The large ship continued its journey.
The sky gradually darkened.
At Xu Hengyan's request, the guard brought in an oil lamp and two hard, dried biscuits, which served as their dinner.
Xie Jiang frowned, sighing, "I should have brought some provisions."
Xu Hengyan chuckled, "Did you think we were out for a pleasure trip?"
He handed Xie Jiang the biscuit that looked slightly cleaner, "Make do with a few bites, don't go hungry."
They didn't know what the next meal would be like.
Xu Hengyan broke off a piece and chewed it slowly first.
The first bite Xie Jiang took made her eyes roll back as she choked.
Xu Hengyan was startled and quickly poured her a cup of water, "Slow down, chew more."
The biscuits were dry and hard, and who knew how long they had been stored.
Having grown accustomed to fine cuisine, it was difficult to adapt to such coarse food.
Once she recovered, Xie Jiang wanted to throw the biscuit away.
Xu Hengyan said, "Why are you putting yourself through this?"
Why endure such hardship by following him.
Xie Jiang shot him a look, broke off a piece, dipped it in water, and then swallowed it bit by bit, "I just like eating this, it has a good chew and tastes delicious."
Xu Hengyan said, "I haven't asked you to leave, and besides, I can't make you leave now."
Xie Jiang, however, said with a look of contentment, "Everything tastes good when I'm with you. Even dry biscuits taste sweet."
It wasn't entirely an act; looking at Xu Hengyan's face was enough to whet her appetite.
Xu Hengyan glanced at her, then lowered his head to eat his biscuit slowly. After a moment, he looked up again, "Are you always this good at coaxing people?"
Xie Jiang replied, "I'm not coaxing you, I'm speaking from the heart. Aren't these biscuits sweet?"
Xu Hengyan fell silent. He found that as he chewed his biscuit, it actually became sweeter and sweeter.
Especially after she said those coaxing words, the incredibly rough biscuit seemed to be coated in honey?
Xie Jiang asked while eating, "You think I'm coaxing you? Have I managed to coax you then?"
Xu Hengyan cast a languid glance at her, "...Don't talk while you're eating, lest you choke again."
Xie Jiang: "Oh."
After finally finishing the biscuits, her jaw felt a little sore.
Xie Jiang drank half a bowl of water, still feeling a blockage in her chest. She stood up, paced back and forth, and pounded her chest with her fists.
Seeing that Xu Hengyan seemed unaffected, Xie Jiang couldn't help but ask, "Don't you feel a tightness in your chest?"
Xu Hengyan replied, "A bit of water helps, it's not the first time I've eaten them."
Xie Jiang was surprised, "You, the heir of the Duke of Wei, live quite a simple life."
Xu Hengyan smiled, "When marching into battle, being able to fill your stomach is good enough."
Xie Jiang nodded, "That's true. I was also a little beggar for a while, almost becoming the leader of the Beggars' Sect."
"With Da Chui?"
Xu Hengyan knew she was referring to the time she was kidnapped as a child, escaped, and was left to fend for herself.
"Yes."
Xie Jiang pounded her chest with a thud, as if she hadn't eaten biscuits, but swallowed a stone, which was stuck in her chest, unable to go up or down.
"Still uncomfortable?"
Xu Hengyan picked up the jar on the table and poured her another bowl of water.
"Could your esophagus have been cut?" Xie Jiang knew it was unlikely, but she couldn't help but suspect it.
Xu Hengyan replied, "That's unlikely."
He had originally wanted to ask more about her childhood kidnapping, but remembering how her emotions had changed when her father was mentioned before, Xu Hengyan stopped himself before the words could be spoken.
It was all in the past.
There was no need to bring it up again and cause her distress.
Xie Jiang wandered to the cabin door and called out to the outside, "Our bones have softened into noodles. Can you change our cabin for us? At least let us see the night view!"
The guard: "No!"
Xie Jiang continued, "It's too stuffy here, we need some air."
The guard responded coldly, "No! Stay put obediently!"
What hostage didn't have to be meek to survive! Where did these two get so many ridiculous demands!
The oil lamp on the table was about to go out.
Xu Hengyan said meaningfully to Xie Jiang, "Rest early. We might not sleep for long tonight."
Xie Jiang lay down on the wooden board, the hardness digging into her back.
It was called a bed, but it was actually just a simple wooden plank, without even a blanket.
After lying down for a while and seeing Xu Hengyan still sitting by the table, she asked, "Why aren't you coming to sleep? There's only one bed. We can squeeze in and get some rest."
Whether it was according to Xu Hengyan's deduction or her own intelligence, they would only have until the middle of the night to rest before disembarking and walking on mountain paths.
The mountain paths were difficult to navigate, so they needed to rest and conserve their strength.
Moreover, this cabin had nothing in it. Even the stools were uneven and uncomfortable to sit on. Once the oil lamp went out, it would be pitch black, and they wouldn't even have the mood to chat about life.
"You sleep first. This bed can only accommodate one person. I'm tall, and if I get on, I'll push you off."
Xu Hengyan's voice was low and gentle, his speech unhurried and pleasant to hear.
Xie Jiang turned on her side to look at him, "You're not planning to sit up all night, are you?"
Xu Hengyan pointed to the old table in front of him, "I can just rest my head on the table."
"Xu Hengyan, you're so peculiar. You have a bed but you want to sleep on a table? That table is wobbly and about to collapse. Believe it or not, the moment you lean on it, it might just give way? On the bed, even if it's crowded, at least you can lie down."
Xie Jiang, utterly disgusted by his fussiness, got down and walked up to him, grabbed his arm, and dragged him towards the bed.
Xie Jiang didn't give him a chance to refuse, and forcefully pushed him to the inner side of the bed, then lay down herself on the outer side, fully clothed.
Xu Hengyan was squeezed inside, forced to hunch his shoulders and try to minimize his presence.
The bed was really too narrow, and Xu Hengyan was afraid she would fall off.
"Isn't this perfect?" Xie Jiang felt it was fine.
Although their shoulders were touching, they could still lie down flat.
As soon as she spoke, the oil lamp on the table flickered and went out.
"Xu Hengyan, you're so hot."
"The cabin is sealed with no air circulation, it's already stuffy, and even more so now that we're squeezed together."
Xu Hengyan's mouth felt dry, and he involuntarily swallowed. "Perhaps I should get off..."
Xie Jiang pressed him down, "What are you fussing about? It's hot, so be it..."
"I don't know what time it is... Never mind, let's sleep first..."
Xie Jiang mumbled a few words in a low voice, yawned, and then became still.
On the contrary, Xu Hengyan remained tense. In the darkness, certain senses became exceptionally acute, especially her unique, fresh scent, which permeated his nostrils.
Xu Hengyan's usually clear mind gradually became muddled. Was it a side effect of the soft bone fragrance? kuAiδugg
Her faint breathing gradually became steady.
Xu Hengyan quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
He couldn't explain himself what he was so nervous about.
Perhaps it was because he had never shared a bed with anyone since he could remember.
Having another person beside him was naturally very unaccustomed.