
In the living room of the main house, there had to be a toy corner with a slide and various toys for a child.
There also had to be a graffiti wall. When Xiao Ye was little, she loved to scribble everywhere with crayons, so Xinran had once painted an entire wall white to let the little one draw to her heart's content.
And there had to be a photo wall to capture all their beautiful moments.
The camerawoman, seeing how engrossed she was in her drawing, sneakily moved closer, zooming in the lens for a big close-up of her design sketch.
【Holy shit, hahaha, Teacher Bai doesn't want a house, she wants Sister Ran's life, right? Hahaha!】
【This is way too difficult, hahaha. Sister Ran: Who am I? Where am I? This can't be my real wife!】
【The design is amazing, it feels so warm. I want to live in a house like this, waah.】
【Teacher Bai is such a good artist, and her hands are so beautiful!】
【Just… isn't she thinking a little too much? I think you guys should patch up that broken roof first.】
Gu Xinran had been watching her the whole time. After looking at the design, she immediately began to think about how to execute it.
"How is it?" Bai Yilan straightened up to look at her work, tilting her neck and stretching her back.
Gu Xinran immediately wiped her hands and gently patted her back and waist.
"It's beautiful. I took a look earlier. There's no space inside our house to build a staircase. If we want to add a second floor, we'll have to install the stairs outside."
Bai Yilan didn't reply, just looked at her with a smile playing on her lips. She had simply seen the second-floor platform of House No. 1 and thought it looked nice, so she drew it casually. She knew it was impossible, yet Xinran was still seriously trying to figure out a way to make her wish come true.
"Isn't building a second floor a bit too much?" Qi Qiuyan asked with a look of surprise.
The two of them froze and turned to look. Qi Yuwei and Qi Qiuyan had entered the courtyard at some point, but they had been so absorbed in dreaming about their new house that they hadn't noticed at all.
"Hey, why is this sheep bald!?" Ruan Tang and the others followed the two in. The moment she entered, she made a beeline for the sheep.
"Xinran, we're getting ready to go to the market to buy some things. Do you want to come with us?"
"Okay," Gu Xinran agreed immediately.
"Wait for me a moment." She then quickly gathered the wool, brought it inside, and spread it on the floor, opening the windows to let it air out.
The two of them quickly washed up and changed their clothes, and the group set off in a grand procession.
"Hey, there won't be a 'kidnap your wife' segment this time, right??" Wei Zhan asked hurriedly.
His question sent everyone into fits of laughter.
"Hey, have you patched up your house yet? Need any help?" Wei Zhan asked.
"It's fine, no need. I'll patch it up when I get back. I just haven't had a free hand to take care of it yet," Gu Xinran replied with a smile.
"Yo, sounds like you're an expert."
Half an hour later, the group arrived at the market, and the three couples went their separate ways.
Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan headed straight for the produce section.
Bai Yilan was in charge of the money, meticulously calculating every purchase and refusing to waste a single cent.
Gu Xinran wasn't a spendthrift either. The two bought some fruits and vegetables, a small amount of meat, and various seasonings. Since they didn't have a refrigerator and had to borrow space in Qiuyan's, they didn't dare buy too much.
As they were leaving, the two passed by the live poultry section. An idea struck Gu Xinran, and she suddenly smiled.
Seeing her smile, Bai Yilan followed her gaze, and the corner of her eye twitched.
A short while later, everyone returned to the car. Gu Xinran's group was the last to come back. As she got on, Ruan Tang nearly kicked her off.
"What are you doing with a chicken!!" Seeing the chicken in her hands, Ruan Tang was so scared she jumped onto Wei Zhan. It was a live chicken! And it was still flapping!
Gu Xinran looked down at it. "A hen. It can lay eggs."
"…"
Bai Yilan pressed her lips together, trying to suppress her laughter.
【Holy shit, hahaha, is Sister Ran for real? Hahaha!】
【Hahaha, this is so hard on Teacher Bai. Teacher Bai: This wife is too mischievous. I might as well not have her!】
【I feel like Ranran is really planning to live here. Buying a chicken to lay eggs is not something a normal guest would do!】
【I have a feeling this chicken is going to be eaten. Laying eggs is impossible.】
【Seriously, their attitudes are so good. They haven't lost their temper despite these conditions and have been constantly trying to overcome all the difficulties. It's just great!】
Soon, the group returned to the village. Gu Xinran first put the vegetables they bought at Qi Qiuyan's house, then returned home with Yilan.
She checked the wool first. It wasn't completely dry yet; it probably wouldn't be ready today.
Then she rolled up her sleeves and rummaged through a corner of the yard for usable wood, preparing to patch the roof.
Meanwhile, Bai Yilan gathered some weeds in the sheep pen and built a small shelter for the chicken.
The two had a clear division of labor, each busy with their own tasks.
The sky began to darken.
With Bai Yilan holding a flashlight to illuminate the area for her, she finally finished patching the roof.
When Gu Xinran climbed down, Bai Yilan quickly reached out to support her and used a towel to wipe away her sweat. "You've worked hard."
"It's nothing."
The two went inside, and Bai Yilan handed her a glass of honey lemon water she had prepared earlier.
"Mmm, so sweet!" Gu Xinran looked completely content. It was sweet all the way to her heart.
After dinner, Qi Qiuyan and her partner came over to visit again. The group chatted for a while, and Yilan served them her specialty lemon tea, which had Qi Yuwei pestering her for the secret recipe.
"I saw a few bricks laid out in the yard earlier. What are they for?" Qi Qiuyan asked.
"Oh, that. It's the design Yilan drew. I used them to mark it off so we don't step on it when we're walking around."
Qi Qiuyan chuckled softly, praising her for her thoughtfulness.
Hearing the sound of Yilan and Yuwei laughing and talking in the kitchen, the two of them smiled in unison, glancing towards the kitchen with eyes full of love.
A little while later, Qi Qiuyan checked the time, said goodbye to Gu Xinran, and got up to walk to the kitchen. "Ah Wei, it's getting late. We should go. Let's not disturb Teacher Bai and the others' rest."
Qi Yuwei agreed, reluctantly bidding the two farewell and insisting she would be back tomorrow!
While Bai Yilan was showering, Gu Xinran placed her own clothes under the bed. The wool wasn't ready to be used as a mattress, so Yilan would have to make do for tonight. Then, she blocked the camera lens.
The two wished each other goodnight and fell asleep in each other's arms, bringing the first day of the live stream to a close.
The audience, still wanting more, was reluctant to leave and launched into a fervent discussion about the day's broadcast.
The next morning, Gu Xinran was woken up by the sound of a chicken crowing.
When she opened her eyes, she was still dazed. Wasn't that a hen? Why would it be crowing?
She blinked a few times and listened intently, only to realize that besides the crowing, there seemed to be the bleating of a sheep and the sound of flapping.
Gu Xinran was instantly wide awake. She grabbed a piece of clothing and rushed outside.
At the same time, many early risers and night owls in the live stream chat also noticed something unusual. In the yard, the chicken had somehow escaped its coop and flapped its wings right into the sheep pen. The startled sheep was sent running around in a panic, which in turn scared the chicken, causing it to flap its wings wildly.
The live stream chat was filled with "hahaha"s, with many people commenting that they had lived this long without ever seeing a chicken and a sheep pecking at each other.
When Gu Xinran came into the yard and saw this scene, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She quickly went over and picked up the chicken.
As she was about to go and comfort the sheep, it nearly rammed into her, giving her a fright as well.
Gu Xinran looked at the sheep. It had been so well-behaved, obedient, and cooperative before she sheared it yesterday. Why was it throwing a little tantrum today?
Just as she was wondering, she suddenly frowned, her eyes widening. She tilted her head, then bent down, staring intently at the sheep's abdomen.
The sheep… it suddenly didn't dare to move!
【Hahaha, Ranran, what are you planning to do now!!!】
【Let it go, it's just a poor little goat, haha!】
【Hahaha, is this sheep for real, not daring to move?? Is it about to gain sentience, hahaha!】
When Bai Yilan woke up, she felt sore all over, as if her bones were about to fall apart. Her lower back ached terribly. She sat up and straightened her body, which made her feel a little better. She was looking around for Xinran when she suddenly frowned and sniffed the air in the direction of the door. She seemed to smell the scent of milk!
After changing her clothes and coming out, she saw two bowls of steaming hot milk on the dining table.
"Huh? Where did the milk come from?" Just as Bai Yilan finished speaking, she saw Xinran walk in from the yard, carrying half a bucket of milk.
Yilan immediately walked outside, curious.
She didn't see a cow. Instead, she saw the sheep, lying on the ground, looking as if it had lost all its dreams.
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