Leaving Pinghe Village, Lou Zhaoshui led Ruyi straight toward Dapo Village. Aside from the Fu family home, he had nowhere else to go.
The Fu household was empty—young and old alike had gone to pick mulberries, and even the dog was away. Only a few chickens wandered about the courtyard.
The gate was shoved open with force, startling the chickens into frantic clucking as they scattered in every direction.
Fu Ruyi, no longer the passive party being dragged along, took hold of the great beauty and pulled him toward the back courtyard the moment they were inside. Without a word, she bundled him into her private chamber and bolted the door behind them.
“Wh-What are you doing?” Lou Zhaoshui stammered, his nerves getting the better of him. He glanced nervously around the bright room. The most conspicuous feature was a full sheet of white hemp cloth hanging on the wall at the foot of the bed, covered in writing—likely the source of the room’s ink fragrance. But mingled with the scent of ink was another fragrance he couldn’t quite identify, seemingly warm, seemingly sweet, intoxicating him until his mouth went dry, his mind grew restless, and his head felt hot.
“Didn’t you say you’d show me whatever I wanted to see?” Ruyi panted like an ox, her heart pounding like a thunderclap. She stared at him intently and issued her command: “Take off your top.”
Lou Zhaoshui hesitated for a few moments, but under her unyielding gaze, he pulled at the ties of his garments.
The cords fell loose, his outer robe parted, and his chest, waist, and belly were laid bare.
Ruyi’s face burned like fire. She eagerly took two steps forward and raised her hand.
Lou Zhaoshui felt a moment of suffocation. He wanted to retreat but couldn’t bear to; he wanted to push away the hand on his chest, yet also wanted to press it firmly against him. In his confusion, he stood frozen, unable to move.
“What if your two elder brothers oppose our marriage? Your eldest brother even threatened me.” Ruyi leaned against his chest, her hand sliding from his chest all the way down to his back.
“I won’t listen to them—”
“But your eldest brother will be staying at home for half a year. I don’t want to deal with his scowling face, and I’m afraid he might hit me,” Ruyi said sullenly, noticing that he was drawing his waist back as he arched away. She pressed closer, chasing after him. “What’s this?”
Lou Zhaoshui’s face flushed crimson. He stammered, unable to form words.
“Come live at my house.” Ruyi revealed her purpose, cheeks reddening. “Let’s do it according to your Xianbei marriage customs, all right? After we marry, you’ll live at my place. While your eldest brother is home, you move in with me, and once he leaves, we’ll move back.”
“O-Okay… okay.” Lou Zhaoshui could barely endure it anymore, his whole body trembling from her rubbing against him. “L-Let me go. Please…”
Ruyi released one hand, and as he stepped back, she swiftly looped her arm around his neck. She lifted her head and kissed his burning red lips, murmuring indistinctly, “Don’t your Xianbei people have a trial marriage before the wedding? Let’s try it.”
Lou Zhaoshui jolted, and his hands, which had been resisting her, instantly lost their strength.
He stopped dodging. Ruyi freed her other hand from restraining him and cupped his face instead. She clumsily brushed her lips against his—the full, soft sensation even better than in her dreams.
Lou Zhaoshui stopped pushing her away and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her into his arms. She was different from him—her body was soft, pliant, just like her lips.
They held each other and kissed with fumbling awkwardness—noses bumping noses, teeth clacking against teeth, teeth biting tongues. By the time the taste of blood in their mouths had faded, their clumsy yet agile tongues had finally been tamed.
Neither knew how long they kissed. Breathless, they sat facing each other on the bed, blushing as they studied each other’s bodies.
Ruyi took his hand and placed it on herself. “Did you see it this morning?”
“I didn’t get a clear look.”
“Can you see clearly now? Do you like it?”
“I like it.” He looked up at her, a longing in his eyes that he couldn’t see himself.
“Do you want to kiss it?”
His hand trembled as he leaned down.
Ruyi quivered, unable to bear it, and collapsed onto the bed.
“Why is the front door open? Did I forget to bolt it when I left? Or did Ruyi come back?” Mother Fu returned carrying a basket of mulberries. She walked into the main hall and called out loudly, “Ruyi? Ruyi? Are you back?”
In the stifling, humid room in the back courtyard, the two on the bed froze in fright, stiffening and not daring to move.
No one answered. Mother Fu didn’t call again. She figured Ruyi wouldn’t be back this early anyway—she’d probably be eating dinner at the Lou family’s place in the evening. She assumed she’d simply forgotten to bolt the door when she left, or that one of the other children had stopped by.
A faint creak of a door closing drifted over, and the sounds from the front courtyard faded. The creaking from the inner room resumed.
“Look at me.” Ruyi wanted those gray-blue eyes to gaze at her. Steeped in desire, their color seemed an even deeper blue. They were captivated by her, lost in her, her reflection swaying within them.
When it was over, Lou Zhaoshui lay on his side, propping his head up to look at the characters at the foot of the bed, one hand holding her fingers and stroking them as he asked if she still hurt.
“And you?” Ruyi leaned against his chest. The warmth of their embrace was something her dreams had lacked, but after today, her dreams would likely be richer.
Though it seemed she wouldn’t need to dream anymore. She laughed out loud.
“I stopped hurting long ago.” He thought she was mocking him.
“Then are you tired?” she asked him.
Lou Zhaoshui pulled back slightly, his eyes lowered, staring at her. Once he confirmed it was what he thought she meant, he grew excited at once.
Half a shichen later, exhausted, the two fell asleep. They woke to noise—it seemed the Fu family had all returned. Mother Fu was calling and feeding the chickens, and Fu Yuan was scolding the dog.
“She’s still not back, what are you huffing and puffing outside her door for? Putting on a show again—never saw this nasty habit in you before.”
Ruyi pricked up her ears and listened. There was a dog snuffling outside her door.
“Oh, the dog noticed there’s a thief in my room,” she whispered.
“Shh!” Lou Zhaoshui covered her mouth. He sat up, scanning around for a place to hide.
The dog in the room heard and barked once at the door.
“What’s in there?” Fu Yuan sensed something off. “Little sister, are you in there?”
“I’m here.” Ruyi spoke up, startling Lou Zhaoshui so badly he flinched, his eyes going wide at her.
“When did you get back? You’re sleeping? If you sleep during the day, will you still sleep at night? Get up, dinner’s almost ready.” Fu Yuan slapped the dog. “Still barking!”
Ruyi couldn’t face anyone in her current state—a complete mess, the door couldn’t be opened, and the room reeked. She sat up, reached out to embrace the beautiful man caught in a bind, and called out, “I’m not eating. I drank too much at the Lou’s at noon and just want to throw up. I’m not hungry at all. I still want to sleep—don’t make so much noise out there.”
“Got drunk? Did someone force you to drink? Were his eldest and second brothers easy to get along with?” Fu Yuan pressed for details.
“Who are you talking to back there?” Mother Fu approached at the sound of voices.
“Little sister’s drunk and sleeping in her room. She says she feels sick and wants to throw up.”
Mother Fu went straight to push the door open. Lou Zhaoshui was so frightened he nearly jumped off the bed to dress, but the person behind him held him back.
“Don’t be afraid, she can’t get in,” Ruyi whispered. “Lie down, don’t let my mother see you through the crack in the door.”
Lou Zhaoshui did as she said, and the next moment, he watched with his own eyes as she sat down on him, her bare flesh exposed plainly before his sight. He reacted immediately.
“Mother, I’m fine. I ate too much meat at noon and it’s not digesting—I’m not hungry.” Ruyi propped herself up over him, grinding gently against his abdomen while talking to her mother: “Don’t worry about me. Just leave me a bowl of food in the pot—I’ll get up and eat if I’m hungry at night.”
“Want some water? I’ll mix you a bowl of sweetened water,” Mother Fu asked.
“No.” Ruyi had no mind for water.
The people outside the door left, but the dog hadn’t gone—it was still whimpering toward the house.
Lou Zhaoshui relaxed. He rested his head on his arms and gazed at her, murmuring, “You’re truly bold.”
“It’s not me who’s playing the thief.” Even so, she still spared some attention to the commotion outside.
At first, Lou Zhaoshui was still trembling with fear, especially with a dog that caught thieves keeping watch outside the door, letting out a whimper now and then. But gradually, he lost all such thoughts. The dim glow of dusk pierced through the window lattice and fell upon the bed, a few strands of pale light swaying gently, landing on the undulating hills before him—like clear, rippling water patterns on a river’s surface, enough to make one dizzy.
In a moment of distraction, he let the words in his heart slip out, stirring Ruyi into both shyness and excitement.
When this man was fully clothed, he appeared to be a reserved and proper person. Ruyi had once thought him timid, but now it seemed that was merely due to his inexperience with matters of the flesh. Beneath his skin lay the bones of a Xianbei man, etched with the wildness of Xianbei masculinity—and when swept up in desire, he became someone utterly shameless, a world apart from the man he was before.
Ruyi liked it very much. She liked both his personalities, in bed and out of it—they suited her taste perfectly.
Ruyi suddenly slid down and started in alarm. The dog outside barked irritably, drawing another scolding from Mother Fu. She asked him in a low voice whether he truly wasn’t afraid of being discovered.
“If we’re found out, I’ll just take a beating.”
“It’d be more than that—they’d chop off your head.”
“Then let them come chop it.” That was what he said, but he still prudently covered her mouth.
Ruyi turned her face away and told him to get off the bed. This bed had been hers for nearly ten years and could barely bear the weight—it creaked louder than birdsong.
Lou Zhaoshui did as she said. He didn’t have time to put on his shoes and stepped barefoot onto the floor.
The night deepened gradually. The Fu family finished their evening meal and returned to the back courtyard. People walked back and forth outside—separated by just one wall, the two tangled together moved slowly and carefully.
A basin of foot-washing water was splashed out, sticky droplets falling to the ground in scattered specks. In the darkness, two satisfied sighs sounded.
“Lie down a little longer. Once they’re sound asleep, I’ll sneak you out. Lucky for you no one from your family came looking—otherwise we’d have been caught.” Ruyi pulled an old garment softened by washing from the clothes chest to wipe herself, then tossed it to him.
“I’ll bring a matchmaker with the betrothal gifts tomorrow,” he said.
“Do you still remember what you promised me?” Ruyi walked over to him.
The room was pitch black—all they could see was a faint silhouette, but it didn’t matter. Lou Zhaoshui stared at the shadow, and a definite image formed before his eyes. He remembered clearly the feeling of taking them into his mouth and kneading them.
“I remember.” His voice was hoarse and dry. “I’ll tell my parents as soon as I get back.”
“Will they agree?” Ruyi sat on his lap. “I don’t want to cause a quarrel between you and them because of me. I really like your parents, and I don’t want any conflict with them.”
“Of course they’d agree. With me gone, the family saves one person’s rations.” Lou Zhaoshui touched the rounded curve. “Can I kiss it one more time?”
Before she could answer, he bent down and pressed his lips to it.
…
The moon hung above the willow tips, the ox rested and the horses were settled. The door that had been tightly shut since the afternoon finally opened, and Ruyi led Lou Zhaoshui out with light, careful steps.
The big yellow dog guarding the backyard suddenly let out a bark, nearly startling the two of them back inside.
“Quiet!” Ruyi scolded.
“Ruyi?” Mother Fu had woken. “The food’s in the pot. If it’s cold, heat it up.”
“I know, Mother. Go back to sleep.” Ruyi’s heart settled back down. She swaggered with Lou Zhaoshui to the front yard, opened the gate, and instructed: “Once you’re out the door, run fast. The village dogs will bark and chase you. Be careful not to get bitten, and careful not to be seen.”
“I can’t outrun a dog.” Lou Zhaoshui was reluctant to leave. “I’ll just go back in the morning.”
“What if your family comes looking—”
“If they were going to look, they’d have come long ago.” Lou Zhaoshui figured his family wasn’t that foolish.
Ruyi hesitated. “Then wait a bit longer.”
To spot the Lou family the moment they arrived, Ruyi hid the great beauty in the kitchen to boil water while she stripped all the sheets and bedding from her room.
“What are you banging around at this hour?” Fu Yuan was woken up, shouting through the door.
“I slept enough and can’t sleep anymore. I’m going to take a bath. Don’t any of you come out,” Ruyi said with perfect composure.
Boiling water for a bath was real, and washing away the evidence was also real. Ruyi and Lou Zhaoshui worked for more than a shichen, using up all the water in the vat, before the clothes and bedding were clean.
The rooster was already crowing by the time the two crept back into the room to sleep.
They slept with their hearts in their throats for two shichen, and before dawn broke, Lou Zhaoshui slipped out the door.
He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when the dog behind the house—Eldest Sister-in-law’s—started barking, and by the sound of it, it was chasing after him. Lou Zhaoshui’s scalp tightened, and he broke into a fast sprint.
Within a few breaths, every dog in Dapo Village was barking. People startled awake threw on clothes and opened their doors to check.
“Who’s there?” someone asked.
Lou Zhaoshui was grateful the sky wasn’t light yet. He held his breath and ran out of the village, only daring to slow his pace once he reached the head of the pontoon bridge. After crossing, he ran home against the loud barking of dogs.
Arriving at his doorstep with several dogs in furious pursuit, Lou Zhaoshui was just wondering whether to climb the wall when the gate opened. He lunged through in one stride. “Close the door, quick!”
“And who do I see—the thief returns home.” Lou Yi clicked his tongue. “Little Lamb, you’ve made Second Brother see you in a whole new light.”