"Hey, don't cry, don't cry. A man's tears don't fall easily. You're already twenty, why are you still crying? Didn't I say we're going to be the closest cooperators in the future?"
Xiangbei reached up to help wipe his tears, but ended up being hugged by Cheng Mo. Heads resting on shoulders, silence filled the room as the warmth and wetness spread, the spring clothes probably soaked enough to wring out.
Xiangbei had to lift his hand to gently break the embrace, then pulled him to sit on the bed. She went to the small stove, soaked a warm cloth, and covered his eyes.
"Don't overthink it. There's so much more ahead of us. The road ahead is long, and I'm sure you have a good reason to appear so cold and aloof in public. Let's grow together, become stronger together, okay?"
Took off the cold towel, stood up, and she said, "After shedding tears for so long, your eyes are swollen. Have a good sleep. Tomorrow will be a new beginning."
"But, don't leave," Cheng Mo pulled the blanket over his head, his plea whispered in a tone only he could hear.
Xiangbei opened the blanket, used the warm cloth to wipe his hands and face, preparing to leave. What kind of day was this, spending the whole day serving him.
"You don't go, where are you going so late?" Cheng Mo tugged at her clothes like a stray dog abandoned by its owner.
"Where can I go? Just rest in the side hall."
"You can't sleep there; I'll go over." Mo showed his gentle polite.
"That place is not suitable for sleeping. You sleep here, and I'll go over."
"You are a person too."
"Ah, really? I thought you were a crying stray dog."
"You're calling me a dog? What are you then? What are you?" Cheng Mo pinched her waist casually, the most sensitive spot for her.
Trying to dodge left and right, but how could she escape the long arms of this 18th-century man? Eventually, she was tightly embraced by Cheng Mo for a while. With such playful banter, the previous tension gradually dissipated.
After all, in Xiangbei's heart, the idea of marriage at the age of fourteen was still far from consideration. The immediate priority was to establish a career in this world, and this person seemed trustworthy.
"Aren't you planning to go to Dongbin County tomorrow? Why don't you rest for now?" Xiangbei struggled to get up.
Cheng Mo sighed, released her, and crawled out from the blanket. "Alright, you rest first; I'll talk to Uncle Zhong for a while. I'll wake you up in the morning."
After saying that, without waiting for a response, Cheng Mo opened the door and went downstairs.
Daily Tai Chi and meditation, Xiangbei could clearly feel that Tong, the young lady, became more agile and enduring. She seemed to be more in sync with him, and the lingering sadness and reluctance in the young lady were disappearing. The details of interacting with others became clearer. Was she relieved of his arrival?
Standing in the Snow Jade Cave, a place where the young lady might have fallen and met her end, Xiangbei loudly declared to her, "I, Tong Xiangbei, whether it's me from the 21st century or me in the Yunmeng Dynasty, we are the same person. Always a strong and confident Tong Xiangbei, forever loving family, loving oneself, and moving forward courageously."
The chili peppers in the peach blossom village field could be harvested again. The tomatoes, significantly larger than the ones in the bonsai, had all turned red.
Xiangbei picked them all and put them in the cave. Looking at the new white flowers blooming on the eggplant vines in the field, she quickly devised a plan on how to openly present this large quantity of new produce.
The terraced fields on the mountain not only produced limited yields but also posed a challenge in terms of transportation.
Xiangbei's eyes fell on the water pavilion about halfway down the mountain. It was strange that in an area with so many caves, there were two granite peaks on this difficult-to-navigate mountain road.
The base of the mountain, which was almost connected, would be challenging to excavate even with the efforts of the Tong family.
Perhaps writing a book like a Chinese old legend "The Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountains" would be necessary.
What if she produced some black powder on her own? After all, the rudimentary form of gunpowder existed in the late Tang Dynasty. Or maybe she should be patient and wait for a few months. Tomorrow, she would bring out the seeds and find someone to plant them.
She picked several baskets of duck eggs and went to the camp near the oasis. Patiently, she made salted duck eggs and preserved eggs. Whenever she needed to contemplate long-term plans and her mind was spinning wildly, her hands would unconsciously start repetitive mechanical work, such as washing dishes, handwashing clothes, and shelling hibiscus seeds...