While Jin Xiaoyu was angry, Wolf King came in with the luminous pearl in his arms. He pushed the pearl to Xiao Baoshan at once. “Brother, I’m also to blame for the incident tonight. This luminous pearl is my compensation to you. I’ll leave right away. Please don’t chase after me.”
After saying this, he fled as rapidly as his legs could carry him.
Xiao Baoshan stared at the pearl blankly. The candles were burning in the room, but the pearl, as big as a muskmelon, totally outshone them. Anyone who saw it felt an urge to take possession of it.
Jin Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up and she grunted, ordering him to give the pearl to her. If this hotheaded man returned the pearl to Wolf King, it would be a great loss for her.
Xiao Baoshan removed the cloth from her mouth to see what she wanted to say.
“Dumb! Release me now!” she commanded.
He retorted, “You can’t make trouble tonight. Please sleep first.”
“How can I sleep this way? My hands and feet will be numb tomorrow!”
Persuaded, he untied her. But at the same time, he struck a certain acupoint to keep her immobile.
“Dumb, what are you doing?” She burst with anger.
“I told you that you must sleep quietly tonight. I can’t let you make trouble again.”
“What if Wolf King brings other people here to take revenge?”
“I’ll drive them away.”
“You’re going to chase after him and return the pearl to him, right? You don’t want me to stop you!”
Her words hit home. Xiao Baoshan then remained silent.
“Dumb, don’t be so stupid. He gave you the pearl to repay your kindness for not killing him. If you chase him, he’ll be more afraid of you. You’d better keep the pearl and let him know there is a price to pay for molesting a woman.”
Xiao Baoshan was finally convinced. He gave up the idea of returning the pearl.
Satisfied with his obedience, she said gently, “Dumb, you know how complicated the customers here are. I’m always bullied by those men. If I don’t teach them a lesson, I’ll be always at the mercy of them.”
“But you can refuse them when they take liberties with you. There is no need to tease them.”
“Why can’t I respond in kind when they also tease me? You’re a man! You only speak for men!”
He explained, “I mean, you don’t necessarily have to kill them.”
“You really are dumb!” she cursed.
Suddenly, he felt the scene was very familiar, as if he had dreamed about it before. In his dream or memory, there was also a woman who said to him, “You’re really dumb!”
He gazed at Jin Xiaoyu.
Is that her?
She smiled naughtily. “Dumb, why are you looking at me like that? Do you also want to… do something to me?”
He looked away immediately. “No.”
“They why do you watch me sleep?”
He held the pearl in his arms and said, “I’ll guard outside.”
Since Jin Xiaoyu couldn’t move, he must guard her lest anybody try to hurt her.
She let out a deep sigh. “You don’t need to go out. Stay here and watch me sleep.”
But he pushed the door open and walked out as if he didn’t hear her words.
Jin Xiaoyu was totally freaked out.
The acupoint strike would immobilize her for two hours. The candles in the room had been blown out, but the lanterns in the corridor still glowed softly, silhouetting Xiao Baoshan’s figure.
She couldn’t fall asleep and began teasing him, “Dumb, are you cold?”
He replied, “No.”
“But I feel cold. You didn’t tuck me in just now.”
The door creaked open. He walked in and pulled up a blanket for her.
She gave him a coy smile and said coquettishly, “Dumb, have you ever touched a woman before?”
He thought he had done that only in his dream, so he didn’t answer.
“Dumb, why don’t you come and sleep with me? I can’t fall asleep and you also can’t outside, right?”
He said honestly, “It’s not a good idea.”
Considerately, he tucked the blanket in for her. Then, he turned around, ready to go out.
She didn’t believe he had no feelings for her. “Dumb, do you want to know how a woman tastes?”
He didn’t answer.
“Dumb, am I not attractive enough?” she asked. The more rigid he was, the more she wanted to tease him.
He went out of the room silently and closed the door. Then, he sat down with the pearl.
“Dumb, the pearl is of no use for you. How about giving it to me?”
He replied, “Wolf King gave it to me, not you.”
She said angrily, “Without me, you wouldn’t have got this pearl! Besides, you live here and eat my food. You’re my people. So your things are mine!”
“I haven’t asked for any salary.”
Jin Xiaoyu was rendered speechless. It seemed that Dumb was not dumb at all. He had quite a sober mind.
…
Xiao Baoshan had no sense of humor at all. But Jin Xiaoyu liked to make fun of him because he was so lovely. With his protection, she felt exceptionally safe and fell asleep before the acupoint pressure eased off.
She woke up at dawn when there was a glimmer of light in the sky. She stretched and found she was limber again. Then, she opened the door to see whether he was still there. But nobody was there. The lanterns along the corridor had gone out.
Has Dumb gone back to his room?
She felt a little angry.
He said he would protect me. Why did he leave before I woke up?
Thinking of what he had done last night, she couldn’t help cursing him. “Dumb!” At the same time, she felt more eager to approach him.
…
Jin Xiaoyu found Xiao Baoshan outside the kitchen. He lived in the same room with his fellow workers. Although he didn’t have a private room, his bed was always clean and tidy. He had the habit of taking showers. Perhaps he came from the south. But his accent was close to that in the capital, which might suggest that he had spent some time there.
When Jin Xiaoyu saw him, he was right taking a shower. The place was usually used to wash vegetables and the employees sometimes took showers there. Idiot and Fool didn’t like bathing, often only once a month. But Xiao Baoshan took one once a day, even though it was very cold in the morning.
His upper body was naked, exposing his broad shoulders. His muscles looked even more bulging and bouncy as the water flowed down his body.
Jin Xiaoyu couldn’t help exclaiming. Every time she saw such a perfect figure, she would be greatly amazed. She had seen many muscular men, but none of them could excel him. There were some long and short scars all over his muscles, creating a breathtaking sense of beauty.
Xiao Baoshan heard her voice and turned around. On his chest were also some scars of unknown origin.
Seeing Jin Xiaoyu, he reached for his clothes and put them on. Then, he asked, “What can I do for you?”
She giggled with arms akimbo and said in a sweet voice, “Why did you take a shower so early? Was it because you couldn’t control yourself outside my bedroom?”
It took a while for him to understand her meaning. He shook his head and replied, “No.”
“Liar. But you’re not worth a pin to me!” She turned around and left, yet with a big smile.
…
The Tianshan Mountains.
On discovering that there were snow lotuses in the mountains, Ye Xiaoxian thought of what she had seen on TV shows. Snow lotuses were said to be a rare and miraculous medicine for women. The rich ladies and imperial concubines always collected such lotuses as something precious. A lotus would take five years to blossom and could be only found up mountains at an altitude of over 1,000 meters. Besides, there were always foreigners who came there to buy snow lotuses. The value of a lotus was equal to that of the crisps sold for a month.
So she asked if anyone wanted to pick snow lotuses. The others thought she must be mad because it was even colder up the mountains. What if they froze to death halfway up? They needed to wait until spring came. Ye Xiaoxian could only give up the idea.
The mountains were blanketed with snow and ice. If anyone really got sick from the cold, they would lose more than they gained.
There was not much work to do, especially during the Spring Festival, so they followed the locals to go skiing. The locals could make ski boots which were similar to those in modern times. After putting them on, one could slide down from a height. In general, it was an exciting activity, suitable for both men and women.
The southern people didn’t dare to play the game. But after they saw how fun it was, they also gave it a try. The locals were very enthusiastic. They gave the extra ski boots to the newcomers and encouraged them to try.
Ye Xiaoxian, Liu Qianqian and Jia Zhenbo also went there. But Ye Xiaoxian had been afraid of playing such a thrilling game and just quietly watched the others ski.
After Jia Zhenbo got the hang of it, he taught his wife how to ski and left Ye Xiaoxian alone. But she didn’t mind that. She felt glad seeing her friends having fun.
Suddenly, someone sprinkled freezing snow on her head, which gave her the shivers.
Who is so rude?
She turned around, ready to give that person a glare. However, she found it was Tarico. He grinned from ear to ear, holding a pair of ski boots in his hands. It seemed he had just come up.
