Xue Niang closed her eyes comfortably. Xiao Shan’s gaze was deep as his hands continued to massage her, circling round and round, neither too hard nor too soft. The silk beneath his palms was smooth and warm, almost like her own skin.
“Xue Niang, do you want to eat peaches?”
“Peaches? Are there any?”
“There’s a kind of peach that ripens this season. They’re delicious and nourishing, warm too, so you can eat them.”
“Then I want to eat them.”
“Alright, I’ll buy them for you.”
Xiao Shan’s lips curved upwards as his hand slowly moved higher.
Xue Niang was drowsy, almost asleep. Her long eyelashes were as dense as two small fans. After these days of care, her skin had a healthy rosy glow from within, no longer pale and sallow. She had also filled out, her cheeks plump with a babyish roundness, so smooth that not even pores were visible.
How could anyone be so perfect, so exquisitely refined in every way?
He wished he could tuck her into his pocket so no one else could see her.
At this moment, he had no thoughts of taking advantage of her, his gaze lost in her enchanting face.
Xiao Shan leaned down and gently kissed her left cheek, which was marked with faint lines.
Xue Niang seemed to sense something, her eyes half-opening, hazy and alluring.
“Did you touch me just now?”
“No, I was looking at the dark marks on your face. They look painted on.”
“They weren’t painted on. I ate some poison. At first, my whole body was covered in rashes. The traffickers thought I had a contagious disease, so they didn’t dare touch me.”
Xue Niang said this unconsciously. As soon as she finished speaking, her eyes snapped open. Not only was she stunned, but Xiao Shan was also shocked.
“Xue Niang, you remember?”
Xue Niang shook her head, confused, her mind a little jumbled. “I don’t know. It seems like that’s what happened. I heard the others who were locked up with me talking about it.”
But if she tried to think hard, she couldn’t recall anything.
The people locked up with her had only said that when she was brought in, her face and body were covered in red rashes. She wore luxurious clothing and jewelry that looked very valuable, but those people had stripped them off. They hadn’t touched her clothes for fear of the poison, but after two days, when the rashes disappeared, dark marks appeared on her face.
At that time, the people locked up with her were terrified and kept their distance.
But they hadn’t mentioned drinking poison. So, was what she just said hidden within her own memory?
Xue Niang’s expression once again showed that helpless bewilderment.
He disliked seeing her like this; it caused a dull ache in his heart, more painful than a sword piercing his chest.
“Ah!” Xue Niang exclaimed, slapping Xiao Shan’s hand fiercely, her beautiful eyes wide. “You, where did your dirty hand just pinch?”
“It was an accident. I wanted to see if you’d gained weight, but who knew…”
Who would believe that! This sly fox!
“You don’t need to rub anymore. Get out, I want to sleep!”
He got an opportunity and became unrestrained. This man was the worst.
She was still upset about him covering her face with her own undergarment, and now he dared to provoke her again.
His strong presence surrounded her, yet she felt a sense of peace, her face burning with a blush, her rosy cheeks like an opening flower.
“Xue Niang, you’re so beautiful, like the clouds and mist in the sky.”
“You’re always so good with your flattering words. Others dare not look at my face, yet you act as if you’re blind. Humph! You must have bigger plans.”
Xue Niang turned her back to him, burying her face in the quilt.
Xiao Shan indeed had bigger plans. He wasn’t after this exquisite face, nor this captivating body, but the resilient heart that remained as steadfast as bamboo even after weathering the fiercest winds.
“Rest well. I’ll be in the courtyard.”
Xiao Shan patted her, a smile on his lips, his eyes filled with an unyielding tenderness.
She seemed less resistant to him now than before.
Before her memory fully returned, he had to capture her heart. Otherwise, he feared she would drift away like the clouds and mist into the distant horizon, beyond his reach.
Hearing him say that, Xue Niang felt inexplicably at ease. Her lips curved into a smile, and she soon fell asleep.
She woke up in the late afternoon. There was noise in the courtyard; Xiao Shan was busy. The noise was quite loud, and by rights, she shouldn’t have slept well, yet she had slept soundly.
Her stomach no longer felt uncomfortable. She combed her hair; the tips, which had been yellowish before, had turned black. Touching it, it felt smooth, unlike the dry grass it used to be.
On the table sat a bronze mirror, no bigger than her palm. Xiao Shan had bought it for her half a month ago. When she looked into it then, her face was still thin; now, it was a little rounder.
She touched the dark marks on her face and thought again, but still couldn’t recall anything. However, it felt like a trivial matter.
She tidied her clothes and, remembering what Xiao Shan had done before she slept, she covered her chest, then with a flushed face, put her hand down, muttering, “Pervert!”
Xiao Shan’s foot landed on a thick log, and he was there, naked, vigorously chopping wood. Sunlight shone on him, and sweat trickled down his chest, seeping into his waist.
His robust muscles seemed to contain endless strength, rippling up and down with the movement of the saw.
Xue Niang covered her eyes, feeling this scene made her heart flutter.
A pile of wooden planks had already been sawed in the courtyard, of uniform thickness. Xue Niang only knew he was building a house with these logs, but she didn’t realize it would be so much work. He used to be a general, and now he was a hunter, but he knew how to farm and build houses.
Was there anything he couldn’t do?
Hearing the sound, Xiao Shan turned around. Seeing Xue Niang emerge, he grinned. “You’re awake? Are you feeling better? Is your stomach still uncomfortable?”
“No, it’s much better.”
“Have some chicken soup again tonight to nourish yourself. Your complexion is getting better and better.”
“Mmm.” Xue Niang responded softly, then realized, “Chicken soup?”
She looked at the fence and counted. Indeed, there were nine chickens left. She ran over and counted again. One was missing, and it was the one that laid eggs. That egg-laying hen had a tuft of white feathers on its head; she remembered it.
“Where’s the chicken?”
She looked at Xiao Shan, still holding onto a sliver of hope.
“I stewed it! If I didn’t stew it early, how could it be tender enough for your little teeth to chew?”
They were like pearls, beautiful but useless.
“Why didn’t you tell me!” Xue Niang was furious. One egg a day! “That chicken was laying eggs, why did you catch it!”
She really wanted to hit him again!
“Ah? No wonder there were yolks in its belly! It was the biggest one! It’s eaten, and it’s not a waste to nourish you.”
“Don’t kill any more of the remaining ones. I want to keep them to lay eggs!” Xue Niang said indignantly.
She only got one egg, and then it was gone. What a wasteful man!
“Alright, alright.” Xiao Shan looked at her puffed cheeks and angry expression, finding her as cute as a goldfish.
If he couldn’t kill the chickens, he’d find other things for her to eat.
“This chicken was stewed with mushrooms. The eldest daughter of the Xu family sent it, saying it was a thank you. What did you do for her to thank you?”
Xue Niang tilted her head. “Who is the eldest daughter of the Xu family?”