After much coaxing and persistence from Qin Xiao, Qinghe finally told him about her past.
“It’s because I used to be fat!” she said with a grin. “Along the way, everyone else was starving until they were skin and bones. I just lost my extra weight and ended up looking like this.”
Qin Xiao stared at her in surprise, looking her up and down.
When he had helped her get dressed the previous night, her waist had been so slender that one hand could almost wrap around it.
Her figure was delicate and graceful. Aside from her full curves, there wasn’t an ounce of excess flesh on her body.
She wasn’t far from being skinny herself.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t imagine what she had looked like when she was heavier.
Probably…
Softer.
And even nicer to hold.
“Heh, just wait. One day I’ll put all that weight back on you.”
Then he suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, right. How did you know so much about my family?”
Qinghe smiled.
“Yesterday while I was cooking, Zhou Sui sat by the stove tending the fire. She chatted nonstop and told me most of your story.”
Qin Xiao rolled his eyes.
“She really has a big mouth.”
Then he frowned.
“That’s not fair. I know all about my own story, but I still don’t know yours.”
“You have to tell me too.”
Qinghe found him rather childish.
What was there to compare?
Still, since they were about to get married, learning more about each other wasn’t a bad thing.
So while watching Qin Xiao wash dishes, she leaned against the stove and began recounting her past.
She started with being kidnapped at six years old.
Then she spoke about being sold through the hands of two different traffickers before finally entering the Prince’s Manor at the age of eight.
Qin Xiao turned a bowl upside down to drain the water.
“So you were abducted?”
“Do you remember where your home was?”
“Who was in your family?”
“And your contract only says your name is Qinghe. Where’s your surname? Why isn’t one listed?”
Qinghe used a dry cloth to wipe the bowls and sighed softly.
“I don’t remember where my home was.”
“I vaguely remember it being somewhere in the north, covered in snow and ice.”
“My family had my parents and an older brother. We were farmers.”
“As for my name, the Prince’s Manor gave all the servants new names. I’ve forgotten what I was originally called.”
“I think… my surname was Su.”
Qin Xiao took the bowl she had finished drying.
“When we register our marriage contract, your name will be added to my household registry.”
“Should we add your surname back?”
“Would that be alright?”
Qinghe didn’t particularly care whether she had a surname or not.
After all, when she died one day, the name engraved on her gravestone would simply be “Madam Qin.”
Still, it was a thoughtful gesture, so she didn’t refuse.
Then something occurred to her.
Since he had been able to read her slave contract, he must be literate.
“You can read?”
In the countryside, very few people could.
Wasn’t that why Madam Qin was always so proud whenever she talked about Qin Yue?
So Qinghe found it rather surprising.
Qin Xiao began sharing his own story in return.
When Qin Yue first began learning characters and calligraphy, Qin Xiao had already been ten years old.
Watching his younger brother practice every day, he had wanted to learn as well.
Of course, he knew his parents would never spend money sending him to a school.
So he had simply hoped Qin Yue would teach him enough that he wouldn’t become an illiterate fool when traveling outside.
At first, Qin Yue had patiently taught him, almost showing off his knowledge.
But later, after realizing Qin Xiao learned quickly and even wrote better than he did, he stopped teaching him altogether.
Afterward, Qin Xiao joined the army.
Because he trained diligently and excelled in martial skills, he was eventually selected for the scout battalion.
As he spoke of those years, the loneliness lingering in his eyes finally faded.
In its place rose unmistakable pride.
“Do you know?”
“The scout battalion was filled with the army’s best soldiers.”
“We had to survey terrain, draw maps, and write intelligence reports.”
“Of course we needed to be literate.”
“I received special training.”
“I practiced martial arts during the day and attended classes at night.”
“I can’t claim to know every character, and my handwriting isn’t particularly beautiful, but it’s more than enough.”
Thinking about his life in the military and then looking at Qinghe standing before him, Qin Xiao felt as though fate had tied them together long ago.
If he hadn’t learned tracking techniques and how to make anesthetics in the army, how could he have captured that live deer?
And if he hadn’t caught that deer, why would he have rushed overnight to the county town?
Why would he have stayed in that shabby inn with paper-thin walls, listening to suggestive sounds all night long?
And if not for the restlessness those sounds had stirred within him, how could he have bought Qinghe the moment he laid eyes on her?
Qinghe knew nothing of the thoughts running through his mind.
She only noticed that he had suddenly fallen silent.
And his expression had changed.
The tall man stepped closer.
His eyes were deep and dark, as though they could pull a person into them.
A warning instinctively rang inside her mind.
She unconsciously shuffled backward.
“Qinghe,” Qin Xiao said hoarsely, “why don’t we go rest for a while?”
Her heartbeat sped up.
The tips of her ears instantly turned red.
“Mmm…”
The soft response barely escaped her lips.
Before she could finish, Qin Xiao scooped her into his arms like a child.
Qinghe let out a startled cry.
His powerful arms carried her effortlessly.
Like a wolf carrying precious prey back to its den.
The old wooden bed creaked under their weight.
“Creak…”
Qinghe landed on the straw mat.
It didn’t hurt.
But it left her terribly embarrassed.
Qin Xiao knelt on one knee beside the bed.
His broad frame leaned closer, bringing with it an overwhelming sense of warmth and presence.
The pressure alone made it difficult to breathe.
Qinghe hurriedly caught his hand as it reached for her sash.
Biting her lip, she whispered,
“Could we… wait until our wedding day… before…”
Even though much of her life had been beyond her control, she still wanted at least one complete and proper chapter in her life.
What woman didn’t dream of a beautiful wedding night?
She waited nervously for his answer.
Watching his expression carefully.
If he refused…
Then so be it.
Their marriage contract would be registered tomorrow anyway.
There was no point being overly stubborn.
Qin Xiao released the peach-colored ribbon between his fingers.
Bracing himself beside her, he remained close enough to hear every breath she took.
The tip of her nose was flushed pink.
Her long lashes trembled.
Her bright eyes were so flustered that they couldn’t meet his.
How could he possibly stop?
Every part of him wanted to hold this beautiful woman close and never let go.
His fingers curled beside her head.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
“Alright.”
The single word came out rough and strained.
“Qinghe.”
“Can you be a little kinder to me too?”
“I’m having a hard time.”
“Just let me kiss you for a while…”
…
That afternoon nap left Qin Xiao feeling refreshed and unusually cheerful.
By the time the sun hung above the mountain ridge, he was already heading out beneath the fiery glow of sunset to chop firewood.
Meanwhile, Qinghe shook her sore right hand and looked down at her palm.
“Stupid man.”
“The skin’s practically red from rubbing.”
While changing clothes, the fabric brushed against a particularly sensitive spot, making her suck in a sharp breath.
“He’s not a baby.”
“Why did he have to use so much strength?”
After silently listing all of Qin Xiao’s offenses, she resigned herself to getting out of bed and preparing dinner.
Dinner consisted of hand-pulled noodles rinsed in cold water and topped with a stir-fried egg sauce.
It was simple and quick.
Once everything was ready, she went to call Qin Xiao in from chopping wood.
The sun had already sunk behind the western hills, scattering golden-red light across the sky.
The man stood shirtless in the fading sunlight.
A thin sheen of sweat glistened across his bronze skin.
Droplets rolled down the firm lines of his shoulders and muscles.
They traced the contours of his waist before disappearing into his faded linen trousers.
Darkening the fabric around his hips.
Her gaze drifted to the hands gripping the axe.
Suddenly she remembered those same hands exploring nearly every inch of her body not long ago.
Heat rushed to her face.
“Dinner’s ready…”
Her voice emerged soft and shy.
“Coming!”
Qin Xiao straightened immediately.
The moment he looked at her, his eyes lit up.
His grin stretched from ear to ear, revealing a row of white teeth.
During dinner, he refused to sit across from her.
Instead, he squeezed into the seat beside her.
“Qinghe… eat a little more.”
“Tonight…”
“You…”
Qinghe instantly bristled.
Her face filled with misery.
“Wasn’t this afternoon enough?”
“My hand still hurts.”
“Can’t we take a break?”
At this rate, her skin would be rubbed raw.
Qin Xiao blinked.
Then burst out laughing.
“What are you talking about?”
“I meant we should go to bed early tonight.”
“We need to leave early tomorrow morning.”
“I’m taking you to the market.”
Qinghe was so embarrassed she wanted to crawl under the table.
“Oh…”
she replied quietly.