Chapter 337: If Something Were To Happen To You, I Would Never Be Able To Live With Peace Of Mind…
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Duoyao thought his reasoning sounded quite sweet, but after a while, she felt unsatisfied again. She turned back and puffed her cheeks. “Does that mean you’ve really been with other women in the past?”
Yan Molun glanced at her lazily. “Didn’t you also say I’m an old man? How many old men haven’t been with a few women before?”
Duoyao suddenly felt as though she had eaten a piece of cake that had been nibbled by flies. “Then I’m at a disadvantage. Not only did I get myself an old man, but I even got a second-hand old man. No, maybe even third or fourth hand.”
Yan Molun finally tied the thin string of the jade pendant. He lifted his head and when he heard her speak, he frowned helplessly. When he left, she dealt him a blow. Now that he had returned, she dealt him with yet another blow.
He let her go and leaned back, supporting his weight with his hands propped behind him as he said lightly, “Do you know the price of getting yourself a first-hand man?”
Duoyao snorted and turned back. “I don’t but he’d definitely be better than you.”
He lit a cigarette unhurriedly and in no time at all, he breathed out smoke sexily. He looked at her and smiled. “You’re wrong. You have to teach him all about relationships step by step just like how a teacher nurtures a student. He wouldn’t be able to guess what you’re thinking and you won’t be able to guess what he’s thinking. He would only be hot-headed in liking you but wouldn’t know how to cherish the relationship. You’d have to take good care of him and even give in to him. However, I doubt you know how to do all that. You’re already a person who doesn’t mean what you say. You two would definitely break up within three days.”
Duoyao was stunned. She had to admit that he made sense. However, she just felt uncomfortable. “Don’t think so highly of yourself. How would you know what would happen or the end result without trying?”
“The most important point is…” Yan Molun suddenly freed up a hand to put around her waist and pressed his face at her neck, saying in a slightly hoarse voice, “… He has completely no technique in that aspect and you would definitely be in a lot—a lot—of pain.”
Duoyao felt all her blood rushing to her brain. She turned back and saw him smiling sinisterly. Her face burned and she pushed him away. “I would only be in a lot—a lot—of pain with you.”
“You just have to give it a try to see if you’ll be in pain.” Yan Molun’s pupils constricted. “Why don’t we…”
Duoyao pushed him away as her face flushed red. She struggled to climb up and escape but he grabbed hold of her wrist easily and with just a little force, she fell and landed in his embrace. He lowered his head and kissed her deeply with his fiery lips.
“No… I don’t want to try…” She pushed him with her trembling limbs as she blushed.
“Silly. I was just teasing you.” Yan Molun placed her gently on the grass. He kissed her gently while saying hoarsely, “The environment here isn’t very good. How could I bear to let you have your first time here? We would at least have to return to Northern City, either in your house or mine…”
“Not even in Northern City.” She was a little touched but was even shyer and turned her blushing little face away.
Yan Molun smiled. He didn’t speak and only kissed her. The two of them hadn’t been going out for very long. They would return to Northern City in a month and no one could say for sure what would happen then. The only thing he needed to do right now was to own her heart.
“Alright. I’ll listen to you but can you let me kiss you now?” His lips pursued her and pressed on her lips passionately.
Duoyao was already dying from shyness. She closed her eyes tightly and her eyelashes fluttered under the sunlight like butterflies.
Yan Molun closed his dark eyes and started to deepen this kiss that came after close to a month’s separation.
On the green slope, with the blue sky and white clouds looking as though one could touch them just by reaching out, he slowly moved on top of her as though they were the only people left in this world.
Duoyao was shy. She never thought they would kiss in such a bashful way while lying on the clean grass. Time seemed to have stopped.
On the vast expanse of grassland, they didn’t even have to be worried about someone walking over.
After kissing for a while, Yan Molun hugged her and flipped over, making her lie on top of him. He pressed the back of her head towards him, as though it was never enough no matter how much they kissed.
After that, he carried her and sat up, kissing her face slowly. He said, “Although I might be a second-hand old man in your eyes, I’ll treat you better, pamper, and embrace you more than a first-hand good.”
After saying that, he occupied her lips deeply.
The cool breeze drifted through her hair. Duoyao suddenly felt as though she was drunk—drunk on his words. Her hands were already gently wrapped around his waist subconsciously.
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When they finally returned to the small road, more than an hour had passed. Yan Molun took out a lot of things from the trunk and just as they took a few steps forward, they heard the sound of the mule cart from behind them. Xiling watched them with an apparent smile at the back of the mule cart. “You two left so much earlier than us, but why does it seem like you’ve just gotten out of the car? What did you do?”
Duoyao couldn’t help but touch her lips as she recalled the things that had happened during the hour-plus they spent on the grassland. Were they swollen? However, she didn’t know that her little actions were already captured by Xiling.
“We went to take a walk on the grassland over there and had a little chat,” Yan Molun said lightly.
“Oh, oh.” Xiling looked as though she had an epiphany but was laughing silently in her heart.
The four went up the mountain together. This time, not only did Yan Molun bring paper and pens for the children; he even brought them color pencils.
Duoyao split up the stationery that night in preparation for tomorrow’s class. Suddenly, there were noises coming from outside the school and indistinct crying.
This wasn’t a big village and it was very quiet, so any disturbance could basically be heard throughout the village. Duoyao and Xiling ran over first. They found the villagers, tens of them, gathered together. Gramu’s Mother was crying as she squatted on the floor, covering her face. His father’s eyes were red too. On the other side, Bamu’s Father was whacking Bamu hard with a stick. A few people at the side were pulling him back.
“What’s going on?” Duoyao didn’t dare to walk up suddenly, so she pulled Alongso aside to ask him.
Alongso sighed. “Bamu, Gramu and some of the boys went to the back of the village to play this afternoon. The boys were naughty and Bamu kept insisting on going to the other side of the mountain. The road to the other side of the mountain was by a cliff. You don’t know since you haven’t been there before, but it’s always been a restricted place for the villagers. At the end, when Gramu went over, a stone fell from above and he got a shock. He then slipped and fell off the cliff.”
Duoyao took in a deep breath of cold air in disbelief. Her impression of Gramu was that he was a little naughty but very smart and also kind. He would always help his father carry some wood over and this morning, Gramu even greeted her with a smile as she was walking out of the village. To think that something like this happened in the blink of an eye. “Then… then did you guys search the bottom of the cliff? Is he dead or alive?”
Alongso shook his head. “Bamu and the other two kids got a bad scare and they only just came back in the evening, crying and telling their family members the truth. Gramu’s grandma got so agitated that she fainted. You don’t know about this, but there have been a few incidents that happened at the bottom of the cliff. No one dares to go there. A villager fell down a few years ago too and the villagers all grouped up to search for him. Some of the people who went on the search lost their lives and some who managed to come back alive said there were snakes as thick as a human body and also wolves. Don’t you sometimes hear the wolves howling?”
Duoyao shuddered. “Then isn’t Gramu…”
She didn’t dare to go on.
“I don’t know. The most horrifying part was that when the villagers brought back the dead villager who fell down, they realized his wounds were neither from wolves nor snakes.” Alongso shuddered while speaking. “I don’t know about Gramu’s current situation, but he will definitely be dead if we go tomorrow. However, no one dares to go look for him at night. Going at night is akin to courting death.”
“I’ll go,” Gramu’s father suddenly said loudly. “He’s my son. I can’t just let him die there.”
“Hula, don’t be rash.” The village chief pulled him back. “You’re the sole breadwinner of your family. If something untoward happened to you, what would your wife and Ma do?”
“If I were to look for Gramu tomorrow, he’ll definitely be dead,” Hula said angrily.
“If you go tonight, you might lose your life too,” the village chief said with a long sigh.
“Don’t go. I’ll go.” Duoyao suddenly heard a familiar man’s voice from behind her.
She turned back and realized that Yan Molun had been standing behind her at some point in time. He looked very calm.
The villagers were all shocked. They looked at him and the village chief quickly said, “Mr. Yan, we understand that you mean well, but that place is very dangerous. You might not know…”
“I know, it’s okay.” Yan Molun sounded very calm. “I’ve been to the Amazon before and have seen many strange organisms. I’ve had quite rich experiences. I’ve also killed the kind of snake that you were talking about before. Help me find some knives; I’ll go down tonight.”
Duoyao got a shock. She pulled him aside with all her might and said, “Don’t kid around—this isn’t the time to play the hero. You might end up losing your life.”
“No lives will be lost.” Yan Molun grabbed her hand and put it on his chest. She could feel the shape of a gun. He said, “Go back and take a rest. I’ll be back very soon.”
Duoyao was anxious. “I know you’re very impressive and you used to be a mercenary, but nature is sometimes even more dangerous than war. You came here because of me. I don’t want to go back without you. If something were to happen to you, I would never be able to live with peace of mind…”
“In our previous organization, in order to prove yourself worthy of being a mercenary, the first test was to survive a month in the Amazon forest. We would only be considered real mercenaries if we could come back alive after a month. Compared to the Amazon, this place is really nothing. Trust me.” Yan Molun stroked her head. “I’ll definitely be back within four hours.”
After saying that, he lifted his head and said to Hula, “Since you’re the child’s father, take me there.”
The principal was also worried. “Mr. Yan…”
“Enough said. If I can go there, I can come back.” Yan Molun patted Alongso’s shoulder. He turned back to retrieve a torch from the school dormitory.
Xiling nudged Duoyao. “You have to talk him out of it.”
“I can’t.” Duoyao licked her dried lips. She had read some books and watched some television programs. She knew how dangerous the Amazon forest was. There were piranhas, alligators, boas, and lizards. Since he could get out of that place, then a trip to the bottom of the cliff would probably… be fine?
However, just thinking about it still made her scared. What if he couldn’t make it back?
Her legs trembled and she quickly rushed over. Yan Molun had already taken a torch with him. He turned back and saw her and seemed to know what she wanted to say. He interrupted her: “Duoyao, do you not trust me?”
“I…”
“Stay at home.” He paused in his steps and turned back to say softly by her ear, “You just need to think about how you’re going to reward me later when I return.”
After saying that, he left with large strides. Duoyao stomped her feet angrily. How could he be in the mood to think about a reward at a time like this?
Yan Molun and Hula left very quickly. The typically peaceful village was filled with anxiousness tonight and no one was able to sleep. Alongso paced back and forth in the field. “Done for, done for. They definitely won’t be able to make it back. Duoyao, you shouldn’t have let him go.”
Duoyao sat silently on the table tennis table that Yan Molun often sat on. Her face and hands had sustained several mosquito bites but it was as though she couldn’t feel anything.
It was just like what she said before—if Yan Molun didn’t make it back, she might not be able to let it go for the rest of her life.
Actually, she hadn’t spent a lot of time with him, but the thought of this person disappearing from her world made it feel as unbearable as being pricked by needles.
Would there be no one to fetch her water, no one to bring things back to the village for her, no one to wait for her outside quietly while she was in class?
When it came time to eat supper back in Northern City, she wouldn’t be able to see him sitting silently at the side either.
She buried her face in her knees.
No. She shouldn’t keep thinking about him not being able to return. Maybe he would return. After all, he was just a beast-like man.
Every second spent waiting seemed unbearable. He said he would be back in four hours. After three hours had passed, it would soon be four hours and dawn was also slowly approaching.
Time passed second by second, minute by minute. Her mind started to slowly become blank. Xiling kept chattering beside her but Jiang Duoyao couldn’t seem to make out any words. She could only stare at the time.
When the hands of the clock pointed to 3:55 am, there was a sudden racket from outside the school. She staggered as she ran over. Yan Molun walked over briskly. He had some cuts on his face and his clothes were also stained with mud and soil, but he was walking very quickly, carrying an unconscious child on his back.