Chapter 33: Stomach Problems "No matter how much I hate you, I can't...
This year's Spring Festival comes late, in early February.
But before I knew it, it was almost time.
Zhui Lian leaned against the passenger window, watching the windbreaks passing by outside, like rows of silent gray-green guards.
When the car window is rolled down, you can smell the salty and humid sea breeze that is so close to you.
Pei Zhiyu has been in a good mood recently.
She often sticks to Pei Zhiyu, and her dependence and attachment do not seem fake. It seems that she really loves him and cannot live without him. She is determined to help him change and live a good life with him.
And this gentleness seemed to have woven a shaky network of trust. After coming out of the sixth floor, he would take her out from time to time.
Sometimes it was at the riding stable, he helped her mount the horse, but he always kept the reins tightly in his own hands; sometimes it was at the opera house, he pinched her fingers in the darkness of the private hall, while the aria on the stage was melodious; sometimes it was at a top collection museum, he pointed to the treasures in the glass cabinet and whispered to her if she liked it.
It is a leak, but it is only a leak of cage displacement.
So this morning, Zhui Lian suddenly asked how they were spending the Spring Festival and asked Pei Zhiyu if he wanted to go back to the Pei family.
After receiving a negative answer, she suggested that they go to the beach.
She said, "Honey, do you remember the time we went to Wusong for a barbecue during the summer vacation of our second year of high school?"
Wusong is a seaside town not far from S City.
Pei Zhiyu's lips curved slightly: "Hmm."
"Everyone was so noisy and lively at that time, but it's a pity that what happened in the end was not very good."
She turned her head to look at Pei Zhiyu, regret and nostalgia intertwined in her eyes. "The Spring Festival is coming soon. Let's go there again, just the two of us, and celebrate the Spring Festival there, okay?"
Pei Zhiyu also looked at her, his eyes scanning her face carefully, as if trying to discern how much truth and falsehood there was in the nostalgia.
In the end, the subtle joy brought by memories prevailed.
"Okay," he heard himself say, "As long as the baby is happy, anything is fine."
Zhui Lian's heart, which had been hanging in his throat, finally settled down.
He agreed.
He agreed.
Wusong Town is close to the sea, with many mudflats and a humid climate, which is very suitable for the growth of some salt-tolerant plants. Among them... among them is something that is not very attractive in appearance, but is crucial to her plan.
If I can still find it, if I can still find it——
It was God who helped her.
*
Wusong Town hasn't changed much.
Zhui Lian said that staying in a resort hotel did not feel like celebrating the Spring Festival, so Pei Zhiyu bought a small house by the sea for the two of them to live in.
There are also few tourists around the Spring Festival.
The sea is blue, the sand is golden, the white waves surge up and down, and the world is incredibly quiet.
Pei Zhiyu made thorough preparations.
Grill, stand, ice bucket... everything is laid out on the sand.
Zhui Lian wandered around.
Of course, it was the surroundings within Pei Zhiyu's field of vision.
In the gravel beach behind the beach, a small clump of gray-green appeared before my eyes.
Inconspicuous, spindly grass.
“Eh—”
She turned to look at Pei Zhiyu who was setting up the barbecue grill, and said in a surprised tone, "There's actually this here."
Pei Zhiyu looked over and walked over.
He squatted beside Zhui Lian and watched her pick a handful of tender leaves.
"Wife, what is this?" he asked softly.
Zhui Lian put the leaf under his nose and sniffed it, then handed one to Pei Zhiyu, motioning him to smell it too.
"This is called ash grass. There are a lot of them in Qingjiang. We often boil the leaves of this grass in water and drink it. It tastes a bit bitter, but it is very effective in reducing internal heat."
She naturally directed Pei Zhiyu and said, "Husband, go get me a bag. I want to pick some."
Zhui Lian: "The barbecue caused a fire, so I boiled some water to drink."
"good."
Pei Zhiyu nodded and returned to the greenhouse with the gray grass leaf that Zhui Lian gave him.
He knew that Zhui Lian came from Qingjiang, a closed, backward and superstitious mountain village, so it was not surprising that he could identify some wild herbs.
But he still searched the encyclopedia after seeing that it was indeed just an ordinary herb, so he sent another message to Fu Dongli.
Pei Zhiyu: [Didn't you go to Qingjiang last time to collect material for a documentary about the mountains and wilds?]
Pei Zhiyu: [See if there is anything wrong with this grass.]
Fu Dongli: [...Why, your wife gave it to you? Do you suspect she was trying to poison you?]
Pei Zhiyu: [No.]
Pei Zhiyu: [She loves me very much now and can't leave me.]
Fu Dongli on the other side seemed speechless, and sent three ellipsis marks "...". It took a long time before he replied, saying that it was indeed a common heat-clearing herb.
Pei Zhiyu carried the bag for Zhui Lian and followed her.
Zhui Lian then randomly picked a few other grass leaves and inconspicuous flowers from the surrounding area, with a natural expression, as if she really just found the thing interesting.
Occasionally, when she looked back, she could see Pei Zhiyu taking out his mobile phone and taking pictures of the new herbs in the bag, wondering who he was sending them to.
As she walked back, she glanced at the other person's screen.
The WeChat name on the other side is four characters——
See you in the pavilion.
She couldn't see the last word clearly, and could only vaguely see the bottom of the word "kou".
The setting sun was slowly sinking into the sea level, dyeing the sky and the sea a warm golden color. The fire in the grill was lit, and the charcoal was burning red.
Zhui Lian walked behind Pei Zhiyu who was placing the skewers on the grill, put her arms around his waist, and rested her chin on his shoulder.
"Honey, I want to try it too."
Pei Zhiyu gently reached out a hand and patted her hand on his waist, seeming a little hesitant: "Baby, the smoke is a bit strong, I'm afraid it will choke you."
"But I'm curious."
Zhui Lian didn't say anything, but just stood on tiptoe and covered his eyes.
"May I?"
Her soft fingertips rested on the other's eyelids and stroked them gently. She leaned over and followed with her lips, pecking the corner of Pei Zhiyu's lips.
"Brother Zhiyu——" she called out softly.
The refreshing breath of the person behind him rushed over and filled his entire heart. Pei Zhiyu's ears and eyes became hot and his whole body was filled with heat because of Zhui Lian's call.
He felt his mouth dry and his voice hoarse: "...Okay."
Pei Zhiyu retreated to a beach chair nearby, sat down, tilted his head back and took a few gulps of water, feeling a little anxious.
The transparent liquid slid down the jawline, flowed over the Adam's apple that rolled up and down, and finally sank into the collar.
He looked at Zhui Lian's thin and frail figure standing in front of the grill not far away.
His young wife had just put her hands behind her back and tied her long chestnut curly hair into a low bun, revealing the slender white neck buried under the long hair.
The sea breeze blew her hair, and her graceful profile was illuminated by the firelight.
That soft voice rang in my mind again:
"Brother Zhiyu——"
Pei Zhiyu took a deep breath and drank half a bottle of water.
Some part of his body also began to feel hot. The empty mineral water bottle creaked in his hand and deflated again and again under the heavy burden.
He tried hard to suppress this reaction, this impulse.
He told himself—
She doesn't like it.
He wants to change, and he is changing.
In stark contrast to Pei Zhiyu's rich inner drama is what Zhui Lian is doing.
As the oil dripped, flames leaped up, sizzling, and the aroma of burnt meat filled the air.
Zhui Lian suffered discrimination since childhood due to her identity as the River God's Bride, but in order to deal with the children who bullied her, she actually learned some skills that ordinary people don't have, such as lip reading, and... the special uses of some herbs.
The juice of the gray grass leaves accidentally dripped onto the brush in his hand, and the movement was skillful and covert.
Dip the brush in a layer of oil and brush it over the roasted chicken wings until they are shiny.
"husband!"
Zhui Lian raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, then turned and called Pei Zhiyu, her voice gentle, "Would you like to try it? I remember you like it burnt a little."
Pei Zhiyu walked over, took it, and took a bite.
The skin of the chicken wings was roasted until golden brown, but the inside was half-cooked, and one could even taste a strange bitterness when chewing it.
His expression changed a little.
Zhui Lian looked at him eagerly: "Husband, I baked this for you myself, isn't it delicious?"
The strange taste of half-cooked food still lingered in Pei Zhiyu's mouth. He couldn't speak immediately because of the strange taste, but Zhui Lian's eyes became more and more hurt.
"It's fine."
She reached out, wanting to take the skewers from his hand, and said lightly, "If it doesn't taste good, then don't eat it. It's okay."
Pei Zhiyu couldn't bear to say anything harsh anymore. He quickly whispered, "No, no, how could the baby's food not be delicious?"
"My husband likes it the most, look—"
He coaxed Zhui Lian gently, gritted his teeth, and ate it all in one bite.
He ate it expressionlessly.
I almost swallowed the bones in one breath.
"Isn't this finished?"
Zhui Lian picked up the tissue at the right time and stood on tiptoe to wipe Pei Zhiyu's face gently. She blinked and said, "Thank you, husband. You are so kind."
She hugged his waist, snuggled in his arms, and said, "Then I'll grill another skewer for you."
Pei Zhiyu almost couldn't swallow the half-eaten food.
"What's wrong?"
Zhui Lian, who was nestled in Pei Zhiyu's arms, seemed to feel his body stiffen. She looked up at him in confusion: "Husband, don't you want to eat?"
Pei Zhiyu couldn't help but closed his eyes.
"How could that be?" Soon, his voice became gentle again, as if water could drip out of it. "Eat, I'll eat it all. I'll eat whatever Lianlian gives me."
*
The sharp pain came in the second half of the night.
Pei Zhiyu felt that his stomach was being twisted, pulled, and turned around and around by an invisible hand.
He glanced at Zhui Lian who was sleeping soundly in his arms, suppressed the groan that was about to burst out of his throat, and wanted to gently remove the other person's hand from his waist.
bathroom.
He is going to the bathroom.
Just go to the bathroom and endure it all night.
Stomachache is an old problem that started that year. By dawn... as long as I can make it through to dawn, everything will be fine.
No matter how painful it was, could it be more painful than the beatings and kicks Pei Qianhuang had inflicted on him over the years?
After grilling meat for him for so long during the day, his Lianlian was already very tired, and he couldn't... couldn't wake her up again.
She doesn't like this.
Wouldn't like him either.
But things often go against one's wishes. Just as he was trying to get out of bed by holding onto the bedside table, the person on the bed seemed to turn over.
A pair of hands climbed up his waist.
——Zhui Lian woke up.
"Honey, what's wrong with you?" Zhui Lian rubbed her eyes, looking extremely confused. "Why are you sitting up in the middle of the night?"
She glanced at Pei Zhiyu's hand pressed tightly against her stomach and asked in surprise, "Are you having a stomachache?"
Pei Zhiyu had his back to her, his voice sounding very gentle, without any flaws: "It's okay... I'm fine, baby, go to sleep."
Zhui Lian was suspicious: "Are you really okay? Then why did you get up?"
"I just went to the bathroom." Pei Zhiyu smiled and said, "Wife, go to bed quickly. It's very late."
"How can you be fine? Don't I know what's wrong with your stomach? Is it because I didn't cook the meat well enough that you had problems after eating it?"
Yes, she baked it half-baked on purpose.
This way, if Pei Zhiyu felt stomach discomfort, he would only think that her baking skills were too poor and would not suspect that she had done anything wrong.
But Zhui Lian's voice sounded anxious at the moment, almost crying. She rushed over and held Pei Zhiyu's shoulders: "Turn around, turn around, let me see you."
Pei Zhiyu didn't turn his head, but took out one hand to hold Zhui Lian's hand and whispered: "Baby, don't cry, don't cry, I'm fine... Really fine..."
He seemed to slow down before continuing, "I'm going to the bathroom... I'll just sleep it out for the night."
Zhui Lian grabbed Pei Zhiyu's shoulders forcefully and turned him over.
The other person's face was pale and bloodless.
Cold sweat, dripping down his forehead.
It seems that the mixture of ash grass leaf juice and chicken has a very good effect on the stomach ache.
Pei Zhiyu was already extremely weak.
Zhui Lian looked at him for a long moment, then jumped out of bed and said without hesitation, "It's too late, we can't even order takeout. I'll go to town and get you some medicine."
Pei Zhiyu, who was so weak that he couldn't even lift his hand just now, suddenly burst out with great strength, grabbed Zhui Lian's wrist and held it tightly.
He wouldn't let her go.
"No." When the pain is extreme, the words spoken by the person are trembling, but these two words were enunciated with incredible clarity.
"You can't go."
Pei Zhiyu's gaze was fixed on Zhui Lian, his dark eyes fixed on her motionlessly, "I can't let you go."
He was still afraid that she would run away.
No physical pain would drive him to death more than her leaving him.
"Pei Zhiyu!" Zhui Lian's wrist was hurt by his grip, and her voice suddenly rose, "Are you trying to kill yourself?"
Pei Zhiyu's pupils moved very slowly, and he spoke very slowly, very slowly: "If the price of life is losing you, then I don't want it."
"At least..." He coughed violently and vomited a mouthful of blood on the ground.
Bright red, spreading across the wooden floor tiles.
Eye-catching.
"Before I die..."
He laughed very softly, "You still belong to me."
"Pei Zhiyu, if you really died," Zhui Lian looked at him with tearful eyes, "have you ever thought about... what would happen to me?"
Pei Zhiyu was stunned for a while.
His heart was suddenly filled with a huge sense of satisfaction. It turned out... it turned out that his Lianlian still cared about his life or death.
very nice.
"Baby...are you afraid that I will die?" he whispered.
Pei Zhiyu raised his hand to tuck a strand of hair that had fallen on Zhui Lian's cheek behind her ear, but Zhui Lian glared at him and slapped his hand away.
Zhui Lian pointed at the pool of blood on the ground and said, "I know you're afraid I'll run away, but you've already vomited blood, Pei Zhiyu!
"I'm really...really worried that something might happen to you. I finally...finally saw some signs of change in you, and I was thinking, just the two of us, should just keep living like this..."
She sighed. "Besides, I'm covered in tracking devices you installed. How could I possibly get away? Please stop being suspicious, okay?"
Pei Zhiyu held Zhui Lian's wrist, looked down at their clasped hands, and seemed to be thinking.
No sound.
"I remember."
Zhui Lian's eyes turned red, "That year at the beach barbecue, you were trying to protect me and got beaten up and had a stomach bleed. After that, my stomach got worse and worse. I remember it all.
She whispered, "No matter how much I hate you, I can't run away from something like this and leave you alone."
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Zhui Lian: I just act like an acting school every day [rainbow fart]
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