The three of them happily ate dinner, and Li Jiao deliberately set aside a white steamed bun and a bowl of stewed vermicelli for Da Niu to take back to his mother.
Da Niu initially refused, but Li Jiao insisted and stuffed it into his hands to take home.
Exhausted from the day’s work, Li Jiao simply washed up and lay down on the earthen kang. Listening to the howling wind outside, her eyelids grew heavy.
Having a little home of their own, Li Jiao slept deeply.
In her previous life, during those ten years, she was often beaten and scolded, never eating well or dressing warmly, and had to get up in the middle of the night to work. If she hadn’t desperately wanted to live, she might not have made it through.
Now, since being reborn these past few days, even in the hospital, as long as she was by Qin Lie’s side, Li Jiao never had trouble sleeping.
Early the next morning, as soon as dawn broke, Da Niu came running over.
“My mom said, Brother Lie, your thatched roof needs reinforcement, and the chimney needs to be stabilized too.”
After a night of strong winds, the window paper that had been pasted with glue had blown open.
Qin Lie shifted slightly to block Li Jiao’s sleeping form and nodded at Da Niu.
Li Jiao drowsily tucked her neck in and opened her eyes to see Qin Lie already awake beside her.
“Did I just hear Da Niu’s voice?” Li Jiao sat up, shivered, and rubbed her eyes.
Qin Lie leaned halfway against the wall, his injured leg propped high on several layers of tattered quilts, not daring to move.
In his hand, he fiddled with a thin bamboo stick Da Niu had found for him earlier.
Hearing her, his originally sharp and gloomy gaze softened into something harmless and gentle. “Mm, Da Niu’s here to help fix the chimney. It’ll get dusty inside, so go wash up quickly.”
Qin Lie’s voice sounded weak and earnest.
Li Jiao suddenly remembered that in her half-asleep state last night, she had felt protected. The room had been smoky and a bit choking, and later she felt very cold, clinging to Qin Lie.
Li Jiao’s face flushed slightly, followed by a pang of heartache for Qin Lie, who had endured leg pain all night while looking after her and hadn’t slept well. She quickly threw on her clothes, grabbed the washbasin, and went to heat water.
As soon as she stepped outside, the expression on Qin Lie’s face vanished.
With effort, he propped up his upper body and peered through a crack in the window at Li Jiao’s back as she fetched cold water outside. Making sure she couldn’t hear, he called out to Da Niu.
“Da Niu, come here first.”
“What’s up, Brother Lie? I’m plugging the holes right now.” Hearing him, Da Niu quickly slid down the ladder and ran inside, covered in straw scraps.
Qin Lie turned sideways and pulled out a few tightly rolled small bills from the slightly darkened pillowcase lining.
This was the private money he had secretly hidden in his shoe soles while risking his life working in the black mine. He thought Li Jiao had found it all and used it for his leg treatment.
He hadn’t expected some to be left.
It was just as well—now he could use it.
“Take this.” Qin Lie handed the money to Da Niu. “Go to the commune’s scrap station now and buy two sections of tin pipe. Just patching the earthen chimney with mud won’t work—it’ll still smoke back and choke her.”
Qin Lie hadn’t had much schooling, but he had done many things. Back in the mine, to survive, he had learned everything about ventilation and airflow through life-and-death experience.
Now it came in handy.
Da Niu clutched the money, scratching his head in confusion. “Brother Lie, if you have money, why not give it to Sister-in-law? She was worried about buying medicine before…”
“Shut up.” Qin Lie lifted his eyelids, his gaze shadowed and dark. “If your sister-in-law finds out about this money, I’ll sew your mouth shut.”
He still had to leave a way out for himself—no, for Jiao Jiao.
Whether he could do heavy labor in the future was uncertain, but the main thing was that Li Jiao seemed completely devoted now. Yet who knew if it was just a passing whim?
After all, Li Wenbo wasn’t dead yet. There was no telling if he could make a comeback.
He had to keep pretending—pretending to have nothing, pretending he could only rely on her.
Qin Lie wanted to know just how long this delicate little thing could hold on.
“U-understood. I’ll take this to the grave,” Da Niu stammered, frightened by that look. He stuffed the money away and turned to run.
He had never seen Lie-ge show such an expression before. It was strange—and felt dangerous.
By the time Li Jiao returned from washing up, Da Niu was long gone.
The room was indeed a mess, filled with the smell of wood ash.
Qin Lie was still half-reclining against the kang, his leg unmoving, but his upper body wasn’t idle.
To air out the smell, the door was left open, and the drafty window let in a chill.
Yet he had taken off his padded jacket and was wearing only a black sweater. In one hand he held an old wooden board, and in the other, a dull pencil knife.
As soon as Li Jiao entered, she saw sweat beading on the man’s forehead. From exertion, the muscles in his arms were taut, veins bulging on the back of his hands.
Sweat trailed down the side of his face, inexplicably and lethally sexy, enough to make one’s mouth go dry.
Li Jiao’s cheeks flushed as she remembered the abdominal muscles she had touched at the hospital. She couldn’t help but cough lightly.
“What are you doing?” She leaned in for a closer look, but the board was so rough and uneven she couldn’t tell what it was.
Qin Lie’s hand jerked to a stop, flustered, as he tried to hide the board behind him.
The sudden movement tugged at his injured leg, and he let out a muffled groan, his face instantly paling.
“It’s… it’s nothing.”
He lowered his head, his voice slightly hoarse. “I noticed your snowflake cream bottle keeps rolling onto the floor. I was just trying to smooth out this rotten wood to make a stand for it, but my hands are clumsy. I can’t get it right.”
Li Jiao’s heart softened instantly.
His leg was in such pain he couldn’t move, yet he was still thinking about her snowflake cream bottle.
“Silly.” Li Jiao’s eyes grew warm as she picked up the towel that still carried a trace of warmth and moved closer.
She bent down, gently wiping the sweat from Qin Lie’s temples.
Unconsciously, her gaze drifted to his bobbing Adam’s apple.
“If you can’t get it right, then don’t bother. You’re sweating so much—aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?”
Qin Lie instinctively tilted his head away, his Adam’s apple bobbing, his eyes dark with suppressed danger. “Don’t touch me… I haven’t bathed in days. I must smell. Don’t let it bother you… I’m filthy.”
“Filthy? Nonsense!” Li Jiao hissed. “This is the scent of hard work—the most honorable smell there is. I love it! Besides, I don’t mind you, so you’re not allowed to mind yourself!”
After carefully wiping away his sweat, Li Jiao cupped his chin in her hands.
Qin Lie was forced to look up, meeting her delicate face so close to his. Deep in his eyes flashed a shadow of triumph and fervor.
This feeling of being wholeheartedly protected by her made his heart, long accustomed to the shadows, tremble uncontrollably.
Da Niu quickly bought the galvanized iron pipe, and it really worked wonders. Connected to the earthen chimney, the fire in the stove burned fiercely, making the heated brick bed so hot it could scorch one’s backside.
Li Jiao was applying snowflake cream when she turned around and saw Qin Lie struggling to move his body with his elbows, inching his way painfully toward the far end of the heated bed.
Because his legs were immobile, every movement required him to grit his teeth, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
“What are you doing?” Li Jiao was startled and hurried over to stop him.
“I can sleep here. I smell of medicine and don’t want it to bother you.”
Li Jiao laughed in exasperation. “Qin Lie, behave yourself.”
How could this man be so stubborn? Even with his legs in such a state, he still insisted on making things difficult for himself!
Li Jiao climbed directly onto the heated bed, rolled up the quilt, and bundled herself and the quilt over to his side. Then, she slipped her icy cold feet under the hem of his clothes, pressing them against his scalding abdomen.