Chapter 168

Chapter 168

The snow continued to fall, blanketing the world in a vast expanse of white.

It was already afternoon, but there was no sun. The sky was heavy with dark clouds, and the light was not particularly bright.

Inside the house, Gu Lanshi wrapped himself in a quilt, sitting on the kang opposite Pei Yan to have their meal.

The kang had been kept warm all day, its heat comforting against the cold outside, making it hard for anyone to want to leave its warmth.

Last night, they hadn't slept much. Today, Pei Yan seemed fine, but Gu Lanshi had slept most of the day. He was only roused at noon to drink half a bowl of rice porridge. Now, he was finally eating a proper meal.

"Yesterday, I first met with Chef Jiang. He said that there were still eggs at the tavern, so there's no rush to deliver more. Later, I went to Wu Shengwen's house. He also said that there's no need for now. With such heavy snow, it's inconvenient to go out. I won't be going to town for the next ten days or so."

As Pei Yan spoke, he picked up half a salted duck egg with his chopsticks, scooped out the yolk, and placed it into Gu Lanshi's bowl.

The duck egg yolk oozed red oil, and the rice porridge, which had been cooked at noon, was plentiful. They were having this leftover porridge now, which paired perfectly with the salted duck egg.

Last night had been so urgent that they hadn't had time for idle chatter. Only now did he think to mention these things.

Gu Lanshi took a sip of porridge, swallowed, and then nodded. "Mm-hmm."

He had only drunk half a bowl of porridge at noon and was now extremely hungry, leaving him with no energy for conversation.

Pei Yan smiled, not wanting to disturb him as he ate.

The snowflakes grew larger, something that hadn't happened earlier in the morning. The wind was strong, signaling a fierce snowstorm.

In the kitchen, steam rose from the large pot as Pei Yan washed dishes and pots by the sink. He was very skilled at these tasks.

The path that had been cleared was once again covered by snow. Huīhuī and Huīzai ran around the courtyard. Their thick fur and plump bodies made them impervious to the cold. The snow that had previously been untouched was now marked with their paw prints, as if the ground had been plowed in many places.

However, once this heavy snow fell overnight and the snow layer thickened, even the dogs would find it difficult to run and jump through it.

Dàhēi was well accustomed to heavy snow. Perhaps because it had been a stray dog when it was young, without a shelter to protect it from the wind and snow, every time it snowed over the past two years, it always preferred to nestle in its warm doghouse lined with jute bags and straw. It rarely came out except to eat and drink, and when it wasn't sleeping, it would poke its head out to watch the snowflakes falling outside, more dignified than Huīhuī and Huīzai.

After tidying up the kitchen, Pei Yan took advantage of the daylight to cook pig food. He boiled plenty of hot water, using some of it to warm the chicken and duck feed.

The dogs had already eaten, their meals consisting of coarse steamed buns soaked in Chinese cabbage soup. Otherwise, Huīhuī and Huīzai would have been whining long ago, instead of playing contentedly in the yard.

Inside the house, after finishing his meal, Gu Lanshi didn't move. Wrapped in the quilt, he leaned against the kang, lost in thought.

Since waking up, he had remained like this, his eyes somewhat unfocused. Last night's events could almost be described as the biggest commotion he had experienced in a long time. Although he hadn't been injured, his mind had become somewhat hazy toward the end. Now, he was slowly regaining his composure.

Hearing the dogs bark outside, he snapped back to reality, a glimmer of light returning to his eyes, breaking him out of his daze.

Yawning, he was too lazy to get off the kang and go outside. The room was so warm, and with Pei Yan taking care of the livestock and poultry, he didn't have to worry about them. So, he moved the kang table aside, lay down, and pulled the quilt tightly around him. Unable to sleep, he stared at the ceiling beams.

After feeding the livestock, Pei Yan noticed that the snow was getting heavier. He chased the snow-covered Huīhuī and Huīzai into the doghouse and tied them up directly, keeping the leash short so they could only move around near the doghouse.

This was to prevent them from getting too excited and not sleeping at night, running around recklessly in the snow. Like calves unafraid of tigers, these two had been spoiled since they were young, sometimes behaving inappropriately when they played.

When he touched Huīzai's fur, he found it wet. He raised his hand and lightly hit the dog's head as a form of reprimand. It was too playful.

"Woof—"

Huīzai let out a sound of委屈 (wěiqu), not hurt but still emitting a voice of grievance, rubbing its head against Pei Yan's hand in a manner akin to撒娇 (sājiāo) — acting coquettishly.

Dàhēi didn't need to be tied up. It was smarter than a person, knowing how to avoid the snow and rain. Pei Yan got up and went to check on the chicken coop. Using a bamboo pole, he pushed the accumulated snow off the roofs of the chicken coop and duck shed, then checked the roof for any potential hazards before returning.

Knowing that Gu Lanshi liked cleanliness, he washed his hands before entering the room. Sitting by the kang, he asked, "I've heated water in the pot. Do you want to wash up now or later?"

Gu Lanshi turned over onto his side, looking at him. "There's no rush. I just finished eating."

Pei Yan smiled. "Alright, then I'll add more firewood later."

"What time is it?" Gu Lanshi asked.

Seeing his lethargic appearance, Pei Yan knew it was due to last night's activities. Amidst feelings of regret, memories of last night's intimacy lingered in his heart. Looking at the window, he estimated, "It's past the middle of Shen hour."

"It's almost dark." Gu Lanshi had slept deeply today and didn't realize it was already evening. In the morning, he had opened his eyes, but due to the poor weather, the light coming through the windows had been dim, making it hard for him to accurately judge the time. He had assumed it was still early.

Seeing that he had no intention of sleeping, Pei Yan asked, "Should I light the lamp?"

"No, I'm not doing anything," Gu Lanshi replied, yawning again. Wiping away the moisture from the corners of his eyes, he looked at Pei Yan and said, "I've slept all day. Right now, I'm just tired, but I can't sleep."

"In that case, let's chat. In a couple of hours, I'll bring water for washing up," Pei Yan suggested, his eyes filled with a smile.

"Alright," Gu Lanshi agreed. Pausing for a moment, he asked, "What should we talk about?"

Pei Yan was amused by his question. "We can talk about anything."

"All day together, what could we possibly have to talk about?" Gu Lanshi lazily remarked. Suddenly, he remembered something and sat up. "Why don't we play cat's cradle? There's nothing else to do inside the house."

Cat's cradle.

Pei Yan was taken aback. This was a game commonly played by village children, mostly between girls and boys, though there were some boys who played it, but not many. He had never played it before and hadn't even watched others play.

Gu Lanshi finally showed some interest. Sitting up, he put on his outer robe, pulled over the sewing basket, and cut a long piece of hemp thread. He tied the ends together, stretched it across his palms, and with a few deft finger movements, he looked up at Pei Yan, gesturing for him to come and play.

Pei Yan took off his shoes and climbed onto the kang, sitting cross-legged opposite him. Looking at the cat's cradle in front of him, he was momentarily at a loss, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion.

Gu Lanshi had originally wanted to urge him, almost blurting out a slightly complaining remark, "Have you never played this before?" But when he saw Pei Yan raise his head, looking somewhat nervous, he quickly stopped himself and changed his tone. "Come, support it with your hands first, and I'll flip it."

Pei Yan imitated him, stretching out both hands with palms facing each other.

His usually agile fingers, which were adept at work, now appeared clumsy and stiff. Fortunately, he knew how to cooperate with Gu Lanshi, placing the already stretched cat's cradle on his hands.

"Just like this, you can flip it either down or up," Gu Lanshi explained as he demonstrated. Then, he extended his hand forward, teaching, "See those two strings? Hook one with each little finger, flip it down, and it will be in your hands."

Pei Yan was never stupid; watching him play once was enough to know what to do.

The cat's cradle game wasn't particularly difficult, yet it was quite captivating when played. Both of them were engrossed in the string, passing it back and forth, losing track of time.

As the room grew darker, Gu Lanshi, raising his head by chance, noticed the darkness outside the window and laughed, "No wonder my neck is sore; I've been lowering my head more and more. It's already dark outside."

Pei Yan took the string from his hands, turned to glance at the window, and said, "I'll check on the kitchen. The water probably isn't hot anymore; it needs to be reheated."

"Alright." Gu Lanshi removed the string from his hand, placing it beside the pillow, then added, "Light the lamp."

"Sure." Pei Yan pulled out a nearly burnt-out thin log from the mud stove and lit the oil lamp, bringing a faint light into the room. Indeed, it was much better now. He asked again, "Do you want some water?"

Gu Lanshi shook his head, "I'm not thirsty."

Seeing that he was more spirited after playing for a while and had no intention of sleeping, with firewood piled next to the mud stove, Pei Yan added two logs to the stove, allowing the fire to continue burning. This ensured that the water in the clay pot remained warm.

From face to feet, everything that needed washing was cleaned thoroughly. It was completely dark outside, as it always was in winter.

A flickering yellow flame danced as Gu Lanshi still had the cat's cradle game on his mind. Today, the water wasn't particularly scalding, so he quickly washed himself and dried his feet.

When Pei Yan brought the water back into the room, he adjusted the wick of the lamp. Seeing the flame grow taller and brighter than before, he pulled the person to sit on the kang bed and started playing again.

They played cat's cradle for a long time until both were fully satisfied.

*

The snow fell for four days, stopping only in the afternoon of the fourth day. The sky above was still covered in dark clouds, with no sign of the sun emerging.

These past few days, Pei Yan had been busy, even taking care of cooking. Fortunately, there wasn't much work at home; during the day, he only needed to feed the livestock and clean the west room.

A thick layer of snow accumulated in the courtyard, so he cleared a path for easier movement.

Gu Lanshi hadn't left the room much, performing his ablutions inside. This couldn't be blamed on him. Recently, Pei Yan had developed a certain routine. After a good night's sleep, he was full of energy, and tonight, he would undoubtedly keep him up all night.

Young and full of vigor, Pei Yan was naturally stronger and more robust than the average person. At the age of twenty-something, having been pent up for half a year, he finally found relief during the winter lull.

While it's often said that brief separations make reunions sweeter, in comparison, Pei Yan was actually more clingy this winter.

Last year was their first year of marriage, and for him, it wasn't yet daring enough. This year, as they became increasingly familiar and intimate with each other, his boldness gradually increased. When most excited, with red eyes, he dared to casually handle Gu Lanshi however he pleased.

Due to such "recklessness," every morning, he had to bring in a basin of hot water to wipe Gu Lanshi down. Otherwise, they'd be covered in sweat and other sticky substances, making it impossible to sleep comfortably.

In the east room.

Hearing the wind outside, Gu Lanshi knew the weather wouldn't clear up anytime soon, sighing softly.

Without the sun, the accumulated snow wouldn't melt easily. Everyone hid indoors during the winter, rarely visiting each other. They lived on the back mountain, far from the village, and if they wanted to go out, they'd have to trudge through the snow.

To avoid being trapped indoors and venture out freely, they could only wait for the sun to melt the snow and the ground to dry. Then, they could roam around without restraint.

As long as they were confined at home, there was nothing they could do.

With nothing to do, they might as well stay cooped up on the kang bed. In such cold weather, leaving the warm quilt would chill them to the bone.

As footsteps approached, Gu Lanshi, leaning against the head of the kang bed, instinctively tightened the blanket around him. He actually enjoyed spending time with Pei Yan, chatting, kicking shuttlecocks, playing cat's cradle or spinning tops, and sometimes engaging in sweet activities indoors. However, Pei Yan was too strong, which did cause him some concern.