Chapter 83: Are Carrots Tastier Than Me?

By the riverside, Father Jiang had just climbed up the bank, and as Mrs. Zhao settled him down, she turned around only to realize that Bai Yan was nowhere to be seen.

“Girl! Girl!” Mrs. Zhao’s loud voice echoed as she called out anxiously.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yuan was also frantically searching for Mrs. Qian, but after a long while, she still hadn’t found her. Remembering Mrs. Zhao’s usual way of doing things and her frequent displays of disdain, Jiang Yuan decided to head home—perhaps her mother had already run back by herself.

...

At the eastern edge of the village, Bai Yan had been soaked in the river for a while and had already fainted from the cold. Jiang Chengyan had changed her clothes and wrapped her in two thick quilts before tending to the stove.

Rabbits are extremely sensitive to cold, all the more so in icy water.

Only when the brick bed was thoroughly heated did Bai Yan slowly regain consciousness. Her hair was loose and disheveled, and when she poked her head out from the covers, she looked utterly bewildered.

Jiang Chengyan offered her a fruit, holding it up to her lips. She instinctively sniffed at it, then immediately began to nibble away contentedly.

“Do you remember what happened just now?” Jiang Chengyan leaned in closer. Bai Yan, whose hair still stuck up in tufts, automatically nestled her head against his chest, finding a comfortable spot in his arms.

Jiang Chengyan could only pull the quilt up over her again. With her cheeks full as she munched on the fruit, Bai Yan scooted even closer to his hand.

Almost by reflex, Jiang Chengyan opened his palm, and a small fruit pit landed squarely in it as she spat it out.

“I’m asking you—do you remember what happened just now?” Jiang Chengyan pinched her nose lightly.

“Hmm, I saved a rabbit,” Bai Yan replied after a moment’s thought, her tone perfectly serious.

Jiang Chengyan’s expression visibly darkened.

“And what else?” he pressed.

“Let me think… I think I saved you too, kind of by accident.” Bai Yan scratched her head. “Can’t remember clearly. Just remember it was so cold, the water was freezing.”

She’d saved a rabbit—and happened to save him as well? Very good.

“Between the rabbit and me, which would you choose?” Jiang Chengyan suddenly asked.

“The rabbit,” Bai Yan answered without hesitation.

“And between a carrot and me?”

“The carrot.”

“And between a rock and me?”

For a moment, Bai Yan seemed stumped. But before long, Jiang Chengyan heard her reply in all seriousness, “You.”

The man’s lips curled with a cold smile. “Why? What makes you choose me over the rock? What’s the difference between me and a rock?”

“You can make money, the rock can’t,” Bai Yan replied matter-of-factly, and even explained, “You can buy me a big gold chain, but a rock can only be used to hit people.”

Jiang Chengyan was left momentarily speechless.

“And what about the carrot? What does it have that I don’t?” For the first time, the man seemed genuinely troubled by such a trivial question, intent on an answer.

“Carrots taste better.” Bai Yan found the question effortless.

“Carrots taste better than me?” Jiang Chengyan repeated her words, then turned and pressed his lips to hers.

It was not a fleeting kiss.

Bai Yan felt as if she were being nibbled like a carrot all over again.

“Which tastes better, hmm?” The man’s voice was low and hoarse as he held her close.

Bai Yan’s eyes were dewy as she leaned in and kissed his chin softly, then whispered, “Carrots taste better. Why are you even comparing yourself to a carrot?”

Jiang Chengyan took a deep breath. Never in his life had he imagined that his rival would not be some other man, but a carrot.