Drunk Butterfly?
At this moment, Xue Niang was like a child, embarking on a new exploration in a world she had never encountered.
This was good.
She was beginning to touch his world.
"That butterfly must have been caught before. Its head bristles were broken, and its right wing was also damaged."
It was likely caught by children playing nearby. It might have escaped in an instant, but its delicate body could not withstand even the slightest damage, and it was injured.
Xiao Shan's heart tightened. Wasn't this just like Xue Niang's experience?
Xue Niang, however, had no such thoughts. With surprise on her face, she asked, "You can see that clearly?"
"Brother Xiao is indeed an excellent hunter; your eyesight is truly sharp," Lai Cai, who was driving the cart, chimed in.
Lai Cai had been listening to the couple's conversation all along. At first, he was surprised and puzzled, thinking Xue Niang was foolish. Only later did he understand that she was simply unfamiliar with things. He had heard villagers say she was bought by Brother Xiao, and perhaps she had once been a young lady who never left her chambers.
Setting aside her face, her demeanor and temperament were truly remarkable. He drove carts to and from the county town and had never seen anyone like her.
She was like the songs in plays: "Serene as a flower reflecting water, graceful as a willow swaying in the wind."
And her voice, so pleasant and melodious, as crisp as a singing oriole, made one never tired of listening.
Xiao Shan did not comment on Lai Cai's words. He only saw Xue Niang glance back at him before quickly turning her face away.
They returned to the thatched courtyard like this.
The chickens in the yard were already hungry and clucking. Seeing their master return, over a dozen chickens stretched their necks and squawked.
Xiao Shan grabbed a handful of coarse rice and scattered it for them.
"I think they're saying, 'Welcome back'," Xiao Shan said to Xue Niang with mock seriousness.
A flock of chickens, like starving ghosts, scrambled to eat. Xue Niang looked at the nonsensical Xiao Shan without a word.
Xiao Shan coughed and shook the large bundle on his shoulders.
"Go rest on the bed first. I'll go fetch some water and wash the clothes."
"I'll wash them myself," Xue Niang quickly said. Her intimate clothing was inside, and she didn't want him to handle it again. Thinking of him holding that small piece of cloth with both hands, studying it intently, her face quickly flushed red.
Moreover, there was the undergarment stained with blood.
No, she couldn't let him wash them.
Xiao Shan put on a stern face. "Disobedient! You're not allowed to touch cold water for a month. Have you forgotten that agonizing pain?"
"But..."
"Alright, go rest. It's just intimate clothing. You've already let me touch your body; what's this compared to that?"
Xue Niang turned and entered the room, her chest heaving. She was so angry!
This scoundrel!
He was deliberately reminding her, thinking that just because a man had touched her, she had to resign herself to fate? Just wait!
When Xue Niang entered the bedroom, she discovered the room had been transformed. The original bed had been replaced with a larger one, twice the width of the old one, covered with thick, new bedding that looked very comfortable. It even had a bed curtain, hung open to both sides.
Had this been arranged while she was recovering?
Xiao Shan followed her in and gestured for her to get on the bed quickly.
"It's a new bed. This way, you'll sleep more comfortably and won't bump your wound. Hurry and take off your shoes and get on."
"After some time, we'll build a more spacious house and also a heated kang. You won't freeze in winter."
His future plans included her everywhere.
A warmth surged through Xue Niang's cold heart, along with a strange feeling. Much later, she would realize it was a sense of belonging.
He placed the bundle in the cabinet, took off his long robe, and changed into a short outfit. He completed the entire process without any pretense, right in front of Xue Niang.
Xue Niang got onto the bed and lowered the curtain. She heard him say, "I'm going to fetch water."
Xue Niang lay on the soft bed, the bedding still carrying the scent of sunshine. Her mind was filled with the sight of his exposed back as he had taken off his clothes earlier.
Looking closely, there were actually many scars on it. Many were faint, but one ran horizontally from his shoulder across his waist. She remembered he had a deep arrow wound on his front earlier, so perhaps he too had been on the brink of death more than once.
What would such a strong body look like, lying there on the verge of death?
Like a great mountain collapsing?
Xue Niang drifted off to sleep hazily.
Xiao Shan filled both large water vats at home, quickly washed the clothes, and hung them on the line. He then tidied up the kitchen, wiping away the floating dust. He peeked into the bedroom, saw Xue Niang sleeping soundly, closed the door, and, as it was still early, went to the nearby mountain to chop some firewood.
When he returned to the yard and had just arranged the newly chopped firewood, he heard a scream from the bedroom.
Without regard for the dust and wood chips on his body, Xiao Shan rushed into the room like a whirlwind. He saw Xue Niang standing rigidly in the corner, holding her right hand with her left, her eyes red and looking at him pitifully.
"I'm going to die!"
Her voice was choked with tears, her eyes watery, and tears were about to well up from her sockets. He had never seen her look so on the verge of weeping, it made his heart ache terribly.
"A poisonous insect bit me!"
Xiao Shan grabbed her right hand. Indeed, there was a wound on her index fingertip, and bright red blood was flowing out.
"What bit you? Where?"
Xiao Shan asked calmly. The priority was to determine what had bitten her. Judging by the blood flowing out, it was bright red and showed no abnormalities; it didn't look like poisoning.
Xue Niang looked up at the ceiling beam. There was a large spiderweb there, with a mottled spider, larger than a copper coin, clinging to it.
It was so high up; how could Xue Niang have been bitten?
Xiao Shan didn't have time to think further. He took off his clothes, leaped up, using the two walls for leverage, and sprang onto the ceiling beam. He used his clothes to swat the spider down and then jumped down himself.
The moment he landed, the ground seemed to tremble.
Xue Niang was already stunned by his prowess. After all, the ceiling beam was several meters high. This skill was truly invincible!
Xiao Shan went to examine the spider he had knocked down.
"I heard that things that are colorful and patterned are all poisonous. I must have been poisoned," Xue Niang said blankly, looking at her finger. Why did it feel a little numb?
"It's alright, it's a cloud spider. Its venom is very mild. Just clean it."
Xiao Shan crushed the spider with his foot, took Xue Niang's hand, went to the yard, scooped up water, and washed it repeatedly. Afterward, he put her finger into his mouth and gently sucked.
Xue Niang felt an electric current travel from her fingertip to her limbs.
As he spat out a mouthful of blood and sucked again, her breathing almost stopped.
This was the most intimate contact she had had with a man. The sensation was amplified infinitely, and her mind felt dizzy.
"It's done."
Xiao Shan examined her finger. The wound was not large, and his saliva had a hemostatic effect. It had stopped bleeding.
"I... I feel a little dizzy."
Xiao Shan frowned, looked at her finger again. It wasn't blackened, and the blood was bright red. It wasn't poisonous. He pinched the tender flesh around the fingertip. "Do you feel anything?"
"It hurts."