73 Chapter 73 The remaining warmth

Jiang Zhishui was wrapped in the quilt, with only her eyes showing, which darted around. She covered her chest and looked warily at the person sitting on the ground.

Jing Qianheng sat on the ground with his back to her, looking dazed.

Jiang Zhishui lay on her side, her toes twitching incessantly, her mind a jumble of thoughts. She covered her head, muttered a few curses under her breath, then suddenly peeked out, her face flushed: "Jing Qianheng, where...where did you learn all this!"

"I read it in a book."

His voice was calm; how could he talk about reading such frivolous books so confidently? Jiang Zhishui was genuinely curious about what kind of books were so strange, each one more outrageous than the last.

"You..." Jiang Zhi clutched the edge of the blanket, stammering, "Could I borrow that book to read?"

She nudged him, not wanting him to leave, but he... was so inconsiderate. How could he... touch her... How could he be so adept at this? Is this book some kind of celestial book?

Jing Qianheng lowered his head, not turning to look at her, and said decisively, "I won't lend it to you."

She immediately became a little unhappy, thinking about how she had just let him do whatever he wanted. All she wanted was to borrow a book, and he wouldn't even let her. He was so stingy. She pulled her head back and held it in.

Hearing the noise, Jing Qianheng turned his head slightly to look at her. She was wriggling around in the quilt, fuming.

Jing Qianheng's eyes flickered. He clenched his fingers, unable to calm the restlessness in his heart. He knew very well how much he had gone too far. He had clearly resolved to live a quiet life with her, but as soon as a trace of greed stirred in his heart, and he lost control, his previous insistence and plans collapsed completely. The desire to possess her surged from all directions, making it impossible for him to calm down.

He clasped his hands together nervously, still feeling the sensation in them. He squeezed his hands tightly, his mind filled with that soft, tingling sensation. His brow furrowed, and he dared not linger on the memory any longer.

The more he tried not to recall it, the faint sound of her sobbing from when she was struggling to hold back her tears echoed in his ears. He was completely bewitched then, his mind was buzzing, and he intentionally or unintentionally ignored her voice.

Jiang Zhishui was buried under the covers, almost suffocating. No one paid any attention to her, so she had to crawl out again. As soon as she came out, she met Jing Qianheng's gaze, which startled her. Confused, she asked again, "Really not going to lend it?"

Jing Qianheng: "........."

The scene was very awkward.

Jiang Zhishui looked at him, then turned her eyes around, looked up, left and right, up and down. She thought that lying like this and looking at each other was not a good idea. She tried to sit up, but her legs and waist were weak. The tingling numbness and warmth were still there. She silently tried to sit up, but then collapsed back down.

"What a spineless coward..." she cursed inwardly.

If she had read the book and been mentally prepared, she certainly wouldn't have ended up like this. It's all because of the unequal access to information that she was at a disadvantage.

She saw Jing Qianheng turn his head back again, his back looking rather lonely, and asked, "Why are you sitting on the ground?"

Jing Qianheng said in a low voice, "I'm afraid you... will be afraid of me."

"I don't..." Jiang Zhishui subconsciously wanted to say she wasn't afraid, but the words caught in her throat. She pulled her feet back and said, "Mm."

Jing Qianheng glanced at the back of him, but knowing she probably didn't want to see his face, he refrained from turning around and said, "I've already lost that book."

Jiang Zhishui was far from the bedside. Although she was still very nervous, her eyes were fixed on Jing Qianheng without blinking.

"What do you want to eat tomorrow? I'll make it for you." Jing Qianheng knew he had bullied her too much and tried his best to make amends.

“......Anything is fine.” Jiang Zhishui wasn’t picky about food; she would eat whatever he cooked. But to Jing Qianheng, her response sounded like she was still angry with him.

Jiang Zhishui stared at his long, drooping hair, her mind filled with unspeakable images. She shook her head, trying to banish those thoughts.

Jing Qianheng lowered his head, his eyes glancing at the clothes on the ground. Only then did he remember that she was not wearing anything. He picked up the clothes, hung them in his hand, and said softly, "I'll go... get some hot water."

Hearing the door close, Jiang Zhishui's tense nerves finally relaxed. She covered her eyes with her arms and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Everything happened so fast that the two of them felt inexplicably awkward. Jing Qianheng helped her get some hot water, and not daring to linger, he turned and left. After washing up, Jiang Zhishui lay on the bed, feeling warm all over, her mind heavy, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Aunt Wu suddenly came to visit, accompanied by several people. She said she had come to thank Jiang Zhishui for guiding them home that day.

When Aunt Wu arrived, Jiang Zhishui was still asleep. Jing Qianheng went to open the door. As soon as he opened the door, Aunt Wu trembled for some reason.

The man and woman standing behind Aunt Wu froze when they saw Jing Qianheng's face.

After explaining her purpose, Aunt Wu stood at the door, her eyes fixed on the two people behind her, showing no intention of inviting them inside.

At this moment, the white fox woke up from a nightmare and ran around wildly, making a racket and breaking pots and pans in the kitchen. Jiang Zhishui thought something was wrong and quickly put on her clothes and ran out.

Then the group was invited in, and Aunt Wu casually introduced the man and woman as her distant relatives, both of whom were carrying a lot of nourishing supplements.

After Jiang Zhishui changed her clothes and came out, she noticed that the two men kept glancing at her. The group sat down at the stone table. Aunt Wu, who had been so awkward in front of Jing Qianheng, started chatting with Jiang Zhishui. Her words immediately broke the tense atmosphere: "Young lady, with such a handsome husband, how could you bear to quarrel with him? You can't even hold him close enough every day."

Jing Qianheng's hand holding the wine glass trembled slightly. The other two had just taken a sip of peach blossom wine and, upon hearing Aunt Wu's words, both choked and coughed incessantly.

Jiang Zhishui was also embarrassed. Aunt Wu looked at the expressions on their faces and said with a simple smile, "Look, I'm just a rough woman, I say whatever comes to mind, please don't take offense."

Jing Qianheng looked up at the man who had been staring at him. He took a sip of his drink and smiled, "You seem to have something to say?"

The man named Li Xin said solemnly, "You have a dignified appearance, you must be a great hero. Why would you hide in the mountains, isolated from the world?"

"That's my business, I can't comment." Jing Qianheng put down his wine glass, his tone slightly cold: "You don't have any good feelings for me, so why say such insincere things?"

Seeing that the atmosphere was off, Jiang Zhishui quickly grabbed Jing Qianheng's hand and asked, "What's wrong? Are you drunk?"

"Hmm, I'm drunk. This peach blossom wine tastes good. Why don't you try some?" Jing Qianheng turned to look at Jiang Zhishui. Aunt Wu snatched Jiang Zhishui's cup, opened another flask of wine she had brought from her small bag, and laughed, "Young lady, you can't drink such strong wine. A woman's health is the most important thing. You need to nourish yourself. Look how thin she is. How will she have the strength to give birth in the future?"

Jiang Zhishui blushed. "Auntie, what are you saying?"

Jiang Zhishui usually didn't think much of joking around with Jing Qianheng, but now, with so many people around, her face flushed.

“It’s better for me to say something against my conscience than for some people to lie.” Li Xin glared at Jing Qianheng. “What do you think of those who are full of lies and repay kindness with enmity?”

"Of course I hate it." The liquor they brought was really strong; Jing Qianheng had only drunk a few cups when his cheeks were slightly flushed and his eyes became a little glazed. "But are you talking about... me?"

The two people who came with Aunt Wu were a brother and sister. The man was not very friendly to Jing Qianheng from the beginning, while the woman sat quietly next to Li Xin. At this moment, she suddenly spoke up: "Miss, you don't seem to be an ordinary person. I heard from my aunt that she got lost the other day. If it weren't for your help, the mountain maze is so intricate that my aunt and her husband probably wouldn't have been able to find their way out... In this desolate wilderness, may I ask if you voluntarily chose to live here with your husband?"

"You can't force me to do this, can you? What kind of talk is that?" Seeing Jing Qianheng's face turn cold, Aunt Wu quickly tried to smooth things over. "You two are guests at someone else's house, so be nice. The young lady and young gentleman are a perfect match, don't be jealous and say something offensive. When I heard the young lady talking about her husband earlier, her eyes lit up so much, she really likes him."

Jing Qianheng looked at Jiang Zhishui, who curled the corners of her lips and gave him an awkward smile.

When Aunt Wu gets going, she really talks a lot.

Li Xin held his wine glass and swirled it slightly, saying in a low voice, "But... a beautiful dream built on lies will eventually shatter. Demons and monsters have many ways to bewitch people. No matter how much you sympathize with the other party, you shouldn't get yourself involved. Evil things often wear a pure and innocent face to deceive the world. You should be more careful in discerning people and situations."

Jiang Zhishui carefully examined the brother and sister and began to feel that something was amiss.

Li Yao said, "We were being impolite. The young lady looks like a friend of ours. She once encountered a very powerful man who forced her into marriage, and she ended up with a tragic end. So when we see the young lady, we can't help but think of that friend and worry about her."

When Aunt Wu heard Li Xin mention the word "demon," she glanced at Jing Qianheng out of the blue, then looked away in fear and said earnestly to Jiang Zhishui, "Young lady, you saved our family. This mountain path is rugged, and it was you who led us down the mountain safely step by step. Good people will be rewarded."

"Are you deaf? She likes me, anyone can see that. How can you tell she was forced!" Jing Qianheng stood up, feeling dizzy. He stumbled and almost fell. Jiang Zhishui quickly supported him. He grabbed Jiang Zhishui's shoulders and shouted, "Tell them you like me, you want to be with me, right, right!"

Seeing that he was completely drunk, Jiang Zhishui nodded and coaxed, "Yes, I like you, I like you. Stand still, I can't support you anymore."

Jing Qianheng pulled her into his arms, a satisfied smile on his face: "I knew it, I knew it..."

He murmured a few words and slowly lost consciousness. Just as Jiang Zhishui was about to lose her grip on him, Li Xin stepped forward to help support him, staring sharply at Jiang Zhishui: "Junior sister, how long are you going to keep this up!"