This dinner left both Jiang Zhu and Fu Shiwen thoroughly satisfied. Jiang Zhu had eaten meat and eggs, and she was extremely content.
Fu Shiwen had given Jiang Zhu meat to eat and gotten her to agree that their future meals would be the same, so he was happy too.
After the meal, Jiang Zhu went into the kitchen to wash the dishes, boiled water to soak her feet, and prepared to go to sleep.
The sky had darkened once again. She didn’t plan to light the oil lamp tonight—she wanted to go to bed early.
When Fu Shiwen saw her soaking her feet, he wanted to bathe as well. He hadn’t bathed in several days and felt like he smelled.
But he couldn’t move easily—couldn’t even get out of bed—and was too embarrassed to trouble Jiang Zhu, so he could only endure it.
The weather was cold, and he hadn’t sweated, so it wasn’t actually that bad. It was just that he felt uncomfortable about it in his own mind. There wasn’t really any odor on him.
Jiang Zhu didn’t pay attention to Fu Shiwen’s side. The weather was cold, and she only bathed once a week herself—there was no helping it, given the conditions. Bathing too often made her skin hurt.
After soaking her feet, Jiang Zhu felt warm all over. She quickly dumped out the water and ran back to bed, pulling the covers over herself for warmth.
Tonight she could finally sleep in a bed. She smiled silently to herself.
She was the kind of person who was easily satisfied—as long as she could live a little better, she was happy.
She said, “Sleep, then. Good, good night.”
Fu Shiwen replied from his side, “Good night.”
Jiang Zhu was accustomed to this routine and fell asleep quickly, sleeping soundly.
Fu Shiwen was still adjusting his schedule and couldn’t fall asleep for a while. He could only lie there bored, staring at the ceiling.
The room was too dark—he couldn’t even see people clearly. Otherwise, he would have read a novel instead of being so bored.
Outside, wind and snow raged, snowflakes drifting down in flurries, the world frozen and bitter.
But inside the little wooden cabin, it was so warm. The charcoal fire burned without pause, releasing heat. On the bed, their thick quilts were warm and cozy—tranquil and beautiful.
The night passed quietly.
The next day, just as dawn broke, Jiang Zhu woke up. The quilt was too warm, making one feel lazy.
Thinking there was nothing much to do today, Jiang Zhu didn’t get up right away. Instead, she tried to go back to sleep and see if she could doze off again.
She slept for another hour or more, waking up completely satisfied, her bones feeling soft and relaxed.
She sat up in bed and stretched. Fu Shiwen’s voice came from beside her: “Awake? Good morning.”
Jiang Zhu’s voice was soft, sounding warm and cozy as she said, “Good, morning.”
“I need to use the bathroom.”
“Okay, wait, just a moment.” Jiang Zhu quickly got out of bed, put on her thick clothes, and took out the small wooden bucket for him.
Then she placed the chair she’d made yesterday afternoon over the bucket and went to wash up and make breakfast herself.
Yesterday, she had given Fu Shiwen a bottle to use for urinating, so she wouldn’t have to keep bringing the bucket back and forth.
She busied herself in the kitchen making breakfast. This morning they were having congee—egg and vegetable congee, very nutritious and looking quite delicious.
When she finished and came out, Fu Shiwen had already sat back down on the bed, and the bucket was properly covered.
Jiang Zhu carried the bucket away and said, “Today, we’re having congee.”
Fu Shiwen said, “I’d like to wash up. Do you have a new toothbrush at home?”
“Yes, I do.” Jiang Zhu went to prepare his toiletries and helped him wash up.
She generally kept a lot of daily necessities stocked at home—she’d buy toothbrushes and toothpaste in bulk, which also saved a bit of money.
After washing up, the two began their breakfast. Jiang Zhu sat in her chair to eat, and before taking a bite, she showed Fu Shiwen her bowl.
It was as if she was telling him that they were eating the same thing.
Fu Shiwen chuckled and gave an “Mm,” finding her gesture adorable.
Halfway through breakfast, a knock suddenly came at the door, and both of them looked puzzled.
Jiang Zhu asked, “Who is it?”
So early in the morning, who could be knocking? Could it be another outsider trapped here?
But it was snowing outside—who would climb the mountain in this weather?
Soon, the voice outside the door cleared up Jiang Zhu’s confusion.
“It’s me, Li Shan. Ah Zhu, open the door.”
Jiang Zhu stopped drinking her porridge and hurried over to open the door. Li Shan had a thin layer of snow on him, and his face was red from the cold.
She quickly said, “Come, come in.”
Li Shan said, “Come out with me to carry some things. I brought you supplies.”
After meeting Jiang Zhu yesterday, Li Shan had been worried about her, so he prepared meat, rice, and flour, and set off up the mountain early in the morning.
Jiang Zhu looked outside—the little donkey was loaded with several large bags. Without a doubt, they were all food.
“You, you… I have, food.” Jiang Zhu didn’t know what to say.
Li Shan chuckled and said, “It’s fine. I brought extra. Eat as much as you want, don’t hold back. You’re too thin—you need to eat more.”
The two carried the things into the house together, and only then did Li Shan notice that there was another person in the room—and a man at that!
“Ah Zhu, who is he?”
Jiang Zhu explained, “He’s, someone I, picked up. His leg, is broken, he can’t, walk.”
Fu Shiwen greeted him as well: “Hello, I’m Fu Shiwen.”
Li Shan’s expression turned somewhat complicated. He asked, “When did you find him?”
Jiang Zhu said, “A few, days ago. You, have some water.” She poured Li Shan some warm water to help him warm up.
Li Shan took it and drank it in one gulp, then said, “I’ll take him down the mountain. We have the donkey to carry him down.”
A grown man staying up on the mountain wasn’t right, after all. Ah Zhu was a young woman—being alone with a man like that would make it inconvenient for her to take care of him.
Jiang Zhu shook her head and said, “He, can’t, move around.”
“The snow is falling heavily now. When I came up, it was already up to my ankles. In a couple of days, the road won’t be passable. Is he going to stay here for the whole winter?”
Jiang Zhu said, “Mm, I’ve, prepared, food, for him.”
Li Shan still felt it wasn’t right and asked, “Are you sure you can’t take him down? Can you really take care of him all by yourself?”
Jiang Zhu said succinctly, “Yes.”
Li Shan glanced at Fu Shiwen sitting on the bed. He wanted to say something to Jiang Zhu but couldn’t say it in front of Fu Shiwen, so he pulled Jiang Zhu outside the door.
He closed the door behind them before saying, “Ah Zhu, think this through. He’s a man—it won’t be convenient for you to take care of him. Besides, we don’t know if he’s a bad person. I should take him down the mountain.”
Jiang Zhu knew what he was worried about and said, “It’s, fine. He’s, a good person.”
“You can know a person’s face but not their heart. What if he’s a bad guy? I’m really worried about you.”
“Really, it’s, fine. I, can handle it. He’s, really, not, a bad person.”
Li Shan looked at her face—she didn’t seem to be lying. He also recalled Fu Shiwen’s appearance in his mind; he didn’t look like a bad person either.
He could only say, “Alright, you must be careful and take good care of yourself. I hope the next time I see you, you’ll have put on a bit more weight.
The snow is getting heavier, and I should head down the mountain now—the road will only get harder to traverse.”
“Wait, just a moment, let me get something for you.” Jiang Zhu hurriedly turned and went inside the house.