*
He Monian looked at Qingqing, who was leaning against him. At this moment, he felt no joy at the thought of Qingqing leaning against him, only deep annoyance.
It's all his fault. He forgot that many families in the village keep dogs. If he had told Qingqing beforehand, or simply not let her come out with him, she wouldn't have been scared.
He used one hand to shield Nan Qing, and gently patted her back with the other. He lowered his head and whispered to her:
"Don't worry, these are just dogs kept by people in the village. They don't bite. I'll chase them away."
He Monian picked up a few pebbles from the ground, looked in the direction of the dog that had barked first, and threw them with great force. At this moment, the family that had been alerted by the barking opened their yard and, seeing He Monian and his companion not far away, quickly chased the dog, which was still trying to bark, back into the yard.
"Mo Nian, where are you going so late at night? And who's next to you?"
He Monian may seem a bit simple-minded in front of Nan Qing, but he is usually not very talkative in front of others. Moreover, Nan Qing was frightened by their dog, so he had a stern face and didn't want to say a word.
But he knew Aunt Li of this household very well; she loved to spread all sorts of rumors. He was afraid she would misunderstand and spread them, which would damage Nan Qing's reputation. So, he calmly replied in a low voice:
“They are educated youths who are staying at my place. We are going to Tan Mujiang’s place.”
He turned his head slightly to look at Nan Qing, who was still hiding behind him, only peeking out with her head curiously looking in the direction of that house. His bad mood deepened, and he said to Aunt Li in a deep voice:
“Aunt Li, it’s better if your dog stays in the yard. If it scares someone and gets beaten to death, that would be bad.”
Aunt Li's dog was notorious in the village for its ferocity. It would bark at anyone it saw, so some children were afraid to come near her house. He Monian used to not care, it was just a dog, and the dog would always walk around him whenever it saw him.
But now that Qingqing is at home, if he scares her again next time, he shouldn't blame him for not being sentimental.
Seeing that He Monian was even fiercer than usual, she didn't dare to say too much. Moreover, she did feel somewhat guilty, so Aunt Li simply replied with a couple of words and immediately turned around and went back to her own courtyard.
He Monian turned to look at Nan Qing. The stern expression he had just maintained when facing Aunt Li immediately transformed into the slightly naive look that Nan Qing was familiar with, and his eyes and tone of voice were full of concern.
"Nanqing, how about I take you home first? You wait for me at home, I'll be back soon."
They hadn't gone too far yet. Although Nanqing was only startled by the sudden barking of the dogs, she wasn't actually scared. However, she estimated that there would be quite a few more dogs on the road ahead. If one suddenly barked and another suddenly barked, even if she wasn't afraid, she would be terrified by the sudden sounds coming from the side.
So she didn't insist with He Monian, turned around and went home with him. She sat on her favorite little chair, enjoying the breeze, and finally, the noise subsided.
Meanwhile, He Monian, who was thinking about Nan Qing, walked very fast. In just five or six minutes, he arrived at Tan Mujiang's house, carrying a huge bath tub, and hurried home.
So when he pushed open the gate to his own courtyard, Nan Qing saw He Monian carrying a large bath tub that was probably about a meter tall.
This was clearly meant for her. She hadn't expected that He Monian would go out so late at night to buy her a bathtub. But to be honest, she really liked this big bathtub.
She immediately stood up from her chair, walked to He Monian, looked at the bathtub on the floor, looked up at He Monian, and asked:
"He Monian, is this for me?"
He Monian looked at the smile on Nan Qing's face and knew that she was probably very satisfied with the bath tub. Tan the carpenter had just made a few bath tubs, and this was the largest one. He thought that his Qingqing would like a bigger one, so he brought the largest one back.
"Yes, it will be more convenient for you to take a bath with this tub. I'll go and scald the tub with hot water first. You sit down for a bit, and I'll call you when the water is ready."
Nan Qing smiled and nodded at He Monian. It seemed she could enjoy a relaxing hot bath today.
He Monian moved the bathtub to a location near the kitchen and scalded it inside and out with boiling water before moving it to a small bathing room near the back of the house.
Then, bucket after bucket of hot water was added in. Finally, a bucket of hot water and a bucket of cold water were placed in the small room so that Nanqing could add water whenever she wanted.
After doing all this, He Monian went to the courtyard to call Nan Qing and told her that she could go take a bath.
Nan Qing went back to her room and got a set of silk short-sleeved pajamas and long pajamas, as well as some things she needed for a bath. After entering the small room with a large bathtub, she began to enjoy a wonderful bath.
He Monian sat on the small chair that Nan Qing was sitting on, and like Nan Qing, leaned back in the chair and looked up at the dense stars in the sky.
Everything that happened today seemed unbelievable to him; in fact, it was so wonderful that it felt almost unreal.
He went to the train station to pick up the commander's daughter, who was a member of their brigade of educated youth, and he seemed to have developed some feelings for her.
No, it's not just a feeling. Although he has little contact with women, he understands perfectly well that his actions today were simply because he met Qingqing.
If it were any other woman, he definitely wouldn't have arranged for her to stay at his home.
But his beloved Qingqing is so wonderful, like the moon hanging high in the sky, and she's also the commander's daughter. He... shouldn't have such delusions.
Just as He Monian was sitting alone in the courtyard lost in thought, Nan Qing, who had been soaking in the water for more than twenty minutes, came out with a rosy face and wearing a silver-white silk nightgown.
"Brother He, I'm done washing up, you should go wash up too."
He Monian turned to look in Nan Qing's direction. At this moment, Nan Qing probably didn't know how beautiful she was. Her fair and rosy face, flushed by the heat, resembled a tempting red apple that looked like it was about to be bitten into.
Her wet hair continued to drip water onto her pajamas in front of her, and the slightly damp pajamas clung tightly to her body.
He Monian's eyesight has always been excellent; he could even see...
Not daring to look at Nan Qing a second time, he immediately stood up from his chair, walked towards the well in the courtyard, and said to Nan Qing in a very fast voice:
"You sit down and dry your hair, I'll go get some water."
He Monian drew a bucket of ice-cold well water and carried it into the small bathing room, but the warm air inside made his head feel numb.
Although Nanqing had finished filling the bathtub, the heat in the small room hadn't dissipated, and the rich fragrance lingered...
That was the fragrance emanating from his beloved Qingqing.
He Monian, his dark eyes calm, touched the still-warm edge of the bathtub with his right hand.
His beloved Qingqing, just now, was probably taking a bath right here...
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