Chapter 213 I Like You No Matter What You're Like

When the two re-entered the house, the table was already laden with dishes. The old couple didn't usually eat much, so these dishes were made from whatever they could find in the refrigerator. Song Ni rarely saw such home-cooked meals, and her eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement. She pointed at the table and boasted to Tan Zheng, "These dishes also have my contribution." In the bright room, Tan Zheng finally saw Song Ni's appearance clearly. Not only was her face smudged with dirt, but her white down jacket was also covered in ash from the firewood. Uncle Xi brought out a barrel of white wine and placed it down heavily. "You made yourself look like a bear after starting a fire, and you're proud of it?" Song Ni: ...A bear? She raised her hand to cover her face in bewilderment. "What's wrong with me?" At this, Tan Zheng saw the injury on Song Ni's hand. Her once fair, slender, and long fingers were now bruised and swollen. Tan Zheng's eyes darkened as he held Song Ni's hand, preventing her from moving. Song Ni was still asking, "What's wrong with my face?" As she spoke, she looked around for a mirror, but couldn't find one anywhere. It was only in a large stainless steel cup that she caught a blurry glimpse of her face. Song Ni suddenly let out a short scream. She had always cared about her appearance. Was this how she had appeared to Tan Zheng just now? And had they kissed for so long like this? Seeing Aunt Xi coming out, Song Ni quickly spoke up, "Auntie, where can I wash my face?" Tan Zheng also asked at the same time, "Auntie, where is the ointment?" Aunt Xi turned, found the ointment, and handed it to Tan Zheng. "Let Xiao Zheng take you to wash your face." Song Ni immediately tugged at the man's clothes. Tan Zheng led her into the inner room, found a clean basin, and first rinsed it with water. Then he took out a thermos, poured half of the hot water into it, and mixed in a small amount of cold water. After checking the temperature, he pulled Song Ni's hand. "I want to wash my face first!" Song Ni only felt restless and uncomfortable thinking about her face being dirty, with patches of gray and black. Tan Zheng gripped Song Ni's wrist, his brows furrowed tightly. "Apply the medicine first." "No, I won't apply medicine if I don't wash my face." Song Ni's brows were tightly knitted, her small face scrunched up, and every cell in her body rejected her current dirty state. Tan Zheng had no choice but to wash her face for her. "Lower your head." Song Ni had never used a basin like this, nor had she ever washed her face in this manner. She found it novel and didn't dislike it, adapting quickly. Tan Zheng's movements were gentle as he carefully cleaned the firewood ash from Song Ni's face. After washing, he took a brand-new towel for her to dry her face. The towel was a bit rough, and Song Ni's skin was delicate. By the time she finished drying, her small face was flushed red. But Song Ni had no mind to care about the stinging pain on her face now. She looked at the water in the basin, which had been clear but had turned gray after washing her face, and her face darkened. She had never been so dirty in her life! Song Ni poked her finger into the dirty water in the basin, trembling slightly, her eyes wide with disbelief. "My face is this dirty?" Seeing her like this, Tan Zheng couldn't help but laugh. He gently took her hand and applied the medicine. Song Ni's attention was entirely on the basin of dirty water, and she couldn't help but scream again. Tan Zheng had just finished applying the medicine, then leaned in and playfully pecked her nose. "Are you this surprised?" Song Ni immediately glared at Tan Zheng and covered her mouth with her hand. "You could still kiss me when I looked like a ghost?" Tan Zheng chuckled softly, pulled down her hand, and pecked her lips again. "I can kiss you no matter what you look like." Song Ni: !!!!!!!! "Pervert!" Tan Zheng: ...Was he wrong? Song Ni couldn't imagine that she had just put on a prolonged scene of longing with Tan Zheng, kissing him intimately, while her face was covered in dirt. Tan Zheng knew that the little girl was always concerned about her image. He stepped forward and pulled her onto his lap. "I don't dislike you. I like you no matter what you look like." Song Ni glared at him again. "You like me when I looked like a bear?" Hearing this, the man finally couldn't contain his laughter. How could someone be so cute as to use the words others used to describe her to describe herself. Hearing his laughter, Song Ni almost exploded. She reached out and patted his shoulder. "You're still laughing!" Tan Zheng then bit his lip and stopped laughing, but his chest still trembled, and his voice was tinged with amusement. "Yes, I like it. You look especially cute when you're dirty." Song Ni: ...A muffled whimper came from Song Ni's throat again. Tan Zheng chuckled, tilted his head, and kissed her chin. He then cupped Song Ni's face, looking at her swollen three fingers, his gaze deepening. "How did you injure your hand?" Hearing this, Song Ni lowered her eyes and looked at her hand, which seemed exceptionally small in Tan Zheng's palm. She playfully moved it. "The door pinched me." she said lightly, but Tan Zheng knew it wasn't that simple. Thinking of Uncle Xi's attitude towards Song Ni just now, Tan Zheng's heart sank further. He could guess how she got the injury. Thinking of this, Tan Zheng felt even more heartache for Song Ni and couldn't help but hold her tighter. This face-washing took too long. Uncle Xi directly raised his voice, "Did you two fall into a well while washing your faces?" Song Ni didn't understand what he meant. Didn't they wash their faces with a basin? How could they fall into a well? Tan Zheng stood up, poured out the water from the basin, rinsed it again with cold water, and placed it back on the shelf. Then he explained to Song Ni, "This is a saying they used to use. In the past, they used to draw water directly from a well, so they have this expression." Song Ni nodded, half-understanding. "You know quite a lot." The man just hooked his lips. Song Ni suddenly remembered that Tan Zheng had helped build this house before, so it seemed reasonable for him to know these things. When the two came out, the old couple were already seated and had served the food. Song Ni's sharp eyes noticed that only two bowls had rice, while the other two were empty. Next to them was an object as large as a bowl. When they sat down, Song Ni realized that the object was for holding wine. Uncle Xi remained silent, pouring two large bowls of white wine, one in front of himself and the other in front of Tan Zheng. Tan Zheng cupped both hands, bowed to Uncle Xi without a word, and then lowered his head, finishing the entire large bowl of white wine in one go. Song Ni watched in astonishment. Although she hadn't drunk white wine, she had heard that its alcohol content was not low. Moreover, she could smell the wine from this distance. How could he drink such high-proof liquor like this? He had been hospitalized before due to social obligations, how could his stomach withstand this?! Song Ni wanted to stop him, but saw Uncle Xi also pick up his wine bowl and drain it. "..." Why did these two drink alcohol the same way? Song Ni suddenly looked at the barrel of wine next to them. Could it be... that they were going to finish this barrel of wine tonight?