Whoosh!
A torrential downpour descended in an instant, as if intent on swallowing everything in the world.
Drip, drop!
Rainwater leaking through the broken tiles landed on the tarpaulin. Every sound made the people inside the house feel stifled. Fortunately, when Lin Moyang had rigged the tarp, he’d had the foresight to angle the lower sections outside the house. Now, the droplets slid down the tarp into the ditch beside the grass hut, rather than pooling on top.
Shen Youwei sat on the bed, listening to the relentless drumming of the rain outside, feeling completely at a loss. Dinner was finished; the next step was sleep. The thought sent her heart into a frantic flutter. After all, she hadn't prepared herself for this. The sudden prospect of sharing a bed with a strange man—and doing "you-know-what"—made her feel deeply uneasy.
Lin Moyang watched Shen Youwei, who sat dazed on the bed, and couldn't help but want to laugh. This girl hadn't been afraid of the thunder earlier, yet she was terrified of sleeping with him! Still, fear wouldn't change anything—it was something she had to face sooner or later, wasn't it?
With that thought, Lin Moyang lifted the aluminum kettle off the stove, poured the hot water into an enamel basin, and added some cold water to reach a comfortable temperature.
"Xiaowei, go ahead and wash your feet so you can get into bed."
"Ah?" At the mention of "getting into bed," Shen Youwei let out a soft cry. "I... I'm looking for... my face towel." Her bewildered, searching expression was quite comical.
Lin Moyang spotted the clean, neat towel resting on top of the bundle she’d arrived with earlier. He walked over, picked it up, and handed it to her. "Here, it's right here."
Seeing the towel, Shen Youwei froze, her face flushed with slight embarrassment. "Oh, oh." She snatched it from his hand, stood up, clutched it in both hands, and took small, tentative steps toward the enamel basin.
What do I do? What do I do? Her mind raced, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse to avoid "that" tonight. But given the current situation—one room, one bed—there seemed to be no way out.
Still feeling completely overwhelmed, Shen Youwei washed her face and feet like an automaton, then climbed onto the bed and sat down. She looked so pitiful that even Lin Moyang felt a pang of sympathy.
Sensing her anxiety, Lin Moyang smiled and said, "I'm going to pour out the water. You go ahead and get under the covers."
"Ah?" Shen Youwei let out another small cry. But the moment she saw Lin Moyang step outside, she quickly shed her outer coat, leaving herself in only her faded indigo work blouse and a pair of shorts that covered her legs. She tossed her clothes behind the bed and dove into the thin quilt.
A moment later, Lin Moyang returned with the empty basin. After washing his own face and feet and moving the kerosene lamp to a gray wooden stool by the bed, he climbed up as well. Seeing Shen Youwei clutching the quilt up to her chin with her eyes squeezed shut, Lin Moyang decided not to cover himself; the weather was sweltering anyway. He extinguished the lamp and lay down on his pillow.
With her eyes closed, Shen Youwei could feel that Lin Moyang had lain down, and her heart began to race. Her mind conjured images of him turning toward her, pulling back the quilt, and undressing her. In an instant, her ears felt scorching hot, her face burned, and her breathing involuntarily quickened.
Noticing her distress, Lin Moyang said softly, "You seem very afraid of me."
"N-no!" Shen Youwei’s voice was as thin as a thread, but Lin Moyang could tell she was saying the opposite of what she felt.
Lin Moyang turned over to face her. Sensing his breathing right by her ear, Shen Youwei squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. *It’s happening, it’s happening, what do I do? Being stripped naked by a man... it's so shameful! My first time, I'm so nervous!*
"You don't need to be afraid. I won't touch you unless you agree to it," Lin Moyang whispered gently.
His words caused Shen Youwei’s brain to crash instantly. *Huh? He’s not even going to touch me? What on earth was I worrying about? Do I not have any charm? Ugh, what is this stuff even doing in my head?*
Shen Youwei’s internal system was in shambles. In truth, she didn't know that while Lin Moyang said those words, his body was being very honest. In his past life, at a cocktail party, he had seen Shen Youwei looking stunning and graceful in a white tube dress, the center of everyone’s attention. Now that she was lying right next to him, how could his heart not be stirred? Especially the faint, elusive scent wafting from her hair, which made his mind wander.
However, after hearing his promise, Shen Youwei gradually felt her heart settle. She thought to herself that Lin Moyang was a true gentleman, a rarity indeed. Seeing him deliberately staying outside the quilt, she worried he might catch a cold, so she carefully lifted the corner of the quilt to cover him. But even though she was being as cautious as possible, she accidentally brushed against him through the fabric.
"Hiss!"
Lin Moyang’s entire body went rigid. He drew a sharp breath, feeling a mix of frustration and amusement, but had no choice but to pretend he hadn't noticed. Shen Youwei reacted instantly, pulling her hand back in a flash; the lingering, scorching heat from her fingertips seemed to burn all the way up her arm to her collarbone. The atmosphere in the room turned awkward to the extreme.
...
The July night was, truthfully, quite cool. But as the night wore on—especially after the rain, with cold drafts seeping in from the eaves—it became a bit too chilly.
Shen Youwei woke from her sleep, her feet icy cold. She took a breath of the chilly air and couldn't help but cough twice. Lin Moyang felt the cold as well, but being used to farm work, he had a sturdy constitution. Without asking if she agreed, he tucked the quilt snugly around Shen Youwei. Then, reaching through the layers of the quilt, he pressed her feet between his own thighs to warm them.
Shen Youwei was startled by his action. She moved from initial tension and defense to lying perfectly still once she realized he was just warming her feet. At this moment, not only did her feet feel warm, but her heart did, too. This guy might look big and burly, but he really knew how to take care of people.
At the same time, just as Lin Moyang and Shen Youwei drifted back to sleep, a dark shadow was creeping stealthily toward the Lin Family Old House. It was none other than Lin Zhensheng, who had spent the whole night awake, waiting for the rain to stop.
Arriving at the far side of the old house, Lin Zhensheng clicked on his flashlight and began searching thoroughly without a word. To avoid being too conspicuous, he had deliberately wrapped a piece of gauze over the lens. Though the light was much dimmer, it was far more stealthy. Even as water dripped incessantly from the rafters, it didn't slow his treasure hunt. He didn't abandon a single corner, whether it was one he had searched before or one he hadn't. Naturally, his primary focus remained on the rafters.
However, after searching for nearly half an hour, Lin Zhensheng still had nothing to show for it. He couldn't help but feel that those silver dollars were the last of the Old Lin Family’s treasures. Just as he was having second thoughts and preparing to head home, *clatter!*
A noise from above made him jump. He quickly tore the gauze off the flashlight and shone it at the spot where the sound had originated.
"Meow..."
With a yowl, the shadow of a black cat darted away. Clearly, it hadn't expected to find a man awake in the middle of the night.
"Damn stray cat, scared the hell out of me," Lin Zhensheng muttered. Just as he was about to look away, a small, bright red mark caught his eye.