Where Are the Candles?

She wondered how strong Jiang Danhe was.

Xiaoguo squatted beside the door and silently scrutinized the damaged portion which was shaped like a footprint. “How strong must one be to break down a wooden door…?”

She tried to lift it up and put it back, but it was a waste of her efforts. The door frame was already crooked. It was no use even if she managed to put the door back. She could only arrange to buy a new door.

She went back to the kitchen to wash her hands and get ready to cook. It didn’t matter if they ate early or late. After dinner, they would be going to bed anyway. There was nothing else to do.

First, she made the millet porridge and heated up the pork buns that she had made.

Coincidentally, she had a ready-made piece of smoked meat. She took two cucumbers and smashed them with a knife. Then, she cut them into medium-sized pieces and placed them in a basin. She also cut some pig liver, pig lungs and some meat from the pig’s mouth. All these were also cut into medium sized pieces. Then, she mixed them with the cucumbers. and added some vinegar, garlic paste and sesame sauce. With that, a cold dish of cucumber and pig head meat was ready to be served.

The remaining cooked meat had already cooled down, so she transferred it to the fridge.

After coming out from the space, she thought about it and felt that there weren’t enough dishes. When the millet porridge was almost cooked, she stir-fried another plate of spinach.

As soon as the food was served, Jiang Danhe came over in a fresh set of clothes.

The uncle, who looked disheveled just moments ago, had returned to looking like a well-dressed young man.

Xiaoguo was very satisfied with this. She wasn’t ready to face him in his forties or fifties yet. She hoped that the day would not come so soon.

“Let’s eat.” Xiaoguo put down a bowl of millet porridge in front of him and handed him a pair of chopsticks.

“How fragrant. I can’t wait to taste your cooking.”

Jiang Danhe took a deep breath. He could not bear to let the fragrance of food in the air go to waste.

“Come back more often if you wish to taste my cooking.”

Xiaoguo said as she ate her porridge.

Jiang Danhe nodded. At the mention of this, he suddenly thought of his letter to her. He wanted to ask her, but he didn’t know what to say. What if she was really upset about it?

“Did you get the letter?” After much hesitation, he asked. He was extremely nervous. “Why didn’t you reply to me?”

Unexpectedly, Xiaoguo suddenly slapped her forehead and started apologizing. “I’m really sorry. I’ve been a little busy recently, so I…”

Xiaoguo found it hard to explain herself. She had actually forgotten about it. Could he have come back because of this?!

“It’s okay.” Jiang Danhe smiled and shook his head. He heaved a sigh of relief. It turned out that she had been too busy and had forgotten about replying to him. It was fine as long as she wasn’t sick or angry with him.

Jiang Danhe was fine with it, but Xiaoguo was feeling bad about it. She said guiltily, “Did you come back because of this?”

Jiang Danhe was stunned. He shook his head considerately and said with a smile, “No, I came back because I missed you.”

Xiaoguo stopped breathing in that instant. Then she started to search frantically for something. “I’ll get the candles. It’s a little dark.”

Jiang Danhe did not say more. After watching her run away, he retracted his gaze and looked at the candles at the table. He laughed softly. She had become even cuter after months of not seeing her.

Xiaoguo clutched her heart and wished that it would stop beating. “Oh no, oh no, stop beating! What a let down. This heart will be hooked up by spring! Stop beating, stop beating!”

This was the first time in her life that she had such feelings for a man. Xiaoguo was no longer avoiding him like she did before. All that was left now was sweetness and a hint of bashfulness.

It had only been a few months since they last met. He had trained himself to say sweet nothings face-to-face without batting an eyelid. However, she was still the same and even ran away from him!

Only then did Xiaoguo cover her face in embarrassment. What was the excuse that she gave? She actually said that she was getting a candle. What was that flame floating by the table?

“Calm down! Calm down!”

Xiaoguo gently stroked her chest and tried to calm her heartbeat. “It’s okay. It doesn’t matter if my heart is beating. In any case, I’ve decided to spend the rest of my life with him. It would be abnormal if my heart wasn’t beating for him!”

After the self-hypnosis was over, Xiaoguo walked towards the kitchen with her head held high.

Pretending like nothing had happened, Xiaoguo sat down in a chair and picked up the remaining half of the pork bun with sauce. She started eating again.

At this moment, Jiang Danhe pursed his lips mischievously and said, “Where’s the candle you were looking for?”

“Ahem, ahem, ahem!” Xiaoguo suddenly choked on the meat buns and started coughing in pain.

Seeing this, Jiang Danhe retracted his smile. He was worried for her and helped to pat her back. “Have some porridge.”

Xiaoguo took a sip of porridge that Jiang Danhe was holding up before swallowing the bun in her throat.

“Phew…” Xiaoguo, who had narrowly escaped death, heaved a sigh of relief. That was really her closest shave with death.

Jiang Danhe felt even worse than Xiaoguo. He felt like he was the one who had choked earlier on. Xiaoguo was already fine, but he was still trying to soothe her.

“I’m fine.” Xiaoguo shook her head. If Jiang Danhe continued, her back would catch fire.

“Be careful in the future,” Jiang Danhe retracted his hand and said reproachfully.

Xiaoguo refused to listen. If he hadn’t been teasing her, she wouldn’t have choked. “It’s now my fault?!”

“It’s not your fault. It’s my fault.” Jiang Danhe was quite discerning. After all, he had not read “18 tricks to coax a woman” for nothing. It must be his fault that she was angry. He had to admit his mistake no matter whose fault it was.

Xiaoguo felt better when she heard that. She had nowhere to vent her anger. She could only pretend to be dissatisfied and snort softly before starting to eat again.

Jiang Danhe lowered his eyes and heaved a sigh of relief. That was close.

After dinner, it was still early and the two of them found it hard to lie down. While there was still light in the sky, the two of them went out for a walk.

“What do I do with the door?”

Xiaoguo wanted to lock the door, but as soon as she came out, she realized that she didn’t have a door anymore.

Jiang Danhe stopped in his tracks and looked at the door. “Shall I go get a new one now?”

Xiaoguo shook her head immediately. “Forget it. We’ll go tomorrow. We’ll just put it upright for tonight. Just make it look like it is closed. There are dogs at home too. If there are any intruders, they’ll bark.”

There were carpenters in the village, but the sky was turning dark. She might as well wait until tomorrow. In any case, it was only for one night. If Xiaoguo was alone at home, she would definitely get someone to install the door immediately. No matter how late it was, it had to be installed. But now that Jiang Danhe was at home, she was not afraid at all. She felt very safe.

Jiang Danhe went with what Xiaoguo said. The two of them worked together and barely managed to put the door in place. From afar, it was impossible to tell that the door was broken.

After that, the two of them did not go out for a walk. After all, they were really worried about leaving the house with no one at home.

When she returned to the house, Xiaoguo wanted Jiang Danhe to rest in her room first while she made the bed for him in the other room.

Jiang Danhe nodded with a meaningful expression. After Xiaoguo left, he took off his coat and lay on her bed in his underwear. He even crawled under her blanket.

How could a couple sleep in separate rooms? Jiang Danhe had made up his mind when he returned this time. He wanted their relationship to go on to the next level.

As he waited, he couldn’t take it anymore and fell asleep.

Over the past few days, he had been traveling day and night. In order to see Xiaoguo as soon as possible, he did not rest much after arriving in this region. When he really could not take it anymore, he would rest for two hours and continue on his way. It was already his limit to last until now.

When Xiaoguo finished making the bed and came to the room, Jiang Danhe had already fallen asleep. Xiaoguo lightened her footsteps and came to his side. She pushed him gently. “Jiang Danhe?”

“…” Jiang Danhe did not move at all. She could only hear the faint sound of his breathing.

Seeing the shadow beneath his eyes, Xiaoguo felt sorry for him. She placed her hand on his sunken cheeks and stroked it gently. “Sleep well.”

With that, she got ready to leave. She would leave this room to him.

“Don’t go.”