Fang Muyang placed some shrimp in Fei Ni’s bowl. “Eat more. I had a good lunch today.”

Since starting work in the dining department, Fang Muyang saved on lunch expenses as meals were provided. With the money saved on lunch, he became increasingly generous with spending, giving half his manuscript payment to Fei Ni while spending his half mostly on food.

After washing up, Fei Ni put on her cotton jacket and leaned over the low cabinet to write her review of the comic book.

The charcoal stove burned well, the chestnuts inside growing increasingly hot.

When the fire died down, Fang Muyang walked behind Fei Ni. She flipped the paper face-down, propping her elbows on the table to prevent him from seeing.

Looking at the overturned paper, Fang Muyang said, “What are you writing? Let me see.”

“It’s nothing to do with you.”

“Nothing to do with me? Whose name are you planning to publish under this time?” Fang Muyang had already guessed most of it. When his previous comic book was published, someone named Tian Xueying had published a review in the newspaper. The name seemed familiar – his father-in-law sometimes called his mother-in-law “Xueying,” and this enthusiastic reader’s former workplace was the hat factory, where his mother-in-law had worked. But his mother-in-law hadn’t written anything.

Though discovered, Fei Ni still refused to write in front of Fang Muyang.

“Then keep writing.”

After a while, Fang Muyang used tongs to retrieve the chestnuts and returned behind Fei Ni. This time she didn’t flip the paper over but covered the writing with her hands. Fang Muyang brought a peeled chestnut to her lips. Fei Ni opened her mouth slightly, waiting for him to feed her. But he just teased her lower lip with it. Annoyed, she closed her mouth, refusing to eat.

Fang Muyang spoke up then: “I worked hard roasting these chestnuts for you, at least have a bite.” Fei Ni ignored him, but he kept teasing her lips with the chestnut until she felt ticklish and had to open her mouth.

Several times over, Fang Muyang used the chestnut to coax Fei Ni’s mouth, but when she opened it, he wouldn’t feed her. When she ignored him, he would pry her lips open again and finally give her the chestnut.

After several rounds, Fei Ni finally couldn’t take it anymore. “I have my own hands. Go do your work.”

“I have a favor to ask you today. I’m afraid you won’t agree, so I’m trying to get on your good side.”

“Is that how you try to get on someone’s good side?”

“Then teach me how to please you so you’ll help me.”

Fang Muyang stopped teasing Fei Ni, pulled up a chair beside her, and peeled chestnuts to feed her.

After eating several, Fei Ni said, “I’m done eating. Just tell me directly, what do you want me to help with?”

Fang Muyang crossed his hands over his nose and mouth, leaving only his eyes visible as he watched her, a smile slowly spreading from his eyes. Fei Ni knew his eyes could be deceptive, but sometimes she still fell for it. His eyes were particularly expressive, almost as if designed for his profession – even when he stared intently at a girl, others and even the girl herself would think it was just for artistic observation, without any hidden motives.

Even so, his gaze still made her uncomfortable.

Fang Muyang just studied her carefully without speaking.

Fei Ni asked, “What do you want me to do?” She had some idea but thought if it was that, he wouldn’t have stated it so directly earlier.

“You know the room isn’t very warm. Every night when I go to sleep, I feel cold. Could you warm up my bed before I sleep, so it’s not so cold when I lie down?”

Hearing his words, Fei Ni’s face grew warm. She lowered her head, avoiding his gaze. “I thought you weren’t afraid of cold. You got paid but didn’t buy yourself any new clothes. And don’t you take cold showers every day?”

Fang Muyang smiled. “That’s exactly why I need a warm bed after a cold shower.” He stood behind Fei Ni, his finger sliding from her forehead down to the tip of her nose.

“Then use a hot water bottle.”

“I don’t like hot water bottles. I prefer living, breathing people.”

“Then just stay cold.”

“Could you bear that?”

“What’s there for me to bear?” Fei Ni swatted his hand away. “Stop fooling around. Don’t you have work to do today?”

“How should I please you to make you agree?”

Fang Muyang’s hands squeezed her shoulders, slowly sliding down, stopping at a certain spot. His fingers caressed her while asking, “Is this enough? If not…”

Fei Ni clenched her teeth and swatted his arm. “Stop it.”

Unfazed by her swatting, Fang Muyang continued his persuasion.

Unable to resist, Fei Ni melted into the chair, her voice slightly hoarse: “After I finish writing.”

Fang Muyang’s fingers lingered a while longer before he retreated to draw.

Fei Ni lay in Fang Muyang’s bed, covers pulled to her chest, holding up a novel with both hands. Now Fang Muyang didn’t bother her, showing only his back as he focused intently on drawing.

The bedding had been washed and sun-dried, still carrying a faint scent of soap powder. Though clean, it was wrinkled. Fei Ni lay on the pillow against the wall, reading the novel distractedly as she waited for Fang Muyang. Being Saturday, they had an unspoken understanding about this day.

After reading for a while, she put the book aside and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

Fang Muyang asked, “Can I sleep now?”

Fei Ni knew he was asking deliberately, waiting for her to specifically invite him over. She refused to give in and ignored him.

When she didn’t respond, he didn’t ask again.

Fei Ni heard the door close as Fang Muyang left, and after some time, he returned.

She heard his footsteps drawing closer and closer.

He sat beside her, his fingers tracing her features. His hands were cold from the water, but Fei Ni maintained her pretense of sleep, showing no reaction. Fang Muyang unwrapped a preserved plum candy, his fingers caressing her lips. Fei Ni stubbornly kept her mouth closed, so he pinched her nose, forcing her to breathe through her mouth. When she slightly parted her lips, he slipped the candy in, and she had no choice but to accept it. His fingers patiently traced her lips, and after the candy had completely dissolved between her lips and teeth, his fingers pried her mouth open again, and Fei Ni sucked on his fingers as she had the candy.

Fei Ni was tormented by Fang Muyang’s patience, suspecting he was deliberately making her wait as revenge for her recent refusals.

Fang Muyang lay beside Fei Ni, turning her face toward him to kiss her through the blanket between them. Fei Ni waited for him to join her under the covers, but he remained outside, probably waiting for her invitation. She refused to give in. Fang Muyang held her chin, trying to pry open her teeth, but Fei Ni remained unmoved, keeping them clenched. However, Fang Muyang knew her weakness too well. He took her hand, breathing warm air onto her palm and fingers. Fei Ni’s fingers trembled involuntarily, and he used her hand to tickle her sensitive spots. Fei Ni couldn’t hold back anymore and opened her mouth to speak, “Fang Muyang, stop it!”

“Isn’t it a bit formal to use my full name?” He continued using her hand to tickle her sensitive spots.

Fei Ni was too ticklish and had to soften her tone, addressing him as he preferred.

Fang Muyang asked, “Is the bed warm now? Can I come in?”

Fei Ni remained silent.

“You tickle me too.” Fang Muyang guided her hand under his shirt – he must have just showered with cold water, as his skin was cool.

When Fei Ni’s fingers touched him, he was still warm. Fang Muyang loosened his grip on her hand, and Fei Ni finally pulled it away, unable to resist swatting him. Though she had meant to hit hard, the force dissipated when her hand fell.

Fang Muyang complained it was too light. “Hit harder, it helps with the itch.”

Fei Ni cursed him softly, “Shameless!”

“Can I come in now?” Fang Muyang’s hand found a gap and slipped under the covers, his fingers seemingly asking the same question.

Fei Ni couldn’t bear his teasing fingers anymore and said with a red face: “Fine.”

Fang Muyang moved close to her ear, “Fine what?”

“Come in or don’t, whatever you want!”

In an instant, another person joined Fei Ni under the covers.

Fei Ni had started with a plaid cotton blanket, but now it was replaced by Fang Muyang. The new covering was too heavy, and because of its weight, she was covered in sweat, as if it were summer rather than winter. At first, she thought the sweat was her own, but gradually realized most of it was his, his sweat mixing with hers until they couldn’t tell whose was whose.

His passionate efforts inevitably produced some sounds.

At first, Fei Ni worried about the neighbor’s hearing, but gradually forgot as she had no spare attention for such concerns.

Due to his inexperience, Fang Muyang never fully satisfied Fei Ni in a single night. The first time he was always too impatient, focused only on himself with no energy left to consider Fei Ni’s feelings. The second time he was overly ceremonious, asking about Fei Ni’s feelings at every detail until her face burned hotter and hotter. Only on the third try would he achieve a balance, knowing what she wanted without having to ask.

When Fei Ni woke up, it was already light outside, sunlight creeping through gaps in the curtains into her eyes. She saw the marks she had left on Fang Muyang’s body – to keep from crying out, her nails had dug into his flesh.

Fang Muyang’s eyes were closed, and Fei Ni thought he was still asleep. Her fingers slowly traced the marks she had made, not realizing at the time how hard she had gripped him.

Her fingers lingered on a bright red mark, not moving away. Fang Muyang took her hand, but her fingers still traced near the spot as she asked, “Does it hurt?”

“No.”

“When can we get a new house?” As soon as she said it, Fei Ni felt greedy – many people couldn’t even get a room like this one.

Perhaps when she had thirty years of seniority, they might get a larger room. Thirty years of seniority seemed impossible to imagine.

Fang Muyang stroked Fei Ni’s ear with his finger. “We’ll be able to get a new house soon.” Recently, many previously confiscated private properties had been returned, suddenly increasing the number of houses available for rent. However, renting a good house requires money. The urgent task was to earn more.

Fei Ni thought Fang Muyang’s “soon” meant three to five years. If he could get a formal job, maybe in three to five years they could be assigned a small room, and they could trade their two small rooms for one larger one.

Fang Muyang’s words gave Fei Ni more hope for the future.

Thinking this, she hugged him tightly.

They both believed the future would only get better.