Chapter 33: The Kiss
In the middle of the month, Feng Yuzhen took the Qian family’s cart to town as usual. Besides settling the account for this month’s pouches, the shopkeeper gave her a bolt of pink-lotus-colored silk cloth, a few silver buttons, and a ball of gold and silver thread.
She could skip three of the usual pouches next month, but this pink-lotus-colored one had to be embroidered with care. The shopkeeper would only vaguely reveal to her that her embroidery had caught the eye of an official’s daughter, who liked it very much and wanted her to specially make a more exquisite one for her.
He didn’t forget to remind Feng Yuzhen to come five days earlier next month, as the other party was in a hurry. Perhaps it was because he trusted her, but the price today was a little higher. Feng Yuzhen was very flattered and quickly agreed.
On the way back to the village, Feng Yuzhen got off the ox-cart. It was just past noon. She hurried along the main road to the west for about an hour.
She had only come to help out twice when her fourth sister had married and had a child. Now, she was relying on a vague memory. Fortunately, her fourth sister’s house was easy to find, built near the gravel beach where the river forked.
When she found her, her fourth sister was by the river, searching for fish and shrimp hidden under the rocks. Her body was hunched, and she was barefoot. Her two legs were like hollow reeds, as if a small wave could knock her down. A thick layer of calluses had already formed on the soles of her feet.
She called out to her. Her fourth sister turned around awkwardly, supporting herself on her knees. Only then did Feng Yuzhen see her protruding belly. She was quite far along.
She had just given birth to her eldest daughter at the end of the year before last, and she was not even two years old yet, but her belly was big again… Her fourth sister was also very happy to see her. She grinned and was about to lead her into the house to sit.
Her fourth sister had originally been a very clever and intelligent girl, with a quick mind. Before she was married, she knew how to act coquettishly with her parents. Although she still couldn’t compare to Feng Zhao, she was treated a little better than her hardworking, foolish older sister. But now, her life didn’t seem to be very good.
When they were about to enter the house, her fourth sister had to first inform her mother-in-law, who was sitting in the main room, and ask for her permission. She stood on the side with her head bowed. Only after her mother-in-law looked up, glanced at Feng Yuzhen outside the door, and gave a casual nod, could Feng Yuzhen follow her into the house.
Feng Yuzhen felt uncomfortable with such strict rules. She had only vaguely heard that her fourth sister’s husband’s family was not easy to get along with. She hadn’t expected them to have worn her down so much in just two short years. No wonder she had fine lines around her eyes at such a young age.
“Fourth Sister, you’ve lost some weight…” Feng Yuzhen looked at her sallow face and said with concern, “How are you doing?”
“I have nothing to say…” Her fourth sister was evasive. After all, she had her pride and was unwilling to let her third sister see her difficult situation. She just glossed over it. “But Third Sister, you look a little plumper than at the beginning of the year, and you have more spirit.”
After that, the two of them chatted for a while. Her fourth sister unconsciously started talking about her child. She stroked her belly with both hands, her expression gentle, her tone full of hope. “Third Sister, look, my belly is pointed this time. It must be a boy.”
Feng Yuzhen knew that her eldest daughter had been sent to a relative’s house to be raised. She felt sorry for her and advised her not to be biased. They were both her own flesh and blood, and there was no good or bad.
“Third Sister,” her fourth sister listened silently, then suddenly gave a bitter smile. “My first child was a daughter, which made my husband lose face. For the past two years, I’ve been trying all sorts of ways to get pregnant with a boy. That way, my life will be a little better.”
Feng Yuzhen was speechless. She couldn’t meddle in her fourth sister’s messy family affairs. She knew that the other was having a hard time, but she couldn’t do anything about it. She could only secretly give her some money for emergencies.
Her fourth sister wanted her to stay the night, but because they hadn’t separated from the family and everything was decided by her in-laws, she and her husband only had one small room. It was cramped for the two of them, let alone making room for someone else.
Feng Yuzhen didn’t want to make things difficult for her and said directly that it was getting late and she had to leave. Her fourth sister could only see her off and reminded her that there was a drunkard with a muddled mind nearby, and that she should be careful.
Wanting to get back before sunset, Feng Yuzhen quickened her pace home. A rustling sound from behind entered her ears. Feng Yuzhen’s steps faltered, and she suddenly turned around, but the road was empty.
Could it be a hallucination?
But the feeling of being sized up by someone’s eyes was unusually real. Feng Yuzhen’s heart beat faster. She listened carefully, and sure enough, she caught the faint sound of footsteps and breathing three or four more times.
It was not a coincidence.
She didn’t dare to look back again. She walked all the way without a break, her feet almost on fire. Only when the sky was slightly dark did she arrive back at Qianshan Village.
The solid fence appeared before her eyes. Feng Yuzhen pushed open the fence with a single stride and, with her fastest speed, turned to bolt the door.
But the person who had been following her all the way home also seized the opportunity. The short, thin middle-aged man squeezed in through the crack in the door and, like a hawk catching a chick, easily grabbed her arm.
“Hey, little lady, why are you running so fast? Why don’t we have some fun…”
The foul smell of alcohol made her head spin. A piece of green vegetable leaf was stuck between his yellowed, moving teeth. Feng Yuzhen cried out in alarm and, ignoring everything else, smashed the bundle in her hand against his face over and over again, using all her strength.
Taking advantage of his slow reaction from being drunk and his inability to cope, Feng Yuzhen stumbled and ran into the house.
Heaven had finally decided to help her this time. Feng Yuzhen made a decisive move and pressed her body against the door. The drunkard’s dark hand was slammed shut, and a loud cry of pain and a roar erupted from his mouth.
“Don’t let me catch you, or I’ll beat you to death!”
Feng Yuzhen took advantage of this opportunity to successfully bolt the door. The person outside began to slam his body against the door. Even though the wooden door had been reinforced by Cui Jingkong, it still made a groaning sound as if it were about to break.
Feng Yuzhen took two steps back. Her mind was numb at this moment, a pot of paste was stronger than her. Relying solely on her survival instinct, she went to the kitchen and grabbed a kitchen knife.
She held the knife in her hand and stood guard behind the door, not closing her eyes all night, her eyes dark and sunken. After an unknown period of time, the violent crashing finally stopped, and there was no more movement outside.
Feng Yuzhen didn’t dare to let her guard down, afraid that he was tricking her into coming out. She spent a very frightening night. The next morning, she cautiously peeked out of the side room window to look at the front yard. Confirming that the person had indeed left, the great weight she had been carrying all night suddenly fell.
The daylight gave her a sufficient sense of security. In broad daylight, that drunkard wouldn’t dare to be so bold.
For the next two days, Feng Yuzhen didn’t dare to sleep too deeply, thinking that the matter might be over. Until the third night, in a half-dream, a shadow seemed to flicker by the window.
Feng Yuzhen suddenly woke up, her hair standing on end. Before she could grab something from under her pillow, the shadow in the next second actually pried open the window from the outside, and a lewd face appeared outside the window.
The fear and tension reached a certain point, and even her subconscious scream was completely suppressed in her throat, unable to make a sound. The moment he pounced on her, Feng Yuzhen grabbed the knife from under her pillow and swung it wildly at him.
She only felt a pause in her hand. The sharp boning knife was diagonally inserted under the drunkard’s right collarbone. Blood gushed out in an instant, and the gushing blood sprayed all over Feng Yuzhen’s face.
The drunkard clutched his wound and collapsed on top of Feng Yuzhen, his mouth letting out coarse gasps.
Feng Yuzhen, who was still holding the knife in a stabbing position, was stunned. Her vision was a dark red, and her whole body was trembling. She didn’t know what she had just done.
At this moment, two arms suddenly appeared from behind, grabbing the drunkard by the collar and pulling him up roughly. He was kicked fiercely in the chest, and the man rolled three times, hitting the wall with a “bang.” The drunkard’s head lolled to the side, and he lost consciousness.
Cui Jingkong was not done. His expression was sinister. He clenched his fist and smashed it into his face, not holding back at all. Blood and spittle splattered on his face. The drunkard quickly woke up from the intense pain, but was knocked unconscious again by him.
He twisted the handle of the boning knife that was stuck under the man’s collarbone in the flesh. Hearing his miserable scream, he actually curved his lips. Only then did Feng Yuzhen come back to her senses. But she saw that Cui Jingkong’s face was half-covered in blood, his expression faintly revealing a hint of madness. He raised the knife in his hand, as if he were about to slit his throat in the next second.
Feng Yuzhen’s legs were numb, and she couldn’t stand up. She practically crawled over, wrapped her arms around his waist, and said with a trembling voice, “Kong’ge’er, don’t… don’t hit him. He… he’s going to die…”
Only then did Cui Jingkong barely regain some of his reason. Feng Yuzhen bent down to check the man’s breathing and found that there was no airflow at all. He had already stopped breathing.
It was the first time she had been involved in a death. Feng Yuzhen only felt her insides churn. Her body suddenly went limp. She only heard the young man’s calm and methodical voice, “You stay at home. Wash your face. I’ll take care of it.”
The night was the best accomplice. Cui Jingkong dragged the man by the legs and pushed him into the river. After more than half of his body was in the water, the person who had been unresponsive suddenly struggled with his hands and feet. It seemed that he had not been completely dead, but had just fainted.
“He’s still alive,” his voice was flat, with no trace of joy or sorrow.
“Spare my life, my lord, spare my life! I was possessed. I won’t dare to do it again next time!”
The drunkard’s speech was slurred. He had been beaten beyond recognition, and his pleading voice was like thunder in the quiet night.
Cui Jingkong said nothing. Just when the drunkard thought he had escaped, he suddenly reached out and pressed his head firmly into the water with one hand.
In an instant, the sound of gurgling bubbles came from the water. No matter how frantically the person under his palm struggled, Cui Jingkong’s hand did not move at all. His hand was so steady that he seemed to have been born to be an executioner. He was even afraid that he was not in enough pain and pressed the man’s head down further.
The fading of life was a slow process. By the time the wound on the drunkard’s body had stained the stream red, and his body had gradually gone limp, and the rapid current had carried the corpse away, this was the first time he had truly killed someone since he was fifteen. In the midst of the all-encompassing cursed pain, Cui Jingkong’s excitement and tyranny had reached their peak.
***
“Kong’ge’er, I didn’t have time to ask. Why are you back?”
Feng Yuzhen had just hastily wiped her face and felt sick at the sight of the blood on the handkerchief. She subconsciously avoided mentioning what had just happened. Cui Jingkong had returned with unsteady steps. Before she could ask anything, she saw his lips open and close as he said “it’s nothing,” and blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth.
She was suddenly flustered, thinking he was injured. She quickly stood on her tiptoes to wipe it for him with her sleeve. Cui Jingkong lowered his eyes and looked at her reddened nose. After a long time, he suddenly reached out and pulled her into his embrace.
“I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”
He patted her back lightly. Feng Yuzhen’s hands were on his shoulders, and she buried her head in his chest in avoidance. She was truly terrified. It was the first time she had seen so much blood. The dull sensation of the knife piercing flesh was still there. The thought that someone had died in this house made her bones chill and her hair stand on end.
The young man stared at her pale face, then suddenly lifted her chin and lowered his head. His blood-stained lips kissed her, landing on the red mole by her lips, a light touch.
“Sister-in-law need not worry. I will take care of this matter for you…”
He mumbled some incomprehensible words, the end of which was lost on her lips. Feng Yuzhen tilted her delicate neck up. She was so scared. She let out a soft gasp and waited for him to slowly touch her trembling lips.
The young man held her waist tightly. He was reckless. Just touching was not enough. He wanted to go in. But Feng Yuzhen was at her wit’s end at this moment. How could she relax? Her teeth were unconsciously clenched.
Cui Jingkong was not in a hurry. He was fascinated by this feeling of their tongues intertwining. He stuck out the tip of his tongue and curiously traced her full, plump lip bead, licking it until it was glistening and red and swollen.