Night fell and the cold wind suddenly rose.

Baoning drove the chickens and ducks back to the pen, locked the fence door, and added some food to Saifeng's hay bag before going into the house. Ah Huang was already squatting at the door waiting for her.

The light was on in the house. Through the thin window paper, she could see a tall figure sitting in the house with his back to the window, concentrating on something.

After standing at the door for a while, Baoning sorted out her thoughts and stepped into the house.

The light was on on the kang table, and Pei Yuan was sitting there writing and drawing. When he heard the voice, he said without raising his head: "You're back."

His voice was steady, which made people feel at ease for some reason. Such a simple sentence, when heard in the ears, actually gave people a sense of returning home, like a person returning home on a snowy night.

Bao Ning bent her lips and responded, then turned around and locked the door.

Pei Yuan lived with her today.

Firstly, because the room had not been cleaned up yet and the windows were broken, it was inconvenient to live in; secondly, because the enemy was in the dark and no one knew when they would come, Pei Yuan was worried about her sleeping alone.

He insisted on moving in. Bao Ning couldn't refuse him, and she had no reason to.

At lunch, she promised Pei Yuan that she would live a good life. It was too hypocritical to drive him out now.

Although they were in the same room at night, she was really a little shy.

Bao Ning didn't want to go to the kang now. She walked around the room and wiped the furniture that was already spotless. There was really nothing to do, so she sat on the stool and watched the female leech eat snails.

In the afternoon, she and Pei Yuan caught the snails together. They were big and fat. Baoning picked out the best ones to feed the leeches, and the rest would be fried with chili peppers tomorrow.

Just thinking about the taste, Baoning couldn't help swallowing.

That leech was really edible. The fat body circled the snail, and the head with the suction cup pushed open the thin shell with force. The movement was swift and it drilled into the snail shell in a whoosh. Then, Baoning saw a faint red blood flowing into its transparent body.

Baoning shuddered, and couldn't help thinking about how painful it would be if this thing drilled into Pei Yuan's body.

Pei Yuan raised his head from the desk and looked at her.

Under the warm yellow light, Bao Ning drooped her cheeks and stared at the small jar in front of her with a dull and stupid look. He couldn't help but call her: "Why don't you come up yet?"

Bao Ning came back to her senses, said "Oh", put away the leech, tiptoed and gently put it on the cabinet, and then crawled to Pei Yuan's side.

The room was small, and the kang was also small. Pei Yuan was tall and had long legs. He sat there and occupied most of the room. In order not to touch him, Bao Ning could only curl up her legs and shrink into the corner.

When she came up, Ah Huang also jumped onto the kang and burrowed into Pei Yuan's arms. It was flattering and coquettish, and it raised its head to lick Pei Yuan's neck. Pei Yuan disliked the wet touch, pinched the back of his neck and threw it away.

Ah Huang shook his head and tail and rushed over again, rubbing against him stickyly.

"Are you vicious?" Pei Yuan put down his pen and wanted to scold it. Seeing this, Bao Ning quickly grabbed Ah Huang into her arms and said to Pei Yuan: "It's still young, don't train it all the time."

"Just protect it." Pei Yuan frowned, "I'll get a chance to beat it sooner or later!"

After he said that, he glanced at Bao Ning's legs: "Isn't it uncomfortable to bend like that?"

Before Bao Ning could answer, Pei Yuan grabbed her ankles and straightened her knees. He lifted up her shirt and naturally put her feet against his belly, pressing them with his left hand and picking up the pen with his right hand.

"Come up earlier next time. You've been wiping and wiping all day. I don't know why you're so busy. You're freezing."

The ambiguous feeling of skin touching skin made Baoning's toes curl up.

She said awkwardly, "No need... I'll just curl up under the quilt to keep warm." Pei Yuan took a pen to dip in ink without looking at her: "I have a wound on my hand. If you move, it will break. You'll have to deal with it yourself."

Baoning stroked Ah Huang's hair, her eyelids drooped, and she didn't pull her legs out. The heat slowly spread to the soles of her feet. She secretly glanced at Pei Yuan, with a hint of joy in her eyes.

Baoning stretched out her arms, took the walker that she had been working on halfway during the day, and continued to play.

In the quiet room, Ah Huang was sleeping, Pei Yuan was writing, she was holding a piece of cloth and wrapping it on the wooden board, the rustling sound made the room even quieter. It was a rare warmth.

Bao Ning was immersed in it, not knowing how long it had been. Suddenly, Pei Yuan said, "I'll buy you a maid."

He wrote the letter, picked it up and blew it, and continued, "It will be good to serve you, not busy, lying comfortably, isn't it?"

Bao Ning raised her head suddenly, her eyes widened, "I don't want it!" She didn't know why Pei Yuan thought of this, but when she thought of an outsider in the house, she felt uncomfortable just imagining it. Especially since the maid was a girl.

Bao Ning knew that she was narrow-minded. She straightened up and frowned: "I don't want anyone to come into my room and touch my things. I don't like it."

Pei Yuan was surprised by her reaction and patted her calf soothingly: "Then don't. I just mentioned it casually, just teasing you. If you don't like it, forget it."

Bao Ning slowly leaned back against the wall. She was too radical, but this topic touched the chord in her heart, and she couldn't help it. Bao Ning clasped her hands together and scratched her palms with her nails.

She lowered her eyelids, and Pei Yuan didn't notice the difference in her expression.

The silence was broken and Pei Yuan started talking more. After finishing his work and having some time, he teased her: "After dinner tomorrow, if the weather is good, I'll take you out for a horse ride."

"I dare not." Bao Ning calmed down. "The wind is too strong. I'm scared. What if I fall?"

"I'm here. It won't dare to show its hooves at you."

Bao Ning said, "I have more important things to do tomorrow."

"What are you going to do? Are you taking me with you?"

Pei Yuan put the table aside and chatted with her casually. Bao Ning held the things in her arms tightly, thinking of giving him a surprise. She didn't point it out, but just said: "I'll take you with me, and you'll know tomorrow."

"You're being mysterious." Pei Yuan glanced at her, folded the letter paper and pressed it under the inkstone, "Did I blow out the light?"

"Wait a minute, I'll make the bed." Bao Ning stood up, made the quilt in a few seconds, and patted the pillow flat, then said, "Turn it out."

Pei Yuan blew a breath over, and the room went dark.

It wasn't the first time they slept in the same bed, but it was the first time both of them were sober, and Bao Ning was a little at a loss. She touched her nose and lay down against the wall, a little away from Pei Yuan. Her eyes were watching his movements in the dark.

"I don't plan to touch you." Pei Yuan closed his eyes and lay down. He reached to the side, accurately grasped her earlobe and gently pinched it, "Go to sleep."

Bao Ning couldn't sleep. Thinking of the letter he had written all night, she had wanted to ask him the question for a long time, but hesitated and couldn't ask.

Bao Ning felt that she had the right to ask. Pei Yuan said that they were husband and wife, and that they shared honor and disgrace. Every decision he made had an impact on her, and she should know who Pei Yuan wrote to.

Taking advantage of the darkness, Bao Ning became bolder, poked Pei Yuan's arm, and called him softly.

"What's wrong?" Pei Yuan put one hand on his forehead and grabbed her hand with the other, kneading it.

"Who are you writing tonight?"

Pei Yuan paused and said, "Qiu Mingshan." Bao Ning was surprised.

She grew up in a deep palace and never left the house, but she still knew the name of the general who protected the country. She also knew that when Pei Yuan entered the military camp for training and went to Saibei, he was under Qiu Mingshan's command for nearly eight years. The two were like father and son.

But later, I heard that the two had a breakdown in their talks, fought each other, and almost fought to their death.

Pei Yuan said: "According to the time, he used to return to Beijing to meet the emperor at this time every year. I will arrange to meet him in two days."

He didn't want to say more about it, and Bao Ning didn't ask any more. But she knew that it would definitely not be as simple as a simple meeting.

There were things happening that she didn't know and it was best not to know.

Bao Ning stared at the ceiling with her eyes wide open for a long time, and then closed them because her eyes were sore.

Ah Huang was sleeping soundly in her arms. Bao Ning held it up in the crook of her arm, with her forehead against its back. As it breathed, she slowly fell asleep.

Bao Ning didn't know that in the dark night, Pei Yuan tilted his head and looked at her for a long time.

...

The next day, Bao Ning woke up early. She is used to getting up early. When she gets up early, she can cook more meals. She likes the process of cooking and the sense of accomplishment when she finally sees the finished product.

This kind of busyness is not a burden to her, but a kind of exquisite happiness.

Pei Yuan is still sleeping. Baoning lit the lamp very dimly, the firewood burned and made a crackling sound, and the steamed buns in the pot were fragrant.

Pei Yuan woke up once in the middle, said a few words to her, and thought of helping, but was persuaded by Baoning.

She hoped that Pei Yuan would take more rest and take good care of his health. When he gets well in the future, it would not be too late to help her with her work. The future is long...if Pei Yuan can always maintain his original intention in treating her.

Perhaps the atmosphere in the room was too suitable for sleeping. Ah Huang lay beside Pei Yuan's pillow, sleeping soundly with one person and one dog.

Bao Ning continued to work on the things in her hands in the dim light. The buns were cooked and it was daybreak. She had just finished sewing the last stitch and bit off the thread with her teeth.

Bao Ning looked at her work with satisfaction. She hid it in the cupboard first, took out the buns, and woke Pei Yuan up to eat.

The buns with three fresh fillings were full of juice. When you bite open the soft skin, sweet gravy will flow out. Pei Yuan ate four in one breath, and Ah Huang also ate one and a half.

Pei Yuan was observing Bao Ning's expression throughout breakfast. He saw that she was happy, worried, and excited to try.

He didn't ask, waiting for Bao Ning to speak for herself. After dinner, Baoning brought two bowls of red date and wolfberry soup, one for each of them. She said that this thing can replenish qi and blood, and asked him to have it together.

Pei Yuan frowned and swallowed it. Baoning went to wash the dishes again.

It was obvious that she had something to say, but she was holding it in. Pei Yuan thought to himself, this little fool is really patient.

Another half an hour passed, Baoning fed the chickens and ducks, the horses, and the leeches, and went for a walk in the backyard vegetable garden, and finally returned to the house.

Pei Yuan was already getting a little impatient waiting.

Bao Ning smiled at him shyly, took out the walker she had made, stood in front of him, and gestured to put it on herself: "I made it myself, and I think it might be useful... I thought that the reason you walk slowly is mainly because your left leg can't exert strength. If you fix your left leg, can you exert strength and walk more conveniently?"

Bao Ning said: "You tie this belt around your waist, and these small wooden boards are wrapped around your legs. The boards are very hard, like crutches, and can provide support. I made another design here at the knee... You can even squat."

Bao Ning demonstrated it to him in surprise: "Isn't it amazing?" Pei Yuan didn't say anything. Bao Ning looked up and looked at his expression, and her voice gradually became lower.

She was afraid that Pei Yuan would be suspicious. He was a sensitive person with a strong sense of self-esteem. Bao Ning was worried that Pei Yuan thought she disliked him or that this behavior would hurt him. She was hesitant and waited until now to give it to him.

Did she make him uncomfortable?

Bao Ning saw that Pei Yuan's eyes were a little red.