Li Ruantang sprinkled some salt on the potato, “Mm, try it. Back when I was in the army, I often ate it like this.”
However, at that time, she had never peeled the potato skin as meticulously as she did today.
The young male concubine took a bite, and the smile at the corner of Li Ruantang’s mouth deepened.
Hu Youning quietly watched for a moment and suddenly tasted a bit of sweetness, more vivid than reading a storybook.
It turned out that in this world, there really existed a woman’s gaze that was both gentle and focused.
His thoughts turned a few times, but he no longer anxiously left. The flames in the stove danced, and Hu Youning suddenly understood the words his father had said in the morning.
“Young Master Hu?”
When Meng Jun brought over the kettle, what he saw was Hu Youning’s contemplative side profile, slightly flushed in the warm firelight.
“Li, Li Fulang.” Hu Youning had just been lost in thought for a while, and being startled by Meng Jun, he inexplicably felt a bit guilty.
He glanced at the kettle in Meng Jun’s hand and said with some apology, “The water hasn’t boiled yet. Why don’t you go back to the room to rest first, Li Fulang? I’ll bring it over when it’s ready.”
“How can I trouble Young Master Hu like this?”
In any case, Meng Jun still had some questions to ask him. The young male concubine glanced at the tightly closed door behind him and smiled, “If Young Master Hu doesn’t mind, could you teach me how to start a fire?”
“Li Fulang wants to learn how to start a fire?!” Hu Youning was stunned.
Meng Jun nodded, “Yes.”
Those beautiful phoenix eyes showed a hint of dejection, “In this world, there are many paths one must walk alone.”
He spoke with a sense of loneliness, and Hu Youning became even more curious.
When Li Ruantang came out of the room to change the water, she saw at a glance the two male concubines squatting by the stove, whispering to each other.
She didn’t deliberately try to listen and gently closed the door with a smile.
Li Ruantang was truly exhausted. Now that Meng Jun had company, her anxious heart relaxed a lot. Originally, she said she would rest for a bit, but unknowingly, she fell into a deep sleep.
In the kitchen, Hu Youning had long been stunned by the story Meng Jun fabricated.
“Aning, my Mistress is a good person.” The young male concubine tried hard to squeeze out some tears, “Unfortunately, we met too late. Although I am married to her now, but…”
He sighed sorrowfully, “My Mistress, she deserves a husband who can wholeheartedly care for her.”
“I didn’t expect you two to have such a twist.” Hu Youning also sighed deeply. The young male concubine was easy to talk to, so they became much closer.
But thinking of Li Ruantang’s gaze just now, Hu Youning felt truly reluctant, “Meng Jun, I think it’s better not to come clean with Madam Li about this matter right now.”
“Youning!” Outside in the courtyard, a male voice called out loudly.
Hu Youning responded and patted Meng Jun’s arm very comfortingly, “Wait a bit longer, at least until Madam Li’s injury has healed. I have to go out now, but when I return at noon, let’s talk more.”
“Mm.”
Meng Jun lowered his head gloomily and sent Hu Youning out the door. The young male concubine, who had been listless just a moment ago, raised his brows the instant he turned around, and the corners of his mouth curled up smugly.
There was hope, definitely hope.
Li Ruantang was sound asleep in the room. The young male concubine tiptoed in, originally to deliver the kettle. But he saw her tightly furrowed brows.
Meng Jun’s steps stopped. He leaned forward and gently stroked her brows with his fingers, “I hope it’s not a nightmare.”
He muttered to himself, but his wrist was tightly grasped by Li Ruantang, who was still asleep.
“Meng Jun.” She called out to him in a daze.
“Mm.” The young male concubine lowly responded, and Li Ruantang’s tightly furrowed brows immediately relaxed a bit.
Meng Jun found it novel and said, “Li Ruantang, the potato today was delicious.”
He never knew that simply sprinkling some salt on a cooked potato could bring out such a sweet aftertaste.
“Also, the clothes you helped me wash yesterday were very clean, and the scent of the soap was pleasant.”
The young male concubine smiled and said many more things. Lying on the bed, Li Ruantang’s brows gradually relaxed, and her grip on his hand loosened considerably.
“Li Ruan, cough.”
Meng Jun was about to talk to her about Hu Youning when his throat itched. As he called her name, he coughed a few times, and the full name ended up being reduced to the unintentionally overlapping word “Tangtang.”
“Oh!” The young male concubine regained his breath and turned his head, only to find that Li Ruantang’s complexion had suddenly become much rosier in her sleep.
Could it be that she had a fever?
Meng Jun was worried and reached out to check the temperature on her forehead. He found it even more strange. She was clearly fine just now.
However, this situation was somewhat similar to when she was awake yesterday.
The young male concubine instantly had a guess. In any case, there was no one else around. Meng Jun took a deep breath, his beautiful phoenix eyes tightly fixed on the sleeping Li Ruantang. He clenched his long fingers and spoke softly and lowly, “…Tangtang?”
As the words fell, he personally witnessed Li Ruantang’s complexion turning even redder, like the arrival of spring breeze, causing flowers to bloom all over the mountains, stunningly beautiful.
The young male concubine was stunned at first, but then his eyes and brows were filled with a smile. It was as if he had discovered something extraordinary. He sat on the edge of the bed and quietly called out every once in a while.
Until even the neck of the person in the dream turned pink, Meng Jun regretfully stopped. He soaked a handkerchief in warm water and gently dabbed it on Li Ruantang’s flushed face.
He did it earnestly and meticulously. It wasn’t until the courtyard gate creaked that the young male concubine realized it was already close to noon.
The wooden forest in Changshan Valley was dense. A few years ago, due to a ground subsidence, the mountain was no longer as majestic as before, with rocks and cliffs everywhere. The river channels were either destroyed or scattered, but the water flow was not small.
When Hu Youning returned, his pant legs were more than half wet.
Upon hearing the movement, Meng Jun entered the kitchen and was amazed by the few fat fish in the bamboo basket.
“Did you catch all of these?!”
“Yes.” Hu Youning nodded proudly. He paused and then said, “But I didn’t find any mushrooms today, and there were no live creatures in the traps.”
He had even boasted before leaving that he would let Meng Jun taste some wild game. Hu Youning felt a bit dejected.
“But you caught so many fish. Aning, you’re really amazing.”
Meng Jun’s praise was sincere, and Hu Youning felt better. While cleaning the fish scales, he said, “There are plenty of good things in the mountains. Today, I discovered—”
He purposely kept them in suspense. After Meng Jun asked several times, he lowered his voice mysteriously, “I discovered a ginseng flower!”
The young male concubine’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. Ginseng flowers were rare but excellent for replenishing qi and blood. If they had this, perhaps Li Ruantang could recover even faster.
Hu Youning sighed heavily, “Unfortunately, the terrain there is too treacherous, and the river water today was much higher than before.”
Hu Youning didn’t say the rest, as it was inauspicious.
Li Ruantang was still asleep, and only Meng Jun was alone since morning.
Just thinking about it, Hu Youning felt lonely.
He said with some apology, “Meng Jun, if I had known that Madam Li would sleep so soundly, I should have taken you to Changshan Valley to play.”
“You must have been very bored, right?”
Meng Jun subconsciously shook his head, his eyes and brows curved in a way that made Hu Youning even more curious, “Then what did you do to pass the time?”
