Chapter 56: Not at Home

"What's wrong with you?" Xu Fei sensed something different about Du Man. He turned around to see her curled up in his arms like a kitten.

"Hold me... will you?" he heard her murmur, and it felt as if a thousand little cats were clawing at his heart. A surge of heat, ignited from deep within him, flared up all at once.

It was like a volcanic eruption.

He felt as though his body was boiling, his temperature rising by several degrees.

"No, we..." Xu Fei struggled to hold onto a shred of clarity, even though the sight of Du Man nestled against him stirred an unspeakable affection.

But still.

Xu Fei pulled himself away from the bed.

"Where are you going?" Du Man's blanket fell away, and he finally saw her clearly. He turned and fled the room as though escaping. He glanced at the clock on the wall; there were still a few hours until dawn.

It seemed he'd have to muddle through the rest of the night on the sofa.

Just as Xu Fei was beginning to regain his composure, he caught a flash of white by the door.

"Are you crazy?!" Xu Fei was startled to see Du Man step out of the bedroom, completely unclothed, standing right before him. He quickly glanced toward Xu Qing's room, then hurried to push her back inside.

Once they were back in their own room—

"What are you doing?"

"You," Du Man replied, her voice leaving Xu Fei bewildered.

"What's gotten into you tonight?" He knew Du Man well—she was always the picture of restraint. Since their marriage, nearly three years ago, he had never so much as touched her. That alone spoke volumes about her attitude.

Before Xu Fei could say more, Du Man pulled him into a tight embrace.

His heart gave a slight tremor.

He hastily pushed her away.

"What’s the matter with you?"

Du Man looked at him in astonishment.

"Nothing, really... I just think it's not the right time for us," Xu Fei stammered.

Du Man glared at him, a hint of irritation in her eyes. "When will it be the right time?"

"I..." Xu Fei genuinely didn't know. As things stood, their relationship was far from ideal.

Du Man just wanted to prove something.

"Is it that you’re... not able?" she asked.

Xu Fei looked up sharply, then forced a wry smile, shaking his head. "So this is what tonight was about? You wanted to test if I could?"

She nodded.

"Then why haven’t you wanted me for so long?" he asked, helpless. "There's no need for proof."

"There is!" Du Man insisted, stepping forward and grabbing Xu Fei intimately.

The firmness she felt made her pause in surprise. Though she was a married woman, she was still utterly inexperienced in such matters.

Xu Fei's expression was awkward, even pained. He felt a touch of grievance.

Seeing Du Man frozen in shock, Xu Fei turned and fled, grabbing his jacket and heading out the door.

Inside, it took Du Man a long moment to move again. She was overwhelmed—not only by her own actions, but even more by what she had just discovered about Xu Fei. As a maiden, her cheeks flushed a shade deeper than ripe apples.

She covered her face with both hands, then dove under the covers, laughing softly.

She was happy.

She was shy.

Most importantly, she had proven her man was not lacking.

On the empty street, Xu Fei wandered aimlessly, not knowing where to go. In the end, he made his way to the sugar factory, where he spent the night at the gatehouse.

Early the next morning, he left before dawn. After a breakfast of fried dough sticks and soy milk, he headed straight to the cinema.

An Old Third's truck was already running when he arrived.

"San-ge, have you eaten?" Xu Fei asked.

"My wife packed some pancakes. If you haven't eaten yet, grab one," Old Third replied.

Xu Fei climbed into the truck, opened the lunchbox, and was met with the aroma of chive pockets.

"Smells great!" Xu Fei exclaimed, taking one while it was still hot. It tasted even better than it smelled.

"Are we heading out now?" he asked, closing the lunchbox.

"Yeah, the earlier the better," Xu Fei replied.

Old Third pressed the clutch, shifted gears, and the truck rolled out of the cinema gate.

All the while, Xu Fei's mind kept drifting back to what had happened with Du Man the night before. The thought wouldn't leave him.

"What's wrong, Fei? You seem distracted today," Old Third asked.

Xu Fei forced a laugh. "It's nothing. Just didn't sleep well last night."

He hesitated, then glanced over at Old Third.

"San-ge, let me ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"If your wife came on to you like that, does it mean she really loves you?"

Old Third glanced over. "So that's why you didn't sleep? What, is your wife that eager lately?"

Xu Fei chuckled awkwardly. "Uh... yeah, something like that."

Old Third burst out laughing. "Looks like you're doing well, brother!"

"Uh?" Xu Fei knew very well he hadn't even touched her yet.

"Come on, otherwise why would your wife be so keen?" Old Third said, giving him a sidelong glance. "All I'll say is, as a man, you need to satisfy your woman. Otherwise... she'll go looking elsewhere."

For some reason, Xu Fei immediately thought of Bai Siyuan. Though they had never met, this man had already become a potential rival in his mind.

Perhaps Du Man was sincere this time.

Perhaps she really did care for him.

Otherwise, why would last night have happened?

Xu Fei tormented himself with such thoughts all the way to Xiao Zhang Village. Only when Old Third's truck entered the village did he manage to collect himself.

He entered Zhang Liang's courtyard. Seeing the grain drying on the ground, he guessed Zhang Liang had been working that morning. He pushed open the door, and from inside, Zhang Liang’s father called out.

"Who’s there?"

Xu Fei pulled back the curtain with a smile. "It's me, Fei."

Old Third followed him in.

"Come in, sit down," Zhang Liang’s father greeted them, rising from his kang.

Zhang Liang’s son, crouched in the corner, waved at Xu Fei, making baby sounds as if asking for a treat.

Xu Fei laughed, pulling some candies from his pocket—bought from the grocery store—and handed them over. The boy scrambled over and grabbed them eagerly.

"That child..." Zhang Liang’s father smiled at Xu Fei. "Liang isn’t home today. What brings you here?"