How long can a hug last?
For Wen Yan, it felt like a very long time.
She tried to let go several times, but Jiang Baizhou, behind her, seemed not to notice.
She had the strange feeling that Jiang Baizhou would devour her, bones and all.
“Jiang Baizhou, are you asleep?”
Jiang Baizhou inelegantly rolled his eyes.
‘This silly wife of mine, when will she ever get a clue?’
“No…”
Jiang Baizhou’s voice was drawn out, laced with an intimacy that broke through the barrier of the hug.
“Wifey…”
Wen Yan’s body tensed up, but even though Jiang Baizhou felt it, he pretended not to notice.
He wanted to make Wen Yan get used to his presence, to accept from the bottom of her heart that she was his wife.
“Wifey, you smell so good.
I can’t bear to let go.”
Wen Yan’s tense body relaxed again.
‘That must have been my imagination.
How could a man who acts so cute possibly devour me, bones and all?’
Her voice softened a bit as she patted Jiang Baizhou on the back.
“Alright, I’ll let you hug me again in the future, okay?”
A triumphant glint flashed in Jiang Baizhou’s eyes.
“Wifey, you’re the best!”
Jiang Baizhou let go, giving Wen Yan a harmless, gentle smile tinged with a hint of dependency.
Wen Yan thought, ‘What a simple, innocent person!’
The two of them cleaned up and ate dinner quickly.
After the meal, Jiang Baizhou continued to review his studies while Wen Yan packed his things.
“Take all the White Rabbit candies.
They’re good for a sugar boost at critical moments.”
“I haven’t learned how to make shoes and clothes yet, so you should pack your own underwear.
I’ll make some for you once I learn.”
“Should I roast some oil-tea flour?
We have white flour at home.
My cooking isn’t great, but my knife skills are excellent!
I can be your assistant.”
Wen Yan chattered on, but Jiang Baizhou felt no impatience at all.
He only felt that the entire room was as warm as the winter sun.
He suddenly stretched out his arm and pulled Wen Yan up from where she was squatting on the floor.
Wen Yan let out a startled “Ah!” and the next second, she found herself sitting sideways on Jiang Baizhou’s lap, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist.
Jiang Baizhou nuzzled his head against her shoulder.
“You don’t need to pack that.
The team will provide dry rations.
I’ll take a few pieces of candy.
If I bring too much, it’ll be hard to divvy up.”
Wen Yan’s attention was completely on the practical matters, so she didn’t bother to correct their posture.
Besides, she had already agreed to let him hug her.
“Okay, I’ll listen to you.
You have more experience.”
Jiang Baizhou found himself cherishing Wen Yan even more.
She always listened earnestly to every word you said.
She was never perfunctory.
“Then just pack what you think you’ll need.
Take whatever we have at home.
I can always buy more while I’m here.
Don’t short-change yourself.”
Jiang Baizhou tightened his arm and grunted in agreement.
He felt like he was starting to get addicted to hugging Wen Yan.
The only unfortunate thing was that he seemed to be the only one addicted so far.
Seeing there was nothing left for her to pack, Wen Yan switched back to tutoring mode.
Jiang Baizhou pleaded coquettishly to study while being held, but Wen Yan rejected him with a righteous expression.
“No!
You must respect your teacher.
We can’t mess around.”
“Study hard.
No acting cute!”
Over the course of the evening, Jiang Baizhou reviewed everything two more times.
Soon it was after nine, Wen Yan’s bedtime.
The two of them washed up and brushed their teeth side-by-side.
They even soaked their feet sitting in a row.
Wen Yan glanced helplessly at Jiang Baizhou next to her.
‘How can a grown man be so clingy?’
After washing their feet, they finally stopped sitting side-by-side.
They had come home at the same time today, so Wen Yan hadn’t had a chance to change her underwear in advance, let alone wash it secretly.
In the end, Jiang Baizhou turned his back first while Wen Yan changed her underwear under the covers.
Then it was Jiang Baizhou’s turn.
Back to back, they each washed their own underwear and hung them on a newly strung clothesline inside the room.
One hung on the east side, the other on the west.
They faced each other across the room, as if awaiting a fated meeting.
Under the covers, Jiang Baizhou silently counted, curious to see just how many seconds it would take for Wen Yan to fall asleep.
“Jiang Baizhou, sit up for a moment.”
Jiang Baizhou was surprised that Wen Yan hadn’t fallen asleep instantly.
He obediently sat up.
“What’s wrong?”
Wrapped in the blanket, Wen Yan said, “I haven’t taken your measurements yet.”
A forgotten memory resurfaced to torment Jiang Baizhou.
He was 100% certain that if she were to take his measurements right now, his “Little Jiangjiang” would be especially…
polite.
He was a normal man, not some saint who’s immune to temptation!
“Um…
how about you just use my old clothes for the pattern?
I haven’t gained any weight; I’m still the same size.”
When Wen Yan heard that, she said, “Okay, that’s much easier.”
She lay back down, mumbled a drowsy “good night,” and not ten seconds later, Jiang Baizhou heard the sound of her even breathing.
He ground his teeth in frustration.
‘You get me all worked up, and then you just fall asleep in an instant!’
In the darkness, Jiang Baizhou scooted closer, hovering over Wen Yan, ready to make a move.
In a voice so quiet it was inaudible, he whispered, “Wifey, can I kiss you?”
“Since you didn’t say no, I’ll take that as a yes.”
Suppressing his pounding heart, afraid of waking Wen Yan, he first blew some warm air onto his hand to make sure his lips weren’t too cold.
His usual training came in handy at this moment.
His arms steadily supported his upper body, making him look like a cheetah lying in ambush.
A light kiss, like a dragonfly skipping across water, landed on Wen Yan’s forehead.
“Mine now.”
With a thumping heart, Jiang Baizhou lay back down in the darkness, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile that was both satisfied and yet unsatisfied, not daring to be too greedy.
The next day, Wen Yan woke up unusually early.
When Jiang Baizhou heard the sound of clothes rustling beside him, he thought he had overslept and shot up in bed.
Wen Yan turned her head and patted Jiang Baizhou’s head.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.
I’m just up early.
You’re not late.”
Jiang Baizhou’s tense muscles gradually relaxed.
Only then did he realize that Wen Yan was getting up to make him some flatbreads.
“I asked Sister-in-law Zhou Hong yesterday.
She said flatbreads are the best thing to bring, since you can just toast them over a fire to eat.”
Jiang Baizhou didn’t go back to sleep either and got up to help.
Jiang Baizhou kneaded the dough while Wen Yan shaped the flatbreads.
Jiang Baizhou couldn’t help but stare at how round they were.
Each one was perfectly round and exactly the same size.
‘How does she do that?’
He soon had no time to ponder it.
He was choking on the smoke.
Without a range hood, the two of them could only cook with the door open.
Luckily, they were poor and didn’t have much oil, so the smoke dissipated fairly quickly.
Working together, they made five white flour and white sugar flatbreads, five white flour and brown sugar flatbreads, and another five thicker, plain white flour flatbreads.
They also made a few extra to eat for breakfast, which, paired with some golden millet porridge, was absolutely perfect.
At a time when just getting enough to eat was difficult, they were having a meal made entirely of fine grains.
Who knows how many people outside, smelling the food, were muttering about how wasteful Wen Yan was.
But Jiang Baizhou said, “Wifey, don’t try to save money.
If we run out of fine grains, just go buy more.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t short-change myself, so you shouldn’t either.
If there’s anything you want to eat, just tell me!”
Jiang Baizhou, shouldering his luggage, readily agreed.
Standing at the door ready to go meet the others, he looked at Wen Yan reluctantly.
“Wifey, aren’t you going to give me a hug?
I’m leaving now, for over a month.”
Wen Yan thought, ‘Sigh…
He’s acting cute again!’
“Hug it is!”
Wen Yan generously walked over, but before her arms were even fully open, she was pulled into a scorching embrace.
It was a tight hug, as if he wanted to merge into her very bones and blood.
“Wifey, I’ll miss you.”
The hug was over quickly.
By the time Wen Yan came back to her senses, she could only see Jiang Baizhou’s retreating back growing smaller in the distance.
Returning to the room alone, it was still just as small and cramped, yet it felt jarringly empty.
“Sigh…
A person really does need to work.”
Wen Yan never let herself get bogged down in any particular mood.
She grabbed her bag, closed the door, and took her needles, thread, and fabric to go learn how to make clothes from Sister-in-law Zhou Hong.
To Wen Yan, drawing lines on fabric was just like turning a 3D object into a 2D diagram.
Once she understood one part, she understood the whole, so she learned very quickly.
For the next three days, Wen Yan and Bai Shanshan walked all over the area surrounding the Reclamation Team, nearly wearing out a pair of shoes.
In a desolate area with a water source, Bai Shanshan looked at the prime piece of real estate—perfect for a burial plot, according to feng shui—and finally said, her voice trembling with panic, “Wen…
Wen Yan, my mom doesn’t want me to be buried far from home.”