Whenever Mu Ran had her monthly courses, she only felt an uncomfortable, heavy, dragging sensation in her abdomen for the first two days, but it couldn't really be called pain.
This kind of discomfort was usually something she could endure. After all, most women sometimes had even stronger reactions during their courses, and they still went about their work without making a fuss about the discomfort.
When Mu Ran lived alone, she never thought this discomfort was unbearable. It was only after marrying Cangshu Bai that she seemed to become more and more delicate.
Although, at Mu Ran's strong insistence, Cangshu Bai still went to work at the town's medical clinic, he returned earlier than usual today. The reason remained the same: there weren't many patients at the clinic.
Cangshu Bai placed the still-warm mung bean cakes on the table. Noticing Mu Ran fiddling with her pile of wooden parts again, he sat down beside her and, without a word, took her hand.
Mu Ran had to pause her handicraft work for the moment.
Cangshu Bai was always gentle and considerate towards her, but sometimes, she faintly sensed that he could actually be quite a forceful person. For instance, there were times when he would seize her hand regardless, and she couldn't pull it back even if she tried.
He said, "Your hand is a bit cold."
Mu Ran blinked. "Is it? I don't feel it."
Sometimes he said her body felt warm, other times he said it felt cold. It was as if he had an absolute understanding of her body's temperature. Once it deviated from the normal range, he felt compelled to bring the situation back under control.
Cangshu Bai didn't say anything more. He walked into the room and brought out that hot water bottle. Sure enough, she had secretly taken out the spirit stone again. He put the spirit stone back in, walked out of the room, returned to her side, and tucked the bottle into her arms.
"If you get sick, you'll complain again about the medicine being bitter."
Mu Ran became obedient then, holding the warm bottle heating her lower abdomen with both hands. Her listless appearance looked somewhat pitiful.
Cangshu Bai quietly and skillfully gathered the small wooden parts on the table into a box. His eyes swept over and noticed Mu Ran's clenched hand. He said, "Ran Ran."
Mu Ran turned her body slightly to the side, her posture clearly resistant.
Cangshu Bai spoke again, "You're not feeling well. Making these little trinkets requires a lot of mental effort. Give the things to me."
Mu Ran lowered her head. "No."
Most of the time, she was very obedient to him. But occasionally, her rebellious streak was particularly strong.
Cangshu Bai fell silent, just watching her quietly like that.
Mu Ran didn't know why. Her husband's temper was always very good, but whenever he adopted this silent demeanor, the sense of pressure he gave off became particularly strong.
She fiddled with the small object in her hand, then suddenly lifted her face. With curved brows and eyes, and a beaming smile, she stretched out her hand towards him. "Look, does it look like him?"
In her hand was a half-carved small wooden figure. Unlike the realistic style carved by other artisans, the little wooden figure she carved had a round face, a plump body—in short, it looked chubby from head to toe, like a tumbler doll. Yet, the clothing and styling of the little figure still captured a human-like spirit.
The delicate, handsome features and serious expression of the little wooden figure, paired with its round body, created a contrasting kind of cuteness.
Cangshu Bai's gaze fixed on this small wooden figure. He didn't even realize that the stern expression he had deliberately put on not long ago was easily dissolved. More tenderness and warmth surfaced between his brows, and he gently touched the little wooden figure in her hand with his fingertip.
"Is it me?"
Mu Ran nodded. "Yes. Is it cute?"
Cangshu Bai took the little wooden figure, examined it carefully for a long time, and the corner of his mouth moved slightly. "Cute."
When he was a child, his parents had once bought him a wooden móhēluó (doll) during the Qixi Festival. It was in the form of a cute little boy. He liked it very much and kept it by his pillow. Later, when his parents were gone and that home was destroyed in the bloody night of a beast rampage, that small móhēluó was also lost.
Later, as he grew up, he no longer thought to take an extra look at these trinkets children liked when passing by vendors.
Cangshu Bai's emotions were always very subdued. However, having been married to him for so long, Mu Ran could still tell that he liked this little wooden figure.
He was happy, and so she was happy too.
Mu Ran placed her hands on the table, propping her chin, and smiled as she looked at the young man's handsome profile. In the twilight dusk, the light added a touch of haziness and softness to him. She thought he looked even more handsome.
When Cangshu Bai looked down at her, he happened to meet his wife's gaze, full of joy.
The wind stirred outside the window, rustling through the woods, creating quite a lively sound.
Just like the clamor of his heartbeat at this moment.
Cangshu Bai reached out, using his fingertips to brush the hair at Mu Ran's temple behind her ear, but his thumb still lingered on her skin, reluctant to leave. "Why did you suddenly think of making this?"
Mu Ran nuzzled against his palm. "Last time when we went to the lantern festival, there was a child throwing a tantrum, asking his parents to buy a móhēluó. You took an extra look, didn't you?"
Cangshu Bai was silent.
He thought he had always concealed his emotions extremely well. No longer a child, he shouldn't need these childish little things anymore. He also thought he hadn't taken an extra look. Unbeknownst to him, when accompanied by her, he would relax all his defenses, revealing emotions he wouldn't show in front of others.
Mu Ran moved closer to him, lifted her face, and smiled gently. "Jinzhi is always so reserved about everything, showing no discernible preferences. If you hadn't been the one to propose marriage back then, I really wouldn't have been able to tell you liked me."
Thinking back on it later, he would take the initiative to repair her leaky roof for her, bring her medicinal herbs when she was sick, and frequently "coincidentally" meet her in the night when she had to walk to town after dark to discuss business in order to make a living.
It turned out this man's fondness for her had left traces all along.
He was just terribly repressed, never one to express his feelings. If it hadn't been for the kind-hearted aunt who came to propose a match between Mu Ran and a scholar from the town, who knows when he would have finally spoken up.
Mu Ran hooked her little finger with Cangshu Bai's, playfully swinging it gently, and laughed again. "You're so hard to read. If one isn't paying close attention, it's really hard to guess whether you're happy or not. I really don't know what to do with you. To make our home better, I can only keep watching you like this, not missing a single move you make, so I can know what you truly like."
Just like with the mung bean cakes, he would never say he liked this ordinary little pastry, nor would he ever proactively mention needing anything. Every time, he only asked Mu Ran what she liked or wanted. As for himself, he seemed utterly indifferent.
