"Yicheng, it seems there’s no way to clear up the misunderstanding." Xu Nianhua looked at Pei Yicheng with sorrowful eyes. It appeared that not even jumping into the Yellow River could cleanse her of last night’s events.
"Yining is really sensible, knowing to give us two some time alone."
Pei Yicheng stretched out his long arm and pulled Xu Nianhua into his arms. His head leaned on her shoulder, and his arms tightly clasped around her waist as he said, "I once thought that I would never get married in my life, let alone have feelings for a girl."
His deep voice reached her ears, and the faint scent of alcohol enveloped her. Even though she hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, her head felt a bit dizzy at the moment.
She lowered her head, inexplicably thinking how bright Pei Yicheng’s eyes looked.
"I remember the first time I saw you, you fell from the persimmon tree at your grandfather’s house."
Pei Yicheng’s murmur, as if talking to himself, made Xu Nianhua involuntarily prick up her ears and follow his words, as if she too had returned to that day.
Gao Jianshe mistakenly thought it was she who had spilled the beans about him and Zhong Juan and even tried to take liberties with her. In the end, she sustained a minor injury to her waist, climbed up the persimmon tree, lost her footing, and fell into his grandfather’s yard.
That was the first time she saw Pei Yicheng, sitting in a wheelchair with an indifferent gaze. In his tranquil eyes, it seemed as if nothing in the world could disturb their calm depths.
"At that time, I thought that the little girl, about the same age as Yining, seemed not to feel pain even though she was clearly hurt. If it had been Yining, she would have made it known to everyone with her cries."
Pei Yicheng half-closed his eyes, his gaze tracing her face. Back then, he never would have imagined that this fearless little girl would eventually make her way into his heart.
"So, that’s what you were thinking at the time?"
Xu Nianhua was hearing about their first meeting from him for the first time. She chuckled lightly, her eyes curving like crescent moons as she said, "When I first saw you, it felt like there was no color in your eyes, as if you were indifferent to everything."
"Back then, the doctors all said my legs couldn’t be healed." Pei Yicheng became lost in reminiscence. He even remembered clearly the words Xu Nianhua had spoken to the villagers, like droplets of rain falling into his heart.
Xu Nianhua was about to speak when Pei Yicheng suddenly changed the subject, saying, "I don’t like that woman coming to our house."
Xu Nianhua immediately realized he was referring to Wan Hongxing.
"This is my mother’s and our home, and I don’t like unrelated people coming over." Pei Yicheng looked up at Xu Nianhua, inadvertently recalling his grandfather’s words: he couldn’t let anyone bully Nianhua, nor did he want her to hear about his matters from others.
"Here, once was the home of our family of four."
Pei Yicheng’s voice was deep, as if transporting Xu Nianhua to the past.
"In my memory, he would always be out early and return late, forever busy with endless work. My mother was very gentle, taking meticulous care of me and Yining. As a child, I often fought with others. Even after my mother scolded me, she would still feel sorry for me, constantly nagging me to fight less. Unfortunately, I was too immature at the time and always thought she was too bothersome."
A shadow fell over Pei Yicheng’s eyes as he continued, "That year I was ten."
His speech paused. Just thinking about the year his mother passed away made his heart ache.