Just two weeks later, a blue carriage stopped abruptly in front of an inn surrounded by bamboos.
Inside the inn, an old couple sat by the counter. Not many travelers have come lately, so they were short on money this month. Both people who were feeling down almost jumped up when a loud noise jerked their heads up.
The doors to the inn were suddenly pushed opened with so much strength that it slammed against the wall. In the doorway, a young lady stood impatiently and demanded, "Where's the old couple?!"
The old couple was so surprised at the sudden outburst that they felt as if they almost had a heart attack. What a fiery young lady!
At first they didn't recognize her, but when she stood just one step away from the counter, they clearly remembered. It was that girl from three years ago that played a trick on them! How dare she dumped a huge pile of woods in one of their rooms?!
Li Wei didn't spare the mean old couple a look as she slammed her hands onto the counter. "Where does that annoying woodcutter live?"
The old man was about to answer when the old woman stopped him and replied, "Why would we tell you? Don't you remember what you did to us?"
A pair of cold black eyes gazed up at the old couple and they drew back unconsciously. This young lady seemed scary...
"You should thank me for only doing so little. It could've been worse," Li Wei spoke with a grin. She was not a rude person, but this old couple was different. If she wasn't demanding, she'd get no answer. "I only need to know one thing, where does that annoying woodcutter live? If you tell me, I won't come here again. If you don't tell me, I'll make sure this place becomes nothing more than a pile of woods."
"Old woman, just tell the young lady so she doesn't disrupt business," the old man sighed and suggested with a whisper to his wife. He wasn't as stingy as his wife and didn't mind sharing this information.
Secretly, he admired this young lady for being so upright and brave! Many customers have complained of his wife's mean and selfish ways and she was the first to fight back.
The old woman was reluctant, but she was also nervous. Anything seemed possible when it came to this fiery young miss. She didn't want to take the risk of offending the young miss again for she was afraid to receive something worse than last time.
Thus, she willingly gave the answer.
Li Wei left without acknowledging the couple after she got what she wanted. True to the old woman's word, she followed the directions as described and came upon a lonesome thatched house far up the mountain.
This house was located very far off from others. Beside the walkway to the door of the house were many potted plants and flowers. The house was small, but it looked welcoming and comfortable. Everything looked to be well taken care of.
When she arrived at the door, she knocked three times and waited.
Soon, the door opened and an older woman emerged from the house. The woman was dressed in a modest green dress and seemed kind as she glanced at Li Wei cautiously, "How can I help you?"
To be honest, Li Wei was nervous. The fiery her from the inn was now gone and she seemed as soft as a sheep. She was taking a risk based on her own assumptions without a confident answer. Still, she gave a small smile before she spoke, "I'm sorry to intrude, but is your son home?"
Oh no, that came out too strong...
The older woman couldn't help but laughed. She liked such a straight forward answer. "And may I ask who you are?"
Li Wei felt more at ease after seeing the older woman laughed. At the woman's question, her cheeks turned pink in embarrassment. "Umm... My name is Li Wei, but you probably don't know who I am..."
"Alright, alright, I won't ask anymore," the older woman said with a smile. She looked at Li Wei up and down once again as her gaze stopped at the young lady's waist. Afterwards, the older woman's suddenly gaze changed. With a knowing look that Li Wei didn't understand, the older woman pointed towards a storage shed located behind the house. "He should be in there."
Li Wei nodded in thanks before she headed to the shed. Because there was no door to the shed, she didn't hesitate and walked straight inside.
"Ah!" She immediately pressed her hands against her eyes and stopped in her tracks just a couple steps in. What was this situation?
Inside the shed, she was met with the annoying woodcutter half naked. It was hot earlier so he had previously taken off his shirt. His bare chest was in full display as he lifted the wooden handle of a large ax onto his shoulder in preparation to cut wood.
Too much skin for her eyes! Although she did have to admit, he had nice muscles... From the cracks between her fingers, she couldn't bring herself to look at his face, but secretly studied his toned arms.
The high pitched scream brought the woodcutter's attention onto the woman at the doorway. A smile soon filled his face when his realized who was in front of him. With a grin, he stood in front of her and spoke cheerfully, "We meet again. Today is the third encounter between you and I."
"Yes yes yes, third time, you can stop keeping count. Now please put something on first before we talk." Li Wei turned around towards the door. She wouldn't mind to continue staring, but she modestly turned around to give him privacy.
"Alright, wait a second then." He quickly put on his shirt and turned her around to face him.
Once she was facing him, her hands came down and her eyes slowly opened. A pair of dark but warm eyes gazed softly back at her. This time, his hair was pulled up into a simple bun and he had on a plain blue shirt. Gone were the disguise he used from their last encounter in the city.
Now everything was so familiar and clear.
Those eyes, those lips, those dimples...
It was him. It was clearly him.
"It's you..." Tears filled her eyes as she whispered these words. Her body slightly trembled as she took him in. Although he was in front of her now, a part of her was afraid he would disappear into thin air any moment.
He smiled at her cute reaction, his dimples dancing now that those fake facial hair were not covering half of his face. Although he didn't understand her reaction to seeing him, but he wondered one thing, was he really that handsome now?
That previously cold woman was now suddenly so warm that he didn't know what to say. "It's me. Who did you think I was? I'm that annoying woodcutter you've had the ill fate of encountering for three times now. Don't be sad, but we may be fated at this point."
This silly man. How could he still joke?
Li Wei couldn't stop herself anymore and pulled him into a hug. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as she rested her head onto his shoulder. She took in his scent, his warmth, and his presence without holding back.
Not that he minded this hug, but they were basically strangers so he felt a bit uncomfortable. He quietly cleared his throat but there was no movement from her. When he cleared his throat for the third time, she finally pulled back just enough to see his face but her arms were still wrapped around his neck.
His eyes followed her arms to his neck and his voice was filled with amusement as he spoke, "Are you done eating my tofu now?"
Shamelessly, Li Wei shook her head! No, it wasn't enough!
But she didn't want to scare him too much, so she took one step back and removed her hands from his neck. She was contented with just looking at him.
When he watched her watching him, his dimples danced on his cheeks. This woman was like no one he'd met before. This was an interesting meeting, to say the least.
After a long moment of just the two taking each other's in, Li Wei broke the silence, "Let us introduce ourselves properly this time. I'm Li Wei from Na'an. You, your name is Khan Bojing, right?"