After Cheng Yaoyao took Zhang Xiaobo and Han Yin to take a shower, they went back to the house.
Han Yin was very happy every time she stayed overnight, and she would chat with Cheng Yaoyao until midnight and refused to go to bed. Zhang Xiaofeng sat at the desk with the light on, reading every minute. She lived in someone else's house, where could she have such good conditions and a desk, not to mention that Lin Dajun's family had several children, and they were very noisy every day. Every time she came to Cheng Yaoyao's place to read and study, it was a rare relaxation and enjoyment for her.
Grandma Xie came into the room with a plate of snacks and saw Cheng Yaoyao and Han Yin sitting on the bed chatting, while Zhang Xiaofeng was sitting at the desk reading a book. She couldn't help but say, "Yaoyao, look at how much Xiaofeng loves to study, and then look at yourself."
Cheng Yaoyao is good in every way except that she is too coquettish, and Xie Zhao indulges her. Xie Zhao has been too busy to come home these days, so Cheng Yaoyao immediately starts to slack off. Fortunately, Zhang Xiaofeng often comes home and helps Cheng Yaoyao study.
Cheng Yaoyao argued cunningly: "Today is a holiday, we should take a rest."
Han Yin smiled and flattered: "Grandma Xie, I am not a bookworm. I get a headache every time I see a book."
Grandma Xie said earnestly: "You are all educated young people from the city, how can you not be good at studying? Our Zhao'er has never been to school for a day. As long as you study hard and seriously, there is nothing you can't learn!"
Cheng Yaoyao and Han Yin listened obediently. Zhang Xiaofeng closed the book, helped Grandma Xie put snacks and milk on the table, and said with a smile: "Grandma Xie, you should go to bed early, don't entertain us, we are not outsiders, and we have to trouble you every time we come."
Grandma Xie patted Zhang Xiaofeng's shoulder lovingly and said, "Don't worry, don't worry. You can come to our house often and study until late at night. The desk, books and oil lamp are all ready. Grandma likes good children like you who love to study."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yaoyao quickly climbed to the edge of the bed, put his hands on Grandma Xie's shoulders and said coquettishly: "Am I not a good child?"
Grandma Xie deliberately put on a fierce face: "You are a naughty child."
Cheng Yaoyao refused to listen to her words, and Han Yin pretended to be sad and said, "Grandma doesn't like bad kids like us. I'm going to cry."
Zhang Xiaofeng laughed and scolded: "How old are you? Aren't you ashamed?"
Grandma Xie couldn't stop laughing. She stroked Cheng Yaoyao's face and said, "Okay, okay, you are all good kids. Grandma likes you all! Stop being so coquettish. Eat your snacks quickly and drink the milk while it's hot. Yaoyao, get out of bed. You are not allowed to eat in bed, okay?"
Han Yin quickly got out of bed, walked to the table, picked up the milk and took a big sip. The hot milk, made from Inner Mongolian milk powder, had a layer of milk skin on the surface, and was rich and sweet.
Cheng Yaoyao sat on the bed with a lack of interest: "I ate too much for dinner. I'm not hungry."
Grandma Xie asked, "You don't want to eat wild strawberries either?"
Cheng Yaoyao's eyes lit up: "Xie Zhao is back? Why didn't you tell me!"
She then realized that Han Yin and Zhang Xiaofeng were staying overnight, so Xie Zhao would naturally not go near her room.
Grandma Xie smiled and said, "Zhao went to take a bath as soon as he came back, and brought you a lunch box of wild strawberries. They are so fresh and big, and I don't know where they were picked."
Cheng Yaoyao stood up and took a look. On the table was a plate of goat's milk millet cake, three cups of milk, and a large bowl of wild strawberries that were as crystal clear as rubies.
Han Yin didn't care about eating the millet cake and exclaimed: "Where did you pick these wild strawberries? They are so delicious, right?"
Wild strawberries were everywhere during this period. Cheng Yaoyao and her colleagues would pick wild strawberries on their way to and from work every day, but they had never seen such big wild strawberries. Moreover, the ripe wild strawberries would break with a slight touch. The wild strawberries at the bottom of the lunch box were often squeezed into juice when they were brought home, which greatly affected the taste.
Every wild strawberry in this bowl is fresh, plump, and bright red. When you put it in your mouth and take a light bite, the sweet and sour juice bursts out, which makes you feel refreshed.
Zhang Xiaofeng ate one and said, "It tastes better than the ones we usually pick."
Grandma Xie said cheerfully, "Zhao Ge'er often goes to the deep mountains and old forests. No one picks the fruits there, so they grow well. If you like them, ask him to pick more in the future."
After saying this, Grandma Xie told them to go to bed early and not play too late, then she went back to the house.
Han Yin ate the wild strawberries one bite at a time with gusto: "Yaoyao, you are so lucky. Xie Zhao is so good to you. He always remembers to bring you wild fruits every time he goes up the mountain."
Under normal circumstances, Cheng Yaoyao would have pinched his waist and proudly enumerated Xie Zhao's various advantages. However, Cheng Yaoyao was a little absent-minded at this moment. He put on a small cardigan and walked out.
Zhang Xiaofeng asked: "Yaoyao, where are you going?"
"I...I'm afraid it's cold at night, so I'll go to grandma's room to get a blanket."
Cheng Yaoyao picked up a candle and hurried out of the room.
The old house had not yet been equipped with electric lights, and in the moonless night, darkness was like a big blanket that covered her face. The light of the candle could only illuminate a small circle around her. Cheng Yaoyao walked towards Xie Zhao's room holding a candle, and darkness closed in behind her.
The old house that was familiar in the daytime became unfamiliar in the darkness. The high roof, the mottled walls with carved patterns on all four sides, and the pitch-black doorway in front...
The wind blew, the candlelight flickered a few times, then went out, and a wisp of white smoke dissipated in the darkness.
She was standing by the screen wall in the hall, only a dozen steps away from Xie Zhao's room. Cheng Yaoyao reached out and touched the wall, intending to walk with the help of it.
I stretched out my hand, but found nothing!
Cheng Yaoyao's back suddenly felt cold. She stood there crying, not daring to move. The draft kept blowing through, lifting her hair and skirt. Cheng Yaoyao's snow-white, straight calves were numb from the cold, and it seemed as if something was staring at her in the darkness.
All the horrible memories that she had deliberately suppressed came flooding back. Cheng Nuonuo's snake-like smile, the middle-aged man approaching her with lust and greed, and... When she and Xie Zhao left the hut, the middle-aged man was beaten to a bloody mess, lying in the thorn bush like a pile of rotten meat, not knowing whether he was dead or alive.
Cheng Yaoyao's nerves were like a stretched rubber band, becoming increasingly tense.
A hand fell on her shoulder.
"......!!!" Cheng Yaoyao's nerves were completely broken, and she screamed. A big hand covered her mouth, followed by a warm and broad embrace: "It's me."
The familiar warm breath enveloped Cheng Yaoyao, and her heart instantly fell back to where it was, and she buried her face tightly in Xie Zhao's arms. The spring night was warm and cold, and Cheng Yaoyao was only wearing a thin nightgown. Her back shivered under Xie Zhao's palm, and she didn't know whether it was cold or frozen.
Xie Zhao's breath fell into her ear and he asked in a low voice: "What's wrong?"
Cheng Yaoyao complained to Xie Zhao aggrievedly: "...the wall is gone, I'm scared...I'm scared to death..."
With a "hiss", Xie Zhao lit a match and took a look. The old wall was right behind Cheng Yaoyao. Cheng Yaoyao was frightened and had lost his way.
It turned out to be a false alarm. Cheng Yaoyao burst into laughter and looked up at Xie Zhao. His face was reflected in light and dark, and the firelight was reflected in his narrow eyes, which looked particularly cold and deep.
The match went out and everything around sank into darkness again.
"I'm not afraid anymore." Xie Zhao picked up Cheng Yaoyao, holding him like a baby. Cheng Yaoyao crossed his legs around his strong and thin waist, and put his arms around his neck. Xie Zhao asked, "Why did you run out?"
Cheng Yaoyao whispered, "I wanted to go to your room."
Xie Zhao took a deep breath and carried Cheng Yaoyao back to the room.
Xie Zhao's room was divided into two parts, the outer room was used to store various medicinal materials and animal furs all year round, and the inner room only had a heavy wooden bed, covered with a straw mat, a bamboo pillow, and a thin blanket. The room was filled with a faint smell of medicine and fur, which unexpectedly matched Xie Zhao's temperament. What Cheng Yaoyao smelled was a strong and cold yang energy. She seemed to be soaked in a pool of hot water, and her toes curled up.
Cheng Yaoyao rarely comes to his room because of this.
Xie Zhao wanted to put Cheng Yaoyao on the bed, but Cheng Yaoyao held his neck tightly and refused to let go: "Don't sit on the bed."
Xie Zhao had no choice but to hold her and let Cheng Yaoyao light the candles on the table.
A small ball of dim candlelight lit up in the room, and Cheng Yaoyao could see Xie Zhao's face clearly. There was a slight smile on the corner of his lips.
"You're such a pampered girl." Xie Zhao shook her gently.
Cheng Yaoyao didn't smile like usual, but said aggrievedly: "Why did you come back so late?"
"There's something going on in the ground."
Cheng Yaoyao didn't believe it: "Did you go to the back mountain today? You picked those wild strawberries there, right?"
Xie Zhao didn't comment, and rubbed her chin and cheeks affectionately: "Yeah."
Cheng Yaoyao itched and tilted his head to avoid him, burying his head in his shoulder, sniffing the refreshing scent of Xie Zhao after his shower, like a cat sniffing cat mint: "Then have you seen Cheng Nonuo and that man? How are they..."
Cheng Yaoyao suddenly shuddered violently, and his whole body tensed up.
Xie Zhao naturally noticed her abnormality and gently stroked her hair: "What's wrong?"
Cheng Yaoyao raised her head after a long time. The bloodshot on her pretty face disappeared. She stared at him blankly with her peach blossom eyes: "You smell of blood."
Xie Zhaohuan's arms around her tightened instantly.
The two of them hugged each other face to face. Cheng Yaoyao liked this position very much. She could look into Xie Zhao's eyes closely. His eyes were much more honest than his own, and filled with boundless love and enthusiasm. But the light was dim tonight, and she couldn't see Xie Zhao's eyes clearly. She only heard him ask, "What do you want to ask?"
"Did you...kill both of them..." Cheng Yaoyao's throat seemed to be strangled by an invisible hand, and he felt a chill in his heart.
Xie Zhao's warm breath fell on Cheng Yaoyao's face, and he touched her lips. With a faint smile in his voice, he asked, "What do you think?"
"You...you..." Cheng Yaoyao was caught in Xie Zhao's arm, unable to dodge and unable to speak.
Xie Zhao kissed her a few times, and her sweet lips were not as soft as usual, but actually cold.
He stepped back a little, and then he saw Cheng Yaoyao with his eyes tightly closed, water droplets hanging on his curled eyelashes. He looked like a frightened cat, or like a crabapple tree trembling with tender buds after being hit by rain. He looked so pitiful.
Xie Zhao's smile faded, with a hint of hurt that was hard to detect: "Are you afraid of me?"
Cheng Yaoyao cried, "You killed someone! Of course I'm scared!"
She lowered her voice and trembled all over. In the light, her pretty face was like a pearl, her eyes were filled with tears and fear, and her hands were still against Xie Zhao's chest, preventing him from getting close.
“The smell of blood is so strong… ah!”
Cheng Yaoyao let out a low cry and was thrown onto the bed.
Xie Zhao stood beside the bed, his tall figure half hidden in the darkness, his jawline tense. His voice was low, as if he was asking himself: "Sister, are you afraid of me?"
Cheng Yaoyao didn't notice the surging emotions in Xie Zhao's eyes at all, and kept hiding: "Did you kill someone?"
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