Transmigrating into a Book in the 80s: After Giving Up, I Was Pampered by a Rough Man

Jiang Mian's heart was pounding like a drum.

At this critical moment, the emotionless mechanical voice sounded again.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have successfully made the male lead do work. Your slacking-off index has increased by 10!]

[Reward: One pound of rice, already sent to system storage.]

Jiang Mian was taken aback.

What's going on?

She looked up, only to see that Lu Ting had already turned around.

Carrying the still-bleeding rabbit in his hand, he strode towards the makeshift kitchen in the corner of the yard.

The man's silent figure appeared exceptionally composed in the dim twilight.

Jiang Mian leaned against the door frame, watching him skillfully skin and gut the rabbit, his movements practiced and efficient.

So, you were raising the knife just now... to kill a rabbit?

Jiang Mian let out a long sigh of relief; her back was already soaked with cold sweat.

This man is terrifying.

……

The atmosphere in the main room of the Lu family was oppressive during dinner time.

A dim kerosene lamp was lit on the long, old wooden table.

With a stern face, Wang Guihua first placed a pot of rice soup so thin you could see your reflection in it on the table, then pushed a small dish of dark, pickled wild taro stems to the center of the table.

Then she served two full bowls of porridge, almost entirely made up of rice grains, to her eldest son Lu Jianguo and her beloved grandson Lu Xiaobao. When it was Jiang Mian's turn, she tossed a bowl of clear, watery porridge in front of her with a flick of her spoon.

"Your health is precious; a little rice porridge will nourish you," Wang Guihua said with a forced smile.

Sister-in-law Lin Xiu'e sat beside her, arms crossed, and chimed in sarcastically, "That's right, sister-in-law, Mom specially saved this for you. You didn't work in the fields today, so this is perfect for you."

Jiang Mian held her chopsticks, looking at the bowl of rice in front of her that could be used as a mirror, and almost wanted to smash the bowl down on their faces.

Just then, a rich aroma of meat wafted in from outside the door.

Lu Ting walked in carrying a large, chipped bowl and placed it steadily on the table.

The bowl contains tender and fragrant braised rabbit meat, with a thick broth and a few sprinklings of green scallions.

This dish was a godsend in this otherwise bland dinner.

Lu Ting sat down, his gaze sweeping across the table.

When he saw the bowl of clear soup in front of Jiang Mian, the atmosphere around him instantly became tense.

Without saying a word, he picked up his own rice bowl and scooped half of the porridge into Jiang Mian's bowl.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Yan reached out with his chopsticks and picked up a piece of rabbit leg from the bowl of braised rabbit meat, placing it on the tip of Jiang Mian's bowl.

The whole process was smooth and seamless.

Everyone at the table was stunned.

Wang Guihua was the first to react. She slammed her chopsticks on the table, her chest heaving with anger.

"Second brother! What are you doing?! That meat is for you to nourish your body! Why are you feeding it to her?!"

Lu Ting didn't even look up, only replying coldly.

"I'm not hungry."

After saying that, he picked up his bowl and began to shovel the remaining half bowl of porridge and pickled vegetables into his mouth, eating quickly and hastily.

Wang Guihua felt a lump in her throat. Looking at her second son, who looked like a starving ghost, and then at the greasy rabbit leg in Jiang Mian's bowl, she trembled with anger.

This unfilial son! He's been completely bewitched by that vixen!

Jiang Mian never expected Lu Ting to protect her like this.

Looking at the rice and meat in her bowl, a warm feeling welled up inside her.

Just as she was about to pick up her chopsticks, the system's voice popped up again.

[Ding! Temporary sentimental task triggered: Requires the male lead to feed you.]

[Task Reward: Special Effect Traumatic Injury Ointment x1]

Jiang Mian: "..."

Is this system trying to kill itself?

Is this a demand being made in the face of Lu Ting, a volcano that could erupt at any moment?

However, the reward was liniment for bruises...

Jiang Mian's gaze unconsciously drifted towards Lu Ting. The fresh scratch on his face and the small wounds on his arms reminded her that this man made a living by hunting at great personal risk.

Jiang Mian put down her chopsticks, looked at her rough porcelain bowl with a chipped corner, and wrinkled her nose coquettishly.

Her voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of grievance.

"My hands are too weak to hold chopsticks."

One sentence silenced the entire dinner table instantly.

Everyone instinctively stopped eating and turned to look at them.

Lin Xiu'e almost burst out laughing. This Jiang Mian, she really is asking for trouble!

Wang Guihua was so angry she wanted to flip the table.

Even Jiang Mian herself was prepared for Lu Ting to lose his temper on the spot.

However, to everyone's surprise,

Lu Ting stopped eating.

He silently put down his bowl, and under the horrified gazes of his entire family, reached out and took Jiang Mian's chopsticks.

The man's rough, large hands gripped the small bamboo chopsticks somewhat clumsily.

So he directly tore off a small piece of rabbit meat with his hand and stiffly offered it to Jiang Mian's mouth.

Throughout the entire process, Lu Yan remained silent, not even fully raising his head, only glancing at Jiang Mian out of the corner of his eye.

Jiang Mian felt like her heart was about to stop beating.

She mechanically opened her mouth and bit the rabbit meat the man offered to her.

The meat was stewed until very tender, with a soft and glutinous texture.

But Jiang Mian couldn't taste anything at all; she only felt her tongue accidentally brush against a rough and burning hot patch of skin.

Those were Lu Ting's fingertips.

The man's tall frame trembled violently, and he withdrew his chopsticks with lightning speed. He then continued to lower his head and fiercely shovel the remaining porridge into his bowl.

However, his bright red ears betrayed his embarrassment under the dim light.

[Mission Completed! Rewards Issued!]

Lin Xiu'e across from them nearly popped her eyes out.

She glanced at the few wilted pickled vegetables in her bowl, then at Jiang Mian, who was being personally fed by Lu Ting, and her expression twisted with jealousy.

Why should I?!

That lazy bum does nothing, so why should he get to eat meat?

How can a man treat someone like this?!

And all I get after a long day of hard work is pickled vegetables!

Lu Ting must be blind; he's been bewitched by that vixen!

Except for Jiang Mian, no one enjoyed the meal.

After the meal, Jiang Mian followed Lu Ting back to the cramped little house.

There was only a creaking wooden bed in the room, and the atmosphere instantly became awkward.

Jiang Mian wisely shrank to the innermost part of the bed, wrapped herself up in the quilt like a silkworm cocoon, and only revealed her eyes to look at Lu Ting warily.

Lu Ting didn't look at her. He walked to the basin of water in the corner and took off his sweat-soaked old vest.

As the vest was removed, a strong, muscular, and powerful upper body was exposed to the air.

His bronze skin was covered with smooth and firm muscle lines.

But what's even more striking are the crisscrossing scars on his back.

There were white marks left by old wounds, as well as new scratches that were still bleeding.

shocking.

This is a hunter's medal, proof that he risked his life to retrieve food.

Jiang Mian felt a sudden pang of sadness.

Thinking of the special liniment he received as a reward for completing the task, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Jiang Mian pretended to rummage under the pillow for a while, then took out a small green tin box and handed it over.

"Here, wipe it off."

Her voice was soft and slightly unnatural.

Lu Ting paused in his back-rubbing motion.

He turned around and looked at the small iron box in Jiang Mian's hand.

Those were high-end goods that couldn't be bought even in the supply and marketing cooperatives, and they were printed with foreign words that he couldn't understand.

This must cost a lot of money and tickets, right?

When did she buy it?

A thought flashed through Lu Ting's mind in an instant.

Could it be that she saved up money by scrimping and saving to buy herself the medicine?

The moment this thought crossed Lu Ting's mind, a corner of the ice that had been built up in his heart by her laziness and spoiled nature melted.

It turns out that although his wife was lazy and demanding, she still had her own feelings for him.

He silently took the ointment, opened it, and smelled it; a cool, medicinal fragrance wafted out.

Lu Ting didn't say anything, but simply scooped out some ointment and clumsily applied it to the new wounds on his back that he could reach.

The cool touch seemed to soothe the slight restlessness in his heart.

The atmosphere in the room was no longer so tense.

Jiang Mian huddled under the covers, watching the man's broad back, her mind racing.