The long night was nearly over, just before dawn.
The little village in the basin was extremely quiet. Lamplight shone again in the house by the entrance, and a mother and daughter's hushed conversation drifted faintly out:
"Mother, that bad fellow was so handsome... ow..."
"Keep talking nonsense and see if I don't smack you! Your father got beaten, and you're praising the man's looks? Haven't you a shred of conscience? Didn't you see your father twitching with pain last night..."
"Ahem-"
The doors and windows of the courtyard diagonally opposite were tightly shut.
The oil lamp in the room had long since burned out. Fan Qinghe lay on her side on the pillow, her arms folded over her breasts. Perhaps embarrassed to sleep in front of a man, she faced the wall with her back to Ye Jingtang. Her figure was fuller than that of women from the Central Plains, and lying sideways accentuated the sweeping rise and fall of her waist. Red gauze draped over the crest of her hips, outlining an exceedingly full curve.
Naturally, Ye Jingtang wasn't staring at the young woman's backside. He sat at the table with his eyes closed, concentrating. Hearing the conversation from diagonally opposite, he felt somewhat reassured. I knew it. I thought I was the only one hurting. Looks like we're all the same...
Meanwhile, Niao Niao, who had spent half the night patrolling the village like a free-range chicken, was now off duty, sleeping soundly on its back beside Fan Qinghe's head.
After waiting a while, Ye Jingtang saw that dawn was approaching and rose to gather his belongings, preparing to head back shortly. Since Fan Qinghe was sleeping deeply, he moved very quietly to let her sleep a little longer.
But just as the sky outside the