“No, no—just sit over there and wait. It’ll be ready soon. I’ll make you a bowl of noodles.” Guan Ju was flattered that someone as ethereal as this young woman would offer to tend the fire, but with skin so delicate, she hardly seemed like someone used to rough work. Better not.
Lin Aiyun didn’t listen. She walked straight to the hearth, found a bamboo stool in the corner, and sat down. “I’m used to helping my mother at home. It’s no trouble.”
“Huh?” Guan Ju didn’t quite understand. With such fair skin, she looked every bit the city girl—she probably didn’t even know how to light a fire. How could she be used to this?
“My family’s from Nangou Village in Guangping County.” Lin Aiyun offered the information herself.
Guan Ju’s face showed barely concealed surprise. She let out a dry chuckle and, seeing Lin Aiyun handling the firewood with practiced ease, didn’t try to stop her again. Still, she didn’t dare let her do everything, so she had Qiuqiu sit beside her and help control the fire with tongs.
As they waited for the water to boil, the two women chatted. Guan Ju wasn’t much of a talker—most of the time, Lin Aiyun asked and she answered occasionally. The atmosphere was neither awkward nor particularly warm.
After finishing her noodles, the sky had gone completely dark. Guan Ju and Qiuqiu walked her back with a kerosene lamp. The light in the room next door was still off—Xiao Cheng hadn’t returned.
But her room was lit, and three men stood outside. They’d been smoking and chatting, but the moment they saw her, they straightened up, each standing taller than the last.
“Hello, sister-in-law.”
Three voices rang out in unison like thunderbolts, stunning Lin Aiyun into silence. For two seconds, she thought they were addressing Guan Ju—she instinctively glanced back at her. But Guan Ju’s confused expression told her otherwise.
Lin Aiyun asked hesitantly: “Are you talking to me?”
“Yes, sister-in-law.” One of the shorter men grinned and answered with full vigor.
“…” Suddenly saddled with a new identity, Lin Aiyun’s mind struggled to catch up. Her eyes carried confusion: “And who’s your brother?”
The man didn’t hesitate: “Brother Cheng, of course—who else?”
“Sister-in-law, Brother Cheng told us to bring you these things. They’re on the table. We’re rough types, afraid we’d break something, so we didn’t arrange them for you. You can tidy them up yourself. We’ll be going now.”
The three exchanged glances, and without waiting for her reply, they hurried off. Only when they’d rounded the corner did they start chattering excitedly.
“Man alive, the sister-in-law is gorgeous—Dongzi-ge didn’t lie to us.”
“No kidding. I’ve never seen such a lovely girl in my life—that face, that figure, that presence.”
“Whoa, you looked that closely? Careful or I’ll tell Brother Cheng.”
“Pfft, go ahead. I was just appreciating—no bad intentions. You’re just jealous you didn’t have the guts to look.”
Back where she stood, Lin Aiyun was frozen in place, her heart pounding wildly. Her expression cycled through red, pale, and back to red again—like a boiled shrimp.
Just what was Xiao Cheng telling people about their relationship?
It wasn’t even like that yet…
“Aiyun-jie, are you Mr. Xiao’s wife?” Qiuqiu, in her childish innocence, asked outright.
Lin Aiyun’s already tangled thoughts grew even messier, her face burning hotter. She shook her head: “No, we’re not like that.”
“Then… are you dating?” Qiuqiu tilted her head, puzzled.
Guan Ju sensed the awkwardness and didn’t want to put Lin Aiyun on the spot. She covered Qiuqiu’s mouth: “Alright, Qiuqiu—don’t ask so many questions about grown-up things. Let’s go home now. Let Miss Lin get some rest.”
“Be careful on the way.” Lin Aiyun let out a breath of relief. She watched them leave before turning back into her room.
The table was piled high with things. She rummaged through them and recognized the items they’d bought in the city that day. They’d only been pulled from the river not long ago—though they’d been rinsed again, they still carried a faint scent of river water.
She picked up a dress at random, her eyes lowering. Something she’d been ignoring was now laid bare before her.
She’d jumped to conclusions, and in her anger, assumed Xiao Cheng was buying these things for another woman. So she’d never stopped to think: if they were for someone else, why were the sizes and styles tailored to her taste? Wasn’t he afraid the other woman couldn’t wear them, wouldn’t like them—and his efforts would be wasted?
So it was very likely that Xiao Cheng had bought these things for her. And if that was the case, then the person he liked… could it be her?
The realization made her heart skip a beat, then race like thunder. Joy and excitement crept into her chest before she knew it. She desperately wanted to know the answer.
Just then, a creak sounded from outside—the door next door had opened.
Without thinking, Lin Aiyun dashed out. But when she actually stood before Xiao Cheng, her courage failed her. All she could do was stare at him with wide, blinking eyes.
Hearing the noise, Xiao Cheng paused, his hand on the door. He turned to look back. He wore an indigo tunic with few buttons—he’d already undone most of them, finding it too hot. The loose collar revealed one half of his collarbone, the other half hidden in shadow, his chest muscles faintly visible.
Beauty has a way of making you forget everything else. Even dressed so plainly, his handsomeness was undeniable—his face alone was enough to captivate.
“Still awake?”
Light and shadow intertwined. The dark-haired, sharp-eyed man stood languidly in the doorway, his features even more striking under the dim glow. He looked down at her, eyes fixed and unblinking, his thick lashes making his gaze appear deep and mysterious—every emotion hidden within, impossible to read.
Cool moonlight spilled across his cheeks, the shadows of his lashes flickering. Lin Aiyun stammered: “I just got back from dinner. Have you eaten?”
Sensing something off about her, Xiao Cheng remained silent, his thin lips pressed together. His lowered gaze swept over her. The quiet around them grew even quieter, their eyes meeting in midair.
“Just say what you want to say.”
His eyes lifted at the corners, flecks of light glinting in his dark pupils, carrying a veiled springtime warmth—he was every bit a beguiling male spirit.
Lin Aiyun took a deep breath. She didn’t want to prolong this endless guessing. Closing her eyes and steeling herself, she asked directly: “Why did you have them call me sister-in-law? Why did you have me pick out all those things during the day? Who were they for?”
As she spoke, something intangible seemed to spread through the air around them.
A flush rose on her cheeks, creeping to the corners of her eyes and brows. She lowered her head in shyness, like a lotus just emerged from water. Her hands gripped the hem of her clothes tightly as she nervously awaited his answer.
Damn it—he hadn’t said anything yet. Who had spilled the beans to her?
So she was here to confront him out of embarrassment?
Or perhaps… Xiao Cheng’s gaze fell on the small patch of reddened skin at the back of her neck.
“Need to find the right time—can’t rush it. It has to be formal, to show I value her.”
That thought echoed in his mind. Xiao Cheng gritted his teeth. Screw it.
Before Lin Aiyun could react, she was lifted off her feet and thrown over his shoulder. Where his palm touched the back of her knee and her waist, a searing heat spread, as if invisible vines had grown from her feet, winding their way up to her heart, making it race uncontrollably.
The familiar position brought back memories of her past life. Sure enough, the next second, she was tossed onto the bed, and he covered her—pressing his mouth to hers, silencing all words.
Inexperienced lips explored, a probing tongue ventured in, and breath mingled freely.
Lin Aiyun’s head grew dizzy. She instinctively reached out to push him away, but he caught her hands and pinned them above her head, fingers interlaced against the wall.
Time passed. The wild kiss gradually softened. Xiao Cheng’s stiff body relaxed against hers, pressing close. His deep eyes held her gaze, unblinking, a faint blush coloring his ears, his palms slick with sweat.
Her lips were flushed and glistening, a seductive sheen upon them. Her dazed eyes looked pitiful and helpless, her chest heaving—all of her radiating a delicate charm.
He breathed heavily, trying to steady himself, but only lost more control. Unable to resist, he kissed her again. The outline of his Adam’s apple was sharp, bobbing with each swallow, the line of his neck utterly captivating.
Then, without warning, the light above flickered and went out, plunging them into darkness.
But Xiao Cheng showed no sign of stopping. Emboldened by the loss of sight, his hand—still gripping her waist—began to slide upward beneath her disheveled clothes. Just as his fingers were about to reach softness, an earsplitting voice from outside shattered the moment.
“Brother Cheng! Power’s out! I brought you and the sister-in-law a kerosene lamp—open up!”
Dongzi’s unmistakable booming voice cut through the door with pinpoint accuracy. Xiao Cheng froze for two seconds, his hand stuck in limbo—neither advancing nor retreating. Finally, he got up in frustration, but not before reaching out to soothe her with a gentle touch on her face. Then he went to open the door.
Lin Aiyun gasped for air, and once she’d caught her breath, she hurriedly straightened her clothes.
Outside, Dongzi was kicking pebbles idly. He grinned when the door swung open—but the smile slowly faded as he took in the expression on the face before him. He asked cautiously: “Brother Cheng, why do you look so upset?”
Dongzi, having never been in a relationship, didn’t understand the situation. But he wasn’t stupid—one look at Xiao Cheng’s murderous aura told him the man was in a foul mood.
Without waiting for a reply, Dongzi shoved the lamp into Xiao Cheng’s hands and made a swift retreat.
“Brother Cheng, good night!”
In a flash, Dongzi had disappeared down the path.
“Runs fast.” Xiao Cheng let out a cold laugh and closed the door again.
When he returned to the room, Lin Aiyun was sitting up on the bed. She looked at him as he came in, and the atmosphere between them turned oddly awkward.
Acting on impulse, he’d taken liberties with her. It wasn’t right—but it had already happened, and he didn’t regret it.
If Lin Aiyun could hear his thoughts, she’d have laughed: compared to later years, the young Xiao Cheng had some sense of propriety—but not much.
“Pfft.” With a soft breath, the room’s only light went out once more.
Leave a Reply