The Kindhearted Girl Gets a Wife 5

Chapter 5

The night was deep, and the surroundings were silent. The occasional bark of a dog echoed through the streets, and you could even hear the crowing of a rooster.

Pei Yunle was wrapped in her quilt, crying so hard the corner of the blanket was soaked. All the grievances and frustrations of the past few days, along with the deep-seated dissatisfaction and restlessness in her heart, had all converged in her chest and were now pouring out of her eyes.

“Little girl! Hurry and bring in the clothes from the courtyard!”

From some alley, a voice urged a child to bring in the laundry. To Pei Yunle, the sound was like a sharp blade, tearing a gash in the tranquil night.

She shot up in bed with a swish. Even with the quilt draped over her, she could still feel a faint chill creeping up her tailbone. The warmth in her palms had vanished at some point, and her fingertips were already cool.

Even without checking the weather forecast, she knew with certainty that it was about to rain. She had to find a heat source quickly, or the night would be an agonizing torment.

But it was summer. What kind of heating equipment would there be?

The night was heavy with dew. Pei Yunle didn’t even bother with shoes. She hopped off the bed barefoot and took three steps in two towards the door. The floor sent a chill up through the soles of her feet. She hopped back to slip on her slippers. The moment her hand touched the doorknob, she was lost. Where was she going? Where could she go?

There was only one hanging lamp in the hallway, its white light making the walls look even grayer. She went downstairs and did a lap. Most places in the south didn’t have floor heating, and there was no air conditioning here either. In a corner stood an iron stove, but it required coal, and Pei Yunle didn’t know how to use it. Nor did she have the time or energy to spare.

She searched the entire house but couldn’t find so much as a single heat pack.

Outside, the rustling of the lush leaves in the wind grew denser.

Pei Yunle sneezed from the cold and jumped in place a few times, hoping in vain to generate some body heat to fight off the chill. She paced back and forth on the first floor like a mouse desperate to steal oil.

The coldness invaded from her spine, drilling into her marrow, seeming to seep into every cell. Helpless, Pei Yunle clutched the quilt tighter around herself, thinking she would just have to go back to her room and tough it out. This strange illness wasn’t fatal, but the torment of the cold invading her body was worse than death.

Just as her left foot touched the first step of the staircase, the light from above was suddenly blocked. Pei Yunle looked up. At the top of the stairs stood Chen Qingtang in a simple white nightdress, her hair a little messy with two stubborn tufts sticking up. She wasn’t wearing slippers either, and her two fair calves glowed softly in the light.

A whole flight of stairs separated them, making it impossible for Pei Yunle to read the words on her phone screen. Chen Qingtang just tilted her head slightly, radiating confusion, as if to ask: Why aren’t you sleeping in the middle of the night?

Chen Qingtang had already been in bed, about to sleep, when she heard footsteps upstairs and downstairs, quick and fierce. She thought an animal from the back mountain had gotten into the house. Without even putting on shoes, she was about to go check when she saw Pei Yunle squatting on the first floor, her eye-catching, pink, bird’s-nest hair making her hard to miss.

When Pei Yunle saw her, she tried to speak, but her lips trembled uncontrollably, her teeth chattering wildly. She had just lost her temper with this person not long ago. Even though her brain was numb from the cold, she was too embarrassed to ask for help as if nothing had happened.

Besides, the illness was a bit complicated and couldn’t be explained in a few words. Every time someone heard the term “weather-related syndrome,” they would just ask Pei Yunle, “Couldn’t you have come up with a more believable made-up illness?”

Over time, Pei Yunle stopped telling people about her condition.

Chen Qingtang watched her, wrapped tightly in the quilt, her face pale, her calves trembling as she shakily walked past. Chen Qingtang stared, her delicate eyebrows arching, and grabbed her by the wrist.

Looking at her, she typed on her phone: [Are you sick? Do you have a fever?]

Pei Yunle glanced at the screen, and the words seemed to dance. The strokes and dots were all flying, but her gaze lingered on the phone for less than a second. Instead, it was fixed on the hand holding her wrist. The fingers were hot and soft. Pei Yunle subconsciously pushed her away.

Pei Yunle’s reaction was too strong. It was as if she was disgusted by her touch. Chen Qingtang immediately let go and took a step back, putting enough distance between them for another person to fit.

The warmth vanished in an instant. The hand she had disdained as bony during the day was now something Pei Yunle desperately craved. The sensation still lingered on her wrist, and she couldn’t help but grasp it with her other hand, as if trying to draw something more from it.

She was no different from a starving puppy that had gotten a taste of a bone. But she was too embarrassed to say anything directly to Chen Qingtang. Caught between these two conflicting feelings, Pei Yunle lost control of her legs and just wanted to squat on the floor.

Surprise flashed in Chen Qingtang’s almond eyes. Thinking she was about to faint, she bent down and scooped her up from the floor with one arm. Meeting Pei Yunle’s pitiful gaze, she shook her head and reached out to pat her cheek.

Her face was hot, but her body was cold.

Chen Qingtang wanted to take her back to the room at the end of the hall. The distance was only a few meters. With Chen Qingtang standing to her right, Pei Yunle felt a warmth that was hotter than a summer day, like a human-sized heat pack.

Pei Yunle glanced at her, swallowing repeatedly. It’s perfectly reasonable for a sick person to lean on someone for support, right? Perfectly reasonable. PUA-ing herself like this, Pei Yunle let her head slide onto Chen Qingtang’s neck. The curve of her nose fit perfectly against the curve of Chen Qingtang’s neck. She let out a few comfortable whimpers.

The tip of Pei Yunle’s nose was a little cold, raising goosebumps on Chen Qingtang’s skin. Hearing Pei Yunle’s pained moans, she quickened her pace, brought her into the room, swiftly smoothed out the bedsheet, and helped her onto the bed.

Chen Qingtang tucked the quilt in tightly, stuffing all four corners under Pei Yunle’s body. She reached out to feel her forehead; it was about the same temperature as her own.

[Doesn’t seem hot. I’ll go out and buy you some medicine first. Be good.]

Pei Yunle finally managed to grab Chen Qingtang’s hand, an action seemingly independent of her conscious will. Just holding two of her fingers, Pei Yunle felt that the chill in her tailbone had been replaced by a tingling warmth.

“No need. Don’t waste the money. I don’t have a fever, medicine won’t work.”

Chen Qingtang didn’t understand. She took Pei Yunle’s hand in hers and tucked her exposed arm back under the covers.

Pei Yunle lay on her side, curled into a ball, the quilt pulled up over the bridge of her nose, revealing a pair of moist eyes. Her eye sockets felt hot, as if they’d been scorched by fire.

“It’s just… whenever it rains outside, whether it’s summer or winter, I get really scared of the cold. Not psychologically, but a physical cold.” Pei Yunle’s voice grew quieter and quieter. She imagined that if Chen Qingtang could speak, she would probably be laughing so hard she’d be on her knees, just like everyone else.

“Medicine doesn’t really work for this. As long as there’s something warm nearby to keep me warm, it’s fine.”

Chen Qingtang nodded thoughtfully. Standing under the light, even the fine hairs on her face were clearly visible. She looked as serious as if she were listening to a doctor’s orders.

Pei Yunle didn’t want to see Chen Qingtang’s reaction, so she simply closed her eyes. She felt a light pat on her hip, and when she opened her eyes again, the room was empty.

She probably thinks it’s all nonsense too. Like an ostrich, Pei Yunle buried her head deep in the quilt.

Thump—

Something bumped against the doorframe, making a dull sound.

Pei Yunle opened one eye. Her damp eyelashes trembled. Reflected in her dark pupil was Chen Qingtang, holding an electric blanket.

It was probably from her own room. Rolled up inside the blanket was an especially large hot water bottle.

Chen Qingtang placed the items gently on the floor and freed her hands to type—[Get up for a second, I’ll put the electric blanket on for you.]

“You actually believe what I just said?” Pei Yunle, wrapped tightly like a cocoon, sat on the edge of the bed, watching in disbelief as Chen Qingtang spread the electric blanket for her.

Only after she was finished did Chen Qingtang reply: [Why not? I believe everything you say.]

The electric blanket was narrow, its warmth just enough for one person.

Pei Yunle felt a small crack form in her cocoon. She stared blankly as Chen Qingtang handed her the hot water bottle. It would take a while for the electric blanket to heat up completely.

Chen Qingtang then went to boil a kettle of water for her, poured it into her own thermos, and placed it on Pei Yunle’s bedside table.

Perhaps remembering how Pei Yunle had rejected her touch earlier, Chen Qingtang hesitated by the bedside. Pei Yunle watched her secretly, not blinking. Should she apologize first, or thank her first? In any case, she didn’t want Chen Qingtang to leave the room just yet.

“I—”

Chen Qingtang had already typed a message and held it out to Pei Yunle just as she started to speak, cutting her off.

[You might not want to use a cup I’ve used, but drinking some hot water will make you feel better. If you really mind, then don’t drink it. I’ll get you a new one tomorrow.]

Pei Yunle was slightly taken aback. She shook her head. The words in her heart were jumbled, then reorganized, but after reorganizing, she still couldn’t bring herself to say them. In the end, all that came out was a dry, “I don’t mind.”

What she needed now wasn’t physical water, but Chen Qingtang’s touch. That was the water that would quench her thirst, the fire of her desire.

Chen Qingtang could see her reluctance, and the thought of ruffling Pei Yunle’s hair was dismissed.

She stood up straight, pointed to the door, and brought her hands together by her right cheek. It was time for her to go back to sleep.

Pei Yunle’s chest heaved twice in alarm. Her previously half-lidded eyes were now wide open. Even though the tip of her tongue was already pressed against the back of her teeth, the name “Chen Qingtang” still wouldn’t come out.

Click.

The room plunged into darkness. Pei Yunle could only vaguely make out the outlines of the furniture. For the first time, she felt a sense of fear. But this fear didn’t stem from the unknown darkness around her. It was an extremely unfamiliar, unprecedented feeling.

She had felt this fear as a child, when Lin Zilan was busy with her business. At night, little Pei Yunle could only hug her pillow and coax herself to sleep in the dark, terrified and drenched in sweat.

Even when Pei Yunle cried and begged Lin Zilan to come home and stay with her at night, her mother, who would initially coax her gently, would eventually grow impatient. “You’re a big girl now, why are you so insensible?”

And now, that feeling of fear had returned. The 24-year-old Pei Yunle was no longer afraid of the dark. She closed her eyes and thought about it. This feeling was like being abandoned.

Pei Yunle lay flat on her back. The electric blanket’s warmth seeped through the thin sheet. She rolled over and curled up by the edge of the bed, just like she did as a child, coaxing herself to sleep.