When Arui woke up the next morning, Qin Lie was already gone.
He had likely left at dawn. His bow and arrows were no longer in the house, and breakfast had been left waiting for her in the pot. There were two leftover meat buns from yesterday and a boiled egg. After making their rounds for two days, the buns finally ended up in her stomach.
She ate slowly, her thoughts hopelessly tangled.
Although the pain had been unbearable the night before, she hadn’t been completely unconscious.
Qin Lie had been about to leave.
She was the one who had stubbornly grabbed his hand and begged him to rub her stomach through the entire night.
Lowering her head, Arui felt her heart pounding uncontrollably.
She knew herself well.
If she hadn’t trusted Qin Lie so completely, she would never have crossed such boundaries.
Yet it was precisely that trust that now left her feeling uneasy.
No matter what, she and Qin Lie were only related as a widowed sister-in-law and her late husband’s elder brother. Living together under the same roof was already inappropriate enough, yet she had repeatedly grown close to him.
The first time, when she had fallen into the river, his helping her was understandable.
But what about last night?
She hadn’t been delirious from the pain.
Her face gradually turned pale.
Qin Lie couldn’t fulfill the role of a husband and had no interest in women.
She, however, was different.
He treated her so well that, given enough time, she feared she would develop feelings she had no right to have.
If anyone ever found out, not only would she be condemned and punished for violating social morality, but Qin Lie’s reputation would be ruined as well.
Her face drained of all color as she clenched her palm tightly.
She absolutely could not repay kindness with betrayal by bringing disaster upon Brother Lie.
From now on…
She had to keep a proper distance between them.
By the time Cui Zhu arrived, Arui had already forced herself to calm down.
The cheerful young woman carried a bamboo basket, having come to invite Arui to do embroidery together.
Cui Zhu had three older brothers.
Her eldest and second brothers were already married, and as the youngest daughter, she was never expected to work in the fields. Her two sisters-in-law also refused to let her do housework.
Every day, she simply embroidered, played with her two little nephews, and enjoyed herself.
But ever since meeting Arui…
Even her adorable nephews no longer seemed nearly as interesting.
It had been several days since Arui had touched an embroidery frame.
Back at the Zhou household, she had embroidered at least three handkerchiefs every single day.
Her mother always said her needlework wasn’t valuable enough to command a high price, so the only way to earn money was by producing more pieces.
Because of that, Arui never dared take a break.
Now, seeing the embroidery frame again, her fingers practically itched to pick up the needle.
Noticing the longing in her eyes, Cui Zhu immediately handed it over.
“I haven’t used this piece of fabric yet. Go ahead and have fun with it.”
Arui hurriedly waved her hands.
“I… I’m not very good. I’d only waste such nice fabric.”
Cui Zhu shrugged.
“It’s just a piece of cloth. How could it be considered wasted? Besides, I only brought it for practice anyway.”
Cui Zhu had always been impatient and could never sit still.
Aunt Wang insisted she learn embroidery because she hoped it would help calm her restless nature.
Being carefree while living at home was one thing.
But once she married, behaving so impulsively might earn her disapproval from her in-laws.
Aunt Wang truly cared about her daughter and wanted the best for her.
Unfortunately…
Cui Zhu simply wasn’t built for quiet, patient work.
Seeing that Cui Zhu genuinely meant it, Arui hesitated before accepting the frame.
She had started learning embroidery at six years old.
For nearly ten years, she’d embroidered countless handkerchiefs.
The familiar patterns had become second nature, so much so that she could almost stitch them with her eyes closed.
Cui Zhu had honestly believed Arui wasn’t very skilled.
But the moment she saw the bamboo design taking shape beneath Arui’s needle…
Her eyes widened.
“If this is what you call ‘not very good,’ then what does that make mine? Chicken scratches?”
Arui nearly burst into laughter.
At the same time, she couldn’t help feeling puzzled.
Was her embroidery really that good?
This was the first time anyone had ever praised her work.
Seeing her disbelief, Cui Zhu immediately pulled out one of her own embroidered handkerchiefs.
She truly had no talent whatsoever.
The mandarin ducks she’d stitched looked more like a pair of ducks from the village pond.
Worst of all, one eye was noticeably larger than the other.
“Look at mine. It doesn’t even compare to yours! If you sold this handkerchief in town, it’d fetch well over a dozen copper coins!”
Confusion filled Cui Zhu’s face.
Embroidery like Arui’s couldn’t possibly have been learned without years of practice.
How could she not even recognize how skilled she was?
Arui stood frozen.
Cui Zhu’s words hit her like a bolt from the blue.
Clutching her fingertips tightly, she asked in disbelief,
“It… it can really sell for that much?”
Cui Zhu nodded confidently.
“Of course! If you don’t believe me, next time we go into town together, we’ll ask the embroidery shop ourselves.”
“Alright.”
Pressing her lips together, Arui felt a storm of emotions welling up inside her.
She was happy to learn that her embroidery could actually earn good money.
At the same time…
She couldn’t stop wondering whether her mother and eldest sister had been cheated all these years.
Her mother had always insisted that her embroidered handkerchiefs were worth only five copper coins.
Yet Cui Zhu claimed they were worth more than twice that amount.
Who was telling the truth?
When Cui Zhu left, she told Arui to keep the embroidery frame and finish the handkerchief.
The two agreed to visit the town market together the day after tomorrow.
While they were there, they would ask the embroidery shop exactly how much the handkerchief was worth.
Qin Lie returned home just as Arui finished stitching the border.
Seeing the embroidery supplies inside the house, he didn’t ask any questions.
He simply set down the rabbits he had caught that morning before pulling an oil-paper package from inside his jacket and handing it to her.
“This is for you.”
Arui accepted it hesitantly.
“What is it?”
Qin Lie had already turned away.
In his deep voice, he answered with only two words.
“Brown sugar.”
Before coming home, he had made a special trip into town.
Remembering how much pain the young woman had been in the previous night, he couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.
He himself had always endured hardship without complaint.
But somehow…
Watching her suffer like that was something he simply couldn’t bear.
The town physician had said brown sugar water could ease menstrual pain.
So Qin Lie had bought nearly seven pounds without another thought.
The package felt unbearably heavy in Arui’s hands.
Brown sugar was even more expensive than pork.
Yet Qin Lie had bought such a large amount.
“Brother Lie, I don’t hurt anymore. I really don’t need it.”
The warmth of his hands the previous night had worked better than any medicine.
Besides…
She had already decided that morning to keep her distance from him.
How could she continue accepting his kindness?
Arui was simple and straightforward.
Whatever she was thinking always showed plainly on her face.
Seeing the unmistakable distance in her eyes, Qin Lie felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of icy water over his heart.
“As you wish.”
His voice was so cold that Arui instinctively shivered.
She wanted to say something to ease the tension.
In the end…
Not a single word came out.
Qin Lie remained outside cleaning his game while Arui prepared dinner in the kitchen.
Only a single doorway separated them.
Yet the atmosphere between them felt colder than ever.
She scarcely dared breathe.
Even the sound of chopping vegetables was deliberately softened.
Little did she know…
The more cautious she became, the more irritated Qin Lie grew.
He wasn’t someone ruled by emotion.
Still…
He couldn’t understand why the young woman who had clung to him the night before, begging to be comforted…
Was now treating him like a stranger.
What was this supposed to mean?
Using him when she needed him, then tossing him aside afterward?
No one had ever dared treat Qin Lie that way.
Anger simmered in his chest.
He wanted nothing more than to drag her outside and demand an explanation.
But remembering her frightened, tear-filled eyes whenever she was startled…
He forcibly swallowed every bit of his temper.
Forget it.
If she wanted distance, then he would give it to her.
Qin Lie had never forced anyone to stay by his side.
After finishing with the game, he casually washed his hands.
This time…
No one brought him a handkerchief.
Arui finished cooking, called softly to him from the doorway, then carried the dishes into the main room.
Qin Lie entered with a stiff expression, his eyes as cold and still as a frozen lake.
The meal tasted like nothing to Arui.
She had been the one determined to distance herself.
Yet now that Qin Lie truly stopped paying attention to her…
She found herself unable to bear it.
More than anything…
She felt like an ungrateful person who repaid kindness with coldness.
That night, Arui tossed and turned without falling asleep.
When she woke the next morning and saw freshly washed clothes hanging in the courtyard, her face immediately paled.
Until now, cooking and washing had quietly become her responsibility.
Qin Lie had grown accustomed to leaving his dirty clothes by the well for her to wash.
But today…
He had washed them himself.
Panic rose inside her.
She wanted to ask if he was angry with her.
But Qin Lie left before dawn and didn’t return until well after midnight.
Not once did he give her the chance to ask.