Xie Yucheng said fiercely, “Crying made you hungry, didn’t it? Who told you to be so dramatic? Go to sleep! You won’t feel hungry once you’re asleep.”
The girl stared at him with wide eyes, her beautiful large eyes glistening with a dazed mist.
Xie Yucheng ignored her. He pulled out a small iron pot from under the car seat, gathered some firewood from nearby, and lit a fire in an open space.
He boiled a pot of water, poured it into a cup to cool, then added another pot of water and took out eggs, noodles, and ham sausages.
In less than half an hour, he had cooked a pot of fragrant noodles. As a long-distance driver, this skill was essential.
Wen Shiqing sat in the car watching him busily working inside and out. Suddenly, she realized that her understanding of her brother wasn’t as comprehensive as she thought—she never imagined he could cook noodles and meals.
The car door was opened from the outside by the man. He looked up at the girl in the car and said, “Put your shoes on properly.”
Wen Shiqing obediently did as told. Then, he reached out, his large hand wrapping around her soft waist, effortlessly lifting her down and placing her steadily on the ground.
“Does your foot still hurt?” he asked.
Wen Shiqing nodded and replied softly, “Mm.”
It actually didn’t hurt much anymore.
“Apply some ointment after you finish eating.”
“Okay.”
On this intoxicating spring night, the two sat on the ground around the fire, listening to the murmuring stream as they shared a pot of noodles.
Wen Shiqing held a handled iron lunchbox containing a poached egg and ham sausage. A slight smile curled at the corners of her lips, her eyes sparkling with amusement. She felt this bowl of noodles was more delicious than any dish from a restaurant.
The previously cooled water was mixed with a bit of honey. Xie Yucheng handed the cup to her and said, “Honey water. Drink some.”
“Where did the honey come from?”
He replied impatiently, “If you don’t want it, I’ll pour it out.”
Wen Shiqing took the cup and took a sip. The sweet honey water slid down her throat, soothing her entire body comfortably.
After the meal, she sat on a wooden stump. Above her, the sky was vast with stars shifting like a river. Not far away, by the stream, Xie Yucheng was bent over washing the bowls and utensils.
Many men couldn’t cook or do laundry, and even if they could, they were too lazy to do it.
But her brother seemed different. He was highly independent, knew a little bit of everything, and was very diligent.
The front of this Liberation 141 truck had undergone special professional modifications. The gearshift in the middle could be folded and retracted, and with a sponge cushion placed on top, the front seats could also be turned into a single bed.
Wen Shiqing slept on the rear bunk, while Xie Yucheng lay on the makeshift bed in the front seats. They were separated by the middle seatback.
Wen Shiqing had no experience spending the night in a vehicle. As she lay quietly, she could smell a slightly unpleasant, pungent odor of gasoline.
Beside her pillow was one of Xie Yucheng’s jackets. She picked it up and covered her face with it. The fresh scent of soap and the faint bitterness of tobacco on the man’s clothes masked the unpleasant gasoline smell.
But after a while, she felt she couldn’t breathe properly. She simply spread the jacket over the pillow, lay on her side, and pressed her nose against the fabric to breathe.
The crisp, clean scent reached deep into her lungs—it was a fragrance unique to Xie Yucheng. The strong masculine hormones made her feel restless, and a blush spread across her face.
Noticing her rustling in the back, Xie Yucheng asked, “Can’t sleep?”
“Mm,” she replied in a soft, weak voice.
Xie Yucheng suddenly remembered something and sat up. “I forgot to apply the ointment.”
She mumbled, “No need to apply it. We can deal with it tomorrow.”
“No way. Applying ointment will help you heal faster. Do you really want me carrying you in and out of the car every day?”
“I never said that! I wasn’t thinking that at all!” she protested hastily, her cheeks flushing red.
The night was as bright as day, the car windows wide open. A refreshing breeze from the riverside swept through, cooling the interior.
Xie Yucheng retrieved the ointment from the storage compartment. “Give me your foot.”
Wen Shiqing buried her face in the pillow and slowly extended her left foot toward him. As his fingers brushed against her cool skin, he asked, “Are you cold?”
“Not at all.”
He clicked his tongue. “In the middle of summer, your feet are this cold? Did you crawl out of an ice cave or something?”
“You wouldn’t understand. Many women are like this—it’s called poor circulation.”
Xie Yucheng truly didn’t understand; he’d never touched another woman’s feet before.
He lowered his head, focusing on applying the ointment, his rough palm gently massaging her ankle in slow circles.
Her ankle had a graceful, smooth curve, and her small foot was pale as jade with a faint pink hue. Her rounded, adorable toes were neatly aligned like a row of pearls.
Xie Yucheng had seen many girls wearing sandals. Some dyed their fingernails or toenails orange with henna, but Wen Shiqing’s nails were completely natural, clean and unadorned.
Perhaps due to the heat, the skin under his palm felt cool and silky, like suddenly touching an ice cube on a sweltering summer day—grasping it made him reluctant to let go.
His gaze traveled from the arch of her foot up her slender, smooth calf, past her knee… eventually settling on her dark hair.
Wen Shiqing lifted her beautiful eyes and unexpectedly met his gaze. Her dark, grape-like pupils seemed to hold a pool of water, as if one more second of looking would pull him in completely.
“Done.” The man calmly averted his eyes and placed her foot back. “Get some rest.”
Wen Shiqing turned over, touched her burning cheeks, and buried her face in his jacket.
The further north they traveled, the more mountainous the terrain became. The roads grew rough, and small towns appeared only every few hundred kilometers.
Wen Shiqing wore a square-necked, puff-sleeved white dress with lace-trimmed socks and white canvas shoes. Leaning against the car window, she swung her legs lightly while watching the mountain scenery rush past outside.
On her head rested a small floral wreath she had made herself—colorful blossoms woven together with willow twigs. Two braids draped playfully over her shoulders, complementing her dress and making her look like a fairy who had wandered out of the forest into the mortal world.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. “Brother, stop the car!”
“What’s wrong?” Xie Yucheng gradually pressed the brakes and glanced at the little fairy beside him.
“Look, there’s a lamb by the roadside ahead. It seems injured.”
As soon as the car pulled over, Wen Shiqing jumped out and rushed toward the lamb.
Xie Yucheng’s eyes fell on her ankle. “Does your foot not hurt anymore?”
She chuckled awkwardly. Yesterday she had been pretending, but now her act was exposed. “It doesn’t hurt anymore, all thanks to you applying the ointment these past few days.” Her words were unusually sweet.
It took Xie Yucheng a moment to process this. He gritted his teeth in frustration. He had pitied her injury, while she had hidden the truth and treated him like a servant.
Fine. Just fine.
The lamb’s hind leg appeared to be broken, and it lay helplessly by the roadside.
When Wen Shiqing crouched down to look at it, the lamb lifted its watery eyes and let out a soft, pleading “baa.”
“There are no houses around here. Who knows where this little lamb came from? If no one saves it today, in these wild mountains, it’ll likely be torn apart by wolves.”
Xie Yucheng watched the girl holding the lamb, his temple twitching. He planted his hands on his hips, “You’re not thinking of putting it in my car, are you?”
Seeing Wen Shiqing remain silent, Xie Yucheng rubbed his forehead and turned to stride toward the car, “Don’t even think about it. Absolutely not!”
“Brother!”
“Calling me brother won’t help!”