A moment later, he came out holding a small box of ointment.
The car was parked by the roadside. Xie Yucheng sat in the driver’s seat, placing both her ankles on his lap as he carefully examined them. After confirming that only her left foot was injured with no other wounds, his knuckled fingers squeezed out some white ointment and slowly applied it to the swollen area on her ankle. The girl let out a soft hiss of pain. He glanced up at her before lowering his gaze to continue applying the medicine, his movements becoming even more cautious.
The warmth of his fingers felt soothing to Wen Shiqing. She stared at his neatly trimmed black hair, breathing in his distinct fresh scent, and allowed a faint, fleeting smile to touch her lips.
The nurse had said that after applying the ointment, it needed to be gently massinated for a while to allow the medication to penetrate properly for faster healing.
So after applying the ointment, Xie Yucheng used his palm to gently massage her swollen ankle with a tenderness she hadn’t seen from him before.
Her skin was pale and smooth like fine silk.
Wen Shiqing felt some pain and let out a soft whimper. When she looked up, her gaze accidentally met his dark pupils.
Xie Yucheng: “If you don’t want it to hurt, stay quiet. The massage will be over soon.”
She made an acknowledging sound and reluctantly closed her mouth, though her eyes remained fixed on him.
At noon, the two stayed in town for lunch. This area was near a large river, and the riverside restaurants mainly served freshwater delicacies.
With her injured ankle, Wen Shiqing could only shuffle along in slippers. When getting out of the car, Xie Yucheng had to carry her down, and she had to hold onto his arm for support while walking.
They found a seemingly clean noodle shop to eat at. Before Xie Yucheng could order, Wen Shiqing immediately waved to summon the server. “One portion of braised small miscellaneous fish, two bowls of eel noodles, thank you.”
Xie Yucheng looked at her. “I thought you didn’t eat fish?”
Her red lips moved: “With so many fish restaurants around here, of course we should try some when we come.”
“Cancel the small miscellaneous fish, change it to steamed perch,” the man told the server.
Approaching noon, the restaurant was quite busy with customers, but the food arrived quickly. Within minutes, their order was served.
Xie Yucheng picked up a piece of fish and placed it in her bowl. The fish flesh was tender and jade-white, carrying the aroma of fermented black beans. “Perch has few bones, you can eat it safely.”
Picking it up and putting it in her mouth, the fresh, tender fish immediately soothed Wen Shiqing’s empty stomach, warmth quietly spreading through her heart.
With fish, the more you eat it, the more skilled you become at handling bones. The less frequently you eat it, the worse you become at removing bones, making it easier to get them stuck in your throat.
Wen Shiqing had gotten a fish bone stuck in her throat once as a child. Drinking vinegar didn’t help, and she cried endlessly from the pain. Yang Ying was frightened out of her wits. Back then, it was Xie Yucheng who rushed her to the clinic on his motorcycle, where the doctor eventually removed it with tweezers.
When leaving the clinic, she had tugged on Xie Yucheng’s hand and pouted, “Brother, I’ll never eat fish again.”
The noodle shop was bustling with noise. Wen Shiqing scooped several spoonfuls of aromatic vinegar into her bowl and twirled a bunch of noodles with her chopsticks to eat. But just after swallowing, her expression suddenly changed.
Xie Yucheng, who was eating his noodles, felt his heart drop. “What’s wrong?”
Wen Shiqing’s red lips parted slightly as she pointed to her mouth, breathing very lightly.
Damn it, who would have thought there would be fish bones in the noodles?
Xie Yucheng quickly put down his chopsticks and leaned closer, turning her face toward the light to examine it carefully. “Where is it stuck? In your throat or somewhere else?”
“My tooth…”
“Can’t see clearly here. Come on, let’s go outside.”
He took her hand and led her to the doorway, leaning against the wall with his face toward the sun. “Which tooth?” he asked.
Wen Shiqing grabbed his finger and guided it into her mouth to feel the fish bone—a slender, sharp splinter lodged straight in the gap of her back molar.
Xie Yucheng cupped her chin gently, his fingertips turning her face toward the light through the thin, soft skin.
“Open your mouth,” Xie Yucheng said.
Wen Shiqing’s long eyelashes fluttered as she opened her mouth wider.
By the sunlight, Xie Yucheng finally saw the bone fragment stuck in her lower left gums.
He also saw her pearly teeth—each one small, white, neatly aligned and quite endearing.
His index finger and thumb pressed inward against her soft lips. Wen Shiqing could feel the slight roughness of calluses on his fingertips.
The girl’s smooth, soft tongue accidentally brushed against Xie Yucheng’s knuckle. His body stiffened slightly, muscles at the nape of his neck trembling almost imperceptibly.
They stood very close, so close their breaths intertwined.
“Tilt your head up a bit.”
Moments later, Xie Yucheng accurately located the splinter. Wen Shiqing couldn’t help but whimper softly—it hurt, and she instinctively tried to pull back.
The man firmly held her chin. “Don’t move.” Then he pinched the fish bone and pulled it out.
The stinging pain vanished abruptly. As his finger left the corner of her mouth, it trailed a long silver strand of saliva.
“Done,” he said.
Wen Shiqing noticed his fingers were wet with her drool. Her cheeks flushed instantly, and she hurriedly took out her handkerchief to wipe them for him.
“Can’t let my guard down for even a moment. Their pots downstairs sometimes have fish bones—you need to be careful when eating. How can you be so clumsy?”
He pinched and tugged at her cheek like she was a teddy bear.
Wen Shiqing pouted, furrowed her brows, and swatted his hand away.
She was an adult now—a woman recognized by her classmates as beautiful and slender.
Yet none of this seemed to register with him. His behavior clearly still treated her like the child from years ago, which left Wen Shiqing somewhat disheartened.
That afternoon, just after leaving town, they encountered a girl hitchhiking by the roadside. Xie Yucheng whistled cheerfully and slowly pulled over.
The girl, carrying a basket, stood below and asked, “Hello, could you give me a ride?”
Xie Yucheng turned his head. “Where are you headed?”
Seeing how handsome the driver was, the girl’s heart raced, her smile widening. “Just to Jiangcheng up ahead.”
Xie Yucheng tilted his chin. “We’re going that way. Get in.”
Wen Shiqing scooted closer to the window, feeling displeased.
Yesterday, a man had asked for a ride, and he refused. Now it was a pretty girl, and he agreed immediately.
What kind of person does that?
The girl, Fang Yue, got in and repeatedly thanked him. “I’m so grateful. I’ve been waiting here for ages with no one willing to pick me up.”
Xie Yucheng asked, “What brings you to Jiangcheng?”
“My family’s from there. I was visiting relatives here.”
Xie Yucheng was quite the talker and chatted with Fang Yue the whole way, completely unaware of Wen Shiqing’s growing scowl.
Fang Yue asked Xie Yucheng, “Are you two married or…?”
“Ah, this is my little sister. The kid always wants to tag along on trips, so I brought her.”
Fang Yue seemed pleased with this answer and continued, “How old are you?”
Xie Yucheng dangled an unlit cigarette from his lips and grinned roguishly, “Guess how old I am?”
Their banter sounded flirtatious as they traded remarks.
Wen Shiqing realized that Fang Yue was actually a lively and cheerful girl. She somewhat resembled the female classmate Xie Yucheng had dated in high school—bright and radiant like a sunflower, with a captivating smile.
It seemed Xie Yucheng particularly favored this type.
Once, a classmate had remarked that Shi Qing bore a striking resemblance to Lin Daiyu from Dream of the Red Chamber. Shi Qing thought to herself, If I were Lin Daiyu, Xie Yucheng would surely prefer Xue Baochai.
Wen Shiqing found it all rather pointless, her heart sour as if she had eaten an unripe apricot, leaving a bitter aftertaste.
Enduring the pain in her ankle, she climbed onto the rear bunk and lay down.
Xie Yucheng asked, “Sleepy?”
“Mhm,” she replied sullenly, pulling a coat over her face. She didn’t want to hear or see anything, but the coat was saturated with the scent of tobacco and crisp soap from the man—intense, fiery, and overwhelmingly imbued with his lingering hormones.