Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 203: If You Like Kids, You Need to Get Better Soon

The snails were quite large, with many river snails mixed in. It was clear that the villagers didn’t really enjoy eating them.

"Can I trade these for some eggs?" Su Yijia asked gently, looking at the children. They quickly shook their heads. "No need! You can have them all!"

The children placed their small bamboo baskets in front of Su Yijia and looked at her curiously. "Do you like snails, sister? They’re very fishy and not tasty at all."

"Snails are very delicious; it’s just that you don’t know how to cook them properly. If you have time tomorrow, you can take me to the river to catch snails, and I’ll cook them for you," Su Yijia earnestly defended her favorite food.

Although the children didn’t believe the snails could taste good, they were excited that the leader from the city wanted to play with them.

"We’ll come get you tomorrow morning, around nine. We have to gather pigweed in the morning," one child said.

"Our family has to go to the mountains to pick mushrooms," another added.

Su Yijia’s eyes lit up, but she kept her wish to join them to herself. Judging by the county town, it was clear that the villagers relied on mushrooms for barter. Asking the children for help with snails was one thing, but competing with them for their livelihood was another.

"So, it’s settled. I’ll wait for you at the Educated Youth Center tomorrow. But for today’s snails, I insist on trading eggs with you. It’s a rule that we can’t take anything from the villagers for free," Su Yijia explained, smiling and then emphasizing the rule seriously.

The children immediately grew tense.

"Then just a little bit, one egg for all these snails," the older boy said, his face turning red.

"How will you share one egg among so many of you?" Su Yijia asked curiously.

"We’ll make egg custard and everyone will get a bite," the boy explained. They often did this when they found wild eggs. The adults didn’t scold them for it.

"How about two eggs per pound? You worked hard to collect these snails, and I don’t want to take advantage of you," Su Yijia proposed.

The children were about to protest, but she didn’t give them a chance. She turned to Gao Huabin and said, "There’s about six pounds here. I’ll go get the eggs. You and Kaize wait here for me."

"Sister-in-law, it’s so late," Gao Huabin protested, his face changing with worry. He tried to signal the potential danger, but Su Yijia was confident that there was no immediate threat from the villagers.

"I’ll be back quickly," Su Yijia said, running off.

Watching her disappear from sight, Qin Kaize felt his heart tighten, his eyes clouding with concern. Gao Huabin quickly tried to reassure him, "Boss, don’t worry. It’s just a short distance. She’ll be fine."

It had taken them over twenty minutes to get from the Educated Youth Center to the field, but Su Yijia ran back in just over five minutes. Entering the Educated Youth Center, she felt a gaze on her. Her heart skipped a beat, but she dismissed it, thinking it was probably one of the educated youths disturbed by her movement.

She tiptoed to her room, quickly grabbed ten eggs, and put them in a cloth bag. Running back to the field, she found Qin Kaize and Gao Huabin looking more eager than the children.

"See, I told you it would be fine," Su Yijia said, laughing and catching her breath.

After exercising, her eyes sparkled brightly.

"Next time, don’t rush so much. Be careful not to fall," Qin Kaize reminded her with concern.

"Got it. In the future, you can handle these things," Su Yijia pouted as she placed the small cloth bag on his lap. Then she waved at the children.

But Qin Kaize’s cold gaze had frightened them. They were too scared to approach, and if not for the fear of offending him, they might have run away.

"What did you do? You scared the children like this," Su Yijia playfully poked Qin Kaize’s shoulder, chiding him softly. Seeing the coldness in his eyes dissipate, she was satisfied and continued to get close to the children.

"Here are three eggs for you to share. Remember to go home early; we’re going to the river to catch snails and little fish together tomorrow," Su Yijia handed the eggs to the oldest boy, cautioning them not to go to the river late at night for safety.

"Okay! We’ll finish our chores early and come to play with you," the children agreed obediently, their eyes sparkling as they saw the eggs. They packed the snails into one basket. Su Yijia lifted it and asked, "Whose basket is this? Can I trade it for eggs?"

"It’s mine," a little girl, around six or seven years old, raised her hand timidly.

"Can I trade ten eggs for it?" Su Yijia’s voice softened as she spoke to the adorable girl. The little girl nodded eagerly. Su Yijia packed the eggs into a small net bag and handed it to her. The children then ran off, laughing and playing.

Listening to their cheerful voices, Su Yijia couldn’t help but smile.

"Do you like kids?" Qin Kaize asked, his long eyelashes casting shadows under the moonlight, hiding the anticipation in his eyes.

Su Yijia tilted her head and thought seriously before shaking her head, "I like playing with them, but I don’t like taking care of them. Kids are cute with their chubby cheeks, but I don’t have the patience to change diapers and feed them."

"Then I’ll take care of the kids in the future," Qin Kaize said, trying to remain calm despite the excitement in his heart.

Realizing what he was thinking, Su Yijia couldn’t help but smile. How could he think about having children when he couldn’t even move a muscle? 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Alright, but you need to get better soon so we can have a few little ones to play with," she teased.

Receiving her affirmative response, Qin Kaize couldn’t help but let his thoughts run wild. Although he was a man who had seen the world and didn’t get nosebleeds easily, his ears quickly turned red as if they were burning.

Fortunately, Gao Huabin had tactfully stepped back when the children left, giving them some privacy.

Su Yijia leaned in closer, her cool lips brushing against his red ears. The scent of her, combined with the amplified sound of her breathing, shattered Qin Kaize’s self-control into pieces. He could only watch as the girl he adored gave him a quick kiss on the lips and then pulled away without hesitation.

In that instant, a sense of longing welled up in him, wanting to pull her back into his arms.