#26. On Top

The night of their dinner, Lin Xingzi came alone. Lin Ke had already prepared the wine, but Jiang Yan was nowhere to be seen.

“Why do you have a suitcase for dinner?”

“It’s Jiang Yan’s mother’s birthday; I’m going straight to the airport later.”

“You haven’t been back since you got married; you should go see her. It’s quite far, right? Are you going alone? Where’s Jiang Yan?”

“He’s still out of town. No need for him to rush back to Haishi; it’s more convenient for him to go from where he is,” Lin Xingzi had told Jiang Yan on the phone that morning.

Lin Ke interjected, “It’s your first time going; how can he be at ease?”

“How old do you think I am? What could possibly happen?”

Jiang Yan’s hometown was a small coastal village, considered a remote area. Lin Xingzi took a plane, then a high-speed train, then a regular train and a bus. Due to heavy rain, there were no vehicles, so she stayed in a hotel for a night, spending a day and a half to finally arrive.

Most of the town was filled with elderly people and children. There were no tall buildings; each family lived in a courtyard. Jiang Yan arrived a few hours later. When he found Lin Xingzi by the sea, she was sitting on her suitcase, next to a child who was digging in the sand with a shovel, backside up.

Lin Xingzi also saw Jiang Yan. He had been working for days and rushed back, the fatigue around his eyes was quite noticeable, but at least the urgency with which he crossed a few steps to her, repeatedly checking if she was unhurt and fine, was real.

In a completely unfamiliar place, she only felt safe after seeing him.

Jiang Yan took her suitcase and then held her hand.

Lin Xingzi struggled for a moment but couldn’t pull away, so she gave up.

This village was beautiful. At dusk, the crimson sunset dyed half the sky red, where the sky and sea met. The sound of the waves was distant and long, and the local customs were very simple. Children played and laughed by the roadside, but Lin Xingzi had no mind to appreciate it; she just wanted a place to sleep.

Jiang Yan’s mother, not having seen her son for half a year, was overflowing with joy.

“Mom, Jiangjiang’s phone was stolen on the train. She suffered a lot on the way and is a bit carsick, so she doesn’t have much appetite.”

A large table of dinner was prepared, but Lin Xingzi didn’t eat much. Jiang’s mother was a bit displeased, “You have to dote on your own wife. There’s everything in the kitchen. If she gets hungry in the middle of the night, you can make her something to eat.”

“Okay, you should also rest early,” Jiang Yan entered the room with a cup.

This was his old room, mostly unchanged. The bed was by the window, and the bed sheets and bedding had been replaced with new ones. The temperature had dropped after the rain. Lin Xingzi was curled up in the quilt, her back to him. He softly called ‘Jiangjiang,’ but she didn’t respond, her breathing steady; she must have been asleep, so he placed the cup on the table.

Lin Xingzi was genuinely tired and slept deeply. She was woken up in the morning by a loud voice, opening her eyes to find herself embraced by the man, her hand reaching up to his warm chest.

“It’s still early, sleep a bit more,” Jiang Yan pulled up the quilt to cover her, then quickly got out of bed and dressed.

Being neighbors for decades, Jiang’s mother couldn’t very well block the man at the door. Father Ji had a loud voice, looked fierce, and had been drinking all night, completely drunk. As soon as he entered, he started shouting, “I heard your Jiang Yan is back, so I came to ask if he knows where our good-for-nothing daughter is. Damn it, I gave birth to her and raised her, but she’s got wings now, having fun outside and not caring if I live or die...”

Jiang Yan closed the bedroom door tightly, shielding his mother behind him.

Father Ji, blocked by his hand, staggered a few steps. He was too drunk to be clear-headed and reacted slowly. He was relatively polite to Jiang Yan, smiling with a mouth full of yellow teeth, “Isn’t this Little Jiang? You became a police officer and don’t even call me uncle when you come back. Eh, where’s that dead girl? Her phone’s unreachable, like she died outside. Jiang Yan, when you go back to the city, take uncle with you to find her.”

“Qiu Chi hasn’t contacted me in a long time. I haven’t seen her and don’t know where she is.”

“How could you not know?” the man persisted. “You two used to be together every day, so close. Jiang Yi is dead, and uncle was hoping you’d be his son-in-law. You take uncle to find that dead girl, and we can finalize the marriage this Spring Festival...”

“Uncle Ji, I’m married. Please don’t say that again.”

Jiang Yan’s face turned cold, his words sharp and stern. Father Ji was a little intimidated. Jiang Yi was Jiang’s mother’s eternal pain, and he was being so careless with his words. Jiang’s mother, no matter how good-tempered, wouldn’t have a pleasant expression and directly chased him out.

Lin Xingzi saw the man from the window, stumbling a few steps, falling, then getting up, patting the dust off his backside, still muttering and spitting on the ground.

This wasn’t her home, and it was her first time here. Last night, because she wasn’t feeling well, she had been quite rude, so she didn’t dare sleep in too late. There was no washing area in the room. She opened the door, and Jiang Yan happened to be about to enter. They faced each other, their eyes meeting. Lin Xingzi didn’t speak and walked past him.

That evening was Jiang’s mother’s birthday. Lin Xingzi always felt a bit awkward and uneasy around her mother-in-law and didn’t dare give the gift in person. After dinner, Jiang’s mother was watering flowers in the courtyard. Lin Xingzi put the bracelet in her room and returned to her own.

There was a faint smell of blood in the air.

Lin Xingzi stood still, stunned. “You...”

On the table was a wad of gauze. The man was shirtless, with a cut on his right arm extending from his shoulder to his elbow, stained with blood.

Jiang Yan thought she would go shower first. His wound had split open, and he was worried about blood seeping through his clothes and being noticed, so he wanted to change the gauze while she was showering, but he didn’t expect her to come in suddenly.

“It’s just a small wound, just a knife cut. It looks scary, but it’s not serious,” Jiang Yan said softly to reassure her. “Don’t be afraid, it’s nothing. It’ll be fine in a few days.”

Lin Xingzi walked over, lowering her head to help him disinfect and change the gauze, her voice a little nasal and muffled, “Why didn’t you say anything...”

She had slept with her head on him all night yesterday.

“Still, let’s go to the hospital. I saw a clinic at the village entrance when I arrived.”

“No need, disinfection and bandaging will be enough,” Jiang Yan knew what he was doing.

She wasn’t good at these things. Every movement was careful and extremely focused. Her stray hair brushed against his arm, ticklish.

Jiang Yan waited until she was done before raising his left hand and pulling her into his embrace. “When you’re angry, I don’t know how to make you happy, and I get anxious, but you contacted me first when you lost your phone, and that made me happy.”

“I didn’t tell my parents because I didn’t want them to worry...” A painful groan from the man echoed in her ear. His brows furrowed, and a few drops of cold sweat fell from his forehead. Lin Xingzi froze, not knowing where to put her hands. “Did I touch the wound? Does it hurt a lot? Maybe I should stay further away from you...”

“Yes, it hurts a lot,” he lowered his head, his nose brushing against hers. “Jiangjiang... kiss me.”

His lips pecked and sucked from her eyes and brows downwards, not daring to continue because she didn’t respond, yet unwilling to leave.

Perhaps because he was home, injured, and neglected, his scent lingered, and his warm breath lingered on her cheeks, entwined.

Lin Xingzi knelt on the rattan chair, led by him to welcome his kiss. He paused for a few seconds, then his attack became urgent and fervent, pushing her body backward. Their bodies intertwined, and the hand gripping her slender waist tightened.

“Jiangjiang,” his voice was low and hoarse, mixed with hot breaths, inexplicably alluring. “Get on top.”