Chapter 18
Ashina Yu was stunned by her question, a trace of confusion flashed in his dark eyes, and then he seemed to understand something. He raised his hand a little embarrassedly, rubbed his face with his fingertips, and whispered: "I just arrived, I was afraid, I was afraid to scare you."
Shen Ah Heng looked at him, his eyes rolling around, and deliberately dragged out his voice: "Really?"
As she spoke, she pointed at the ends of his hair and said, "Look for yourself, there's still morning dew on your hair, not a single drop has dried yet."
The fog in the mountains is heavy in the early morning. If you just stand there for a while, at most the corners of your clothes will get a little damp. To get so many dewdrops hanging on the ends of your hair, you must have stood outside the yard for at least half an hour.
Ashina Yu followed her gaze, raised his hand and touched his hair. His fingertips touched the cold dew. His dark eyes widened slightly, and his ears instantly turned slightly red. He just looked up at her, stammering and unable to speak.
Seeing him like this, Shen Ah Heng's heart softened. This little idiot could obviously wake her up, or with his skills, it would not be a problem for him to come in quietly, but he just stood outside obediently, not daring to make any noise, for fear of disturbing her sleep.
It's so stupid that it makes people feel dizzy.
Shen Ah Heng quickly cleared his throat, suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, and deliberately put on a stern face: "You have nothing to say now, right? Tell the truth quickly. You stood there for so long without saying a word. Are you trying to scare me on purpose, or do you want to see me make fun of you?"
Maybe he even saw her with her messy hair and sneaky look hiding at the door.
Ashina Yu was speechless because of her blockage. The blush on the tip of her ear spread all the way to her neck. She could only look at her with her clear yet somewhat bewildered eyes. Her voice was a little more halting than usual: "No, no... It's not."
Shen Ah Heng wanted to tease him a few more times, but his eyes were attracted by the small bamboo basket in his hand, which was covered with a layer of soft cloth and bulged inside.
"What's in here?" Shen Ah Heng moved closer curiously, wanting to reach out and touch it.
Ashina Yu subconsciously hid the basket behind her, as if she was afraid the contents weren't good enough. Her fingers were still tightly gripping the handle of the bamboo basket, but when she caught a glimpse of her curious look, she immediately loosened her grip and instead offered it forward, her voice carrying a touch of awkward tenderness: "I brought this for you. I picked it from the mountain."
Shen Ah Heng's eyes lit up, and he opened the cloth bag. Inside lay a small stick of plump, milky white mushrooms, with the morning moisture still on the cap. Next to it were a few handfuls of fresh, emerald green ferns, with moist soil on the roots, which looked fresh.
"Wow! This is good stuff!"
Shen Ah Heng picked up a mushroom and smelled it. The refreshing fungus fragrance penetrated his nose and he couldn't help but drooling: "Use this mushroom to make soup and add some fern. It must be very fragrant!"
The girl's black hair was loosely draped, with a few strands sticking up unruly, making her fluffy face, which was still sleepy, look even more radiant. Her pair of black eyes were like stars covered with morning dew, narrowed into two small crescents, just like a little squirrel holding a sweet fruit, revealing an unconscious agility.
Shen Ah Heng looked at her, his calm eyes were gentle and focused, and when he saw her staring at the wild vegetables, her eyes lit up and a hint of warmth appeared on her lips, as if her joy at the wild vegetables was more important than anything else.
After Shen Ah Heng had admired them one by one, he spoke again, his tone serious: "Today, there are no strangers at the foot of the mountain, it's safe."
Shen Ah Heng carefully covered the soft cloth back and responded vaguely: "Yeah, it seems that the officials haven't searched this area yet, but it's too hard for you to collect so much. You must not have slept well last night. After this period of time is over, I will go with you to collect."
Thinking about the taste of these fresh goods in the bamboo basket made into delicious food, my stomach couldn't help but start to rumble. I coughed softly and said, "Well, since you are fine, come in. You can go back after dinner."
Ashina Yu didn't delay any longer and went into the kitchen carrying a small bamboo basket.
Soon, a delicious aroma wafted out.
The milky white mushroom soup is bubbling in the pot. Sprinkle some coriander on it before serving. It is so delicious that it makes you salivate.
The cold-mixed fern was fresh and green, with a light aroma of oil. Shen Ah Heng stood by the stove, unable to wait for the dishes to be arranged. He drank a sip of hot soup and then picked up a handful of wild vegetables with chopsticks. His cheeks were bulging with food, and he even praised Ashina Yu's cooking as being a thousand times more fragrant than the ones in the town's restaurants.
Ashina Yu stood aside, watching Shen Aheng eat with a satisfied look on his face, his eyes gentle.
After dinner, Ashina Yu quietly cleared the dishes and washed them thoroughly. Then, as usual, he walked around the yard, checking the door latches and window frames. After confirming that there were no abnormalities, he turned to look at her. His Adam's apple moved slightly, and he wanted to say something, but in the end, he could only whisper, "Come in the evening."
His gaze lingered on Shen Aheng's face for a moment, with the corners of his eyes slightly drooping, with a hint of imperceptible tenderness. After a moment, he turned around and took a step forward, his back nimbly disappearing into the woods outside the yard.
The days passed one by one. Every morning, Ashina Yu would show up on time with fresh ingredients from the mountains, cook, clean up the dishes, do housework, check the safety inside and outside the yard, and then leave.
In the evening, he would come back quietly, prepare dinner, and chat with her in the awkward Central Plains dialect. After she finished eating, he would carefully check the courtyard before leaving.
But every time he left, he would keep his dark eyes on her for a while, as if he was very worried, and after a while he would reluctantly disappear into the moonlight.
These "secret" days made Shen Aheng worried every day, fearing that he would be caught by the officials one day.
But seeing that Ashina Yu always came with a smile, and couldn't hide the reluctance in her eyes when she left, and that he always reminded her to be "careful" when she was alone, she felt particularly at ease.
I lived in fear like this for quite a few days, but everything was fine.
But every time Shen Ahheng watched his back disappearing into the woods, he would always feel an inexplicable sense of melancholy in his heart, hoping that this storm would pass soon so that he wouldn't have to hide like a prisoner anymore.
That afternoon, Ashina Yu came with a bag of freshly picked locust trees and river fish and shrimps to cook.
The green bamboo shoots are fried until crispy and tender, and the soup made from river fish and river shrimp is so delicious that it almost makes your eyebrows fall off.
Shen Aheng held the bowl and ate with relish, while Ashina Yu sat opposite him, watching quietly, with his black hair hanging down and his eyebrows full of gentleness.
After dinner, he cleared the dishes as usual. The sound of running water and the clatter of porcelain bowls were particularly clear in the yard.
When he dried his hands and turned to leave, Shen Ah Heng quickly picked up a medical book and pretended to study it, but out of the corner of his eye he saw him standing still at the gate of the courtyard.
Those dark eyes were glued to her, with the corners of the eyes slightly drooping, and the fingertips unconsciously groping for the corner of her clothes, like a little animal that couldn't bear to leave its master.
Shen Ah Heng felt as if his heart was tickled by a small feather. He changed his mind and hardened his heart again. He put on a stern face and teased him deliberately: "Why don't you leave? Don't let the officials catch you as a flower thief on the road?"
Ashina Yu was stunned by her amusements, the tips of his ears turned red, and he replied softly, "Okay." When he turned around, he paused, looked back, glanced at her quickly, and then quietly disappeared into the woods outside the yard, as silent as a gust of wind.
Shen Ah Heng looked at the direction where he disappeared, couldn't help but smiled, and muttered softly: "Little fool."
After bolting the door and taking a few steps, before he could even get back to the backyard, he heard a loud bang on the door, accompanied by a gruff shout: "Open the door! The government is investigating! Open the door quickly!"
The sound was like a thunderclap, exploding in the quiet night, scaring Shen Ah Heng so much that his hands trembled, and a thought flashed through his mind quickly, fortunately he had just sent Ashina Yu away.
He is good at martial arts, and his lightness skills must be pretty good too. He should have walked quite far in half a day.
But even so, cold sweat broke out on Shen Aheng's back instantly, and he slowly moved to the door step by step.
As soon as the door opened, a team of officials rushed in. The tall ones were as thin as wilted bamboo poles, the short ones were as fat as round rice jars, the young ones had fierce faces and thick flesh, and the old ones had goatees and looked like accountants. They looked like the actors on the stage.
The leading officer, his hand on his sword, asked in a gruff voice, "Little girl, has your family ever harbored that undocumented boy from out of town? Tell the truth if you know what's best for you, or you'll end up in trouble!"
Shen Ah Heng quickly retracted his head, his shoulders trembling slightly, looking frightened. His big, wet eyes blinked twice, and his voice was as thin as a mosquito's: "No, no... I'm the only one in my house. Usually, even the flies that fly in are female. Where did the men come from?"
"No one?" The chief officer was obviously unconvinced and waved his hand: "Search! Search thoroughly inside and out!
As soon as he finished speaking, several officers rushed into the backyard like headless flies. After a while, the sound of rummaging through drawers and cabinets came from inside.
Shen Ah Heng glanced secretly and saw that the medicinal herbs drying in the yard were trampled into a mess, several dishes in the kitchen were broken, and even the old wooden box left by the master was pulled crooked by them, and the medical books inside were scattered all over the floor.
Shen Ah Heng felt so painful when he saw this that he cursed a hundred times in his heart, but he could only force himself to hold it in. He grabbed the official's sleeve and asked timidly: "Sir, who are you looking for? Is it a bandit or a roving bandit?"
The chief constable glared at him with his triangular eyes: "This is a government case, don't ask nonsense questions!"
Shen Aheng said sullenly: “…Oh.”
The chief officer looked Shen Aheng up and down and saw that she had two buns on her head, with her hair sticking up randomly. Her coarse cloth dress was washed white, with frayed cuffs and several patches on it. Her cloth shoes were covered in mud and the soles were visibly cracked.
Her face was round like a red apple, her eyes bright but filled with timidity, her shoulders hunched slightly, and she looked just like a little girl with no one to look after her. So I asked, "Are there no adults at home?"
Shen Ah Heng immediately lowered his head, his voice a little tearful, his nose twitching, and he choked and said, "I, I am an orphan. I grew up with my master. My master passed away two years ago, and now I am the only one left to guard this broken yard..."
As he said this, he deliberately wiped the non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeves, looking so pitiful.
Several older officers nearby showed obvious reluctance on their faces, and subconsciously slowed down the movements of the things in their hands, no longer being as rude as before.
At this moment, the officers who had searched the room came back one after another and reported: "Boss, we didn't find any men."
The chief officer frowned, looking at the palm-sized courtyard. It certainly didn't look like a place where Tibetans would hide. He didn't dare to harbor a man in this little girl, so he called out to everyone, "Let's go!"
Shen Ah Heng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his tense shoulders instantly collapsed, and although there was still a little expression of grievance on his face, he couldn't wait to see them out.
At this moment, a tall man in official uniform was about to step out of the door, but suddenly stopped. He turned around, and his hawk-like eyes fell on an inconspicuous brown porcelain vase in the corner of the wall.
The man walked over, bent down, picked up the porcelain bottle, uncorked it, and sniffed it. A strange light flashed in his amber eyes. He then looked up at the little girl at the end of the group and said in a low, hoarse voice with a hint of an exotic accent, "Is this bottle yours?"
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