Xue Niang's scabs were mostly gone, but the wounds on her back were still severe. She couldn't reach them herself to apply medicine, so she always just hurried through it, which slowed her healing. The scabs hadn't started to peel yet.
Her body was covered in pink marks, which looked unsightly. Xue Niang looked at her body with distaste and applied scar-removal cream.
Her back was itchy and unbearable. She wanted to take a bath again.
But every bath used so much water, and firewood too.
He would have to make several trips.
Linglong came to give her acupuncture again. Coincidentally, she met Xiao Shan washing clothes in the yard. Linglong secretly asked her if she was afraid of being laughed at for not washing by the river.
After all, the women washing clothes by the river were all women, and it was really awkward for a grown man to get close.
Washing in the yard was troublesome and wasteful, and then she still had to carry water from the well.
Only then did she realize that using water wasn't so carefree.
These past few days, she had observed carefully and found that he went to fetch water early in the morning and would fetch it again in the evening.
He also had to chop wood, go up the mountain to cut timber for building houses, and hunt. He was really busy.
And all this busyness was caused by her.
Now he had gone to the mountain to log again. He had already made three trips today.
The weather was getting hotter and hotter, with the sun hanging high in the sky, nearing noon.
Xue Niang put on her clothes and decided to check the kitchen, to start cooking what she knew how to make.
There were still some flatbreads in the kitchen and a bunch of small greens. She didn't like these small greens because Xiao Shan didn't cook them well; they were bland.
But she thought they would be delicious stir-fried with chili. For all these days, he hadn't cooked spicy food because she had injuries.
But Xue Niang knew he liked spicy food, because several strings of dried red chilies were hanging under the eaves outside.
This man, if he didn't need something, it would absolutely not be in the house. If it was there, it was a necessity.
Xue Niang went outside to pick chilies.
"Why hang them so high when it's unnecessary!"
Was he bullying people for being short?
Xue Niang muttered, standing on tiptoe and stretching herself to reach a chili.
Her figure was graceful, her curves exquisite, her slender waist could be held in one hand, and her small, plump buttocks were outlined by the dress, forming a perfect and alluring curve.
As Xiao Shan entered the door, he saw this beautiful sight.
He gazed at this body, and unconsciously, another figure appeared in his mind.
That was three years ago.
He had just won a battle and was returning to the capital. At the celebration banquet, he felt an urge to relieve himself and went out to the latrine, and also to get some fresh air. He walked leisurely along the stone path.
He didn't realize he had walked to a peach orchard. It was April, and the peach blossoms were in full bloom. The sky was getting late, with rosy clouds drifting across the horizon, and the fragrance was intoxicating.
A girl in a light green silk dress was standing on a stone, reaching out to grasp the peach branch with the densest blossoms.
Behind her, a palace maid was trying to stop her, but was afraid of startling her, and was in a state of anxious helplessness.
At that time, the girl's back was like Xue Niang's, only she was slightly shorter than Xue Niang but a little plumper. After all, Xue Niang was too thin at this time.
He immediately wanted to leave, but his feet felt nailed to the ground. Later, he had thought of this back view many times.
Just because of one back view, all other women became common, and he couldn't bear to have women near him.
It was a pity that, as time slowly passed, her blurry back view eventually gradually faded in his mind.
Until this moment, Xue Niang's back view once again brought up this old memory.
In fact, at that time, if the commander of the imperial guards hadn't suddenly appeared, he might have waited to see the girl's face clearly.
When he returned to the hall, he had asked. The commander of the imperial guards said she was a distant relative of the Empress, who was just staying in the palace for a few days.
Later, he investigated all the Empress's relatives but couldn't find a similar girl. Due to the outbreak of war again, he went to the frontier and never returned to the capital.
Xue Niang's back view once again stirred his inner turmoil. He had long forgotten the girl's charm, only remembering the fiery sunset and that light green dress.
And Xue Niang, standing there brightly, real and vibrant, replaced that distant and blurry back view.
"Idiot!"
Xue Niang was angry. Her arm was sore from stretching, and she had only managed to pick three chilies.
Just as she was about to move a stool to pick them, an arm reached over her head and easily picked the entire string of chilies.
A wall appeared behind her, startling Xue Niang. She turned around and her nose bumped into that sturdy chest.
"You walk without making a sound, are you trying to scare me on purpose?" Xue Niang poked Xiao Shan with a finger, "Don't come closer, are you trying to break the rules?"
Her slender finger had no power, yet it kept Xiao Shan at bay. He felt a bit helpless. This was too strict!
"Why pick chilies? You can't eat them."
"You eat them!"
Xiao Shan was from the north, with a heavy palate and a love for spicy food. Since Xue Niang arrived, to encourage her to eat more, he had made every dish with less salt and a light flavor, without any chili.
"My Xue Niang is so smart, she knows I love spicy food."
"Who is yours!"
Xue Niang walked around him and quickly entered the kitchen.
"I'll catch a chicken and stew it for you," Xiao Shan called out. Qu Linglong had said that she could start to recuperate slowly now, and the chickens should play their part.
Xue Niang poked her head out and glanced at the chickens in the coop. She had grown fond of them from feeding them these past few days and couldn't bear to eat any of them.
Before she could make up her mind, Xiao Shan picked up a small stone and shot it with a "swoosh." The fattest chicken fell to the ground with a flutter and died.
"You're making so much noise, so it's you!"
Xiao Shan strode in and picked up the chicken.
"General is so mighty!" Xue Niang puffed her cheeks and said sarcastically.
He said he would discuss everything with her from now on, but he only said it nicely.
What was wrong? Xiao Shan tilted his head and thought, perhaps it was because he didn't enter through the fence gate and his movements were too rough?
It must be.
"I'll be careful next time."
Xiao Shan entered the kitchen and heated some water on the small stove. Xue Niang was diligently washing rice beside him. Ever since she found bugs in it, she had to change the water several times and wished she could wash each grain individually.
Xiao Shan chuckled inwardly. He then saw that her fingers were whiter than the rice in the water. He wondered how she managed to keep them so fair. It was a bit of a waste for her to do such rough work.
"Remember not to use cold water to wash it," he instructed. He went over, added water to the pot, and lit the stove. Then, he carried the hot water to the yard to clean the chicken.
While plucking chicken feathers, he heard a shout from outside.
"Xiao, Xiao Ge!"
Xiao Shan looked up and saw a dark-skinned girl with two pigtails standing outside the yard.
Actually, she wasn't that dark, just wheat-colored from the sun. But having gotten used to looking at Xue Niang, he found other girls in the village too dark.
Xiao Shan was a little confused. Who was this?
He put down the chicken, scooped water from the large vat to wash his hands, and went to open the fence gate.
"Looking for me?"
Judging by her appearance, could this be the girl Xue Niang had mentioned who had come to see him?
"Xiao, Ge, I, I have something to tell you."
Facing the tall and strong Xiao Shan, Xu Da Niu was a little tongue-tied. Her thick lips looked even more clumsy.
Her face felt hot, but it couldn't be seen because of her dark skin.