Chapter 22: Sleeping on the same kang

When He Ji entered the room, he didn't see anyone. After putting the water in the pot, he turned around and saw a bulge in the quilt on the kang. It was obvious that someone was hiding inside.

The child was quite slow-witted and only now felt shy. He Ji smiled silently and did not try to pull her out.

After pouring water into the pot and adding firewood to let the water boil slowly, he took the tools he borrowed from the village to repair the door.

If he were alone, the door would be broken, but there were still walls and tiles to cover it, so it would not be impossible to live there.

But adding a child wouldn't work. If the door wasn't fixed, she might not be able to sleep at night.

There were "bang bang" sounds, and Su Yan couldn't hold back her curiosity. She slightly lifted the quilt, moved towards the door, and quietly peeked in.

The man lowered his head with a focused expression, holding a small wooden board in his hand to nail the door and the door panel together.

He had a high nose, smooth jawline, and a handsome profile. Su Yan began to daydream again as she looked at him.

When the water boiled, He Ji had just repaired the door. He let out a breath and looked up to meet a pair of blank eyes.

He gritted his teeth and felt itchy in his heart again. He didn't feel it before he put it on his lips, but after he put it on his lips, the more he looked at the child, the sweeter he felt.

He felt that the phrase that Lin Er often said was particularly appropriate to describe the situation:

Ah! This woman is damn sweet!

An hour later, the fragrant chicken came out of the pot. Su Yan, who had not eaten meat for nearly half a month, was craving it. She wanted to be reserved, but her feet were no longer under her control.

Before He Ji took out the meat, she had already slowly moved over and squatted obediently beside him.

"Are you craving meat?"

Su Yan nodded. When she saw the red charcoal, she suddenly remembered her potatoes. She picked up a stick and started digging.

"What are you picking up?"

"Where are the little potatoes I threw in?"

He Ji remembered that he had just seen a few round charcoal balls, and reached out to rub her head. "Don't look for them, they have all turned to ash. If you want to eat them, throw two more in. I will help you watch them."

Su Yan: "...Actually, I don't really want to eat it, I just think it's a pity."

Normally, these potatoes would be enough for her to have a meal, but now they have turned to ashes, which makes her feel sad.

Seeing that she seemed a little unhappy, He Ji grabbed her with his big hand and held her on his lap, and the two of them huddled together on a small bench.

Su Yan was not used to this position. She struggled a bit, and then a big hand patted her waist with full of warning.

"Did anyone tell you that you can't twist when sitting on a man's lap?" He is not Liu Xiahui, and he can't remain calm when a man sits on his lap.

Su Yan stopped struggling, raised her head slightly after hearing these words, and stared at him with a pair of clear eyes.

He Ji hooked her waist and chuckled, "I asked a stupid question. How could a child know this when she has never had a man?"

Su Yan's eyes flashed, and her face turned red at the other party's teasing look. She sighed quietly, then turned her head away as if nothing had happened.

Looking at her red ears, He Ji's chest shook and he let out a deep laugh. The laughter reached Su Yan's ears and her face turned even redder.

It was gradually getting dark. There was no light in the room, which was very inconvenient at night. He Ji stopped teasing her, put her back on the kang, and then placed dinner on the kang table.

Dinner not only includes delicious stewed chicken, but also the villagers’ own cured meat and dried vegetables stored for a winter. They all taste particularly delicious no matter how they are stir-fried.

But even with a big appetite, Su Yan, who had only eaten very little food at each meal for more than half a year, still couldn't eat much. She used to be able to eat two bowls of white rice at most, but now she can only eat one bowl, and she is already very full.

She was so exhausted that she couldn't sit still any longer, so she put a pillow behind her waist and leaned against the headboard of the kang, her eyes fixed on He Ting.

Those hands were rougher than they were half a year ago, and the cracks on their hands were so deep that the bones were almost exposed.

He Ji ignored her gaze, filled a small bowl of soup, and passed it to her mouth, "Drink some soup, Shun Shun."

Su Yan didn't have the energy to say more to him, so she obediently drank the soup from his hand. After drinking it, she was completely unable to move and collapsed limply. When He Ji reached out his hand, she could only watch silently.

He Ji chewed on a chicken leg in one hand while gently rubbing her belly with the other. It's not that he didn't see the disgust in the child's eyes, but he just didn't take it seriously.

It was dark and dirty here, but she could endure it for more than seven months. He even washed his hands before eating, so she didn't mind at all.

Su Yan frowned, really afraid that he would put his greasy hands on her.

If she hadn't been unable to move any further, she would have definitely hidden away.

She has lived here for so long that her mysophobia is not that serious anymore. She can tolerate mud and other things, but she really cannot accept greasy hands.

After kneading for half an hour, the chicken in the pot was finished. He Ji went to clean up the things, and after cleaning up, he came back and stood by the kang, watching her shrink back into the quilt.

"Take a bath or wash your feet?"

Su Yan uttered an "ah," thinking he was asking about her, and replied blankly, "I've already washed it."

She didn't plan to go out, and it was very cold here at night, so she took a shower very early every day. When he came, the water she poured out was exactly what was left after her shower.

He Ji glanced at her fair and clean little face and said with a sigh, "I didn't ask you, even if you don't take a bath for a month, you will still smell good."

Su Yan's face flushed, and she tucked her head under the quilt like a turtle. A muffled voice came from under the quilt, "You figure it out for yourself!"

He Ji nodded, took the bucket and clothes and went out.

The sound of the door closing was heard, and the little girl on the kang moved, revealing a fair face with all her facial features twisted together.

There was only one room and a kang here, and since he wasn't going to stay in the village, he would definitely have to share a quilt with her at night.

Ever since she could remember, she had always slept alone. Now there was another person, a man at that. How could she sleep?

There is only one quilt, and it is only one meter and two meters wide, which is not enough for two people to cover.

She was still worried when the door creaked open and He Ji, who had gone out to take a shower, came back. She was so scared that she quickly shrank into the quilt.

He Ji came in shirtless and feeling cold. He did not rush into bed, but went to warm himself by the fire first.

Su Yan pricked up her ears to listen to his movements. In the dark, when her eyes couldn't see, her ears' sensitivity increased several times.

She could feel He Ji's every move and hear every step of his approach.

She heard him get up, blow out the lamp, come closer, take off his shoes, and get on the kang. Finally, the quilt was lifted, and her body felt cold, and then warm again.

The scorching hot chest was only inches away from her, and every hot air she exhaled would be blown back by the chest.

She was particularly afraid of heat, and the burning fire and warm kang in the house kept the temperature just right.

Now that he was holding her like this, the constant heat coming from her made her sweat.

She moved to the side, trying to escape from his hot embrace, but just after she moved back a few centimeters, He Ji retracted his big hand and she was held back again.

He Ji rested his chin on the top of her head, sniffing the faint fragrance of his daughter on her body, gritting his teeth, "If you move again, I can't guarantee that I won't do something."

Su Yan: "...But I'm hot, you're too hot."