Chapter 14

2.4K 90 3
                                    

Mo Yue took Chang Ying to see the village doctor to check her stitches. Fortunately, the injury was healing nicely and the doctor removed her stitches.

That evening, Lu Chen returned very late. By the time he finished the dinner the family kept aside for him, Chang Ying was already preparing to sleep. After he entered their small house, he brought out a small tube of medicated ointment and showed it to her.

Chang Ying looked at the little tube of ointment, then she looked up at him. "My wound has already healed a bit. You shouldn't have spent money to buy this."

Lu Chen shook his head and sat on the edge of the thin mattress. "Hmm, your hand is healing but it still hurts a bit, doesn't it?, Bring it, I will apply the ointment." He stretched out his palm for her.

Chang Ying put her left hand in his warm palm but she did not stop her mouth from saying, "The wound is already okay. Why did you have to spend money like this?"

Lu Chen did not answer. He gently turned her slender wrist over to look at the wound. Then he opened the ointment, squeezed a little on her wrist  and carefully rubbed it.

Even though it might be too late now, the stitches had been removed and the medication was no longer urgently needed, Lu Chen bought it anyway. When he thought of how she got hurt and was nearly assaulted while he was away, his eyes darkened.

He let out a soft, gloomy breath. "All done."

"Thank you." Chang Ying muttered.

It was on the tip.of her tongue to ask the whole time but she held back because Lu Chen did not say anything. She was curious to know if he had spent all his wages from the past few days to buy this ointment.

Every dime of money Lu Chen made was crucial to the Lu family. To buy food, to settle their debts, to buy Ching-er's medicine, to pay for tuition, every cent mattered. Still, he went ahead to splurge on this ointment.

She suddenly felt like tucking herself away under her blanket but he was still holding her hand, staring at it intently as if trying to commit every square inch of skin to his memory.

Lu Chen held her palm and played with her fingers. He looked at her tender, soft palms. His eyes squinted into crescent moons at the sight. Her hand felt so soft and it was smaller than his. His long fingers slipped between hers.

He looked at their intertwined fingers and suddenly said, "Let's go on a date."

"What?" Chang Ying sat up immediately. "Lu Chen! You can't be so frivolous, we don't have money to..."

"Yingying," he called out in a low, mellow breath. "I know. But I still want to make you happy. You used to like evening strolls, so let's take a walk around the village."

He stood up and lightly tugged her hand, urging her to get up too.

"Now?" Chang Ying pursed her lips but she was already on her feet.

The two put on some shoes and went out. Lu Chen led her, his fingers with entwined in hers, showing no signs of letting go.

The moon was out in the sky and shone brightly over their heads. The night was cloudless and in their untainted rural district, the stars twinkled brightly.

Lu Chen led her down the quiet dirt path around the village. Every now and then, they would meet one or two people on the road. Lu Chen and Chang Ying exchanged simple greetings with these people and their stroll continued unimpeded.

Lu Chen had noticed while they were dating that maybe because he didn't have money to take her to restaurants, she liked to go on long, romantic strolls with him. There was no idyllic beach around this region like in movies. But even though it was a simple stroll down the busy road, Chang Ying liked walking next to him on cool evenings for their dates.

Rebirth: Back To Claim Husband And WealthWhere stories live. Discover now