Night had fully settled over the little house.
There was no lamp to light the darkness.
Cradling the porcelain bowl in both hands, Arui carefully made her way into the main room by moonlight.
The cramped room held two long benches pushed together into a makeshift bed.
Qin Lie lay across them with one arm tucked beneath his head.
His broad frame occupied nearly the entire length of the benches. In the darkness, all Arui could make out was his large silhouette.
Taking a deep breath, she walked over and stopped beside his feet, her heart pounding so loudly it felt like a drum in her chest.
“Lie… Brother Lie… why did you buy sweet soup?”
She bit her lip as she asked timidly.
Moonlight streamed in from behind her, outlining her slight figure with a soft silver glow.
Qin Lie lifted his arm from his eyes and looked at her.
His fierce brows drew together.
“You don’t want it?”
Without light, his face was hidden, making his already cold voice seem even deeper.
Having been disturbed while resting, there was an unmistakable edge of impatience in his tone.
Arui’s heart trembled.
She instinctively took two small steps backward.
“N-No… that’s not it. It’s just… it’s too expensive. You work so hard hunting. You should spend your money on yourself. I… I shouldn’t drink something like this.”
There was only one sweet soup shop in the county town.
Even the cheapest bowl cost ten copper coins.
It was more expensive than meat.
How could she possibly bring herself to drink it?
Besides…
She had already eaten five meat buns that Qin Lie had bought for her earlier that day.
To accept sweet soup as well felt unbearably extravagant.
She never forgot who she was.
Right now, she was nothing more than someone living off another person’s generosity.
The last thing she wanted was to seem wasteful or become a burden.
The young woman stood there, timidly holding the white porcelain bowl in both hands.
At the sight of her, Qin Lie’s heart unexpectedly softened.
“Someone gave it to me.”
His voice remained calm.
“I didn’t spend any money.”
“Really?”
Arui looked up at once.
She couldn’t imagine who would give a bowl of sweet soup to such a tall, imposing man.
Qin Lie merely gave a low grunt.
“I don’t like sweet things.”
“If you don’t want it…”
“…then throw it away.”
His tone was so indifferent that it sounded as though he would take it from her and pour it out himself.
Arui clutched the bowl tightly.
How could she bear to waste it?
Without another thought, she hurriedly shook her head.
“No!”
“I’ll drink it!”
…
The sweet soup had already cooled.
To Arui, however, it was still the most wonderful treat she had tasted in a very long time.
She held the bowl carefully, sipping it little by little.
The rich sweetness of brown sugar blended perfectly with the delicate fragrance of osmanthus blossoms.
The warmth spread from her tongue straight into her heart.
She couldn’t bear to finish it all.
Since the weather had turned cold, it would keep until tomorrow.
She covered the remaining half bowl with a woven basket and carefully placed it on the top shelf of the cabinet.
It had been a long time since she had possessed something precious enough to save for later.
She felt both excited and nervous.
She opened the cabinet several times just to make sure the bowl was still there.
Only after confirming it hadn’t moved did she finally relax.
As the young woman busied herself quietly in the kitchen, Qin Lie lay in the main room with his eyes open.
His life had rarely known such peace.
Before he was ten, he had endured Madam Cui’s beatings and endless abuse, forced to sleep in a filthy pigsty.
Later, on the battlefield, every day had been spent with his life hanging by a thread.
He had never truly enjoyed a peaceful night’s rest.
Now…
Listening to the soft rustling sounds coming from the kitchen…
He suddenly felt that keeping Arui here might not be such a bad thing after all.
…
After putting away the sweet soup, Arui used the hot water remaining in the pot to wipe herself clean.
She had spent the day working, and her body felt sticky with sweat.
Knowing Qin Lie was only in the next room, she didn’t dare bathe properly.
She simply wiped herself down as quickly as she could before putting her clothes back on.
The early autumn night was chilly.
Shivering, she pulled her thin outer robe tighter around herself and quietly slipped into the main room.
The darkness made it impossible to tell whether Qin Lie was asleep.
She deliberately lightened her footsteps.
But the room was so cramped that two people could barely turn around without bumping into each other.
Now, with Qin Lie lying across the benches, there was even less room to pass.
“Mmph!”
She accidentally bumped into his leg.
Staggering forward, she reached out blindly to steady herself.
Only after regaining her balance did she realize…
She was leaning against him.
Her hair was still damp from washing.
As she lowered her head, the wet ends brushed lightly across his chest.
The cool strands left behind a faint ticklish sensation that made every muscle in Qin Lie’s body tense.
“I-I’m sorry.”
Only then did Arui realize she was practically sprawled over him.
She hurriedly pushed herself upright.
Her soft palm pressed against his lower abdomen.
Though layers of cloth separated them, the thin fabric did little to hide the warmth and softness of her touch.
Qin Lie’s body became so rigid it almost hurt.
A muffled groan escaped his throat.
Thinking she had accidentally injured him, Arui became even more flustered.
She stood frozen where she was.
The lingering scent of sweet osmanthus mixed with the warm fragrance of her freshly washed body drifted steadily into Qin Lie’s nose.
The air between them grew unbearably hot.
The corners of his eyes even reddened slightly.
“Go back to your room.”
His voice had turned rough and hoarse.
His entire body was drawn tight, powerful muscles standing out beneath his clothes.
Startled by his tone, Arui didn’t dare remain another second.
She stumbled into the inner room as quickly as she could.
Separated by only a single wall, she could still hear his heavy breathing.
It remained low and restrained, taking a long while before finally settling.
Only after the sounds outside disappeared did Arui dare open her eyes.
The room was completely dark.
Not even the moonlight reached inside.
She lay on Qin Lie’s usual pillow.
His familiar scent surrounded her, making it feel as though he were still beside her.
Heat crept onto her cheeks.
She buried her face beneath the quilt.
Yet the scent only grew stronger.
…
She slept poorly that night.
Arui had always struggled to sleep in unfamiliar places.
Knowing Qin Lie was just outside made her too nervous to even turn over.
She lay stiffly in bed until sometime after midnight before exhaustion finally claimed her.
When she awoke the next morning, Qin Lie was already gone from the main room.
Instead, voices drifted in from outside.
One of them belonged to Aunt Wang.
“I think Widow Zhou is a hardworking girl. You’ve got enough space out front to clear a couple of garden beds. If you plant cabbages and radishes now, you’ll have vegetables through the winter.”
“You’re not living alone anymore. Buying food every single day costs far too much. You need to start saving where you can.”
Aunt Wang had always been warmhearted.
She’d never liked seeing Qin Lie live with a cold stove and an empty kitchen.
But his perpetually stern expression had kept her from saying much.
Now that Arui had arrived, she finally couldn’t hold back.
The young widow looked like someone who knew how to run a household.
Her fate might have been tragic, but life still had to go on.
After thinking it over half the night, Aunt Wang had brought over several packets of vegetable seeds early that morning.
Qin Lie remained silent for a moment before accepting them.
Then he walked into the kitchen and returned carrying a plump rabbit.
The game from yesterday had yet to be sold.
He selected one of the fattest rabbits and offered it to her.
Aunt Wang immediately waved both hands.
“It’s only two packets of seeds. How could I possibly take your rabbit? Put it away.”
She certainly liked a bargain.
But not one this unfair.
Qin Lie always looked cold and intimidating, yet his heart was softer than anyone else’s.
Otherwise, he never would have taken in his younger brother’s widow.
She never suspected anything improper between the two of them.
Ever since Qin Lie returned to the village, she’d tried matchmaking for him several times.
She had introduced daughters from respectable families.
Beautiful young women.
He hadn’t agreed to meet a single one.
He openly declared he had no interest in women.
At first, Aunt Wang couldn’t understand it.
A healthy young man in his twenties should naturally think about marriage.
Eventually, however, she reached a different conclusion.
Perhaps Qin Lie had suffered an injury on the battlefield…
One that had left him incapable as a man.
Feeling sorry for him, she never brought up marriage again.
Instead, the two households gradually became closer.
She bought game from him regularly.
He always charged her the lowest possible price.
Remembering that kindness, Aunt Wang genuinely wanted to help the two of them build a better life.
By the time Arui stepped outside, Aunt Wang had already left.
Qin Lie handed her the packets of seeds.
“If you’d like to plant them, I’ll clear that patch of ground in front of the house tomorrow.”
He neither knew how to cook nor cared much for gardening.
But Arui’s eyes immediately lit up.
She had been worrying about having nothing she could contribute.
If she could grow vegetables, the household would spend less on food.
Then…
She would no longer be someone living off another person’s kindness.