Couple Agreement

After returning from his follow-up visit to the hospital, Yu Chunsheng had already excitedly bought a box of firecrackers in advance.

"My arm is healed, we should celebrate," he said.

The package, whether from being left out for too long or something else, wouldn't open for a long time, making Yu Chunsheng sweat profusely with anxiety. Xu Tangmian laughed at him, "Is it going to work? If it can't, then don't put it in. Otherwise, you'll just set off a blank firecracker and make the neighbors laugh at you."

Yu Chunsheng remained silent, looked around, picked up a wooden stick, and stabbed the plastic packaging several times. The sharp sound made Xu Tangmian frown slightly.

She said, "Why don't we just leave it? Forget it."

Before she could finish speaking, with a "bang," Yu Chunsheng, having found the opening, thrust it in. Because he thrust too fast and lost control, the stick pricked his hand, and a small trickle of blood flowed down the wound, making Xu Tangmian grit her teeth.

She closed her eyes tightly, unable to look any longer, as if she could personally experience that kind of physical pain.

Yu Chunsheng didn't continue. He simply tended to the wound until the pain subsided and Xu Tangmian was no longer afraid to light a fire. Only then did he strike another match and repeat the previous actions.

The flame shot out rapidly along the fuse, burning the uneasy, red joy throughout the entire body of the firecracker, blasting it to pieces and sending fragments flying everywhere.

Crackling sounds!

One cannon shot after another landed on the ground, and clusters of fireworks rose into the sky. They appeared in varying shades, sometimes high, sometimes low, rising and falling in waves.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Xu Tangmian couldn't see Yu Chunsheng's expression clearly, only knowing that he was very happy, and that happiness had been completely transmitted to her through the grand and breathtaking ceremony just now.

The excitement subsided, and the two were drenched in sweat.

Yu Chunsheng stared blankly at the gray roof, as if his soul had been captured. After a long while, he wrapped himself around Xu Tangmian from behind and whispered in her ear, "Are you comfortable?"

Xu Tangmian swallowed a few times and said in a hoarse voice, "I want to drink water."

The bed wobbled, and Yu Chunsheng nimbly got out of bed to go to the living room to pour her some water. Xu Tangmian turned her head and saw his expression, so she turned away in embarrassment and said urgently, "Have you no shame? Aren't you afraid of people coming in?"

"Didn't you ask for water?" Yu Chunsheng quickly brought her a glass of warm water and handed it to her, then jumped onto the bed.

Xu Tangmian pulled the blanket up a little and sat up to drink some water. Before the bed, which had been shaking because Yu Chunsheng had climbed on top of her again, could calm down, his body was already pressed against hers, and his hand automatically and precisely positioned itself.

"After you drink the water, you need to answer my question. I still remember it."

Xu Tangmian had just finished drinking and put the cup back on the bedside table, not reacting for a moment. "What?"

"Are you comfortable?"

Xu Tangmian: "..."

Are all men like this? Wait, why did she say "all"?

"That's nice, you're really something, aren't you?" Since he couldn't see her with her back to him anyway, Xu Tangmian rolled her eyes.

“You’re rolling your eyes,” Yu Chunsheng asserted.

Xu Tangmian chuckled, turned around, and pressed her cheek against his, tapping his nose lightly. "How did you know? Amazing!"

Yu Chunsheng chuckled foolishly as he grabbed her outstretched hand and kissed the back of it aimlessly, all the way down to the finger that had touched his nose. Then, like a puppy, he stuck out his tongue to lick the knuckle before taking it into his mouth.

Xu Tangmian couldn't stand his mushy manner, so she forced her hand back despite the discomfort and turned her body away.

But he pressed himself against her again, and they became entwined tightly.

Xu Tangmian felt a tickle in her heart, but Yu Chunsheng's hands were also out of line, and he came to provoke her again.

He suddenly stopped and whispered in her ear in a seductive and magnetic voice, "Look at the desk."

Xu Tangmian then looked at the table as he spoke, where a small mirror was placed, pointing directly at the bed. Although she was nearsighted and couldn't see clearly from a distance, the blanket had slipped down a bit as they had moved, and her moderate vision allowed her to see the two bodies in front of and behind her.

She screamed and slid under the covers, pounding on Yu Chunsheng's chest: "Did you put this there? You bastard!"

Yu Chunsheng had finally resolved the long-standing distress in his heart and was overjoyed. He wasn't angry at all when he was scolded like that. Instead, he chuckled a few times in a good-natured manner and went inside.

“It wasn’t me, but aren’t you tired?” he asked.

Xu Tangmian was still angry about the mirror incident, and without saying a word, she raised her hand and slapped him on the shoulder; one slap was not enough to vent her anger, and the crisp sound of the slaps rang out again and again in the room.

Suddenly, the slapping stopped, replaced by the sound of suppressed, rapid breathing.

The sound of slapping rang out again.

Snowflakes were falling heavily outside the courtyard, while several plum trees along the riverbank had already blossomed. Bright red and waxy yellow blossoms dotted the predominantly gray, white, and black winter countryside in a pleasingly irregular pattern.

Following the plum tree towards the courtyard gate, two sets of small footprints stretched into the distance, stopping forlornly at the entrance.

Zhi Meizi's eyes were filled with tears, but she didn't cry out. She stood there, stamping her feet to keep warm, but when she saw the tightly closed red door, she still didn't say anything. She just wiped her eyes with her hands, which were swollen and black and covered with frostbite.

After a long while, as if two opposing forces within her had finally won a battle, she opened her hands to her mouth and shouted loudly, "Teacher Xu! Teacher Xu! Open the door—"

The sounds inside the house stopped abruptly. Xu Tangmian said in a hoarse voice, "It sounds like Zhi-meizi? Go open the door quickly."

"How am I supposed to get there now?" Yu Chunsheng bit his lip, as if he were enduring immense pain.

"Hurry up! It's so cold outside, don't keep her waiting."

"Then bear with it." After saying this, Yu Chunsheng straightened up and stopped talking.

A minute later, Yu Chunsheng put on his clothes and went out.

"What's wrong, Zhi-meizi?" He quickly opened the courtyard gate.

As soon as Zhi saw him, her gaze instantly locked onto the wound on his forehead, and she took two steps back in fright.

"Why are you so afraid of me?" Yu Chunsheng didn't pursue the matter further. Instead, he smiled and squatted down to look at her, pointing to the wound on her head: "Are you afraid of this? It doesn't hurt anymore. Uncle Yu isn't that petty. Come inside, it's so cold outside."

"Where is Teacher Xu?" she asked timidly, her eyes still wary.

"She...is in her room; she's sick and can't come out."

Upon hearing this, Zhi Meizi's expression did not relax; instead, she became even more anxious and ran into the house.

"Wait!" Yu Chunsheng tried to stop her, but she had already run to the door.

"What's wrong, Zhi-mei?" Xu Tangmian hurriedly put on her underwear and thermal underwear, then got out of bed wearing her military overcoat.

She bent over and squeezed her legs together, barely managing to move a few steps into the living room. She glanced at the little girl she hadn't seen in a long time and noticed that her hands were covered in chilblains. Feeling sorry for her, she reached out and wrapped her hands in them to warm them.

"How did you get like this? Does your mother not care about you?" she asked.

Zhi didn't say anything. She saw that Teacher Xu's eyes were watery, clearly indicating that she had just been crying; her face was red, as if she had just been hit, and her lips were also chapped.

There were several red marks on her neck, clearly from being choked, especially the five-claw marks below her collarbone, indicating she had been grabbed; and the marks on her wrists, where she was holding her hands, clearly meant to prevent her from fighting back.

This Uncle Yu, he was pretending to be a good person just now, but he beat Teacher Xu at home again!

The shock in Zhi Meizi's eyes turned into anger, and she grabbed a stool from the living room, ready to smash it at Yu Chunsheng.

Having learned from his previous experience of being hit with bricks, Yu Chunsheng was on guard this time and ran away in a flash.

Xu Tangmian was witnessing this scene for the first time, and she couldn't stand still. Ignoring her own pain, she rushed over and hugged Zhi Meizi, asking her in surprise, "What's wrong, Zhi Meizi? Why did you hit Uncle Yu as soon as you saw him?"

Zhi cried out, "He hit Teacher Xu! He's not a good person!"

Xu Tangmian glanced down, quickly straightened her clothes, and said awkwardly, "No, no, I made a mistake, Sister Zhi. Your Uncle Yu didn't hit me."

Zhi Meizi flipped her wrist over, "I saw it clearly!"

Xu Tangmian licked her lips, unsure how to explain the situation, so she changed the subject, saying, "I'll explain later. Did you come to see me today because you need something? How are you? Are you short of food or clothes? Has anyone been bullying you?"

Zhi bit her lip and didn't say anything. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the several hickeys on Xu Tangmian's neck, but she still gritted her teeth and ran out of the courtyard without a word.

When they reached Yu Chunsheng's side, the two of them took a few steps back to avoid each other.

Xu Tangmian was too weak to move anymore, and could only stare blankly in the living room, yelling, "What are you still looking at? Go after her!"

Yu Chunsheng hesitated: "What if she tries to attack me with a knife? What did she just say to you?"

Xu Tangmian thought to herself that this was truly a terrible thing, then beckoned him in and explained the whole story.

After listening, Yu Chunsheng remained silent for a long time, and the atmosphere was deathly still.

Xu Tangmian nudged him and said somewhat uneasily, "You... say something... even scold me a couple of times."

“Xu Tangmian…” Yu Chunsheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but he called her by her full name, which was unusual for him.

"Back then, in your eyes, was I just a scoundrel who took advantage of women?" His voice trembled slightly.

"No, no, no." Xu Tangmian immediately retorted, "You know I've always loved to go against you. I was prejudiced against you back then, and you did touch me inappropriately, so I..." The more she explained, the worse it got. Seeing that she couldn't explain herself, Xu Tangmian gritted her teeth and simply kissed her.

She was only one centimeter away from him when he raised his hand to block her.

Yu Chunsheng frowned slightly as he carried her back to bed and tucked her in. He said frankly, "It's all in the past now. Now... let's see what happens to Zhi-meizi."

Xu Tangmian nodded frantically, "Yes, yes, let it go! Go and find out what's going on with Zhi, I'm a little worried about her."

Yu Chunsheng simply hummed in agreement, then picked up his clothes from the ground, put them on one by one, grabbed his gloves, and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, he looked back one last time, then reluctantly returned to continue the kiss Xu Tangmian hadn't finished, sighing as he said:

"I'll go check what's going on. You should get some rest. You've had a tough day..."