With her lips firmly sealed by his, their noses pressed together, Xia Xia struggled to breathe. She panted heavily, her face turning bright red from the lack of air.
Her fingers gripped Xie Huai’s shoulders, but her recently trimmed nails couldn’t cause him any harm. She could only clutch his T-shirt, crumpling it into a wrinkled mess.
Xie Huai released her, lowering his head to plant light kisses on her face.
Xia Xia seized the chance to catch her breath. Being so close, their body heat mingled, causing her freshly showered body to break into sweat again.
Like a wolfdog, Xie Huai nuzzled her neck. “Already out of breath? Didn’t Ping Jiapeng teach you how to kiss?”
“Of course he did,” Xia Xia retorted. “I’m just slow at learning.”
Xie Huai squeezed her waist disapprovingly and bit her neck without mercy, his voice hoarse: “Where else did he kiss you?”
Xia Xia’s fair fingers pointed to her lips, then dotted around her delicate face: “Here, here, here, and here… let me think, I believe there were other places too…”
Xie Huai’s face darkened terribly. He had asked teasingly, not expecting her to answer. His grip tightened: “Did he kiss you like I do?”
Xia Xia gazed at him for a long while before bursting into laughter: “Are you silly? You’re like a wolf, always using your teeth, making me hurt. Ping Jiapeng was much more gentle than you.”
Xie Huai’s face fell.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, eyes sparkling: “But I prefer you this way.”
Xie Huai: “He kissed you before I did.”
Xia Xia blinked, hearing the hint of grievance in his forceful tone: “Why did he get to kiss you before me, to be with you before me? You’re always mentioning Chen Manxi, but I never complained.”
Xia Xia stroked Xie Huai’s hair like comforting a puppy: “From today on, let’s not mention past relationships anymore, okay?”
Xie Huai raised his ink-black eyes: “Fine, but I need to kiss everywhere he kissed to make it right.”
His expression was serious, and stern, yet somewhat childish, like a male animal with strong territorial instincts.
Xia Xia smiled brilliantly and boldly: “Go ahead.”
She spoke without thinking, simply wanting to be close to him.
But she regretted it ten minutes later. Once Xie Huai held her, he transformed into a wolfdog, kissing, biting, and licking until her face was covered in saliva, showing no signs of stopping. After her face, he moved to her chin, then her neck, then along her collarbone.
“That’s enough,” Xia Xia pushed him.
Xie Huai didn’t budge, lowering his head to capture her lips again.
“That’s enough,” Xia Xia complained about his sweaty body, hitting his shoulder. “Go take a shower first.”
Xie Huai sniffed around her body, looking quite satisfied: “No other scents left.”
When Xie Huai finally released her, Xia Xia clutched her precariously positioned towel and darted back to her room.
She changed into her undergarments and nightgown. When she came out, the moon was perfect, hanging round and full in the boundless sky.
Xie Huai hung his dirty clothes on the wooden rack by the door. Xia Xia retrieved clean clothes from his backpack, placed them by the door, and took his worn clothes to wash.
His pant leg had a hole in it. Holding it up to the light, she found two suspicious rows of teeth marks.
Xie Huai showered quickly, emerging dripping wet after just ten minutes. While drying his hair with a towel, he stepped out to find Xia Xia sitting on a bench by the courtyard well, drawing water to wash his clothes.
The dim courtyard light cast shadows on her slender form. Mosquitoes and insects fluttered around as she held his recently removed underwear.
Xie Huai blushed slightly.
“Washing Brother Huai’s underwear?” He approached her wearing only knee-length shorts, his upper body bare.
The moonlight illuminated his skin brightly, his upper body muscles taut and firm, giving off a sense of security while maintaining youthful vigor.
Xia Xia’s hands were covered in soap bubbles: “Ten yuan per piece.”
Xie Huai: “…”
“Charging again?”
The girl replied innocently: “I need to earn tuition money. Others are hard to get money from, but yours is easier to earn.”
Xie Huai smirked: “Can you make them smell nice? No payment if they’re not fragrant.”
“Of course,” Xia Xia puffed up her chest. “If you pay enough, I can even scrub holes in your underwear.”
Xie Huai’s playful smile faded.
He grabbed a stool and sat down, taking the clothes from her hands: “Let me.”
“Hey hey hey—” Xia Xia snatched them back. “I was joking, no charge, no charge. How could I charge Brother Huai for washing his underwear?”
“I wasn’t joking,” Xie Huai said, head lowered as he casually took soap from the box and applied it to his underwear. “They’re dirty and smelly. How could I let you wash them?”
He looked at her: “Why are you blushing?”
Xia Xia pointed to another soapbox by his feet: “That’s the one I brought for you.”
Her voice grew quieter: “You’re using my soap.”
Xie Huai smiled: “Yours? Is it for washing face or hands?”
Xia Xia said: “For washing undies.”
Xie Huai whistled like a rogue: “Sister Xia can still be shy? If you’re shy now, what about later? We might even mix up our underwear in the future.”
Xia Xia dropped her girlish demeanor and splashed him with water he’d used to wash his underwear.
Xie Huai: “Damn—”
He wiped his face: “Xia Xia, are you this vengeful?”
“Already disgusted? What about later?” Xia Xia said even more vengefully. “I might splash water from washing my underwear on your face in the future.”
Xie Huai raised an eyebrow: “Go ahead.”
Xia Xia soaked his pants in detergent and asked: “How did your pant leg tear?”
Wangcai circled them, and Xie Huai kicked its behind: “This dog bit it.”
Wangcai yelped and ran away with its tail tucked.
Xia Xia: “Who told you to climb the wall instead of using the door?”
Xie Huai hung the clothes on the courtyard clothesline: “I thought you were sleeping and didn’t want to wake you.”
Xia Xia glanced at Xie Huai, caught him looking thoughtfully at the large bed inside, and kicked him like he’d kicked Wangcai: “You probably had other thoughts, didn’t you?”
Xie Huai’s gaze returned to her. The girl wore a thin white spaghetti-strap nightgown, her arms like white lotus roots crossed at her chest, fingers tapping her elbows.
She wore a black bra, its straps visible and intertwined with the white nightgown straps, appearing both innocent and alluring.
Xie Huai couldn’t help but look a few more times.
Xia Xia raised her chin: “What are you looking at?”
Xie Huai remained silent.
Xia Xia: “Answer me.”
Xie Huai wiped his hands dry and wordlessly bent down to lift her onto his shoulder.
Xia Xia was light, barely weighing anything.
“Ah—” She left the ground, startled by the weightless feeling, and held tight to Xie Huai’s neck. “Xie Huai, what are you doing?”
Xie Huai smiled mischievously, walked straight into the room, and placed her on the single bed. He straddled her legs and pinned down her arms: “Getting bold, aren’t you? Who are you calling Xie Huai?”
He leaned close, brushing aside her messy hair near her ear: “Call me brother.”
Xia Xia squirmed, refusing to say it, covering her eyes with the back of her hand.
She felt nervous, her thin body trembling slightly, her chest rising and falling gently.
Xie Huai gazed at her, his eyes more brilliant than the mountain night sky.
He kissed her forehead, then rolled to lie beside her, his arm around her slender waist, pulling her head against his chest.
Xia Xia opened her eyes, looking at Xie Huai in confusion.
Xie Huai chuckled softly, his usually clear voice deep and magnetic in the darkness, his breath on her face causing her to shiver uncontrollably.
“What did you think I was going to do?”
Xia Xia asked in a low voice: “Aren’t you going to?”
She could feel Xie Huai’s obvious physical response, just like that winter night when they shared a bed in Haicheng. The difference was that today he was more excited, every muscle tense, his body temperature nearly burning her.
“You want to?” Xie Huai made a muffled sound, his palm staying on her lower back, his chin rubbing hard against her freshly washed, soft, fragrant hair.
His eyes were deep: “We can’t. We don’t have anything.”
He pressed the cool mat beneath them, which had developed a musty smell from the humid weather. Xia Xia had sun-dried it for two days, finally getting it dry, but some mustiness remained.
“I don’t want our first time to be in a place like this.”
Xie Huai looked at her intently: “If you feel bad about leaving me uncomfortable…”
Xia Xia widened her eyes, listening to him speak.
His thumb stroked her soft red lips, his eyes full of desire: “Use your mouth. I’ll teach you if you don’t know how.”
Xia Xia: “…”
She wiggled free from his hold: “No, I won’t—”
As a girl not yet twenty, no matter how much she liked Xie Huai, lying still and playing dead was her limit. Asking her to take initiative in such intimate matters—it wasn’t that she was unwilling, but the mere thought made her mind explode.
Blank.
Stammering.
“No, Brother Huai, that’s too…”
“Too what? Sister Xia, say it clearly.”
Xia Xia fell silent, her face burning so hot it might catch fire, thankfully hidden by the dim light.
Xie Huai smiled: “Sister Xia, since when are you so shy?”
He released her, lying quietly beside her. The single bed was narrow, and a bit cramped for two people.
Xia Xia sighed in relief, sneaking glances at Xie Huai.
He lay with his eyes closed, expression unsettled, his handsome brows slightly curved, hands folded on his stomach.
No excessive reaction, and he didn’t hold her again.
Xia Xia felt uneasy, worried that Xie Huai might be angry.
Like a small mouse rustling in the night, she restlessly poked Xie Huai’s arm with her finger.
“Brother Huai?”
Xie Huai hummed in response, indicating he was listening.
Without any substantial question, Xia Xia called again: “Brother Huai.”
Her voice was filled with unconscious dependence and affection, sweet and soft. Hearing it melted half the bones in Xie Huai’s body.
“Stop calling,” his tone was lazy yet intimate. “I really can’t hold back anymore. Call once more and don’t blame me if I push your head down, whether you want to or not.”
Xia Xia fell silent for a moment in fright, but couldn’t help asking: “When are you going back?”
Xie Huai: “Tomorrow. I booked the earliest bus ticket. Need to go to Anshan to discuss some projects with Brother Xu. If things go well, I can get a good share of the profits.”
“Leaving tomorrow already.” Xia Xia mumbled, “You didn’t come all this way just to see me, did you?”
“Of course not.” Xie Huai raised an eyebrow, reaching for his pocket. “I came to…”
He froze, realizing he had showered and changed pants—the ones with the torn leg from Wangcai’s bite were—
Xie Huai looked outside at his pants, which he had just washed and casually hung on the courtyard clothesline.
“Damn.” He quickly got up and ran barefoot to the courtyard to check the pockets.
Xia Xia stood confused in the doorway, watching as Xie Huai pulled out something that appeared to be paper, now soaked and ruined. He struggled to peel off a layer of pulped paper, fragments crumbling away.
Xia Xia walked over. The paper in Xie Huai’s hands was completely torn apart, the writing illegible.
“What’s that?” she asked curiously. Seeing Xie Huai’s mortified expression, she guessed, “You didn’t wash Xu Dalong’s contract, did you?”
“It was a love letter for you,” Xie Huai said. “I wanted to read it to you.”
Xia Xia: “…”
Initially, only Xie Huai was dejected, but now she felt downhearted too.
Even more depressing was that she had been the one to soak the pants.
“I don’t care,” Xia Xia said imperiously. “I want to hear you recite it. However much you remember.”
Xie Huai stood against the moonlight, shadows playing in his hair.
He pondered for a long while, Xia Xia quietly meeting his gaze, waiting for him to speak.
The intimate moment from earlier seemed like a fleeting spring dream. The mountain breeze brushed their faces, cool and gentle, changing the atmosphere.
This wasn’t how Xie Huai had imagined it.
He thought he could easily recite those two thousand flowing words, but standing before the girl, seeing her expectant face, all those words seemed hollow and superfluous.
He raised his hand and poked her forehead.
“Forget reciting,” he turned away awkwardly. “Don’t you know Brother Huai loves you?”
After speaking, he hung the soaked love letter by the well, weighing it down with a stone, then went inside.
A soft smile spread across Xia Xia’s lips. She bounced cheerfully to his side and lightly jumped onto his back.
Xie Huai’s hands supported her bottom as she stretched to kiss his cheek, her voice clear as silver bells.
“Brother Huai, I love you too.”
That night, Xia Xia and Xie Huai shared the bed. His body was firm, his arms strong as he held her tight.
Xia Xia slept soundly, feeling completely safe in Xie Huai’s embrace. It seemed that as long as she was by his side, nothing in the world could harm her.
She wanted to spend her whole life sleeping in Xie Huai’s arms.
That’s what she thought before falling asleep.
At two in the morning, Xia Xia’s romantic mood had faded, and the sense of security was completely driven away by the sticky summer heat. She was sweating, and Xie Huai’s burning body felt increasingly like a fireball.
Unable to sleep, tossing and turning, she finally couldn’t take it anymore and kicked Xie Huai off the bed.
Xie Huai rolled onto the floor in the middle of the night, with Xia Xia throwing the blanket on top of him.
Half-asleep, the girl mumbled: “Too hot, you sleep down there.”
He felt both annoyed and amused, using the blanket as bedding to sleep on the floor.
At five o’clock.
The morning sun shone in, and Xie Huai woke the moment he sensed the dawn light. He carefully got up and sat on the bed watching Xia Xia for a while.
The girl slept in a terrible position, sprawled on the cooling mat like a frog. Half her face was marked red from the bamboo strips, and drool had soaked her pillowcase.
Feeling playful, Xie Huai took a marker from the table and drew a little pig face on her cheek.
He got up and went out.
The morning air was fresh. In the distance, villagers were slowly walking their cattle along mountain paths. Green plants covered the mountains, and pleasant birdsong came from the valley—everything looked refreshing and vital.
An old motorcycle was parked in front of the village shop. Xie Huai circled it a few times before knocking on the owner’s door.
At eight o’clock.
Xia Xia’s courtyard door was unlocked. Thinking she was awake, Jiang Jingzhou pushed it open and entered.
“Xia Xia, are you up?” Jiang Jingzhou looked gloomy. “I can’t take it anymore. Let’s switch tonight—you go stay with Cai Yun at the inn…”
Full of complaints, he entered the courtyard but didn’t see Xia Xia. Instead, he saw Xie Huai, who shouldn’t have been there, by the well.
Wearing slippers and leaning against the wooden post by the well, Xie Huai brushed his teeth, looking tired and lazy from lack of sleep.
Jiang Jingzhou was surprised: “When did you arrive?”
“Last night.” Xie Huai spat out the white toothpaste foam. “Looking for my woman?”
Jiang Jingzhou: “…”
Xie Huai put away his toiletries and drew a bucket of spring water from the well to wash his face. He used his hand as a comb, casually running it through his hair a couple of times.
“You’re the team leader, handle your troubles yourself, don’t push them onto Xia Xia,” Xie Huai frowned. “Cai Yun’s a pain in the ass and Xia Xia can’t be bothered with her.”
He changed into his clothes: “I’m leaving. When Xia Xia wakes up, remember to remind her to eat breakfast.”
Jiang Jingzhou was still processing everything even after Xie Huai left.
He looked at the stone table in the courtyard where there was a plastic bag containing oil tea, side dishes, and fried cakes that Xie Huai had bought in town, borrowing a villager’s motorcycle that morning. The village lacked supplies; breakfast usually consisted of nearly expired bread and sausages from the shop—these items were impossible to find here.
Xie Huai had traveled an entire day to come here, only to leave on the morning bus after spending one night with Xia Xia.
And he had ridden a motorcycle for three hours on mountain roads just to buy her breakfast.
At the bottom of the bag was a crumpled, tattered piece of paper. Jiang Jingzhou opened it—the writing was almost illegible from water damage, but there were a few small lines at the end.
Jiang Jingzhou looked back at the room door.
Xia Xia was sleeping soundly, unaware of everything.
The brilliant morning sun streamed through the window as she rolled over, murmuring in her sleep:
“Brother Huai.”