As her fingertips moved, Pei Zhaolin trembled slightly all over.
Pei Zhaolin was all thumbs. For a moment, he didn't know where to put his hands properly.
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he whispered, "Forgive my rudeness."
He put one arm around Cui Jintang's waist.
It was hot in summer, and her clothes were thin.
The moment he touched her, he could even feel her delicate skin.
Pei Zhaolin suddenly felt a bit nervous.
Relying on the protruding stones on the earthen wall, perhaps because Pei Zhaolin was too nervous, it wasn't easy for him to leap up.
It rained a lot in summer, and now a fine drizzle was falling.
The two of them stepped on the wet mud with uneven steps, and neither of them said a word.
Pei Zhaolin walked in front, pushing aside the slanting branches with his bare hands.
He broke off a large banana leaf and turned around to hand it to Cui Jintang. "Take it to keep out the rain."
Cui Jintang gave a soft "hmm" and reached out to take it.
She held it above her head, looked up for a moment, and then lowered her head slightly.
After being soaked by the rain, Pei Zhaolin's clothes clung tightly to his wound.
She could faintly smell the scent of blood from the tip of her nose.
Cui Jintang let out a short "ouch" expressionlessly.
The sound was extremely short, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Pei Zhaolin heard it and slowed down half a step. After hesitating for a moment, he still turned back and asked, "What's wrong?"
Cui Jintang fiddled with the banana leaf and frowned. "It's too heavy. It's making my hand sore."
Before she could finish speaking, Pei Zhaolin had already reached out to hold the banana leaf above their heads and walked beside her.
She glanced at his shoulder that was still half exposed and averted her eyes.
Forget it. Feeling sorry for a man means a lifetime of bad luck.
When they reached a steep slope, the bottom was pitch - black, and it was impossible to tell how deep it was.
Pei Zhaolin stepped on the soil twice to test it. It was fairly solid.
Only then did he turn sideways and reach out his hand to Cui Jintang.
Cui Jintang didn't take his hand. She supported herself on a tree trunk and jumped down, but still stumbled when she landed.
Pei Zhaolin's hand just happened to support her elbow at that moment.
Through two layers of wet clothes, his palm was as hot as a lump of charcoal.
"Let go," she whispered.
Pei Zhaolin gave a soft "hmm" but didn't let go. Instead, he used the strength to pull her towards the inner side and carried her down in his arms.
There was only half an arm's length between them, and their breaths mingled.
In the dampness after the rain, a bit of delicate ambiguity emerged.
Pei Zhaolin suddenly took half a step back and avoided her eyes in a flurry. "Forgive my rudeness. I'm sorry."
His obvious look of a green young lad surprised Cui Jintang.
What had she done? Why was Pei Zhaolin acting like this?
Cui Jintang leaned forward and picked another banana leaf herself. "This way, we won't offend each other."
Pei Zhaolin's expression froze for a moment.
He lowered his eyes and softly responded.
Out of the corner of his eye, Pei Zhaolin suddenly saw a familiar herb.
He quickened his steps, walked forward, and reached out to pick one.
Hearing the sound behind him, Pei Zhaolin turned around and showed the herb in his hand to Cui Jintang. "This is sticktight. It has ternate compound leaves, and its seeds have hooks. It often grows in damp places and can treat abrasions."
"Okay," Cui Jintang replied casually.
Just now they had fallen into a hunting trap. After getting out, Cui Jintang was a bit disoriented. She was getting a bit anxious.
If it got dark and they were still in the dense forest, they might be carried away by wild beasts.
"I remember there should be a temporary shelter built by mountain villagers in front. We can go there to take shelter from the rain first."
Many mountain villagers often tied together "tree houses" on the trunks of big trees with branches and vines.
It was about ten feet above the ground. The upper branches could keep out the rain, and a fire could be made on the lower part to keep warm. If they were in a hurry, they would simply build a "three - pronged fork" against the three branches of a tree and cover the slanting roof with thatch. It could also provide shelter.
As if seeing what Cui Jintang was thinking at the moment, Pei Zhaolin suddenly spoke up.
Cui Jintang nodded and urged a bit. "Then let's go quickly. Don't wait for the rain to get heavier."
Pei Zhaolin seemed to have grown up in this deep mountain forest since childhood. He turned left and right, almost making Cui Jintang dizzy.
Finally, with a turn, they really found an abandoned shelter.
After lighting a fire with a fire starter, Cui Jintang rubbed her hands and sat beside the fire to warm up.
All the clothes on her body were soaked through and felt sticky against her skin. It was really uncomfortable.
On one side, Pei Zhaolin used an outer robe as a partition to separate the two of them.
Through the light of the fire, Cui Jintang could faintly see the blurred outline of his figure.
He had half - taken off his clothes, revealing the abrasion on his back scratched by the rocks.
The blood had coagulated, but there were still broken leaves and mud on it. A slight movement could reopen the wound.
Out of the propriety between men and women, Pei Zhaolin hadn't said a word just now. He just silently pounded the sticktight in front of Cui Jintang.
Now he just turned his body sideways and reached back with one hand to try to reach the wound.
His slender and fair fingertips trembled, but they were always half an inch away from the wound.
Cui Jintang was sitting beside the fire to warm up. Out of the corner of her eye, she had already seen his embarrassed state.
Pei Zhaolin pretended to be focused and smeared the pounded sticktight paste on his back bit by bit.
His movements were as clumsy as a child just learning to write. He smeared a bit and half of it leaked.
The herb juice slid down his lean waistline, staining the waistband of his trousers green.
He frowned slightly and occasionally let out a soft "hiss".
But he forced the sound into his throat, leaving only a muffled tail sound.
After hearing it several times, Cui Jintang couldn't help but remind him, "A bit more to the left, a bit higher—"
But Pei Zhaolin seemed not to hear. He made a more awkward arc with his hand behind his back, and his fingertips trembled so much that he couldn't even hold the leaves steadily.
The ball of herb paste finally "plopped" to the ground.
Pei Zhaolin coughed softly and turned his head slightly.
His side face was unusually calm and quiet. Only the big beads of sweat on his nostrils revealed his nervousness and eagerness.
"I didn't hear clearly just now."
A vein on Cui Jintang's forehead twitched, and she was amused by this clumsy excuse.
Pei Zhaolin waited for a moment, listened intently for any movement, and when he was sure she didn't respond, he pursed his lips.
He raised his hand and "accidentally" knocked over the water bag. The clear water rushed over the wound, making his shoulders and back tense suddenly. His knuckles turned white from gripping.
In the sound of the water, he took a very light breath, like a scalded cat, emitting a few soft pants.
Cui Jintang finally looked up, and her gaze lingered on his tense shoulder line for a moment.
She saw that Pei Zhaolin still stubbornly reached back to try to reach the wound. His fingertips hovered around the bloodstain but were always a bit short.
At this moment, it was so quiet in the air that it seemed only the chirping of cicadas could be heard.
Cui Jintang stared at his back for a moment, and finally sighed, as if helpless.
She propped her hands on her knees and stood up, then walked a few steps behind him.
Sensing her approaching, Pei Zhaolin's back instantly stiffened, like a suddenly drawn - full bow.
"Don't move," Cui Jintang said in a low voice.
But to Pei Zhaolin's ears, it inexplicably carried a bit of the summer's restlessness.
When her fingertips, stained with the cool herb, touched the wound, Pei Zhaolin instinctively dodged forward and let out a muffled groan.
But Cui Jintang pressed her hand on his shoulder.
The warmth of her palm came through his skin. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he didn't struggle anymore.
As her fingertips moved, Pei Zhaolin trembled slightly all over.