He took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart. Clenching his teeth, he glared at her, then immediately picked up the courtyard gate and, with a sulky air, turned around and walked away.
Dong Huiying had caused a blunder and felt uneasy, especially since the other person seemed very angry. "…I'm really sorry?"
Yixuan halted for a moment, as if stunned, before continuing to stride away.
Dong Huiying looked at his retreating figure, feeling an intense blockage in her heart, and in the end could only let out a sigh.
She gloomily walked toward the lowly thatched privy, seeing only a large pit over which was perched a square "well"-shaped wooden board. Her lips twitched, thinking that this was indeed quite primitive, before she undid her belt and relieved her urgent needs.
By the time she returned, Yixuan had finished fixing the stool and was squatting at the entrance of the courtyard, measuring the courtyard door, seemingly planning to reattach it to the frame. But the gate was so badly damaged, it seemed impossible to use anymore, so his expression grew very somber…
"Ahem," she coughed as the person blocked her way.
Yixuan, greatly annoyed, shot her a dark glance, then moved away without good humor.
Dong Huiying walked inside and suddenly caught sight of a weeping willow next to the courtyard, her mind sparking with an idea.
After a while.
"Do you think this will work?" she asked, approaching Liang Yuening with a woven willow branch screen in hand.
Yuening glanced at her; this person was usually unproductive, only good at causing trouble. Yet today, after causing trouble, she had not only seriously apologized to him but also managed to come up with a remedy?
That was odd.
He took the willow screen and looked it over carefully; the craftmanship was decent, quite tidy with evenly woven branches.
He lifted the screen up to the entrance of the courtyard. It fit perfectly, prompting him to take another long look at her, seeing her tentative and anxious expression.
Humph!
He brushed the dirt off his hands and, without acknowledging her, strode back into the house.
…
Yixuan approached Dong Huiying with a wooden tray. On the tray were two cornbread buns and a bowl of steaming hot bran porridge.
Bran, the outer husk of wheat grains, is a wheat-yellow color. It's ground up, dried, and usually used to feed pigs.
But the Liang family didn't raise pigs, nor could they afford to; therefore, the pig's bran, instead, was boiled into porridge, becoming the main sustenance for the entire family.
This household was poor, unable to afford even the most common rice and grain, and had to rely on this bran to fill their stomachs.
"Thank you."
Dong Huiying thanked Yixuan, thinking to herself that although bran didn't taste good, it was beneficial for strengthening the spleen and stomach. She comforted herself with this thought before slowly sipping a small mouthful.
Yixuan gazed at her gently, "Baobao?"
This one word 'Baobao', sounded so teasing and full of tenderness that it made her ears itch.
It was the first time she had been addressed with such intimacy, and the first time someone had treated her with such gentleness… Recalling her past life, a sudden sourness filled her heart.
When one lives under sorrow for a long time, tender, caring, and loving things become unattainable. Hence, if there is someone who shows even a slight kindness toward her, she would cherish it deeply and be immensely grateful.
Seeing the young woman lost in thought, Yixuan was slightly puzzled but didn't think too much of it. He then asked, "You seem a bit strange today; is it because you're feeling unwell?"
Dong Huiying snapped back to reality, "No? Me?" She looked utterly befuddled, "I'm good." Her confused expression seemed to question the origin of his inquiry.
Observing her silly appearance, Yixuan's brows gently furrowed.
He tried to read the clues on her face, but she seemed dazed, like a clueless child. Strangely, though, her eyes were very clear. And her demeanor was not as confrontational or violently brash as before but rather thoughtful and serene?
"It's nothing," he exhaled and then slightly curved his thin lips.
After Yixuan had left, she bit into a cornbread bun, her mind in turmoil.
She was contemplating her sudden arrival in a completely unfamiliar world. What was she to do, and where was she to go from here?
The next day, the weather was good.
"Yixuan, I'm going up the mountain today. I'll probably be back in two days."
"Okay, be careful on the road and take some extra provisions."