First Kiss Lost

"Ah!" Lily Evans screamed. Her first kiss—just like that, it was gone!

Lily touched her lips, still warm from Lucky's kiss. Her heart was pounding so wildly, it felt like a startled deer ready to leap right out of her chest.

Lucky looked unsatisfied, licking the corner of his mouth in a way that was oddly tempting. Yet his eyes remained innocent, pleading softly, "Wife, you're so sweet. I... I want more."

"Enough! Let's go eat breakfast!" Lily gasped, smacking Lucky on the forehead. Did this gorgeous man have to be so tempting? She was seriously about to lose control!

Still, Lily managed to keep her wits about her. She knew Lucky was off-limits.

Lily wasn't some ignorant village woman. She suspected Lucky's memory loss was due to something that happened in his past.

With Lucky's looks and bearing, his real identity was probably anything but ordinary. Lily didn't want to get swept up in a fake marriage only for him to recover his memory later—what if he already had a wife? What if he thought she was just a country bumpkin? If he left her, what would she do?

Lucky, pure-hearted as ever, had no idea Lily was already worrying about the future in her head. The moment he heard "breakfast," his face lit up with joy.

Margaret Evans, wanting to pamper the newlyweds, got up early to make breakfast. Farm breakfasts were simple—just porridge, steamed buns, and some pickled vegetables.

After breakfast, Lily asked Lucky to help slaughter the rabbits and chicken they'd caught yesterday.

"Lily, save the rabbit skin—we can make a furry scarf out of it later," Margaret suggested.

"Got it!" Lily was a pro in the kitchen and skinned the rabbit perfectly, earning praise from Margaret for her skill.

The wild pheasant had beautiful feathers, so Lily picked out the prettiest ones for Margaret to make some feather shuttlecocks to play with.

Once the rabbit and chicken were cleaned, Lily dove into the kitchen to get busy, while Lucky took charge of washing up and tending the fire.

Margaret sat in the courtyard, catching the rich aroma of meat drifting from the kitchen. She couldn't help but drool. "Lily, it smells amazing! I can smell the meat all the way out here!"

Lily poked her head out of the kitchen, grinning, "Mom, let it stew a while longer. The meat will be extra tender and flavorful!"

"Hey, what are you cooking? I smell meat! Lily, where'd you get the money to buy meat?" Outside by the fence, Mrs. Tang had a basket on her back and a fresh bruise on her cheek—courtesy of her husband, Zhang Zhuzi, from last night.

The aroma from Lily's kitchen was so tempting that Mrs. Tang was practically drooling, her eyes glued to the doorway.

Margaret was still sitting in the yard, two feather shuttlecocks by her side and the rabbit skin tucked in her sewing basket.

"Lily's mom, how come you have chicken and rabbit? Where'd you get them?" Mrs. Tang licked her lips, planning to forage for wild greens in the hills today. Passing by Lily's house, she remembered the cold shoulder she got from the couple yesterday. Maybe today she'd see if that simpleton Lucky finally showed some backbone and put Lily in her place.

Margaret replied, "Lily and Lucky went up the mountain yesterday and caught them."

Mrs. Tang didn't believe for a second that Lily and Lucky could catch wild game. The villagers had tried plenty of times—everyone wanted a taste of something special, but no one had the skills for it.

catch them! Just your girl Lily and that simpleton Lucky? Come on, Margaret, you could at least make your story believable!