cold shower
They were so close that the hot breath exhaled by He Yingchun sprinkled on his back, which was very itchy. The hot air was steaming and it felt numb. Wen Jingzhao curled up his fingers unnaturally.
He Yingchun applied medicine to the wound again, very lightly and gently, rubbing the wound repeatedly with her fingertips.
Wen Jingzhao stood up suddenly and said, "Don't apply the medicine yet. You smell of alcohol. I'll take a shower and then apply it after I'm done." He put on his clothes and strode to the back room.
In this freezing cold place, although Wen Jingzhao could not maintain his usual style as a rich young master, he took baths very frequently.
"You have a wound on your body, don't wash it today!" The wound will easily fester if it gets wet, not to mention it's so cold and you'll catch a cold.
"It's okay, I'll wash quickly."
He Yingchun was afraid that he would come back and take a cold shower, so she still had hot water in the pot. She carried it over in a bucket, "Wen Jingzhao! Open the door, add hot water! Cold water will catch a cold."
There are two rooms at the back. One is very shady and is used to store food such as rice and flour. There is a small attic on the top. The attic is not big, but it leads to the roof and contains some old books. He Yingchun found it dark and never went up there.
The other one was originally used for storage. Wen Jingzhao modified it, sealed the window with cotton cloth, and put a wooden barrel in it. It was convenient for taking a bath in winter, and it was also used for washing on weekdays.
"Just put it at the door, I'll get it myself later." Wen Jingzhao's muffled voice came from inside.
He Yingchun responded but didn't move at the door. Wen Jingzhao opened the door, stretched out his wet arm, and carried the bucket in.
"It's not like I haven't seen it before." He Yingchun muttered in a low voice.
The light here was too dim, so He Yingchun lit another oil lamp. There was always wind coming in through the window of the back room. He Yingchun gathered her clothes and shivered.
Wen Jingzhao drank alcohol at night, so he probably didn't eat well. The sweet and sour pork became soft when heated and didn't taste very good.
It takes a long time to make other dishes, but noodles are good for the stomach, so she took some noodles, cleaned the pot, and planned to stir-fry it and make a bowl of dumpling soup.
Mix hot water with cold water until it is almost warm, then pour it into the flour, stirring with chopsticks while pouring water. Some people like to knead the flour into a ball, cut it into small pieces, and then knead it into lumps.
He Yingchun is used to stirring it directly into lumps of different sizes. The surface is not smooth. Simple and quick, rough and casual, are the essence of the dumpling soup.
Pour oil into the pot, add onions, ginger and garlic and stir-fry. There are few vegetables in winter, so she added some bok choy to enhance the aroma. To save time, she just added hot water and added an appropriate amount of salt.
"How come you're cooking?" Mom came out, wearing a coat and lighting an oil lamp. "I saw you weren't asleep. What are you doing in the middle of the night?"
He Yingchun looked up, "It's okay, Mom, go to sleep! Wen Jingzhao is back, I'm doing it for him!"
Mother's face lit up with joy, "Oh, the young master is back! Okay, then you do it, I won't disturb you, I won't disturb you." She squinted her eyes, turned around and went back, not forgetting to close the door.
What are you thinking about! He Yingchun was speechless.
The soup boiled and the cabbage gradually became soft. She started to put the dumplings into it. The dumplings cooked quickly and were ready to be taken out of the pot when they floated up. She put them into bowls, just one big bowl and one small bowl.
She sprinkled chopped green onions on the smaller bowl and left it for herself.
Wen Jingzhao hadn't come out yet, and he should have finished washing by now, so she knocked on the door.
"Please help me get some clothes. I left in a hurry and forgot." The voice inside sounded a little embarrassed.
He Yingchun smiled and handed him a new moon-white dress.
Wen Jingzhao stretched out his hand, ready to take the clothes.
At this moment, He Yingchun heard a creaking sound behind her, and her hands tightened, and she was held in Wen Jingzhao's arms.
There was some warmth in it after taking a shower. Wen Jingzhao's body was half wet and a little cold because he had taken a cold shower.
The two of them were pressed tightly together, separated by the moon-white new dress. It was pitch black inside, with only the dim light from the oil lamp outside, adding too much ambiguity.
He Yingchun could hear her own heartbeat, "thump, thump, thump". Wen Jingzhao held her hand tightly. She could feel her cheek pressed against his chest, with the skin of his chest just below her cheek.
What is he going to do? He Yingchun pursed her lips.
At this point, someone should say something.
“...That——” “Shh——”
He Yingchun raised her eyes and Wen Jingzhao looked at the house opposite with alert eyes. The two houses at the back were facing each other. Just now, when she went to get noodles, the door of the house was half-open. He seemed to see a face in his peripheral vision.
really,
He Yingchun thought inappropriately that a woman's heartbeat comes from fantasy.
After a while, He Yingchun's clothes were a little wet. Wen Jingzhao let her go, quickly put on his clothes, and asked her not to move in the house. He got up, took the oil lamp, and opened the door of the opposite house.
The rice jar and the flour jar were placed side by side, and they were pressed down with big stones to prevent them from being damaged by rats.
Next to it were kitchen utensils like knives and spoons, seasonings like oil, soy sauce, and vinegar, and some vegetables wrapped in cloth. Everything in the room was visible at a glance.
Wen Jingzhao pulled the window. It was frozen outside, so the light probably didn't come in from here. He looked at the wooden ladder, and up there was the attic.
At this time, a sound came from behind. Wen Jingzhao turned around vigilantly. He Yingchun took an oil lamp stealthily, put it aside, moved the stone, and looked at the rice jar, "There is no mouse." He looked at the flour jar again, still no mouse.
"What did you see?" He Yingchun asked him. Wen Jingzhao was not sure, "It seemed like there was someone."
He Yingchun pursed her lips in fear, "No way, is there anyone else in our room besides the three of us?" Don't scare people so late at night.
"It's okay, don't be afraid. Just stay here and don't move. I'll go up and take a look." Wen Jingzhao walked up the ladder step by step. The ladder made a dull sound as soon as he stepped on the first step. It was very dry and fragile, and it made people feel very uncomfortable in their hearts, as if it was scratching their hearts and livers.
He Yingchun snatched up the kitchen knife beside her. Who could be doing this so late at night? A thief? They had just arrived and were broke, so even buying something was a struggle. A thief wouldn't be very good at it.
Wen Jingzhao took a look at the attic. The attic was even smaller. Uncle Wei had said before that they could throw away the things in the attic if they didn't need them. There was a small horizontal bookshelf with a lot of books piled on it. Wen Jingzhao took a look and found some recipes. He thought He Yingchun might like them, so he kept them.
There's a smell here that suggests no one has been here for a long time. When I wipe it gently, my hands are covered in dust.
Further up is the roof, with an opening in the right direction, just big enough for one person to go up and down, but at the moment there is a wooden bolt stuck in it and it looks like no one has touched it.
Wen Jingzhao looked through it all and found nothing happened.
He walked down and asked hurriedly, "Is anyone there?"
"It's okay. I'll seal the roof and the back windows tomorrow to make it safer." Wen Jingzhao closed the door and said, "We still need a dog at home. I'll go ask tomorrow to see if there's one. It'd be best if it's a big one, big enough to take care of the house and protect the yard."
He Yingchun was quite afraid of dogs. When she was a child, her uncle’s family would slaughter a pig during the Chinese New Year. His dog was usually quite well-behaved, but for some reason that day, the dog heard the pig squealing, broke free from the rope and ran around the yard. She was right in front of it, and the dog seemed to have set its sights on her, chasing her all over the yard.
She squeezed into the crowd, and the pig went crazy when it heard the dog barking. Somehow, she suddenly rode on the pig and ran around the yard several times. Finally, the pig got tired and was caught by someone, who rescued her.
Wen Jingzhao thought she was talking about her life before she became a beggar, so he didn't ask any more questions. He just said, "Then why are you afraid of dogs? You should be afraid of pigs."
He Yingchun was stunned. This was exactly what her nerdy deskmate said when she talked to him about it.
Wen Jingzhao thought of the scene she described, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly. Seeing that she didn't say anything, he said, "If you're afraid, then don't raise it. I'll come back more often later."
He Yingchun nodded and asked Wen Jingzhao to take the dumpling soup. "Let's go, bring it inside and eat."
She pulled out a few small potatoes from the stove. They were black on the outside, but after peeling off a piece of skin, she found they were soft and golden on the inside. "Done!"
Wen Jingzhao looked at the bowl next to the pot and asked, "Is this for me?" He Yingchun nodded. "Pork in a pot is probably too soft now and not very tasty."
Wen Jingzhao brought them into the house and put them all on the table.
The two of them were busy eating the dumpling soup, while Wen Jingzhao dipped the sweet and sour pork into the soup, taking a bite of the meat and a sip of the soup. "Mmm, delicious!"
"Is this a potato?" Wen Jingzhao was not very interested in the dark roasted potatoes. He ate a small one and then stopped.
"I don't know how to appreciate it." Roasted potatoes and baked dough were her favorites when she was a child. They were soft and fragrant.
The dumpling soup had a chewy texture and a mellow flavor, and both of them enjoyed it with gusto.
The wind was blowing outside, and after drinking the warm soup, my body felt warm and I finally felt at home.
When it was daybreak, He Yingchun got up early to clean the yard. She and her mother had been cleaning the yard these days. The yard was clean and tidy, and it was pleasing to the eye.
"Get up!" Mom got up earlier than her. She had been staying in the yard all day, and her face had turned pale. "Sleep a little longer! You slept late last night."
He Yingchun fetched some water to wash her face and said, "We have to go to the market early today." She glanced at the west wing and saw that Wen Jingzhao had already left. She then went to the back room and saw that the windows and the attic were sealed and there was no draft.
"Why are you grinning like an idiot? Let's eat a few bites and go." Mom had already cooked porridge with last night's rice. She ate a few bites with pickles.
"Don't eat too much. We can buy some food at the market and try some food." He Yingchun was a little excited. She had not been to the street except for the first day since she came here. Many things in the house were bought by Wen Jingzhao.
"Don't worry, we have plenty of time to go shopping!" said Mom with a smile.
Both of them were wearing thick coats, hats and scarves on their heads, revealing their eyes. No one could tell who they were, and from a distance it was impossible to tell whether they were male or female.
"Walk!"
"Let's go!"
The market was bustling with everything, and all kinds of hawking sounds were heard one after another. He Yingchun was so excited that she wanted to buy something.
"Cooking pancakes! Hot cooking pancakes! Cooking pancakes!"
"Give me two pancakes!" Many people bought them, and He Yingchun also joined in the fun.
"Okay, eight cents each, or fifteen cents for two!" The man selling pancakes was a fat middle-aged man with a simple and honest face.
He Yingchun handed over the money and started eating impatiently, "Shashasha, it's so hot."
The outside is a bit crispy and has no filling, but it is very fragrant with a sesame aroma.
"Hey, Brother Saner, do those two people look familiar to you?" Xiao Zhuo followed Huo Saner out to buy things, and when he saw the two people in front of him, he felt familiar.
Huo San'er was wondering how much money he could make this time. He looked in the direction Xiao Zhuo pointed and said slowly, "Yeah, it does look familiar."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
