That calm, gentle sentence almost made Li Miaomiao twist her ankle. Her brows knitted tightly, her face full of confusion.
What did this have to do with that scumbag Lin Dalang?
When she left without saying a word, the smile on Xiao Xian’s face faded, replaced by a dark, sinister look.
It seemed he had guessed right.
Li Miaomiao poured out the water in the bucket and looked down at her right palm. Thinking about how Xiao Xian had deliberately teased her, she suddenly clenched her fist and punched the air.
Only after venting did she scoop hot water from the pot into the bucket, filling it nearly to the brim before carrying it back to the room.
Inside, she applied the hot compress to Xiao Xian’s legs. Neither of them spoke.
An hour passed. The freshly changed hot water was cooling again, and Li Miaomiao prepared to fetch more.
The pain had subsided. Xiao Xian spoke calmly, “My leg is much better.”
After fussing over him for half the night, Li Miaomiao was unbearably sleepy. Seeing that his face was no longer pale, she yawned and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Her voice thick with drowsiness, she replied, “Alright. Do you need me to help you put your pants back on?”
The single sentence instantly darkened Xiao Xian’s expression. He looked at her indifferently, his tone icy.
“What? Still want to look?”
Li Miaomiao raised her brows, speechless at his sudden coldness.
She had been busy all this time and kindly asked if he needed help, only to be met with that remark. Her temper wasn’t the best, but she believed she had never treated Xiao Xian unfairly.
Talk about repaying kindness with ingratitude.
She wasn’t exactly hurt—just annoyed.
“You told me to fend for myself. What’s so special about your two ounces of flesh that I’d want to see it?”
She thrust her scalded-red hands toward him. Her lips trembled, her tone growing sharper. “I’ve been busy until now, so sleepy I can barely keep my eyes open. My hands are burned red like pig trotters, and I still shamelessly wanted to help you.”
Seeing her face flushed with anger and her reddened hands trembling, Xiao Xian’s gaze shifted to meet her clear eyes.
Did she truly only want to help, without any intention of mocking him?
Realizing this, he was about to speak—but Li Miaomiao, still fuming, poured out her grievances in one breath.
“Yes, you told me to get out and I didn’t listen. I’m the shameless one who insisted on helping you. I brought this on myself, alright?”
With that, she carried the bucket and left without looking back. In her anger, she failed to notice the threshold, stumbling forward. Some water sloshed out, soaking the front of her clothes.
Looking down at the damp fabric clinging to her, she took a deep breath and headed to the kitchen.
After setting down the bucket, she threw a quick flurry of punches into the air before going behind the stove to bank the fire.
Once she tidied up, she didn’t dwell on the argument and hurried back to the room. Sleep was the most important thing.
Hearing approaching footsteps, Xiao Xian calmly closed his eyes.
Seeing the man already resting, Li Miaomiao resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him, blew out the tung oil lamp, and climbed into bed.
With her back to him, she soon fell fast asleep.
Listening to her even breathing, Xiao Xian opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her back.
He thought about her angry words.
A strange light flickered in his dark eyes. As something crossed his mind, he quickly suppressed it.
The next day.
After staying up most of the night, Li Miaomiao slept until the sun was high before waking.
She stretched lazily and felt the empty space beside her. Turning her head, she reached out to touch the bedding.
Cold.
Looking outside, she muttered, “He got up early.”
She actually wanted to sleep more, but remembering the pig offal still needed cleaning—and the blades she’d bought hadn’t yet been mounted onto wood—she gave up the idea.
She slipped on her shoes and stepped toward the door. After taking one step outside, she blinked and retreated.
Two wooden sticks were leaning against the wall, but the pair of crutches she had made for him was gone.
She lowered her gaze, seeming to realize something.
Carrying her doubts, she went into the courtyard and immediately saw Xiao Xian sitting on a stone by the well. Warm sunlight bathed him, softening some of his usual gloom.
He even seemed to have a bit more… vitality.
That realization surprised Li Miaomiao.
What surprised her even more was the bucket of soaking pig offal beside him.
And in his hands—he was handling the large intestines.
They slipped and slid in his grasp as if dancing. Clearly, Xiao Xian had never done this kind of work before.
Even his fingers seemed to spell out three words:
Not familiar.
Though the stench was strong, he didn’t even frown. When he noticed Li Miaomiao standing on the steps looking at him strangely, he showed no embarrassment.
Calmly, he said, “The chickens haven’t been fed.”
His sudden change in attitude nearly made Li Miaomiao’s jaw drop. She stared wide-eyed at the bamboo basket.
“Got it,” she answered.
She went into the kitchen, found scraps suitable for the chickens, squatted down, and tossed them in. The two hens immediately began pecking eagerly.
While feeding them, she secretly glanced back at the man on the stone. Noticing the crutches she had made leaning by the well—and seeing how awkwardly he handled the intestines—doubt crept into her heart.
They had argued last night, yet his attitude had improved.
Her eyes rolled slightly as strange images formed in her mind.
Could it be… he liked it that way?
The moment she turned her head, Xiao Xian knew she had been sneaking looks. Judging by that odd expression, he could tell her thoughts were anything but innocent.
“Come help. I can’t handle this well.”
Today, he spoke quite directly—no sarcasm.
Seems like yesterday’s argument had been useful.
At least it had helped him vent some emotions.
Patting her hands, she stood and said gently, “You keep at it. I’ll cut some bamboo first to build a chicken coop.”
She had bought the two hens so that once they laid eggs, she could nourish Xiao Xian’s health.
Thinking of the blades she’d bought, she decided to cut a tree branch as well.
After she left with the hatchet, Xiao Xian stared at the half bucket of pig offal, frowned, and resumed flipping through the intestines.
There was a bamboo grove in the back hills. Soon, Li Miaomiao dragged bamboo and a small tree back.
She tossed the bamboo to the ground and surveyed the courtyard, choosing a patch of open space along the left wall.
For now, she would build a simple shed. Later, when she repaired the walls and courtyard, she could properly plan a chicken coop.
“Xiao Xian, I’ll fence off that area for the coop, alright?”
After all, this was his home. It was better to ask his opinion.
Xiao Xian tossed the cleaned section of intestine into another clean bucket and looked in the direction she pointed. His gentle eyes held no visible emotion.
“As you like.”
Li Miaomiao raised her brows, her eyes curving mischievously.
Then she’d build it however she pleased.
She was a woman of action. In no time, the bamboo was split in halves and quarters, cut to about 1.2 meters in height, and neatly arranged.
She fetched a solid log from the kitchen, positioned the bamboo pieces with their hollow sides outward, and hammered them into the soil from top to bottom.
Thud.
Thud…
Each time that sound rang out, images of the execution ground surfaced in Xiao Xian’s mind. He suddenly clenched the intestine in his hand, hatred burning in his eyes.
His grip was too strong, and the intestine split open, filth spurting out from the tear.
Focused on her work, Li Miaomiao suddenly noticed a paste-like substance near her feet. Having cleaned intestines before, she knew exactly what it was.
She stopped and looked back at Xiao Xian.
His face was dark, radiating an aura that warned others to stay away.
She glanced around. The mountains stretched endlessly, the view open and empty.
Aside from occasional birdsong, there was no sign of anyone.
They lived at the end of the village; hardly anyone came here.
She muttered softly, “No one’s here, and I didn’t provoke him. It can’t be the sound of the bamboo that set him off, can it?”
As the knocking ceased, the images in Xiao Xian’s mind faded. Hearing her muttering, he suppressed the dark look in his eyes and continued cleaning the intestines.
Seeing him return to normal as if nothing had happened, Li Miaomiao pursed her lips and shook her head slightly.
What a moody, unpredictable man.