Double Box Record

Chapitre 35

After saying that, he glanced at Yichun and beckoned to her: "You can also be a witness and see if it's genuine."

Curious, she walked over and watched as Shu Jun unwrapped the bundle layer by layer. What was revealed inside was neither jewelry nor a divine weapon. The object was dark, wet, and heavy—a strangely shaped stone with many natural holes carved out by water.

Shu Jun's eyes lit up immediately, as if he had seen a precious treasure, and he raised his hand to gently stroke it.

Completely bewildered, Yichun gently asked the little pumpkin, "What is this?"

Little Pumpkin whispered, "It's a Taihu stone that Master has always wanted to collect. He has a hobby of collecting stones."

Taihu stones are translucent and come in countless shapes, making them exquisite objects for wealthy families to appreciate and display. However, ordinary Taihu stones are large and inconvenient to move, so Shu Jun had always wanted a smaller one, and today he finally found one for him.

The old man laughed and said, "It's definitely genuine. If you don't believe me, take it to Taihu Lake and ask around."

Shu Jun carefully wrapped the stone again, held it in his arms, and said, "No need, I have important business to attend to back at. The price is the same as we agreed on—Little Pumpkin, give him the note—you can go to Tongbao Money Exchange to collect the money yourself."

After saying that, he went upstairs with a beaming smile. Suddenly, he remembered something, looked down at Yichun, and said, "Girl, be careful. Don't let anyone kill you."

His concern sounded so awkward.

Yi Chun followed him upstairs, and when she thought about how Shu Jun had such a strange hobby of collecting stones, she found him much more approachable.

She pushed open the door; the room was pitch black. Just as she was about to reach the table to light a lamp, she suddenly heard a gust of wind behind her, as if someone was lunging at her. Instinctively, she raised her hand to deflect the attack—but her wrist was grabbed tightly.

Not an assassination?! That was the only thought that flashed through her mind for a moment, and then the man pulled her with unexpected strength.

She bumped into a hard, familiar embrace.

The man cupped her face and kissed her fiercely. Perhaps because of the darkness, or perhaps because of her awkwardness and nervousness, it wasn't their lips that touched, but their teeth.

The two men's teeth collided, making a crisp sound.

Yichun cried out in pain, but the man did not back down. His trembling lips, as if desperately thirsty and carrying a hint of blood, gently but irresistibly covered her bleeding lips this time.

Chapter Twenty-One

When I opened my eyes, it was already daylight.

In her confusion, Yichun instinctively raised her hand to touch her lips, where a swollen patch from a fall had caused a throbbing pain and a slight numbness.

She lay in bed for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh and throwing off the covers.

Brushing teeth, washing face, and combing hair—it was a morning just like any other, yet there was a subtle difference.

Yichun looked at the girl in the bronze mirror, and the person inside looked back at her innocently, as if to tell her: it's best to pretend nothing happened.

He seemed to be crying last night. He carried a heavy burden on his shoulders that she couldn't understand or comprehend. He kept saying, "Don't leave, don't leave."

But she wasn't the one who wanted to leave.

It turns out that the contradictions in his heart were so deep, and he had kept them well hidden from others.

So she could only hold his hand tightly and ask him, "Sheep Kidney, what do you want? Are you afraid you won't be able to get revenge? Tomorrow I'll go to Chenzhou with you, and we'll go find the Giant Xia Gang together, okay?"

He didn't speak, and after a long time, he seemed to have calmed down and said softly, "I'm sorry, I offended you."

He was referring to her bleeding lips, his fingers gently caressing her wound, as if to wipe away the blood, or perhaps to maliciously inflict pain upon her.

He said, "In Yichun, there are many people in the world whose eyes are blinded by hatred. They are pathetic. I will not become like that."

As long as you are here, I will not live for hatred.

He kissed her many times, each time gently, a light, slightly sticky touch between their lips, and then pulled away after just a quick touch.

She should have rejected him, told him that she was his senior, that she had always treated him like a younger brother, and had never thought of anything else. But Yang Shen was so smart; how could he not know that? Saying it aloud would only hurt him again.

So he finally said, "Yichun, don't say anything, I won't do anything. Just living like this is better than anything else."

He left, but her heart began to pound wildly, and that night she dreamed of him all the time.

A light drizzle fell over the peach grove on the back hill, carrying the sweet and slightly astringent fragrance of the peach blossoms. The boy, who looked like a bean sprout, lowered his head and told her, "Senior sister, you look much better dressed today than before."

Yichun woke up with a start, her heart still pounding.

I should pretend nothing happened, pack my sword, tighten my bundle, and go downstairs for breakfast.

Yang Shen had already bought fried dough sticks and soy milk, and waved to her: "You're up so late, senior sister."

He showed no unusual behavior, and it seemed that the two of them tacitly agreed to pretend that last night's events had never happened. Only the cuts on their lips provided physical evidence in broad daylight.

With a cut on her lip, Yi Chun was burning her mouth while drinking soy milk. She put down her bowl, frowned, and noticed Yang Shen covering his mouth uncomfortably, probably in a lot of pain as well.

The two looked at each other, initially embarrassed, but then somehow they both started laughing.

“Let’s leave Tanzhou today. Do you want to go to Dongting Lake?” he asked.

“Okay, I’ve never seen a big lake before.” She agreed readily.

****

Fishermen rent out boats along Dongting Lake for tourists to enjoy the scenery. Since neither Yang Shen nor Yichun knew how to row, they had to pay an extra ten coins to hire a fisherman to ferry them across.

The oars splashed across the water, making a "splashing" sound, and the small fishing boat swayed and drifted away from the shore, heading into the misty depths.

The sky was slightly overcast today, and a thin mist rose over the lake, clinging damply to their clothes and hair. Yichun walked to the stern of the boat, put her hands behind her back, and took a deep breath. The wind carried the fishy smell of the water, but it wasn't unpleasant.

The boundless Dongting Lake is like a pool of solidified jade. This small boat glides slowly on the jade, occasionally leaving a few ripples before quickly returning to tranquility.

Looking out at the vast expanse of water and sky merging into one, how could one not feel a sense of exhilaration? Yang Shen's expression also relaxed, and he pointed to a clump of reeds emerging from the water not far away: "Senior sister, do you think there are any water birds in there? Let's catch one for lunch."