He had just finished work, carrying a hoe, wearing a faded military green outfit, and his face showed signs of fatigue.
But his phoenix eyes shone brightly, as if they were filled with her image.
She heard her own voice, soft yet tinged with grievance and resentment.
"Why are you taking so long to get to work! Honestly!"
In autumn, the fields are bustling with the harvest, which should be the busiest time in the village.
She didn't know why, even though she was being lazy and sleeping in, she still had a willful attitude of complaining about him getting off work late.
He placed the cleaned hoe aside, turned to look at her, and smiled: "You're back late. There's a lot of work to do in the fields, just in time for the autumn harvest."
His voice was hoarse yet gentle, and his dark, cold eyes seemed to flicker with burning flames.
Ning Yuan seemed to be locked in by those eyes, and forgot to move.
She looked at him blankly, and was about to say something when she said, "For dinner... I caught some eels..."
Rong Zhaonan reached out and touched her face again, his slightly hard fingertips gently caressing her soft lips.
His fingers were long and slender. He was a bit of a germaphobe, and he had just washed them carefully; they were still damp and cool from the well water.
His voice was low and hoarse: "How have you been lately?"
Ning Yuan's cheeks flushed and her ears turned red the moment he touched her. She pushed him away and said, "What's so good about it? It's broad daylight! If the Red Armband officers see you behaving like this, they'll make you write a self-criticism!"
He raised an eyebrow: "Come on then, what's there to be afraid of? I'm off work, it's only natural for me to want to hug my wife!"
He reached out and hugged her slender waist, resting his chin on the top of her head, his voice carrying a hint of roguish tenderness: "Wife, it's been so long, did you miss me?"
"Stop being so narcissistic. We just saw each other this morning. You expect me to think about you all the time? Don't you need to make money?" She snorted, pushed him away, and looked out the window.
Outside the window, beautiful morning glories climb all over the windowsill.
She felt her eyes inexplicably sting, not knowing why she was being so stubborn or why she felt so down.
"Don't you want to?" Rong Zhaonan suddenly grabbed her wrist, gently pulled her into his arms and made her sit down.
With her forehead pressed against his neck, she could clearly feel the pulse beating deep and strong in the cool skin of his neck.
"What... are you doing!" Ning Yuan felt her face was so hot it could boil an egg, and pushed him away.
However, he remained as steady as a mountain, unmoved.
He lowered his eyes and whispered in her ear, "Wife, I'm sorry... I've made you suffer these past few days."
The cool voice was tired yet doting, gentle yet heavy.
Ning Yuan felt a chill, and for some reason, tears welled up almost instantly. She bit her lip, her hand supporting her chest, but she couldn't utter a single word.
It's really strange. He just went to work in the morning to earn work points.
It's only been a day since we left.
Why does it feel like it's been such a long, long time since I've seen him...?
"Don't cry." Rong Zhaonan's fingertips traced her face.
He reached out to wipe away her tears, then suddenly lowered his head and buried his face in her thick, cloud-like hair: "I missed you, my wife, I missed you so much... so much..."
"I don't miss you at all..." she murmured, her voice hoarse and unfamiliar even to herself.
Ning Yuan felt as if hot, moist steam was flowing through her hair.
Ning Yuan froze again, and she tried to look up at him in a panic: "What's wrong with you..."
He was... shedding tears...
He's never done this before...
Rong Zhaonan wouldn't allow her to look up, wouldn't allow her to see his reddened eyes, he just greedily inhaled her scent.
His voice was damp, like an August rainstorm: "I'm sorry, don't look at me, I'm just a little tired... Let me carry you for a while, it'll be over soon... We walked a bit far today... too far... so far... I'm really afraid I won't be able to find my way home."
He seemed to have traversed countless mountains and rivers to reach her, why was he like this...?
Her nose stung with tears, and she reached out to wrap her arms around his waist, closing her eyes: "Rong Zhaonan...please don't leave again...I'm scared..."
She didn't even know what she was worried about, it was just...
It's as if he went to a very dangerous place and will never come back.
I'm inexplicably sad... so sad... it feels like a huge rock is pressing on my chest, I can't breathe.
Rong Zhaonan held her tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones: "How could I bear to leave when you're crying like this?"
But the gentler he was, the more flustered she became.
All those suppressed emotions poured out at this moment, making it almost impossible for her to remain calm.
Bizarre fragments flashed by like a revolving lantern, intertwining memories of past and present lives, leaving her in utter confusion.
Ning Yuan buried her face in Rong Zhaonan's shoulder and cried for a long time, sobbing uncontrollably: "I hate you...you always lie to me...you always make me worry!"
Tears soaked Rong Zhaonan's clothes.
He was at a loss, patting her back repeatedly and coaxing her in a low voice, but he couldn't stop her tears.
Rong Zhaonan could only sigh with heartache: "Ning Yuan, are you made of water? If you keep crying, I'm going to drown."
Ning Yuan raised her face through her teary eyes, glaring at Rong Zhaonan, her emotions surging like waves in a strong wind.
She suddenly raised her hand angrily and slapped him across the face.
"..." He blinked, his face turned to the side, and slowly turned his head back.
Rong Zhaonan stared at her as if she were a child throwing a tantrum, his tone tinged with helplessness: "What's wrong?"
Ning Yuan didn't know why she felt a long-suppressed grievance and fear welling up inside her, and she gritted her teeth—
"You still have the nerve to ask me? I dreamt... I dreamt you were with another woman... or... the woman I hate the most... You're such a jerk! You bullied me! I'm going to get Grandma Xia to beat you up!"
Rong Zhaonan was both amused and exasperated.
He sighed helplessly, then suddenly slapped himself hard: "I was a jerk in my dream, is that alright?"
Ning Yuan's crying stopped abruptly. She bit her lip, somewhat at a loss.
But less than a minute later, her eyes welled up with tears again, and she cried out, "No...no...one time isn't enough!"
Rong Zhaonan sighed and gently helped her up from his arms.
Looking at her round face streaked with tears, he sighed helplessly again: "My little darling, don't cry anymore. If you keep crying, I'm going to... kiss you..."
Upon hearing this, Ning Yuan cried even harder: "You're not allowed to kiss me! You're not allowed to kiss me!"
Seeing her like this, Rong Zhaonan could no longer hold back.
He simply lifted her up, placed her on his lap, and lowered his head to kiss her lips.
At first, it was just a light, fleeting touch.
But Ning Yuan's struggles were like a silent invitation, making him increasingly unable to control himself, and filled him with tender affection.
He pried open her pearly teeth, plunged in, and greedily savored her sweetness.
Ning Yuan was breathless from his kisses, her hands unconsciously gripping his clothes, and her body gradually went limp.
I felt completely dizzy and disoriented.
He acted as if he wanted to devour her.
But in the end, he let go of her and said in a hoarse voice, "Are you tired of crying?"
Ning Yuan leaned against him, her cheeks flushed, panting. Her eyes were unfocused, and she nodded gently.
"If you're tired from crying, take a nap. I'll stay with you." Rong Zhaonan gently patted her back, like he was comforting a child.
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