A Peach Wood Comb

Suddenly, a pair of hands encircled her waist from behind, and she felt a warm breath near her ear: “Baby, don’t cry! I didn’t mean to upset you.” His chest was heaving against her back; he knew he shouldn’t have been so impulsive, but he couldn’t help himself. Holding her, just like he had done years ago, softly coaxing her, no matter how long, she was still his precious treasure! His voice was choked with emotion, hot tears soaking into her collar, almost crying uncontrollably: “Don’t cry, baby!” Just for this moment, even if the next moment he was pushed away, insulted, or even slapped, he would accept it, as long as he could hold her now. The hand at her waist tightened, and Jiayi kissed her hair, taking strands of her red hair into his mouth. The ear behind her hair turned a hot red from embarrassment, and the body in his arms trembled slightly. He could no longer resist turning her body around and kissing her passionately. The corridor was eerily quiet, with no one around during dinner time; even if there were people, he wouldn’t care. From the moment he saw her at the hotel, he had wanted to hold her in his arms. Having restrained himself to this point was his limit. With a sudden exertion of strength, he lifted her off the ground, and they stumbled together to the window, their lips locked in a fervor, all their passion poured into the kiss. Her head was now hanging out of the window, supported by his large hand. Outside was a sea of brilliant red maples. He kissed her fervently, lost in the moment, as if they were falling out of the window together, slowly descending into the fiery red below.

Only when her hands gently wrapped around his neck did he realize his own roughness. Looking at her flushed face and dazed eyes, her cherry lips slightly parted as she breathed heavily, he was so enamored that he couldn’t bear to let go. With forehead against forehead, he whispered by her lips, “Baby! You are mine!” His hot lips covered hers again, tasting her gently. “I love you! No matter how long it takes, I will always love you! So, don’t refuse what I’m doing for you!” She began to respond, her hands intertwined behind his neck, pulling his head down for a gentle, soft kiss. Moments later, her tears wet his cheeks like fine rain. “Jiayi, if only we hadn’t separated!” If only they hadn’t separated! But they had, for four years, they had loved, hated, and loved again, enduring such pain. Who would dare hope for a lifelong togetherness after such torment? Who wouldn’t fear another separation? Life is too long; if it were just a moment, they would be deeply in love, but what about a long life?

“I’ll wait for you! After leaving Zhou Yuqian, will you consider me first?” he asked softly. Lai Hui agreed, what was there to refuse? Her love had evaporated over the years, leaving just enough to line the bottom of a bottle, otherwise, she was just an empty shell. If he wanted it, he could have it! If he could refill her with love, perhaps her later life wouldn’t be so bleak. Love him, even if it’s not as good as now!

Jiayi hugged her tightly in ecstasy, the sky darkening, the fiery maples now cloaked in a layer of deep ink, their dark red leaves hidden in the black curtain. “Baby, you’ve finally agreed to come back to me! I won’t let you down!” he promised earnestly. However, Lai Hui’s mind flashed to another’s words: “Don’t worry, I won’t mistreat you!” Can men’s words really be trusted? Good deeds bring good rewards; her aunt’s surgery was successful, and she had moved to a regular ward for recovery, much to Lai Hui’s relief. She left some money for her uncle, advising him not to work at construction sites anymore, and then returned to City A with Xie Jiayi. There, her mother, whose health was beyond recovery, still awaited.

Zhou Yuqian, who had initially suspected Lai Hui of betrayal, saw her daily, scrubbing the floor on her knees, knitting uneven sweaters, skillfully slicing cucumbers in the kitchen, and scrubbing his underwear in the bathroom. His initial doubts and anger were replaced by joy. Lai Hui, squatting by the green basin, bathed in faint sunlight, her hands in the water, scrubbing Zhou Yuqian’s white undershirt, soap suds forming transparent bubbles of various sizes, within which vibrant colors danced. Zhou Yuqian, standing by the door, quietly captured the scene with his phone. On the screen, Lai Hui’s chin was covered with foam, her hands stretching the undershirt, meticulously checking for stains. Zhou Yuqian found this sight unexpectedly delightful. Seeing her slender hands rubbing his underwear, his heart warmed, and he squatted beside her, turning her face to kiss her foamy lips. Lai Hui dodged away. “Let me finish washing the clothes.” Zhou Yuqian let go but remained squatting beside her, grumbling, “You’ve been washing all afternoon!”

“Can you blame me? You’ve accumulated a pile of clothes in just half a month since I left.” She scrubbed vigorously and showed him a yellow stain. “You leave clothes lying around! Look, they’re all dusty, white and yellow patches, all because you’ve left them in the corner, and now they’re so dirty they won’t even wash clean!”

“If they’re clean enough, just throw them away and buy new ones!” he suggested. “Easy for you to say, that’s money you’re throwing away. If they’re clean enough, you can afford to waste a fortune!” Lai Hui threw the undershirt back into the basin, splashing soap suds onto the tiles, and stood up, massaging her sore waist. “True, your fortune can afford to waste a few undershirts and underwear!”

She leaned over to rinse the basin under the tap, water rushing down, the white undershirt bloating in the clear water. “I’ve cleaned them well enough; a few stains don’t matter, you can still wear them. If you think others can see through them and fear being laughed at, then throw them away. It’s not my money you’re wasting!” Zhou Yuqian chuckled, his shoulders shaking. Today she was particularly chatty, from the moldy coffee cup in the living room to the cigarette butts on the bedroom floor, like a wife long away from home scolding a sloppy husband.

“Did you soak the clothes in disinfectant?” he asked. Someone willing to save him money was a blessing. “I did. With all the germs on those clothes, how could I not disinfect them?” She wrung out a piece of clothing and brought it to his nose, the faint smell of disinfectant. “Now you can rest easy!” Zhou Yuqian nodded in satisfaction.

“I’m curious,” Lai Hui said, looking at him intently. “Who used to wash your underwear before? Your ex was too delicate to do it. Was it a maid?” Zhou Yuqian was taken aback, his face turning red for the first time, quickly turning away in embarrassment. She exclaimed as if discovering a great secret, “Don’t tell me you washed them yourself?” Zhou Yuqian faced the window, grinding his teeth, contemplating whether to throw a fit, but found himself strangely calm, feeling—almost amused. But the next second, he regretted it. Lai Hui wrung out another piece of clothing, her expression odd as she circled in front of him, touching her chin with wet hands, scrutinizing him before dismissing her guess. “You couldn’t have washed them yourself—ah! I know, you must have bought dozens of pairs at once, wore one, threw it away, and bought new ones when you ran out!”

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