Chapter 14: Nightmare

Chapter 14: Nightmare

The thatched cottage looked pretty run-down, as if it had been uninhabited for a long time. The owner must have moved out years ago.

Luckily, the wooden stakes used to build the house were treated and painted.

Even after years of neglect, it was weed-free.

But thick layers of dust and spider webs covered every corner. Ying Shi wasn’t scared of the rundown look, but she was terrified of snakes and bugs.

Seeing the spider webs in the corners, her face turned pale, and she felt uneasy.

The cottage was small, split into two rooms.

The inner room was even tinier, with just a bare wooden bed. The main room had a broken table and chairs—that was it.

Luckily, being halfway up the mountain, the strong wind and dry air kept snakes and bugs away.

Liang Yun was a neat freak. As soon as he got there, he meticulously cleaned every corner of dust and spider webs, making Ying Shi, who had trouble moving, look like a freeloader.

Ying Shi felt embarrassed and tried to help a few times, but the dirt turned her off. In the end, while she nervously watched, Liang Yun cleaned the cottage spotless, making it... just livable.

The house was clean, but mosquitoes were still everywhere.

To make sure they’d sleep well, Liang Yun said, "I’ll grab some dry grass nearby to smoke out the mosquitoes tonight."

It was pitch dark, and every sound seemed louder.

After her bizarre trip back in time, Ying Shi believed in ghosts and monsters more than anyone.

In this dark, unfamiliar cottage, miles from anyone, even a snake or centipede could scare her to death.

Ying Shi’s eyelashes fluttered as she swallowed her fear. Her teary eyes looked up, and she whispered, "It’s just a few mosquitoes. It’s almost dark—who knows what’s out there. Please don’t go, brother..."

Hearing this, Liang Yun looked up and glanced at Ying Shi.

For a moment, he caught a fleeting glimpse of her personality.

The mountain wind blew through the broken window as the sun disappeared.

After Liang Yun left, the house went completely silent.

Liang Yun returned as the last light faded.

He saw her in a jade dress, curled up at the door, her skirt spread out like a delicate flower.

At first, Liang Yun thought she was awake, but when he approached her, he noticed her closed eyes.

Her eyelashes were curled, her cheeks snow-white, and the color of her hair was like the finest silk bathed in the glow of the sunset.

She seemed to be a heavy sleeper, having slept on his shoulder all day, and now she could even fall asleep leaning against the door.

Even... even Liang Yun heard her light snoring.

Liang Yun awkwardly averted his gaze, but his peripheral vision caught a red mark on her fair cheek.

That... that was a mosquito bite.

Her delicate skin, untouched by wind or sun, was a magnet for mosquitoes.

Liang Yun left her undisturbed. He quietly lit tobacco and placed it around the house, letting the smoke drift inside with the wind to chase away the mosquitoes lurking in the shadows.

Then, he headed to the back mountain and returned shortly with a skinned rabbit.

The smell of meat roused Ying Shi from her sleep.

Her mind was still foggy, but her stomach was already growling with hunger.

She blinked her eyes open with effort and saw a bonfire crackling nearby.

The bonfire blazed, its smoke curling and vanishing into the night.

Ying Shi quickly found the source of the mouthwatering aroma.

A sharpened stick skewered the rabbit, its skin crackling over the flames.

Ying Shi hadn’t tasted meat in years.

The last meat she remembered was the pork noodles Gui Niang made before she left.

So much time had passed that the memory of meat’s flavor had nearly faded.

Now, the scent alone made her eyes light up, and she couldn’t take her eyes off the roasting rabbit.

Her stare was so fierce it might’ve scorched Liang Yun by the fire.

Liang Yun showed remarkable patience. Despite her intense gaze, he waited for the rabbit to cook just right, then he pulled off the crispiest leg and handed it to her.

The firelight highlighted his face, sharpening his already stern features.

Ying Shi hadn’t completely lost herself to hunger. She took the leg and murmured a soft thank you.

She grabbed the leg, too impatient to let it cool, and took a big bite.

Ying Shi winced from the heat, tears brimming, but she refused to spit out the meat.

She sucked in cool air to ease the burn, then started chewing.

After a day without food, even the simplest meal was a feast.

Though unsalted, the crispy, tender rabbit, infused with the smoky wood fire, burst with flavor.

The mountain night, free from the sun’s heat, grew cold.

From time to time, a desolate night breeze blew from her direction.

Liang Yun looked up and saw, in the flickering firelight, the usually reserved and composed girl now eating a rabbit leg with her cheeks bulging.

Her face, glowing in the firelight, looked almost ethereal.

After Ying Shi devoured the rabbit, she wiped her greasy hands with fallen leaves and only then realized what she had just done.

Her late husband hadn’t even been buried yet, and here she was, eating meat in front of her brother-in-law.

Ying Shi’s vision darkened, and she pondered for a while before realizing there was no excuse. After a moment of silence, she softly explained to Liang Yun, "I haven’t eaten for so long, I was so hungry I forgot for a moment..."

Facing and admitting mistakes bravely. Everyone has moments of forgetfulness.

Besides, didn’t Liang Yun just hand her the meat himself?

Liang Yun remained composed and said, "In emergencies, we have to do what’s necessary. Shun Gong wouldn’t hold it against you."

Ying Shi paused, taken aback, then nodded slowly. Before she could say more, Liang Yun swiftly put out the fire.

"You take the house tonight; I’ll stay outside and keep watch."

...

It was another pitch-black night.

Ying Shi rested her head on her arm, curling up as tightly as she could.

Even though she was worn out from the day, sleep wouldn’t come.

She figured it might be the pain.

Maybe it was from wading in the cold stream, but her ankle was throbbing.

It was dead silent outside, not a sound to be heard. Liang Yun was probably asleep by now. Ying Shi endured the pain, tossing and turning restlessly.

She finally drifted off, only to be haunted by nightmares.

First, she saw a ragged skeleton.

The skeleton was bare, its jaw clacking open and shut. Though it had no flesh, it cackled eerily, its empty eye sockets fixed on Ying Shi.

"Hehehe, you slept in my bed, so you’ll stay… stay with me."

Ying Shi fought to wake up, soaked in sweat. Before she could recover, she slipped back into a dream of her past life.

She was thrilled, dressed in a new gown, only to see Fu Shi come back with Liang Ji.

Fu Shi cradled a wailing baby—they looked like the perfect family.

Ying Shi gazed at Liang Ji, but he avoided her eyes.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at her.

Of course he couldn’t face her!

The next day, Ying Shi gathered her things and confronted Liang Ji about divorce.

Better than staying here and being laughed at.

She held back her feelings, acting as if Liang Ji were a stranger.

"You and I will go to the clan and make it clear. We’ll divorce today, and I’ll leave today."

That day, Liang Ji seemed somewhat gloomy. He apologized to Ying Shi.

"I remembered, I remembered and rushed back immediately. Ying Shi, I’m also in pain, I truly didn’t remember anything. As soon as I remembered, I came back to find you..."

But now, any words were too little, too late—just pitiful and absurd.

She felt utterly alienated from him, and deeply afraid...

She screamed hysterically, begging him to leave.

But this was the Liang residence, Liang Ji’s estate.

She had struggled here for years, and the servants of the Liang household called her "mistress" only out of respect for Liang Ji. After Liang Ji returned, she became a woman entirely dependent on him.

No matter how much Ying Shi wept, it was futile.

He was no longer the Liang Ji she once knew.

The man Ying Shi had loved in her youth, the man she’d vowed to endure anything for, had completely transformed into someone she now deeply despised.

Outside the window, the moon slowly rose, casting a silvery glow through the window.

Liang Yun was awakened by the soft sobs from the next room.

The sounds started as soft murmurs, then escalated into intermittent whimpers, filled with terror and a despair so deep it stifled her sobs.