Liu Zhiheng didn’t know which of her words had made Duan Wujiu happy again, but in any case, the coldness in his eyes faded, and his complexion was no longer as pale as before, gaining a hint of color.
“I’m sorry, I’ve stained A Heng’s clothes.”
Liu Zhiheng’s inner garment was stained with Duan Wujiu’s blood.
“It’s fine, I’ll change it later.”
“A Heng has some on her face too.”
Duan Wujiu suddenly reached out, his thumb gently brushing Liu Zhiheng’s cheek. A trace of tender affection flickered in his eyes as he looked at her, as if she were his most precious treasure.
Liu Zhiheng’s gaze was unconsciously drawn to his, and her heartbeat suddenly quickened.
At some point, the atmosphere in the room had changed, becoming somewhat ambiguous.
Duan Wujiu’s palm had a few thin calluses, and as he caressed Liu Zhiheng’s cheek, it sent a tingling, ticklish sensation across her face, causing her to tremble slightly.
“A Heng, may I kiss you?”
A faint blush spread across Liu Zhiheng’s fair face. “You shouldn’t ask such things out loud.”
Just kiss her already!
She raised her head to speak, but as soon as she moved, her chin was gently held. Duan Wujiu leaned in closer, his warm breath brushing against the tip of Liu Zhiheng’s nose.
“May I?” Duan Wujiu asked again.
“Do you have to ask me?”
“But I promised I would never force A Heng, no matter how much I want to kiss her. I will always wait until A Heng is willing.”
Liu Zhiheng lowered her eyes, not daring to look at Duan Wujiu.
“If it’s just a kiss, it’s fine. You don’t have to ask me every time. I…”
Before she could finish speaking, her lips were sealed by his.
The kiss lasted a long time, starting cautiously before turning reckless and frantic.
During a brief pause, Liu Zhiheng saw the look in Duan Wujiu’s eyes—fragile yet fervent.
Her heart was struck hard by that gaze.
Even though she knew it was just a fleeting romance of two months, even though she had only intended to pass the time and earn a little hardship fee, she couldn’t help but sink into it.
Forget it, Liu Zhiheng thought. If she was sinking, then so be it. Not everything in this world needed a result. What did it matter if it was just a brief affair? She wasn’t afraid.
So, Liu Zhiheng wrapped her arms around him and kissed him again, this time taking the initiative.
It wasn’t until they tumbled onto the heated kang bed and both realized that if things continued like this, they might not be able to stop themselves that they hastily separated, each occupying one side of the bed, their faces flushed as they avoided looking at each other.
“Tomorrow, you can’t make any more excuses,” Liu Zhiheng said, her face still flushed. “You must move into my father’s room.”
Otherwise, if things continued like this, she would eventually lose control.
“Alright,” Duan Wujiu replied, suppressing a smile as he looked at Liu Zhiheng. “I’ll do whatever A Heng says.”
“Go to sleep!”
Liu Zhiheng quickly covered herself with the blanket and lay down.
After Liu Zhiheng fell asleep, Duan Wujiu quietly moved closer to her, resting his head against her hair and greedily breathing in her scent.
But suddenly, something flashed through Duan Wujiu’s mind—fragments of something, red, foul-smelling, and filled with killing intent.
That suffocating feeling of drowning returned, and Duan Wujiu felt as though he was on the verge of remembering something.
He abruptly got up, silently left the room, and walked out into the cold, snowy night in just his inner garments.
…
Outside in the snow, Duan Wujiu’s eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails nearly dug into his flesh.He must not remember.
He cannot remember.
Bare feet stepping on the cold snow, that icy clarity brought him back to his senses. The vivid red scene seemed to recede like a tide, and Duan Wujiu could breathe again.
He let out a sigh of relief and turned back to the small wooden house.
Inside, Liu Zhiheng was still sound asleep, completely unaware of the battle Duan Wujiu had just fought.
He gently leaned beside Liu Zhiheng, greedily inhaling her scent.
How he wished he could stay like this forever, always by A Heng’s side.
If that wasn’t possible, he would rather die at this very moment…
Early the next morning, as Liu Zhiheng had instructed, Duan Wujiu cleaned up the main room himself.
The main room wasn’t difficult to tidy up. Liu Yigu hadn’t been gone for long, so all he needed to do was remake the bed and light the heated kang bed.
Liu Zhiheng also brought him some books and a few writing supplies.
Watching Liu Zhiheng move things over as if relocating, Duan Wujiu felt uneasy. “Does A Heng not want to see me anymore? Can’t I just go to your room to read and write?”
Liu Zhiheng comforted Duan Wujiu. “Think about it—usually, we’ll stay in our own rooms. If we want to see each other, we can just open the windows and gaze at each other from across the way. Isn’t that nice?”
“No, I like being close to A Heng, the closer the better,” Duan Wujiu complained. “In this room, I can’t even smell your scent.”
“I’ll give you one of my clothes. No more complaining!”
Duan Wujiu smiled. “Alright.”
Liu Zhiheng truly had no way to handle Duan Wujiu. He really was like a dog she had raised…
Just as the two finished tidying Duan Wujiu’s room, the village chief arrived.
Hearing the village chief knock, Liu Zhiheng felt exasperated. Well, Xie Tinglan kept his word—he really sent someone to keep an eye on her…
The village chief had come at Xie Tinglan’s request to see if Liu Zhiheng needed any help at home.
Xie Tinglan hadn’t mentioned anything about a cousin. He had simply said that Liu Zhiheng living alone at the foot of the mountain wasn’t entirely safe and hoped the village chief could check in from time to time. With the village chief looking out for the Liu family, others in the village wouldn’t dare bully Liu Zhiheng casually.
The village chief couldn’t help but sigh. “You know, Scholar Xie really does care about you. Look how concerned he is! Once you two marry, you’ll surely live well.”
As Liu Zhiheng was speaking with the village chief, Duan Wujiu walked out of the room. Liu Zhiheng wasn’t sure if Duan Wujiu had overheard the village chief’s earlier words and quickly tried to smooth things over.
“Oh, Scholar Xie isn’t particularly concerned about me. He treats everyone this well!”
When the village chief saw Duan Wujiu come out, he was visibly stunned for a moment before finally reacting. He didn’t continue talking about Xie Tinglan and instead smiled and asked, “Liu girl, who is this?”
Liu Zhiheng actually wanted to register Duan Wujiu’s presence with the village chief. That way, no matter what people saw or said later, having informed the village chief in advance would prevent the rumors from getting too out of hand.
“This is my distant cousin. He’ll be staying with me for a while. Scholar Xie knows about this too.”
Duan Wujiu smiled and nodded politely at the village chief, appearing gentle and well-mannered. Without saying anything more, he headed straight to the kitchen.”It’s good that Scholar Xie knows… It’s not safe for you to live alone, and having your cousin look after you is for the best. I’ll head back now, but if anything comes up, be sure to come find me.”
The village chief was about to leave when Liu Zhiheng stopped him.
“Chief, wait a moment.”
Liu Zhiheng brought out the rabbits she had hunted the day before, deciding not to take them to the county town to sell, and instead handed them directly to the village chief.
Fresh food was hard to come by in winter, and two wild rabbits were worth a decent amount. The village chief politely declined at first but eventually accepted, leaving happily.
He thought to himself, this Liu girl really is sensible, and her cousin seems like a polite, good lad…