Chapter 41

Li Cunxin clutched her blanket. Her chest felt stuffed, like it was full of cotton. This was a physical sensation in her heart caused by emotion, like the stuffy, panicked feeling after pulling an all-nighter.

Yan Baiyu’s words hadn’t been harsh, nor had she given her the cold shoulder. In fact, her expression was weary, even vulnerable.

Li Cunxin was the type who responded to softness, not hardness. She seemed to possess two emotional antennae. Sensing that Yan Baiyu was feeling low and upset because of worry for her, she felt a sense of distress at the disappointment of others, especially those close to her.

She would rather Yan Baiyu had lashed out at her harshly, scolded her thoroughly. That way, Yan Baiyu could vent her emotions, and she herself could be justifiably wronged.

It was better than this cold, soft manner, like a gun that had misfired.

Li Cunxin curled her toes. She felt an itch in the nerves of her legs, urging her to stand up. She felt an itch in the flesh of her chest, making her want to scratch it.

Her thoughts urged her several times, but her body hesitated and didn’t move.

Finally, Li Cunxin sat up. She swung her legs off the bed, turned around, and lay down at Yan Baiyu’s end.

Yan Baiyu was lying on her side, facing inward. Li Cunxin called out, “Baiyu.”

Yan Baiyu didn’t answer her, but Li Cunxin felt she wasn’t asleep yet.

“Don’t be angry.” Li Cunxin said very quietly, “In the future, I’ll try to be more thorough in my thinking…”

Yan Baiyu’s eyes were open. Before her was the wall of the adobe house. She could smell the cold, damp scent in her nostrils. The person behind her wasn’t crowding her, but it felt as if that weight was pressing against her back, that heat like a tongue of flame licking the back of her neck.

Li Cunxin’s hand landed on her shoulder, nudging it gently. That hand, calloused and scarred from labor, conveyed its rough texture even through a layer of clothing.

The skin covered by that hand prickled with goosebumps.

Yan Baiyu shifted her position, subtly moving her shoulder out from under Li Cunxin’s hand. She sighed silently. She suddenly regretted not discussing this issue with Li Cunxin calmly.

She had lost her sense of proportion. An ordinary person would only offer concern, not coldly interfere and question. She was reflecting. It wasn’t wrong to make Li Cunxin consider her own safety, but she should have been gentler, not as assertive as if she were someone with special authority over her.

In Li Cunxin’s eyes, she was the same as Yunxiu, Xu Yin, and the others—close and reliable, but not special.

Yan Baiyu asked, “Were you scared when Mei Wenqin dragged you out?”

Yan Baiyu’s voice softened. Her question immediately broke the ice.

Li Cunxin breathed an inward sigh of relief, feeling happy that she was willing to respond. She smiled. “Actually, I was a bit scared. When it took me into the water pit, the moment I flew into the air, my heart leaped out.”

Yan Baiyu said, “In the future, someone should keep an eye on you.”

Li Cunxin said, “Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you.”

The atmosphere between them eased.

Once the matter weighing on her mind was set aside, drowsiness hit her. She was too lazy to move now, unwilling to brave the outside chill to go back to her side. Having done this twice before, sleeping side-by-side with Yan Baiyu felt perfectly natural now, without any awkwardness.

Li Cunxin didn’t mind. This feeling was like making friends—awkward at first meeting, but relaxed once familiar.

If they slept side by side, both lying flat, their arms and legs would inevitably touch.

But she thought sleeping together was nice. It was warm and snug. Having something solid next to her felt secure. She liked to hug something, but Yan Baiyu didn’t like being held, so she had to keep herself spread out flat, behaving.

Yan Baiyu knew very well this was how she thought. Even if it were Yunxiu sleeping here today, once the two were familiar, Li Cunxin would cling to Yunxiu like an octopus.

Before long, Li Cunxin fell asleep.

Yan Baiyu turned over, moving slowly and carefully. In the darkness, she could only faintly make out Li Cunxin’s outline. She couldn’t see the even, gentle rise and fall of her chest, but listening to her rhythmic breathing, she could imagine it.

If this weren’t a primitive world, if individuals weren’t so dependent on the group, if they weren’t constantly in each other’s sight, if she were still in the original world… even knowing she didn’t like girls, she would still want to try…

In the early morning, the world was still shrouded in a layer of cold mist. Birdsong came from deep within the distant woods.

They had gone to bed early and woke up early. Their three meals a day were regular. A day of labor left them exhausted. After a hot foot bath, they would hit the pillow and sleep dreamlessly until dawn. For most of them, this was the best sleep they’d had in many years, ever since entering society.

Yunxiu and Ning Yikui were the first to wake. As the ones responsible for meals, they needed to prepare early.

After Ning Yikui washed her face, Yunxiu handed her a willow branch. Chewing one herself, Yunxiu sprinkled a bit of salt on the fibers and brushed her teeth, showing Ning Yikui how.

“Oh—” Ning Yikui made a sound of wonder. Trying it herself, she ended up with sore gums and aching jaws.

Yunxiu said, “It takes some getting used to at first. You’ll get the hang of it. It disinfects and prevents cavities.”

After washing up, Yunxiu scooped a bowl of flour from a small clay vat, poured it into a small basin, added a spoonful of salt, and began adding water to knead the dough.

Kneading dough was strenuous work. Ning Yikui took over after Yunxiu had worked it into a ball. Curious, she asked, “Didn’t Cunxin say you usually eat porridge in the mornings now?”

Yunxiu smiled. “Normally it is porridge. But we occasionally improve the menu. Since it’s your first day, we’re making hand-rolled noodles today.”

“…You guys are so kind.” Ning Yikui pinched the soft dough inward. “Before we came, we were worried we wouldn’t fit in, you know. Sister Wen has been here the longest, over two years. She drifted around at first, only settling down in the west after meeting Sister Wanling. They built an adobe house there. Later, they met me and Sister Huanhuan. Even though it was a bit lonely with just the four of us over there, life was simple because there were fewer people. We got used to living together. We were actually a bit afraid of change, afraid of integrating into someone else’s group, becoming guests in someone else’s home.”

Yunxiu took the dough, now thoroughly kneaded, from Ning Yikui’s hands. “And now?”

“Great. Smoother than we expected.” Some awkwardness was unavoidable, but it was nothing. No matter what you do, there’s a process of going from unfamiliar to familiar. Ning Yikui was very at ease. “Cunxin told us how great and easygoing you all are. She wasn’t lying.”

“The Village Chief? What did she say about us?” Yunxiu’s smiling eyes glanced at Ning Yikui, curious.

Ning Yikui said, “She said you’re a great cook. She said Xia Qing has the same talent as me, Carpentry, so we’d probably get along. She said that older sister named Jiang Beibei speaks softly and gently. She also said Uncle Xu is heroic and handsome, 1.92 meters tall. That Yu Muyang looks fierce and thuggish to outsiders, but here, you’ve all seen his sloppy, disheveled side—like him running around bare-bottomed—so he can’t muster any authority…”

Yunxiu set the dough aside to rest. She trimmed a small piece from the slab of cured meat she’d brought out earlier, separating the fat from the lean. She minced the lean meat and diced a potato.

Ning Yikui started the fire in the stove for her. Looking at the round pot on the stove, she thought to herself: if they’d had a pot like this before, cooking would have been so much easier.

Yunxiu put the fat in first to render oil, then added the minced lean meat with salt and spices, stir-frying. The aroma burst out with a sizzle. “Huh? Why didn’t she mention Baiyu?”

Ning Yikui used a wooden stick to lower the fire in the stove slightly. She smiled and said, “She did mention her. She said Yan Baiyu has been here the longest, knows wrestling, horseback archery, and likes climbing mountains. Very impressive. She said she’s sometimes a little afraid of her. From what we heard, we imagined Yan Baiyu would have a build similar to Sister Wen’s, with a face like Sister Wanling’s, always stern, her brows knitted so tight they could kill a fly.”

“But when we actually saw her.” Ning Yikui lowered her voice, a little embarrassed as she smiled at Yunxiu. “That older sister is so beautiful. And she’s not fierce at all.”

Yunxiu burst out laughing, then choked on the smoke from the pot. She turned her head away, covering her mouth and coughing heavily.

Yan Baiyu, having just gotten up, came to fetch water to wash her face. She glanced at Yunxiu. “Is your throat bothering you?”

Ning Yikui, seeing the subject of their conversation approach, quickly shrank back, clamped her mouth shut, and stared fixedly at the fire in the stove, not daring to look elsewhere.

Yunxiu had a guilty conscience, feeling like someone caught gossiping behind another’s back. Choking on her own saliva, she coughed even more violently, her face beet red as she waved at Yan Baiyu. After catching her breath, she said, “Choked… I just choked…”

Yan Baiyu took her water outside. Her long hair, combed smooth, was tied in a low ponytail resting on her shoulder.

Yunxiu glanced outside. She could actually understand why Li Cunxin said she was afraid of her. Yan Baiyu’s upbringing and her inherent pride gave her an undeniable presence.

In a place like this, freed from so many demands and scrutiny from others and society, they had all inevitably picked up some rough habits. Yan Baiyu still maintained her decorum and poise. Looking at her, everyone else felt a bit shabby in comparison.

Take walking, for example. Yan Baiyu walked with a straight posture, her shoulders barely swaying. Yu Muyang, on the other hand, swung his shoulders and swayed his hips, slouching around like a street loafer.

In their eyes, Yan Baiyu was no longer just a person. She was like a living warning sign of modern civilized etiquette, constantly hanging over their heads, scrolling reminders.

Yunxiu felt no one could manage her.

Yunxiu removed the meat topping from the pot and used the remaining oil to stir-fry the diced potatoes.

Using a rolling pin, Yunxiu flattened and rounded the rested dough into a thin, large sheet. She folded the sheet, sliced it into thin, long strips with a knife, and dropped them into boiling water. The noodle broth roiled, and the simple, earthy scent of wheat drifted from the pot.

People gradually woke up. After washing, they stretched and yawned, then came to collect their noodles.

A bowl of hand-rolled noodles, with a little salt added, topped with the meat sauce and potato dice. Not much, but enough to taste the meaty flavor. Those who wanted soup ladled a spoonful of noodle broth over it. Those who didn’t tossed the noodles and ate them dry.

When Li Cunxin came to get her bowl, Yunxiu handed her a different one. “This one’s yours.”

Li Cunxin took it. Nestled on top of the noodles in the bowl was a poached egg.

Yu Muyang slurped his noodles, peering into Li Cunxin’s bowl. His words muffled, he said, “Yunxiu, are there any more poached eggs?”

Yunxiu glared at him. “When you knock your head stupid someday, you’ll get one.”

Li Cunxin held her bowl but hadn’t started eating yet. Yu Muyang said, “Village Chief, share a little with me so I can taste it.”

Li Cunxin poked the egg apart with her chopsticks. It was a soft-boiled egg, the golden yolk runny. Meeting the hot noodle broth, it slightly solidified. Li Cunxin gave half to Yu Muyang.

Yunxiu’s shapely eyebrows furrowed in anger. She scolded Yu Muyang, “Were you a starving ghost in your past life? Picking food out of her bowl.”

Yu Muyang swallowed half the poached egg in one bite and scurried out of the kitchen, holding his bowl, grinning cheekily.

Li Cunxin sat in the yard eating her noodles. Wen Mi and the other three found her.

Wen Mi said, “I heard your current project is building a new house.”

Li Cunxin nodded.

Di Wanling said, “We’ll go along later too.”

Li Cunxin thought for a moment. “It’s not really suitable for all of you to go.”

Wen Mi said, “What’s unsuitable about it? We can’t have all of you working while leaving us idle in the house.”

Li Cunxin smiled. “That’s not what I meant. Sister Wen, you’re strong. You’re suited to help. But, for example, Sister Huanhuan is better suited to stay home: feed the chickens, help me with the compost, give Yunxiu a hand. And Yikui, you and Xia Qing should discuss which farming tools and furniture you two should divide or collaborate on. Sister Wanling, go find Zhao Penglai and ask when they’ll need lacquer or dye. If it’s not urgent, help them with bricklaying first.”

“Alright.”

The four secretly exchanged glances, smiling slightly. It seemed the title of Village Chief wasn’t just for show. This girl’s way of organizing things was quite methodical.