As he passed by the convenience store with the ice chest out front, Luo Yang stopped to buy two ice creams, one for An Yuying, and the two ate their ice creams by the roadside.
Remembering eating ice cream with Qin Piao, Luo Yang smiled and said, "Sister An, do you want to try some of my red bean flavor?"
An Yuying answered with a smile, "Let me have a bite."
Thus, Luo Yang handed her the ice cream to taste.
An Yuying gently bit off a small piece, her manners elegant, which was worlds apart from Qin Piao's sensual way of eating, who would open her mouth wide to take the entire ice cream in. Actually, Luo Yang wanted to see An Yuying eat with sensuality.
"Try some of mine." An Yuying brought the milk-flavored ice cream to Luo Yang's lips.
He bit into it, and the two exchanged smiles.
After finishing the ice creams, Luo Yang drove back to the village and dropped An Yuying off at her front door, then walked home himself.
Before he could make it home, his cellphone rang. He took it out and saw it was Qin Piao calling. After answering, he heard her coy voice say, "Hey, Niu Zai, the fluorescent light in my bathroom is broken, could you come over and change it for me?"
Luo Yang readily responded, "Sure, are you at home?"
Having received a positive reply, Luo Yang headed toward Qin Piao's house.
Qin Piao lived alone in a two-story house, not large, but sufficient for living. She was facing a lot of trouble, as Luo Yang had heard from the villagers that her late husband's clan brothers wanted to force her out of the house and not let her continue living in the village.
She was the lawful heir to the house by marrying Zhang Huadong, but most villagers, especially members of the Zhang clan, believed that Qin Piao was a harbinger of bad luck, and that she shouldn't be allowed to stay in the Zhang family property, lest she brings misfortune to others.
Qin Piao was quite pitiable; Luo Yang heard that even her own family deemed her a jinx, and when she wanted to move back home, they refused, fearing bad luck for her unmarried younger sister.
At a young age, she was almost out of options. Shunned by the villagers, she had no choice but to endure. She simply had nowhere else to go. In Hongyun Town, she was somewhat of a celebrity.
Upon reaching Qin Piao's doorstep, Luo Yang knocked firmly.
After a moment, he heard someone open a sliding window on the second floor, stick out their head to look around, and quietly ask, "Niu Zai, is that you?"
"Yes."
He heard Qin Piao come down the stairs to the door, the steel door clicked open, and a square beam of light shone out from the crack, unusually bright in the dimness.
"Hey, come on in."
Once Luo Yang stepped in, Qin Piao hurriedly closed the door.
This was the first time Luo Yang had entered Qin Piao's house at night. He saw her dressed in light-colored loungewear, her neck tender and pale, a delicate softness creating a subtle slope just below her collarbone, contrasting nicely with the color of her clothing, stirring one's imagination. Her hair draped over her shoulders, appearing moist, wafts of shampoo fragrance filled the air, suggesting she had likely just taken a shower.
"Hey, want some supper? I'll make noodles for you," Qin Piao said, flipping her hair and speaking coquettishly.
"No need. Do you have a new fluorescent light?" Luo Yang asked.
"Yes."
Following that, Qin Piao took out a new fluorescent light from the drawer and led Luo Yang to the bathroom.
Luo Yang carried a wooden chair into the bathroom, stood on it, and due to the dim lighting, had to use his phone's light. He unscrewed the broken light and replaced it with the new one.
He turned on the switch, and the light came on.
"There we go, anything else you need help with?" Luo Yang asked enthusiastically.
"Yes." Qin Piao nodded, moved closer to Luo Yang, and whispered, "Niu Zai, someone has been prowling around my house every night, even knocking on the door; it's really scary. What do you think I should do?"
"Who usually is it?"
"I'm shivering under the covers; I'd never dare to open the door to check. Can you help me keep an eye out tonight?"
She looked at him with a helpless gaze, a pleading expression on her face.
After thinking for a bit, Luo Yang nodded.
"Come to my room, and if someone knocks on the door, you can look down from the window," Qin Piao called out.
The two climbed the stairs one after the other, and she led Luo Yang into her bedroom.
As he entered the room, he immediately caught a whiff of a fresh scent, akin to an air freshener. Qin Piao's bedroom was small, furnished with a double bed, a small wardrobe, and a dressing table. Sitting at the foot of the bed, one could use the oval mirror to get ready. A corner of the mosquito net was lifted, the bedspread was neatly laid, and there were two large red embroidered pillows on the bed. It was early autumn in September, and the nights were cool; she had already covered herself with a duvet.