Luzhou Moon

Chapter 123

The hut was dilapidated, and cold winds occasionally blew in through the cracks in the windows. Without blankets, they made do with old clothes from their trunks, which barely kept them from getting cold.

Yue Ruzheng curled up, tugging at the brocade robe she was wearing. It was the robe that Lian Junchu had taken off earlier, which he stubbornly refused to wear again, using it to cover her while he himself wore only a thin lined garment. Yue Ruzheng quietly approached him, listening to his breathing, and reached out to gently wrap her arms around his waist.

Suddenly, firecrackers went off in a burst from the distant foothills, their booming echoes reverberating through the once-silent night sky. Lian Junchu opened her eyes, and Yue Ruzheng was also startled by the sudden noise. She leaned close to Lian Junchu's cheek and whispered, "Were you woken up?"

"ah?"

"I was awake all along," he said casually.

Yue Ruzheng's face flushed slightly: "Then why aren't you moving? Are you pretending to be asleep?"

"No," he answered simply, then added, "I think lying like this is fine."

Yue Ruzheng reached out and stroked his chest, listening to the bursts of firecrackers, and said, "Little Tang, it's New Year's."

"Hmm." Lian Junchu propped himself up on his legs and turned to lie on his side, his eyes dark and cold in the moonlight. Then he said softly, "Ruzheng, you are twenty-three years old."

Yue Ruzheng was stunned for a moment. He suddenly stretched out his leg and hooked her ankle, closed his eyes and gently bit her lips.

"I can finally spend the New Year with you," he said, half to himself and half with a sigh of relief.

The sound of firecrackers lingered for a long time. In the secluded Nan Yandang Mountains, in this small house without even lights or bedding, Lian Jun kissed Yue Ruzheng tenderly and affectionately.

This was the first time in more than a decade of darkness that he had spent New Year's Eve with such a stirring in his heart.

The commotion outside gradually subsided, and the two were still tightly embracing each other. Yue Ruzheng tried to move her arm, but accidentally aggravated her injury, causing her to wince in pain.

Lian Junchu lowered her head, gently cradling Yue Ruzheng with her shoulder, and said, "Put your hand up here so I can see it."

Yue Ruzheng smiled and said, "It's pitch black, how can you see anything?"

"I just wanted to take a look," Lian Junchu said, then lifted his foot, grabbed the hem of her skirt, and tugged at it hard. Yue Ruzheng helplessly opened her palm and waved it in front of him.

"Like a zither."

"What?"

"Don't get hurt again."

"I didn't want to either..."

"I'd rather not."

Chapter Seventy-Seven

The next day, as dawn broke, Yue Ruzheng woke up first. Perhaps because of the intense emotions of joy and sorrow she had experienced the previous day, she felt somewhat dazed and dreamlike when she opened her eyes.

For a moment, she even forgot where she was until she saw the person sleeping next to her and came back to her senses.

Because of her crying last night, Yue Ruzheng's eyes were very sore. When she looked at Lian Junchu, she noticed that his eyes were also a little swollen, which was still very noticeable even though he was asleep.

But she had no idea when he had shed tears.

Yue Ruzheng reached out her fingers, wanting to rub his sore skin, but then reluctantly withdrew them, afraid of waking him. She shifted slightly, her body aching all over; the hard wooden bed was indeed uncomfortable. Yet, despite this, Yue Ruzheng felt no resentment. On the contrary, gazing at Lian Junchu before her, she felt an unprecedented sense of fulfillment and warmth, like a long-empty cup being slowly filled with fine wine, its fragrance overflowing, brimming with a blissful intoxication.

Thinking this, Yue Ruzheng's eyes filled with a smile.

Perhaps without her realizing it, her breathing became slightly heavier, and Lian Junchu woke up groggily. He opened his eyes, and Yue Ruzheng gently rubbed his eyelids with her round fingertips.

"Your eyes are swollen," she said with a smile.

Lian Junchu paused for a moment, then Yue Ruzheng asked again, "Did you cry last night too?"

"No." He shook his head, trying to avoid her fingertips. Yue Ruzheng pressed his cheek, not allowing him to dodge.

Lian Junchu could only obediently stay under her care. Yue Ruzheng stroked his eyebrows and eyes, and after she stopped, he frowned and asked, "Doesn't your hand hurt anymore?"

Yue Ruzheng pursed her lips: "Why doesn't it hurt?"

"Then why are you still going to take action..." He glanced at her slowly, noticing that her eyes were also very swollen, and then stopped talking and quietly looked at her.

Yue Ruzheng withdrew her finger, looked at him for a while, and suddenly thought of that question again: "Xiao Tang, in these three years, every time you came back here, were you waiting for me to come back?"

Lian Junchu's eyes were somewhat somber, and he shook his head slightly. Yue Ruzheng wanted to press further, but Lian Junchu moved closer to her cheek and said, "Don't ask about those things."

"Mmm." Yue Ruzheng responded, wrapping her arms around his waist. Since he couldn't give her a secure embrace, Yue Ruzheng simply hugged him and buried her face in his chest.

He had been waiting for her for too long, and he was too lonely.

They stayed in the cabin for three days.

The first day was almost entirely spent cleaning, washing, and drying clothes and bedding. Yue Ruzheng bandaged her wound and started working early in the morning. However, she couldn't get wet, so Lian Junchu had to do the washing and drying. Without a tinderbox, they couldn't start a fire to boil water, so he endured the cold and immersed his feet in the water.

But he remained unperturbed, sitting in the soft sunlight, washing himself while watching Yue Ruzheng sweeping fallen leaves beside him.

The muddy ground under the eaves was overgrown with weeds, some already withered and yellow, and among them was the February orchid. Yue Ruzheng squatted there silently, reaching out to pull out the weeds. Lian Junchu glanced at her from the side, feeling a little empty inside.

"Don't worry about it, it's been dead for a long time." He turned around sullenly, stepping on the sheets in the water.

Yue Ruzheng walked to his side, squatted down, and rested her elbows on her knees.

"If you haven't come back, how would you know you've been dead for a long time?" she said softly.

Lian Junchu's face flushed slightly. This time, she remained silent and continued to rub the bed sheet.

Yue Ruzheng leaned gently on his shoulder, and he bent down, turning his head to look at her. She moved closer and touched his cheek; it was indeed warmer than usual.

Then she let her arm fall and touched his ankle; it was very cold.