Chapter 8: Put Your Hands in Here to Warm Them Up

Phew!

He let out a long breath and turned to count his haul.

Fifteen fish in total.

Ten crucian carp, and the remaining five were three grass carp, one common carp, and one silver carp.

None of them were particularly large, with the biggest weighing just over two jin^[1]. The crucian carp, however, were beautiful, each about the size of a palm.

Because it was winter and food was scarce, the fish were lean, giving them beautifully streamlined bodies.

With the fish secured, Xie Zhao grabbed a handful of ginger stored in the corner of the stove from the summer. To prepare for the dark mountain paths, he also fashioned a simple torch.

These were all skills he had learned while living alone in his past life.

Now, they were all coming in handy.

*

Seven o’clock.

Winter nights always came early.

The sky was completely dark.

New Year’s Day was still lively. Lanterns lit up the county town, and children ran around happily, playing with sparklers.

Outside, it started to snow again. The flakes were as large as goose feathers, light yet dense.

Tian Xiufen sat by the edge of the bed, unable to sit still. Lin Muyu could not help but lift her head from the pillow to look outside.

“With the snow falling this hard, why did I let him go back alone?”

Tian Xiufen rubbed her hands together, her brow furrowed with intense worry. “He’s never pulled a cart before! I must have lost my mind. The mountain roads are so treacherous. Oh, what was I thinking, letting him go back?”

Lin Muyu pursed her lips.

A subtle, bewildered light flickered in her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes.

In truth, she still felt as though she were living in a dream.

Xie Zhao… seemed to have become a completely different person.

He worried about her, got anxious over the baby, and even his attitude toward Tian Xiufen was completely different.

Could a person really change so completely overnight?

Lin Muyu still remembered how Xie Zhao had slammed the door and left yesterday morning, coldly throwing back the words, “It’s New Year’s Day. I’m not spending it with you. Don’t look for me.”

Her heart had died long ago.

Yet in the blink of an eye, he had burst through the door again, standing before her full of life and energy.

He had stared at her with a look she could not decipher.

He had said, “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“For the baby.”

“For you.”

Lin Muyu had not been without her doubts.

But after everything that had happened today, her guard and suspicion had softened slightly.

Now, with the heavy snow falling outside, Xie Zhao was pushing a handcart all by himself to bring things from home.

Lin Muyu looked down, staring softly at her chest.

There was a tiny, subtle flutter there.

Was she… worried about him?

The pregnant woman in the neighboring bed had already been taken to the delivery room, and her mother was there to look after her.

Seeing Tian Xiufen and Lin Muyu staring anxiously out the window, the mother could not help but say enviously, “Comrade, your husband is so caring! Going back to get things in such heavy snow, and he was looking after you all morning too! What a thoughtful man, so much better than my son-in-law!”

Neither of them was in the mood to chat, so they just offered polite, strained smiles.

About another half hour passed before heavy footsteps finally echoed outside the door.

“Mom, Muyu, I’m back.”

It was Xie Zhao.

His body and shoulders were covered in snow.

His cheeks were flushed red, his eyebrows were beaded with glistening droplets of melted snow, and his shoes were caked in a thick layer of mud mixed with fragments of dark red firecracker wrappers.

Behind him was a massive pile of belongings, all unloaded from the handcart.

Xie Zhao pulled two large leaves from his pocket to scrape the mud off his shoes, brushed off the snow, and only then felt comfortable stepping into the ward.

They were all daily necessities.

In those days, hospital regulations were not as strict. As long as you brought your own utensils, you could still cook meals in the hospital.

Tian Xiufen’s eyes welled with tears.

She stood up quickly, hurried forward to take the things from Xie Zhao’s hands, and said, “Come inside and warm up! It’s freezing out there! Don’t go back tomorrow, I’ll go back myself!”

Xie Zhao did not reply.

He smiled and waved his hand to show he was fine, then helped Tian Xiufen carry the rest of the things inside.

The corner was packed full. He had even brought salt and cooking oil.

“Mom, go ahead and cook first. I’ll tidy these things up,” Xie Zhao said.

Tian Xiufen nodded, sniffled, and quickly got to work.

She found the clay stove and the bundle of firewood, carrying them outside. Then she rummaged through the bundles Xie Zhao had brought and found flour and eggs.

They were wrapped in newspaper from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

They had clearly just been bought.

She winced at the expense, but in the end, she said nothing, picking up the flour and eggs and heading out.

“I’ll go make dinner. Keep an eye on your wife.”

Xie Zhao nodded.

He sorted through the items, placed the large bucket of fish in the corner, and added a bit of water to make sure they had enough oxygen. Only then did he walk over to the bed and sit down.

Phew.

He let out a breath, rubbed his frozen hands together, and looked at Lin Muyu.

“Are you feeling any better?” Xie Zhao asked softly. He paused, then added, “Does it still hurt? Are you hungry?”

Lin Muyu froze.

Her eyes fell upon Xie Zhao.

After walking two hours along snowy mountain paths, he had to be freezing.

The snow he had failed to brush off his shoulders had melted, soaking his deep blue cotton coat and leaving large, dark wet patches.

His ears were bright red, as were his cheeks.

It was clearly the exact same face.

But… what was different about him?

Lin Muyu stared at Xie Zhao for a few moments, and suddenly she understood.

It was his eyes.

It was the way he looked at her.

There was no disgust or hatred, only a bright, hopeful gaze, as if she… were his hope.

Lin Muyu was startled by her own thought.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly lowered her head, murmuring, “Much better. It doesn’t hurt much anymore, and I’m not very hungry.”

Only then did Xie Zhao feel at ease.

Just as he rubbed his hands and was about to stand up, a soft voice came from the head of the bed.

“Put your hands in here to warm them up.”

She spoke softly.

Xie Zhao froze.

Suspecting he had misheard, he stiffly raised his head to look at Lin Muyu.

She was looking right back at him.

Her face remained expressionless, but the slight flush on the tips of her ears gave her away.

She pursed her lips and added, “It’s warmer under the covers. Your hands were exposed to the snow. If they get any colder, you’ll get frostbite.”

As she spoke, she even reached out to lift a corner of the blanket.

Dazed, Xie Zhao slipped his hands inside.

It was very warm.

It was clearly where Lin Muyu had just been lying.

Feeling slowly returned to his numb hands. Almost instinctively, Xie Zhao moved them to an even warmer spot.

His fingertips brushed against something soft.

Even through the fabric of her clothes, he could feel the delicate softness of her skin.