The next day, Zeng Li, Ai Jing Chu and his group went to Ma Xiaobing's house, if that place could still be called home. It was in an unfinished building on the outskirts of the city. There was no bed in the room, just a few sheets of torn cotton padding on two wooden boards that looked like old doors. Next to it was a wooden cabinet with only half a door that was taken back from nowhere. On the other side of the bed was a tea table, some stools, and a table. The table is square and can be folded, but the legs of the table have been rusted, and the table top is covered with a thick layer of dust. There should have been something square on it, but it has left a deep mark because it has not been moved for a long time.

Lao Wang, who brought them here, pointed to the table and said, "There used to be a TV here, and it was given to him by my mother-in-law."

Lao Wang is the hometown of Ma Xiaobing's grandfather and grandson, that is, the father of the older boy Wang Yong who took the lead in begging.

"I told you that they left early, but you didn't believe it, do you believe it now?" Old Wang said again.

Ning Feng handed Old Wang a cigarette, lit it for him, took a few puffs, chatted with him, and then changed the subject, "Old Wang, tell me what's going on."

Lao Wang took a few puffs of cigarettes and squatted down on the spot.

Ning Feng also squatted with him.

Lao Wang squinted his eyes and said, "I know you are good people. In the past, this girl and you," Lao Wang pointed at Zeng Li with two fingers holding a cigarette, "You even went to school to help our eldest son by donating clothes and books to them, otherwise I wouldn't have brought you here.

"The village is poor, and we were able to send our children to the city to study after we went out to work. Sometimes both of us have to go to work at night, and no one cares about him after school. It happened that people from the same village asked a few children to go to the street to ask for money. We thought that at least someone would take care of him and give him money for food, so we let the eldest child go."

When Lao Wang said this, his face was covered by the smoke he exhaled, while Ai Jing Chu listened to his words and stood motionless.

Lao Wang added: "I later found out that Ma Xiaobing was among them. He was picked up by Lao Ma picking up trash and said he was thrown in the toilet of the hospital. It is said that Lao Ma was dumb and had married a wife decades ago. He was a little crazy when he was young. Sometimes he was good, and sometimes he beat everyone. The daughter-in-law ran away when she couldn't bear it. Now that he is getting old, other relatives in the family don't care about him, who would have thought that one day she would pick up a child."

"Have you met Ma Xiaobing?" Lao Wang raised his head and asked.

Zeng Li nodded when he heard Lao Wang's question, "Yes." Ai Jing Chu was noncommittal.

Lao Wang pointed to his mouth, "The child has a cleft lip and a piece of nose is missing. He choked on water and almost died. Fortunately, he grew up so hard. Don't look at him like that. He has a very smart mind. When it was said that he was arrested the other day, our fellow villager who took the child to the streets to ask for money was frightened. He thought it was the government and reporters who came to trouble him, and hurriedly sent the old horse away."

"Go back to your village?" Ning Feng asked.

Old Wang was stunned for a moment, then asked sensitively: "Why are you looking for Ma Xiaobing?"

"Didn't you tell me to help him?" Ning Feng said.

He looked up suspiciously at Ai Jing Chu in the corner of the room who hadn't said a word from beginning to end and had an indifferent expression, "You... I know you two, but not him. He couldn't be called by the government, right?"

Zeng Li looked at Ai Jing Chu's expression, and quickly explained: "No, no, he is a doctor, and he is looking for Ma Xiaobing to treat his illness."

Old Wang stopped smoking, "Can it really be cured?"

Ai Jing Chu's eyes fell on Lao Wang's body, and he replied: "It can be cured well." He didn't explain too much, but only said four words, which were simple and matched with the expression on his face, but it gave people a kind of confidence all at once.

"Their family has no money." Lao Wang stubbed out the cigarette butt on the ground, and added another sentence, which was also addressed to Ai Jing Chu.

"I will find a way." Ai Jing Chu replied.

Zeng Li said: "But the child must be found as early as possible, the sooner the child is treated, the better."

Ning Feng saw a mobile phone number written in white chalk on the concrete wall, and asked, "Is this their phone number?"

"It belongs to Lao Ma and his nephew." Lao Wang stood up, stomped his feet, and said, "They are close together, you can call them and ask directly."

Coming out of Lao Ma's residence, Ning Feng left first, while Ai Jing Chu drove Zeng Li to the cafe to help.

When the car arrived at the entrance of the cafe, Ai Jing Chu said, "Call me when you're done, and I'll pick you up."

"No need, Ma Yi Yi will see it off for me, and I don't know when I will get off work." Zeng Li said as she turned around and reached for the bag in the back row.

The bag happened to be placed on the seat behind the driver's seat, and her arms were short, so she could only tilt her head vigorously and move closer to Ai Jing Chu. Her hair was not tied up, and a long handful was scattered behind her back. At this moment, half of the ends of her hair were resting on his body.

"Zeng Li." He said.

"Huh?" She looked up when she heard the sound, and found his face close at hand.

Seeing him tilting his head halfway, with his fingers still wrapped around her hair, she suddenly realised what he was going to do. In broad daylight, she couldn't hide or respond, so she just froze there and let him kiss her lips.

Zeng Li got out of the car in a state of anxiety, and when she walked to the door of the cafe, she realised that her bag was still in his car, and turned around to get it, but he didn't expect that he was already standing in front of the car with it, waiting for her.

She walked over, took the bag, and was a little bit reluctant to see him turn around and get into the car.

"Hey—" she stopped him.

He turns around.

She bit her lower lip and asked hesitantly, "Can you go in and accompany me?"

He froze for a moment, looked up at the signboard of the opposite cafe, then slightly pursed the corners of his lips, raised them back, and smiled lightly.

"Whatever you want me to do in the future, you don't need to add the words 'can you', just say it directly." He said with a smile.

When they arrived at the store, Zeng Li was busy grinding coffee beans and making juice, while Ai Jing Chu sat at the front desk and cashiered. Although he had never used a cash register, after Dou Dou briefly demonstrated it to him, he fully understood it.

At first, everything was fine. Later, when two girls who looked like students opened the door and saw Ai Jing Chu at the front desk, they froze in place, and only after a while did they say "Hello, Teacher Ai".

Carol's was originally near A University, and there were many students from A coming and going.

He nodded as a gesture.

Then, the two of them withdrew again, and then, from time to time, some people looked in through the glass on the street, and some people went directly to the cafe to order some drinks to watch the excitement.

An hour later, Dou Dou received a text message, and hurriedly ran to report to Zeng Li and Ma Yi Yi: "The male god is on the forum." After speaking, she showed Zeng Li the post on her phone with Ai Jing Chu's cash register photo.

Ma Y Yyi said gratifyingly: "I'm not afraid that the business will not be prosperous in the future." Then she turned to Zeng Li, "Tell Ai Jing Chu that I will pay three times the salary and let him stand at the door for a while every day."

Zeng Li, one head and two big, hurriedly pulled Ai Jing Chu upstairs and hid him.

As soon as she comforted Ai Jin Chu, she ran into the most difficult person in the whole medical school—Zhou Wen.

"Hey." Zeng Li bit the bullet and went in. Why did she agree to Ma Yi Yi to ask Ai Jing Chu to collect money and settle accounts in a moment of enthusiasm?

"Teacher—" Zhou Wen opened her mouth to say these two words, which immediately attracted the attention of everyone around him.

Zeng Li's knees almost gave way and he knelt down for her.

On the second weekend, after finding out that Ma Xiaobing had returned to his hometown Yanchang, Ai Jing Chu decided to go there with Zeng Li himself.

Yanchang is notoriously poor because of its high altitude, difficult roads, and inconvenient access. However, it has recently been favored by some young people who like to find new ways. There are high-altitude meadows and wetlands in its area. The ecological environment is in a very primitive state, and it is a colony for migratory birds.

However, Ai Jing Chu and Zeng Li didn't travel by car all the way.

They drove on the highway for more than four hours before reaching the county seat at noon. They had dinner in the county seat, took a rest, and continued to circle along the S-shaped provincial road. The mountain road is narrow and has many curves. You can only see the cliff on the right and the cliff on the left. From time to time, there are trucks driving towards you. At first, the two of them switched seats, but after a while, Ai Jing Chu saw that Zeng Li's hand holding the steering wheel was tense, and he was not at ease, so he took care of all the work by himself.

When they got to the mountain, the provincial road was gone, and even the navigation was blank. Fortunately, Zeng Li had been to Yanchang, and she still had some impressions, so she sat in the co-pilot's seat while identifying the way and inquiring, and guiding the car onto another country road.

Next, the road conditions became much worse, and many places on the concrete road were crushed to pieces.

When they got to Murakami, when they asked, they found out that there was still a section of muddy road away from Ma Xiaobing's brigade. Fortunately, their car had a high chassis, and it was already sunset when they swayed to the brigade.

They had previously contacted Ma Fugui, Lao Ma's nephew, and they made an appointment to meet at Ma Fugui's house. When Ai Jing Chu and Zeng Li arrived, there was already a crowd of people waiting in the main room of Ma Fugui's house, and the child named Ma Xiaobing was hiding behind an old lady.

Ai Jing Chu didn't like to beat around the bush. As soon as he sat down, he said what he had to say concisely. Finally, he suddenly remembered the matter of custody and asked, "Who is Lao Ma, the child's father?" He had never seen Lao Ma before, so he couldn't tell who was in the room.

The others were silent, and finally Ma Fugui said: "My uncle has committed an old problem again, let us tie him up."

Ai Jing Chu hesitated, and said: "During the operation, the immediate family members must sign."

Ma Fugui is in his forties and has spent a lot of time in the city. Knowing these medical procedures, he hastily explained: "My uncle doesn't always get sick, he usually gets better within a few days, and..." He pointed to the middle-aged man next to him, "This is Captain Wu from our brigade. He can make decisions about major and minor matters in our production team. You just called a few days ago, and he reported to the village leader."

The altitude here is high, and the sunshine is strong. During the day, the sun comes out and feels hot, and it starts to be chilly in the evening. Seeing that it was dark, no one in the house suggested to turn on the lights.

It was so late, and the two of them couldn't go back, so they had to eat and rest at his house for one night according to Ma Fugui's arrangement, and then went to see Lao Ma tomorrow, and then took the child to the hospital in A City.

When the business was settled, Ma Fugui and his family set the table and chopsticks while staying around to watch the lively meal. As soon as the dishes were arranged, Ma Xiaobing volunteered to pull the rope by the wall, and the light bulb hanging in the middle of the room finally turned on. It's just that the small orange light is not bright enough, strong for a while, then weak for a while, flickering on and off.

Ma Xiaobing wore the little T-shirt Zeng Li bought for him, and took a lot of her chocolates, gradually he became less afraid of strangers. Seeing Zeng Li staring at the light, he said, "It's like this. They said it was because of unstable voltage." This was the first time Zeng Li heard him speak. Afraid of hurting his self-esteem, Zeng Li didn't ask any more questions but nodded with a smile, as if he understood.

Arranging accommodation at night, Ma Fugui's wife tentatively asked Zeng Li: "Are you a couple?"

Zeng Li waved his hands quickly.

So, Ma Fugui and Ai Jing Chu slept in the same room, Zeng Li slept in the same room with the old lady, and Ma Fugui's wife and Ma Xiaobing slept in the same room with their two-year-old child.

The old lady is Ma Fugui's old mother, in her seventies, with a strong body and good teeth.

Ma Fugui's daughter-in-law was afraid that Zeng Li would not like to sleep next to the old man, so she explained to Zeng Li: "Don't look at the child, his grandma is old, but she can be hygienic, and we know that you are coming, we have washed all the quilt covers and sheets, don't be disgusted."

Zeng Li didn't mind these things. After washing his face and feet, he followed the old lady into the door. When she sat down in front of the bed and briefly looked around the room, she almost lost her breath in shock.

There were three wooden benches beside the bed, and there was actually a black coffin on the benches!

It was a real coffin, one big at one end and small at the other, painted black with a closed lid.

Now, everything becomes weird.

The old lady had bad eyesight, and she didn't notice Zeng Li's fear. She pretended that the coffin next to her was invisible, and repeatedly called Zeng Li to bed.

Zeng Li had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow suit.

Just about to lie down, Ma Fugui's wife knocked on the door and came in, and asked Zeng Li what he wanted to eat tomorrow morning. After exchanging some pleasantries, she turned ooff the light for them and closed the door. From the beginning to the end, she didn't seem to see the coffin.

The old lady sleeps inside, she sleeps outside. Sure enough, the quilt and pillowcase had been washed. Although it was hard to sleep on, it was really clean. The thick mosquito net cut off everything outside, but she still couldn't help but imagine that thing just now. Covered by the quilt, the more she thought about it, the more frightened she became, she didn't even dare to close her eyes, and she didn't even dare to turn her back to it.

She didn't know how long it took before she fell asleep.

In the dream, she seemed to return to the small courtyard where funerals were always held when she was more than ten years old. The light was dim, and there were corpses placed there alone.

Then, she dreamed that her parents were quarrelling, and the two sides started to fight again when they disagreed. Her father slapped her mother, but it landed on her face, but she didn't feel any pain.

Later, she also dreamed that she was taking the notification letter to sign up for a new school, but found that there were people pointing and pointing along the way, and she looked down wonderingly, only to realize that she was naked when she went out.

In the middle of the night, she couldn't sleep anymore, so she got out of bed and slipped out.

Ma Fugui's house is actually very simple. The walls of the house are not built of bricks, but are made of wood, fences, lime and mud, and the roof is covered with tiles. In the middle is the main room, and the side rooms on the left and right are for people to live in, and for storage. Behind them are the kitchen, pigsty and latrine. The house has been in disrepair for a long time, and the walls in many places have fallen off, and the bamboo pieces supporting the walls inside are exposed.

There is a flat land outside the house, but there is no courtyard wall.

At this moment, the moon suddenly showed its face from the clouds, and the yard was much brighter than the house.

She didn't dare to go out, but dared to stand under the eaves and look towards the way they came. When they came, they put the car under it, and then climbed up along the path at the ridge of the field.

Under the moonlight, Ai Jingchu's car could be seen quietly parked on the far side of the road. Suddenly, her eyes caught something flashing beside the car, like flames, or the light of fireflies, which disappeared so quickly that it was almost impossible to distinguish. Quickly, it lit up for a second time, this time it was not just for a short moment like before, this time it seemed to be a real flame, it swayed a few times, and stood in the wind.

Looking at the faint light, her heart seemed to be firmly caught, and it was even brighter than the full moon in the sky.

The flame was Ai Jing Chu's lighter.

Her feet suddenly became lighter, and she walked into the yard by the moonlight, walked down a few uneven stone steps, and walked to the field ridge. Accompanied by the sound of insects, she stepped on the green grass all the way down. The moonlight fell on her body, and reflected the shadow on the field. She was wearing sneakers, and she walked so fast and lightly, but Ai Jing Chu still found her before the half way.

"Zeng Li?"

She didn't answer him, but replied: "Ai Jing Chu!" She originally said these three words in a normal voice, but she didn't want to sound so loud and long-lasting in such a quiet night. She was taken aback by her own voice, but after a while, she felt fresh again, so she raised her voice and repeated: "Ai Jing Chu."

Noticing her playfulness, he also replied to her: "Zeng Li."

"Ai Jing Chu."

"Zeng Li."

"Ai Jing Chu."

"Zeng Li."

"Ai Jing Chu."

"Zeng Li."

The distance between the two gradually narrowed. In the end, she stood on the one-meter-high field ridge, and he waited below. In the night, he raised his head, his body was full of moonlight, and his eyes were picturesque.

Zeng Li looked at him, couldn't help smiling, her voice weakened, and she called again softly: "Ai Jing Chu."

He didn't answer her this time, but opened his arms and said, "I'll pick you up."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zeng Li and her heart fell heavily into his arms.

"Why don't you sleep?" Zeng Li asked.

"Then what are you doing?" he asked her back.

"I can't sleep," she replied.

"I can't fall asleep either." He followed suit and returned it to her.

"You're starting to talk poorly," she said.

He laughed.

The temperature dropped a lot at night, Ai Jing Chu was afraid that she would catch a cold, so they sat back in the car together.

"When we go back this time, make an appointment to invite your mother to have a meal at home." He said.

"Home?"

"My home." He replied.

"Not good?" Zeng Li retreated inwardly.

"Why not?"

"My mother's temper, you also know..."

"I don't know, I only know that the her soup is good." He didn't dare to speak ill of his mother-in-law behind his back.

"Is it delicious? Why do I feel it's so-so?"

"It's delicious." At this point, he seemed to be reminiscing, and suddenly said, "It's the taste of my mother."

Suddenly, Zeng Li understood Ai Jing Chu's strange actions at that time, as well as the layer after layer of meaning behind these words. She felt a little sour in her heart, and reached out to hold his hand. She didn't know what to say, so she just held him so quietly and tightly.

Ai Jing Chu's mother was not separated from man and nature, but she really abandoned him. He only said that he was a posthumous child and an orphan without father and mother. He sympathised with a lonely child like Ma Xiaobing, not without his own reasons.

"I want to hear about your childhood." Zeng Li said.

"When I was a kid, I always felt that if I was the best and the best at everything, she might regret it and come and pick me up. But no, never, no news. I didn't dare to ask anyone else where she was, where she went. Later, I went to Philadelphia for her to study, and I couldn't wait to go to her. She was married, had a child, and opened a small jewellery store. I went into her store and found that she didn't know me. She hardly gave me a second look. Like, she didn't even recognise it."

Hearing what he said, she suddenly understood the feeling. She tried her best to prove herself to someone, but finally realized that she was so insignificant, as if she had never appeared in their life. Is it depression, despair, or hatred?

He said: "This is the first time I have said these things to anyone. My family dare not mention them, for fear of hurting their hearts. Other colleagues and friends have nothing to say."

"Then you have to tell me from now on, don't hold it in your heart." Zeng Li stared at him.

"Em."

"OK?"

"Good."

After a while, he recalled: "Later, I went there again unwilling to give up. She asked me if I wanted to choose a gift. I said I wanted to buy jewelry for an important woman in my life. Then she chose a ring for me. After paying the money, I left the box on the counter and did not take it away. She thought I had forgotten it, so she chased me down the street and gave it back to me."

"What happened next?" Zeng Li asked.

"I never went there after that," he said.

After speaking, he picked up the lighter, took out a cigarette from the box, pushed open the car door, got out of the car alone, and walked to the side to light it. Seeing that he was in a bad mood, Zeng Li also took a cigarette from the cigarette case, got out of the car and approached him.

As soon as he lit a cigarette, Zeng Li leaned over and said softly, "I want a light too."

Seeing this, Ai Jing Chu was a little annoyed, "I told you that you are not allowed to smoke."

"Then you are not allowed to smoke." She argued.

"I am a man."

"Gender equality," she retorted.

"Can this matter be equal?" Patriarchal thinking began to be exposed.

"Why not?" As she spoke, she grabbed the lighter and lit it for herself.

She had never shown her bad habits so boldly in her life, but she really made her light a cigarette, but under the direct gaze of Ai Jing Chu's eyes, she couldn't continue.

Ai Jing Chu didn't speak any more, nor stopped her.

She also calmed down, looked at the bright and dark light on her fingertips and said suddenly: "When I used to feel uncomfortable, I wanted to find something to distract myself, so I wondered if smoking a cigarette or drinking some wine would make a difference when I was in a bad mood."

"Quit, let's do it together." He took the cigarette in her hand, put it together with his own, and extinguished it.

"You don't smoke anymore?"

"No more smoking."

"What do you do instead of smoking? Eating melon seeds?"

"When I want to smoke, you just kiss me."

"What do I want to smoke?"

"Then let me kiss you." He replied seriously.

Zeng Li really wanted to roll her eyes at him, but this kid is actually quite good at taking advantage of others.

The two stood outside for a while, then returned to the car after being frozen.

"Why didn't you sleep just now?" Zeng Li regained his curiosity.

"Ma Fugui's snoring is too loud." Ai Jing Chu said, "I was going to sit in the car for a while."

"Isn't it because there are strange things in the house?" She asked tentatively.

"What strange thing?" he wondered.

"Nothing," she said.

"You remember to make an appointment with your mother." Ai Jing Chu returned to the original topic.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"You're not?"

"That's not what I meant." Zeng Li explained.

He didn't speak again, Zeng Li thought he lost his temper, but after a while, he said: "Because of my parents, I have always been very cautious about relationships." He paused, "After I knew about your relationship with Yu Yi, I flinched, but later I found that I couldn't stop my sincerity no matter what, so I chose to listen to my heart. Zeng Li, remember when I said that I want to take your heart away?" He pointed at the position of her heart with his fingertips, and then pointed at himself , "That's because my heart is no longer here, if you can't exchange your heart for me, I will live like a walking dead.

"I'm not very good at speaking, and I don't know how to coax people, how to send flowers and gifts. I have always been a person who doesn't believe in ghosts, gods and Buddhas, but at this moment, I swear that I will always treat you well in this life, and I will not let you suffer any grievances."

Ai Jing Chu said the words quietly, simple and plain, but the emotion contained in the words made Zeng Li burst into tears, and her teardrops fell one by one, and she couldn't help turning sideways, wrapping her arms around his neck, and hugging him tightly, "If I fall in love with someone, I will cling to him, and want to be with him 24 hours a day. After that, won't you think I'm annoying?"

"I don't mind if you come to the hospital to accompany me every day, or," he said, "you take my postgraduate exam, and I won't let you graduate until you retire."

"Trouble-maker!"

When it was almost dawn, it began to rain heavily. They went back to Ma Fugui's yard and found that everyone except the child was up, fetching water and cooking. They didn't think that Zeng Li and Ai Jing Chu had stayed in the car for half the night, they just thought that they got up early, went out for a walk, and came back when it rained.

Seeing that after breakfast, the rain became heavier and heavier, and the whole yard was covered with muddy water.

Ai Jing Chu and Ma Fugui took Ma Xiaobing back to Lao Ma's place to have a look, and brought him food. Because the road was muddy all the way, Zeng Li was left at home by Ai Jing Chu.

Watching the heavy rain, unable to go out to do farm work, Ma Fugui's daughter-in-law sat under the eaves and helped her mother-in-law weave bamboo baskets. Zeng Li really wanted to go back to the room where the old lady lived, and then take out the underwear she changed yesterday. But the other three people in the room were all here, and she alone dared not approach the coffin, nor did she dare to confirm whether it was a real coffin.

Seeing that Zeng Li was restless, Ma Fugui's daughter-in-law thought she was worried that Ai Jing Chu would be away for a long time, and comforted her and said, "It's okay, they won't be there for long, and you'll have time to go back to the city."

Not long after I finished talking, yesterday the production team leader came to Ma Fugui's house to deliver a message, saying that the road at the entrance of the village below was flooded by landslides due to heavy rain, and they would definitely not be able to get through today.

"Is there no other way?" Zeng Li asked.

"None."

Hearing these two words, Zeng Li's first thought was not what to do when he went to work tomorrow, but—do I have to sleep next to the coffin tonight?

Ma Fugui's daughter-in-law felt indifferent when she heard the news. While comforting Zeng Li, she enthusiastically persuaded them to stay.

Zeng Li keenly grasped the direction she was going, and hurriedly asked, "Sister-in-law, why are you going?"

"I'm going to get something from his grandma's house."

"I'll go too." Zeng Li hurriedly followed.

Pushing away the old lady's house, although it was daytime, they didn't like to turn on the lights, the lighting was not good, it was still pitch black, and the coffin was still prominently placed beside the bed.

Zeng Li quickly bypassed it and went to get his things under the pillow, while Ma Fugui's wife walked straight towards the coffin. She pushed lightly, and the lid of the coffin was staggered, revealing a large gap. If Ma Fugui's wife was not still standing there, Zeng Li would have rushed out the door.

Ma Fugui's daughter-in-law noticed Zeng Li's abnormality, so she said: "I'll pinch some soybeans and cook them for you at noon, so that you don't have a few dishes."

"Is this packed with soybeans?"

"Sister, don't mind, this is a coffin for his grandma." Ma Fugui's wife explained.

Zeng Li didn't understand until she finished speaking.

It turns out that there is such a local custom that before the old man dies, the coffin and shroud must be prepared. He neither shy about talking about it, nor about putting it at home. Sometimes it takes more than ten or twenty years before it is used.

"Isn't this cypress wood anti-insect and moisture-proof, so I put something in it." Ma Fugui's wife said.

"Don't you look tough, Madam?"

"His grandma's original words were: This is the same as preparing shoes and socks in advance for a long trip."

At noon, when Ai Jing Chu and the others came back, they saw that his body was mostly wet, and his calf was covered with mud. Zeng Li couldn't help laughing at his embarrassment. Fortunately, he had some clothes in the car, so he quickly got them and changed.

Probably due to Zeng Li's reaction, Ma Fugui's wife did not turn the plate of soybeans into a dish after all, but fried peanuts instead. Remembering that Ai Jing Chu didn't eat peanuts, Zeng Li put the bowl of peanuts away from him when he helped to serve the dishes.

While the master was not paying attention, Ai Jing Chu quietly asked Zeng Li: "How do you know I don't eat peanuts?"

Suppressing her laugh, she replied seriously, "I'm so clever."

Ai Jing Chu thought about it for a long while, but he didn't remember exactly when he told her.

Later she asked curiously, "Why don't you eat peanuts?"

He glanced at her, "You count your fingers?"

"..." It's true that revenge must be revenged.

Just after eating, Zeng Li found a brush and carefully brushed the mud off his clothes and shoes.

Ai Jing Chu was not idle either. The news spread that a famous doctor from a big city had come to Ma Fugui's family, and a villager next to him came to see Ai Jing Chu with a child in his arms.

After finishing the work at hand, Zeng Li stayed up half the night yesterday, and didn't feel sleepy until now.

She stood at the door of the old lady's room, thought for a while, first leaned half her body in, groped for a long time on the wall to find the light cord, pulled the light away, and stepped in hesitantly.

Zeng Li looked at the coffin and moved slowly, one step, two steps, three steps, four steps...until it couldn't get any closer. Ma Fugui's daughter-in-law opened the coffin lid just now and forgot to close it. She stood in front of her, not daring to look inside, but she still seemed to be able to smell the cypress wood coming out of the gap.

This is just the shoes and socks prepared for myself before going out.

She was suddenly moved by the simplicity and open-mindedness in these words.

When Ai Jing Chu found Zeng Li, she had already fallen asleep on the old lady's bed alone. Zeng Li didn't turn off the light, so he saw the coffin as soon as he entered the door, and immediately understood why she couldn't sleep yesterday.

But at this moment, she was sleeping so deeply that she didn't notice when he walked into the room and sat on the bed.

He saw her sleeping for the first time, her long hair was scattered on the pillow, her lips were slightly parted, and her front teeth with braces were exposed from the gap between her lips. On the chin, where the stitches have been stitched, there is a trace that is neither thick nor light.

Ai Jing Chu got up and went back to the door, turned off the lamp, and sat back on the bed.

The rain was still falling, and it fell on the tiles with a ding ding dong dong. He stayed with her silently like this. After an unknown period of time, she woke up.

"Why are you here?" she asked sleepily.

"I'm afraid you're afraid."

Hearing his words, Zeng Li looked towards the coffin, and replied after a while, "I'm not afraid."

He smiled and patted her head.

She stretched out her hand, put it in front of him, frowned and said, "Hand hurts."

Probably because of the rain, the house was close to the mountain, and the humidity was heavy. Her finger with the ganglion cyst was sore and swollen. She used to grit her teeth and bear it by herself, but now it was the first time she used excuses to act like a spoiled child in front of people.

Ai Jing Chu was so sweet, she put her hand in his own and kneaded it gently.

She felt very comfortable, "I want to sleep again."

"Then go to sleep."

"You sing a song for me first." She said softly.

"It's coming again." Ai Jing Chu knew which pot she was not opening and which pot to lift.

"Sing, sing, sing." She became more and more courageous, so she was not afraid of him.

Seeing her lying on the bed with her head up, coquettishly showing an infinitely alluring spring look, he couldn't help but feel agitated, and bent down to kiss her. However, when the lips touched, most of that soft mood disappeared immediately.

"What?" Zeng Li asked.

"It's fine, what kind of braces do you wear?" The taste is too bad.

"Didn't you make this for me?" she said.

"..."

What is self-inflicted, this is the case.