Chapter 2
“Don’t be afraid, I’m not trying to scare you, I’m just worried about your health,” Erhu reassured quietly as, with gentleness, he touched Lin Yue’s head. Lin Yue, not one to be ungrateful for kindness, perceived the concern in the man’s voice and felt a warm surge in her heart. Obediently, she nodded, took the medicine from Erhu’s hands, paused for a moment, clenched her teeth, and downed the entire bowl of bitter medicine in one go. By the time she finished, her mouth was so bitter and numb that she nearly cried from the taste.
While unconscious, Lin Yue had never cooperated with taking her medicine and Erhu had had to pour it down her throat. Now that Lin Yue was awake, Erhu still worried that she might act like a child and refuse to take her medicine. Pouring medicine while she slept didn’t feel wrong, but he didn’t quite know what to do with the awake Lin Yue, especially since she looked so frightened and pathetically scared. He feared scaring her even more, but fortunately, Lin Yue obediently drank the medicine. Erhu let out a sigh of relief, took the empty bowl with some remaining dregs from Lin Yue’s hand, and quickly poured her a cup of water to rinse out her mouth when he saw her face crinkling from the bitterness, looking like she might cry.
Lin Yue had been awake for quite some time now, although due to the unfamiliar environment, she had kept her spirits up, wanting to learn more. However, her frail body just couldn’t take it any longer. After taking her medicine and cleaning her mouth, she was so tired she collapsed directly into Erhu’s arms and fell asleep. Erhu had noticed her fatigue and lack of strength and had wanted to tell her to rest properly, but it was only upon seeing Lin Yue’s weak body breathing evenly, curled up softly and delicately in his arms, did he feel a tender fondness swelling in his chest unlike anything he’d felt before. His heart softened completely, and he indulgently kissed Lin Yue’s forehead. It took Zhao Erhu quite some time before he could reluctantly move the person from his arms back to her bed, noticing that it was time to prepare dinner outside. He hadn’t had time to deal with the wild chicken he’d caught in the mountains today, so it was the perfect opportunity to stew it and nourish his wife’s health.
Lin Yue didn’t know how long she had slept, but it was almost completely dark outside through the rickety wooden window when she was awakened by a delicious smell that teased her nose. Not to mention she hadn’t eaten for a long while, her frail, undernourished body instinctively reacted to the smell of chicken soup; her empty stomach rumbled, and she couldn’t help but swallow a few times.
“I’m so hungry,” Lin Yue muttered to herself. As she turned over and opened her eyes, she saw Erhu looking at her with a teasing expression, and she knew that her embarrassed demeanor had been completely caught by this man. She shyly burrowed into the blanket, her pale face tinged with a light blush of embarrassment.
“Niuniu is awake. You haven’t eaten much these past days, being unconscious, you must be very hungry. Have some chicken soup first to warm your stomach,” Erhu said. He originally wanted to call Lin Yue “wife,” but she seemed too young, and it felt strange to call her that way. Moreover, Lin Yue had always shown resistance to the fact that she was married to him. Back at her parent’s home, she was always called “Niuniu,” so Erhu gave her a more suitable and affectionate nickname for someone her age. Unfortunately, Lin Yue, the poor child, hadn’t noticed anything amiss, as her entire attention was now captivated by the fragrant bowl of chicken soup that Erhu had brought.
Erhu patiently fed Lin Yue spoonful by spoonful of the soup. After a whole bowl, Lin Yue licked her lips, wishing for more. To be honest, Erhu’s cooking skills weren’t that great—just cleaning the wild chicken and slowly stewing it in the pot without adding anything. But the fresh taste of the wild chicken from the mountains was so delicious that even prepared in such a simplistic way, it was incomparable to the livestock fed on feed nowadays. Lin Yue found it incredibly tasty, almost to the point of wishing she could eat her own tongue. Erhu, seeing how much she enjoyed it, really wanted to feed her until she was full, knowing that there was still half a pot left warm in the kitchen. However, considering Lin Yue hadn’t eaten anything substantial apart from medicine these past days, he was afraid her stomach might not be able to handle too much too soon, so after feeding her half a bowl of thin porridge, he let it be.
After eating, Lin Yue finally regained some strength and felt a bit more spirited. She wanted to step outside to get a sense of her future living environment, but Erhu firmly stopped her, insisting that she rest well in bed. Unable to argue with Erhu, Lin Yue appreciated the man’s good intentions and had no choice but to lie on the bed, bored, gazing at the ceiling and counting the stars.
“Niuniu, be good. It’s just the start of spring and it’s still cold, especially at night when the chill is heavier. These past days, with the continuous soups and medicines, and heaven’s blessing, your body is finally getting better. You must not catch a cold again. The days ahead are long; once you’re fully recovered, there’s nothing you can’t do.”
Erhu was undoubtedly pleased to hear that Lin Yue was starting to try and accept her new home. His happiness aside, for him, Lin Yue’s health was of utmost importance. Seeing his little wife stubbornly trying to get out of bed, it was not easy for Erhu to finally coax her to stay put. Her body was extremely weak, and the situation over the past two days was so dire that even the doctor from the county town sighed and told him to prepare for the worst, saying she was beyond help. Her awakening now was truly a blessing from the heavens. Having just narrowly escaped from the jaws of death and reclaimed her life, how could he let her be reckless? If she were to suffer any mishap due to his negligence, he’d rather beat himself to death with a stick.
Erhu was a bit hungry himself at that moment, having returned from hunting in the mountains and taking care of his wife since, attending to everything until she finished eating. Now he hadn’t even had time to eat his dinner yet. Seeing that Lin Yue was finally listening to him and resting quietly in bed, despite his concerns, Erhu reiterated his instructions several times before leaving. As he went out, he didn’t forget to bolt the door from the outside, for fear that his young wife, with her child-like nature, might sneak out behind his back. Moreover, she had a history of escaping; Erhu had learned from the villagers from her hometown that she had tried to run away several times because she didn’t want to marry him, but unfortunately, she was always caught and brought back. He couldn’t afford to be careless; he had to keep a close watch on her.
Lin Yue had no idea of the many thoughts that went through Erhu’s mind. Lying in bed, she vaguely heard the sounds of children playing and talking outside, but she couldn’t make them out clearly because of the door and walls. Her mind was full of speculation until Erhu came back after finishing his dinner and taking care of things outside, and she was still tossing and turning, lost in thought. Erhu had expected that after such a long time, Lin Yue would have fallen asleep, so he had been especially quiet when entering the house. However, when he came into the room, he saw his little wife’s eyes round and watchful, looking at him with added warmth and a touch of helplessness on her face.
“Why haven’t you slept yet? Your body has just started to recover, how can you manage without ample rest?”