The day before the move was a Saturday. That evening, as usual, Fang Muyang requested to fulfill his due obligations for Fei Ni.
"Forget it, we have to wake up early tomorrow." Finding this reason insufficient, she added, "It's our last day here, let's not disturb the neighbors." Their neighbors would surely remember this night more vividly than usual. Moving out the next day yet causing a commotion until midnight the night before—this impression would likely linger for a year or two, perhaps even longer.
Moreover, Fang Muyang had borrowed many books for her. As soon as she finished one, he would bring her a new one. She also shared the ones she liked with him, and today she wanted to read a little longer.
"We'll be quiet, not even saying a word. How would that disturb the neighbors? If anyone's being noisy, it's them disturbing us."
"How long do they last, and how long do you last?"
Fang Muyang reached out to tap Fei Ni's nose, smiling. "How long do I last? Do you think it's long? I feel the night is too short, and I thought you felt the same."
Fei Ni lowered her head to hide her slightly flushed face and swatted his hand away. "Stay away from me. I still want to read."
Normally, Fang Muyang would never agree—especially since it was Saturday.
But today, he said, "Alright. I'm willing to stay away from you and let you read, but you have to do me a favor."
"What favor?"
Fang Muyang leaned close to her ear and whispered something.
Fei Ni kept her head lowered.
Fang Muyang asked, "Are you willing to help me?"
His expression was serious, his voice was serious, and his motive sounded entirely proper.
He even said she could use a shirt to cover the key areas. After a long silence, Fei Ni nodded. She knew this was a necessary part of learning to paint, and they were formally married. If he asked someone else to help, it would be considered indecent.
After Fei Ni agreed, Fang Muyang went to close the window and draw the curtain. His movements were slow, and while pulling the curtain, he kept his back entirely to her, giving her time to undress. He heard the faint rustle of fabric against skin and only turned around when the sound completely ceased. Fei Ni lay on the floor mat, covered only by a shirt. She had even removed the watch from her wrist. She held a book high above her face, blocking it from view.
Fang Muyang was in no hurry to start drawing. He lit a mosquito coil, turned off the ceiling light, and switched on the desk lamp.
The room dimmed instantly. The exposed parts of Fei Ni's skin appeared exceptionally pale under the lamplight, gradually flushing with a faint pink—whether from the lamp's glow or something else, it was hard to say.
Fang Muyang observed her under the light, perhaps contemplating where to begin. Fei Ni's eyes remained fixed on the text, but she turned the pages much slower than usual. Though she avoided looking at him, she was acutely aware of his gaze. Unable to resist, she tugged the shirt a little higher, but it was only so long—covering one part meant exposing another. Her legs instinctively pressed closer together, and a wave of tension ran from her toes to the tips of her hair. Fei Ni could only hope it would end soon so she could focus on reading. For now, the words on the page were just words, refusing to form coherent sentences.
Fang Muyang still didn't rush to draw. Instead, he poured himself a glass of water. Sipping it, he continued to watch her and explained, "I don't know why, but my throat suddenly feels dry. Do you want some water?"
"No."Fei Ni's eyes surreptitiously strayed from the words in her book, noticing the pulse throbbing in his throat.
"Hurry up and draw."
"I need to observe first. Turn your body sideways, facing me."
Fei Ni complied with his instructions, her fingers pressing tightly against her blouse as if it might slip down otherwise.
Fang Muyang sat on the chair, leaning forward to observe her more closely.
With one hand holding her blouse and the other clutching the book, Fei Ni resisted the urge to cross her legs.
Fang Muyang, however, seemed in no hurry at all. He leaned closer and asked, "What are you reading? Tell me about it."
"If you don't start drawing soon, I'm going to sleep."
Fang Muyang began sharpening his pencil, taking his time with deliberate slowness.
Fei Ni grew slightly irritated. "Why didn't you prepare your pencil before starting?"
Fang Muyang readily admitted his fault. "Next time I draw you, I'll definitely sharpen the pencil in advance."
Time dragged on unbearably for Fei Ni. The day was stiflingly hot, yet the readily available electric fan remained off. With the windows closed and the curtains drawn, the room felt even more oppressive.
Fine beads of sweat gradually formed on her nose and forehead. Her body grew damp and sticky, far from refreshing. The fingers pressing against her blouse grew moist with sweat, leaving faint handprints on the fabric.
Fei Ni read the sentences in her book intermittently, but turned the pages rapidly. The loudest sound in the room was the rustling of pages.
Her agitation grew. For Fei Ni, maintaining the same posture wasn't the hard part—it was restraining herself from imagining how Fang Muyang was depicting her in his drawing. She couldn't resist asking, "Are you done yet?"
Fang Muyang didn't answer.
After a while, his eyes shifted from the drawing paper to Fei Ni. "Do you want to take a look?"
Fei Ni wanted to see but felt too embarrassed. Yet her curiosity ultimately won over her hesitation. "Bring me the blanket from the bed."
She took the thin blanket from Fang Muyang and quickly wrapped herself in it. Now fully covered, Fei Ni stood up, forgetting even to put on her shoes as she walked barefoot to the fan. She switched it on, letting the breeze blow away the sweat and heat from her face.
Only after cooling down did she approach Fang Muyang's drawing.
She doubted her own eyes, suspecting he had tampered with it.
"Did you just draw this?"
There was no trace of Fei Ni in the drawing—not even a human figure. Instead, it depicted pattering raindrops falling into a nearly dried-up stream, creating ripples on the water's surface.
"Do you like it?"
Blushing with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, Fei Ni kicked Fang Muyang's leg hard with her bare foot. "You're teasing me again."
All for this drawing, she had maintained the same posture for so long, her sweat nearly soaking through her blouse.
Fang Muyang laughed. "How would I dare tease you? If you hadn't inspired me, I wouldn't have been able to paint this rain. Before this, nothing I drew felt right."
If Fang Muyang had drawn a straightforward, realistic portrait of Fei Ni, she wouldn't have blushed so much—she had mentally prepared for that. But he had chosen to paint only rain, which didn't quench the fire in her heart but instead made it burn even hotter, spreading from her ears to the corners of her mouth.
"Why didn't you just tell me what you were going to draw?"
Fang Muyang looked at her and smiled. "That would have ruined the meaning."Fei Ni walked over to the electric fan again to cool off, while Fang Muyang came up behind her and began kneading her shoulders.
"Don't stand so close, it's hot!"
Fang Muyang acted as if he hadn't heard, kissing her reddened ear. "I've always liked this shrimp-red color."
He turned Fei Ni's face toward him and kissed her lips, his hands moving skillfully to where he wanted to go. Fei Ni tried to evade him at first, but ultimately couldn't resist.
The electric fan whirred loudly as Fei Ni stood on her toes, wrapping her arms around Fang Muyang's neck, the blanket slipping from her body and falling to the floor.
So what if it's hot!
Their sweat mingled together, indistinguishable as to whose was whose.
As if drawn by their passion, rain arrived in the latter half of the night. It grew heavier and heavier, relentlessly beating against the windows. Fei Ni wished the rain would grow even louder, enough to drown out the sounds from their room.
Because they were moving, Fei Ni woke up earlier than any previous Sunday. She changed into a new blouse but kept the skirt she had made last year—one long enough to completely cover the bruises on her knees.
Though Fang Muyang had kept her up late into the night, he was full of energy in the morning.
He opened a drawer, took out some medicinal liquid, and said to Fei Ni, "Did it get sore during the night? Sit down, let me apply some medicine to your knees."
"No need." Fei Ni's voice was so soft only Fang Muyang could hear it.
"There's nothing to be shy about." Fang Muyang pressed Fei Ni into a chair and applied the medicine to her knees.
The bed, wardrobe, desk, sewing machine, and piano were to be moved to the Fang family's home, while temporarily unused items would be stored at the landlord's place. The landlord had agreed to clear out half of a storage room for them.
The movers arrived early in the morning. Their neighbor, Section Chief Xu, seeing that they were finally moving out, showed rare enthusiasm and asked if they needed any help.
When Fei Ni politely declined, Section Chief Xu smiled and said, "No need to be so polite."
Wang Xiaoman, leaning against the doorframe, watched Section Chief Xu's beaming smile directed at Fei Ni and, suppressing her displeasure, called out loudly, "Old Xu, come inside. I need to talk to you."
As soon as Section Chief Xu entered the room, Wang Xiaoman pinched his ear. "Your smile disgusts me. Are you reluctant to see Fei Ni leave?"
"Reluctant to see them go? I can't wait for them to get out of here! If they don't leave soon, I will."
Whether Fei Ni stayed or left didn't matter to him—her husband had to go. If they didn't move out soon, Section Chief Xu was prepared to exchange apartments with someone else. He had had enough.
Wang Xiaoman released his ear and sneered, "Then why were you cozying up to them?"
"It's called politeness! Don't you understand politeness?"
Out of courtesy, Wang Xiaoman stepped out of her room to bid Fei Ni farewell.
"What made you decide to move so suddenly?"
"We're planning to live with our parents."
"Won't that be crowded?" Wang Xiaoman directly assumed "parents" meant Fei Ni's parents.
"It's manageable."
"Come visit often after you move. I haven't had enough of being neighbors with you—I'll really miss you once you're gone."
Fei Ni knew it was just polite talk and simply smiled in response.Wang Xiaoman wasn’t being entirely polite. She didn’t have any particular attachment to Fei Ni, but she wasn’t exactly happy about her moving out either. After all, Fei Ni had been a decent neighbor, and there was no guarantee the next one would be any better. Besides, their timing couldn’t have been worse. Last week, when Wang Xiaoman visited her aunt’s house, she noticed her cousin reading the sequential pictures in the newspaper—the very ones drawn by Fang Muyang. She couldn’t help but say, “Our neighbor drew these.” Because of that remark, her cousin suddenly took an interest in her, bombarding her with questions—from Fang Muyang’s age to his appearance—and even said she’d come over on Sunday afternoon to see her neighbor. Wang Xiaoman hadn’t refused at the time.
Now Fei Ni and her husband had moved out in the morning, and her cousin would be coming in the afternoon—who would she see then? She might even think Wang Xiaoman had been boasting. But really, what was there to boast about? It wasn’t like they were living next to the factory director.
OpenNovel