CFGF 7
After Cannon fodder Gong started farming, he had HE with the cold male protagonist (CFGF) - c7
"Playing" the male protagonist
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While Jiang Baiye was engrossed in his project, he couldn't help but wonder why Lu Lizhi hadn't responded to him. It had been three days since the delivery of the chicken soup, yet Lu Lizhi remained withdrawn, barely showing himself to Jiang Baiye. Even in the early morning, when Jiang Baiye looked for him, he was nowhere to be found. It was uncertain whether Lu Lizhi had once again become reclusive. Just then, his mother rushed over excitedly, informing Jiang Baiye, "Jiang er, Jiang er, Lu Tongsheng only charged us 20 Wen, and he returned everything washed and clean. What a kind person!" Jiang Baiye immediately raised his head and glanced towards Lu Lizhi's house. He caught a glimpse of a washed-out and slightly thin piece of clothing disappearing from view. For some reason, when he thought about Lu Lizhi's difficult life experiences, a sense of compassion welled up within him. At this moment, the male protagonist was likely facing financial difficulties. He would soon reach a point where he was so destitute that he would be on the verge of starvation, similar to Jiang Baiye's own experience after his rebirth. Initially, Lu Lizhi only consumed two meals a day: an egg in the morning and a bowl of porridge in the evening. It was even worse than what Jiang Baiye had endured during that time. A young girl would feel so famished that their vision would blur, let alone a grown man. Moreover, Lu Lizhi burned the midnight oil every night, which greatly harmed his health. With these thoughts in mind, Jiang Baiye grabbed his money pouch and hurried after the fleeting figure in white. Just as the door was about to close, he extended his long arm and prevented it from shutting completely. Lu Lizhi stopped in his tracks and looked at Jiang Baiye with clear, innocent eyes, as if questioning his intentions. Finally, the gaze he received was not as cold as if he were being repelled from a distance. Jiang Baiye pulled the corner of his mouth and asked, "Do you want me to carry a guilty conscience and continue compensating you?" Lu Lizhi glanced at the money bag for a moment, took it, and retrieved a piece of paper from inside. However, Jiang Baiye didn't even bother to look at it and persisted, being somewhat unreasonable, "Well, either accept this silver or I'll provide you with food every day." Considering that if Lu Lizhi kept the money, he might be reluctant to spend it on food and instead save it to buy art supplies such as brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, Jiang Baiye changed his tone once again, "Coincidentally, my family is building a house, and I have to cook a large amount of food every day. It would be a shame if I can't finish it all. Having one more person won't harm me." Lu Lizhi didn't want to speculate on this person's motives, so he opened the piece of paper and showed it to Jiang Baiye. Unexpectedly, Jiang Baiye burst into a soft laughter, his deep and intense eyes revealing uncontainable amusement. "Sorry, I'm illiterate. How do you expect me to read?" Jiang Baiye said with a hint of playfulness. Lu Lizhi was momentarily stunned. His usually calm and icy amber eyes seemed to ignite with a sudden fire when he realized he was being tricked. He turned around and was about to close the door and leave. "Wasn't the food I prepared delicious?" Jiang Baiye suddenly asked, his tone carrying a trace of hurt. "I spent a long time making it that day, and my hands got burned. Look, there's even a small cut here." From the moment Lu Lizhi reluctantly took out that precious piece of paper, which he had been hesitant to use for communication, Jiang Baiye knew that he had made progress, even if the message on the paper said "stay away" and pushed him away. As he saw Lu Lizhi come to a halt, Jiang Baiye realized that even in his pitiful state, Lu Lizhi was still the male protagonist. He understood that as Lu Lizhi grew older, it would become even more challenging to get close to him than reaching the sky. This realization compelled Jiang Baiye to take action while he had the opportunity. "...So, did you finish eating it all?" Jiang Baiye asked, his voice tinged with a touch of grievance and longing, leaving Lu Lizhi unsure of how to respond. After all, he had indeed consumed all the food without leaving any leftovers. Even though the other party had made a mistake initially, Lu Lizhi had still eaten the food prepared for him. "Forget it, just empty it out. I'll make something else for you. I'm sure you'll like it," Jiang Baiye said, his tone indicating his willingness to make amends. Lu Lizhi wanted to mention that he had only charged 20 Wen, while the chicken alone was worth at least 50 Wen, so where did the missing 30 Wen go? Wasn't it obvious enough? This man was so clever, was he pretending to be ignorant? He turned around, a mixture of anger and annoyance, wanting to retrieve his money bag, but his attempt was swiftly thwarted. Jiang Baiye quickly raised his hand, wearing a simple and puzzled expression on his face, "What are you doing?" As he observed Lu Lizhi's cool and composed eyes becoming tinged with anger, Jiang Baiye couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement. Uh-oh, it seemed like he had discovered a newfound habit of teasing the male protagonist. Was he afraid that his demise wasn't fast enough? Lu Lizhi was not much shorter than Jiang Baiye, standing at nearly 1.8 meters, which allowed him to tower above most people in this world. However, his thin frame made his plain white scholar's gown appear loose and as if it could be grasped with a single hand. As Lu Lizhi leaned closer, almost brushing against Jiang Baiye in his attempt to snatch the purse, Jiang Baiye inexplicably paused. Then, just like that, the hands were left empty. Jiang Baiye gazed at Lu Lizhi, who seemed to have a faintly triumphant expression, but in the blink of an eye, the familiar mask of perpetual indifference and coldness returned to his face. Jiang Baiye smiled and said, "Then it's settled." Upon returning to the house, Lu Lizhi believed that accepting the silver would mean he would no longer be bothered by Jiang Er. However, when he opened the purse, he discovered it was filled with small stones! Jiang. Baiye! How could someone be so malicious! Jiang Baiye smiled, tossing the copper plate back. Seeing everyone busy, he also rolled up his sleeves and hastened to work, aiming to construct a row of rooms within a few days and then build a square of walls. Initially, his home had an open structure, lacking privacy. Considering the time, those aggressive individuals might already be planning something... He felt no fear; his only desire was to have a stable house before the impending rainstorm arrived. By the way, since he had offended a certain person, he promptly used mortar to seal the thief hole in the neighboring wall, thinking it would serve as sufficient compensation. When Lu Lizhi heard some commotion, he walked out with a composed expression, already contemplating how to send this person away. However, he then witnessed a pair of large hands covered in mud and stones swiftly moving between the holes in the wall that had always concerned him. With mortar, the hands patched and filled the significant gap in just a couple of strokes. The repair work wasn't on par with the original wall, but it was considerably more organized and aesthetically pleasing. Lu Lizhi stared at it for a long while. If this was Jiang Yueming's doing, he had to admit that he had underestimated the other person. Jiang Baiye held him in high regard to invest so much patience and effort into his well-being! Whether it was true or not, it didn't stop Lu Lizhi from resisting Jiang Baiye. That night, Jiang Baiye specially prepared egg pancakes and egg drop soup for him, but his offering was declined. However, this time Jiang Baiye didn't push Lu Lizhi with phrases like 'I will climb over the wall'. He knew the boundaries of this individual, and pushing any further would render the situation irreparable. Lu Lizhi held his book and read it that night. Seeing that Jiang Baiye didn't insist, he felt relieved and continued turning the pages. The night passed in silence. The following day, Jiang Baiye continued to happily prepare an extra portion of food for Lu Lizhi, identical to what he and his family ate. As for Xiao Sanzi and the other rascals, they begrudgingly had to eat the same food as Big Yellow. "Hey, just wait until Dad makes some money, and I'll buy you a big bone to chew on every day!" He affectionately stroked the dog's head while weaving grand fantasies for him. Big Yellow wasn't picky at all, but it was visibly losing weight, which made Jiang Baiye feel a pang of guilt. Taking advantage of He Shi's distraction, he discreetly tossed a piece of bacon to the dog. As expected, every meal he brought to Lu Lizhi's doorstep—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—were consistently rejected without exception. The man didn't even glance in his direction, as if he hadn't noticed anything. If things continued this way, Lu Lizhi would surely fall ill. Therefore, Jiang Baiye had no choice but to enlist the help of his mother. Considering Lu Lizhi's temperament, he wouldn't ignore his mother and might accept at least one or two meals. "How did it go?" Shortly after, upon seeing his mother returning with the untouched food, Jiang Baiye's heart sank. "He came out, but he didn't take it. I could see the embarrassment on his face, so I had no choice but to come back," He Shi sighed as well. "I don't understand why this scholar is so stubborn. He's going to make himself sick from hunger. What's wrong with accepting food? We're neighbors, and we still owe him, don't we? Why isn't he considering his own well-being?" Jiang Baiye noticed that the male protagonist's behavior differed from what he had read in the book. He appeared more resolute, inflexible, and even somewhat distressing during their interactions. "Well, I'll think about it later," Jiang Baiye decided. He didn't want to force himself onto Lu Lizhi. After all, Lu Lizhi was an adult with his own thoughts and considerations, and interfering forcefully would only lead to negative consequences. Despite his thoughts, Jiang Baiye continued to diligently deliver food to Lu Lizhi and discreetly observe his actions. He noticed that Lu Lizhi occasionally went out to gather wild vegetables and once brought back half a bag of rice. Jiang Baiye put these observations aside and focused on directing a group of rascals who were prone to laziness and complaints about the slow progress. Constructing an adobe house was no easy task. Ramming the earth alone required significant physical effort, and the rascals initially struggled, unable to make progress even after half a day of work. Jiang Baiye maintained strict discipline, which led to Li Erniu being the first to create a fuss and complain. After several days of strict discipline and hard work, the once unruly group became silent and obedient. Nobody dared to utter a word of complaint or rebellion. Now that there were seven additional young adults in the household, the food consumption increased with every manual task. Although Jiang Baiye had no plans to pay wages, the expenses for food were substantial. He Shi felt a pang in her heart every time she had to spend money on buying vegetables. Every penny spent felt like a piece of her flesh being gouged out. Jiang Baiye also kept track of every copper plate and realized that buying wild vegetables daily was becoming costly. Their family was busy with various tasks and didn't have the time to forage for wild vegetables. It made more sense to spend a penny and buy a big basket of them instead. With Jiang Baiye's cooking skills, even the bitter and astringent wild vegetables would turn into a flavorful dish. Li Erniu and the others had initially planned to carry out mischief behind Jiang Baiye's back, such as damaging the house's foundation, creating holes, or causing leaks in the roof. However, now they were afraid that if they engaged in such acts, they would be driven away and lose the opportunity to enjoy the delicious meals. Li Erniu had completely forgotten his initial concerns when he first joined Jiang Baiye's group. On that sunny day, a group of men rolled up their sleeves, tightened their belts, and carried T-shaped ramming pestles. With shouts of encouragement, they vigorously pounded the soil inch by inch, not stopping even after a quarter of the day had passed. Some individuals were observant of Jiang Baiye's transformations and sought to build a rapport with him, while others desired to learn construction techniques under the influence of their boss. However, these individuals weren't as carefree as Li Erniu. They had a sense of foreboding that if they didn't work hard, they would be expelled from the group of laborers. The current Jiang Baiye was not as approachable as before. In fact, when Jiang Baiye's attention was not on them, the young men took the opportunity to quickly take a bite of food without even bothering to drink water. After a while, when Jiang Baiye glanced towards a large tree diagonally across, the young men immediately averted their gazes and intensified their efforts. "Very well!" Jiang Baiye leaned against a sturdy branch, contentedly nibbled on wild fruits, occasionally nodding in approval, and watched as the workers pushed themselves harder, each striving to outdo the others. No, Xiao Sanzi and the others were under immense pressure, so they had to hurriedly complete the majority of the work. Jiang Dazhu and his wife, seeing that their assistance was no longer required, went to the back and quickly plowed and sowed the half-acre of fertilized wasteland. The plow was personally delivered by Wang Lizheng himself. He felt reassured by Jiang Baiye's recent performance, even though his own land had not yet been tended to. He proceeded with his plan. Wang Lizheng's wife, Feng Shi, was puzzled and expressed her concerns, saying, "The Jiang family's second branch has a bad reputation. If you treat them well now, they might turn against you the next moment and refuse to acknowledge your help. What if they rely on you to settle their old feuds?" "Alright, alright," Wang Lizheng, accustomed to her nagging, responded, "Can't you see that their newly constructed house stands tall? It's a sign that things will improve!" "Who knows if it's just for show? Their previous house collapsed, so it's only natural that they couldn't live there. What does it mean to build a house for themselves?" Feng Shi remained skeptical. Wang Lizheng couldn't be bothered to argue with her, as she lacked knowledge and understanding. "Just wait and see. That kid is extraordinary!" Feng Shi's lips curled into a contemptuous smirk as she dismissed the situation. She had already resolved to dissuade her husband from associating with that extravagant and foolish boy, fearing that their family would be taken advantage of. In her eyes, it was a pattern. Today they borrowed a plow rake, tomorrow they would request rice and oil, and eventually they would even dare to seek her daughter's hand in marriage. She could see the scheme unfolding clearly... The mere thought of it made her furious!
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[T/N]: haha, that last sentence, Feng Shi! Anyway, how come I found Jiang Baiye cute when he teased our ML, not to forget, JB is so caring towards LL even if motivated by selfish reasons on the surface.
NOTICE: Next update on Thursday.
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