"I meant you've already said enough, no need to continue."
Fei Ma saw her daughter's face flushed from the ears down to her chin, convinced she had been too embarrassed to listen further. She cleared her throat and continued speaking to Fei Ni, "I don't want to talk about this either, but you two kids don't understand anything. If I don't say it, who knows what kind of awkward situations you'll end up in."
In Fei Ma's words, Fang Muyang was an ignorant young man who needed Fei Ni to teach him certain things. She told her not to feel embarrassed when instructing him—once taught, he'd get it. In such matters, men usually grasped things immediately.
Before leaving, the "ignorant" Fang Muyang, noticing Fei Ni's reluctance to leave home, wrapped an arm around her shoulders in front of her parents and said to her, "Let's go, so Mom and Dad can rest early. They've been busy all day."
Fei Ni wanted to break free, but for her parents' sake, she had to play along. She hadn't wanted to leave her own home, but after Fang Muyang's remark, staying would make her seem inconsiderate. His hand remained on her shoulder; with no fan in the room, her shoulder grew warm under his grip.
She found it strange how naturally he called them "Mom and Dad." If Fang Muyang's parents were in front of her, she absolutely wouldn't be able to say it.
As soon as they stepped outside, Fei Ni was about to lose her temper when Fang Muyang's hand slipped into his pants pocket, as if holding her shoulder had been an act for her parents' benefit. He smiled and asked her, "Why is your face so red?"
"It's hot." Because of her mother's words, she felt extremely uncomfortable around Fang Muyang now.
Fang Muyang reached out to touch her forehead. "Do you have a fever?"
"No."
"If you're not feeling well, tell me. I'll take you to the hospital."
"Didn't I just say? I'm just hot."
"Then I'll ride faster later. There's a fan at the Guesthouse."
Fei Ni sat on the back of her own bicycle, looking up at the stars. "How did you get the Guesthouse introduction letter?"
"I'm about to attend the publishing house's training class, right? Although they don't provide accommodation, staying at a Guesthouse for a few days temporarily isn't a problem."
"Why didn't you tell me in advance?"
"I wanted to surprise you."
"I don't find that surprising at all. Anything involving me, you need to discuss with me beforehand."
Fang Muyang didn't argue, just explained slightly, "You married me, and I don't have a new home for you, but I can't let you stay at your parents' house on the very first day. What would your parents think of me? They already feel I'm not good enough for you. If you go stay with me at the Guesthouse, they'll feel more at ease."
Fei Ni asked again, "Why didn't you tell me about buying the lumber?"
"I wanted to discuss it with you, but we're far apart, aren't we? Besides, you provided the house, so it's only right that I provide the furniture. Furniture from the factory is too expensive; I thought it'd be better to make it myself."
Although marrying Fang Muyang came with many inconveniences, just based on him saying the house was hers, Fei Ni was convinced that marrying him was the right choice.
She started considering his situation too: "That must cost a lot of money. I said before, we should take it step by step, buy some used items from the trust store first. If you spend all your money, what if we need it later..."
"I'll have a stipend during the training class too. Don't worry too much.""I appreciate your kindness, but let's just drop this matter. I know someone else who wants to make furniture and is short on wood. I can help you transfer the lumber to them. How much did you spend on buying and shipping the wood? Tell me so I have an idea."
"If there's any leftover wood, we can transfer that to them too."
She clearly wasn't willing to sell.
Fei Ni didn't believe Fang Muyang could actually make furniture, thinking it was just his well-intentioned lie. "Don't think making furniture is that simple. You'd be better off focusing on your painting."
Fang Muyang almost mentioned that he'd helped people make furniture during his rural assignment, but instead said: "When I was packing my things from the countryside, my friend who was assigned there with me said I used to make furniture. I think if I buy a woodworking book from the bookstore and study it, I should be able to do it. Trust me, I won't let you down."
Fei Ni wouldn't be disappointed in Fang Muyang - she had never held any unrealistic expectations of him in the first place.
"Have you still not recovered your memories?"
"Are you hoping that I do?"
"There's nothing wrong with how you are now." The benefits of him recovering his memories were quite limited. Given how he used to brazenly sketch the nurses in the hospital, the organization would never fully trust him or assign him important responsibilities. His current safety actually benefited from his amnesia. Even if he did recover his memories, the job they'd assign him wouldn't be much better than his current one. As for her, his recovered memories wouldn't help her get into university either. After weighing everything, she felt the amnesiac Fang Muyang was better, because she couldn't claim to understand the previous Fang Muyang at all. Fei Ni couldn't imagine what a Fang Muyang who would make furniture in the countryside and give his university admission spot to Ling Yi would be like, and she didn't want to find out.
Fang Muyang had already been to the guesthouse once that morning. Now, to allow Fei Ni to legally stay with him, he produced their marriage certificate.
Once inside the room, Fang Muyang turned on the light, switched on the fan atop the cabinet, moved a chair, and had Fei Ni sit in front of the fan. The room had two beds with a nightstand between them. On the nightstand sat a pot of begonias - he had given away all his other flowers, keeping only this one. Fei Ni noticed that this particular pot was even more beautiful than the one in his painting.
"You're not staying here long-term, so why bring flowers?"
He said in a self-praising tone: "I wanted you to see how well I've been taking care of it."
"Very well."
Next to the fan was a mirror. Looking into it, Fei Ni saw her face was still flushed. Being alone in the room with Fang Muyang made her recall her mother's words, and the heat in her cheeks hadn't subsided. Fang Muyang approached, placed his hands on the back of her chair, leaned down to examine her face, and breathed warm air into her ear. "Why is your face still so red? This fan isn't helping at all."
Fei Ni pulled her chair slightly away, saying somewhat impatiently: "It's so hot. Could you please keep your distance?"
The room had a bathroom where they could shower. Fang Muyang suggested to Fei Ni: "Why don't you take a shower? The toothbrush, soap, towels, and shampoo inside are all new - I haven't used any of them."
Seeing Fei Ni showed no intention of moving, Fang Muyang added: "Oh, I have a gift for you. I think you'll like it."
The gift was so peculiar that when it emerged from his bag, Fei Ni thought Fang Muyang was joking. Though the joke wasn't funny at all.It was a slender, long rod with engraved characters, likely made of iron, not particularly lengthy. Fang Muyang reached for Fei Ni’s hand and placed the object into her palm. The rod had a noticeable weight to it, and its temperature was much cooler than her hand.
“Why are you giving this to me?”
Fang Muyang finally saw a trace of fluster on Fei Ni’s face. He smiled and said, “For self-defense tonight. I know you don’t trust me.”
Fei Ni naturally denied it: “I don’t—you’ve misunderstood.”
“No need to explain. It’s normal for you not to trust me. Do you know how to use this?”
Fang Muyang leaned close to Fei Ni’s lips as if to kiss her. Fei Ni turned her face away, and her ear brushed against his mouth. Her entire body felt hot, tinged with embarrassment and anger. Before she could scold him, Fang Muyang wrapped an arm around her waist and tightly grasped her hand. Her previously dry palm grew clammy instantly. His lips pressed close to her ear as he whispered, “If anyone tries to harass you, use this to strike the back of their head.”
Fei Ni’s fist, forced to clutch the rod, followed Fang Muyang’s hand as he guided it toward his own back. When it was just three or four centimeters from his head, she couldn’t hold back and snapped, “Are you insane?”
Only then did Fang Muyang release her. “Now you know how to use it. If I ever overstep with you, hit me with this. I won’t fight back.”
OpenNovel