Chapter 7
In most families, the husband and wife sleep in the bedroom with the wife outside. This is so that when the husband gets up at night, the wife can sense it and wake up to serve him.
Even this was the education Jiang Wanning received since childhood.
But when it was time to go to bed, Lu Shang refused to let her sleep outside.
He pointed at the bed and couldn't help shaking his head: "It's too small, too small. I don't sleep well at night. If I bump into you, it would be bad if I push you off the bed."
"You can sleep inside, leaning against the wall. It'll be a little crowded, but at least you won't fall off. I'll find a way to build a kang later, and then everything will be fine."
Without waiting for Jiang Wanning to refuse, Lu Shang had already made room on the inside. He patted the inside, a trace of fatigue finally showing on his face: "Go to sleep."
Jiang Wanning was silent for a long time and finally stopped arguing. She quietly took off her coat, shoes and socks, extinguished the candles in the room, and then stepped onto the edge of the bed.
She crawled over Lu Shang's legs slowly and carefully, so she didn't even touch him with her sleeve.
It wasn't until the bedding beneath him moved that Lu Shang realized that she had already lain down.
Lu Shang closed his eyes and groped above his head for a long time before finally pulling out a soft pillow. He placed the pillow between the two of them, making the already small bed even more crowded.
Lu Shang said, "I'll put the pillow in the middle. When you feel comfortable with it, you can take it down. Is that okay?"
It must be said that this approach immediately made Jiang Wanning feel at ease.
She exhaled lightly and said after a long while, "Okay."
Lu Shang complained that the bed was too small, but it wasn't that he was picky. He had slept on this bed for twenty years and the size and length had never changed.
When he grew up, he was sick all day long. No one thought that he would get married and have children, and naturally no one thought about changing to a double bed.
There were two people lying on the bed that was meant for one person, and there was a gap between them, so it was naturally cramped.
In the darkness, Jiang Wanning carefully turned over and lay on her side to take up less space. Whenever she was about to touch the pillow in the middle, she would shrink back.
In the end, she was completely stuck to the wall, and the space between her and Lu Shang was enough for another person to lie down.
Lu Shang listened to the rustling sound beside his ears and wanted to say a few words of comfort, but as he waited, sleepiness enveloped him and darkness came over him. He could not resist the sleepiness and slowly fell asleep.
Not long after him, Jiang Wanning also closed her eyes, with her hands neatly placed on her belly, her sleeping face peaceful.
Lu Shang took a walk outside and seemed to be in good spirits at the time, but he suddenly developed a fever in the middle of the night.
Jiang Wanning was sleeping soundly when she suddenly felt someone pushing her. She woke up suddenly and vaguely saw a pair of hands above her head in the moonlight coming through the window.
"!" At that moment, her soul was almost scared away.
Until I heard Lu Shang's hoarse voice: "Sorry to wake you up... I really don't have the strength, I can only wake you up. Can you help me get some water?"
"Okay, okay..." Jiang Wanning nodded and stood up to go downstairs.
She was probably so sleepy that she still thought she was sleeping on the ground, completely forgetting that there was someone next to her.
So she slapped Lu Shang on the waist. The thin flesh under her palm made Lu Shang gasp for air. He couldn't tell whether his head or waist hurt more.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Jiang Wanning shuddered and quickly retracted her hand. She widened her eyes, trying to see Lu Shang's expression, but the light in the room was too dim, and she could only barely make out the human figure.
It was still Lu Shang who urged: "It's okay, light the candle and pour me some water. Be careful not to bump into anything."
Even without him saying anything, Jiang Wanning would be fully alert.
It was not until the candles in the house were lit that everything inside became clear again.
Lu Shang was seen lying weakly on the bed, one hand in front of his eyes to block out the light, the other hand on his waist. It was unknown how long he had been having a fever, half of his face was red, and beads of sweat were on his forehead.
Lujia Village is nestled between mountains and water, so it is cool at night even in midsummer.
But Lu Shang, who had a high fever, felt as if his whole body was being roasted by fire. The thin blanket covering him had long been kicked to the ground, and his pajamas were mostly opened and rolled up to his chest.
After two days, the blue and red spots on his body had almost disappeared, and the exposed skin was abnormally pale.
Jiang Wanning took only one look and quickly looked away. She clenched her palms, trying to ignore the lingering burning sensation.
"There's no hot water in the house. I'll go boil some water right now. Wait a minute..."
"No." Lu Shang refused. "I don't want hot water, I want cold water. The colder the better. I remember there is a well in the yard. Is there water in the well?"
"Yes, yes." Jiang Wanning disagreed. "The well water is very cold. The doctor told you not to drink it directly."
"I don't want to drink." Lu Shang's voice became softer. "Good Aning, please help me get some well water. I want to wipe myself."
"If it's not inconvenient for you, please help me wake up Dad. Thank you for your hard work."
Seeing that he insisted, Jiang Wanning had no choice but to obey.
She poured half a cup of boiled water first, propped Lu Shang up and fed him most of it. When his mouth was no longer so thirsty, she put him back down and said, "I'll go get some water now."
Although Lu Shang needed Jiang Wanning's help, he was still a little worried. He forced himself to be alert and reminded her, "Be careful when it gets dark. Bring a candle. If the bucket is too heavy, take your time and don't fall into the well."
These words made Jiang Wanning look sideways. Although she didn't know who would throw herself into the well just to draw water, she didn't argue because she saw that Lu Shang was in pain.
She took another candle, held the basin of water, pushed the door open and walked into the yard.
Fortunately, Jiang Wanning had drawn water from the well before, so her speed was a bit slow, so at least there would be no accidents.
When she returned with the cold water, Lu Shangfang withdrew his gaze from the door.
Jiang Wanning found a square handkerchief, soaked it with cold well water, and then, following Lu Shang's instructions, folded the handkerchief into three folds and placed it on his forehead.
When Lu Shang felt the coolness of the well water, he breathed a sigh of relief and felt like he was alive again.
As for his concern about physical contact between men and women, it was not so important before he fell ill.
Although it was Jiang Wanning's first time to take care of Lu Shang personally, she had seen it done many times before. When it was her turn, she was at most a little unfamiliar. After trying a few more times, she became proficient.
Lu Shang turned over and only asked her to wipe her limbs and back, so that they didn't have to face each other and it could save her some discomfort.
"Just wipe it off and take a rest. I'll do it myself later." Lu Shang muttered, his eyelids twitching wildly.
Jiang Wanning paused slightly, and just as she was about to respond, she heard steady breathing coming from the bed. She glanced sideways and saw that Lu Shang was already asleep.
She pursed her lips and threw the handkerchief, which had lost its coolness, back into the basin. When it touched the well water again, it was still not as cool as before.
She hesitated for a moment, but picked up the basin, holding the candle and walked to the well again.
For the next half of the night, Jiang Wanning stayed by the bed the whole time. Whenever she found that the handkerchief on Lu Shang's back had become warm, she would quickly replace it with another one. She also changed the well water in the basin seven or eight times.
She was so sleepy that she supported her chin with her hand. When her head slipped from the back of her hand, she woke up with a start.
Until the first rooster crowed outside the house and the morning sun rose from the east.
Jiang Wanning touched Lu Shang's forehead, and the temperature of her hands finally dropped.
She turned her head to look at the basin, which was already filled with four or five square handkerchiefs, all of which had been replaced that night.
She really couldn't muster the energy to clean up, so she just threw everything on Lu Shang's back in and couldn't help but lie down on the edge of the bed.
The villagers go to bed early and wake up early. Most people are up before dawn.
Lu Shang was a light sleeper, and he woke up quickly after hearing the noise.
He moved his limbs which were sore from the high fever, and when he turned his head, he saw Jiang Wanning sleeping on the side of the bed.
A hint of surprise flashed across his eyes, but after he saw the basin of water next to him, all the answers were revealed.
No wonder he slept so comfortably in the second half of last night. There was no annoying high fever and no summer stuffiness. It was all the result of Jiang Wanning's hard work all night.
Lu Shang's heart moved, and he felt a warm current flowing through him.
Sleeping on the side of the bed is never as comfortable as lying down on it.
Lu Shang didn't know when Jiang Wanning fell asleep, but he didn't want to disturb her rest. When he was struggling between waking her up or not, he heard banging sounds at the door.
The next moment, Wang Cuilian's shrill voice was heard: "It's so late and you haven't gotten up to cook yet, you lazy woman, do you want to starve us to death?"
As soon as the voice sounded, Jiang Wanning woke up instantly.
As soon as she raised her head, she met Lu Shang's dark eyes. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she seemed to see a hint of tenderness.
The curses outside the door quickly brought her back to reality. Jiang Wanning subconsciously stood up, pinched the hem of her clothes, turned around and went to open the door.
Before she could move, Lu Shang suddenly grabbed her wrist and said, "No need to go."
"ah?"
Lu Shang said, "No need to open the door for her, I'll go."
After saying that, Lu Shang supported himself on the bed and got up slowly and firmly.
After a night's rest, his legs were no longer as weak as before, and he could still walk slowly as long as he had something to hold on to.
Seeing Jiang Wanning wanted to help, he refused again: "Go back to bed and sleep for a while, I'll be out."
Having said that, Jiang Wanning didn't dare to ask him to face Wang Cuilian alone.
Seeing Lu Shang walking slowly in front, she followed behind him, with her hands raised, ready to help him at any time.
Fortunately, Lu Shang walked slowly but steadily from the bed to the door, and the cursing outside the door never stopped.
The moment the door was opened, all the saliva sprayed onto Lu Shang's face.
“…” In just a moment, his face turned completely black.
After seeing who opened the door, Wang Cuilian's neck stiffened, and she finally stopped cursing. She chuckled twice and tiptoed to look inside the house: "You, you're awake... I came to look for Jiang Wanning. It's so late, and she hasn't come out to work yet."
"Although our family is kind, we don't keep idlers. Jiang Wanning has been too unreasonable lately!"
Lu Shang really couldn't understand how Wang Cuilian could say this without blushing.
He stood at the door, not only blocking Jiang Wanning's way, but also preventing Wang Cuilian from finding out.
He pretended not to hear and asked calmly, "With so many people at home, is there any work that Aning must do?"
Speaking of this, Wang Cuilian perked up: "I'm not trying to pick a fight on purpose! The old lady thought you were recovering from a serious illness and needed to replenish your body, so she took out the coffin money and went out to buy a chicken early in the morning."
"Your wife is always lazy, and her cooking skills are not bad. It's rare for us to have chicken at home, so you have to ask her to cook a good meal."
Lu Shang frowned, ignoring the large pile at the back, and asked, "Are you buying chickens with a coffin?"
"Of course not! If the old lady hadn't paid for the coffin, would our family be able to afford to eat chicken? Only you, Lu Shang, have this privilege to make the old lady willingly pay for it. Our whole family is all thanks to you!"
Wang Cuilian spoke in a strange voice, saying that she was taking advantage of the situation, but her eyes were glaring.
Lu Shang ignored her sarcasm, his heart sank, and he re-examined the family's financial situation.
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