Xie Yucheng said gruffly, “Cried yourself hungry, huh? Who told you to act like that? Go to sleep. You won’t be hungry once you’re asleep.”
The girl stared at him with wide eyes, a hazy sheen of tears still lingering in her beautiful eyes.
Xie Yucheng ignored her. He pulled a small iron pot from beneath the truck seat, gathered some firewood from nearby, and found an open patch of ground where he started a fire.
He boiled a pot of water and poured it into a cup to cool. Then he added more water to the pot and took out some eggs, noodles, and sausages.
Within half an hour, he had cooked up a steaming pot of fragrant noodles. For a long-haul truck driver, knowing how to do this was an essential skill.
Wen Shiqing sat inside the truck watching him bustle around and suddenly realized that perhaps she didn’t know her brother as well as she thought. She had never imagined that he could cook noodles or prepare meals.
The man opened the truck door from outside and looked up at the girl inside.
“Put your shoes on.”
Wen Shiqing obediently did as he said. Then he reached out, wrapped one large hand around her soft waist, and naturally lifted her out of the truck, setting her steadily on the ground.
“Does your foot still hurt?” he asked.
Wen Shiqing nodded and answered softly, “Mm.”
In truth, it didn’t really hurt much anymore.
“Put some more medicine on it after we eat.”
“Okay.”
It was a beautiful spring night, warm and intoxicating. The two of them sat on the ground around the fire, listening to the gentle sound of flowing water as they shared a pot of noodles.
Wen Shiqing held a handled metal lunchbox filled with noodles, topped with a fried egg and sliced sausage. The corners of her lips curled into a faint smile, her eyes bright with happiness. She thought the noodles tasted better than anything she had ever eaten at a restaurant.
Xie Yucheng had mixed a little honey into the cup of water he had set aside earlier and held it out to her.
“Honey water. Have some.”
“Where did you get honey?”
He sounded impatient. “If you don’t want it, pour it out.”
Wen Shiqing took the cup and drank a sip. The sweet, thick honey water slid down her throat, soothing her from head to toe.
After eating, she sat on a tree stump. The view above her was wide open, with a river of stars drifting across the sky. By the stream nearby, Xie Yucheng was bent over washing the dishes.
A lot of men couldn’t cook or do laundry. Even if they could, they were often too lazy to bother.
But her brother seemed different. He was highly independent, knew how to do a little of everything, and was surprisingly diligent.
The cab of this Jiefang 141 truck had undergone special professional modifications. The gearshift in the middle could be folded down and retracted, and a foam mattress could be laid over it, turning the front seats into a single bed.
Wen Shiqing slept in the rear sleeper berth while Xie Yucheng lay on the makeshift bed in the front, with the seat back separating them.
Wen Shiqing had never spent a night in a truck before. Now that she was lying quietly, she could smell a faint but unpleasant, pungent odor of gasoline.
There was one of Xie Yucheng’s jackets beside her pillow. She picked it up and covered her face with it. The fresh scent of soap and the slightly bitter smell of tobacco clinging to his clothes masked the unpleasant gasoline odor.
But before long, she felt like she couldn’t breathe properly, so she spread the jacket over her pillow instead and lay on her side, breathing with her nose pressed against the fabric.
That crisp, clean scent seemed to go straight into her lungs. It was uniquely Xie Yucheng’s scent. The strong masculine scent made her thoughts wander, and a faint blush spread across her face.
Noticing her rustling around in the rear berth, Xie Yucheng asked, “Can’t sleep?”
“Mm,” she answered softly.
Xie Yucheng suddenly remembered something. He sat up and said, “I forgot to apply the medicine.”
Her voice came muffled from the pillow. “There’s no need. We can do it tomorrow.”
“No. It’ll heal faster if you put the medicine on. Or do you plan on making me carry you in and out of the truck every day?”
“When did I say that? I never thought that!” she hurriedly explained, her cheeks flushing red.
The night was as bright as day. With the windows wide open, the cool breeze from the riverside drifted through the truck, keeping the cabin pleasantly cool.
Xie Yucheng took the ointment from the storage compartment.
“Bring your foot over.”
Wen Shiqing buried her face in the pillow and slowly extended her left foot toward him. When he touched her cool skin, he asked, “Cold?”
“Not cold.”
He clicked his tongue.
“It’s the middle of summer, and your feet are this cold. Did you crawl out of an ice cave?”
“You don’t understand. A lot of women are like this. It’s called having a cold constitution.”
Xie Yucheng really didn’t understand. It wasn’t as if he had ever touched another woman’s feet.
He lowered his head and concentrated on applying the medicine, his rough palm gently massaging her ankle in slow circles.
Her ankle had a smooth, graceful curve. Her small foot was as pale as jade, tinged with a faint pink, while her round, adorable toes were lined up neatly like strings of pearls.
Xie Yucheng had seen plenty of girls wearing sandals. Some dyed their fingernails or toenails orange-yellow with balsam flowers. Wen Shiqing’s nails weren’t dyed at all, and they looked clean and natural.
Perhaps because of the summer heat, the skin beneath his palm felt cool and delicate. It was like suddenly touching a piece of ice on a sweltering day—once he held it, he didn’t want to let go.
His gaze traveled from the top of her foot to her slender, smooth calf, then to her knee…
And finally settled on her dark hair.
Wen Shiqing slowly lifted her beautiful eyes, and their gazes suddenly met. Her dark, grape-like eyes seemed to hold a pool of water. If he looked for even one second longer, he felt as though he might be drawn into them.
“Done.”
The man calmly looked away and placed her foot back down.
“Go to sleep.”
Wen Shiqing turned over, touched her burning cheeks, and buried her face in his jacket.
The farther north they traveled, the more mountainous the terrain became. The roads were difficult to navigate, and they could go hundreds of kilometers before encountering another small town.
Wen Shiqing wore a little white dress with a square neckline and puffed sleeves, lace-trimmed socks, and white canvas shoes. She rested her arm against the truck window and gently swung her legs while watching the mountain scenery rush past outside.
A small flower crown she had made herself sat on her head. Multicolored flowers had been woven together with willow branches, while two braided pigtails rested over her shoulders, giving her a playful, adorable look. Paired with her dress, she was so beautiful that she looked like a fairy who had stepped out of the mountains and into the mortal world.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
“Brother, stop the truck!”
“What is it?”
Xie Yucheng slowly pressed the brakes and looked at the little fairy beside him.
“Look! There’s a little lamb by the side of the road. It looks like it’s hurt.”
As soon as the truck stopped by the roadside, Wen Shiqing immediately jumped out and ran toward the little lamb.
Xie Yucheng’s eyes fell on her ankle.
“Your foot doesn’t hurt anymore?”
She gave an awkward little laugh. The previous day’s act had already fallen apart.
“It’s not hurting anymore. It’s all thanks to you helping me apply the medicine these past few days.”
Her sweet words were almost shameless.
Only then did Xie Yucheng realize what had happened. He had felt sorry for her because she was injured, while she had hidden the truth and treated him like her personal servant.
Fine. Very fine.
The little lamb’s hind leg seemed to be broken. It lay helplessly by the roadside.
When Wen Shiqing crouched down to look at it, it lifted its watery eyes and let out weak little bleats.
“There aren’t any houses nearby. I don’t know where this little lamb wandered away from. If nobody saves it today, out here in these barren mountains, it’ll probably end up being torn apart and eaten by wolves or other predators.”
Xie Yucheng watched the girl pick up the lamb. His temple twitched.
He planted his hands on his hips.
“You’re not thinking of putting it in my truck, are you?”
When Wen Shiqing didn’t answer, Xie Yucheng rubbed his forehead and turned around, striding back toward the truck.
“Don’t even think about it. Absolutely not!”
“Brother!”
“Calling me Brother won’t help!”