Chapter 31

As dusk falls, tired birds return to their nests and wisps of smoke rise from every household.

Smoke was also rising from the Fu family's kitchen.

Yu Ying made some money today, and even after redeeming Fu An and Fu Ning's parents, she still had more than one or two taels of money left, so she indulged herself today.

I made some more rice, fried three eggs with the locust flowers that Fu An and Fu Ning had picked up, and then fried some cabbage in a clay pot.

When Uncle Chen delivered the lychees yesterday, she asked him to bring her some vegetables today.

Cabbage, radish and taro will not go bad even if they are kept for a few days, so I asked for three cabbages, three radishes, and a small basket of taro.

Speaking of stir-fried cabbage with lard, it didn’t taste very good before because there was not enough oil, so this time Yu Ying put a full spoonful of oil to stir-fry it. Even though it was a vegetarian dish, the fragrance drifted outside the yard.

The lard can be eaten for three or four days. When she goes to Yu County the day after tomorrow, she will buy some meat to make lard, and then buy some spices to put in the lard. This will not only allow the lard to be stored for a longer time, but also make the lard more fragrant.

Not only do they have one meat dish and one vegetable dish, but they also eat rice.

Although there was no meat, the food was getting better and better. This was something that Fu An and Fu Ning would never have dared to imagine before.

After all, they can only eat eggs during festivals.

Yu Ying said to them, "When I cooked rice tonight, I put in a little extra rice, so you can eat as much as you want."

Fu Wei raised his eyes to look at Yu Ying, who had a faint smile on her face. The corners of his mouth curved slightly. After a glance, he lowered his eyes and continued to eat.

After dinner, while Fu An and Funing were washing dishes, Yu Ying went back and forth to fetch two buckets of water. After two buckets of water, it was almost dark.

After washing up in the evening, she took little Funing back to the room to sleep.

As the night deepened, Yu Ying did not sleep very well. She always felt a little cold, and the wind outside was different from usual.

Quick and fierce.

Yu Ying seemed to have thought of something while she was half asleep, and she woke up in an instant. She sat up from the bed and heard a whirring sound coming from outside the house, accompanied by the faint sound of rain.

The hurricane is coming.

It just happened without any warning.

Yu Ying felt the house shaking slightly.

The sound of wind and rain grew louder, and little Fu Ning beside her woke up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

Fu Ning seemed a little dazed facing the dark room and the sound of wind and rain outside.

Yu Ying was thinly dressed and suddenly felt cold. After shivering, she suddenly remembered the grandparents and grandchildren sleeping on the floor in the next room. She immediately said to Fu Ning on the bed, "You stay in the room first and don't run around. I'll go check on your grandmother and brother."

Fu Ning heard his aunt's voice and nodded.

Yu Ying couldn't see Fu Ning either, so she just put her feet down on the bed and fumbled for a while before she touched her cloth shoes.

She walked out of the house in the dark, and when she opened the bamboo door, a strong wind with raindrops instantly blew on her face, her clothes were blown tightly to her body, and her long hair was blown into the air.

Standing at the door, the feeling of strong wind is more obvious, and you can vaguely see the shadows of the trees in the yard swaying left and right.

Uncle He said that the wind was not very strong before and it didn’t have much impact, but why does she feel that the wind now is... a bit strong?

Yu Ying left the house and closed the door. Trembling in her heart, she braved the wind and rain to walk to another thatched hut and shouted inside, "Fu'an, open the door."

Fu Wei, who had been unable to sleep due to the sudden hurricane, heard her voice and sat up on the bed.

Fu An, who was shivering with cold, seemed to hear his aunt's voice in a half-asleep state. He woke up in an instant, quickly got up, and groped to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, strong wind and drizzle rushed into the house in an instant.

Yu Ying hurried into the house and closed the door. The wind died down, but she could still hear the howling of ghosts and wolves outside.

Mrs. Luo seemed to have gotten up as well and asked, "Sixth Lady, why are you here?"

It was pitch dark in the room, and Yu Ying could only speak into the darkness, "A hurricane suddenly came tonight, with strong winds and rain. You and Fu An can't sleep on the ground."

It was windy and rainy, and the temperature suddenly dropped. If they slept on the ground like this all night, both the grandfather and the grandson would fall ill tomorrow.

Not to mention that some snakes, insects, rats or ants might enter the house tomorrow, which would be even worse.

After Yu Ying finished speaking for a while, Fu An asked at a loss: "If you can't sleep on the floor, where can you sleep?"

Yu Ying was stunned. Yes, if not on the ground, where else could she sleep?

Fu Wei occupied the bamboo bed, while she and Fu Ning slept on the straw bed.

After a moment of silence, Yu Ying suddenly called out "Erlang" into the darkness.

The next moment, a low, mellow voice came from the darkness: "I'm here."

"Can you sleep with the vodafone tonight?"

Now only Fu An and Fu Ning can sleep with him, and she has to squeeze in with Luo Shi.

Fu Wei replied softly, "Okay."

Yu Ying said, "I'll bring Fu Ning here first, and then I'll go over with you later."

Luo thought about it and replied "Okay".

Yu Ying was about to go out when Fu Wei's voice came again from the darkness: "The wind is strong, be careful."

"I understand." Yu Ying responded, then opened the door and left the room.

After a while, Yu Ying came back holding Fu Ning.

After entering the house, Yu Ying said to Fu Ning in a gentle voice, "Ningning, how about sleeping with your brother and uncle tonight?"

When she heard that she was going to sleep with her uncle, the little girl immediately hugged Yu Ying's neck tightly and buried her face in the crook of her neck, showing a very resistant reaction.

Yu Ying didn't expect that she would resist.

After a moment of silence, Luo asked, "Ningning doesn't want to?"

Yu Ying hummed a "hmm," but continued to persuade, "It's windy and rainy today, so grandma and brother can't sleep on the floor. You and brother have to sleep with uncle, while auntie sleeps with grandma. Be obedient, okay?"

Fu Ning, who has always been well-behaved and obedient, did not cooperate at all tonight. She hugged Yu Ying even tighter, as if she was afraid that her aunt would put her on her uncle's bed.

Yu Ying didn't know why she resisted so much, but after thinking about it, she figured out the reason.

It seemed that Fu Wei had not spoken a word to her for such a long time.

Fu Wei was just a stranger to her.

Moreover, perhaps she had a heavy psychological trauma from her previous uncle, so she was also afraid of her uncle Fu Wei.

If she is forced to sleep with Fu Wei, it may backfire and affect her ability to speak again in the future.

At this moment, Fu An's curious voice sounded: "Why isn't it the aunt who sleeps with her sister and uncle?"

In the silence, Fu An added puzzledly: "Other couples sleep together, why don't my uncle and aunt sleep together?"

This question seemed to have troubled him for a long time, so his words were full of doubts.

Yu Ying was silent for a moment, and didn't try to explain the twists and turns here. She just said, "Our family's situation is a little different from others. Don't ask why. I don't know why either."

Fu Wei: ...

They are not a real couple, how could they sleep together?

The current situation seems to be at a stalemate.

After some hesitation, Mrs. Luo said, "How about you sleep with my uncle while I continue to sleep on the floor?"

Mrs. Luo also knew very well how big the straw bed was. It was just right for one person to sleep on it. It was already a stretch for Liu Niang and Fu Ning to sleep on it together. At most, Fu An could be squeezed on top, but in that case, the person sleeping outside would be in danger of falling down at any time.

Yu Ying was not so cold-hearted as to let a frail old lady sleep on the ground in such horrible weather while she went to sleep in a good place.

But she didn't dare to sleep on the ground. She would rather sleep on her stomach than sleep on the ground where centipedes and various insects might appear at any time.

There was silence for a long time. The sound of wind and rain outside was getting louder and louder. If I didn't make a decision quickly, I would not be able to get out of the door soon.

Yu Ying thought about it. It was just lying together with a person of the opposite sex while wearing clothes, and there was a child in between. In fact, there was nothing wrong except being a little embarrassed.

After figuring it out, Yu Ying asked Fu Wei, "Erlang, how about we spend a few nights together?"

Hearing the meaning expressed in the soft voice, Fu Wei was stunned and remained silent for several breaths.

Even Mrs. Luo was shocked after hearing what her fake daughter-in-law said, and secretly wondered if Liu Niang was going to accept Erlang?

"No?" Yu Ying didn't know what the mother and son were thinking, so she just asked again.

Fu Wei's throat couldn't help but roll up and down. How should he respond?

Although they are nominally husband and wife, they are not real husband and wife after all, and they will go their separate ways and pursue their own careers in the future.

If we sleep in the same bed now, how will we sort out the relationship in the future?

Yu Ying sighed secretly, thinking that she was too conservative with Fu Wei.

She said, "I'll just lie on the table tonight. Ningning An'an will sleep with mother."

"That won't do. I don't agree." Luo was the first to disagree.

Fu Wei fell silent.

Now either Fu Ning nods or he nods.

In the current situation, either the two children sleep with him, or do as she just said, otherwise there is no other way.

If possible, he would willingly sleep on the floor, but without thinking too much, neither his biological mother nor she would agree.

Don't worry too much during extraordinary times.

Fu Wei convinced himself and sighed softly, his voice helpless with a hint of hoarseness: "I'm glad you don't mind."

With Fu Wei's consent, Yu Ying also breathed a sigh of relief.

She said to Fu Ning in a gentler tone, "How about I come and sleep with Ning Ning and my uncle?"

Fu Ning thought about it, and his arms around Yu Ying loosened a little.

Seeing this, Yu Ying continued to persuade him, "It's so windy today, and it's raining. Ningning just went out and felt it. If grandma and brother sleep on the floor, they will get sick. So, auntie will hold you to sleep at night, okay?"

The little girl hesitated for a while, then nodded with her little head buried in her neck.

Yu Ying breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Ningning agreed."

She said, "Fuan, help grandma go over to sleep."

Fu An hummed heavily, as if he was eager to sleep with his aunt and uncle.

Yu Ying put Fu Ning down and asked her to wait in the house. She would send her grandmother to the next room and come back.

Fu Ning didn't let go at first, but because he was afraid that his aunt would be angry, he slowly let go.

When Yu Ying came back after sending the grandparents to the next room, her body was already half wet. After calling out "Ningning", the little girl came to her side in the dark and stretched out her hand.

When Yu Ying held her hand back.

The Fu family was almost penniless, and in a situation like tonight where everything had to be done in the dark, it was really inconvenient without an oil lamp.

Thinking of this, Yu Ying felt that she had to add one more necessities to her shopping.

There were only three people left in the house, a half-understanding and non-verbal child, and a couple in name only.

After a long period of silence, Yu Ying secretly breathed a sigh of relief and spoke first: "Sorry to bother you."

Fu Wei's voice sank slightly: "Don't disturb me."

After the awkward conversation, Yu Ying took Fu Ning's hand and walked towards the sound.

There was nothing in the room except a bed, a table and chairs, and the table and chairs were placed against the wall, so there was no need to worry about tripping.

When she reached the edge of the bed, Yu Ying reached out and felt around. She seemed to touch the hard bamboo splints that held his legs in place. She said, "We have no choice but to do this now. Don't think too much about it. I don't have any other intentions."

Fu Wei whispered, "I know."

After saying that, he smelled the faint herbal fragrance on her body and unconsciously held his breath.

Yu Ying picked up Fu Ning and sat her on the edge of the bed. She took off her straw sandals and then told her, "Go inside. Be careful not to step on your uncle's legs."

Fu Ning walked carefully into the bed, and when Yu Ying passed Fu Wei and got on the bed, he found that the little girl was lying against the wall.

…

She was thinking of asking Fu Ning to separate her and Fu Wei, which could ease some of the embarrassment, but how could she ease it now?

The bamboo bed is small, so two people have to lie close together.

Even Fu Wei realized this.

After a moment's silence, Yu Ying said to Fu Ning, "Ningning, can you sleep in the middle? Auntie is worried that you might not sleep well at night and press on Uncle's legs."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "I'll hold you while I sleep."

Fu Ning was afraid of her uncle, but if her aunt was there, she would not be so afraid.

After hesitating for a moment, she rolled around and then rolled to Fu Wei's side.

Fu Wei felt his little niece lying beside him and breathed a sigh of relief.

Even Yu Ying couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

She lay down at the innermost part. As soon as she lay down, the little girl couldn't wait to get into her arms, so Yu Ying had no choice but to hug her.

How could two people who had just met each other sleep together lying on a small bed?

Not to mention the wind was howling outside.

Yu Ying was originally embarrassed because of lying with Fu Wei, but now the embarrassment was replaced by worry.

——This house shouldn’t be blown away, right?

The house was quiet, so the sounds of wind and rain were more obvious. Even the house was shaking, and you could feel it while lying on the bamboo bed.

Fu Ning was a little scared and nestled tightly in Yu Ying's arms. Yu Ying patted her back gently and whispered, "Don't be afraid, your aunt is here."

After a moment, Fu Wei suddenly picked up the thin quilt, and the quilt fell down with a warm breath, covering Yu Ying and Fu Ning.

He whispered, "It's cold at night, cover yourself up."

Yu Ying was stunned.

The Fu family only had two quilts. When Yu Ying found out, she gave her own quilt to the grandparents and grandchildren, and she slept with her outer shirt on at night.

Now I forgot to bring my coat. If I go out again, I will probably end up soaked and in a mess.

"What about you?" she asked in a low voice.

"The quilt is big enough, so I covered myself with some of it." But in fact, he didn't cover himself with it.

Yu Ying didn't doubt it and patted Fu Ning's back gently.

I vaguely felt her breathing slowing down and her hands relaxing a little, and I knew she had fallen asleep.

Yu Ying didn't feel sleepy at all. She knew Fu Wei couldn't sleep either. After thinking for a moment, she was afraid of waking the little girl, so she lowered her voice and asked softly, "Can you sleep?"

Fu Wei also lowered his voice and replied, "I can't sleep."

Firstly, it was because of the bad weather outside, and secondly, there were two more people on the bed.

"Since you can't sleep, let's chat for a while," she said.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Yu Ying thought for a moment, then said, "What do you think? When An An and Ning Ning's parents come back, where will they sleep? Or should we build another thatched hut? But even building one more hut doesn't seem to be enough."

Fu Wei had one room, his eldest brother and his wife and two children had one room, and Luo had one room. So she also needed one room. Besides, there was no place to eat.

When you think about it this way, one room is far from enough.

Fu Wei pondered for a moment and asked, "Then what do you want to do?"

Yu Ying pondered for a moment and said, "Last time, it took five or six people a whole day to build a small kitchen, bathroom, and toilet. If we build something bigger, it will take at least two or three days. If it takes one, it will take five or six days for two. One or two days is acceptable, but we can't let others abandon their work to build a house for us, right?"

"I can live in one room with your mother temporarily, but if we don't build an extra room in advance, where will your eldest brother live when he comes back?"

"I owe too many favors, it's hard to repay them."

Fu Wei pondered for a moment, then said, "If you don't mind, I'll just pay you for it. Uncle He and Aunt He may not accept it, but if you ask for help, they will. Also, hire another person. A room should be ready in four days. You can live in the new room then. I'll be living alone anyway, so I'll give this room back to you, and I'll just live in the next room."

Yu Ying thought this arrangement was acceptable.

After a moment, she added, "When the time comes, I'll tidy up the little house. I'll definitely make it very clean and tidy, so you can live comfortably and happily."

Fu Wei smiled slightly and replied softly, "Okay, I'll be waiting."

Yu Ying began to imagine how to clean up, and as she thought, she said, "Next time I chop firewood, I'll put it in the kitchen. Then I'll make a bamboo bed, spread soft straw on it, cover it with coarse cloth, and put a mat on top. I'll also have a bamboo table, an oil lamp, and a bunch of fresh wildflowers. I'll also put curtains on the windows. When the wind blows the curtains, the sunlight will shine through the curtains into the room. It will definitely be warm and lazy."

As she explained, a smile appeared on her face unconsciously.

This cottage is also her ideal cottage now.

Upon hearing this, Fu Wei couldn't help but imagine what she said.

In his imagination, he pushed the door open from outside the cottage and entered the room, filled with warmth as soon as he saw it.

When I turned around again, I saw her arranging wild flowers by the table.

As if she noticed him coming in, she turned around and looked at him with a gentle smile.

In an instant, Fu Wei seemed to realize what he was thinking and immediately pulled himself out of the imaginary picture.

In the darkness, he turned his head and looked inside.

Can't see it, but can feel it.

My heartbeat seems to be faster.

Yu Ying waited a long time for Fu Wei to speak, so she turned her head to look outside and asked, "What do you think?"

Fu Weichi was silent for two breaths, then replied, "Just do as you say."

Yu Ying turned her head, looked at the darkness above, and said, "When conditions are right, we can build an adobe house. That way it will be stronger, and we won't have to worry about hurricanes."

As they chatted, the awkward atmosphere gradually dissipated and Yu Ying slowly relaxed.

She imagined a wonderful life in the future. Although there was a strong wind and heavy rain outside, the house was slightly warm and peaceful.

Fu Wei listened to her quietly, but would also respond to her thoughts in due course.