The kang (heated brick bed) for left-behind women

Chapter 110 The Fire on the Kang

The oil lamp was only lit when it was completely dark.

Li Ruoxue sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), holding a needle and thread in her hand, but didn't make a single stitch for a long time.

She was mending Lin Dachun's pair of liberation shoes that had holes in the front.

The cave was so quiet that you could hear the occasional crackling of the lamp wick and the two people trying to keep their breathing as still as possible.

What happened last night is like a red-hot piece of charcoal, burning into the memories of both of them.

Looking back now, I feel my cheeks burning and I don't know what to do with my hands and feet.

Li Ruoxue finally inserted the needle.

She sewed very slowly, one stitch, pull the thread, then another stitch.

The stitches were denser and neater than usual—it was as if only by focusing all my attention on the tiny needle tip could I stop thinking about the silent figure behind me, and the warmth of our backs pressed together in the darkness last night.

"Um..." Lin Dachun suddenly spoke, his voice dry.

Li Ruoxue's hand trembled, and the needle tip pierced her fingertip.

She hissed softly and quickly put her finger in her mouth.

"What's wrong?" Lin Dachun looked up.

"It's nothing, just a prick," Li Ruoxue said vaguely, bowing her head to continue stitching.

A tiny bead of blood seeped from the fingertip, leaving a dark red stain on the coarse cloth, which was quickly swallowed up by the dark blue fabric.

Lin Dachun looked at her lowered profile.

The light from the oil lamp shone down from above at an angle, casting long shadows on her cheeks with her eyelashes, which trembled gently with each blink.

"Last night..." Lin Dachun began again, this time as if he had made a great decision, "What happened last night was my fault. I embarrassed you. Your aunt and the others must have misunderstood you too."

Li Ruoxue stopped inserting the needle.

She didn't look up, but stared at the almost repaired hole, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "It has nothing to do with you."

"I..." Lin Dachun's Adam's apple bobbed. "I shouldn't have..."

What shouldn't be done?

Should I not have hugged her?

Should I have reached out and pulled down her pants?

The words stuck in my throat, like a wad of waterlogged cotton, heavy and unyielding, impossible to swallow or spit out.

Li Ruoxue finally raised her head and glanced at him.

She glanced at it quickly, then lowered her head again: "Don't say anything. About last night, I..."

Li Ruoxue couldn't find the words to express her shyness.

Her face was flushed bright red in the dim light, and even her neck was tinged with pink.

She didn't look like a married widow; she looked more like a little girl who had done something wrong and had been caught by an adult.

The inexplicable emotions in Lin Dachun's heart suddenly softened.

He sighed and placed his pipe on the kang table: "Alright, that's all for now."

Silence crept in again.

But this time, it doesn't seem so hard to bear.

Li Ruoxue finished sewing the last stitch and bit off the thread.

The torn canvas shoes have been patched up.

"Want to try them on?" Li Ruoxue whispered.

Lin Dachun walked over and sat down on the kang (heated brick bed). He tried on the worn-out shoes and found they were fine.

"You bought me all the new clothes and shoes, but you wear these tattered ones yourself. These canvas shoes are almost worn through. They'll be so prickly on your feet when you go up the mountain," Li Ruoxue said with concern.

"It doesn't matter what I wear on the mountain, as long as it can be used as a stepping stone." Lin Dachun raised his head and looked at Li Ruoxue.

Under the red glow of the kerosene lamp, Li Ruoxue's face appeared even more rosy and beautiful.

That face is truly stunning.

Her skin, and her body fragrance, that milky scent, are truly intoxicating to men.

It was just a fleeting moment.

Lin Dachun took the opportunity to pounce on her in a small leap.

He immediately pinned Li Ruoxue down beneath him.

The fire on the kang (heated brick bed) was very warm.