Chapter 07

Her hand slipped, and she almost lost her grip on the bottle. After coughing once, she finally said, "How amazing."

It is a clean small medicine bottle, and at this moment, it is filled with some transparent liquid. Du Weiyan looked closely, took a cotton swab from her makeup bag, applied it to her finger, and said with a smile, "Thank you. Please also thank your grandmother for me."

Upon checking the time, it was surprisingly almost 7 o'clock. As I turned over, my fingers pressed against the bed, causing a sharp pain that made me gasp. Lifting my hand to take a look, I found it even redder and more swollen than last night. Du Weiyan, while blowing on the wound, thought to herself, so it wasn't just a dream after all

She remembered the homework assigned yesterday, to recite "The Mantis Stalking the Cicada," which would be checked in class. That was the village chief's little grandson, who was shy in front of strangers but mischievous and lively in front of acquaintances, with a pair of bright, crystal-clear eyes like those of children from the mountains.

A pair of long and powerful hands timely supported her waist, preventing her from sliding down. Those hands then smoothly glided down, reaching below her knees, effortlessly lifting her up by the waist.

"No. It is the saliva that I scooped out from my rooster's throat," the little boy said seriously, gesturing as he spoke, "Roosters love to eat centipedes."

Du Weiyan clutched her foot, her face pale, gritting her teeth to endure the pain, and managed to utter a fragmented sentence: "Thank you"

At noon, she was organizing audio materials in her room when she saw a small head wobbling into view from the window, seemingly holding a tiny bottle in hand

Just like when she left, she knew very well that she was willing to give him everything. But she became timid, and thus did not even leave him a shadow. Yet now, facing him, it seems as if nothing had ever happened

"Has the teacher for the volunteer teaching program not arrived yet?" Jiang Luwen's voice was somewhat surprised, "What is going on?"

Although there was some initial awkwardness, the benefit of talking to him is that one never has to struggle to find a topic. Du Weiyan tried to make her voice sound a bit softer: "Yes, I am still at Mingwu. It's quite good."

It is Jiang Luwen

During class, there were still some minor issues. When she reached out to grasp the chalk, she always had to touch her right middle finger, resulting in the characters she wrote being inevitably crooked.

The middle finger of the right hand is swollen and painful as if it has been caught in a door, with intermittent numbness, and my legs feel weak. Du Weiyan is somewhat perplexed, wondering how one could be so unfortunate to have such a misfortune while simply trying to sleep alone

As soon as her body touched the bed, Du Weiyan instinctively avoided it and leaned away from him, her expression contorted: "There is a centipede on the bed, there is a centipede!" She vaguely remembered where that creature had fallen, probably right on her bed; in any case, she dared not come near it.

The centipede was shaken off, and it was unknown where it had landed. A knocking sound came from the door, urgent, like the beating of a drum. The man's voice sounded deep in such a night, tinged with a hint of anxiety: "Weiyan, what happened?"

Yi Ziyong sighed, picked up a notebook from the table, and flicked the insect onto the other side of the bed. He walked over, probably stepped on it, and then slowly said: "Alright, it's fine now"

After receiving the call, a strange feeling swept through her heart. The time following her unrequited love had long since become light and carefree for her. Yet she truly was uncertain whether Jiang Luwen now understood her thoughts. She began to slowly reflect on whether what she was currently saying and doing might lead him to misunderstand her

Du Weiyan has been afraid of various insects since childhood. Just now, she was stung twice, and her voice trembled slightly as she exclaimed: "Over there! Over there!"

His figure was shrouded in front of him, backlit, making it difficult to discern his expression, yet she knew how focused he was, meticulous as if he were a surgeon performing a delicate operation on television. His palm possessed a strange warmth that reminded Du Weiyan of the scent of sunlight, akin to the sweet softness of a quilt that had been sun-dried all day. Like a potent medicine, the pain in her leg was dissipating at an astonishing speed, and she gradually relaxed.

It is very effective; once applied, it seems to have significantly reduced the swelling. Du Weiyan looked around and finally said: "Is this herbal juice made by your grandmother herself?"

Du Weiyan's gaze gradually shifted to him. Yi Zirong was wearing the pajamas that Du Weiyan had given him, a very ordinary T-shirt on the outside, casually thrown over the striped shirt he had worn when he arrived, and below were slightly short sports pants, clearly hastily put on in a rush, without caring for anything else. He looked disheveled, a stark contrast to his well-dressed appearance in the afternoon, as if they were two different people. She suddenly felt a bit moved and somewhat embarrassed: "Did I wake you up?"

She hurriedly opened the door, and Zhang Xiaoxiao, with her small face flushed, was grinning widely, revealing a set of uneven teeth: "Teacher, my grandmother asked me to give this to you. It treats centipede stings."

Du Weiyan was taken aback, feeling inexplicably displeased. This was not a trivial green team activity from university; she did not like Jiang Luwen's tone, nor did she appreciate the so-called charitable culture. In comparison, although what she could do was limited, such as taking all the students to have a meal at KFC in Mingwu City and then visiting a children's amusement park, it would be much more comforting.

Jiang Luwen smiled gently and said: "We are currently looking for paired rural schools for some sponsorship activities. Do you think your school would like to apply?"

Yi Ziyong frowned slightly: "Centipede?" She casually lifted her up and placed her on a nearby chair, then reached out to shake her blanket.

He glanced at her inquisitively, opened the wooden drawer, paused for a moment, and then asked: "What do you want?"

The little boy looked up at her, his mouth slightly open: "I have only seen it on television"

Du Weiyan moved back a little and smiled, saying: "You saw that centipede too, it was that big—do you think it's a novel? There's no need to exaggerate like that"

When leaving, there were already children coming to class. Du Weiyan was holding a steamed bun as he passed by the classroom, glancing again at the little boy sitting inside, who was nodding his head and reciting his lessons.

His voice was still somewhat immature, resembling that of a fledgling bird, endlessly yearning for the outside world. In the outside world, there were many things that children from the mountains could hardly imagine. This caused Du Weiyan to fall silent quickly

Yi Zirong's expression became serious: "Centipedes are poisonous, don't joke about it. Do you feel unwell anywhere?" He thought for a moment, reached out to pick her up again, "We should still go to the hospital."

The little boy nodded seriously: "There are many centipedes here, so you need to be careful, teacher. However, if you get stung by a centipede, it will take several days to heal"

The children in the mountains have this advantage; they are not spoiled, always resembling the weeds between the rock walls, bending neither to the strong winds. Zhang Xiaoxiao quickly got up, and behind him, a group of children shouted: "Xiaoxiao, quickly move aside"

Ezi stood with one hand in his pocket and the other behind his back, watching Du Weiyan with an air of indifference. He was trying hard to recall when she had started to wear such an expression: a mix of hesitation and helplessness, yet tinged with a faint melancholy.

Yi Ziyong took two steps, placed her back on the bed, and frowned as he said: "What’s wrong? Did your leg cramp?"

His face was very close to hers, and a fleeting smile appeared in his crystal black eyes: "Then why were you so scared just now?"

Fortunately, the distance from the bed to the door was not far. She supported herself against the table and slowly stood up. The muscles in her calves were twitching, as if someone were scraping them forcefully with a piece of iron, causing unbearable pain. Du Weiyan did not know how long she had moved or how long she had endured, but she finally opened the door, only to lose control of her body and fall into that person's embrace

Du Wei smiled shyly and said in a low voice, "I was a bit scared when I saw it for the first time"

He walked up to her, furrowing his brows, and finally reached out to grasp her ankle: "What happened to your foot? Is it still cramping?" Without giving her a chance to respond, he gently placed his palm on the muscle of her calf, then pressed down firmly while saying softly: "Just bear with it."

The thick and long hemp rope swished through the air, creating beautiful arcs, as the children nimbly darted in and out, bouncing back and forth, in a joyful cycle of play

Du Wei smiled and shook his head, saying: "No need. Good night"

She let out a chuckle, withdrew her finger, and randomly shoved the small metal box into his hand: "This is for you. Study it well."

She stood on one foot, leaning on his hand as she took a few steps, and slowly said: "Alright. Thank you."

At this moment, Du Weiyan appeared somewhat worried, with perhaps some marks on his cheeks from sleeping: "I was stung by a centipede. Um, Yi Zirong, centipedes are poisonous, right?"

Du Weiyan shook his head: "That foot is not cramping."

I am quite well

Zhang Xiaoxiao swiftly emerged from the group of students who were playfully wrestling and stood in front of her, saying: "Teacher Du, what happened to your hand?"

Zhang Xiaoxiao looked at her application and finally said: "Teacher, can you guess what this is?"

She pushed open the classroom door and couldn't help but ask, "Zhang Xiaoxiao, why are you here so early?"

Zhang Xiaoxiao rushed into the long rope, then stumbled and was tripped by the swinging rope

Du Weiyan glanced at it and couldn't help but chuckle. In fact, it was a few KFC discount coupons that someone had handed out at the street corner during the Mingwu period. She bent down, patted the child's head, and said: "It's not a small picture. Zhang Xiaoxiao, have you ever eaten KFC?"

Uh, if you are interested, you can go through the education bureau to handle it. A small pebble fell at his feet, and Du Weiyan glanced down, unconsciously grinding it lightly with his foot. I am not clear about these matters

Du Weiyan, in a state of panic, turned her head back, her hair almost brushing against Yi Zirong's straight nose. She didn't even know when he had returned. Or perhaps, he had been standing behind her for a long time already

He gently placed her fingers beneath his nose, carefully sniffed, and quietly asked her: "Cinnamon, mint, clove?"

He reached out to touch her hair, unsure of what memories it evoked, his expression somewhat wistful. Finally, he straightened up and said with a smile, "Then I will go out first. Or... should I stay with you a little longer?"

Zhang Xiaoxiao remained motionless, staring at a spot behind Du Weiyan, as if she had discovered something strange

The afternoon class is about to begin. Du Weiyan is holding Zhang Xiaoxiao's hand and is about to leave when a curious little boy points to several colorful pieces of paper on her desk and asks, "Teacher, what are those? Are they drawings?"

Du Weiyan felt somewhat speechless, cooling oil...? Perhaps it is an essential item for every Chinese person, whether at home or traveling

During the afternoon activity class, the students were jumping rope, and Du Weiyan was watching with great interest from the side, while her phone vibrated in her pocket for quite some time. In fact, amidst such beautiful mountains and clear waters, she had almost forgotten about her phone. After a moment of reflection, she finally answered it. Under the autumn sun, her mood was cheerful

Since she was able to speak again, it seems that her pain has lessened. Yi Zirong did not respond, but merely held her slender and smooth ankle, gradually slowing the pressure and rhythm. Under the light, her instep was fair and delicate, her toes resembling small white shells, evoking an irresistible urge to caress them. However, he suppressed this impulse and raised an eyebrow, asking her: "What about the other foot?"

Du Weiyan got up a bit later than usual, and it was still Aunt Yu who came to call her, knocking on the door and saying: "Little Teacher Du, your friend has left"

"It is already autumn, why are there still centipedes?" She carefully placed her finger under the light to take a look; the area where she was stung had already swollen rapidly and turned red. "Can you do me a favor? I have a box of cooling oil in my drawer, could you please bring it to me?"

Yi Zirong stood at the head of her bed, raising her eyebrows: "What happened to your hand?"

... ...

He was momentarily taken aback ... ? ... Are all women so adept at disguise ?

a small red tin box

Yi Zirong said nothing more, closing the door as she left, glancing back one last time. The orange light of the table lamp fell on her strands of hair and her cheeks; she had already lain down, her smile as radiant as a flower, mouthing the words: "Good night"

He has left? Perhaps he didn't sleep well last night due to his own restlessness? Du Weiyan suddenly woke up, looked around the room, and shook her head again. That person came and went so suddenly that it made her feel as if many things were just a dream.

Du Weiyan's feet hurt a lot, and she did not know if she could struggle to stand up and open the door

Du Weiyan brushed off the chalk dust from his hands and casually said, "The teacher's hand was stung by a centipede, it's nothing."

The brownish bug was indeed crawling in a corner of her blanket, and at that moment, it fell with a snap onto the red and white striped bed sheet

Until she applied the paste to her fingertips, Du Weiyan carefully blew on it and smiled at him, saying: "Thank you."

Yi Ziyong leaned down and carefully examined her fingers, and after a long while, he said: "What is it that you have applied?"

"He hasn't arrived yet. I quite enjoy living here. After all, the work is not finished." Du Weiyan was unsure whether she should cautiously hint to him that... in fact, she was living quite well here, as if it were a rare vacation... In reality, it felt even more comfortable and at ease than at a seaside resort. Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, a casual remark from that person could hasten the end of her brief teaching career.