The next day, Yan Zheng went out early in the morning. When the morning light was just beginning to break, Jiang Xi woke up, washed up, and then spread the peppercorns and wild mushrooms that the two of them had selected the night before on a stone slab that could be exposed to the sun.
Just as they were about to start a fire to cook breakfast, they saw Yan Zheng carrying a large yellow croaker coming up from the foot of the mountain.
He must have washed himself in the river, fiddling with his slightly long, wet hair. The pink scars were particularly noticeable on his muscular body, running from top to bottom, across his taut abdominal muscles.
Jiang Xi was surprised by their unexpected tacit understanding. Since Yan Zheng was injured, they had not eaten fish or meat. They had been eating duck and rabbit meat for the past few days, and she was indeed getting a little tired of it.
She remarked, "No wonder we grew up together, our tastes are so similar."
Yan Zheng placed the fish on the stone slab and gave her a meaningful look: "Are you aware that you have a habit of talking in your sleep?"
"I don't know." Jiang Xi didn't quite understand what eating fish had to do with her talking in her sleep.
She caught a glimpse of the smile on Yan Zheng's lips and suddenly realized, "Was I talking in my sleep?"
As dawn broke, Yan Zheng was slapped on the chest by a pair of hands, instantly waking him up. The culprit next to him, however, was still fast asleep, muttering that he wanted to eat fish.
Jiang Xi immediately denied it after hearing it: "Impossible, I never talk in my sleep."
"Do you need me to demonstrate it for you?" Yan Zheng looked at her with a smile in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xi quickly covered his mouth: "No, no, you mustn't say it!"
She was quite short, and before her slender arm could even touch Yan Zheng's face, he grabbed it. Yan Zheng teased, "To be honest, she's quite cute."
Hearing this, Jiang Xi was even more unwilling to let him continue. She stood on tiptoe to cover his mouth, but she lost her footing and fell backward. Yan Zheng reacted quickly and put one hand around her waist.
Jiang Xi felt an itch and hurriedly grabbed his shoulder, touching his slightly cool skin.
Unexpectedly, something seemed to be slowly flowing in the air. She felt her heartbeat quicken, becoming somewhat rapid. The thick calluses on Yan Zheng's hands, formed from years of wielding a sword, gently scraped against her soft, slender lower back, making her feel hot.
She was only wearing a homemade undershirt, her fair shoulders glowing with a porcelain-white luster in the misty morning fog. Yan Zheng was slightly taken aback, looking at her slightly flushed, palm-sized face, and restrained himself from withdrawing his arm.
She went to meet him, her usual shyness gone, and kissed his neck on tiptoe. The man groaned, and Jiang Xi could smell the herbal scent of soapberry still on him.
Yan Zheng's mind went blank for a moment. The hand holding her waist was burning hot. His other hand gripped the back of her neck. In an instant, their eyes met.
One was deep and gloomy, the other had sparkling eyes; beneath the calm lay a turbulent undercurrent of emotions.
Jiang Xi's eyes were like a deep spring, drawing him in and making him fall deeper into her allure.
Yan Zheng frowned, his handsome features appearing sharp and serious due to the tension. His dark eyes stared at her, and his throat was hoarse as he asked, "Is it alright?"
She looked at him calmly and awkwardly hooked her arms around his neck: "But... um."
Before he could finish speaking, with just one word, he instinctively lowered his head and kissed her. But his body seemed unsatisfied with this brief kiss, moving from her forehead all the way to her cherry lips.
Countless sleepless nights filled with longing and yearning, all that he desired and clung to became tangible and real at this moment, so real that he could no longer restrain himself.
Yan Zheng lifted her up and carried her towards the cave.
A blush spread across Jiang Xi's beautiful face, making her originally bright eyes even more delicate and captivating.
His eyes were dark, his jaw was clenched, and he felt both excited and helpless. In the end, he could no longer restrain himself and covered her with his body.
They took from each other with all their might, inseparable, tossing and turning, their wandering hands like sparks that startled a prairie fire.
Ultimately, hormones replaced the last shred of reason. He was ruthless and domineering, his whole being radiating a cold greed. He led her through a transformation, and from then on, they became an inseparable part of each other's lives.
**
As the sun rose higher, sunlight streamed through the cracks in the cave, illuminating two bodies embracing each other—one tall and handsome, the other graceful and delicate.
Yan Zheng brushed aside her long, damp hair, gently kissed her slightly sweaty, flushed cheeks, and asked breathlessly, "Are you feeling unwell?"
She shook her head slightly, her eyes reddened, her hazy eyes still filled with mist. She lay weakly on her side, the sunlight shining on her porcelain-like skin, like a silent oil painting.
Yan Zheng pulled his hand away and sat up, picked up the fiber towel from the bedside and wiped away the faint red marks on her abdomen, then gently kissed her forehead.
"You rest today, I'll go boil salt."
Jiang Xi still had a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. She curled her fingers slightly, shook her head, and pulled his hand to lie down.
"Let's rest a little longer. We should open the kiln today. Half a day won't make a difference." Her voice was slightly hoarse after half a day of work.
Yan Zheng lay down as instructed and held her close, his chin resting on the top of her slightly damp hair. Jiang Xi buried her head in the crook of his arm. His arm was very hard, and it wasn't actually comfortable to use as a pillow, but she still leaned in, smelling the herbal scent on his body, panting and enjoying the tranquility of the half-day.
After a long silence, his hoarse voice rang out: "Will you regret it?"
Jiang Xi raised her head, her beautiful eyes taking in his handsome features, and finally left a light kiss on his lips.
“Yan Zheng, I’m an adult. My relationship with you isn’t one of forced compromise or a momentary impulse.”
They've known each other for twenty years since childhood, and been deeply in love for ten. No one has ever said "I love you," but every moment they've shared is proof of their love. They've missed so many years together, which makes it all the more important to cherish the present.
Everything is desired because of love, and everything happens because of love. Instinct and purity are among the few joys in the world.
Upon hearing this, Yan Zheng seemed to understand something. His previous self-doubt and inner turmoil crumbled in an instant. He thought he was abandoned, but he never imagined that he and she were both part of the prank. The resentment he had carried for so many years suddenly eased.
A wanton smile played on his lips. The man, who had previously been aloof and reserved, suddenly kissed her again without warning. Jiang Xi was so exhausted that she could barely lift her fingers and could only endure this.
This time, however, was even more difficult than the last. Young people always have inexhaustible energy and drive. He became increasingly domineering and forceful, not allowing her to refuse, as if he wanted to make up for all the years he had missed.
Yet he was extremely considerate of her feelings, as if he wanted to use every trick in the book on her, leaving Jiang Xi both happy and in pain.
She fell asleep before the afterglow had faded.
When she woke up again, she was being held by Yan Zheng. The sun was already setting in the west, and he was carrying her to the river to wash.
Yan Zheng looked refreshed and showed no signs of fatigue. When he saw that she was awake, he considerately lowered his head and asked her a few questions. He whispered a few words in her ear, which made Jiang Xi blush and refuse his request to help her clean up.
After washing up, Yan Zheng handed her some fruit. Jiang Xi simply wrapped two banana leaves around her waist and sat by the river, slowly peeling and eating the fruit. Her originally exhausted body finally regained some energy thanks to the calorie intake.
The original plan to boil salt was delayed, so Jiang Xi decided to open the kiln today.
Her legs were so weak that it took her a lot of effort to sit up. Yan Zheng saw this and casually mocked her for being useless, which made Jiang Xi so angry that she threw the orange peel in her hand at him.
"I'm useless? Look who did this mess."
He caught the 'weapon' she threw at him, walked over and stroked her soft cheek in a conciliatory manner, coaxing her with tenderness for a while, and finally carried her back to the cave despite Jiang Xi's reluctance.
After opening the side cover of the pottery kiln, Yan Zheng saw that none of the vessels had any obvious cracks, and he took them out one by one.
Jiang Xi sat on the ground and carefully examined each item. One of the bowls had an uneven bottom and would tilt when placed flat. One lamp dish had a noticeable crack. To her surprise, the two large pottery jars were intact except for a crack at the mouth.
Finally, there were the plates and pots. Three plates and pots were intact, while only one plate was shattered into several pieces in the kiln.
But it didn't matter, she was too excited, even a little thrilled: "We succeeded! Now we not only have lamps, but also pots and pans."
Her eyes were filled with tears of emotion. This was the first time she felt that they were living in this world as two "people," no longer having to use stones as plates and leaves as bowls.
She was even thinking that she should burn two more buckets or basins so that she could wash and bathe in the cave during the winter.
At dinner, Jiang Xi first tried out the lamp plate. Yan Zheng brought back a large yellow croaker, and Jiang Xi put the fish on the fire to roast it. The oil that came out was collected in the lamp plate, which was about the size of a palm and filled the whole plate with fish oil.
At first glance, there was a faint fishy smell. Jiang Xi twisted a fiber rope and placed it in the middle of the lamp oil, allowing the wick to be fully soaked in the oil. After it solidified, there was no strange smell anymore.
As night fell, Jiang Xi eagerly packed her things and went into the cave to rest. She tried to light the fish lantern.
The flames had a faint blue tinge; though small, they burned very powerfully. The pale yellow light illuminated three or four square meters in the cave, and even the path beside it seemed to stare in astonishment.
That's enough, Jiang Xi comforted herself.
During this period, they had to sleep and rest as soon as it got dark. It was pitch black and they couldn't see anything. The fire in the stove provided some light. Now that they had this fish lantern, they felt safe. In this strange world, it was already very difficult to live like a "human".
Sometimes she would miss her parents so much that she couldn't sleep. She could only try her best to take care of herself and tell herself to live a good life and that her family would eventually be reunited. It was with this one belief that she got through one long night after another.
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