The young woman’s voice quivered as though she were on the verge of tears. Her moist eyes looked up at him pleadingly, making her resemble a frightened little rabbit even more.
Qin Lie’s breathing grew heavier.
He loosened her fingers one by one before taking the knife from her hand. His voice was low as he struggled to suppress the desire surging within him, and a storm brewed in his dark eyes.
“Why are you crying? I’ll let you go.”
Arui lowered her head, slipping her wrist back into her sleeve before speaking in a timid voice.
“I’m not crying… I’m just afraid of pain.”
His palm had felt like burning iron, gripping her without realizing how much strength he was using. Even now, her wrist still ached.
Qin Lie knew how delicate she was.
His gaze fell upon the red marks circling her wrist, and his expression softened for a brief moment.
“Go outside.”
“I’ll finish making breakfast.”
He was afraid that if Arui stayed in the kitchen any longer…
He wouldn’t be able to control himself.
What the innocent young woman didn’t know was that seeing her look so vulnerable only made a man want to bully her even more.
Arui didn’t argue.
The pain in her wrist was nothing compared to the unease in her heart.
More than anything, she was afraid of being alone with Qin Lie.
The dream from the previous night refused to leave her mind.
When he had pulled her into his arms just now, she had unmistakably felt the same hard pressure from her dream pressing against her.
Her mother had never taught her anything about the intimacy between husband and wife.
She didn’t understand why there seemed to be a hard rod hidden beneath a man’s clothes.
Yet instinctively, she knew there was one question she absolutely couldn’t ask.
If she asked…
Qin Lie might truly never let her go.
Breakfast passed in silence, and neither of them had much of an appetite.
When they finished eating, Qin Lie handed her the two rabbit pelts he had skinned.
“Use these to make yourself a fur scarf.”
“I…”
Arui wanted to refuse.
Fur was expensive.
Selling these two pelts would easily bring in several hundred copper coins.
Qin Lie would need plenty of money when he married in the future.
“If you don’t want them, throw them away.”
Leaving the pelts behind, he turned and walked out before she had a chance to refuse.
The words caught in her throat, leaving her speechless.
…
“Since when did you become so soft-hearted, Vice General Qin?”
“I still remember Princess Huayang asking you for a rabbit, and you refused her without a second thought.”
“And now you’re handing over two carefully prepared rabbit pelts to your younger brother’s widow.”
A tall man suddenly jumped over the courtyard wall.
Judging by the smug grin on his face, he had clearly been watching for quite some time.
Qin Lie brushed away the hand resting on his shoulder.
His voice was calm and indifferent.
“This isn’t the frontier anymore.”
“And I’m no longer a vice general.”
“The Crown Prince only approved your return home. He never accepted your resignation.”
“So calling you Vice General Qin isn’t wrong.”
The newcomer, Wang Meng, had fought beside Qin Lie on countless battlefields.
Unlike everyone else, he wasn’t intimidated by him in the slightest.
“So…”
“Are you really planning to spend the rest of your life in this backwater village?”
“His Highness said that if you return, he’ll promote you to general immediately.”
Qin Lie had earned countless military achievements and had even saved the Crown Prince’s life.
The fact that such a man was willing to remain in Qinghe Town as nothing more than a hunter frustrated Wang Meng far more than it did Qin Lie himself.
“My life is fine as it is.”
Qin Lie remained unmoved.
Whether he became a general or stayed a hunter…
To him, there wasn’t much difference.
Wang Meng suddenly narrowed his eyes.
“Don’t tell me…”
“You’ve fallen for your younger brother’s widow?”
Qin Lie stopped in his tracks.
The murderous aura in his gaze swept toward Wang Meng so abruptly that the latter’s legs nearly gave out beneath him.
“I-I was only joking…”
He forced out an awkward laugh.
Surely Qin Lie couldn’t possibly be interested in a village girl.
After all, he hadn’t even spared Princess Huayang a second glance.
Scratching the back of his head, Wang Meng added,
“I just think Qin Song treated you so horribly back then, yet you’re still taking care of his widow.”
“You’re almost too kind.”
Qin Lie’s expression remained unchanged.
“So what if I’ve fallen for her?”
“She was supposed to be mine from the very beginning.”
For the first time in his life, he openly admitted his feelings to another person.
Wang Meng froze.
“Holy…”
“Old Qin, you’re actually serious?”
He had thought he’d misunderstood.
Aside from being exceptionally beautiful…
What was so special about that young woman?
Of course, he wisely kept that thought to himself.
If Qin Lie heard it, one punch would probably send him flying.
“No wonder you refuse to return to the frontier.”
“Fine.”
“I’ll report everything to His Highness.”
“But if you ever change your mind, just send word.”
“The Crown Prince will welcome you back anytime.”
After the initial shock faded, Wang Meng found himself understanding.
Qin Lie was already twenty-three.
It was only natural for a man his age to be thinking about marriage.
The only person he pitied now was Princess Huayang.
She would probably be heartbroken when she learned Qin Lie already had someone he loved.
Qin Lie gave his shoulder a firm pat.
“Thanks.”
“What are brothers for?”
“When you finally get married, don’t forget to invite me over for a wedding drink.”
Wang Meng still couldn’t believe Qin Lie intended to remain in Qinghe Town forever.
More likely, he was only avoiding the frontier because he didn’t want Princess Huayang continuing to pursue him and putting the Crown Prince in an awkward position.
Once Qin Lie married, she would surely give up.
Qin Lie nodded.
“I will.”
The two men parted ways.
Qin Lie headed straight into the mountains.
As Wang Meng looked back at the shabby little house, he clicked his tongue twice and shook his head.
Living in a place this rundown…
What woman would willingly marry Old Qin?
They had survived countless life-and-death battles together.
Before returning to the frontier, he was determined to prepare a proper gift for his old friend.
…
Both men were highly skilled martial artists.
Their movements were so quiet that ordinary people could never detect them.
By the time Wang Meng left, Arui had no idea a guest had even visited the house.
Worried that Lihua might come looking for her again, she picked up her embroidery after breakfast and went straight to Cui Zhu’s house.
Now that Aunt Wang knew Arui could earn money through embroidery, she was careful not to disturb her.
Instead, she urged Cui Zhu to learn from her.
“You always complain that no one ever taught you.”
“Now that Arui’s willing to teach you, don’t you dare embroider another duck that looks like it’s drowning.”
Even a doting mother like Aunt Wang couldn’t bring herself to praise her daughter’s embroidery.
Cui Zhu would soon begin meeting prospective husbands.
At the very least, she needed one respectable skill she could show her future in-laws.
Aunt Wang sincerely hoped she would learn enough embroidery from Arui to earn herself some respect after marriage.
“I know…”
Cui Zhu collapsed onto the table with a look of utter despair.
It wasn’t that she refused to learn.
She simply wasn’t good at it.
Aunt Wang poked her daughter on the forehead and continued scolding her for wasting her talent.
Watching the lively exchange between mother and daughter, Arui couldn’t help smiling.
Yet beneath that smile…
A quiet ache spread through her heart.
Her own mother had never treated her this way.
Aunt Wang wanted Cui Zhu to learn embroidery so she could marry into a good family.
Her own mother had only wanted her embroidery to earn money for the household.
Arui still remembered the day she turned fourteen and had her first monthly bleeding.
The pain had been so unbearable that she couldn’t even hold a needle.
Crying, she’d begged her mother to let her rest for just one day.
Her mother’s smiling face had immediately darkened.
Even now, Arui could remember every word.
“What woman doesn’t suffer during her monthly bleeding?”
“You’re the only one making such a fuss.”
“If you’re really that miserable, then why don’t you eat less too?”
That day, cold sweat had soaked her clothes.
She gritted her teeth and forced herself to finish embroidering three handkerchiefs.
Because she’d worked more slowly than usual, she missed dinner.
When she finally reached the kitchen…
Only a bowl of watery broth with a few scattered grains of rice remained for her.
Before meeting Aunt Wang, Arui had believed every mother in the world was like Madam Liu.
Only now did she realize…
Some mothers truly cherished their daughters like priceless treasures.
Blinking rapidly, she forced the tears back into her eyes.
She was already married now.
Her birth family no longer had anything to do with her.
As long as she continued working hard…
Her future would surely be better than her past.
…
Arui spent every day embroidering at Cui Zhu’s house.
For three days in a row, Lihua came to the Qin house only to find it empty.
Eventually, she realized what was happening.
That little bitch is avoiding me on purpose!
She might look soft and seductive, but she was far more calculating than she appeared.
She had even set her sights on her own elder brother-in-law.
Lihua curled her lip.
Qin Lie was tall, powerful, and capable of earning good money.
She refused to believe Arui wasn’t attracted to him.
A lonely man and woman living under the same roof…
Who knew how many times she’d already climbed into his bed?
Shameless little seductress!
The more Lihua thought about it, the more anxious she became.
She needed to think of a way to win Qin Lie over as quickly as possible.
She absolutely couldn’t allow him to be stolen away by Arui.