A ray of golden light stubbornly passed through the fiber gaps of the paper and slanted into the hut, drawing a bright band of light on the dirt ground covered with tiny scratches.
The air was filled with a fresh, dewy morning breeze, which dispelled the lingering heat of last night and diluted the faint musty smell in the house.
Ye Qingliu was still sleeping on the hard old wooden chair.
The leaning back posture seemed to have lasted the entire night, but it did not leave any noticeable stiffness in him.
That face, which looked even colder, paler, and more delicate in the morning light, was still immersed in a peaceful dream.
The long eyelashes were like butterfly wings perched on flower petals, trembling ever so slightly with each breath, casting thick, fan-shaped shadows under the eyes.
Without the obstruction of glasses, the entire face is bathed in the soft morning light without reservation, presenting an almost transparent sense of purity.
A few strands of slightly longer black hair were dyed light golden by the morning light, and lay softly on the smooth and full forehead.
Sun Guixiang was still sitting on the bamboo stool opposite him. She had fallen asleep at some point, her hunched body tilted to one side, her graying head resting against the cold earthen wall, snoring softly.
The skinny hands still stubbornly maintained the protective posture, loosely clasped around Ye Qingliu's hand on his knee, as if not forgetting to convey their warmth even in their sleep.
The cottage was silent, with only the occasional chirping of birds outside the window and Sun Guixiang's soft, even breathing.
Just then—
Ye Qingliu's eyelashes, as thick and long as crow feathers, trembled very slightly, like the wings of a butterfly disturbed by the morning breeze.
Then, another one.
The eyelids covering the gray-blue pupils opened bit by bit in the morning light, very slowly, with a kind of confusion of just waking up and a feeling of heaviness as if weighing more than a thousand pounds.
The gray-blue eyes that had just woken up were revealed in the dim morning light.
The eyes were initially scattered and blank, like a glacier shrouded in thick fog all year round, struggling to find focus in the chaos.
His pupils dilated slightly, reflecting the rough texture of the roof beams and the golden light slanting in, filled with the huge confusion of just waking up and a childlike ignorance.
He seemed completely unaware of where he was.
His eyes swept blankly over the low roof, the mottled earthen walls, the vegetables piled in the corner, and the old square table with peeling paint in front of him.
Finally, it landed on the coarse porcelain bowl that still held traces of mung bean soup. The edge of the bowl was chipped, revealing the rough clay underneath.
He tilted his head slightly, an extremely subtle movement, with an almost childish confusion, as if he was trying to understand this unfamiliar environment.
At this moment, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the figure sleeping soundly against the earthen wall opposite him.
Sun Guixiang.
His gray hair was a little messy, and his skinny face was covered with deep wrinkles. Even in his sleep, his brows were habitually slightly furrowed, as if he was still worried about something.
The way she tilted her head looked uncomfortable, almost funny.
Ye Qingliu's gray-blue eyes were fixed on Sun Guixiang's face.
The thick fog of confusion and bewilderment was like a small stone being thrown into the air.
A subtle ripple instantly spread. There was no shock, no vigilance, only a strange concentration, as if confirming something.
He moved his fingers slightly on his knees.
This subtle movement woke up Sun Guixiang, who was already sleeping restlessly.
Her cloudy eyes suddenly opened, with a mixture of confusion and a hint of alertness.
When her gaze instantly focused on the pair of gray-blue eyes on the chair opposite that were quietly looking at her, all the sleepiness and confusion receded like the tide, and a huge surprise instantly lit up her entire face.
"Oh! Little boy! Are you awake?!" Sun Guixiang's voice was hoarse from heavy sleepiness and filled with undisguised great joy.
She straightened her hunched body almost immediately, and the bamboo stool creaked.
Ye Qingliu was slightly startled by her sudden and loud greeting.
In those gray-blue eyes, the fog of confusion from just waking up seemed to be thicker, and there was even a hint of disturbed and extremely subtle helplessness.
He subconsciously shrank back slightly, although the movement was so small that it was almost negligible.
Sun Guixiang didn't notice his slight retreat at all. Her great joy made her completely ignore the sense of distance.
She almost pounced in front of Ye Qingliu, her hunched body leaning forward, and her skinny hands, with unquestionable tenderness and excitement, directly held Ye Qingliu's cheeks.
"Did you sleep well? Does your neck hurt? Oh, it's all my fault. I made you sleep on the chair all night. It must have hurt you, right?" Sun Guixiang's voice was anxious and nagging, and her cloudy eyes were filled with complete concern and a hint of self-blame.
Her skinny fingers, with calloused texture, carefully cupped his slightly cool cheek, the tip of her thumb touching him naturally, with a pure elder's care.
Gently stroking the light blue shadow under the corner of his eye due to lack of sleep.
This sudden and extremely intimate action made Ye Qingliu completely frozen.
The gray-blue eyes widened instantly in the morning light. Deep in the pupils, the frozen lake seemed to be thrown into a scorching sun, causing violent waves.
Shock, astonishment, and even a hint of instinctive resistance... However, all emotions were overwhelmed by the newly awakened, yet not yet fully condensed ignorance.
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