IMPORTANT: Warning, attempted rape! No graphic scenes, but it is triggering. I put markers on the scene; if you want to skip it and a summary at the end of the skipped scenes.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

This was Zheng Beiqiu’s first time doing something like this, so he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. All the way there, he mulled over how to broach the subject with him.

After all, they’d only met a few times; Luo Xiu probably didn’t even know his name, so showing up unannounced to deliver medicine felt rather abrupt. When he reached Luo Xiu’s doorstep, Zheng Beiqiu scratched his head, still at a loss for words.

Just as he was hesitating, a dark shadow approached from a short distance away.

He furrowed his brow, quickly scrambled over the fence, and hid behind a tree in Luo Xiu’s courtyard, intending to wait until the person had gone far enough away before going inside. Unexpectedly, that shadowy figure, moving furtively, actually walked right into the courtyard.

It was none other than Bald Tian, who had been here several times before.

He knew Luo Xiu must have recognized him yesterday, but hadn’t dared to make a scene—which only confirmed his impression that this was a timid, trouble-shy ger.

He figured that even if he forced himself on such a man, the boy wouldn’t dare do anything about it. The more he thought about it, the more a burning heat rose in his lower abdomen, and unable to resist, he came back again that very night.

He slipped into the courtyard as if he knew the way by heart; with his mind completely consumed by those sordid thoughts, he didn’t even notice the dark shadow under the tree. Zheng Beiqiu narrowed his eyes and simply watched as he walked up to the door.

Inside, Luo Xiu was wrapped in a quilt, shivering uncontrollably from the cold. That evening, he had dragged his sickly body to reheat the porridge in the pot. Since the family didn’t have much firewood, they’d used it all up just to warm the porridge, and by now the kang had long since grown cold.

Perhaps the baby in his womb had sensed his discomfort as well; tonight it was unusually quiet, not kicking his belly as it usually did.

Luo Xiu gently stroked his belly through his clothes and said, “Good baby, you’re feeling sorry for Daddy, aren’t you? Once Daddy gets better, I’ll go out and gather more firewood so the two of us won’t have to suffer the cold.”

Just as he spoke, that familiar creaking sound came from the doorway again. Luo Xiu’s heart skipped a beat, and the hairs on his body stood on end. Under normal circumstances, he would at least have been able to get up and scare the intruder off.

But now, sick as he was, he didn’t even have the strength to shout. If someone broke down the door, they’d be in trouble tonight.

Warning!!

He felt for the wooden stick beside him and clutched it to his chest, trembling with fear. He wanted to call out for help, but his throat hurt too much to make a sound.

Recalling what Aunt Liu Hua had said earlier that day—that today was the seventh day of mourning for Changfu, and everyone said the seventh day was the night when the soul returns—Luo Xiu couldn’t help but sob, “You damned murderer! If you have a soul, come back and help me! You died so cleanly, leaving the two of us to suffer for nothing!”

Far from scaring Bald Tian away, the wailing inside the room only excited him even more.

He quickly fiddled with the door latch. With a “click,” the latch fell to the floor, and the door swung open. Luo Xiu let out a startled cry, “Spare me! I’m pregnant…”

Bald Tian rubbed his hands together, a lecherous grin spreading across his face. “I’ve heard that pregnant gers are the most fun to be with. Forget about that dead husband of yours—once you’re with me, I’ll make sure you live the high life!” With that, he reached out toward the kang.

Luo Xiu clenched the stick tightly and swung it at him with all her might. Under normal circumstances, the blow might have knocked him unconscious, but now, weakened by illness, his limbs were feeble, and the blow only left a bump on Bald Tian’s head.

Enraged, he snatched the stick from her and began to manhandle Luo Xiu, trying to take advantage of him. Just as Luo Xiu was sinking into despair, a cough suddenly rang out from outside the door.

Bald Tian was startled. His movements froze as he thought to himself, “Could it be that someone else has also set their sights on this widowed ger?” Clearing his throat, he said, “I don’t know which brother is out there, but there’s such a thing as first come, first served. Why don’t you wait until I’m done before you come in?”

Luo Xiu bit his lip and shook his head, tears streaming down his face. He didn’t know if the person outside was good or bad; he was afraid he might be just like Bald Tian—someone coveting his body.

After waiting a while and hearing no movement from outside, Bald Tian plucked up his courage to continue, only to be interrupted once again by a cough.

Having been interrupted twice, Bald Tian was getting increasingly irritated. He grabbed Luo Xiu, the wooden stick he’d been using on him, and stormed out, cursing all the way.

“Who the hell is ruining my fun!”

Thud! A dull thud, and Bald Tian’s voice cut off abruptly.

End of Scene

Summary: Bald Tian sneaks into the room, Luo Xiu says he is pregnant when Bald Tian is approaching but the man is interrupted with Beiqiu coughing, he coughs twice and Bald Tian thinks that its another person like him looking to take advantage of the widow, when he leaves the room to check, Beiqiu deals with him.

Luo Xiu froze in terror. He heard what sounded like someone moving things outside, and terrifying thoughts flooded his mind, nearly causing him to faint.

A moment later, Zheng Beiqiu walked in carrying the medicinal broth, which had already grown nearly cold.

“Ah!!! Ah!!!” Luo Xiu let out a bloodcurdling scream, but his voice was hoarse, and he couldn’t get the words out.

Zheng Beiqiu was startled by his reaction and hurried to reassure him, “Xiao Luo, don’t be afraid—it’s me.” Luo Xiu wasn’t listening; he grabbed whatever he could find on the kang and began hurling it wildly at Zheng Beiqiu.

Seeing this, Zheng Beiqiu immediately set down the medicinal broth and stepped forward to shield him in his arms. “I mean you no harm—don’t be afraid. I’m here to bring you your medicine.” Luo Xiu struggled for a long time but couldn’t break free; feeling utterly hopeless, he actually tried to bite his tongue to kill himself!

As soon as Zheng Beiqiu felt the metallic taste of blood, he knew something was wrong. He hurriedly pinched his cheeks and shoved his hand into Luo Xiu’s mouth for her to bite down on.

He thought to himself: What a fiercely headstrong young man! Thank goodness I arrived in time; otherwise, I might never have seen him again after tonight.

It was unclear how long it took, but Luo Xiu finally calmed down, released his grip, and stopped thrashing about.

“Are you feeling better? I’m sorry I got here so late. I can’t believe that guy dared to treat you like that. If he dares to come back, I’ll kill him!”

Luo Xiu nodded. Zheng Beiqiu reluctantly pulled his hand back, and there, clearly visible, was a row of teeth marks.

“Is that you, cousin?”

“It was me. My name is Zheng Beiqiu. I’m only a few years older than you—you can call me ‘Brother,’ whichever you prefer…”

Luo Xiu was silent for a moment before asking, “What about that guy from earlier?” 

“I knocked him out and left him on the street.”

In reality, Zheng Beiqiu had already snapped the man’s neck, but he didn’t dare tell Luo Xiu for fear of scaring him.

Having fought his way through the military for so many years, he always used lethal moves against savages—he hadn’t left Bald Tian any chance of survival. Luo Xiu coughed a few times and asked, “You mean… you came to bring me medicine?”

“Yes. I ran into my aunt-in-law, Liu Hua, on the road today. She told me you were sick, so I thought I’d come check on you. I went to town, bought some medicine, boiled it up, and brought it over. It’s gone cold by now—I’ll go warm it up for you.”

Luo Xiu said nothing. Sitting on the kang with his arms wrapped around his knees, he felt a mix of emotions.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch—he knew this man must have an ulterior motive; otherwise, why would he give away rice and medicine for no reason? There aren’t that many kind-hearted people in the world.

Yet, for some reason, he didn’t feel the same aversion toward this man as he did toward others. Perhaps it was because the man had just saved his life, or maybe it was because, unlike the others, the man didn’t look at him with eyes full of desire.

Luo Xiu sighed and buried his head in his arms; his body felt even weaker after the ordeal, and his stomach still ached faintly.

Outside, Zheng Beiqiu stoked the fire only to realize he’d run out of firewood. He hurried back inside and brought out the pine wood he’d bought earlier that day to use for window frames, using it to fuel the fire instead.

Before long, the medicine was ready. Zheng Beiqiu, carrying it inside, had no table to set it on, so he placed it by the edge of the kang. “Get up and drink this. Once you’ve finished, get some good sleep. I’ll stay out here and keep watch for you. I’ll head back when dawn breaks.”

Luo Xiu hesitated for a moment, then picked up the bowl and drank it down. The decoction was so bitter it made him shiver.

Zheng Beiqiu took a piece of malt sugar he’d prepared in advance from his robe and slipped it into her mouth. “I’m leaving now. You should go back to sleep.” With that, he tucked the bowl away and went out, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Luo Xiu hadn’t expected him to actually leave. With the sugar still in his mouth, he lay on the kang, his thoughts churning.

He recalled the events of those brief two years—from his wedding day to becoming a widow. He wasn’t some model of chastity or a devoted husband, nor had he ever intended to mourn Liu Changfu for the rest of his life. He’d simply wanted to live a simple, quiet life—why was that so hard?

Never mind. He’d wait until the baby was born… and worry about it then.

Perhaps it was the medicine he’d taken, or the warmth of the kang, or the fact that someone was keeping watch outside the door—but Luo Xiu slept soundly for the first time in many days.

He hardly dreamed at all that night. When he woke up, it was already broad daylight outside. He was drenched in sweat, but the drowsiness he’d felt the day before had eased considerably.

Luo Xiu suddenly remembered what had happened last night. He sat up on the kang and looked around the room—nothing seemed out of place, and his clothes were neatly arranged. If it weren’t for the lingering taste of malt sugar in his mouth, he would have found it hard to believe that last night’s events had actually happened.

Stepping outside, Luo Xiu was startled again by a stack of firewood piled by the door. Where had that come from?

There were also several packets of herbal medicine sitting on the stove. After some thought, he concluded that his cousin from the Zheng family must have come over last night to help him split the wood—and that he’d bought the medicine as well… A warm wave of emotion washed over him. Over the past eighteen years, aside from his parents, this man was one of the very few who had ever been kind to him.

Although he knew his cousin’s motives, Luo Xiu was grateful to him. If it hadn’t been for his help last night, he might well have been taken advantage of by Bald Tian.

Besides, he hadn’t forced himself on him, had he?

Thinking this, Luo Xiu felt much lighter. He tied up his hair, went to the river behind his house to wash his face, and then finished plowing the remaining field. He’d be able to sow the seeds around the grain rain festival.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Meanwhile, Zheng Beiqiu finished his last shovelful of soil and came down from the mountain carrying two wild rabbits.

On the way, he greeted the villagers he encountered in a leisurely manner: “Good morning, Uncle. I was so bored I couldn’t sleep, so I caught a couple of rabbits to go with my drink. Are there many rabbits up on the mountain? Not really—it took me half the day just to catch these two.”

Upon hearing this, the man shook his head and gave up on the idea, while Zheng Beiqiu shooed his way toward the village, whistling all the while.

Last night, he’d snapped Bald Tian’s neck in the blink of an eye. He’d stayed with Luo Xiu until he finished chopping the wood, and only when the first hint of dawn appeared on the horizon did Zheng Beiqiu leave and carry the body up the mountain.

These deep, ancient forests teemed with wild beasts; ordinary people wouldn’t dare venture up here alone. Relying on his boldness and brute strength, he dug a pit in the mountains and buried the body.

It wouldn’t be long before the weather warmed up, and the rotting corpse would attract scavenging beasts; by then, he figured not even a scrap of bone would remain. A man like Bald Tian—with no parents or children to speak of, and who rarely kept in touch with relatives—it was common for him to go four or five days without being seen.

By the time everyone realized he was missing, summer would be almost upon them. A few distant relatives would go through the motions of searching for him and eventually find a pair of shoes in the woods, assuming Bald Tian had been killed by wild animals.

They’ll bring the shoes back, give him a hasty burial, divide up the Tian family’s few mu of land, and that would be the end of the matter.

That said, Zheng Beiqiu was overjoyed that he’d finally managed to strike up a conversation with Luo Xiu and had even made a good impression on him. Amid his excitement, he knew the real task at hand was to find people to help build a house—Luo Xiu’s current living quarters were a complete mess.

Not only was half the house collapsing, but as soon as he lit a fire, smoke would billow through the room, making people cough uncontrollably—he really had no idea how Luo Xiu put up with it.

Building a house was a major undertaking; he couldn’t handle it alone and needed to find carpenters and bricklayers to help, so Zheng Beiqiu tucked some money into his pocket and headed to Hexi.