Chapter 64: Throwing Caution to the Wind

The chilly night wind blew against his face, instantly clearing his chaotic thoughts a bit.

In the courtyard, the cold moonlight spilled all over the ground, coating everything in a layer of silver frost.

Zhou Yichen walked to the center of the courtyard, took a deep breath, and slowly assumed his posture.

He began to practice the Baduanjin.

"Hands holding the heavens to regulate the Triple Burner, drawing the bow left and right like shooting eagles..."

Every movement and posture was steady and powerful, carrying a unique rhythm.

As his body stretched out, the irritation in his heart gradually dissipated.

[Baduanjin Proficiency +1]

[Baduanjin Proficiency +1]

……

After finishing the set of exercises, Zhou Yichen felt his whole body radiating heat, and all his limbs and bones felt indescribably comfortable.

He withdrew his posture and let out a long breath of stale air.

Regaining his focus, with a thought in his mind, he opened his talent panel.

[Medical Skill LV2 (135/2000)]

[Baduanjin LV4 (188/400)]

The massage he had just given to Jiang Xiaoman had increased his medical skill proficiency by over a dozen points, and combined with reading for a while, it added up to around twenty-something points in total.

As for the Baduanjin, it was not far from crossing the halfway mark of level four.

Looking at the gains on the panel, Zhou Yichen's mood finally improved a lot.

Whatever, when soldiers come, block them; when water comes, earth covers it.

He picked up the bucket, quickly washed up, and returned to the room carrying a chill all over his body.

On the heated brick bed (kang), Jiang Xiaoman was still sleeping soundly, not even changing her posture.

Zhou Yichen walked to the edge of the kang and nudged her shoulder.

"Xiaoman, wake up, go back to the educated youth point to sleep."

Jiang Xiaoman merely wrinkled her nose, mumbled something in her sleep, rolled over, buried her face into the pillow, and continued to sleep.

Zhou Yichen tried increasing his strength a little bit.

"Jiang Xiaoman!"

This time, there wasn't even any sleep-talking.

Zhou Yichen was completely helpless.

He stood by the edge of the kang, looking at this utterly dead-to-the-world girl, and finally sighed, giving up his struggle.

Fine.

Whatever happens, happens.

He was a big man; could he really be stumped by such a small matter?

At worst, if anyone asked in the future, he would just say he and Jiang Xiaoman were dating.

Anyway, he wouldn't lose out.

He just wondered what kind of reaction this girl would have when she woke up tomorrow.

The corners of Zhou Yichen's lips curled into an arc he hadn't even noticed.

Looking at her delicate and cute face, still visible in the dim light, he blew out the kerosene lamp.

The room was instantly plunged into complete darkness.

Zhou Yichen lay down fully clothed on the other side of the kang, listening to the even breathing coming from beside him, and unconsciously drifted off to sleep as well.

……

The next day.

The sky was still a hazy gray.

"Beep beep beep—beep beep beep—"

The sound of an alarm clock, particularly harsh in the 1970s, suddenly shattered the morning peace.

Zhou Yichen opened his eyes almost the instant the alarm went off and reached out to press the switch with precise accuracy.

Years of habit left him without a shred of lingering in bed.

However, once he woke up, the person beside him was also startled awake by the abrupt sound.

"Mm—"

Jiang Xiaoman let out a dazed nasal sound, rubbed her eyes, and slowly sat up.

She sat blankly, her eyes unfocused, obviously not yet realizing where she was.

"What is this thing... so noisy..."

Until Zhou Yichen got down from the kang, put on his shoes, and made a slight rustling sound.

Jiang Xiaoman's gaze sluggishly followed and turned over.

She watched that familiar back walk over to the cabinet and strike a match.

"Scratch—"

The flame leaped, lighting up the old kerosene lamp.

The dim light instantly dispelled the darkness in the room and illuminated Jiang Xiaoman's baby face, which was full of bewilderment.

She blinked and looked around.

Unfamiliar walls, unfamiliar furnishings, and... Zhou Yichen, who was turning back to look at her.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.

Jiang Xiaoman's brain felt as if it had been struck by a bolt of lightning.

Memories of last night rushed back like a tidal wave.

Massage...

So painful...

So comfortable...

And then... she fell asleep...

Sleeping the whole night away on Zhou Yichen's kang?

"Ah!"

Jiang Xiaoman let out a short scream, scrambling down from the kang hands and feet like a frightened rabbit, too hurried to even put on her shoes, stepping barefoot onto the cold earthen floor.

Her little face instantly turned white, all color draining completely.

She wasn't afraid of what Zhou Yichen might do to her.

After all these years of friendship, she trusted his character.

What she was afraid of was those people at the educated youth point! The venomous gossip of the villagers!

An unmarried young woman, staying out all night and spending the night in a single male educated youth's room!

Just thinking about the looks Sun Fang and the others would give her, and how male educated youths like Li衛東 (Li Weidong) would discuss her behind her back, made Jiang Xiaoman's scalp tingle, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

She was done for!

Her reputation was completely ruined!

The more she thought about it, the angrier and more aggrieved she felt.

"It's all your fault!"

Jiang Xiaoman glared at Zhou Yichen in front of her, as if she had found the chief culprit.

"Why didn't you wake me up! It's all your fault."

Zhou Yichen had just turned up the flame of the kerosene lamp a little brighter. Hearing this, he turned around and looked at her frantic appearance, feeling rather wronged.

He spread his hands with an innocent expression.

"I tried."

"But you slept like a dead pig, and you wouldn't wake up no matter how much I pushed you."

"A... dead pig?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaoman was so angry she almost choked, her cheeks instantly turning the color of pig liver.

*You're* the one who slept like a dead pig! Your whole family slept like a dead pig!"

She nagged unreasonably, completely ignoring logic.

"I don't care! It's your fault anyway! If you really wanted to wake me up, how could you not? You must have harbored malicious intentions!"

Watching her act this way, Zhou Yichen felt his temples throbbing.

He completely forgot that one should never attempt to reason with a woman.

Because it was simply impossible to reason with them.

He sighed, raised both hands, and made a surrendering gesture.

"Fine, fine, fine, my fault, it's all my fault, okay?"

His attitude of conceding instead made Jiang Xiaoman feel like she had punched cotton, trapping all her subsequent words in her throat.

Zhou Yichen walked up to her, picked up the cotton shoes from the floor, and handed them over.

"Instead of blaming me here, you'd better start thinking about how you're going to explain this."

These words were like a basin of cold water poured straight over her head.

Jiang Xiaoman was instantly struck dumb.

Right, how was she supposed to explain?

To say she came for a massage and then accidentally fell asleep?

Who would believe that!

She stamped her feet anxiously in place, her mind in a complete mess.

After a long while, as if having made some kind of determination, she suddenly puffed out her chest and forced herself to put on a defiant posture.

"What's there to explain!"

She stiffened her neck, though her voice sounded a bit weak.

"What is our relationship? Childhood buddies who grew up together! What's wrong with me staying a night at my buddy's place?"

"My conscience is clear! If any of them dare to talk nonsense behind my back, I'll tear their mouths apart!"

Watching her putting up a false front, Zhou Yichen only found it amusing.

He said leisurely, "Mouths grow on other people. They certainly won't say anything to your face."

"But what about behind your back?"

"Can you shut one person's mouth, let alone everyone's?"

Zhou Yichen's words were like a sharp knife, precisely piercing all her pretenses.

Jiang Xiaoman was struck dumb once again.

Indeed.

What could she do?

Go explain to everyone?

Wouldn't that just make it look like she was protesting too much?

Her shoulders drooped powerlessly, and she withered entirely, like a cabbage beaten by the frost.

Seeing her pitiful appearance, Zhou Yichen couldn't bear it either.

Just as he was about to offer a few words of comfort.

Suddenly, Jiang Xiaoman raised her head abruptly, as if breaking the jar since it was already cracked, her eyes flashing with a desperate, all-in brilliance.

"Ah, whatever!"

She stamped her foot hard, as if stomping away all her worries.

"Let them say whatever they want!"

"At worst, I'll just tell them the two of us are a couple, dating each other!"