Fortunately, the old lady's cornmeal porridge was very fragrant, and Ye Anyian ate a small bowl with pickles.
After dinner, the old woman made beds for the two of them in the west room and boiled a pot of hot water for them to wash up.
The bed is not big, and the two quilts are squeezed together, making it almost impossible to fit them on the bed.
Fortunately, the weather has warmed up now, so Jiang Zhu took out a quilt and placed it at the foot of the bed to press his feet. It was enough for two people to cover the bed.
It was a strange environment, but with familiar people sleeping beside him, Ye Anyian still felt at ease.
Thinking back to when he and Zhang Lu went out to find someone, he didn't know that she was pregnant at that time. He just felt very tired every day. He couldn't sleep well in a strange place and couldn't eat. He didn't know that he was pregnant at the time. How did you get through it?
"If you don't sleep, what are you thinking about?"
His waist sank, Jiang Zhu stretched out his hand and hooked him towards him.
"You changed places, can't you sleep?"
Ye Annian turned over and buried himself in his arms: "I can't sleep a little bit."
Hearing this, Jiang Zhu probed his forehead and found that the temperature was normal and there was no fever.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Back pain."
Ye Annian raised his hand and hooked Jiang Zhu's neck, pressing his whole body against it.
The two of them were only wearing thin undergarments, and when they were pressed together, they could clearly feel the scorching temperature of each other's bodies. They were entangled with each other through the soft fabric, making people feel itchy in their hearts.
Jiang Zhu was so aroused by his intimate gesture that he couldn't hold it back any longer.
He stretched out his hand to grab it, turned the person over and lay on the bed, then lifted up the hem of Ye Anian's clothes and reached in, rubbed his waist for a while, and pressed twice on the waist.
"here?"
"Well, um..."
The area where he was pressed was so sore that Ye Anyian groaned uncomfortably.
"Looks like this is it."
Jiang Zhu added more strength and rubbed it again and again.
"You... be gentler."
Ye Annian couldn't bear it, frowned, and twisted around to hide twice.
"I haven't exerted much force yet." Jiang Zhu had no choice but to think about it and asked, "How many days has it been hurting?"
"It's been two or three days." Ye Anyian said. He hadn't been this powerful before. He could still bear it, so he didn't say anything.
"You haven't said anything about the pain for so long?" Jiang Zhu couldn't do anything to him, "Nian Nian, you don't even need a doctor by your side."
"I thought it was because I had been sitting in the car for a long time. I would be fine if I took a break." Ye Annian looked innocent. He didn't want to bother anyone if he felt a little uncomfortable. He looked very squeamish.
"If you feel uncomfortable in the future, you should speak up in time. If it takes too long, you won't be the only one who feels uncomfortable."
Jiang Zhu brushed away his scattered hair and pinched his soft ears: "Fortunately, I brought a spare cushion. I will add another one for you tomorrow. A softer cushion will be much better."
"Okay." Ye Anyian agreed.
He said it hurt, but Jiang Zhu stopped pressing it, arranged his clothes, put on his shoes and went to the ground.
"Where are you going?" Ye Anyian asked.
"There is still hot water in the kitchen. I'll soak it in a handkerchief and give you a hot compress first."
After Jiang Zhu finished speaking, he took the oil lamp and went out. After a while, he came back with a basin of hot water and a white soft handkerchief placed beside the basin.
He soaked the veil, twisted it until it was half dry, then lifted up the hem of Ye Anyian's clothes and put it on his waist.
Suddenly being pressed by a hot veil, Ye Annian was shaken by the stimulation. He grasped the quilt under him with both hands. His already long and slender fingers had white joints, making him look fragile and attractive.
"Is it hot?" Jiang Zhu asked.
"It's okay," Ye Annian sniffed, "I just feel a little uncomfortable."
"Just get used to it and you'll be fine." Jiang Zhu took Ye Annian's hand, wrapped it in his palm, and rubbed it gently.
Ye Anyian suddenly felt at ease, breathed a sigh of relief, rested his chin on the hands held by the two of them, and closed his eyes.
The initial discomfort passed, and the hot steam soon made my waist feel more comfortable, and the pain became less severe.
Jiang Zhu changed the handkerchief twice more. Seeing that Ye Anyian's reaction was not as strong as the initial reaction, he started to rub it slowly.
Ye Annian didn't stir anymore this time. He rested his face on the quilt, closed his eyes and took a nap, and soon fell asleep.
By the time Jiang Zhu pushed down, the person was already fast asleep. He smiled helplessly, pulled up Ye Anian's clothes, turned the person over and lay down, and finally covered him with a quilt.
The warm orange candlelight swayed gently, setting off Ye Anyian's sleeping face, making it so beautiful that people couldn't take their eyes away.
Jiang Zhu straightened his loose hair, leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.
A peaceful sleep until dawn.
The next day, the old couple woke up early in the morning.
The morning meal was still boiled porridge, and the old woman even cooked a bowl of eggs for the two of them.
Ye Annian looked at the five or six eggs soaked in cold water in the big bowl and thought to himself, these were probably the only ones the old couple had at home.
During the meal, the old couple were still very enthusiastic and asked them to come back early in the evening.
The two agreed repeatedly and set off after eating the morning meal.
Unlike last night, Yueliang City during the day was less eerie and more desolate than at night.
The two men tied the carriage at the city gate, got out of the carriage and walked.
The roads in the city were rubble and rubble, and it was difficult to walk on them. Jiang Zhu pulled out a relatively strong stick from the ruins and took it in his hand. As he walked, he pulled away the roadblocks on the road ahead. The two of them slowly walked along. Wandering around the city.
Before Yue Liang City was destroyed, Jiang Zhu actually only came once, to help Wei Zhihuai, the good-for-nothing, repel the enemy.
Later, it was the time when Wei Zhihuai deceived him.
In fact, he didn't take a good look at this small town.
Now that I come back, this place has changed beyond recognition.
Ye Annian walked very slowly. He would stop and take a look at a broken wall, a pile of rubble, and a dilapidated house on the side of the road.
Jiang Zhu didn't bother him either. The two of them walked and stopped along the way. They finished half of the shopping in one morning.
The two of them wandered around until noon and then returned to the center of the small town.
There is a small square in the center of the city. The flowerbeds and pools in the square are all dilapidated. A huge, burnt sycamore tree stands there, although the trunk is rotten and some places are empty.
Jiang Zhu found a relatively flat stone platform, dusted it with his sleeves, lifted up his clothes and spread them on it, letting Ye Annian sit on it.
Then he took out the snacks and water he had brought with him, and the two of them ate and rested.
"Will you continue shopping in the afternoon?" Jiang Zhu asked.
Ye Anyian ate the red bean cake wrapped in oil paper and nodded.
"Nian Nian, what's so interesting about this shabby place?" Jiang Zhu really couldn't figure out what he wanted to do.
Ye Anyian didn't explain, and just said: "You will know later."
The sun is at its strongest at noon, and it shines warmly on you. Even the dilapidated scene around you is coated with a layer of golden light, giving it a more poignant feeling.
At this moment, a strange sound suddenly came from a collapsed house not far away.
Because it was unusually quiet here, the sound was particularly clear and could not be ignored.
The two people who were eating stopped at the same time and looked over there.
The sound was rustling, and it stopped for a moment when the two of them looked over, but it soon started ringing again.
"Rat?" Ye Anyian asked.
"Maybe." Jiang Zhu replied, "It's not surprising that there are rats in this place."
However, before he could finish his words, a black shadow suddenly emerged from the pile of ruins.
The black shadow moved quickly, without any unnecessary movement, and rushed straight towards the direction of the two people.
Ye Annian was startled and had no time to react. Jiang Zhu had already stood up and stood in front of him.
When the dark mass rushed towards him, he stretched out his hand and caught the thing.
The thing was covered in darkness. After being caught, it struggled violently and made inarticulate sounds.
But Jiang Zhu was very skilled and was able to restrain "it" in just a few strokes.
The thing was pinned to the ground by Jiang Zhu and was still struggling desperately, grinning at the two of them very fiercely.
"Be careful." Ye Anyian said worriedly.
Jiang Zhu said "Hmm" and looked carefully at the black thing.
Suddenly he said: "It seems... it's a person."
He pushed the man's hair away from his face, and then he realized that the dark mass was actually a skinny child.
The child was not tall, only reaching his waist. He was skinny and skinny. The clothes on his body were so dirty that it was hard to tell. His hair was long and messy, but his eyes were frighteningly dark.
"What's your name?" Ye Anyian lowered his voice, fearing to scare him again.
The child didn't speak, and just stared at him.
"Then is there anyone else here besides you?" Ye Anyian asked again.
The child still didn't speak, staring at him with eyes that almost popped out of his head.
"Why is he always staring at me?" Ye Anyian wondered.
He stood up and wanted to come over to have a look, but the child suddenly became excited and struggled towards him.
Ye Annian was startled.
Jiang Zhu said, "It's okay. He's probably just hungry. Give him the red bean cake in your hand."
Ye Anyian obeyed and handed over the unfinished red bean cake in his hand.
The kid grabbed it and almost finished it in two bites.
After eating, she still looked at him intently.
Ye Annian thought for a while, then took out a piece of red bean cake from the bag they carried with them, and waved it in front of the child.
The child's eyes followed the red bean cake in his hand, just like a puppy staring at the bones.
"Can you talk? I just gave you a piece. If you want to eat it next time, you have to tell us your name." Jiang Zhu took the opportunity to coax.
The child's eyes were all right, staring at the piece of red bean cake, but still did not speak.
Ye Anyian tentatively handed the red bean cake forward, and he immediately grabbed it, but Ye Anyian reacted quickly and took it away at once.
The child jumped into the air and shouted "Ahhh".
Ye Annian frowned: "Can't he speak?"
"Ah, Ah Li..." The child finally said two words.
"You mean, your name is Ah Li?" Ye Anyian asked.
But the child ignored him again and only stared at the red bean cake in his hand. Ye Anyian gave the cake to him.
The child didn't eat it, so he put it into his arms and stretched out his hand towards Ye Anian.
"Hey, you kid." Jiang Zhu was speechless.
But the child identified Ye Anian and asked him for pancakes, ignoring Jiang Zhu at all.
Seeing how pitiful he was, Ye Anyian gave him two more red bean cakes.
The child grabbed the pancakes and ate them one by one. After finishing the task like a storm, he opened his hand to him again.
Ye Anyian:...
There were still some in the cloth bag, so he simply took out the entire oil paper bag and gave it to the child.
The child was immediately held in his arms, kicking his legs and running away.
Jiang Zhu grabbed the collar of the back of his neck and dragged him back.
"You want to run away after taking our things? Did you answer the question I just asked you?"
Unable to escape, the child turned back and glared at him.
"Forget it, stop scaring him." Ye Anyian said, "You can't ask anything like this, just let him go."
He looked towards Jiang Zhu, who immediately understood and let go of his hand.
As soon as the child was let go, he immediately ran towards the ruins and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Ye Annian and Jiang Zhu looked at each other and quickly followed.
The child was stumbling between a bunch of ruins. He was obviously very familiar with this place. The two of them followed him from a distance, and it took some effort to catch up with him.
The three finally found the child in a half-collapsed dilapidated house.
This dilapidated house was also full of signs of being burned. Half of it collapsed, with only the other half still barely holding on.
As soon as the two of them entered, they smelled a pungent stench, which made Ye Anyian turn pale immediately.
Jiang Zhu quickly patted him on the back: "Why don't you wait for me outside and I'll go in and take a look."
The smell was so overwhelming that Ye Annian felt that he would vomit if he stayed there for a little longer, so he had no choice but to nod and retreat outside.
In the house, the child knelt in front of a broken bed covered with straw, opened the oil paper bag, took out the red bean cake and fed it to the man lying on the bed.
Jiang Zhu stood at the door, some distance away from the bed. He couldn't see clearly who was lying on the bed. He only saw a big bump on the bed, motionless.
The child was fed for a long time, but the person on the bed showed no reaction.
Jiang Zhu stood silently for a while, then finally walked forward and squatted down behind the child.
"He is already dead and can't eat."
The child was holding red bean cake and stuffing it into the mouth of the man on the bed. When he heard the sound, he stopped suddenly and turned around to glare at him.
With an innocent look on his face, Jiang Zhu pointed at the gray-faced middle-aged man on the bed: "He stinks. Instead of wasting food on him, you might as well eat it yourself."
--Snapped!
The child dropped the red bean cake on the ground, stared at him, and rushed towards him.
The two of them were so close that Jiang Zhu had no time to get up and raised his hand to block them.
Unexpectedly, this little thing bit him hard on the arm, and made a whimpering sound from its mouth.
"hiss..."
Even though he was separated by clothes, Jiang Zhu still gasped in pain.
He frowned and said, "Are you a dog? You still bite people."
The child seemed to be stimulated, staring at him fiercely and speaking harder and harder.
Jiang Zhu held up his collar and couldn't pull it away.
"Jiang Zhu?!"
"What are you..."
Ye Anian heard the noise outside and rushed in, covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief.
As a result, as soon as he entered the door, he saw two people struggling with each other.
When Jiang Zhu saw Ye Annian, he immediately felt aggrieved: "Niannian, he bit me."