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墨書 Inktalez
The current road conditions were a bit difficult for Qinglan, so she kept her head down, focused on the ground, afraid of any missteps. Only when she finally climbed to a flat area did she lift her head.
Looking up, she saw a familiar figure—the person she longed to see—sitting on the flat ground within her line of sight, among the grass.
His hands rested on his knees, and his sharp eyes, like those of an eagle, were fixed on her. Behind him stood the tall Plum Tree.
Qinglan's climbing hand came to a halt.
"What are you doing here?" Qinglan's somewhat panicked expression seemed to convey that she hadn't come specifically to find him, or rather, she hadn't intended to disturb him.
She thought he would glare at her as he had before.
But he didn't.
After staring at Qinglan for a long time, he suddenly extended his large hand, wide like a fan, toward her.
Qinglan felt a bit flustered and hesitated to take his hand.
He kept his hand outstretched for a long time before saying, "What's wrong? Don't you need it?"
Only then did Qinglan slowly reach out her hand and place it in his palm. He pulled her up effortlessly and gently drew her into his embrace.
"Why are you here?" He continued to stare at her, his face devoid of any smile, leaving Qinglan unable to discern or guess the meaning behind his words.
"I..." Qinglan stammered, "I just wanted to see Lin Sister."
"Lin Xi is not here again, what are you looking for Lin Xi for?" he said, his face still serious and expressionless.
Qinglan was at a loss for words, staring at him, unable to respond.
"Are you missing me?" he suddenly asked, his cold expression carrying a provocative tone and a wicked smile.
"I..." Qinglan felt as if he could see right through her; in his embrace, she felt like a transparent person, completely exposed. She stammered, lowering her head, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Suddenly, he flipped over and pinned Qinglan down on the grass, kissing from her earlobe to her lips, slowly moving downward.
Under the now-grown Plum Tree, in the warm land of Liu Family Village, in the familiar place of their relatives, beneath the pure sky, An Shaojie once again possessed Qinglan fiercely and roughly.
When coming down from the back mountain, An Shaojie did not want to descend with Qinglan. He told her to go ahead while he stayed behind for a while longer.
After tidying up her clothes and coming down, Qinglan dared not lift her head. She felt as if the surrounding green mountains and waters were mocking her; in front of the pure nature, she felt utterly ashamed.
As soon as Qinglan stepped into the courtyard, she saw Qing Shusheng standing under the Locust Tree with a serious expression, looking in the direction she had come from.
"Where have you been?" Qing Shusheng asked in a calm tone, tapping his pipe against the trunk of the Locust Tree.
Qing Shusheng rarely inquired about or interfered with Qinglan's actions. This time, however, he suddenly asked about her whereabouts while she was feeling extremely guilty, making Qinglan feel as if she had committed a crime standing before him.
Oh no, in fact, she had indeed done something wrong; thus she didn't dare to look at Qing Shusheng or act coy like before or chat with him for a while.
"I... I didn't go anywhere. I just went to Lin Sister's Old House to take a look," she replied incoherently while keeping her head down.
"Let's eat!" Qing Shusheng lifted his foot and entered the house, while Qinglan followed him with her head down.
After dinner, Liu Family Village became lively again, with families calling for their children to move bamboo beds and chairs outside to enjoy the cool evening air.
In Qinglan's yard, Grandma sat on a bamboo bed fanning herself, while Qinglan lay beside her. Qing Shusheng was reclining on a nearby bamboo lounge chair, lost in thought with his eyes closed.
Liu Dezhou was also brought down from the bamboo loft by Qing Shusheng and leaned against another lounge chair. For Liu Dezhou, the outside world was the same day and night. At this moment, aside from his heart still beating, he had almost no awareness left.
Liu Jiawei remained in the main room, weaving bamboo crafts that he hadn’t finished during the day, using the remaining light from the sun that had not yet fully set behind the western mountains and the 25-watt bulb hanging in the center of the room.
Liu Xiuzhen moved back and forth between the main room, kitchen, and bedroom, busy tidying up. Although Grandma was still quite healthy, she was getting older and her movements were much slower than in previous years. She had also become somewhat forgetful, so many household chores gradually fell to Liu Xiuzhen, making her appear busier and more important than before.
"Mom, I remember there were two leftover pieces of red candles from New Year. Where are they?" Liu Xiuzhen asked at the doorway of the main room.
Grandma didn’t hear her. Qinglan tapped Grandma and said, "My mother is asking you!"
Grandma withdrew her gaze from staring blankly at the yard outside and turned to Liu Xiuzhen, asking, "What is it?"
Liu Xiuzhen repeated her question.
"Why are you looking for those two pieces of candles at this time?" Grandma asked.
"Look at Jiawei; the light here is so dim that it's bad for his eyes, and it's easy to make mistakes while weaving," Liu Xiuzhen pointed at Liu Jiawei, who was sweating profusely while working without a shirt.
Grandma trembled slightly as she got up and went inside. After searching together with Liu Xiuzhen for a while, they finally found the two pieces of red candles. They lit them and placed them on a stool next to Liu Jiawei.
Liu Jiawei quietly said to Liu Xiuzhen and Grandma, "No need," but he did not insist or stop them.
It was already late at night when Liu Xiuzhen finished her household chores and came out of the house. A cool breeze blew in, and she took a deep breath, exhaling with a sigh.
Qing Shusheng opened his half-closed eyes and called out to Liu Jiawei, "Forget it, don't do it anymore; there's always tomorrow! Take a shower and cool off."
Liu Jiawei nodded and set down what he was doing.
Grandma could not resist the refreshing breeze from the water's edge and the serene reflection of the mountains, so around eight-thirty, she went back to her room to rest.
As soon as Grandma returned to her room, Liu Xiuzhen took over her duties, sitting beside Qinglan and fanning her to drive away the mosquitoes.
Qinglan lay on the bamboo bed, unable to sleep at all, her eyes occasionally glancing towards An Shaojie's house.
Every household was lively or noisy in front of their doors, with at least some scattered voices discussing family finances.
However, it was extremely quiet in front of An Shaojie's house.
Bai Cuifen had just returned to Liu Family Village from Shenzhen a few days before An Shaojie's vacation. One reason was that An Shaojie was on break, and she wanted to take care of him. The other reason was that it was said An Shaomin would return after working for half a year, but what he would do upon returning remained unknown. Therefore, Bai Cuifen would no longer go back to Shenzhen.
Thus, in front of Bai Cuifen's house, only two shadows could be seen occasionally moving in and out. They had not brought out the bamboo bed; instead, both were sitting on a newly made bamboo chair. The bamboo chair was made by Liu Jiawei and delivered by Qing Shusheng after Bai Cuifen returned from Shenzhen.
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