Chapter 594
Enlightenment
What does it mean to "consider something"?
Guzheng looked over with annoyance.
Han Zhou thought for a moment, but did not answer immediately. He simply reached out and put the pot lid on, then stuffed some dry firewood into the stove, and sparks crackled twice.
He patted the small stool next to him, gesturing for her to sit down and talk.
Gu Zheng pouted, threw the selected vegetables into the bamboo basket, and turned to rinse her hands under the tap.
In the countryside during winter, the water pipes were filled with icy cold water, and her fingers were frozen red, soaking the gauze wrapped around her right hand.
Without even bothering to dry herself, she plopped down on the stool in front of the stove, stretching her hands directly to the fire and warming them against the flames.
A wave of heat hit her face, making her little face flushed.
"You're not afraid of getting burned by the fire like this."
Seeing the sparks jumping around in the stove, Han Zhou pulled her back a little.
"I'm not afraid."
Gu Zheng subconsciously retorted, but her body remained still as the other person held her cold hands in their palms.
The girl's ears felt slightly hot.
This guy... isn't actually that slow-witted.
Knowing my hands were cold, they even warmed them for me...
She turned her face away shyly.
However, the next second, a "click" sound came from beside my ear.
She turned her head and saw Han Zhou unwrapping the gauze from her hand, which startled her.
What are you doing?
"What else can we do? We'll re-bandage you."
Han Zhou glanced at her helplessly, "Have you forgotten that your hand is injured and you can't get it wet?"
As he spoke, he casually tossed the old gauze he had taken off into the stove, then took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, took out a roll of brand-new gauze, and carefully wrapped it up round and round.
Wasn't it supposed to be for covering hands?
Realizing she had overthought things, Gu Zheng felt a surge of embarrassment and annoyance. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she glanced at the small cloth bag beside the male protagonist's leg and asked casually, "Why do you carry these things with you?"
"Of course, it's so it's convenient for you to bandage it up anytime."
Han Zhou didn't look up; the firelight outlined a soft contour on his cheek. "I knew you wouldn't behave."
"You're the one who's not being honest!"
Gu Zheng snorted, but when she thought about how the other party had specially prepared such a "small medical kit" for her, she couldn't help but smile.
But she didn't forget her business. She glanced towards the door, then listened carefully to make sure no one was eavesdropping outside the kitchen before lowering her voice and asking again, "Tell me quickly, what's in your senior's suitcase?"
"I can't say," Han Zhou said without looking up.
Why can't I say?
"This involves the senior's privacy."
"privacy?"
Gu Zheng frowned slightly, her expression gradually becoming subtle, and asked suspiciously, "You didn't see something you shouldn't have, did you?"
What do you mean by "things you shouldn't see"?
Han Zhou finally raised his eyes, his gaze falling on the girl's face as he silently observed her reaction.
However, Guzheng didn't show much discomfort. She just rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "Stop pretending. There are plenty of things a girl shouldn't see in her suitcase."
Do you have any in your suitcase?
"I--"
Gu Zheng's breath hitched, then she pursed her lips, "Of course not."
"Really not?"
"no!"
Gu Zheng seemed to be getting impatient. "Stop changing the subject. Even if it's my senior's private matter, you've already seen it. Can't you just tell me secretly?"
"That's where you're wrong."
Han Zhou sighed, tore off the excess gauze, carefully taped it back on, and said earnestly, "Think about it, if I accidentally discover your little secret one day, can I just tell other people?"
Gu Zheng was taken aback. She was about to say, "Of course not," when she realized what she meant and asked incredulously, "You mean... you've discovered my little secret?"
Han Zhou hesitated for a moment, his expression turning somewhat strange: "That's one way to understand it."
Not only did I discover my senior's little secret, but I also discovered yours... He silently added in his mind.
The guzheng had to be abandoned.
"Honestly, if you couldn't tell me, you might as well have just said you didn't find anything in the first place. You were just trying to keep me in suspense..."
She muttered something under her breath, looking rather sullen.
"I just didn't want to hide it from you, didn't I?"
Han Zhou was both amused and exasperated. "If I could tell you, I would have told you long ago."
Gu Zheng kept her head down and didn't say a word. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Suddenly, she gritted her teeth and said, "No, you have to make it up to me!"
"How will you compensate me?" Han Zhou asked, puzzled.
Gu Zheng's eyes darted around, stealing a glance at her bandaged hand, then silently turned her face away. After a long while, she finally managed to utter a sentence:
"My hands are a little cold... Could you warm them for me?"
The fire in the stove was still burning, and the orange-red flames flickered on the girl's lowered profile, casting a small shadow on her eyelashes, while a faint blush appeared on the tip of her nose.
Han Zhou was taken aback: "Weren't you sitting right by the stove? How come your hands are cold?"
The guzheng seemed to have been struck by lightning.
This was a method He Ling taught her. Given her thick skin, it was already quite an achievement for her to actually use it. She didn't care where she was. Now that she had been so bluntly exposed, she felt her cheeks burning. She was both ashamed and embarrassed.
After finally calming down, I tried to find a plausible excuse to make amends, but as soon as I turned around and looked at that blank face, the emotions that were originally overwhelmed by shame were suddenly replaced by a strange anger.
She didn't know where the courage came from, whether it was from being annoyed by his slowness or hating her own weakness, but she gritted her teeth, grabbed his wrist, and forced her still-warm hands into his palms:
"Just warm it up when I tell you to, why do you always have so much nonsense?" The firelight danced in the stove, and the heat that hit her face seemed to burn the girl's ears and cheeks red—she was clearly ashamed and had nowhere to hide, but Guzheng still held her neck up, showing a defiant attitude.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, with only the soft crackling of the burning firewood and the intermittent breathing of the two people in front of the stove.
Just then, amidst the commotion of chickens and dogs running around, came a series of hurried footsteps outside, as if someone was heading straight for the kitchen.
Gu Zheng froze, pulling her hand back from Han Zhou's palm as if electrocuted. Before her heart could catch its breath, she heard a childish and excited voice from outside the door:
"Brother Han Zhou!"
Chen Doudou, carrying her little schoolbag, ran all the way to the kitchen door, her two little hands gripping the door frame as she peeked inside, her eyes shining like two freshly washed grapes.
"Brother Han Zhou, Sister Wang Lengqiu said you made braised pork again tonight, is that true?"
Gu Zheng turned her head away expressionlessly.
"Oh, Sister Guzheng, you're here too..."
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly sensed a strange murderous aura.
Fortunately, it seemed to be just an illusion, and Guzheng quickly smiled: "Doudou, don't you ever go home after school?"
"I went home, but I saw smoke coming from Wang Lengqiu's chimney from afar, so I came over," Chen Doudou replied excitedly.
Smelling the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen, she couldn't help but swallow, clearly ready to mooch another meal tonight.
"Since you're home, why didn't you put your schoolbag down before coming over?"
"Because I have to do my homework."
Chen Doudou said with a bitter face, "There are so many difficult questions in today's homework, and I don't know how to do them at all. I can only ask Sister Wang Lengqiu to teach me."
"No need to bother her, I can tutor you too."
"Really?" The little girl's eyes lit up.
Although Sister Wang Lengqiu is very capable and can see the answer at a glance, she often can't understand what she's saying, while Sister Guzheng seems much easier to communicate with.
"of course."
Gu Zheng got up and walked over, ruffled the girl's hair, and said with a smile, "However, I have very strict requirements when it comes to studying. Can you accept that?"
"can!"
After seeing Chen Doudou off, Guzheng returned to the stove and sat on a small stool.
The kitchen fell silent, with only the bubbling of the soup in the pot, which sounded particularly loud in the empty space.
The flames in the stove were still leaping, and the orange glow was still warming my cheeks, but the heat that had made my face flush and my heart race had vanished without a trace, as if someone had scooped it away with a spoon.
After only a short while away from the stove, her hands started to get cold again. Guzheng glanced at the stove and said, as if trying to make conversation, "Shouldn't we add some firewood? The fire is almost out."
"No need to add any more, the food will be ready soon," Han Zhou replied.
"Oh……"
Gu Zheng responded absentmindedly.
always like this.
Her initial burst of courage was quickly ignited, only to be doused with cold water by reality. The courage she had painstakingly built up was always ruthlessly interrupted at the most crucial moment, then gradually cooled and dissipated, leaving her standing there, caught in a dilemma.
Every hesitant confession, every courageous approach, is shattered by an unexpected incident, as if even the heavens are interfering.
The guzheng does not believe in fate.
But at this moment, this girl, who was always fearless, felt a rare sense of defeat.
Do you need more hand warmers?
Just then, Han Zhou's voice suddenly rang in my ears.
His tone was smiling, but there was no teasing in it; rather, it was a natural inquiry with a hint of understanding.
Gu Zheng paused for a moment.
She thought that this guy would change the subject by using the previous incident as an excuse, or simply "forget" it, just like he had done many times before. But this time, he not only remembered, but even took the initiative to ask.
Has this guy finally figured it out?
Immediately afterwards, a strange sense of shame and annoyance welled up in my heart.
Honestly, do I really have to ask before I can do something like this? They have no initiative at all…
Just as she was thinking this, the next second, two warm, large hands covered her, and without saying a word, they gathered her slightly cool hands into their palms.
Gu Zheng froze.
The fire in the stove was already quite dim, but even so, its temperature was far greater than that of a human body at 36.5 degrees Celsius.
Strangely, even though the temperature was much lower than when she was warming herself by the fire, she suddenly felt like her whole body was burning hot.
Especially the cheeks.
For the rest of the time, neither of them spoke.
The embers in the stove had long since lost their explosive flamboyance, leaving only a small patch of warm orange-red light.
Han Zhou stole a glance at the girl's flushed profile and couldn't help but smile. He then gradually suppressed his smile, his feelings becoming somewhat complicated.
Although I don't know why, I finally figured out how to play the guzheng.
But this also means... his time is running out.
Only after the warm orange light had completely died out and the last spark had disappeared into the ashes did Han Zhou slowly release his grip and suddenly ask, "Guzheng, I have a question for you."
"What's the problem?"
What day is April 21st?
Gu Zheng paused for a moment, then smiled, stood up, put her burning hands behind her back, and walked briskly out of the kitchen.
"I'm not telling you."
"Because that's also my secret." (End of Chapter)