Chapter 13

After five more days, Yong-ge finally finished making Cheng Duo's clothes. He could have finished them in one or two days, but halfway through, Third Aunt sent over vegetable seedlings, and he was busy planting them because he was afraid they would wither.

On this day, close to noon, Cheng Duo finished his work and came over to drink water. He saw the clothes hanging on the wooden rack and realised they were already done when he picked them up.

He became overjoyed and hurriedly put them in his embrace, eager to go outside. "I'm going out for a while."

Yong-ge in the kitchen quickly followed him out. "Where are you going? It's almost lunchtime!"

Without hesitation, Cheng Duo said, "You go ahead and eat. I'm going to take a shower."

He had been waiting for a chance to change his clothes; he couldn't wait for even a second longer!

Yong-ge saw the clothes held in Cheng Duo's embrace and heard the words "take a shower," causing his face to involuntarily turn red. He nervously asked, stammering, "Can't you go after eating?"

"No," Cheng Duo refused. He had been… no, he is still stinking! Didn't this young ger have a sense of smell?

Before this, Cheng Duo would always shower at night, sneaking off to the lakeside where Yong-ge washed clothes before. But now, in broad daylight, he definitely couldn't go there.

Cheng Duo thought for a moment and went to the bamboo forest where he used to fetch water before, which was next to Yong-ge's cave. After washing, he went inside and saw that Yong-ge must have been there afterwards. He had even tidied up the messy cave caused by him.

Seeing this cave, Cheng Duo thought of the Li brothers, Li Da and Li Er. Yong-ge had made this cave to hide from them when necessary, right?

Interestingly enough, after that night, Li Da and Li Er never appeared again. When Shanzi came to tell him, his expression was strange, clearly suspecting Cheng Duo of killing them.

In fact, Cheng Duo was also puzzled. Those two came in the middle of the night, they wouldn't have fallen off a cliff and broken their necks, right? Otherwise, why would two grown men suddenly go missing?

Fortunately, Li Da and Li Er were originally unreliable, often not returning home. It was probably their usual behaviour, so Li Wang and Yong-ge hadn't noticed them until now…

When Cheng Duo returned, Yong-ge was keeping the food warm in the pot and was still waiting for him.

Cheng Duo was a little surprised. "Didn't I tell you to eat first?"

Seeing Cheng Duo wearing the clothes he had personally made, Yong-ge's gaze suddenly changed, but he quickly averted his eyes, nervously saying, "Actually, it wasn't that long of a wait…"

He didn't dare to look at Cheng Duo. Just the thought that the clothes he had held in his hands, stitching them meticulously, were now worn by Cheng Duo, made him very uncomfortable.

No wonder those unmarried girls and young gers wouldn't make clothes for other men. It was too intimate…

"Never mind, let's eat."

"Okay."

During the meal, every time Yong-ge saw that clothing, his face would turn red. Unfortunately, Cheng Duo was completely oblivious. After finishing the meal, he even gave Yong-ge a jar of sheep oil that Zhou Huolang had delivered yesterday. "Here, you can use it to moisturize your hands and face."

Yong-ge's heart skipped a beat, and he stuttered, "W-Why?"

"Just consider it… a reward. Didn't I say I would give you some golden wound medicine? I see your injuries have healed, so using some sheep oil would be more suitable," Cheng Duo casually said.

He didn't expect that Cheng Duo would still remember…

Yong-ge's heartbeat unconsciously quickened, and the dense heat crawled up his cheeks. He didn't even know how he managed to receive the jar of sheep oil.

Then, throughout the entire afternoon, Yong-ge wandered around like a headless fly, appearing busy but not knowing what he was actually doing.

Finally, he took a piece of fabric for making a bed sheet, turned his back to Cheng Duo, facing the entrance of the mountain hollow, and reluctantly calmed his mind to sew stitch by stitch.

During a break in changing the needle and thread, he noticed that Third Aunt had already walked over with vegetable seedlings.

"Third Aunt." Yong-ge quickly put down the needle and thread and stood up to help.

"It's fine, how heavy can a few vegetable seedlings be?" Third Aunt smiled and put down the bundle. She pointed out each type of seedling she brought today to Yong-ge. "Today, I brought small greens, chives, Chinese lettuce, and some onion seeds. You can sprinkle them nearby, and they will grow."

"Oh… okay." Yong-ge responded absentmindedly. He belatedly ran to the kitchen to pour a bowl of water for Third Aunt, then picked up the bundle again, ready to take it to the field.

Seeing this, Third Aunt quickly reminded him, "Don't take all of them there. We might not be able to plant everything this afternoon…"

Yong-ge snapped out of his daze after her reminder and carried the bundle to the back of the house. It was moist and shady there, perfect for storing the seedlings.

Third Aunt felt that Yong-ge was acting strange today, as if his mind was elsewhere. His ears were even slightly red. Could he be sick?

Until… she saw Cheng Duo not far away, nailing wooden stakes, and noticed the clothes he was wearing. Finally, she remembered the forgotten details from a few days ago!

She had washed Cheng Duo's clothes before, and at that time, she found the patches on his clothes familiar. Now, upon closer inspection, they were indeed Yong-ge's stitches!

So, these two had already known each other?

Third Aunt looked at this one, then looked at that one, recalling what the head of the household had said. If Cheng Duo was willing to stay, it would be greatly beneficial to their village. Although she didn't understand the reason, she had great faith in the head of the household's judgement. If he saw something in Cheng Duo, then he must be right.

With this in mind, Third Aunt suddenly had an idea: It's simple to keep Cheng Duo here, right? Just find him a village girl to marry!

Third Aunt's greatest hobby in life was matchmaking. Once this thought arose, she couldn't let go of it. Seeing that Yong-ge was busy with the seedlings and didn't have time to come over, she approached Cheng Duo hesitantly and called out, "Um, Cheng Duo…"

Thanks to Cheng Duo's decent attitude during his last visit, Third Aunt dared to approach him more boldly this time. However, she still felt a bit afraid of Cheng Duo, so her voice was very low.

Fortunately, Cheng Duo was perceptive and immediately noticed her, saying, "Third Aunt, is it time to settle the bill? Wait a moment."

Initially,Village Head Li didn't charge him, but Cheng Duo didn't want to take advantage of anyone and insisted on paying.

"That's not urgent…" Third Aunt smiled shyly. "I, um, wanted to ask you, how old are you? Are you married?"

Cheng Duo understood her intentions at once and without hesitation, he replied, "I don't want to get married yet."

"Why? Which man doesn't want to get married when he reaches a certain age?" Third Aunt didn't believe it and pressed further, "Are you worried that you don't have money or a place to support a wife?"

Cheng Duo didn't want to explain that he had witnessed too much human ugliness in the apocalypse. Those couples who were deeply in love, married for several years… when they faced difficulties, the first person they pushed away was their partner.

Of course, there were those who stayed together through thick and thin, but they were a rare few. Cheng Duo didn't think he was that lucky to encounter a soulmate who would stand by his side through life and death. Even his own blood relatives would betray him, let alone strangers.

Cheng Duo thought for a moment and replied, "I had a fiancée before. I heard that she's still alive, so until I confirm whether she's married or not, I won't get married."

Third Aunt didn't expect Cheng Duo to be so loyal and affectionate. She was clearly impressed and took a while to say, "But as a grown man, you can't remain unmarried forever, right? You could at least marry a younger…"

Cheng Duo shook his head again, "I can't betray my principles."

Third Aunt glanced at Cheng Duo, thinking that his fiancée had fled and even if she managed to preserve her innocence under the protection of her family, she would eventually marry someone local for livelihood reasons.

But she didn't dare say it. To openly say that a man's fiancée had married someone else would be akin to pointing fingers at him and calling him a cuckold.

Third Aunt didn't dare to persuade him any further. She took the money for the vegetables that Cheng Duo gave her and left dejectedly.

After she left, Yong-ge emerged from behind the house after a while, holding the seedlings and went to plant them in the field.

Cheng Duo glanced at him, unsure if he had heard the conversation, but then he thought that even if he had heard, it didn't matter. After all, the "fiancée" was a fictional character he had made up, so it wouldn't matter if people found out.

Yong-ge kept his head down, appearing to diligently plant the vegetables, but his pale complexion had already betrayed him.

When Yong-ge heard Cheng Duo mention the words "fiancée," his heart turned cold, feeling ridiculous about himself.

He thought that after spending so much time with Cheng Duo, they had already developed an understanding.

Cheng Duo had complained more than once about the lack of oil in their food and criticized him for being frugal. He even ate the unpleasant-tasting offal and waste soup that Yong-ge didn't want to throw away, always bearing it for him.

But in reality, Cheng Duo always ate obediently.

Seeing that Cheng Duo cared for his father and often found excuses for him to take the food home, even though he didn't explicitly say it, Yong-ge knew in his heart.

Moreover, Cheng Duo had good habits and always informed Yong-ge whenever he went in and out. He never disappeared suddenly.

…

Perhaps it was because of these small details that Yong-ge developed thoughts he shouldn't have.

Yong-ge sniffed, feeling a sourness in his nose, but luckily, no one knew. He hadn't completely lost face yet…