It seems I need to build a house quickly. There are many snakes and insects at the foot of the mountain, making it unsuitable for habitation. Before, I only wanted peace and quiet, but now that's not possible.
While the weather is warm, I'll hurry to chop some wood and hunt for money to start building.
I've already scouted a location; there's still an empty plot at the village entrance. An elderly woman who lives alone resides there. Her son joined the army years ago and left home. The war is over, but he hasn't returned. He's likely dead, and the court hasn't provided any resolution. The old woman has visited the yamen several times but hasn't received any news.
The old woman doesn't talk much and hasn't had any disputes with the villagers. She's easy to get along with.
When Xue Niang bathed, she specifically smelled herself. There was a fragrance, but aren't women supposed to smell fragrant?
After being scared by the snake, she felt uneasy once she entered the bedroom. At night, she constantly stared at the bed curtains, fearing another snake might fall.
Seeing her tossing and turning, Xiao Shan moved closer. "Sleep peacefully. My body carries a heavy aura of malevolence, so nothing dares to approach."
Before he joined the army, a fortune teller passing through the village had said his birth date and time were special, his innate destiny strong. In common parlance, he had a tough life, carrying an aura that repelled spirits and ghosts.
After joining the army, he had crawled out of seas of corpses and blood countless times. The enemy had even given him the name "煞神" (Sha Shen - Malevolent God).
A person like him had nothing to fear.
However, now he was somewhat afraid of the little woman beside him. When she told him not to come near, he didn't dare. He could only steal a hug after she fell asleep.
"Who says they have a heavy aura?"
Xue Niang knew he was close. If she turned her head, she could see his sturdy chest. It was hot now, and he always kept the blanket only around his waist. Her face was always turned towards the inside of the bed, and she dared not roll over.
But as he drew closer, she did feel much more at ease.
Xiao Shan placed his arm above her head, as if protecting her.
"Don't you see the villagers avoid me? They're scared of my aura. They say I was a bandit, that I've killed people. I have killed people, piles of them, countless numbers."
His tone was too calm, and Xue Niang couldn't discern his emotions.
But she felt he probably didn't like being spoken of that way. No one liked that.
"You killed enemies."
"Xue Niang, aren't you afraid of me?"
"You haven't harmed me, so why should I be afraid? When I was with the human traffickers, they called me crazy. I hit and bit them because they wanted to harm me. I know I'm not crazy, so why should I listen to the words of villains?"
"Xue Niang, can I hold you?" Xiao Shan asked softly, his breath already close.
Xue Niang fell silent. His presence behind her was like a large furnace, making her back feel hot.
Xiao Shan's arm, through the blanket, rested on her waist.
"Sleep. I'm here, don't be afraid of anything. Without your consent, I won't touch you."
Sensing her stiffness, Xiao Shan gently soothed her. He knew she had emotional scars and was afraid of men. He would wait for her to accept him slowly.
Xue Niang relaxed her body. She felt a pang of guilt. Being looked at with that kind of gaze so often had made disgust a habit. Therefore, when Xiao Shan looked at her with intense desire, she would involuntarily feel fear, even though she knew he was different from those people.
Perhaps, she could overcome it in the future.
In the following days, Xiao Shan hunted and felled trees on the mountain, while Xue Niang learned to cook and do laundry at home.
She slowly began to get used to the rural life, and Xue Niang felt her body gaining strength.
One morning, Xiao Shan went out again. Xue Niang was practicing in the yard. It was a set of exercises Xiao Shan had taught her for strengthening the body. There were only four movements, performed very slowly, mainly involving inhalation and exhalation.
True summer had arrived. After practicing for a while, Xue Niang felt extremely hot and decided to go back to the bedroom to cool off. Xiao Shan occasionally sprinkled some medicinal powder in the bedroom, and she hadn't seen any strange creatures since.
"Woof woof—"
The sudden barking outside the yard startled Xue Niang. A dirty black dog was looking at her pitifully.
Wasn't this the dog Xiao Shan had chased away a few days ago? He called it Xiao Hu.
How had it become like this? Covered in mud, its belly so thin it was tucked in. The black, shiny fur from last time was now dull and lifeless. It was truly a "stray dog" as the saying goes.
"Woof~"
The black dog whined at Xue Niang again, looking wronged.
"You better leave, or I'll hit you."
Xue Niang felt both fear and disgust towards the creature. No matter how pitiful it was, she couldn't sympathize. She found a stick to scare it. Fortunately, the yard gate was closed. If it had pounced on her like last time, it would have been disastrous.
"Woof~"
The dog let out a weak bark, its head drooping, as if it had lost all strength. It lay down at the base of the fence and didn't move.
It's still lingering here!
What a persistent dog!
"Then stay outside. I won't let you in!"
Xue Niang watched it warily, slowly backing away. The fence was over a meter high, so the dog couldn't get in. She dropped the stick and realized her palm was covered in sweat.
This wasn't one of those big, fierce dogs. This was just a young dog. She didn't need to be afraid.
Xue Niang went into the house.
She kept glancing outside.
The dog remained motionless.
It wasn't until Xiao Shan returned that he naturally saw the little black dog at the base of the fence. Xue Niang saw him take something from his embrace and throw it to the dog through the window, and he spoke to it.
The little black dog got up, picked up the item, and ran away.
"Xue Niang! Look what I brought back for you!"
As soon as Xiao Shan entered the yard, he boomed.
Xue Niang came out of the house and saw he was carrying a large black fish weighing several pounds.
"Linglong said you can eat fish now. I traded a rabbit for it at the market. What do you think, it's quite fat, isn't it?"
"It's too big. Wouldn't it be a waste if we can't finish it? We should have bought a smaller one with the money."
Xiao Shan chuckled. Xue Niang was starting to be mindful of saving.
Xue Niang's hair seemed to have become darker. The split ends were now very few, and it had grown longer, resting gently on both sides.
Her cheeks had also filled out a bit, taking on a peach shape. This must be what they called "apricot cheeks and peach face."
He took down the basket from his back and took out a cloth bundle. He leaned closer to Xue Niang and whispered, "Your undergarments were soiled by the snake before. I bought you two more. See if you like them. The shopkeeper said they were the latest styles."
Xue Niang's face instantly turned red, as if smeared with rouge.
She bit her lip, took them, and glared at Xiao Shan with a mix of shyness and anger. A grown man always entering women's clothing shops and speaking so openly, wasn't he afraid of being laughed at?
The fabric was still fine, soft silk. The two pieces were different. One was a usual肚兜 (dudou - a type of bodice), and the other was a抹胸 (moxiong - a type of bandeau). This time, the dudou had a pattern of mandarin ducks with intertwined necks.
What was this man implying?