At this time of year, the water cools quickly. Add a little cold water, and by the time he finishes washing, Li Feng will need warm water, but it will cool down after a few minutes.
Li Feng saw that he had just started and left the water, so he added two scoops of cold water.
He told Lu Liu to wash first, but he didn’t leave. He lingered inside, watching, using his eyes to strip Lu Liu’s clothes off, embarrassing Lu Liu so much that he didn’t want to bathe anymore and just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.
Li Feng knew he was reluctant to use water and firewood, so he urged him to hurry up.
“Wait a little longer, the water will get cold.”
Lu Liu urged him to leave, but Li Feng said, “I still want to carry you inside.”
Lu Liu thought about it and decided that it would be the same if she took off her clothes and then called him in.
Besides, they had already bathed together last time, so it didn’t matter.
He turned his back and took off his clothes.
In winter, it was taboo to take your time when bathing, as it wasn’t cold enough.
He took off his clothes as if Li Feng wasn’t there, closing his eyes and doing it quickly.
Li Feng had a bit of a lecherous look in his eyes, but he didn’t cause any trouble at this moment.
Lu Liu had never had such a comfortable bath in his life. In the summer, he would just splash some water on himself and wash quickly, never taking the time to enjoy it.
The last time he took a bath, he felt comfortable. But then things got out of hand, and he forgot what it felt like to take a bath.
Today, he was able to enjoy a comfortable bath, which took about 15 minutes. When he came out, he called Li Feng to carry him.
Without the hot water, he shivered from the cold.
The bed was already warm. Lu Liu wasn’t wearing any clothes, so he pulled the cotton coat out from under the blanket. He was wrapped in the warm blanket, naked, and closed his eyes in bliss.
Every inch of his skin was red. Lying in the blankets, only his red face was visible, and his eyes were wet with joy, very alluring.
Li Feng touched his face: “Wait, I’ll be back in a moment.”
Lu Liu wanted to wait, but he was too comfortable. After fighting the sleepy bug a hundred and eight times, he couldn’t get up. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
There was nothing to do tonight, and he wouldn’t have time to eat chicken in the morning because he had to go to the county seat.
Speaking of this, Lu Liu remembered.
“Yao Fulang returned the picture book to me. I traded him another one so he could keep looking at it. Then I asked him to teach me mountain songs, but he said mountain songs are only fun when sung by men. What does that mean?”
Since Yao Fulang said that, Lu Liu felt too embarrassed to ask others. He had planned to ask Li Feng earlier, but in the commotion, he forgot.
Li Feng said they were being troublesome: “You two can sing, can’t you? Just learn it; it’s not that difficult.”
Lu Liu was curious: “What’s the deal? What’s so special about these mountain songs?”
Li Feng watched him put on his shoes and said, “I don’t know about other places, but here, mountain songs used to be calls to the mountains. When relatives went into the mountains and didn’t come back for a long time, their families would worry and shout into the mountains. The mountains echoed, and those who had gone into the mountains could hear the echoes. Over time, they developed a melody.
Later, a certain village chief came up with an idea: young men who had recently entered the mountains were told to find wives or husbands. Why do young men run around? Isn’t it just for marriage and having children? But shouting in the mountains is dangerous. So the village chief came up with another idea: we’ll host a banquet, with men on one side and young men and women on the other. Only those who dare to express their love can marry the person they desire. Those words were hummed into a song.”
In the past, the people in the village were united and not so scattered. Back then, when people went into the mountains, several families would pool their resources to host a banquet.
If they didn’t return, it was a farewell banquet. They would invite people to liven up the atmosphere and sing songs.
Mountain songs have a melody. Once in the mountains, humming a few lines would give them something to think about, strengthening their will to survive and increasing their chances of coming out alive.
Lu Liu didn’t know about these past events, and listening to them made his heart ache.
He still remembered what Yao Fulang had said: before going into the mountains, Li Feng would always come out covered in blood.
He felt sorry for him, but out of respect for Li Feng’s dignity, he never asked.
All that was in the past now, and he just wanted to take care of Li Feng and reduce his risks.
The two lines Lu Liu had learned from Yao Fulang were just the beginning, not bold declarations of love. Li Feng taught her entire sections, which were like passionate confessions, and Lu Liu learned each line, responding to each one.
They got up early, before dawn, with the cold wind blowing on their faces, but his face was hot and flushed.
Lu Liu sang for a while, then felt embarrassed. She sat next to Li Feng and squeezed his hand, which wasn’t holding the reins. Both of them were wearing thick fur gloves, so they couldn’t touch each other’s hands, but Lu Liu was still happy.
New Village.
Chen Guizhi got up early and cooked some porridge.
She opened the courtyard gate, saw the two of them coming, and invited Lu Liu to the kitchen to drink a bowl of hot porridge to warm up.
Li Feng first loaded all the rice cakes onto the cart.
After the rice cakes were made, they were all packed in baskets, which took up more space than rice sacks, and one cart couldn’t hold them all.
Soon, Sanmiao drove over, with his husband Miao Xiaohuo in the car.
Li Feng wasn’t sure, so he told them to go ahead and look around first: “We still need to discuss the price.”
Sanmiao wasn’t in a hurry: “Let’s go to a restaurant. Do you remember the mutton soup restaurant we ate at before? I’ll take Xiaohuo there to try it. You guys talk, and we’ll eat for a while.”
Li Feng couldn’t help but glance at Sanmiao a few times.
Alright, this guy is also a doting husband.
Chen Guizhi heard the voices outside and came out to invite them inside for porridge.
Sanmiao still wanted to refuse, but Chen Guizhi gave him a stern look, so he took Xiaohe inside.
Lu Liu helped serve the porridge.
There was glutinous rice at home recently, so Chen Guizhi grabbed a couple of handfuls to cook the porridge, which turned out extra thick and fragrant.
Farmers’ cooking is mostly the same.
Pure rice porridge is too rice-intensive and bland, so it needs a side dish.
Chen Guizhi also stir-fried cabbage with oil and added it to the rice porridge. The cooking method is the same as making steamed rice.
Lu Liu ate half a bowl, and Chen Guizhi called him into the house and said, “I know you’re close to your brother, and I’m not an unreasonable person. I’ve already discussed the price with Dafeng, and we’ve already lowered it. If it’s below the quoted price, it’s not that we’re refusing to do business with you or not giving you face—it’s just that we can’t do it. Mountain products have their own value; if the price is too low, others won’t sell them. We buy at cost price; there’s no need to rush into this. You should talk to both sides later; don’t just favor your relatives.”
Lu Liu noted, “Alright. Mother, rest assured. My brother wants to help me find some work to supplement the household income; he won’t let me be at a disadvantage.”
Chen Guizhi spoke firmly, but the matter was handled with flexibility.
She completed a hat as scheduled, thinking that businesspeople are often out in the wind, and Lu Liu’s brother is also a young man, so she cut a piece of large leather and made a small vest.
The vest was warm to wear, and after finishing this piece, there were only scraps of fabric left at home.
A favor is worth a thousand gold pieces. Lu Liu’s family was generous, and so was she.
“Take this for your brother. This vest was made to fit your height, so it should be about right.”
Lu Liu was so moved her eyes turned red: “Thank you, Mother. My brother will thank you too!”
