“Lie… Brother Lie, what brings you here?”
Standing at the courtyard entrance, Qin Feng had been staring blankly into space. The instant he spotted Qin Lie, his eyes widened in surprise.
His shout drew everyone’s attention.
Even Arui looked up.
It was early autumn. Every member of the Qin Family had already changed into heavier clothing, yet this man still wore only a short work tunic. He stood nearly nine feet tall, his broad, muscular frame stretching the fabric so tightly it looked ready to split.
Both Qin brothers had inherited their father’s striking features. Their father had once been known as one of the most handsome men in Qinghe Town.
But Qin Lie had been sent to the battlefield at the age of ten.
Years of war had left an intimidating, murderous aura clinging to him, making it difficult for anyone to meet his gaze. The long scar winding across the right side of his face like a centipede only made him appear fiercer.
The moment he stepped into the courtyard, everyone instinctively moved aside.
Arui watched as he walked straight toward her.
His towering figure loomed over her like a mountain, casting her entirely into shadow. Her heart trembled involuntarily.
Perhaps noticing her fear, Qin Lie stopped four paces away instead of coming any closer.
His eyes lingered on her face for a brief moment before he spoke.
“Will you come with me?”
His deep, calm voice reached her ears.
It sounded so familiar.
Arui slowly raised her head, only to meet his cold gaze.
That pair of eyes gradually merged with the man from her dream, until the blurred face in her memory suddenly became crystal clear.
She froze.
It felt as though lightning had struck her.
She remembered those eyes.
That night, she had been lying atop the damp clothes he had taken off for her. The coarse fabric had rubbed against the soft skin of her back while moonlight poured through the broken roof of the abandoned temple.
The weathered Buddha statue had gazed down upon its worshippers with silent compassion.
Half-conscious, she had looked up and seen those same cold, unfathomable eyes.
Just as he was now, he had looked down at her from above.
His rough hands had firmly circled her waist. Drops of sweat, or perhaps river water, had fallen from his forehead onto her chest, each one burning like fire against her skin.
Arui abruptly lowered her head.
Her heart pounded wildly.
A stretch of snowy white neck peeked above the collar of her wedding robe, trembling uncontrollably.
Qin Lie knew the young woman had recognized him.
That night, he had never violated her.
But circumstances had left him with no choice. He had touched her while saving her life, and in his mind, that meant he had a responsibility to her.
Fate, however, had played a cruel joke.
Before he had the chance to visit the Zhou Family and formally ask for her hand, she had already become his younger brother’s widow.
Releasing a slow breath, Qin Lie asked once more,
“I’m Qin Song’s elder brother. Will you come with me?”
Arui pressed her lips together.
Her thoughts were in complete disarray.
She wanted to refuse.
Yet she feared he might reveal what had happened that night.
She had always been timid by nature.
But that night…
She had clung shamelessly to his powerful arm, pressing herself against him while sobbing and begging him to hold her.
The young woman kept her head lowered in silence.
Others, however, had already lost their patience.
Especially Sixth Uncle Qin, the very one who had suggested that Qin Lie take responsibility for her.
Setting aside his fear of his nephew, he spoke first.
“You’re from the Third Branch. It isn’t appropriate to keep living at Elder Brother’s place. Since you’re Second Brother’s elder brother, it’s only right for her to go with you.”
“That’s right, Widow Zhou. Now that Second Brother is gone, it’ll be the two of you who carry on the Third Branch.”
Their words sounded perfectly righteous.
Everyone knew the truth.
None of them wanted to take responsibility for Arui.
Madam Zhang disappeared into the house.
When she returned, she carried Arui’s small bundle of belongings and placed it beside the girl.
Still intimidated by Qin Lie’s stern face, she hurried back inside and emerged once more carrying an old, thin quilt.
“The nights are getting cold. Use this for now.”
The meaning couldn’t have been clearer.
She was being sent away.
No matter how thick-skinned Arui might have been, she could never remain after such an obvious dismissal.
“I… I’ll go with you.”
Her voice was so soft and timid it was scarcely louder than the buzz of a mosquito.
Yet everyone in the courtyard breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good.”
“That’s for the best.”
Arui clenched her palm before struggling to her feet with her bundle in her arms.
She had knelt for so long that both legs had gone completely numb.
She swayed unsteadily, nearly stumbling straight into the coffin.
“Careful.”
Qin Lie reached out and steadied her.
His rough, dry palm wrapped firmly around her arm, warm as heated iron.
Heat instantly rushed to Arui’s face.
Before she had even regained her balance, she quickly pulled away.
Her back pressed against the coffin as she struggled to steady herself.
She didn’t dare let him come any closer.
It felt as though, if he did, the secret of that hidden night would be exposed for everyone to see.
Her obvious avoidance darkened Qin Lie’s expression.
His natural presence was already intimidating.
Now that his face had turned cold, he looked frightening enough to make a child burst into tears.
Biting her lip, Arui dared not linger.
She quietly walked over to his side.
Qin Lie took the bundle from her arms before bending to pick up the thin quilt.
Seeing him ready to leave, Elder Qin awkwardly stepped forward.
After hesitating for quite some time, he finally managed to ask,
“Lie… Second Brother’s coffin hasn’t been buried yet. Wouldn’t you like to offer him a stick of incense?”
Everyone knew today’s events had been handled poorly.
But they had all believed they had little choice.
Qin Lie remained silent.
He simply walked past without so much as turning his head.
It was as though he had come for one reason only.
To take this woman away.
Arui hurried after him.
His long legs carried him forward with wide, effortless strides, yet every so often he would stop and wait for her to catch up.
Moving at this uneven pace, they spent nearly half an hour before finally reaching the eastern edge of the village.
Qin Lie had returned to Qinghe Town only at the beginning of the year.
Years ago, when his father had fallen seriously ill, the family had sold both their house and farmland to pay the medical expenses.
When Qin Lie finally came home, he had nowhere to live.
He had purchased this dilapidated cottage near the village entrance instead.
It had stood abandoned for years.
The wooden gate had long since rotted away.
After moving in, Qin Lie had done little more than repair the leaking roof.
Twisting her fingers together nervously, Arui quietly examined the place that was about to become her home.
The narrow main room held only a small table and two wooden benches. It was so cramped that two people could barely pass each other without bumping shoulders.
To the east was the kitchen.
Dust coated the stove, making it obvious no one had cooked there in a long time.
Following Qin Lie into the west room, she guessed it was his bedroom.
It was only slightly larger than the main room, containing nothing more than a bed and an old, battered cabinet.
Qin Lie set down her bundle and spread the thin quilt Madam Zhang had given her across the bed.
“You’ll sleep here from now on.”
Arui was about to nod when her eyes suddenly landed on two wolf pelts hanging from the wall.
The wolves’ glassy eyes stared directly at her.
For a terrifying moment, they seemed ready to leap from the wall and tear into her.
She knew they were only pelts.
Even so, her face turned deathly pale.
“…Isn’t there another room?”
Her voice quivered on the verge of tears.
Qin Lie frowned slightly.
“No.”
When he had bought this run-down house, he had never imagined anyone else would live there.
Arui was the sole exception.
He believed he had compromised her reputation.
That meant it was his responsibility to care for her.
Watching the rims of her eyes slowly redden, Qin Lie tightened his jaw.
Without another word, he stepped forward and removed the wolf pelts from the wall.
“I’ll take them to the market tomorrow and sell them.”
Originally, he had intended to use the pelts as part of her betrothal gifts.
Now they served no purpose.
“…All right.”
Each pelt weighed dozens of pounds.
Yet Qin Lie lifted them as casually as though they weighed nothing at all.
Arui stole a quick glance before looking away again.
He looked frightening.
But… his temper didn’t seem bad.
She quietly let out a breath.
The knot of anxiety in her chest loosened just a little.
If not for everything that had happened that night, Qin Lie might actually have been a very good person to live with.
Unfortunately, there was no changing the past.
Once she had settled in, Qin Lie went out for a while.
Not wanting to sit idle, Arui fetched water from the well in the yard and carefully cleaned all three rooms.
It was only then that she realized something.
There was only one bed in the entire house.
If she slept in it…
Where would Qin Lie sleep tonight?