The rice had been harvested, and with the sun strong now, it was perfect for drying the wheat, which could then be sold.
Qi Rui had tanned considerably. When he first arrived, his skin had been fair, but now it was wheat-colored. His red hair had also faded, with black roots showing, which Qi Rui found particularly ugly. He'd shaved it himself with a razor, resulting in a neat buzz cut.
The youth had a high nose bridge, sensual thin lips, and sharp, handsome facial features. The buzz cut added a touch of wildness to him.
This wild-looking youth was currently feeding the chickens.
The ground was covered in chicken droppings, and Qi Rui frowned tightly, constantly observing the ground, trying to avoid stepping on any stray droppings.
After feeding the chickens, Qi Rui took a basin of water to wash his shoes, rinsing off the chicken droppings from the soles, and still felt a lingering smell.
It made him want to discard the shoes, but Qi Rui was reluctant, as times were different now.
After cleaning the shoes, the ground was wet and a bit slippery.
Shen Yue returned from picking vegetables and saw the wet ground. "Be careful, the ground is slippery."
Qi Rui, wearing slippers, stood up and said as he walked, "Got it...!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Rui's foot slipped, his limbs flailed, and his body pitched forward. Shen Yue was close and instinctively took a few steps forward to help, but was then pressed down by the youth.
The two faced each other. Shen Yue was caught completely off guard, his eyes widening in an instant, followed by a stinging sensation on his lips.
The maiden's hair had fallen slightly, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes from the pain, revealing her exquisite and beautiful features. Her slightly reddened eye corners were as delicate as a painting, and her moist eyes looked incredibly captivating.
Due to the pain, the maiden's eye corners were tinged with red, her delicate little face pale, appearing fragile and pitiful.
Qi Rui's chest was trembling violently, his breaths sounding like bellows. He seemed stunned too, not moving at all.
It wasn't until the maiden let out a soft whimper of pain that Qi Rui, as if scalded by fire, quickly scrambled up. His face was still handsome, but his exposed ears were burning red, almost to the point of bleeding. His young face was covered in tiny beads of sweat, shimmering with scattered light.
The soft sensation still lingered on his lips. He pursed them, then slowly parted them again, feeling annoyed yet strangely stirred.
Shen Yue crouched on the ground, the pain preventing her from standing. Her slender white fingers clenched tightly, her delicate shoulders trembling slightly.
Qi Rui was still hesitating. After a long silence, he glanced subconsciously in the maiden's direction. 138 Reading Net.
At this sight, his brow furrowed. He walked over and crouched down, his voice involuntarily lowering.
"Are you, are you alright?"
The maiden looked up, her dark, moist eyelashes filled with mist. Her bright red lips were vivid, and a tiny, broken wound on her lower lip was oozing a bit of blood.
Her eyelids were also red, and her fair face was streaked with tears. "I'm fine, I'll be alright after a moment."
Qi Rui's heart seemed to lurch. He swallowed a few times as if his throat were dry, his voice terrifyingly hoarse.
"Let me see."
Without waiting for the maiden's reply, he took her fair chin and leaned in as if to examine the wound.
The wound was small, but...
Qi Rui leaned in a little closer, a subtle movement hard to detect.
She smelled so good.
A warm fragrance emanated, subtle yet distinct.
His tongue pressed lightly against his teeth, and Qi Rui's palms and mouth tingled.
His fingers, not controlling the force, applied a little too much pressure.
Shen Yue's chin ached from being held. She said, "It hurts..."
Her soft tone, with a thick nasal inflection, sounded like a coo.
Qi Rui felt a surge of blood, and veins throbbed on his forehead.
His fingers instinctively loosened. As if to hide his inexplicable emotions, Qi Rui put on a stern face, though his furiously red ears would have given away his true state.
"You're just being delicate. Is it that bad? It's just a scratch, stop crying."
Shen Yue didn't want to cry, and as an adult, crying so easily was embarrassing, but she couldn't control it at all. Tears streamed down her face as if they had a mind of their own.
The maiden's delicate eyelids were red from crying, and there were two finger marks on her fair chin, as if she had been bullied severely.
She stifled a sob and was still trying to comfort the youth.
"It's okay, I'll be fine after crying for a bit."
After all, the pain would subside after this moment.
Qi Rui felt uneasy. He helped Shen Yue inside and poured her a glass of water.
His gaze involuntarily flickered to the wound on Shen Yue's mouth, his palms sweating.
--
That evening, a fierce storm suddenly broke out, with pouring rain descending like a silver curtain.
It rarely rained in the summer, so this sudden downpour delighted the villagers.
Fish, like waterfalls, were blown by the wind into a misty, ethereal haze.
Raindrops hammered against the window like a secret iron net.
Shen Yue had prepared dinner, but Qi Rui hadn't emerged. He was usually the most eager to eat, often coming out on his own upon smelling the food.
With the meal served and chopsticks placed, Shen Yue walked to the room door and knocked a few times.
"What?"
A muffled, low voice came from inside the room.
Shen Yue said, "Come out for dinner."
"Not eating."
The youth's voice was faint and sullen.
Shen Yue felt something was amiss, but after the previous incident, she didn't dare to open the door and go in uninvited.
After trying to persuade him for a few minutes, the youth inside remained silent. Shen Yue reluctantly ate by herself, leaving half the meal for him, so Qi Rui wouldn't go hungry in the middle of the night.
After tending to her grandmother, Shen Yue took a shower. It was late, and outside, thunder and lightning raged, with trees swaying and bending in the wind, and the deafening thunder sounding as if right beside her.
Just as she was about to enter her room, she paused upon seeing the tightly closed door of the adjacent room and gently pushed it open to go in.
The room was completely dark. The window was shut tight, and because the curtains were thin, flashes of lightning cast streaks of eerie light into the room.
A large lump was visible under the bedcovers. Shen Yue walked to the bedside and discovered that the youth was entirely wrapped in the quilt, not a single strand of hair showing.
Although it was raining outside, the room felt stifling. Even though the quilt was thin, it was still hot to be under.
Shen Yue, afraid he might suffocate, pulled back a corner of the quilt.
In the darkness, Shen Yue couldn't see the youth's face clearly. She turned and felt for a candle nearby, lit it, illuminating a small area.
Qi Rui's condition didn't look good.
In his dazed state, he seemed to hear someone calling his name.
Qi Rui opened his eyes at the sound. His vision was hazy amidst the chaos in his nerves.