Wen Zhan's body slowly relaxed.
Lu Yunchu moved away from him after sticking to him for a while, but still kept her arms around him.
The fingertips that were pinching the branches turned blue due to the force, but gradually, the blue-white turned into light pink, and even his neck was stained with a layer of smoky color.
Fortunately, the weather was cold, so he was wearing thick clothes and wrapped his body tightly, so that his fair and pink skin was not exposed.
He really wanted to speak, to ask Lu Yunchu to get up, or to ask her to stand firmly so that he could get up.
But he couldn't say anything, so he could only hold it in and scratch the ground with a branch to express his anxiety.
Seeing his anxious look, Lu Yunchu felt that she was a bad person, but she still didn't want to leave. She changed the subject and asked, "Did you carry me to this dilapidated temple last night?"
Wen Zhan nodded.
That's where we stay overnight. Lu Yunchu asked, "You're just wearing a cloak and covering me with it. Aren't you cold?"
When she was talking normally, she would divert Wen Zhan's attention. He was no longer so shy. He lowered his eyes and wrote seriously: It's not cold, light a fire.
Lu Yunchu looked at the fluffy straw pile beneath him, then at the torn prayer mat beside the fire, and asked in surprise, "You didn't sleep last night?"
Wen Zhan nodded.
"Sitting by the fire all night?"
He continued to nod.
Lu Yunchu was speechless and couldn't help but rub his shoulder: "What's wrong with you? You always treat your body harshly."
Wen Zhan became stiff again, but not in the way that his hair stood on end. His whole body was stiff, but his fingertips had become soft, and he could hardly hold the branch.
The little bobcat next to me, whose fur stood on end, finally calmed down, curled up into a ball and slept, licking the tip of its tail and purring happily.
Lu Yunchu was still waiting for Wen Zhan's answer. He didn't move and hummed in a reminder: "Hmm?"
Wen Zhan shuddered, like a cat that couldn't help trembling because the base of its tail was licked.
He pinched the branch and wrote stroke by stroke: "I don't have it. I'm used to not sleeping." He explained, "I have to watch you in case you have a fever at night."
But the handwriting is no longer clear and elegant, the strokes are a little blunt, and it seems a bit stiff and childish.
Lu Yunchu took her arm away and sat back on the haystack. Wen Zhan had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard her say, "So you watched me sleep all night?"
Wen Zhan nodded subconsciously, but halfway through, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
He quickly picked up a branch and prepared to write an explanation on the ground, but the ground was already covered with words, so he had to step back a few steps to find a clean place. By the time he finished writing, Lu Yunchu had already lay down.
He looked at Lu Yunchu helplessly, wanting her to come over and take a look.
Lu Yunchu was wrapped in a cloak and did not look in his direction.
He hesitated for a moment, walked to Lu Yunchu, squatted down, and looked at her eagerly.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yunchu asked.
He pointed to the ground over there.
Lu Yunchu suppressed the smile on his face, pretending not to understand, and said something else: "You didn't sleep last night, aren't you sleepy? I slept for so long and still feel sleepy."
Wen Zhan was not led astray by her this time, and seemed to gradually figure out Lu Yunchu's routine.
He tugged at his cloak and pointed to the ground.
Lu Yunchu sat up suddenly and said with a smile: "I know, I know. You stared at me all night because you cared about me. Thank you, A-Zhan."
Although this was the case, it sounded different when she said it. Perhaps because of her smile, or perhaps because of her tone, Wen Zhan looked away uncomfortably.
Why did she keep calling him "Ah Zhan"? Wen Zhan always felt that this name was too intimate, which made him feel hot in his heart and his stomach itchy and numb.
Lu Yunchu looked at the sky and sighed, "I don't know when this heavy snow will stop. We can't stay here forever without food or water."
Wen Zhan glanced outside, not looking that worried. He scratched and poked around the haystack with a branch, clearing out a small space and wrote: Thirsty
It would have been fine if he didn't say it, but as soon as he said it, Lu Yunchu felt a little thirsty.
She nodded.
Wen Zhan stood up and pointed outside the door, meaning that he was going to find something to drink.
Lu Yunchu originally thought that he would go out to pick up some snow and come back, but she didn't expect him to put a dagger next to her and look like he would be away for a long time.
But when he saw Lu Yunchu's dough hands, he hesitated again.
Going out to find food would indeed take a lot of time. The two of them would probably have to stay in the ruined temple today, and they couldn't go hungry for a day.
Lu Yunchu comforted him, "You can go. It's snowing hard today, and it's deep in the mountains, so it's not dangerous. I'll lock the door after you leave."
Wen Zhan weighed the pros and cons and agreed.
Lu Yunchu pointed at the cloak with his round hands and asked him to put it on.
Wen Zhan did not refuse. He picked up the cloak, put it on, turned around and left.
Watching him walk out, the little bobcat, who had been taking a nap comfortably, was startled and quickly ran behind him to follow.
Lu Yunchu stared in surprise.
Even more bizarre things are yet to come.
Wen Zhan turned around, bent down and nodded the little bobcat's head. The little bobcat squatted down and watched him walk into the snow with eager eyes.
For some reason, Lu Yunchu always felt that the mountain cat's eyes were filled with resentment.
She stood up and locked the temple door.
The bobcat circled around her legs, sniffed, meowed with satisfaction, and went back to the fire to sleep.
Lu Yunchu was puzzled and his eyes fell on his clothes. Could it be that he was tainted with Wen Zhan's scent
Wait, that's still not right, how did this cat and this person become a group so quickly? That's a lynx, when did it become a well-behaved house cat
Her brain froze for a moment, and she came to a strange conclusion: Maybe this is the friendship between cats.
Wen Zhan had been gone for a long time, and Lu Yunchu had no way of knowing the exact time, but he had at least been gone for more than an hour and had not returned yet.
"Knock knock." Someone knocked on the temple door.
Lu Yunchu walked towards the temple gate and saw a corner of the black cloak through the gap in the wood.
She deliberately asked: "Who?"
Wen Zhan was a mute and couldn't answer her.
Lu Yunchu pretended to tremble and asked again: "Who is it?"
Wen Zhan stood outside the temple, frowning, and hated himself for not being able to speak.
Lu Yunchu was trying to hold back his laughter when he suddenly saw a corner of a white handkerchief poking out from the gap between the temple doors.
The handkerchief swayed up and down, like a flag of surrender, or like a small white flower that suddenly appeared.
It was inexplicably adorable. Lu Yunchu laughed out loud and pushed open the latch of the temple door.
Wen Zhan pushed the door open in the snowy wind and quickly closed it.
In one hand he held a bundle and in the other he held a skinned and cleaned rabbit.
"Did you go find Wen Jue?"
He nodded and wanted to say something, but held back and put his burden down first.
After unpacking the bundle, there were two water bags, bowls, clothes, cakes, and a pottery jar.
They took quite a lot. Lu Yunchu squatted down and asked, "Are they still in that temple?"
Wen Zhan nodded, and after showing the "fruit" to Lu Yunchu, he picked up a branch and gestured on the ground: Miss Liu asked if you were okay, and I told her that you just had an injury on your hand.
Lu Yunchu was about to say something when Wen Zhan immediately continued: It's snowing heavily outside, so we can't go over and join them now.
Lu Yunchu is not stupid, why would he get close to the male and female protagonists? Moreover, according to the plot, they have to change maps to explore. It is not easy to get away from them. What if he gets close to them and is tied to the plot again
Lu Yunchu said: "We will not join them."
Wen Zhan didn't ask why. He just nodded in agreement as she said.
He placed the clay pot on the fire and poured the water from the water bag into it. When the water was hot, he placed a towel over it, picked up the clay pot, and poured the water for Lu Yunchu to drink.
Lu Yunchu was injured and he was the only one who could feed him.
There was no comparison between the ceramic bowl and the spoon, and Wen Zhan had a hard time feeding his baby.
He knelt on one knee, half-crouched beside her, and put his arm around her to feed her water.
He was tall, with broad shoulders and long legs. In this posture, he was more than a head taller than Lu Yunchu who was squatting on the ground, as if he wanted to hold her in his arms.
Lu Yunchu fainted in a very pathetic manner and fell into his arms as if he was trying to scam someone.
Unfortunately, Wen Zhan didn't notice her thoughts. After she finished drinking, she immediately put down her arm and went out of the temple.
When I came back, I brought a few branches washed with snow, sat in front of the fire, put the cakes on them, and let the flames slowly heat them.
Then it was the rabbit. He cut the rabbit meat into small pieces with a dagger and strung them on branches. He took out a small bag of salt, smeared some on it, and placed it above the fire together with the bread.
He frowned slightly, looking very worried.
There was no other reason. He just felt that the meal was very simple. It was ok for him to eat it, but Lu Yunchu felt wronged to eat it.
Because this was an injury unrelated to the plot, Lu Yunchu's hand was actually half healed, but for some reason, she did not remove the bandage. She squeezed in next to Wen Zhan and nudged him with her elbow, indicating that he should turn over the rabbit meat.
"Are there any other condiments?" Lu Yunchu suddenly asked.
Wen Zhan took out a small bag, which Liu Zhixu had temporarily stuffed into his hand.
He opened it and handed it to Lu Yunchu. Lu Yunchu knocked it and asked, "Isn't this Sichuan pepper powder?"
Traveling in winter is always cold. Liu Zhixu doesn't drink alcohol, so he chooses to sprinkle more peppercorns in the soup to warm his body.
Lu Yunchu did not appreciate her good intentions, and decisively asked Wen Zhan to use Sichuan pepper as seasoning and sprinkle it on the rabbit meat.
"It would be even better if there was some chili powder and cumin powder," she said happily. "Keep rubbing the rabbit meat with oil and turning it over until the skin is roasted to a crispy brown-red color. By the way, the rabbit meat needs to be marinated before roasting, so that the inside will be moist, soft and fragrant."
The burning firewood made crackling sounds. Lu Yunchu stopped talking, and the temple seemed unusually quiet.
The steamed bun was baked quickly, and the rich wheat aroma wafted away, attracting the little mountain cat to come over.
The baked bun had a golden color on the outside, with no extra flavor, just the pure aroma of flour. Wen Zhan broke off a piece and fed it to her. The outside was crispy and chewy, and the inside was fluffy. The more she chewed, the more fragrant it became.
It would be nice if there was meat sauce, it would be delicious. Or you can have a bowl of chicken soup, break the steamed bun into pieces and throw it in. The steamed bun pieces absorb the soup, and when you bite it, the soup overflows, and the dry steamed bun becomes chewy and fresh, with a sweet taste, which is very filling.
The rabbit was soon baked. When I put it on the steamed bun, it was not the most delicious, but at least it had a meaty taste, which was a comfort on a snowy day.
Wen Zhan handed the steamed bun to her mouth and told her to eat it first.
Lu Yunchu didn't hesitate and took a bite. The rabbit meat was full of the aroma of charcoal fire. It was this unhealthy aroma that made people satisfied. Lu Yunchu hummed happily. It had been a long time since he had felt the aroma of charcoal grilling.
The rabbit meat is golden brown in color. The thin parts are crispy and spicy, while the thick parts are roasted tightly. It melts in the mouth and is full of mellow flavor. The spicy taste of the peppercorns comes out after chewing, leaving a long aftertaste.
Lu Yunchu swallowed it and said to Wen Zhan, "You eat too."
Wen Zhan broke off half for himself and ate it in silence.
The meal was eaten very slowly because Wen Zhan had to feed Lu Yunchu. He was also a gentle and considerate person. After feeding her each bite of biscuit, he would stop and look at the water bowl, asking her if she wanted to drink water.
When feeding her, he didn't put it directly to her mouth for her to bite, but tilted his head and pushed it forward carefully, as if if he was less careful, he would put it in her face.
The originally ambiguous act of feeding food was turned into serving someone by him. Lu Yunchu sighed silently.
After the meal, both of them were tired.
It doesn't matter anyway, Lu Yunchu suggested: "You didn't sleep last night, go get some sleep."
Wen Zhan didn't have that many demands for sleep, but since she said so, he had no reason to refuse.
As soon as he sat down on the haystack, Lu Yunchu also came over and said, "Come together, it's so cold."
Wen Zhan was stunned.
But they also slept in the same bed in the mansion, and he thought there was nothing wrong with it, so he nodded in agreement.
As a result, after Lu Yunchu lay down, he rolled over and landed directly in his arms.
He was still trying to find an excuse: "It's cold."
Wen Zhan's whole body stiffened.
Yet she continued, "You smell so good, like medicine."
How can medicine smell good? Wen Zhan's thoughts wandered for a moment, but he quickly came to his senses. His body began to turn red again, all the way to his ears, and his cheeks also turned red.
He looked thin, but his arms were exceptionally broad. Lu Yunchu buried himself in his chest and felt that this was the safest place in the world.
Wen Zhan slowly came to his senses, hesitated, and prepared to quietly withdraw without sticking around.
As soon as he moved, Lu Yunchu came over immediately.
Just stick to it, huh!
Not only did she stick to it, she also rubbed it.
Wen Zhan was now even stiffer, like a cat being held by the scruff of the neck, having completely lost control of his body.
His chest felt itchy and soft, as if it had sunk into it and melted into water.
His knees were numb, his hands were numb, his whole body was numb, it was a strange feeling, but also very... comfortable. He didn't hate it, but this throbbing emotion made him feel a little helpless.
He was just about to change his posture when, with a "meow", a little bobcat jumped over, curled up behind him, and fell asleep.
Now he couldn't move back and could only stay where he was.
It was very windy outside, and Lu Yunchu buried herself in his arms, feeling very warm.
After eating and drinking, she finally started to think.
The male and female protagonists have switched maps, this is the farthest they have ever been from each other, and their range of movement is no longer restricted.
She suddenly looked up and called out, "Wen Zhan."
Wen Zhan felt dizzy, but when she called him, he came back to his senses and lowered his head.
Her head was so close, so close that I could see my own reflection in her pupils.
He heard her say, "Let's elope."
With a crackling sound, fireworks exploded in his head.