Chapter 129: Cold and Warm

Luer stared blankly at Li Ying for a moment without moving, and then tears welled up in his eyes, two lines streaming down his face. A look of overwhelming excitement then flooded his entire expression.

"Sister..."

This word seemed difficult for him to utter, but following it, a bright smile bloomed across his face. Li Ying felt as though this smile had etched itself deep into her heart. A smiling face she had not seen in so long, seen once again today, made her suddenly realize: was it not precisely this smile that haunted her dreams? Was it not the genuine affection within this smile that had mesmerized her? Was she not completely seduced by this very smile?

Such a warm smile.

She recalled the scene of their very first meeting; back then, she had been so cold and aloof, yet his honest, guileless smile and his affectionate, country-accented calls of "Sister" had melted her "frost and ice." Could it be that she was captivated by this smile right from that moment?

"You fool, aren't you happy to see your sister?"

Li Ying gently walked to his side and pulled out a tissue to wipe away his tears.

"I am happy."

"If you're happy, why are you still crying?" Li Ying naturally slipped into her hometown dialect. "You really are a fool."

"Well... I suppose I am a fool after all."

Luo Yinxiang stood behind Li Ying, her face a mask of envy and resentment. Yet, in the end, a smile finally broke through. She thought that at this moment, Li Ying was acting even more foolish than Luer.

"Ugh... so stinky." Li Ying suddenly wrinkled her nose. "Luer, how long has it been since you took a bath?"

"I... I don't know how many days it's been." Luer took a step back and chuckled. "Hehe... I forgot."

"Sister, ever since you left, he hasn't taken a single bath," Luo Yinxiang tattled. "Who knows what he was afraid of; he didn't dare wash at home. Probably scared I'd peek at him."

With that, Luo Yinxiang couldn't help bursting into laughter.

"Who's scared of you? You're talking nonsense," Luer said, growing somewhat anxious. "Damn it, what would I be afraid of you for?"

Li Ying couldn't help laughing either.

"Hurry up and gather your things so we can go back and wash up," Li Ying put on a stern expression. "A stinking fool, you sure have no shame."

They got into the car, with Luo Yinxiang sitting in the front passenger seat, turning her head back from time to time to look at Luer in the back while covering her mouth with her hand to stifle her giggles.

"Are you laughing... did you eat dog shit or something? Why can't you close your mouth?"

Luer grew a bit irritated, but with Li Ying present, Luo Yinxiang wasn't very afraid of him and laughed even harder. Fortunately, it only took a few minutes to reach the house. Luer jumped out of the car, eager to take a bath.

"Slow down, I'm washing first. Otherwise, you'll make the wooden barrel stink so badly, how am I supposed to use it?" Li Ying said with a pretty smile. "Move the things from the car inside first; you're the porter, and the groceries haven't been brought in yet."

Li Ying opened the trunk, which was packed to the brim with fruits, milk, dried seafood, and a pile of other items. Luer had to make two trips to carry everything inside. Luo Yinxiang offered to help him, but Li Ying called out to stop her, asking for assistance in carrying water into the bathroom because she couldn't lift it herself. Taking advantage of Luer being busy moving things, Li Ying went into the bathroom. But by the time she finished washing and came out, Luer was nowhere to be found.

"Yinxiang, where's Luer?" Li Ying asked Luo Yinxiang in surprise. "He didn't go back to the village committee office, did he?"

"As if! You're back, and he's beyond thrilled," Luo Yinxiang replied with a smile. "He said he was too dirty and would foul up the bath barrel, so he went to wash in the river first before coming back for a proper scrub."

"Has he lost his mind?" Li Ying cried out in alarm. "In weather this cold, does he have a death wish?"

"Heh heh..." Luo Yinxiang wasn't worried at all. "Sister, it's fine. He's been like this since he was a kid. When I married into Xiasha Village, he was fourteen, wild as could be. In the dead of winter, he'd strip bare and jump right into the river. He wasn't even scared of snowy days."

"But... isn't he cold?" Li Ying was still anxious. "I'm going to go check on him."

"No need to go out. You can see him right from the window upstairs."

Just as they were speaking, Yu Menglan called out from the upper floor.

"Li Ying, come quick! Look, your little man is howling like a wolf." Yu Menglan giggled. "I had no idea your little man had such character, daring to jump into the river in weather this cold."

Li Ying hurriedly ran upstairs and looked out through the living room window. It was the fourteenth day of the lunar month, and a nearly full moon had risen, illuminating the ground as bright as day. The Lesser Sand River was just over a hundred meters away, and everything could be seen clearly from here. Luer would plunge into the river one moment, climb ashore the next, and howl at the night sky like a wild wolf.

Luo Yinxiang had come up as well.

"Heh heh..." She watched Luer's antics. "He was just like this when he was little, often running around without clothes to scare the little girls."

"Li Ying, your little man is so bad. I like it."

Li Ying ignored her, keeping her gaze fixed entirely on Luer down by the Lesser Sand River.

After howling a few times, Luer danced and jumped about briskly for a bit before plunging back into the water. He seemed completely naked, the moonlight spilling over his body and making it gleam. After washing for a full twenty minutes, he finally put his clothes back on and started walking back, singing folk songs as he strolled.

However, when he got close to the courtyard, he stopped singing.

The three women watched him enter the courtyard as if he were some kind of strange monster.

"Sha Luer, why did you stop singing?" Yu Menglan laughed heartily, her voice carrying a heavy southern accent. "It sounded so good."

Luer had already noticed this pretty young woman, but since Li Ying hadn't introduced them, he didn't know her name. Hearing her words, he merely offered an honest, endearing smile, then began carrying water into the bathroom.

Hauling water and going upstairs to fetch a change of underwear, Luer was met with Yu Menglan's ambiguous, knowing smile.

"Luer, this is my good sister, Yu Menglan. From now on, she'll be our company's chief financial officer."

"Sister Lan..."

"My, aren't you a sweet talker?" Yu Menglan smiled, revealing a row of white teeth, before turning to look at Li Ying. "When did I ever agree to join your company?"

"You said just a moment ago that you weren't leaving."

Luer smiled and walked down the stairs.

Luo Yinxiang followed him down. Li Ying and Yu Menglan hadn't eaten yet, and rice was steaming on the biogas stove, almost ready. The two women sat by the hearth. Luo Yinxiang had added charcoal to the fire basin, and blue flames licked upwards, casting a warm glow on their faces as they drank tea while Yu Menglan continued to tease Li Ying.

Soon, appetizing aromas drifted out from the kitchen below as Luo Yinxiang began cooking. Coincidentally, Second Uncle's family down the road had caught some fish from their small pond that day. Luer had bought one mandarin fish, two carp, and one grass carp. They were only going to eat one carp today, while the remaining three were kept alive in a wooden barrel. This was a land of fish and rice, where getting fresh fish was exceptionally convenient.

Moreover, eating fish had its strict rules: chickens were eaten when called, but fish were eaten when leaping—meaning dead chickens and dead fish were never touched, and fish had to be cooked immediately after catch.

Luo Yinxiang steamed the mandarin fish and prepared half a dried duck, cooking it with chopped spicy peppers until the moisture dried up, releasing a fragrance that filled the entire courtyard. She also stir-fried fresh greens, pickled radish shreds, and made an egg drop soup. Luer had already finished his bath and was using the washing machine to wash his smelly clothes.

Once the dishes were laid out on the table, the two girls came down from upstairs.

"Time to eat."

A fire basin was placed underneath the table, having been lit earlier to make the room quite warm. Luer was dressed very properly; with a female guest present, he didn't dare act rashly. He wore black long trousers and a crisp white shirt. After his bath, his complexion was fair and his lips ruddy, prompting Yu Menglan to stare at him until he felt somewhat embarrassed.

He offered another guileless, endearing smile.

"Ah... no wonder!" She looked at Li Ying with an ambiguous gaze. "No wonder you're so infatuated. Just judging by his appearance alone, your little man is a match for Andy Lau."

"Can you tone it down, you little fangirl?" Li Ying gave her an annoyed glare. "Luer, pour her a cup of aged liquor. She's a regular alcohol-lover."

Luo Yinxiang had already warmed the wine: a pot of aged liquor and a pot of milder rice wine. Drinking in the winter required pouring the wine into a tin flask and warming it in boiling water, which brought out an incomparable flavor. Luer's family had two such flasks left by his grandfather, of an unknown era.

"My, what a pretty wine flask!"

Yu Menglan's eyes lit up again as she spotted the flask. She snatched it up to examine it, then eagerly poured herself a drink with great interest.

"Luer, how come I've never seen this wine flask before?"

"The weather wasn't cold before, so there was no need to warm the wine."

"Is this an antique?" Yu Menglan's eyes never left the flask. "The shape is quite lovely, and it has dragons carved on it. How old is it?"

"I have no idea." Luer smiled harmlessly. "It was passed down from my grandfather, who said it came down from his ancestors before him. But flasks like this are everywhere in our village; nobody knows from what era they actually date back. If you want one, I can give you one."

"Really? That's wonderful!"

Things of rarity were valued, but since there were so many, they must have been worthless. Regardless of its monetary value, such a beautiful vessel with so much age still held considerable collection value.

Only then did Yu Menglan shift her attention away from the wine flask and onto the mandarin fish. The steaming mandarin fish was simply garnished with fine scallion shreds, floating in a crystal-clear broth.

"Eat up quickly, mandarin fish gets fishy once it cools," Luo Yinxiang told Li Ying and Yu Menglan. "It's steamed, so there's no chili in it."

The chopsticks of Yu Menglan and Li Ying reached out simultaneously.

"Delicious, so fresh."

Drinking and eating dishes, this room hadn't seen such lively warmth in a long time. Before long, a rosy flush of alcohol appeared on the faces of the three women, making them look exceptionally charming. After the meal, Li Ying and Yu Menglan went upstairs, while Luer stayed behind to help Luo Yinxiang clear the bowls and plates.

"Luer, you go on up. Sister Ying is waiting for you," Luo Yinxiang said with a smile, though her eyes were slightly damp. "There are only a few bowls; I can clean up by myself."

Luer didn't speak. He placed his bowl by Luo Yinxiang's washing basin, his face carrying a mix of apology and warmth.

"Go ahead, I'll be done washing in a minute."

A tear slipped from Luo Yinxiang's eye, and she hurriedly lowered her head, though Luer had already caught it. Luer hesitated for a moment. Watching Luo Yinxiang bent over the chore of washing dishes, a sense of confusion and lingering melancholy tugged at his heart.

"You've been busy all day," Luer said with genuine concern, but looking around, there was nothing he could step in to help with. "Then I'll head up. Get some sleep early."

Hearing these caring words from Luer, a trace of warmth finally returned to Luo Yinxiang's heart. Watching Luer walk out the door, she knew he still cared for her in his heart, even if she couldn't outweigh Li Ying in weight.

Upstairs, the two women were laughing. Luer wandered around the courtyard once more, watching the yellow dog curl up inside its kennel, before slowly making his way upstairs. The moonlit night was exceptionally quiet; upon the frost-covered ground, tree shadows swayed, and the distant mountains melted into a hazy blur.