Outside, the sky was completely dark, with only a few sparks of fire on the kitchen stove.
The two of them walked out of the kitchen, and Zhao Ce locked the door, his hands stained with rust. He washed his hands again.
He walked in front, with the little girl following behind.
In the dark, they returned to the room. Zhao Ce felt the bed, which had been sun-dried, and the smell had faded a lot. He thought it was fortunate to have a little helper. Otherwise, he would have to smell these odors while sleeping tonight.
Zhao Ce sat on the bed and saw the little girl still standing there. He waved his hand and said, "Why don't you come over?"
Su Caier swallowed nervously. It was their wedding night, and they were going to sleep together.
"Yes, I'm coming," she said slowly as she walked over.
Zhao Ce had originally thought that the young girl was too young to sleep with him. But there were no other beds or bedding in the house, and the place where the previous owners slept made him miss them.
At that time, he burned everything. Moreover, in the countryside, the weather could be cool at midnight during the summer. It was necessary to have a blanket.
Zhao Ce thought that although the little girl was young, she was his wife. Although he only saw her as a little sister and had no other thoughts, whether they slept together or separately, in the eyes of outsiders, she was his woman. If they were going to sleep together, they would sleep together.
Su Caier climbed onto the bed, and Zhao Ce lay down too. Feeling a bit hot, he put the blanket in the middle and said, "If you're cold, remember to cover yourself with the blanket."
"Yes, I will," Su Caier replied shyly. She closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.
Would she have a child after waking up? But she had heard that a couple in the village slept together for several years before having a child. Would she also have to sleep with her husband for several years before having a child?
Su Caier thought randomly and soon fell asleep. She had not slept much the night before, sitting on a stool against the wall, and was also worried and scared, having done a lot of housework that day.
Zhao Ce heard the person next to him breathing steadily and soon fell asleep too.
Thinking back to the little girl's eyes, Zhao Ce couldn't help but sigh. He was surprised when he saw them during the day, but now he realized that they were incredibly beautiful, like two gems. But although he knew what had happened, the people in the village probably wouldn't accept it.
If he was going to continue living in the village, he had to come up with a suitable explanation for the girl's eyes. And there was also the matter of his studies...
Thinking about these things, Zhao Ce gradually fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, he woke up hungry and empty-stomached.
Zhao Ce turned over, picked up the blanket, and draped it over the little girl's stomach before falling asleep again.
.....
Early the next morning, the rooster next door crowed, waking Zhao Ce from his dream. Despite feeling like he hadn't slept for long, he felt refreshed.
He looked out the window through the tattered paper, gauging the time by the sky. The young girl sleeping next to him also woke up groggily, asking if he was getting up. Zhao Ce replied that he had to make a trip to the city that day.
He got dressed, and the girl, Su Caier, offered to cook him something to eat before he left. Zhao Ce agreed, and she went to fetch water to start a fire.
They had spent the whole day together yesterday and even slept together. Su Caier wasn't as shy as before, and she spoke with laughter in her voice.
After washing up, Zhao Ce checked the clay pot he had left on the stove. The sugar inside had dried out completely, so he poured it into a bowl.
Su Caier watched him eagerly, only having tasted a bit of the sugar yesterday. Zhao Ce used a chopstick to scrape out all the sugar granules stuck to the pot, and he decided to keep the pot for future sugar-making.
Yesterday's small bag of sugar was now three-quarters empty, so Zhao Ce filled a clean cloth bag with the remaining sugar. He planned to take it to the grocery store to ask about the price later. They had white rice porridge again for breakfast, and Zhao Ce took all the rice while Su Caier only had a little. She said that he needed more energy for his trip to the city.
After finishing his breakfast, Zhao Ce got ready to leave.
Su Cai'er originally wanted to make some dry food for him, but they didn't have any flour or anything like that at home.
As for money, most of their belongings had been taken by her cousin and aunt. They even accused her of being a jinx and said that the copper coins she took might be moldy. Thinking of this, Su Cai'er felt a little sad and pursed her lips.
However, having lived alone for two years, she still had some tricks for hiding money.
Luckily, when she went out that day, she put on her better clothes that she was reluctant to wear. Zhao Ce brought over his book box and saw the little girl taking off her coat in the kitchen. Su Cai'er blushed, but Zhao Ce didn't think of anything else and just said, "It's a bit hot in the kitchen."
Su Cai'er whispered, "I'm not hot." "I'll give my husband some copper coins." Then, Zhao Ce saw this little girl flipping the coat inside out.
There was actually a flat layer inside, and a small white tooth bit the thread that sewed the inner layer together. With a small sound of the thread breaking, she pulled it with her hand, and several flat copper coins slipped out.
Zhao Ce watched as this little girl performed magic tricks, and in the blink of an eye, she held nine copper coins in her hands and brought them in front of him. "Husband, there's nothing at home to make dry food. These are the copper coins I saved up. Please go to the city and buy some buns to eat."
She said this with her eyes shining, and her rough little hand holding the copper coins was full of expectation, urging Zhao Ce to hurry up and take them.
"It's getting late, and you have to go out," Zhao Cai'er said, not waiting for him to refuse, and took his hand that was hanging on the side. She put all her belongings in his hand, and the copper coins were still warm from her body temperature. Zhao Ce's hand holding the coins involuntarily shrank a bit.
After finishing all this, the little girl nodded in satisfaction and picked up the bamboo tube she had found yesterday, pouring a bamboo tube of water for her husband.
Zhao Ce came back to his senses, took the bamboo tube from her, and put it in the cloth pocket of his book box. He also put the copper coins he was holding into it. Nine copper coins… It was the little girl's entire fortune.
Zhao Ce smiled. Since he had taken all of her belongings, he had to take responsibility for her in this lifetime. He took a deep breath and picked up his book box. The little girl stretched out her small hand and waved it lightly. "Husband, come back soon."
Zhao Ce smiled and said softly, "Okay." "Then, I'll leave the things at home to you." Su Cai'er nodded her little head and watched him walk away before closing the door.