Li Feng saw how excited he was and didn’t tease him, but took it out for him.
The small box of rouge was compact yet exquisite.
There were carved patterns on the box, depicting a flower neither of them recognized.
Opening the lid, one could smell the fragrance.
The rouge was red, a striking color in the room.
Lu Liu glanced at it and thought of the red from their wedding day, her smile growing deeper.
He looked up at Li Feng: “Da Feng, I don’t know how to apply rouge.”
Li Feng didn’t know either.
There was no mirror in their home, so Lu Liu couldn’t apply it himself. He asked Li Feng to help him.
Li Feng looked at him with his face tilted upward, his eyes filled with joy and shyness, and his heart was deeply moved. He had already found the box too small, so he reached out and scooped out a large chunk with his fingers.
An inappropriate analogy, but he felt the rouge was like blood—a single drop could spread into a large area.
He had taken too much and wanted to wipe it off.
Lu Liu couldn’t bear to waste it and made him scrape it back into the box.
After scraping it back, there was still too much rouge on Li Feng’s hands, and he didn’t know how to apply it properly, so he ended up making Lu Liu’s face bright red.
The more he applied, the redder it became. He tried to spread it more evenly, but ended up making her entire face unrecognizable.
He smiled happily, making Li Feng feel guilty.
A beautiful face, ruined by him.
Fortunately, Lu Liu couldn’t see it herself.
Li Feng finished by dotting her birthmark between her eyebrows.
Lu Liu became even more shy, blinking her eyes rapidly.
He was like water—the hot stove couldn’t dry out the moisture in his body, and his eyes sparkled with moisture, so tender you could pinch them.
His face turned red, his mole turned red, making his lips look pale.
Li Feng kissed him and said, “I’ll get you more meat to eat, so you can nourish yourself and replenish your strength.”
Lu Liu responded, seeming to agree, but in reality, he had taken a roundabout way to express his thoughts.
They were already lying on the bed together, yet he still dared to say such seductive words.
The next morning, Li Feng casually mentioned the arranged marriage to Lu Liu and told her the outcome.
His mother had no objections and would move in with them during the first month of the lunar year.
Lu Liu felt a great weight lifted from her heart. She wanted to cry, but seeing that Li Feng was not being serious and was just talking casually, she held back her tears and asked him, “There’s still one empty room left in the house. Will Mother and Shun Ge’er sleep in the same room?”
The main house had three rooms. Originally, the east room was occupied by the mother, the west room by Li Feng and Li Tian, the two brothers, and the small room at the back by Shun Ge.
Later, when Li Feng reached marriageable age, it was suggested that the mother and Shun Ge share a room, while Li Feng and Li Tian would be separated. After marriage, Li Feng would occupy a room alone. The marriage didn’t happen, so the plan fell through.
Later, it was Er Tian’s turn to get married.
The family learned from their mistake and hurriedly added two more rooms before the marriage talks began. The new rooms were detached from the main house and didn’t look very nice, so they were cleaned up and Shun Ge was moved there.
At the time, they had planned for Er Tian and his wife to occupy a room in the main house, with his mother also living there, while Li Feng would occupy the other room in the courtyard.
After the new village houses were completed, Li Feng lived alone in the village, going up the mountain every day. Even if he didn’t hunt anything good, he wouldn’t come back empty-handed. Today he would carry some firewood, tomorrow he would drag a tree, filling the house to capacity.
There was simply too much firewood for the two of them to use. Now they had cleared out one room to make a small shop and another half room to store a bathtub. The small house in the backyard is also filled with firewood, leaving only one room in the house, which is filled with miscellaneous items.
Next year, after burning some more firewood, they will be able to clear out another room.
“Hmm, we’ll make do for this year,” said Li Feng.
Lu Liu took note of this and started cleaning up after dinner.
“I was thinking of helping out with washing and drying clothes in the new village after finishing the household chores.”
Li Feng said honestly, “Everyone else is shirking their duties, why are you rushing to help?”
Lu Liu chuckled, “I guessed that Er Tian and the others would shirk their duties, so I wanted to help my mother.”
These words were truly heartwarming, and Li Feng felt at ease, thinking that all these efforts were worth it. First, to prepare for emergencies, and second, to try hunting if they came across good game.
His weapons have been used for years, and now only a few are truly reliable.
A long spear with an extended tip, capable of inflicting deeper wounds whether thrown or thrust.
A trident with barbed blades, more aggressive in attack. It can also be used as a fork to prevent prey from escaping.
A short knife, modeled after a pig-slaughtering knife, is used for close combat and for processing prey.
Then there are the bow and arrows. He carries ten arrows on his back, with thirty more in his quiver. The arrowheads are all made of iron. These are the tools he has accumulated over the years, reliable and efficient.
Today, he didn’t bring the trident, remembering the matter of the winter bamboo shoots, nor did he bring the spear, opting instead for a pickaxe. With the bow on his back, the knife in hand, and the pickaxe in his grasp, he set off.
Lu Liu watched him head into the mountains for the first time. Even after seeing him off at the courtyard gate, she still felt uneasy and walked further ahead, passing her own vegetable garden and then the homes of two elderly hunters.
Further ahead lay the deep, dense forest. Lu Liu had never been up the mountain before, but Yao Fulang said they could go up too—to dig wild vegetables, pick mushrooms, and gather fruits. In winter, they were too lazy to go, but their homes never lacked mountain produce to eat.
Li Feng told him to stay home: “I’ll be back this afternoon.”
Lu Liu knew he should obey and go home, not delaying his schedule, but his legs felt so heavy he couldn’t move.
Dai Qiang had held back for a long time, but finally couldn’t resist and revealed his true nature.
“Lu Fulang, just think of him as going to make rice cakes. It’s just a short distance—why worry? Don’t spoil your son Da Feng!”
The words were fine, but his voice was too loud.
Lu Liu agreed.
He was obedient and listened well.
Since he agreed, Li Feng gave him some more tasks to do.
“The goods we brought back last night haven’t been sorted yet. These are all items for sale, and we’ve already made the announcement. If neither of us is home, what will we do if someone comes to buy the goods?”
Lu Liu found his backbone and responded with much more determination.
“Okay! I’ll go back and sort the goods, tidy up the house, and steam some cured pork slices for you tonight!”
Li Feng watched him turn and walk away, not rushing into the mountains. After a while, he saw Lu Liu look back.
Lu Liu seemed startled, afraid that he wouldn’t listen and annoy Li Feng. They exchanged a glance, and he ran off quickly.
Li Feng then called Da Qiang to go into the mountains together.
Da Qiang casually said, “Newlywed couples are all like that. After a year or two of marriage, I’m like that too.”
Yao An didn’t even come to see him off.
Li Feng didn’t like hearing him talk and asked, “Are there still bamboo shoots to dig?”
The season for digging winter bamboo shoots had long passed, but the mountains were vast and the forests deep, and the few people in the village couldn’t possibly dig them all.
