Before the torchlight went out completely, the cave was plunged into utter darkness.
Jiang Sihe had planned to use the torch to set the pile of weeds on fire, but Pei Yanchao stopped her.
He said it was cold and damp in the cave, and in case of emergency, these weeds could be used for warmth. They shouldn't be burned at the very beginning.
The cave was already dim and cold. Without the fire, it felt even chillier. Jiang Sihe was wearing a rather thin dress today. She huddled in the corner, hugging her knees, thinking this way she could feel a bit warmer.
Pei Yanchao groped his way towards her. "Sihe, are you cold?"
Jiang Sihe saw Pei Yanchao's figure approaching through the darkness. She quickly got up and went to support him.
"Your arm is injured. Don't move around..."
Feeling Jiang Sihe supporting his arm, Pei Yanchao asked her in a low voice again, "Are you cold?"
In this environment, he had noticed earlier that her clothes were thin. Without the fire, she must be even colder...
"A bit..."
Pei Yanchao grabbed her arm. "Take off my outer robe and put it on..."
Jiang Sihe was stunned upon hearing this.
Take off his clothes and put them on herself?
"No need. I'll just run around here for a while. I'll warm up soon..."
"There isn't much food. If you run around, you might not be able to hold on..."
After saying that, Pei Yanchao started to take off his outer robe with his uninjured hand.
But he got stuck halfway because his other arm was hanging from his neck. Jiang Sihe quickly helped him. "Be careful. Do you want to lose this arm?"
"Help me take it off..."
Jiang Sihe had no choice but to do as he said and take off his rather thick outer robe.
"Put it on quickly. The temperature in this cave is quite low..."
Pei Yanchao pushed the robe towards Jiang Sihe.
"You've just recovered from your cough. If I wear it, what about you?"
"I'm not cold..."
Not cold my foot. When his hand reached out just now, she had already noticed that his fingers were ice - cold.
"Come here. Let's sit close to each other and cover ourselves with this robe together..."
Pei Yanchao hesitated a bit. Wouldn't that be inappropriate?
"Don't hesitate. At this moment, don't care about those so - called rules. Saving our lives is the most important thing."
Pei Yanchao was pulled by her to sit down. Jiang Sihe had spread a layer of weeds on the ground, so it was still a bit warm.
Jiang Sihe covered the two of them with the outer robe. Then she rolled her eyes slightly and put her arm around Pei Yanchao's.
"Get closer. It'll be warmer..."
Pei Yanchao didn't object. He moved a bit closer.
Jiang Sihe was secretly happy that her plan had worked. Since he didn't reject her physical contact, did it mean that he didn't reject her either...
"Lord Pei, why don't you tell me some interesting things? Otherwise, sitting here in such a dark environment, it's easy to fall asleep..."
It was too cold here. If she fell asleep, she would be even colder. She couldn't sleep.
"Sure. I'll tell you some things that happened when I went to Huaizhou to investigate the iron - mine case..."
"Great!"
In the dark cave, Pei Yanchao's deep and gentle voice filled the air. Before, Jiang Sihe had thought his voice was cold and emotionless. But here, where she couldn't see anything and her hearing was extra sensitive, she could actually hear a hint of tenderness in his deep voice.
"So the local villagers helped you, my lord?"
"Yes. They may seem ignorant, but that iron mine had been guarded by their ancestors for generations. It was embezzled by the local officials. They didn't know much else, but they knew that I was there to help them. Everyone did their best to assist me..."
Jiang Sihe couldn't help but smile.
"Who would have thought that my lord would be bullied by the local villains back then..."
"A strong dragon can't overpower a local snake. Even I had to be trapped in the mine cave by the local officials for three days and three nights..."
A glimmer of light flashed in Jiang Sihe's eyes. "Does that mean we can also last three days and three nights here?"
Pei Yanchao slowly nodded and replied softly, "We will..."
Before she knew it, Jiang Sihe fell asleep on Pei Yanchao's shoulder.
Pei Yanchao shifted his body towards her to make her sleep more comfortably.
She was afraid of getting colder if she fell asleep, but if she stayed awake all the time, she wouldn't be able to hold on until the rescue arrived. Pei Yanchao let his body warmth comfort hers and let her sleep for a while.
When Jiang Sihe opened her eyes again, she was a bit dazed. It was pitch - black in front of her. Only the shoulder she was leaning on made her feel a bit more secure.
"Are you awake?"
"How long have I been sleeping...?"
"About an hour..."
Jiang Sihe sat up straight and said a bit dejectedly, "I wonder how long we've been here?"
Pei Yanchao replied in a low voice, "I heard the sound of water dripping from the rock wall earlier. I used it to keep time. It's been about a day and more since we fell in..."
"Already more than a day? Why haven't they found us yet?"
Jiang Sihe was starting to feel a bit anxious. If this continued, would they die here without anyone knowing?
"You said the person who trapped us here didn't even come to check on us. Why did he just let us stay here? The purpose of setting this trap was just to trap us, not to capture us...?"
Pei Yanchao could hear the anxiety and panic in her voice. He gently comforted her, "Trust Yan An and the others. They will definitely find us here!"
"Now we can only hope that Yan An can find us..."
Pei Yanchao took out the butter tea from the oil - paper bag. "Alright, it's time for rations..."
"Hey, now only at this moment can I feel a bit of hope..."
Reaching out to catch the piece of buttered pancake that Pei Yanchao groped to hand over, Jiang Sihe took it and heard Pei Yanchao wrapping up the oil - paper bag and putting it away.
She couldn't help but ask him, "Why don't you eat?"
"I already ate while you were sleeping..."
Jiang Sihe didn't suspect him. She ate the piece of buttered pancake in her hand.
Just after she finished eating, Pei Yanchao groped to hand her a handkerchief.
"This handkerchief was placed on the rock wall earlier. It's already soaked. You can moisten your lips with it..."
Jiang Sihe was deeply impressed by Pei Yanchao's thoughtfulness. In such an environment without any containers, he had thought of using a handkerchief to catch water.
She took the handkerchief, pinched a corner and put it on her lips. Drops of water fell on her lips.
After a few drops, she handed the handkerchief to Pei Yanchao.
"You drink some too..."
Pei Yanchao was about to say that he had already drunk, but Jiang Sihe put the handkerchief on his face.
"There's still so much water on this handkerchief. You must not have drunk yet..."
Pei Yanchao smiled helplessly and put the handkerchief on his lips. Thinking that this handkerchief had been on Jiang Sihe's lips before and now on his...
He couldn't help but feel a bit flustered. The two of them were sitting very close at this moment. He felt a slight flutter in his heart and couldn't help but gently rub the handkerchief against his lips...
"We have food and water. I bet the person who trapped us never thought we could last for so many days..."
Hearing her cheerful voice, Pei Yanchao couldn't help but smile.
"Don't worry. You will definitely wait until they find us..."
Jiang Sihe couldn't help but correct him, "It's not just me. We will definitely wait until then..."
"Okay!" Pei Yanchao replied in a low voice.