Changfeng and Yuanshun went out to search for the others who had scattered. Not only did Gu Jianli and Ji Wujing have to cook by themselves, but they also had to heat water.
In such a cold place, heating water was not easy, and once heated, it wouldn’t stay warm for long. Gu Jianli spent a long time just trying to heat a bucket of water for a bath. After the water was finally hot, she remembered another troublesome matter.
— She didn’t have a bucket to bathe in.
There was indeed a bucket in this courtyard that looked like it was for bathing, but it was old and broken. Moreover, it had been used by the original owner of the courtyard, one of the seven or eight ruffians who had chased them that night.
Recalling the detestable faces of those men from that night, Gu Jianli stared blankly at the pot of boiling water.
She instinctively turned her head to look at Ji Wujing, who was sitting with his legs crossed at the kitchen door, and asked, “What should we do?”
Without any context, it was just such a random question.
Ji Wujing lifted his eyelids to look at her helpless and aggrieved expression and laughed.
“Xinglou, keep watch and don’t let anyone in,” Ji Wujing shouted outside.
Ji Xinglou, who was squatting in the courtyard making a snowman, looked towards the kitchen and saw Ji Wujing closing the wooden door from the inside.
Ji Xinglou paused, snorted softly, and turned back to continue making his snowman. He was very serious about making it, patting the round belly of the snowman with his small hands to make it more solid.
The evening they escaped from home, he had promised Ji Xinglan that he would make a snowman with her the next day. But things got delayed…
Not being able to make a snowman with his sister left Ji Xinglou feeling uneasy. Although Ji Xinglan wasn’t in front of him, he could still imagine her pouting and feeling aggrieved.
Ji Xinglou stood up, moved to a large untouched snowy area, and began rolling a big snowball for the snowman’s head. He wanted to make a good snowman, so when Changfeng found his sister and brought her back, the snowman would be ready for her!
Inside the kitchen, Ji Wujing closed the doors and windows tightly. He added more firewood, making the fire burn even hotter. The water in the pot was steaming, filling the room with warmth.
Ji Wujing rolled up his sleeves, holding a ladle with a bit of cool water in it. He stood up, glanced at Gu Jianli, and said, “What are you waiting for? Undress. If you dawdle, the water will get cold.”
Gu Jianli blinked at him and asked, “You’re not planning to throw me into the pot to bathe, are you?”
Ji Wujing’s hand paused mid-scoop, and he looked back at her with an indescribable expression, saying, “Gu Jianli, I do want to eat, but not in that way.”
He chuckled and added jokingly, “I only like to eat raw, not cooked.”
Gu Jianli looked at the water in the pot and then at the ladle in Ji Wujing’s hand, suddenly understanding. She turned her head, embarrassed, and pinched her earlobe.
“If you keep stalling, I’m not going to help,” Ji Wujing urged impatiently.
Gu Jianli glared at him before turning away and slowly taking off her thick cotton clothes.
The dark blue cotton clothes, after days of wear, were dirty. As she peeled off the dirty cotton clothes, a beautifully smooth body was revealed. But her fair skin was covered with bruises, making her look even more shocking.
Ji Wujing had been watching her undress with interest, but his expression darkened upon seeing the bruises on her body.
He walked over and gathered Gu Jianli’s slightly loose hair, securing it with an inconspicuous wooden hairpin. Standing behind her, he gently embraced her, his hand resting on the bruise on her waist. He bent down, resting his chin on her shoulder, and asked, “Does it hurt?”
Gu Jianli looked down at her waist and only then noticed the large bruise. She had only felt a general soreness from the past couple of days but hadn’t had the chance to check herself, not realizing she was this bruised.
She shook her head and said softly, “It doesn’t hurt. It just looks scary. I don’t really feel it. It really doesn’t hurt.”
Ji Wujing leaned in closer, brushing against her fair neck, and lightly bit her shoulder.
Feeling that their current posture was too intimate, Gu Jianli quickly said, “Didn’t you say if I delayed any longer, the water would get cold? And Changfeng and Yuanshun will be back soon…”
She gently took hold of Ji Wujing’s hand on her waist and softly pushed it away.
Ji Wujing licked his lips and replied, “Oh, I see.”
He picked up the ladle filled with hot water again and slowly poured it over Gu Jianli’s shoulder. The hot water flowed down her shoulder. As the hot water touched her skin, her body instinctively tensed for a moment, but then she relaxed as a comforting warmth spread through her. She let out a small sigh of relief.
Ji Wujing, however, frowned suddenly and said unhappily, “Gu Jianli, don’t make those noises when you’re naked in front of me.”
Gu Jianli was stunned, her cheeks heating up as she quickly defended herself, “I didn’t!”
Ji Wujing gave her a sideways glance, and his response was to pour another ladle of hot water over her shoulder.
Gu Jianli, feeling awkward, pursed her lips and lowered her head to grab a clean cotton cloth to gently wipe her body.
Ji Wujing fell silent, and so did Gu Jianli. In the small kitchen, only the sound of water could be heard.
After a long time, Gu Jianli spoke softly, “I’m done.”
“Wash again,” Ji Wujing said curtly.
“I already finished,” Gu Jianli turned to look at Ji Wujing standing behind her. Her face was flushed, both wet and glistening.
Ji Wujing casually said, “Make sure to wash your butt well. I want to nibble on it.”
Gu Jianli was stunned. She froze for a moment, then angrily grabbed the ladle from Ji Wujing’s hand and splashed the remaining water onto his face.
Ji Wujing, with a mischievous smile, grabbed her wrist and used her hand to wipe the water from his face. Gu Jianli’s hand was already wet, so instead of drying him, it made his eyelashes stick together. Gu Jianli looked up at his eyes and couldn’t help but take a step closer, carefully using her fingertip to separate his stuck-together eyelashes.
As she was about to pull her hand away, Ji Wujing grabbed her wrist. His other hand settled on her lower back, pulling her slender waist into his embrace, and he leaned down to kiss her eyes and lips.
“Changfeng is back!” Ji Xinglou shouted loudly from outside.
Startled, Gu Jianli quickly pushed Ji Wujing away, hurriedly took a few steps to grab her clothes from the bench, and hastily put them on.
Ji Wujing scowled and muttered, “Little rascal.”
When the two of them walked out of the kitchen, Ji Wujing scrutinized Changfeng with a fluctuating expression and asked, “Where are they?”
“I searched all day but still couldn’t find them…” Changfeng admitted honestly. In this cold weather and harsh environment, he had been searching outside all day and was completely frozen, having to return reluctantly to warm up.
Ji Wujing stood there expressionlessly, not moving. Changfeng, who had been eager to come back and warm himself by the fire, had no choice but to stand there stiffly.
Yuanshun, who had been holding back, finally couldn’t help but say, “Fifth Master, let’s rest for a while and then continue searching.”
Gu Jianli said, “You’ve all been searching all day. How can you search for people at night? You’ve worked hard, come inside and warm up.”
Yuanshun responded and walked forward, but Changfeng still stood in place, not daring to move.
Gu Jianli knew that Changfeng wouldn’t listen to her, so she quietly tugged on Ji Wujing’s hand and gave him a look. Ji Wujing glanced at her with a disinterested expression and lazily responded with an “Oh.”
Only then did Changfeng breathe a sigh of relief and dare to go inside.
Ji Xinglou sat dejectedly beside the snowman. With his hands on his cheeks, he stared at the snowman in front of him, feeling down. He had already finished making the snowman, so why hadn’t his sister been found yet?
“Xinglou, it’s too cold outside. Come inside,” Gu Jianli called from the doorway.
Ji Xinglou stood up listlessly, his head hanging down, and walked slowly towards the house. As he reached the door, he turned to look at the snowman in the courtyard, thinking that in such cold weather, the snowman wouldn’t melt quickly. By the time Changfeng brought his sister back, the snowman would still be there!
The next day, out of concern for Yuanshun, Gu Jianli didn’t let her go out searching again. Of course, it wasn’t just Changfeng who went out to look for Wen Jingshan, Ji Xinglan, and the others. Ji Wujing mobilized all the men in the village to search in different directions from the village.
By evening, neither Changfeng nor the villagers had found anything.
Gu Jianli sat on a bench, her gaze unfocused on the slowly burning flames in the brazier.
“Why hasn’t sister come back yet?” Ji Xinglou finally asked awkwardly, standing in front of Gu Jianli.
“Sister is afraid of the dark, the cold, pain, and hunger. She’s very timid…” Ji Xinglou said dejectedly. “If she doesn’t see me for more than a day, she’ll cry because she misses me!”
Gu Jianli patted Ji Xinglou’s head, pulling him into her lap, and said, “Xinglou misses his sister too.”
“I don’t miss her…” Ji Xinglou mumbled softly.
Yuanshun, trying to comfort him, said, “Young Master, don’t worry. The pursuers have long since retreated. Sister Lan and the others must have just found a place to take shelter from the snow. Besides, with Changsheng protecting her, there’s nothing to worry about. Changsheng is very capable!”
Sitting by the door, Changfeng looked up at Yuanshun, then suddenly stood up, grabbed his sword, and headed out.
“Changfeng, where are you going?” Gu Jianli asked.
“To continue searching.”
“It’s so late, it’s already dark. You should wait until tomorrow to…” Gu Jianli stopped mid-sentence because Changfeng had already disappeared.
Yuanshun, unaware of everything, grabbed a handful of roasted peanuts and ate them, commenting, “He’s really strange. Couldn’t find anyone in broad daylight, but thinks he can in the dark? Impossible.”
In the middle of the night, while everyone was sleeping soundly, Changfeng returned, carrying Ji Xinglan in his arms.