A delicate beauty takes a place in a marriage, while a cold, rough man seduces her every night.

Before the Lunar New Year, Zeng Yumei collected a full basket of duck eggs to pickle.

She moved a large, unused earthenware jar from the storeroom and carefully washed it clean. Squatting in the main room, she mixed straw scraps, red clay, coarse salt, and white wine together.

Seeing that she was busy, Qingyan moved a small stool behind her and said, "Mom, let me help you. Your legs aren't good, so sit down and do it."

When Zeng Yumei saw her roll up her sleeves, she quickly stopped her, saying, "Don't do that, it's all muddy, you'll get your clothes dirty."

"It's alright." Qingyan smiled and sat down, joining her in the work.

The courtyard gate was open, and footsteps approached. Qingyan looked up and saw Xiao Jingye carrying two buckets of water as he walked in.

The wells in the village were all frozen, so everyone had to fetch water from the river. The villagers drilled a hole in the ice on the riverbank, just big enough to put a bucket in to get water.

The riverbank is about a ten-minute walk from here, and Xiao Jingye is responsible for fetching water for the family every day. He takes care of all the heavy and tiring work, from chopping wood to carrying water.

Qingyan had tried to carry water before, but as soon as she put the carrying pole on her shoulder, the two buckets of water were so heavy that she couldn't even stand up, and the buckets didn't budge.

At this moment, Qingyan stared at Xiao Jingye's figure, her eyelids drooping as she thought to herself: How can he be so strong? He's as tough as an ox.

The duck eggs, covered in red mud, were stacked one by one into the earthenware jar, and Qingyan's fair and delicate hands were covered in mud.

Duoduo was causing trouble nearby, whining and wanting to join in, but Zeng Yumei nudged her away with her elbow: "Go play with Fubao, don't cause trouble here."

Xiao Jingye poured water into the kitchen water tank and entered the house, bringing with him a chill.

He squatted down next to Duoduo, encircling her in his arms, his large, cold hands reaching into the little chubby girl's neck.

Duo Duo was startled by the cold and turned to meet her brother's mischievous smile. Duo Duo immediately pouted and glared at him angrily.

She has a round face and a chubby body with lots of fat on her cheeks. Because of her intellectual disability, her expressions and movements are always more exaggerated than those of ordinary children, making her look quite comical.

Qingyan couldn't help but chuckle and reached out to pinch her chubby cheeks, only to suddenly remember that her hands were still covered in red mud.

Well, now both of Duoduo's cheeks are covered in mud, making her even funnier.

Duoduo touched the sticky mud on her face, her little face scrunched up, not knowing who to ask for help.

Looking at her aggrieved expression, Qingyan felt both guilty and amused.

"Look, your sister-in-law is bullying you," Xiao Jingye whispered in his sister's ear, urging, "Smear the mud back on."

As he spoke, he took Duoduo's little hand and rubbed the red mud from his palm onto Qingyan's fair cheek.

"Xiao Jingye!" Qingyan frowned, gave him a reproachful look, and then grabbed a clump of mud and smeared it on his face.

Duoduo followed suit, angrily smearing mud on her brother's face.

Xiao Jingye raised an eyebrow and smiled helplessly: "Fine, the two of you team up to bully me."

He picked up a small piece of mud and smeared it on Duoduo's nose, then on her face and forehead. Duoduo screamed and hid behind Zeng Yumei for refuge.

Zeng Yumei sat to the side, watching with a smile, impartial and unbiased, not protecting either side.

Before Qingyan could react, she suddenly felt a cool sensation on the tip of her nose.

Xiao Jingye curled his lips into a smug smile, raised an eyebrow at her, and teased, "Little kitten."

Qingyan blushed with anger, picked up another lump of mud, turned around and smeared it on him. Not satisfied with just one smear, she wanted to smear it a second time.

Unfortunately, her arms weren't long enough, and before she could even apply the mud the second time, the man reached out with his long arms and smeared another layer of mud on her face.

Qingyan angrily retaliated, but the man immediately stood up and nimbly jumped away. Qingyan chased after him, her hands covered in mud.

Seeing how brave her sister-in-law was, Duoduo also jumped and skipped into the fray.

The group was in a chaotic mess, running from the main room to the east room, and then from the east room to the west room. Sometimes she chased him, and sometimes he chased her.

Laughter mingled with the girl's playful scolding echoed through the room.

"Xiao Jingye, you stop right there!"

"You bastard, you're dead!"

"Duoduo, hurry up and apply it to his body."

Looking at the three people whose faces and bodies were covered in dirt, Zeng Yumei said helplessly, "Oh dear, you've ruined all the mud on my pickled duck eggs."

Duoduo giggled and followed closely behind Qingyan, joining in the "attack" on Xiao Jingye.

Qingyan was completely overwhelmed by Xiao Jingye's attacks and ran out of the house to hide in the kitchen.

She was about to close the door when the man strode in, slammed the door shut, and left Duoduo outside.

"I'm not playing anymore, I'm not playing anymore," Qingyan said, her cheeks flushed from running, panting as she glared at him. "Stop applying it, or I'll get mad at you."

Xiao Jingye indeed stopped moving, his chest rising and falling slightly.

Qingyan's eyes darted around, and she smiled slyly when he wasn't paying attention: "All's fair in war!" As she spoke, she raised her hand and wiped his face.

But this time, as soon as she stretched out her wrist, it was firmly grasped by the man's large hand.

The air fell silent, and Qingyan froze as well. Both of them were panting.

His dark eyes were deep as he gazed steadily down at her.

The mottled mud on Qingyan's face made her look like a little kitten, only her pair of dark, lustrous eyes, like those immersed in a clear spring, sparkled with a captivating light.

After being stared at for a while, she felt extremely uncomfortable: "What...what are you doing?"

Xiao Jingye's eyes darkened, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he tightened his grip on her wrist.

Suddenly, he lowered his head and kissed her cherry lips.

The mud on their faces rubbed together, and a silent ambiguity spread in the air.

Qingyan froze for two seconds, then said, embarrassed and annoyed, "Try kissing me again!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt another warm, soft sensation on her lips.

One, two, three... Xiao Jingye pecked at her pink lips many times like a woodpecker.

"I kissed her, so what?" His voice was low and husky, like a rogue. "It's not illegal for me to kiss my own wife. It's not illegal for me to touch my own wife's butt either."

"You..." Qingyan was suddenly reminded of her previous encounter and couldn't utter a single word to this madman. She was both ashamed and embarrassed, and after a long pause, she managed to stammer, "You shameless bastard!"

"I'm shameless, I want you." With that, Xiao Jingye wrapped his arms around her waist, pinned her firmly against the door, lowered his head, and pressed his thin lips domineeringly against her cool lips.

Duoduo knocked anxiously on the door, repeatedly calling out for her brother and sister-in-law...

The kitchen was small, with only one small window, and once the door was closed, there was hardly any light.

In the dimly lit space, only the sounds of two people swallowing saliva and their low, rapid breathing could be heard.

Qingyan's hands were firmly held to the door panel, unable to move, and she could only tilt her head back and be forced to accept this extremely aggressive kiss.

Qingyan thought to herself, thankfully there was no mud on their lips, otherwise they really would have swallowed it.

This was the second kiss. Her heart was pounding, and she felt a mix of emotions, unable to tell whether it was shyness or panic.

Every time his lips pressed against hers in a domineering manner, swirling around in her mouth, her entire brain would become disoriented.

When Qingyan was in school, she used to fantasize about her first kiss. She thought it must be beautiful and gentle.

Under a big tree, or by a stream, when the breeze lifts her skirt, her beloved boy will kiss her.

But now, her first kiss is long gone.

The man in front of her was not the gentle type. Every time he held her lips, his kisses were extremely forceful, almost aggressive, and incredibly rough.

They show absolutely no mercy or tenderness towards women.

And besides, it's one thing for him to kiss me, but every time he breathes so erotically, it feels like he's about to lose control at any moment. It's terrifying.

If Qingyan hadn't known he was impotent, she would have run away long ago.

.......

A moment later, the kitchen door opened.

When Duoduo saw her sister-in-law come out of the house, her ears were bright red, her lips were swollen, and her eyes were slightly red. She walked to the eaves with a sullen face to wash her hands and face.

Before long, the older brother also came out. He awkwardly tugged at his pants and moved closer to his sister-in-law.

My sister-in-law seems angry; she's ignoring my brother and has stopped playing in the mud.

Duo Duo's eyes darted around, thinking the two were fighting.

He ran into the house and loudly complained to Zeng Yumei, "Mom, my brother... he bullied my sister-in-law!"

Qingyan, who was outside, felt her cheeks burn even more and glared fiercely at Xiao Jingye.

In the evening, Qingyan lay in bed, staring at the dark ceiling, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

As soon as she closes her eyes, all she can think about is that kiss from that afternoon, and the clear feeling of the man's smooth tongue brushing against her pearly teeth.

She touched her chest, feeling something was developing in a direction beyond her control.

After thinking it over and over, I couldn't sleep, so I decided not to sleep at all.

He got up, found a pen and paper, and hurriedly wrote a letter to his aunt who was far away in Beijing.