That sentence—“I’ll carry you out of your house”—felt like a tightening spell around Su Wan’s neck.
All afternoon, she moved around like a lost puppet.
By the stove, she kept wiping the stove table over and over again. She wiped it three times, not even noticing the soot smudged across her cheek.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Lei Deshui’s burning gaze—and his sweat-soaked chest.
That man was insane.
Su Wan knew it clearly.
If she didn’t go tonight, given his reckless nature, he would really smash open the Wang family’s gate.
And then the whole village would come to watch the spectacle.
She would truly have nowhere left to live.
Just as night began to fall, Wang Dajun came home drunk.
These past few days, he had been in a bad mood over the Wang Ergou incident and kept spending his spare money on alcohol.
The moment he entered, he kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto the heated bed, snoring within minutes so loudly the window paper trembled.
In the east room, Zhang Guihua cursed a few times and then also turned off the lights.
The entire Wang household fell into silence.
Only the old yellow dog in the back yard occasionally whimpered.
Su Wan sat in the straw pile inside the woodshed, staring at the moon through the broken window hole.
Tonight’s moon was full and bright, casting a pale, almost ghostly light over everything.
Like an eye staring down at her.
Su Wan bit her lip so hard it broke.
Go, or not go?
If she went, she would be shameless—a “ruined woman.”
If she didn’t, she would be waiting for ruin and abuse at the hands of the Wang family.
Her fingers brushed the empty sugar paper in her pocket—the one from the red sugar Lei Deshui had given her that morning.
It still seemed to carry a faint sweetness.
That was the only sweetness she had tasted in three years in the Wang family.
Almost as if possessed, Su Wan stood up.
She told herself it was to keep Lei Deshui under control, to stop him from causing trouble.
But deep inside, a buried thought—long suppressed—quietly sprouted in the dark.
She wanted to see him.
Even if he was a bandit, even if he was a brute.
At least with him, she wouldn’t be beaten—and she could drink sweetened water.
She gently pushed open the woodshed door.
The hinges were rusty, but she had secretly oiled them earlier, so it opened without a sound.
Like a cat, she slipped along the wall and out of the backyard.
The yellow dog lifted its head.
Su Wan quickly tossed half a black steamed bun from her pocket.
The dog caught it, wagged its tail, and stayed silent.
She let out a breath of relief, climbed over the low wall, and disappeared into the night.
The path to the melon field was one she had walked countless times in her dreams.
Unlike the muddy rainy night before, tonight the moonlight clearly lit the road.
Grass along the roadside was wet with dew, soaking the hem of her pants with a cold touch.
The closer she got, the faster her heart beat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
As if it might burst out of her chest.
In the distance, the dark silhouette of the melon shed appeared.
A faint light leaked from inside—the glow of a kerosene lamp.
Su Wan stood at the edge of the field, took a deep breath to steady herself, and then stepped forward.
Before she could even reach the ladder, the door opened.
Lei Deshui stood there.
Still bare-chested, wearing loose shorts, a cigarette between his fingers.
Under the moonlight, his muscular body looked like it was carved from iron, full of raw strength.
When he saw her, he tossed the cigarette to the ground and crushed it under his foot.
“You’re obedient enough,” he said, voice low.
There was no clear emotion in it, but the corner of his mouth clearly lifted slightly.
He reached out and pulled her straight into the melon shed.
Inside, it was warm.
The moment Su Wan stepped in, she smelled something strong and霸道—meat.
A strong, greasy meat aroma filled the air.
Su Wan’s stomach betrayed her with a loud “gurgle” in the quiet night.
The sound was so clear that her face instantly turned red. She lowered her head in embarrassment, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to hide in.
“Enough, stop pretending to be a delicate young lady,” Lei Deshui said as he pressed her down in front of the small wooden table, his tone half disdainful, half indulgent.
“Look at this.”
Su Wan looked up.
On the crooked little table were neatly arranged dishes.
In the center was an oil-wrapped package—inside it, a whole roasted chicken.
The skin was golden and glossy, still sizzling with oil, the aroma rushing straight into her nose.
Next to it was a plate of crispy fried peanuts and two white steamed buns.
Most eye-catching of all was a bottle of orange soda, condensation still clinging to the glass.
Su Wan was stunned.
This… this was food she might not even see during the New Year.
In the Wang family, forget roast chicken—even during festivals, she only got a couple of unwanted fatty scraps, and even then under Zhang Guihua’s watchful glare.
“What are you staring at? Can staring make you full?” Lei Deshui said bluntly, pulling off a chicken leg and stuffing it into her hand.
“Eat.”
Holding the hot drumstick, Su Wan’s eyes instantly reddened.
All the grievance, all the bitterness, mixed with the smell of meat, made her nose sting.
She didn’t dare look at him and lowered her head, taking small bites.
It was so good.
The chicken was tender, savory, perfectly seasoned—it was the best thing she had ever eaten in her life.
At first, she tried to be reserved, eating politely.
But once hunger was awakened, it could no longer be suppressed.
She began eating faster and faster, even sucking the bones clean before reluctantly putting them down.
Lei Deshui sat across from her, cracking peanuts in his hands. He didn’t eat—he just stared at her.
Watched her devour the food, cheeks puffed like a little squirrel.
In his usually fierce eyes, a rare sense of satisfaction appeared.
Like he was watching a pet he had raised finally eat.
“Eat slower. No one’s stealing from you,” he said.
He picked up the orange soda, bit off the cap with his teeth, and handed it to her.
“Drink. Don’t choke.”
Su Wan took it and drank deeply.
The carbonation burst on her tongue, the sweet orange flavor sliding down her throat. She let out a small burp—pure satisfaction.
A whole roast chicken, she finished more than half.
Two buns, gone as well.
She had never been this full in her life.
The warmth in her stomach chased away the constant hunger and weakness she had lived with for years.
She put down the bones and awkwardly wiped her hands.
“Brother Lei… this must’ve cost you a lot…” she said softly.
“Nonsense,” Lei Deshui replied.
He leaned forward.
His rough thumb brushed the corner of her lips, wiping away a bit of oil.
His calloused skin scraped against her delicate face—slightly painful, slightly ticklish.
Su Wan froze, not daring to move.
Lei Deshui’s gaze changed.
The earlier warmth vanished in an instant, replaced by that familiar, aggressive heat.
Like he wanted to swallow her whole.
“Full?” he asked, his voice suddenly hoarse and deep.
“Yes… I’m full,” she nodded instinctively.
A crooked smile appeared on his lips.
He suddenly stood up and lifted her off the stool as easily as if she weighed nothing, holding her in his arms like a child.
“Since you’re full…”
He carried her toward the simple wooden bed.
“Then it’s time to feed me.”