Zhan Jingchun was full, but she needed to use the restroom.
She couldn't bring herself to speak to a stranger, so after much thought, she could only nod embarrassedly.
Since she had eaten, Peng Fei saw no reason to stay any longer; he needed to go to the fields to work.
He pulled the clothes covering her a bit further down, "Then you rest well, sleep. I'm going to work in the fields first."
Zhan Jingchun didn't have the strength to say much, so she could only watch him leave.
After a rustling sound, the door closed, leaving her alone.
Though she needed to use the restroom, sleepiness overcame her, and soon she drifted off into a deep slumber.
In her dreams, her father, mother, older brothers, older sisters, everyone was looking for her, including her classmates on the trip.
The scenes were so real; everyone looked frantic, and her father was furious, almost shaking Nan Cheng apart.
She desperately wanted to tell them where she was, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Excitement woke her up.
She opened her eyes and looked outside. Only faint light was visible. She didn't know if it was dark or if the window was blocked.
She couldn't cry out and lacked the strength to get up, so she could only resign herself to fate and wait for Peng Fei to find her.
But a very long time passed, and Peng Fei didn't come in.
Feeling extremely uncomfortable, she tried to get off the bed.
Coincidentally, just as she pushed herself up, feeling dizzy, someone arrived outside the door.
Peng Fei opened the door and saw her weakly trying to get up. He quickly walked in.
"Why are you awake? Are you hungry? I saved dinner for you. I saw you sleeping soundly when I returned this afternoon, so I didn't dare wake you. I'll bring it to you."
Zhan Jingchun wasn't hungry, nor could she afford to be shy. Her stomach was very uncomfortable.
"I need to use the toilet."
This was the first sentence she had spoken since he met her.
Her voice was lovely, just like her appearance, sweet and crisp. Peng Fei felt his ears tingle.
"I'll go get a basin."
He then ran out quickly, not forgetting to close the door as he left.
Zhan Jingchun didn't understand what he meant. She said she needed to use the toilet, so why was he getting a basin?
Finally managing to sit up weakly, she found there was no backrest on the bed. She tried to steady herself and waited for Peng Fei to return.
Soon, he came back with a green plastic basin, holding a flashlight.
"Go ahead. I'll wait outside for you."
He gently placed the basin by the bedside.
Zhan Jingchun was greatly surprised. In this day and age, they expected her to use a basin for a toilet? Did they not have a toilet in their house?
"How can this be? I need to use the toilet."
Normally, new brides in the village were not allowed to go out, for fear they might run away.
But this bride was truly different from others; she was so weak she seemed about to faint at any moment. Moreover, she wasn't crying or making a fuss, so Peng Fei couldn't bring himself to argue with her.
After a moment's pause, he asked, "Can you get down? Can you walk?"
"But I can't relieve myself on the bed, can I? I can manage."
"Let me help you."
Peng Fei supported her by the arm and helped her off the bed.
Holding the flashlight, they walked out together.
In the rural summer, a cool breeze blew, cicadas chirped, frogs croaked, and the moonlight was bright. All these sounds mixed together, providing a wonderful visual and auditory experience for her, an art student.
Unfortunately, Zhan Jingchun had no mind to appreciate it.
In the lower left corner of the yard, a small toilet was built with bricks, covered with corn stalks, and a dark curtain hung at the entrance.
Peng Fei helped her over and handed her the flashlight.
"I'll wait outside for you. Just put the flashlight on the ground."
As she approached the entrance, she smelled a foul odor that almost made her throw up.
She knew their family was poor, but she hadn't expected them to be this poor...
It was her first time seeing a rural latrine, and if she hadn't been desperately holding it in, she truly wouldn't have wanted to go in.
She couldn't bring herself to reach for the dark curtain. Zhan Jingchun looked at the ground and saw fallen branches. She picked one up and pulled aside the curtain.
Shining the flashlight on the ground, she was so startled that she let out a scream and stumbled back two steps, falling into Peng Fei's arms.
"Ah, bugs! Bugs!"
The weather was hot in summer, and rural latrines, if not cleaned for a few days, would have layers of maggots crawling out, even on the stepping areas. It made one's scalp tingle.
Zhan Jingchun was utterly disgusted. Without time to push Peng Fei away, she held onto his arm and vomited again.
Peng Fei, having grown up in the countryside, was not unfamiliar with such scenes, but honestly, he disliked them too.
He knew she was fair and tender, like someone from the city, but he hadn't expected her to be so easily repulsed.
Men are inherently proud. At this moment, he felt his own inadequacy.
He gently patted Zhan Jingchun's back until she had vomited everything in her stomach before speaking.
"I told you to use the basin... Let me help you back."
Fangfang heard a scream and quickly ran out from the inner room.
Seeing her sister-in-law vomiting again, she obediently fetched a bowl of water.
Zhan Jingchun rinsed her mouth and looked at the girl with big eyes, a delicate face, but dry, yellow hair.
"What about the ground?"
Fangfang said, "It's okay, I'll sweep it."
"Let's go, let's go back."
Her body, which had felt a little better in the afternoon, was now unable to walk after all the commotion.
Peng Fei saw her staggering and almost lifted her, carrying her into the room.
The flashlight beam flickered on the ground, making her dizzy.
Zhan Jingchun couldn't help but ask him, "You don't have electricity here, do you? Why aren't you turning on the light?"
In fact, they did have electricity, and some families in better conditions had even bought televisions.
But her father had passed away early, and her mother had struggled to raise their three children. Every penny counted, so they had never connected to electricity.
"Can't you see clearly? I'll light the lamp for you."
Peng Fei's voice was hesitant. He helped her to the bedside, then strode over to the table, rummaged through it, and lit a kerosene lamp.
Zhan Jingchun never imagined that at her age, she would have the chance to see an antique like a kerosene lamp.
The tiny flame flickered around the room, and she sighed.
"Alright, you can go out now."
Peng Fei obediently turned off the flashlight and retreated from the room, standing guard outside.
"If you need anything, call me. I won't go far."
What kind of situation was it for him to stand guard outside while a woman used the toilet?
Originally awkward about using a basin, even with her good temper, Zhan Jingchun became impatient by this point.
"I can't go with you here. Go back to sleep. Oh, by the way, what time is it, and what's the date?"
"I don't know. I'll go check for you."
Peng Fei's footsteps gradually receded.
She squatted down, trying to position herself over the basin, and strained with all her might, but she still couldn't go.
Feeling defeated, Zhan Jingchun couldn't help but want to cry again.
Soon, Peng Fei ran back, speaking to her from outside the door.
"07:48. We don't have a calendar at home."
It was only past seven?
Given how quiet it was, she had thought it was the middle of the night.
Zhan Jingchun's immediate priority was to recover her health, so she called Peng Fei back in.
"What about dinner? Didn't you say you'd bring it to me?"