Luzhou Moon - Chapter 124
"Let's go buy tinder and lamp oil later, and some food too," Yue Ruzheng said, half suggesting and half ordering.
After the clothes were washed, the two of them worked together to hang the bed sheets to dry. Apart from regular clothes, any large items like bedding were difficult for even Jun Chu to carry outside by herself, and Yue Ruzheng had to help her to do so.
The small courtyard was filled with washed clothes drying in the sun, and cotton quilts and blankets were spread out on the chair in the middle. It was already inconvenient for Lian Junchu to do these things, and he also had to take care of Yue Ruzheng's injured hand, so he was sweating profusely from exhaustion. But when he saw Yue Ruzheng sleeping happily on the spread-out cotton quilts, curled up like a kitten, his heart was filled with tenderness.
"Should we bring out your bedding too?" He walked over to Yue Ruzheng, squatted down beside her, and asked.
Yue Ruzheng turned over to face him, thought for a moment, and shook her head.
"Then you..." Lian Junchu wanted to ask more, but Yue Ruzheng sat up, propping herself up under the covers, and said, "Let's go, let's go down the mountain."
"Why don't I go by myself and you rest here?" he suggested kindly, but she interrupted him.
"No, if you're going, we'll go together." Yue Ruzheng became stubborn again for some reason. Lian Junchu had no choice but to follow her out of the courtyard and head down the mountain.
Yue Ruzheng held onto his sleeve the whole time, as if afraid he would leave halfway.
He suddenly realized that she was probably afraid that he would use the opportunity of going down the mountain to leave again without saying goodbye.
The town was littered with crimson paper scraps left from firecrackers. Although it was nearly noon and every household was busy cleaning up after the New Year, there were hardly any people doing business. During this rare time of year when families could gather and rest, who would be busy making money? Yue Ruzheng searched for a long time but couldn't find any groceries. Finally, Lian Junchu found a general store based on her memory. The owner happened to be cleaning outside and recognized the young man before him.
"You're not that..." The shopkeeper looked at Lian Junchu in surprise. The boy who used to carry a bamboo basket back and forth on the mountain path every day had changed his appearance, but his clothes were completely different.
Lian Junchu didn't say much, she just smiled.
After paying, Yue Ruzheng was about to leave with Lian Junchu when the shopkeeper couldn't help but ask from behind, "Xiao Tang, are you married?"
Lian Junchu paused for a moment, then turned around and nodded slightly.
On the way back, Yue Ruzheng's heart was pounding. She wanted to speak several times, but didn't know how to ask. Even when she was eating by the roadside, she was somewhat absent-minded.
Finally, she returned to the courtyard. The sun was already setting, and she hurriedly gathered the bedding that had been drying outside. The cotton quilts, which had been airing all day, were very warm, but the sheets were not yet completely dry and were still hanging under the eaves. She sat contentedly on the soft bed, listening to the sound of something being pushed in the yard, knowing that he was using his feet to move the chair back into the house.
At dusk, she wanted to go to the kitchen to cook, but Lian Junchu stopped her.
"You still have an injury on your hand, let me cook for you." He sat on the ground and skillfully started a fire as before, while Yue Ruzheng sat beside him, watching quietly.
Because everyone in the town was at home with their families, they couldn't even buy many vegetables.
Two bowls of rice and a fish. Under the dim light, the two sat side by side, she using her hands and he using his feet, peacefully picking up the food and chewing slowly. This was the first Lunar New Year's Day they had spent together in nearly four years since they met.
Night fell, and Yue Ruzheng went back inside first; the nights in the mountains were especially cold. The wind howled against the window paper, and as she gazed at the flickering candlelight on the table, she gradually grew sleepy.
Ignoring the fact that this was his room, she quickly took off her coat and crawled into bed. The blankets still smelled of sunshine, a very warm and comforting scent. She suddenly remembered how she loved this smell when she was little, often clamoring to "smell the sun." Her aunt would then air out the bedding and wrap her in the blankets, leaving only her big eyes showing.
That feeling was the warmth she missed and craved most during her life of wandering.
She had endured too many ups and downs these past few days, and had been busy for a long time today. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
She didn't know how much time had passed when a noise beside her woke her up. She opened her eyes groggily, her mind still not fully clear, and saw that the flickering candlelight had gone out, leaving only the pale moonlight in the room.
She turned around groggily, and Lian Junchu sat on the edge of the bed, bending down with his back to her, seemingly unbuttoning his outer garment. Without the two iron bars obstructing his view, it took him less time to undress than yesterday, but it was still much slower than for an average person.
Then, he gently lifted the outer corner of the blanket with his foot, as if afraid of waking her. He carefully sat on the bed, then bent down and bit the top of the blanket, pulling it towards him.
Yue Ruzheng had regained some consciousness by then, and casually reached out to pull the blanket up for him.
Lian Junchu seemed to smile and lay down beside her. Although she didn't feel any resistance, this was the first time she had shared a bed with him, and she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. The surroundings were hazy and quiet. Yue Ruzheng lay quietly for a while, and seeing that he didn't speak, she hugged the quilt and quietly moved closer to him.
Lian Junchu turned his head slightly, gazing at her in the night. She gently nestled against his chest, just as before, listening to his heartbeat, then suddenly chuckled softly and said, "Little Tang, your heartbeat has gotten faster."
He seemed to chuckle as well, rubbing his ankle against her calf. Yue Ruzheng hugged his shoulders, and on a sudden impulse, reached into his collar and touched him.
"You here..." She was about to continue when she felt a slight movement on his shoulder, as if he wanted to avoid her.
Yue Ruzheng noticed his nervousness and asked softly, "Can't I touch it?"
Lian Junchu hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "No."
"Actually, I've already seen it... I just touched it..." she said to herself, her hand moving down his shoulder and touching his only remaining arm.
After sliding down a short distance, they entered complete emptiness. This sensation startled the already cautious Yue Ruzheng, but she didn't dare show it, simply holding him quietly. His arm didn't feel natural; it felt uneven to the touch. Yue Ruzheng gently stroked his arm, but he made no sound, not even a whisper.
"Are these injuries from when you were a child?" she asked cautiously.
Lian Junchu was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Some were, and some came later."
"Later?" She frowned, thinking for a moment, her heart heavy. "Was it because you were practicing with those swords that you got injured?"
Lian Junchu sighed softly, "The iron rings on my arms are very tight; they would rub raw every day at first."
Yue Ruzheng stared blankly at his silhouette hidden in the darkness, her heart filled with mixed emotions, both bitter and aching. She held back her tears and touched his arm once more.
Besides the scars, there was also a cool feeling.
She tends to feel warm all year round, so she withdrew her hand, breathed on it to warm her fingers, and then pressed it tightly against his shoulder and arm.
"Are you cold?" she asked softly.
"No." Lian Junchu tried to get closer to her. Yue Ruzheng felt that he was having some difficulty lying on his side, so she supported him with her shoulder.
The two people's feet were hooked together, just like holding hands.
"Xiao Tang..." After a long time, in the darkness, Yue Ruzheng couldn't help but call him again.
"What is it?" He hadn't fallen asleep either, and he opened his eyes to look at her.
Yue Ruzheng felt her face burning, and she stammered, "It was during the day, when you were in town..."