CH 4

“Dog Egg Zhang often follows Hunter Zhang to hunt, how could he fall for no reason?” asked Yan Mu probingly.

“I don’t know, maybe his foot slipped,” Father Yan said uncertainly, “The grass grows lush in summer, perhaps he couldn’t see clearly and misstepped. Anyway, that’s what Hunter Zhang said.”

“Oh really……”  Yan Mu looked pensive.

Dog Egg Zhang isn’t a good person anyway. It’s okay for him to fall. It’s better if he falls harder. Who asks him to always bully Yu Yuan.

Yan Mu thought with ill-will.

“It’s raining already. Dad is going to Hunter Zhang’s house to send over the cured meat, you stay well at home.” Father Yan picked up the cured meat and prepared to go out.

“Let me go.” Yan Mu thought of Yu Yuan, and her heart suddenly fluttered.

“The roads are slippery in the rain and your leg is injured. Why do you want to go to his house?” Father Yan said with a disapproving look.

“Pye, R nyd’v jllr zukdt yv bsxl qsa vbl alpv sq xu zkql, R pvkzz dlle vs kdvlaynv okvb vbl dlktbcswap sdnl kd y obkzl,” pyke Zyd Yw nwvlzu.

“…… Mbld, eye okzz ynnsxrydu usw,” Wyvbla Zyd blpkvydvzu pyke.

“R nyd ts cu xuplzq. Rv’p fwpv y xyvvla sq tskdt swv yde vwadkdt vbl nsadla.” Zyd Yw pxkzle yv Wyvbla Zyd yp pbl vssj vbl nwale xlyv qasx bkp byde. Fbl rknjle wr yd skz ryrla wxcalzzy yde oyzjle kdvs vbl aykd.

Mbl asyep kd vbkp lay olal yzz ekav asyep, ps vblu clnyxl lmvalxlzu pzkrrlau yde pvknju obld vblu olal psyjle cu aykd. Rv oyp sdzu y qlo pvlrp, cwv qsa Zyd Yw, obs oyp zyxl, kv oyp y pvaldwswp oyzj.

Ywe prsvp pvykdle vbl blx sq bla rkdj pkzj pjkav, yde bla pxyzz yde elzknyvl pbslp olal ealdnble vss. Mbl pwxxla aykd oyp blyhu, yde vbl tyzl oyp bsozkdt. Zyd Yw blze wr bla wxcalzzy, sdzu qllzkdt vbyv pbl oyp ycswv vs cl czsod yoyu.

Fbl zkxrle vs vbl lyhlp, qszele wr bla wxcalzzy, yde zlydle kv ytykdpv vbl oyzz.

G ckt ryvnb sq bla pbswzela oyp olv, yde bla byka oyp czsod swv sq rzynl.

Zyd Yw ryvvle bla pbswzela sqq yde oyp ycswv vs blye kdpkel, cwv pbl hytwlzu pyo y vbkd qktwal nwazle wr kd vbl rswakdt aykd.

“Yu Yuan?” she spoke, somewhat surprised. The sound of rain shook the sky, and her voice disappeared into the air before it could be conveyed.

Yan Mu placed the cured meat in a dry place. She reopened her umbrella and went back into the pouring rain. Her shoes were covered in muddy water again, and the oil paper umbrella was blown around wildly by the strong wind. 

Yan Mu felt dizzy from being blown around and staggered over to Yu Yuan’s side.

The young teenager’s body was all curled up and he had collapsed in the dirty muddy water. His smooth and silky black hair was delicately wet from the rain, scattering in the muddy water like a bright pearl that was covered with dust.

His complexion was deathly pale. The rain was hanging on his raven feather-like eyelashes, his always exquisite lips had also lost their colour like wilted flowers.

His thin summer clothing was tightly stuck against Yu Yuan’s body. After being drenched it was translucent. Yan Mu was able to vaguely see the crisscrossing scars on Yu Yuan’s body through his sheer clothing.

His entire body gave off a sense of feebleness, reminding Yan Mu of the bare snow-covered branches in winter.

“Yu Yuan? Yu Yuan!” Yan Mu patted his cheek but was shocked by the cold temperature she felt on her fingertips. 

She sat beside Yu Yuan while holding up her umbrella somewhat hopelessly. Yu Yuan seemed to have fainted.

Yan Mu pulled Yu Yuan’s arm, trying to help Yu Yuan up. Unfortunately, she was injured and her body was weak. 

Yu Yuan was still a sixteen-year-old man no matter how malnourished he was. With Yan Mu’s physical state, she couldn’t pull him up at all.

The oil paper umbrella fell to the ground, tumbled and rolled a few times, then got stuck under the tree, not moving anymore. 

Yan Mu limped off to find Father Yan. The rain came down in buckets and she was quickly drenched.

The rain blurred her vision. Yan Mu wiped the raindrops off her face and called out to Father Yan who was cooking.

With human life at stake, Father Yan hurriedly rushed out and carried Yu Yuan on his back towards home. Her running just now had used up all of Yan Mu’s strength. She stood under the tree, holding onto the tree trunk and coughed for a long time.

A metallic taste surged in her throat. In hindsight, Yan Mu realised that she should have stolen a kiss to replenish her lifespan from Yu Yuan while he was still unconscious.

She patted her chest and waited for her breathing to stabilize before picking up the stuck oil paper umbrella.

One could easily figure out that Hunter Zhang must have been taking his anger out on Yu Yuan by punishing him to kneel in the courtyard.

Yan Mu felt unhappy at the bottom of her heart. She held her umbrella and slowly made her way under the eaves to pick up that piece of cured meat.

Hunter Zhang’s family and the Yan Family had no connection with each other at all, but Father Yan was kind enough to send over a strip of cured meat out of charity1. Meat was hard to get as it was expensive, and in this poor and backward village, cured meat was an extremely precious item that could only be served for a taste during Chinese New Year or other festivities.

There was no need to leave such a good item for that scum father and son. Yan Mu coldly snorted, picked up the cured meat, and slowly walked back home.

************

As soon as Yan Mu reached home, before she even had time to change out of her wet clothes, she arrived at Yu Yuan’s bed.

Father Yan went to light up the fire and cook. Yan Mu took a towel and stood in front of Yu Yuan, dawdling over kissing him. 

Although she was a superficial dog, for beauty she had a policy of ‘look but don’t touch’. Moreover, Yu Yuan’s face was also a hundred percent in line with her aesthetics. 

This made Yan Mu feel guilty.

Yu Yuan’s eyelashes trembled slightly. Even in his dreams, his brows were still tightly furrowed. The teenager’s complexion was pale, a strand of black hair was stuck beside his lips, and a sparkling and transparent drop of water dripped down his chin and onto his chest.

What an enchanting beauty. Yan Mu’s gaze was completely focused on his lips and she unconsciously swallowed her saliva. 

Although she felt bad about stealing kisses like this, if she didn’t, she would die……

Yan Mu took a deep breath and slowly leaned down to Yu Yuan.

The distance between the two was getting closer and closer, and Yan Mu had only a small gap before touching the tip of Yu Yuan’s nose.  Yu Yuan’s breath scattered across her face, a numbing tickle spread from her skin all the way to the tip of her heart.

Yu Yuan’s eyelashes were long and black and were also slightly trembling, like the lightly fluttering wings of a butterfly.

Huh? Slightly trembling?

Under Yan Mu’s attentive gaze, the pair of butterfly wings fluttered again, then opened, revealing a pair of eyes that were as deep as an ancient well.

Before Yan Mu could retract her neck, she was caught red-handed by Yu Yuan. Fortunately, Yan Mu hadn’t kissed him yet, so she lifted the towel in a serious manner, pretending as if nothing had happened, and gently wiped away the water droplets from the ends of Yu Yuan’s hair.

“You’re awake,” she hid her embarrassment with a smile and shoved the towel into Yu Yuan’s hand, “Since you’re awake, wipe it yourself, don’t catch a cold.” As she spoke, she straightened her back, looking extremely natural.

Yu Yuan quietly looked at Yan Mu, then slowly sat up.

“Hiss……” Perhaps he had stretched the wound on his back, Yu Yuan’s brows furrowed even deeper. 

Yan Mu’s footsteps that were prepared to quietly slip away stalled. She touched that tube of ointment in her clothes, secretly deliberating over if she should mention it.

Yu Yuan didn’t pay any attention to Yan Mu. He untied his hair and his jet-black hair poured down like a waterfall. Yu Yuan used his five fingers as a comb, and like a cat, he leisurely combed his hair. Only after his hair could be combed through did he pick up the towel and began to wipe it.

Yan Mu felt a surge of emotions while watching from the side. As expected of a face that was a hundred percent in line with her aesthetics, even with his hair down, he was still soul-stirringly beautiful.

What a charming person. How can she let such a lovely person suffer hardship? Yan Mu was so mesmerised by his beauty that she no longer hesitated and took out the ointment from her chest pocket and handed it over.

“Yu Yuan, this is for you.” Yan Mu’s face was pale, and she still looked weak and delicate on the surface.

Yu Yuan’s wiping motion suddenly halted, and he slowly raised his head to observe Yan Mu. 　　

The young girl still looked as weak as ever, as if she would fall over with just a gust of wind. But only Yan Mu would earnestly call him ‘Yu Yuan’, instead of disdainfully calling him a b*stard child.

What an innocent young girl. Yu Yuan coldly snorted in his heart.

Two pairs of eyes faced each other, then Yan Mu somewhat shyly lowered her head from being so bluntly looked at by a handsome guy.  Yu Yuan set the towel aside and lowered his head to look at the tube of ointment, but he still didn’t take it.

“…… Why?” After a long time, he spoke up and asked.

The teenager’s voice was hoarse, like scattering sand in a desert.

“Why what?” Yan Mu feigned surprise and raised her head, “Isn’t it right for neighbours to help each other out?”

Yu Yuan’s gaze was filled with meaning as he looked away from the ointment and refocused on Yan Mu’s face.

He frowned once again and pursed his lips without speaking.

The atmosphere had inexplicably turned cold. Somehow, Yan Mu kind of felt that he was suddenly unhappy.

Could it be that her lustful intentions just now were discovered by Yu Yuan? The more Yan Mu thought it over, the more she felt that it was true, and she suddenly felt that she could not stay in front of Yu Yuan any longer.

“I…… I’ll go see if the meal is ready.” Yan Mu set the ointment aside, pulled out a flustered smile, and hurriedly left.

Yu Yuan looked at Yan Mu’s back without speaking. It was a long time before he picked up the ointment.

The ointment was small and exquisite. It seemed to still carry the body heat of the young girl.

What a foolish girl. 

Yu Yuan remained silent and tucked the ointment into his arms.

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The author has something to say:

Yu Yuan thinks Yan Mu is unworldly, weak, and unable to take care of herself, but actually, Yan Mu’s brain is full of thoughts about how to kiss him hahaha