Chapter 61: Who entrusted my longing to the wild ginger? (X)

More than a week later, the sense of autumn had grown deeper. The clear skies and broad clouds always made one feel full of vitality, but for Song Shijiu, this wasn’t the case. She constantly kept thinking about the promise Li Shiyi had given for “after you’re better”, yet Li Shiyi hadn’t mentioned it at all, as if she had completely forgotten about it. Song Shijiu was absolutely not a woman with an incredibly serious temperament, but night after night, Li Shiyi wouldn’t touch her, and it made her unable to inhibit the rise of a sense of setback; she wanted to be intimate with Li Shiyi greatly, and naturally assumed that, if Li Shiyi truly liked her, she ought have the same thoughts in her mind.

If Li Shiyi truly liked her.

At the verge of collapse, just like deterioration, caused the recognition of every novel experience to make fine threads of doubt emerge on one.

Song Shijiu finished showering, and quickly sat at the table, reaching a hand out to touch the desk lamp on the wooden table; the glass lampshade was quite hot; she touched it, then withdrew.

Li Shiyi entered the room, bringing the scent of honey locust with her, and walked over to her side, only casting a brief look, a clean, soft cotton towel in hand. She sat at the side of the bed, lowering her head to earnestly and attentively fold that towel into the shape of a square of tofu, and then placed it on her knees, and then put it next to the pillow. She stared at the towel, then reached out a hand to smooth the corner. Only then did she raise her head to look at Song Shijiu, patting the empty space by her side, and said, “Come over.”

Her clear expression was smudged in the lamplight, as if the foreign wine that Song Shijiu had attentively observed that day, causing intoxication without even a taste. Song Shijiu came over, sitting by her side; it was as if she had been led along by Li Shiyi’s line of sight, only paying attention to her, and didn’t know what she ought to say.

Li Shiyi extended a hand, untucking the hair that had fallen inside of her nightgown; the tips of the hair brought along the warmth and scent of Song Shijiu’s body, and she gently stroked that residual heat, her throat moving, and smiled, then tilted her head and kissed her.

The premonition of it assaulted her senses, dominated by Li Shiyi’s unrestrained emotional countenance.

Song Shijiu had been kissed by her on the bed, and her hands were gently pressed against the side of the pillow. Her lips and teeth were taken over, making her only able to nervously clutch Li Shiyi’s fingers, fingers which were both slender and fine, with clear joints; she stroked them again and again, the massaging and clutching by turns gentle and heavy. She liked Li Shiyi’s fingers such that she was reluctant to release them, and Li Shiyi liked her such that she was reluctant to release her, as well; she sucked on Song Shijiu’s neck, gently biting her jaw, kissing all her sweetness like sparks starting a prairie fire, not letting anything by at all.

In the midst of the soft and tingling tactile sensation, Li Shiyi drew away the hands which had been gripped by Song Shijiu, and, in a manner of returning the compliment, embraced her tender breasts. No, she was a bit more unbridled; she pushed aside the obstructing cloth, and daringly held them. She lowered her head, taking the softness in her hands and unhurriedly pushed them upwards, her thin lips passing back and forth at the bottom of the snowy peaks, and her pace, neither hurried nor slow, became the best prescription for passion, causing the most composed young woman to also be unable to wait.

Song Shijiu, helpless, could barely moan faintly; she didn’t know why Li Shiyi could tease her heartstrings so deftly, and in the murkiness of her teary eyes, she saw Li Shiyi calmly and composedly pluck the red plums at the peaks of the snow-capped mountains, and then stir up the pond of lust.

A kiss was the sort of action which was most not minded taking trouble for, and was also the step which least feared the distant journey, heading over the mountain peaks, journeying to the inside of the gorge.

Li Shiyi finally put the earnings of the entire night into her purse. Her beloved was soft and gentle, moist and glossy, warm and heated, needing to be kept inside by her mouth, held on the tip of her tongue. Song Shijiu felt that she herself was about to die, making her unable to even care about bashfulness, only able to lay every part of herself and say, to take what you want, ask for whatever you want. Pleasure became a painting brush, drawing a dazzling outline of her brows and eyes. The corners of her rising, prideful eyes emerged in the midst of amorous feelings, her petal-like lips gently blossoming, passion and desire numerous as three thousand strands of hair, twining and growing a cun, and pressing her full flower bud so it became a degree more red.

Li Shiyi was in control of and shared her changes; in the midst of the ebb and flow of her trembling, she lovingly told her, carrying a warmth, that the red mark at the back of her neck and the small mole at her waist not only temporarily kept Song Shijiu safe, but in the end, had gathered her back into Li Shiyi’s hand.

The scent of storax swallowed the remaining passionate actions; Song Shijiu burrowed into Li Shiyi’s bosom; cool, faint sweat lingered on her body, along with the aftereffects of gooseflesh; Li Shiyi sat up and picked up the towel by the side of the pillow, gently wiping away the moisture on her from head to toe.

Song Shijiu’s empty head burst loudly in the midst of her ministrations. So, the towel that Li Shiyi had just then folded up had been for this.

She felt an unprecedented degree of enchantment at Li Shiyi’s advanced planning. What was most moving was not only that she had come prepared, like a snare set out to catch prey with the utmost care, but that there was a sense of graceful, ceremonious waiting for the feast to begin. Song Shijiu had wished to be such carelessly taken advantage of fish and meat, only wanting Li Shiyi’s tender sacrificial knife and altar.

She turned over, laying against Li Shiyi’s shoulder, and asked her, “Let’s do it again, can we?”

Li Shiyi’s complexion was faintly flushed, yet her eyes were incredibly restrained. Song Shijiu rubbed against her neck, entreating her, “I’m quite comfortable.”

Li Shiyi wanted to smile a bit; she had never imagined that Song Shijiu would react like this, like an animal cub which had tasted honey for the first time, only caring about wanting even more. So, she lowered her gaze, and called to her: “Song Shijiu.”

“En?”

“Do you know shame or not?” Li Shiyi’s voice was incredibly light.

Song Shijiu stilled, and she lowered her voice a bit. “Do I need to be ashamed?”

Li Shiyi smiled warmly, and embraced her. “Towards others, you should; towards me, you don’t need to.”

Song Shijiu bit her lip and smiled, contentedly pressing her own head back again.

In the early morning of the second day, Li Shiyi and Song Shijiu rose quite late; when the two descended, one in front and the other behind, Tu Laoyao had already eaten and gone out to take a walk, and there wasn’t any trace of Wu Qian. At the dining table, only A Yin and A Luo remained. A Yin sipped a mouthful of hot milk, and when she lifted her gaze to see Song Shijiu, she raised her brows in surprise; the woman before her had a pale face and peach-pink cheeks, lips red and brows even, incredibly beautiful and alluring; the past few days’ stalemate of war had cleared, and the inexperienced immaturity had finally laid down its weapons and surrendered, the winds which wreaked havoc as they pleased had taken cities and seized territories, marking vibrant beauty on her face.

Her figure was wrapped in a moon-white qipao, slim and graceful, willowy and elegant in disposition, and she leaned against the back of the chair at will, warming the heart and delighting the eye like a Western painting. A Yin let out a hissing sound, eying her up and down doubtfully.

Song Shijiu said good morning to the two, and lowered her head to look at the food on the table, finding that she was feeling rather tired and didn’t have much appetite, and went into the kitchen to prepare a bowl of plain noodles. Li Shiyi followed after, washing her hands, and selected bok choy for her.

Seeing the two disappear, A Yin couldn’t cover up her curiosity anymore, and elbowed A Luo, who was drinking fruit juice, gesturing towards the kitchen with her mouth.

A Luo brushed her hair behind her ear, and without raising her head, said, “They did.”

A Yin stilled, and for a moment, was dazed.

A Luo raised her gaze, and gazed at her frankly; the implication in her eyes was incredibly clear—Li Shiyi and Song Shijiu had had relations, which had caused Song Shijiu’s appearance to have a stunning change.

A Yin blinked, and hurriedly lowered her head, hand clutching the drinking glass, intending to hurriedly take a sip. The glass had just pressed against her lower lip when she paused, and, out of the corner of A Luo’s eye, calmly and collectedly pressed against her heart. She had assumed she would feel distressed and unhappy, and would force herself to smile, embarrassed and at a complete loss, yet she wasn’t. She was merely empty, with a minute sense of pain, like being pricked by a needle, which was gone in a few moments, and afterwards, there was an utterly unmoved quiet.

This quiet caused her to be at a loss and unable to adapt; she clutched her handkerchief, stroking her chest a couple times, and dropped her gaze, drinking the milk.

They were just eating, when a loud call of “Ah!” came from the small garden outside; the group exchanged a glance, and set down their bowls and chopsticks and went outside; they’d only just stepped over the threshold, when they heard Tu Laoyao’s cheerful call. “You, how did you all come!”

Everyone looked, and saw the travel-worn Tu Saozi holding Tu Sishun and standing at the side, a couple bags at her foot, Wu Qian standing by her side, and, facing her, Tu Laoyao, clutching his thighs.

Tu Saozi, seeing Tu Laoyao was still his unimproved self, cast him an angry glance, naturally and unrestrainedly calling out greetings to the acquaintances; when she saw Song Shijiu, she stilled, rather not daring to recognise her.

Song Shijiu ran forward, taking Tu Sishun, wrapping him in an embrace and playing with him. After this short period of time, Tu Sishun had grown a good deal, pale and fat and incredibly robust; he gazed at Song Shijiu and gurgled with laughter.

A Luo, seeing Tu Laoyao was still dazed, went forward, and indicated to Wu Qian to put away the luggage in a room, and softly explained, “That day when you said you missed your family, Shiyi and I discussed it, and sent someone to bring Tu Saozi and Tu Shishun over.”

Li Shiyi added, “In August, there was Liao-daren’s assassination case, and the entire country was in turmoil; hearing the Northern Expeditionary army was going to go north once more, Tu Saozi being alone absolutely couldn’t let one be at ease; our residence is in the French Concession, and we take care of each other, so it would be a bit more appropriate than Beiping.”

Tu Laoyao’s spirit returned, and he couldn’t speak out of emotion, only letting out a series of “ai ai ai”’s, and “yes yes yes”’s.

Li Shiyi smiled faintly, and left the reminiscing to Tu Laoyao; she was silent for a while, and then walked over to A Yin’s side, nodding to her. “Come.”

A Yin raised a brow, and followed after Li Shiyi’s footsteps to the frame of the swing at the other end. Li Shiyi leaned against the side of the frame, and A Yin sat on the swing, swaying a couple times and waiting for her to speak. Li Shiyi said, “There’s a matter I wanted to discuss with you.” She paused a moment, then said, “I still want to look for the Bai Shai’s idol.”

The joy which the Xu Hao had thrown about that day had been seen not only by Song Shijiu and A Luo, but by Li Shiyi as well. “Since I’ve found traces of it, I can’t give it up at this point. Moreover, no matter what sort of life you want to have in the future, I think it should be your own choice.”

A Yin startled, her hands gripping the hemp rope, and she raised her gaze to look at her. She met a pair of honest eyes, the sincerity causing her mind to shake; Li Shiyi’s eyes were the most unambiguous in colour, but they always hid away numerous and complicated moods; she was used to stifling her words in her head; if you didn’t ask, she would never tell, and if you did ask, she wouldn’t necessarily tell, either. But at this moment, her expression clearly lacked the slightest concealment, the reflection like sunlight causing A Yin to be unable to adapt and squint her eyes.

Li Shiyi lowered her head, and pondered as she said, “I thought about it a lot; in the past, I never spoke to you about it, thinking that doing something was better than speaking ten thousand times. But…”

“But,” A Yin turned her head, her gaze drawn out as she looked in the other direction where Tu Sushun was laughing at Song Shijiu, “you learnt to treat others candidly from her.”

Li Shiyi pressed her lips together, inclining her head to cast a gaze at Song Shijiu as well; by chance, Song Shijiu raised her head and looked at her, meeting her gaze, and then lowered her head helplessly.

A Yin took in the meeting of the gaze between the two. She had often wondered what it was about Song Shijiu that Li Shiyi liked. In this moment, it was as if she understood a bit.

In the past, she, Li Shiyi, and Tu Laoyao were scattered, one leaning against doors and prostituting herself, one keeping watch over a tobacco stand, and one wandering the streets and alleys, their minds perhaps hiding away tiny secrets and persistence, but in the end, only thinking about how to survive; as a result, they had all lived with heads and face covered in grime, lived shamelessly, lived reduced to a shadow.

And then Song Shijiu had linked everything together, causing the Tu Laoyao who had carried her out to gain a sense of responsibility, causing the A Yin who couldn’t investigate its body to raise precautions, and after that, totally changing into a dear love. And Li Shiyi had torn off the plaster, moved out of the wooden room, spring, summer, autumn, and winter turning into the days of life, a residence turning into a home.

A Yin laughed, swinging the swing, and said to Li Shiyi, “Good.”

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