25: A Ling is going to make rice

With a soft, warm jade in his arms, Li Qinghe still opened his laptop and cast the video he had uploaded to the video platform directly onto the home theater screen.

"A Ling, look how beautiful you are."

"Brother, my movements are so stiff."

It was Nguyen Thi Linh's first time seeing herself on screen, and her cheeks felt hot; no matter how she looked at herself, she felt she wasn't natural enough.

Although she was very dissatisfied with her performance in front of the camera, Nguyen Thi Linh still covered her face with both hands, wide-eyed, and watched her performance intently.

"Brother, next time I will definitely film well."

A several-minute video of a pick-up and showcase of Nguyen Thi Linh's beauty quickly finished playing. Nguyen Thi Linh tilted her head slightly and told Li Qinghe very seriously.

"Mm!"

Li Qinghe looked down and replied affirmatively, expressing his trust in Nguyen Thi Linh with a firm tone.

But as he looked down, their eyes met, and the entire room instantly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Nguyen Thi Linh felt as if her breathing was about to stop, her heart pounded so hard that all the blood vessels in her body vibrated, and her entire mind was deeply immersed in the dark, deep eyes before her.

Li Qinghe looked at the clear, deer-like eyes a few centimeters in front of him and lowered his head without hesitation.

After a long while, a pair of fair wrists reached up, hanging limply around Li Qinghe's neck.

"Brother, I can't breathe."

Nguyen Thi Linh leaned against Li Qinghe's chest, her small mouth rosy, and her breathing rapid.

Li Qinghe gently helped her catch her breath.

"Brother, will you always like me?"

"Yes, A Ling is so pretty and so well-behaved, I will always like her."

Hearing Nguyen Thi Linh's question, Li Qinghe gave her an affirmative reply directly.

There was no reason not to like this pure and well-behaved girl, as for whether he would always like her.

Li Qinghe believed he wasn't the kind of person who would tire of the old and fancy the new.

"Then I'll be Brother's Da Mi Fan, help Brother earn money, and manage the household well." Nguyen Thi Linh said something Li Qinghe didn't understand.

"Why are you Brother's Da Mi Fan?"

Facing Li Qinghe's confusion, Nguyen Thi Linh explained it to him with shyness and a smile.

It turned out that in her hometown, Xiangyang Prefecture, Nghe An Province, due to decades of war, there were more women than men. With the tacit approval of the Vietnam government, many men had married several wives.

The popular local terms were Da Mi Fan (representing the first wife), Two Rice Grains (representing the second wife), Rice Noodles (representing the third wife), Noodles (representing the fourth wife), and Instant Noodles (representing the fifth wife).

Behind these appellations were different meanings:

Da Mi Fan, as the staple food of the Vietnamese people, is an essential food every day and the most important thing in life;

Two Rice Grains belongs to mixed grain rice, but it is still within the category of staple food;

Rice Noodles are regarded as a snack, a supplement to the staple food, and can also be considered an alternative staple food;

Noodles are usually eaten as a hunger-filler only when very hungry;

While Instant Noodles are much more casual; you can just make them when you want to eat, and throw them aside when you don't.

In Xiangyang Prefecture, Nghe An Province, Vietnam, most of these men who had several wives did not have to work. The wives, while raising children, also had to go out to earn money to support the family.

It was common for pregnant women to still be out earning money to supplement the household income.

In such a family, the role of Da Mi Fan is very important. She has to coordinate the work of the other wives, with everyone taking turns caring for the children at home and going out to earn money.

So Nguyen Thi Linh wanted to be the Da Mi Fan in Li Qinghe's family, to help him manage the household.

Hearing Nguyen Thi Linh's shy explanation, Li Qinghe cupped her pure little face: "A Ling is my Da Mi Fan, so where are my Two Rice Grains and Noodles?"

"Brother can look in Hanoi, or if Brother doesn't have time, when we return to Nghe An, I'll help you ask around."

Nguyen Thi Linh's answer almost made Li Qinghe cry with emotion; there was actually such a woman in the world, he truly had to thank the system for ten thousand years.

If it weren't for the system's arrival, this good woman probably wouldn't have so easily agreed to his resignation from the factory, and then he wouldn't know who would have gotten her.

Seeing Nguyen Thi Linh answer so seriously, Li Qinghe couldn't help but ask jokingly, "If there aren't women as beautiful as A Ling, I don't want them."

"Brother is so good to me, I will definitely find the most beautiful women in Xiangyang Prefecture for Brother."

Nguyen Thi Linh was full of promises, almost ready to cut out her heart to show Li Qinghe, but thankfully Li Qinghe's large hand covered it.

Time spent in sweet affection always passes quickly. The two of them, on the gaming chairs in the entertainment room, unknowingly lingered until 11 PM.

Nguyen Thi Linh let out a tiny yawn, which Li Qinghe keenly noticed. He directly carried Nguyen Thi Linh in a princess carry to his master bedroom on the third floor.

"A Ling, from now on, you'll sleep in this room, and the floor above will be your walk-in closet."

Li Qinghe whispered the arrangements into Nguyen Thi Linh's ear.

"Mm."

Nguyen Thi Linh felt completely drained of strength, only able to hum softly through her nose as a response.

"A Ling, from now on, just live your life with me without worry. You don't need to stress about earning money, but we still need to keep filming videos, because the platform's fans are very important to me."

"Mm."

Li Qinghe looked at the soft, immobile Nguyen Thi Linh, knowing that whatever he said now, she might not remember.

So, he could only communicate with her in a different way.

"A Ling, didn't you say you felt unnatural in front of the camera? I'll teach you how to act a little more naturally..."

"Look, in the video, when you first entered the frame, your body was a bit stiff, just like I'm demonstrating now... The more you care about the camera, the stiffer your body will become, just like me..."

"You just need to do this... and this... and you can effectively relax your body."

"Now, feel it, isn't it less stiff than before..."

"Mm!"

"You've been studying for so long, A Ling, and your learning speed is very fast. You must be tired, let's get some rest early."

...Early the next morning, Li Qinghe felt a hand caressing his cheek.

He opened his eyes and saw Nguyen Thi Linh quickly retracting her hand, her face flushed.

"A Ling, did you rest well last night?"

"I slept very soundly in Brother's arms. Brother, last night you taught me methods to keep my body from stiffening in front of the camera. Could you demonstrate them again for me?"

"I might have been too sleepy last night, I didn't remember much."

"Then, if I teach you this way, can you remember it now?"

"Yes... yes, I can remember, it's much clearer than last night."

"A Ling, you truly are a studious and good girl."

"Does Brother like it?"

"I like it..."

Nearing noon, Nguyen Thi Linh slowly went downstairs and cooked two bowls of beef Rice Noodles. The two of them affectionately ate breakfast and lunch together in the dining room.

Looking at Nguyen Thi Linh's slender back as she washed dishes in the kitchen, Li Qinghe knew that she wouldn't be able to go out to film for the next two days. Luckily, they had bought several days' worth of groceries yesterday, so they basically didn't need to leave the house.

"A Ling, we won't go out to film videos for these two days. You've been studying too deeply, it's very mentally taxing. If we go out to film again, I'm worried your body won't be able to handle it."

Li Qinghe's concern clearly made Nguyen Thi Linh feel very happy. She turned her head, smiled sweetly, and agreed. Soon, she would go upstairs to change the bedsheets.

This sweet and warm life was exactly what she yearned for, and it was now being realized step by step.