Not knowing if it was due to her weakened state or some magic in Peng Fei's embrace, Zhan Jingchun, who should have been unable to sleep, found herself lying like a dried corpse and unexpectedly slept until morning.
When she woke, no one was by her side.
The crowing of a rooster sounded one after another, and there was light outside the window.
She pushed herself up with her arms, got out of bed, and wanted to go for a walk.
As she pulled the door open, the clanking of chains was heard. She was locked inside.
This guy, how could he be so unreasonable! She had offered money, not to report him, a lot of money, yet he still locked her up!
There was nothing she could do. Zhan Jingchun had no choice but to return to the bed, dryly waiting for Peng Fei to come find her.
It wasn't long before the door opened, and Peng Fei walked in with a bowl of steaming congee and a plate of vegetables.
"Eat."
So he had gone to cook.
She hadn't eaten properly in a while, and what she had eaten yesterday was thrown up again. She was indeed quite hungry.
Zhan Jingchun wouldn't fight with her stomach, but she hadn't brushed her teeth yet.
"Do you have a toothbrush? I'd like to brush my teeth first."
Upon hearing this, Peng Fei was stunned. His expression said it all.
Alas, the family was so poor that they didn't even have a spare toothbrush.
"Then what should I do? I can't eat without brushing my teeth. Can you go buy one for me?"
She had no idea about the terrain outside, nor did she know how far it was to the town. It was absolutely impossible to go out for a mere toothbrush.
Peng Fei thought for a moment, then turned and went out.
"I'll go find something for you."
He brought back a bowl, into which some coarse salt was poured, and another bowl filled with warm water.
He dipped his finger into the salt and gestured to Zhan Jingchun.
"You can make do with this for now. I'll buy you one in a couple of days."
Zhan Jingchun's life experience was once again refreshed.
She had heard that in ancient times, before toothbrushes were invented, people used salt to clean their teeth. To think that one day she would be doing this...
With no other choice, she had to go to the courtyard and squat down to brush her teeth.
After cleaning her mouth, she turned to look for Peng Fei, wanting to continue talking to him about letting her go. However, he had already put on a straw hat and was holding a hoe, ready to leave.
"Eat and then sleep. Your body is still weak. I've already hung your clothes out to dry. They should be dry by noon. I'll be back at lunchtime. If you need to relieve yourself, use the basin, and I'll empty it when I return."
"Hey, hey, hey, don't go yet, I have something to tell you!"
Peng Fei seemed to know what she was going to say. He ignored her completely, shouldered his hoe, and left the courtyard.
The clanking of chains sounded again outside. She was locked inside once more.
Fangfang had gone to school, and Peng Ma had gone to the fields early. She was the only one left at home.
Today, she wasn't confined to that room as she had been yesterday. She paced back and forth in the uneven, yellow-earth courtyard, observing the terrain, wondering if she could climb out.
But the courtyard walls were quite high, and the tops were completely covered with broken glass bottles, creating a makeshift anti-theft barrier. The entire perimeter was lined with sharp bottle mouths.
Without a ladder, attempting to climb over like this would lead to getting snagged, and she might even die from the punctures.
Zhan Jingchun knew that now was not the best time to escape.
Firstly, her physical strength was insufficient.
Secondly, she was too unfamiliar with her surroundings. A rash escape would have a low chance of success.
Thirdly, if the matter could be resolved amicably, she still didn't want to leave by escaping.
Therefore, she behaved herself all morning.
She drew well water herself, washed her hair with laundry detergent, and then sat in a corner, basking in the sun.
When Peng Ma returned, she was startled to see her sitting in the courtyard.
"Why are you out?"
Peng Fei followed behind her. Upon hearing this, he quickly looked forward.
Seeing her sitting there obediently with her hair down, still wearing his clothes, his pounding heart finally settled.
He didn't know what had gotten into him that morning. Perhaps she looked too cute squatting there brushing her teeth, and he had forgotten to lock her back into the room.
It was truly a close call.
Fortunately, this daughter-in-law had poor stamina and didn't seem to be calculating, otherwise, the consequences could have been dire.
Peng Ma shot Peng Fei a furious look over her shoulder. Peng Fei knew he had made a mistake and didn't dare to say more.
He put down his hoe and silently walked to Zhan Jingchun's side, urging her to return to the room.
Zhan Jingchun didn't argue with him and followed him obediently.
Back in the room, as Peng Fei was about to start cooking, she voluntarily reached out and tugged his arm.
Although this wasn't their first physical contact, perhaps because she initiated it, Peng Fei felt as if he had been electrocuted, and his entire body went numb for a moment.
Looking at her again, her expression had softened considerably.
"What is it?"
"I can't relieve myself in the basin, my stomach hurts, and I've been holding it for a long time. Is there a better toilet?"
Peng Fei was speechless. She had held it in from yesterday until now without going to the toilet?
Peng Ma, tired from a long day, still had to cook and feed the pigs and chickens upon her return. Her son, as soon as he entered the house, ran off to dote on his wife, naturally making her feel unhappy.
While working in the kitchen, she mumbled to herself.
Although he feared his mother's scolding, his wife's need to use the toilet was urgent. Peng Fei glanced towards the kitchen, then took her hand.
"Let's go, I'll take you somewhere."
The two of them, unnoticed by his mother, quietly left the courtyard.
For the first time, Zhan Jingchun saw the appearance of this village.
It was like some impoverished mountain villages she had seen in documentaries, utterly dilapidated.
Looking out, the sparse mountain village, with houses scattered here and there, had no multi-story buildings.
Some were single-story houses, and most were tiled roofs. The exteriors were unpainted, revealing either dark bricks or red bricks, with cement interspersed in between, utterly lacking in aesthetic appeal.
Small paths crisscrossed, uneven and all unpaved.
Children and a few chickens, ducks, and geese stood in twos and threes along the roads. Apart from that, there were only scattered green trees.
She didn't know how to describe her feelings at that moment.
No wonder Peng Fei looked the way he did. If he were in Nancheng and tidied up, he could even be a male model, yet he had to buy a wife.
It was true that no normal person would want to marry into such a desolate place.
Whether it was because Peng Fei naturally walked fast or because he didn't want her to see too much,
The two of them walked quickly along the small dirt path in front of the houses as if fleeing a disaster. They went around the houses, and behind them was a bamboo grove. He led her into the bamboo grove and found a flat spot with clean fallen leaves.
"It'll be here. Hurry up and go."
Zhan Jingchun needed to relieve herself of a bowel movement, and he had brought her to an open-air forest...
Without any psychological preparation, it was another embarrassing situation.
Seeing that she still had objections, Peng Fei was at a loss.
"If that's still not possible, then you'll have to go back and use the basin. There's no other place."
"Hurry up. If Mom finds out I brought you out so quickly, she'll be angry when we get back."
Zhan Jingchun had no choice: "Then don't look. Go further away."
Peng Fei was very clever: "I won't look, but what if you run away? Are you going to go or not? If not, we're going back."
He was gentle as water just a moment ago, and now he was threatening her?
Never mind, she hadn't planned to escape anyway. Zhan Jingchun endured it.
She silently walked a few steps back, gritted her teeth, and squatted down.