"Okay," Tian Jing happily grabbed the lit lantern and climbed onto Li Zhengguo's broad back.
Li Zhengguo steadily pushed the cart.
Tian Jing lay on his reassuring back, feeling the steady rhythm of his steps, "Li Zhengguo."
"Mm."
"Li Zhengguo."
"Mm."
"Li Zhengguo, I'm sleepy."
"Wait."
Li Zhengguo immediately steadied the cart, pulled out the wide cloth strip that Sister Tang had given him, tied Tian Jing to his back, hung the lantern on the handlebar, and bundled the two bottles of strong liquor to the side of the basket with cloth strips.
"You can sleep now."
Everything Li Zhengguo did from the moment she said she was sleepy filled Tian Jing's heart with sweetness. "Li Zhengguo, can you always treat me like this?"
"Yes, until the day I can't move anymore."
"Then I'll take care of you."
"Okay." Li Zhengguo replied, but he was thinking about whether they would have children who could take care of him. Did Tian Tian only want a life for two? It didn't matter, she could live the kind of life she liked, as long as Tian Tian was by his side.
Feeling the person on his back finally quiet down, Li Zhengguo slowed his pace, willing to carry his Tian Tian until the end of time.
Tian Jing was gently shaken awake. When she opened her eyes, she saw Li Zhengguo holding her horizontally in his arms like a baby. "Tian Tian, we've reached the Ku River."
"Put me down."
Li Zhengguo kissed her cheek before putting her down. "You cross the river first, be careful."
"Okay." Tian Jing, carrying the wine bottle and toilet paper, crossed the river under the illumination of Li Zhengguo's lantern. Even though she said that esper eyesight was good, Li Zhengguo was still worried and continued to provide light. Tian Jing, her chest full of sweetness, waited quietly on the other side, watching Li Zhengguo carry things back and forth.
...
After Mother Li finished cooking dinner, she sent her daughter back to the east room and waited by the courtyard gate. When she heard the sound of the cartwheels, she quickly grabbed the lantern and went to meet them. Seeing the cart full of goods, she was surprised, but she told herself to remain calm. She remained calm, but Li Min couldn't. She was already surprised by the grain and toilet paper. When she heard that the three large white cloth bundles contained fabric, she didn't dare to say that her sister-in-law was too extravagant. She changed her approach.
"Sister-in-law, fabric doesn't last if it's stored for too long."
"I don't plan to store it. The linings of those quilts are almost worn out. I'll use these lighter colored cotton fabrics for the quilt linings."
"Or quilt covers are fine. When I have time, I'll teach Mother how to make them. You won't have to take apart the quilt linings and covers to wash them anymore, or sew quilts. Just put the quilt into the cover, and wash the cover each time."
"That's great!" Li Min didn't know what a quilt cover was, but not having to take apart, wash, and sew quilts was a good thing.
Tian Jing opened the large basket and handed her mother-in-law the needles, thread, scissors, thimble, and awl. She also gave her another bottle of shampoo. She helped Li Min carry the large, medium, and small bowls and plates to the kitchen. Finally, she handed the small basket to her mother-in-law. The rest she carried to her west room.
"We'll look at the fabric tomorrow. Those large white cloth packaging materials should be washed tomorrow during the day. They can also be used for quilt linings or covers. They were gifts, and there are many small scraps. You two pick through them tomorrow, and use the rest to make shoe soles for cotton shoes."
All three large white cloths were gifts? And there were many scraps? Mother Li and Li Min became happy, feeling like they had gotten a great deal.
After dinner, Li Zhengguo boiled a large pot of hot water and took it to the west room. Looking at his son's back, Mother Li felt that he was different from before, though she couldn't pinpoint exactly how.
Closing the door of the west room, Li Zhengguo helped the person lying on the kang, unwilling to move, to sit up. "Wash up before you sleep."
Tian Jing intended to get off the kang, but Li Zhengguo stopped her. "I'll help you wash."
"Okay."
Tian Jing sat on the kang, waiting for the hot towel to wipe her face, and then Li Zhengguo carried her onto his lap to remove her shoes and socks and wash her feet. All of these actions were extremely gentle, as if she were a rare treasure. "Li Zhengguo."
"Mm." Li Zhengguo, squatting with one leg bent, was gently washing the small feet in his hands. The gentle, yet not ticklish, pressure made Tian Jing very curious. "You seem like you've done this before."
"Yes, the last time we returned from the county town, you were asleep, and I held you like this while washing you. I could feel your subconscious movements."
So, this man had secretly treated her so well before?
"Li Zhengguo, do you know? When I first took over this body, I intended to make a pact with you."
"What pact?" Li Zhengguo wrung out the foot-wiping cloth and asked while drying her feet.
"Take good care of your mother, ensure she doesn't... you know, die early, as repayment for her past life's debt. Then, maintain a distance between us. I'm just a temporary resident and will leave eventually. You can remarry during this time, and I won't interfere. I told you this on the first day we met."
"Who knew the tables would turn so quickly? In just twenty days, my heart was captured by you. It's all your fault for taking such meticulous care of me. I thought you had no memories of your past life, so I accepted your care so readily. In the end, you've turned me into the kind of woman I dislike the most."
He threw the foot-wiping cloth into the washbasin and tucked her into the quilt. "Hurry up and take off your outer clothes and lie down."
"Don't you have anything to say?"
"Yes, but it's not convenient to talk like this. I'll wash up and then we can talk slowly on the kang."
"Oh."
Li Zhengguo worked quickly. After taking care of his own hygiene, emptying the water, and locking the courtyard and kitchen doors, he hurried into the west room. He took a bowl of rice and placed it on the table in the main hall. He re-entered the room, bolted the door, and crawled into the thick quilt. He pulled her into his embrace, and then he fiercely punished her.
Tian Jing, who was about to speak, was almost breathless from his kiss.
"This is a punishment," Li Zhengguo poked her nose. "A punishment for your pact. Do you want to scare me to death?"
As Li Zhengguo spoke, his body still trembled slightly. "Tian Tian, I can't imagine how I would live without you. Before, even in my past life, when she left, I could still go about my own business, and I could calmly bring Min Min back and slowly inquire about her."
"But last time we went to the county town, when you confronted Ouyang Lei, you asked if I had anything to ask. I had many things to ask, but I didn't dare. I was afraid that if I asked, you would leave me."
"From the first day you entered the village to that day we went to the county town, in a short span of six days, all sorts of images of you flashed in my mind. In just over ten seconds, all I saw was your image. At that moment, I knew I had fallen in love with you."
"It has nothing to do with her. I fell in love with the indifferent yet passionate you. You were indifferent to the three of us, yet you were good to Min Min and my mother in your own way."
"Even with me, you unconsciously protected me under your wing, just like when Ouyang Lei wanted to bully me, didn't you protect me?"
"Tian Tian, please never mention leaving again, okay? Every time I hear it, my heart aches. So, I'd rather follow you with my soul than leave you."
So, this man had discovered the difference between liking and loving himself so early on?
Tian Jing happily nodded. "Okay, I won't mention it again."
He hugged her tightly, and Li Zhengguo kissed her forehead contentedly. "Good girl~ Go to sleep."