A raincoat wind and snow to the small garden

Chapter 12: Closeness (I)

Chapter 12
Xiang Xiaoyuan looked around and found that she was on a beach and she was not moored in the sea.

Xiang Xiaoyuan remembered that the closest land to the ship was Los Angeles, and perhaps she was now at the border of Los Angeles.

In the dead of night, it was pitch black, with only the moonlight shining brightly, casting a little light.

Xiang Xiaoyuan was injured and soaked. It was the middle of winter now. If she continued to suffer from hypothermia and cold, she would surely die.

Perhaps because of her strong desire to survive, Xiang Xiaoyuan no longer cared about her self-esteem. She hugged her arms, shivered, and her teeth chattered.

She shouted: "Huai, Huaiyu! I'm so cold..."

After receiving a slap, Huaiyu initially had no intention of paying any attention to Xiang Xiaoyuan. A snowstorm was approaching, and he needed to find a cave in the cliffs to escape the cold and avoid dying in the wilderness.

But the little girl was calling him weakly behind him. She seemed to be seriously ill. While calling, she coughed a few times, and even the sound of her footsteps was so weak that it was almost inaudible.

Huai Yu was clearly aware that he had become an extra burden.

Xiang Xiaoyuan would be a burden to him. He had no obligation to protect her and could simply abandon her on this sandbar.

Thinking of this, Huaiyu quickened his pace.

Behind her, Xiang Xiaoyuan was already feverish, her forehead and ears burning. The little girl's steps were unsteady, her knees weak, her footing unsteady. If she hadn't held on for a breath, she would have staggered and fallen.

The wound on Xiang Xiaoyuan's neck was soaked in dirty sea water and was surprisingly itchy. She was afraid that the wound would crack, so she didn't dare to scratch it. In addition, her leg bones felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and it took a lot of effort to take every step.

After taking two steps, Xiang Xiaoyuan was exhausted and fell into the soft sand.

She buried herself in the sand in Xiaoyuan. Before she fell, she saw countless stars in the vast sky, and her vision gradually turned dark.

Xiang Xiaoyuan thought she would die here, but not long after, a hand with slender knuckles reached out to her jaw and pulled her face out of the sand.

The sand on Xiang Xiaoyuan's face was swept away. She opened her eyes and saw the young man's beautiful face, which was more dazzling than the stars.

The Nuo opera green ghost mask Huai Yu wore was washed away by the sea, vanishing without a trace, revealing a handsome face beneath. The boy had a straight nose, thin lips, and his other facial features were only regular, but those phoenix eyes were truly breathtaking. To gaze into his eyes was to drown.

Xiang Xiaoyuan always felt that the pair of eyes was familiar, but she couldn't remember who they were.

In a daze, she fell asleep again.

This time, she did not sink into the sand. With her strong and powerful arms, she scooped Xiang Xiaoyuan into her arms and lifted her up by the waist.

The bitter fragrance of orchid, mixed with the salty smell of the sea, wafted over Xiang Xiaoyuan's wet clothes.

She heard the boy's rumbling heartbeat, and with her face pressed against his warm chest, she couldn't help but get closer to that source of heat.

Xiang Xiaoyuan unconsciously hugged Huaiyu's neck, and her wet temples rested against the young man's Adam's apple, gently rubbing his bony throat.

Huaiyu was startled by this intimate, almost coquettish gesture. His back tightened slightly, and his breathing slowed. He wanted to leave Xiang Xiaoyuan, but when he looked down, he saw the little girl's eyelashes trembling, her ears red, and tears in the corners of her eyes... He was stunned again.

Is she crying?
Huaiyu pursed his lips slightly, and finally just shook the girl's body upwards again, so that he could easily hug Xiang Xiaoyuan's thin body and hold her tighter.

When Xiang Xiaoyuan woke up again, there was light and warmth in front of her eyes.

The flames of the bonfire flickered, stretching the human figure out of proportion. The black shadow trembled in the stone cave, like a bizarre painting.

Xiang Xiaoyuan's head still hurt and her eyelids were heavy, but the exposed skin on her wrist bones was roasted by the flames, covering it with a layer of hot warmth, making her clearly aware that she was still alive.

Huai Yu was still fanning the fire with branches, but the boy was not wearing a shirt. He was kneeling beside the campfire with his arms bare.

The warm golden light of the fireworks flowed down, covering Huaiyu's straight and well-proportioned shoulders and back, reflecting a honey-colored luster.

The young man had practiced martial arts for many years. Not only were his fingertips covered with thick calluses from sword practice, but even his broad shoulders and narrow waist showed signs of years of martial arts training. There were even a few old scars on his vest that were deep enough to see the bones.

The wounds, which looked like they were caused by a sharp blade, had already scabbed over, leaving only a few hideous streaks of flesh.

Huaiyu was only sixteen, but he had already experienced life and death, constantly exposed to wind and rain. It was understandable that such suffering had shaped his heart to be cold and indifferent.

Xiang Xiaoyuan found a reason for Huaiyu's indifference, as if this would allow her to get along with him more calmly.

Huaiyu, who was standing by, heard some rustling sounds and knew that Xiang Xiaoyuan had woken up.

Without even turning his head, the young man propped his chin up with one hand and said to Xiang Xiaoyuan, "Unfortunately, our flares are soaked in water, so we can't contact Fusheng for the time being. But fortunately, we landed in Los Angeles, and I know how to get to Beijing."

Xiang Xiaoyuan knew that Huaiyu didn't even care about the lives of princes and nobles, so it was a great favor that he could take care of her until now.

She didn't get angry with Huaiyu anymore, but thanked him sincerely: "Thank you for saving me."

Huaiyu closed his eyes and took a deep breath, remaining silent for a long time. I don't know if Huaiyu heard this thank you.

The two were not very familiar with each other, and after a few words, they looked at each other in silence.

Xiang Xiaoyuan was ill and had no energy to greet Huaiyu. She was in a daze and was about to fall asleep again.

But before closing his eyes, he heard Huai Yu's cold and lonely voice.

"Xiang Xiaoyuan." He was calling her name.

Xiang Xiaoyuan was stunned. She responded hoarsely, "What's wrong?"

Huai Yu did not answer in time. He first pulled over his shirt, tore open a piece of black silk cloth, covered Feng Mou, then stood up, turned his back to Xiao Yuan, and tied the cloth strips tightly in front of her.

Huai Yu: "Your wound is infected, and you've caught a cold. If you continue to freeze, your life might be in danger. I've covered my eyes with a cloth, and I won't turn around and offend you. You can undress and dry your clothes to prevent the cold from entering your body."

Xiang Xiaoyuan understood that they both fell into the sea and their clothes were soaked with water. If they didn't take them off and dry them, the wet clothes would cover their bodies and cause temperature loss, which would aggravate their condition.

Even if Huaiyu didn't say it, Xiang Xiaoyuan would take off his clothes on his own to save his life, without caring about the strict rules between men and women.

But not only did he remind her to take off her clothes and dry them, he also took the initiative to cover his eyes and avoid them... The young man acted cruelly and decisively, but sometimes, he had some gentlemanly demeanor.

Xiang Xiaoyuan couldn't understand him, but that didn't stop her from feeling grateful.

The girl forced herself to stand up, her fingers trembling as she gritted her teeth and untied her belt.

Xiang Xiaoyuan took off all her clothes, leaving only a small top and trousers to cover her body.

She spread out her clothes beside the campfire and continued to sleep with her eyes closed.

Xiang Xiaoyuan was not asleep yet; she could feel the scattered light and shadows before her eyelids. Huaiyu had left the cave twice.

Once he brought back a hunted rabbit, and Xiangyuan smelled a strong smell of blood.

Another time, he brought back a bunch of herbs.

Huaiyu was guarding outside the cave, crushing the grass stems with stones. The unique muddy smell of grass and trees penetrated into his nostrils, making Xiang Xiaoyuan frown.

After a while, a roasted bamboo tube was handed to Xiang Xiaoyuan.

The bitter smell of the medicine woke the little girl up. She opened her eyes blankly and saw Huaiyu squatting close to her. His face was covered with a finger-wide strip of cloth. He did not approach her deliberately, but only handed her something with his sword.

The tip of the deadly sword held a bamboo water cup firmly.

The bamboo cup contained steaming black medicine, which was used to treat her illness.

Although Xiang Xiaoyuan was not familiar with Huangqi's art, she often went to the pharmacy to get medicine. She knew that the cup contained Scutellaria baicalensis, which could treat fever and cold.

Scutellaria baicalensis likes the sun and is cold-resistant. It can grow in winter and is the easiest to collect.

Huaiyu had been out for such a long time, actually just to collect herbs, fetch water, and decoct medicine for her.

All of a sudden, all the resentment that Xiang Xiaoyuan had accumulated towards Huai Yu disappeared. She was a grateful young lady, and she wanted to repay the kindness she had received from others.

He handed the medicine soup to Xiaoyuan, blew on it, and drank it slowly.

She said, "Huaiyu, I will repay you."

Huaiyu's brow furrowed slightly, clearly puzzled by Xiang Xiaoyuan's sudden burst of gratitude. After a long pause, he said in a cold voice, "No need. I'm simply worried that your illness might hinder my journey."

The boy's words were still cold, but Xiang Xiaoyuan didn't care. A gentleman judges by deeds, not by heart. He had helped her, and that was enough.

After Xiang Xiaoyuan finished drinking the medicine, she was sweating all over. She touched her half-dry dress and changed into it carefully.

"Huaiyu, I've changed my dress, you can untie the strips now."

After listening to this, Huaiyu took off the cloth belt with one hand. He glanced at Xiaoyuan and saw that the blush on her face caused by the fever had long faded away. He didn't say anything more.

The boy bent down, picked up the dead rabbit in the corner, and left the cave again.

Xiang Xiaoyuan didn't continue to sleep. She had been unconscious for two days and it was time to wake up. Xiang Xiaoyuan put on her clothes, held on to the rock wall, and slowly walked out of the cave.

Outside the cave, there was a vast expanse of white snow, covered in silver. In the distance, there were sparse grass and trees, and a few black crows were faintly circling.

Xiang Xiaoyuan was stunned to find that it was snowing.

She washed her hands and face with snow, and when her fingers turned red from the cold, she returned to the cave and sat by the campfire to warm herself.

Xiang Xiaoyuan has always been alone and rarely has the time to wait for others like this.

She couldn't help wondering why Huaiyu took the rabbit away. Did he see that she had recovered and parted ways with her, which was why he didn't come back?

Xiang Xiaoyuan was thinking about all sorts of things and felt a little panicked.

It was not until the night fell that Huaiyu returned to the cave again.

This time, he not only brought back skinned and gutted mountain rabbits, but also three or two small green-skinned oranges.

Huaiyu threw the fruit to Xiang Xiaoyuan, then silently took some branches, set up a mountain rabbit, and roasted it by the campfire.

The rabbit was rich in fat, and the skin and flesh sizzled under the fire, with small, oily bubbles rising. After a quarter of an hour, the aroma of the rabbit's charred flesh filled the cave.

I peeled an orange in Xiaoyuan's garden and ate a piece of flesh. The fruit didn't taste very good, but it was sweet with a hint of sourness, and it was better than nothing to fill my stomach.

After the rabbit meat was roasted, Huaiyu gave most of it to Xiang Xiaoyuan, keeping only one rabbit leg for himself.

The rabbit meat is right in front of you. The cooked meat is golden brown and the aroma is very tempting.

Xiang Xiaoyuan was stunned when she saw the whole rabbit handed to her by the boy.

Although Xiang Xiaoyuan knew that Huaiyu would not ignore her life or death, it was still too shocking that he gave all the food to her in such a difficult situation.

Huaiyu doesn't need to take care of her like this.

Xiang Xiaoyuan took the rabbit meat, but did not put it into her mouth immediately. Instead, she put it in the broad leaves wrapped in oranges. She peeled another green orange, took out a piece of meat, and put it to Huaiyu's lips.

The sweet and sour juice of the fruit touched the young man's thin lips, and the cold touch made it difficult for him to breathe.

Huai Yudan glanced at Xiaoyuan and happened to see her eyes curved like crescent moons. She smiled at him. This smile was more of a gesture of goodwill than flattery.

Sharing an orange is the little girl's unique way of making friends.

Huaiyu lowered his thick, long eyelashes for a long time, motionless, like an old monk in meditation.

She blinked at Xiaoyuan. She waited for a long time, but the cold Huaiyu didn't open his mouth.

Maybe...he still finds it annoying that she feeds him?

Thinking of this, Xiang Xiaoyuan curled up his finger bones in disappointment.

Just as she was about to take back the flesh, the boy's cold jaw touched her bent finger bones, and his thin lips slightly opened as he bit off the piece of orange flesh.

Xiang Xiaoyuan's hands were empty.

There was still a soft texture on her fingertips, because Huaiyu had just approached and his cool lips had accidentally brushed against her fingers.

He looked up at Xiaoyuan, wanting to find out what was going on and see Huaiyu's expression clearly.

But the boy had already moved to the side of a stone wall about ten feet away.

Huaiyu's expression was cold and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry. Only his cheeks were bulging like a small ball, quietly reminding Xiang Xiaoyuan that he really accepted her kindness.

Huaiyu still had the food she offered in his mouth, and hadn't swallowed it yet.

She raised the corner of her mouth to Xiaoyuan and looked away. She picked up the rabbit meat and ate it with relish. She was clearly in a happy mood.

(End of this chapter)