The warm yellow lamp flickered gently, filling Qi Lixiao's heart with a cozy feeling.
For some reason, Qi Lixiao suddenly recalled the scene when Li Zhichen called him "husband" on the cart that day. His heart skipped a beat.
He chewed on those two words for a while between his lips and teeth, and unconsciously murmured,
"...... Wife?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Qi Lixiao was startled himself. A faint blush rose on his ears at a visible speed. He shifted his gaze uneasily.
At the same time, Li Zhichen, who was busy in the kitchen, suddenly heard the system prompt:
[The system has detected that the task target has triggered an affectionate nickname. Congratulations to the host. Your lifespan has been increased by two hours!]
Li Zhichen:???
What's going on? She didn't do anything. Why did this damned system suddenly increase her lifespan? Was it broken?
After washing the dishes, Li Zhichen walked into the room in a daze. Then she heard the system issue a task:
[Death warning! Please sleep in the same bed with your husband before midnight tonight. After completing the task, you will receive lifespan and point rewards!]
Li Zhichen:......
She was already used to the sudden quirks of this husband-pampering system. After hearing this task, she didn't think it was very difficult.
Wasn't it just sleeping in the same bed?
Li Zhichen came from the end of the world and knew that staying alive was the most important thing.
When she was on missions in the end of the world, she had lived in much more difficult environments. At least there was a bed to sleep in this dilapidated temple. After all, in a real crisis, who would care about the gender taboo?
Moreover, this place was backed by a high mountain, and it was cold at night. It would be warmer for her and Qi Lixiao to sleep close to each other. So Li Zhichen had no burden in her heart. She strode towards Qi Lixiao's bed.
The moment their eyes met, Li Zhichen asked without hesitation, "Can we sleep together tonight?"
Qi Lixiao:?
System:........
Qi Lixiao twitched the corner of his eye, and then his pupils dilated in shock.
What did Li Zhichen just say?
Sleep together??
Although he was a paralyzed man who couldn't move, he was still an adult male. When a man and a woman were alone in a room, it was inevitable for him to think too much after hearing such words.
Qi Lixiao's mind seemed to be firmly sealed by something and couldn't turn.
He was silent for a while, then looked at Li Zhichen with a complicated expression. He saw those clear eyes staring at him without blinking, full of calmness.
Qi Lixiao immediately realized that this was probably another task issued by that potato spirit.
While feeling relieved, he also felt a kind of indescribable depression in his heart.
Qi Lixiao closed his eyes, covering the surging emotions in his eyes. He asked hoarsely, ".... How should we sleep?"
Li Zhichen thought for a moment and replied crisply, "You sleep on the outside, and I'll sleep on the inside."
This way, it would be more convenient for her to help Qi Lixiao go to the toilet at night.
Seeing Qi Lixiao nod, Li Zhichen breathed a sigh of relief. She fetched another quilt, took off her shoes, socks and outer skirt. Wearing only her middle clothes, she carefully climbed onto the bed and lay down close to Qi Lixiao.
[Congratulations to the host for completing the task. Reward: 24 hours of lifespan and 5 points!]
In an instant, the man's unique aura surrounded Li Zhichen from all directions. Lying in bed, Li Zhichen felt an indescribable strangeness.
The two of them were shoulder to shoulder. Although their arms were separated by two layers of clothes, they could still clearly feel the warmth from each other.
Qi Lixiao had never been so close to a woman before, and he felt a little uncomfortable.
Li Zhichen calmly blew out the oil lamp, and the surroundings immediately became pitch-black.
Li Zhichen gradually felt a little sleepy. She said good night to Qi Lixiao and then fell into a deep sleep.
In the middle of the night, it began to snow outside. The strong wind blew the dilapidated temple door, bringing in gusts of cool air.
Li Zhichen frowned and unconsciously leaned towards the heat source, reaching out to hug it.
Qi Lixiao always slept lightly. At this moment, he opened his eyes blankly.
He looked down and saw Li Zhichen snuggling up to him. Her long black hair was spread out like floating clouds, and a faint body fragrance filled his nostrils.
As Li Zhichen's breathing rose and fell slightly, the softness of her chest was tightly pressed against his arm. A strange feeling immediately spread up.
Qi Lixiao's mind went blank for a moment, and then he quickly shifted his gaze. In the silence, he heard his own heartbeat getting louder and louder in his chest.
.........
The next day, Li Zhichen woke up early. The ground outside was already covered in white.
She stared blankly at the continuous mountains in the distance, while silently calculating today's business in her heart.
Qi Lixiao's internal medicine needed to be fetched every once in a while. The traditional Chinese medicine was not cheap, so they always needed to earn some silver.
There were still a lot of fish in the water tank. While they were still fresh, why not take them to the market to sell today?
Thinking of this, Li Zhichen gently got up. But unexpectedly, as soon as she moved, Qi Lixiao slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were clear, which meant he had been awake for a long time.
The moment their eyes met, Li Zhichen said softly, "Why did you wake up so early? Go back to sleep for a while."
Qi Lixiao looked at her quietly for a while. He thought to himself that he hadn't just woken up, but had been awake all night.
Li Zhichen really wasn't a very well-behaved sleeper. She hugged him tightly in the first half of the night and kicked her own quilt in the second half. Then she curled up into his quilt and groped around...
Qi Lixiao didn't want to recall last night anymore. He calmly changed the topic, "It's so early. Where are you going?"
Li Zhichen told Qi Lixiao her plan truthfully. Then she saw the latter thinking for a moment, and then asking her, "How much do you plan to sell each fish for?"
Li Zhichen hadn't completely understood the prices in this world yet. She estimated based on the fish prices in modern times and tentatively said, "Fifty wen per jin?"
One of her big fish was about sixty centimeters long, weighing about ten jin.
One fish could be sold for half a tael of silver. If all these fish were sold, that would be four taels of silver!
Qi Lixiao was stunned. After a while, he said softly, "I'll go with you."
This time, it was Li Zhichen's turn to be surprised. After all, this was the first time in several days that Qi Lixiao had voluntarily asked to go out.
Although she didn't know what Qi Lixiao was going to do, since he had been cooped up in the room for so long, Li Zhichen thought it would be good to take him out to get some fresh air and soak up the sun.
"Okay, then let's go together!"
Li Zhichen originally wanted to make a wooden wheelchair for Qi Lixiao, but the carpenter in the town said that the customization process of the wheelchair was complicated and asked her to pick it up a few days later.
Li Zhichen had to rent a cart first. She first divided the fish into buckets, and then gently carried Qi Lixiao onto the cart.
She was worried that Qi Lixiao's legs would catch a cold, so she fetched a cotton quilt to wrap him up tightly before setting off.
The winter air was fresh and moist, and Li Zhichen walked quickly. It didn't take long for the two of them to arrive at the edge of the market. From afar, they could see the closely connected stalls on both sides of the street and the bustling pedestrians.
Li Zhichen knew that Qi Lixiao didn't like crowds, so she didn't go to the crowded places.
Just as she was about to find a suitable stall near the city gate to park the cart, she saw Qi Lixiao's finger move, pointing to a prosperous restaurant not far away.
"Zhichen, let's go there."