Summer gave way to autumn.
The weather grew colder, and Xiao Mai was forbidden to go out to play.
She grew anxious again, "Xiao Zhou doesn't have a quilt. I want to give him mine."
Saying that, Xiao Mai ran into her bedroom.
Tian Jing shrugged at her husband; the law of extroverted daughters was eternal.
Li Zhengguo stopped Xiao Mai, who was coming out with a quilt, "Invite Xiao Zhou to stay for the winter."
"Okay!"
Xiao Mai happily let go, the quilt in her arms falling to the ground. She stepped over it and ran to the cave, descending the ladder with unprecedented speed.
Li Zhengguo picked up the quilt with a helpless sigh, patted it, and placed it on the sofa in the living room, waiting.
He only waited for Xiao Mai, who ran back crying, "Uncle, Auntie, Xiao Zhou won't open the door for me."
Li Zhengguo's expression turned cold, "Then forget it."
Tian Jing beckoned Xiao Mai over and asked her to sit beside her, "Xiao Mai, when you called Xiao Zhou, did he hear you?"
Xiao Mai shook her head, "I don't know."
Tian Jing asked again, "Were there any sounds from Xiao Zhou's room?"
Xiao Mai still shook her head, "No."
Tian Jing turned to her husband, "Xiao Zhou doesn't have a quilt, he might have a cold and can't get up. Go and see."
"No."
Li Zhengguo remained still, "It's getting cold, and he doesn't even know to prepare quilts. He's not even as good as Xiao Mai, how can he take care of Xiao Mai?"
"He would if he could!"
Tian Jing glanced at her husband, "Can he even get down the mountain? How can you not go up and down the mountain yourself?"
Li Zhengguo retorted, "Then how did he get up here?"
Seeing her stubborn husband, Tian Jing asked, "Never mind how many days it took him to climb up here. I'm asking you, did Xiao Mai give him time?"
Except for meal times and sleep, Xiao Mai almost always dragged Zhou Chengbin to play.
Xiao Mai looked at her uncle, then pulled her aunt up, "Let's go, let's go and see if Xiao Zhou is sick."
Finally, the three of them went next door together.
The door that Xiao Mai couldn't open was easily lifted and pushed aside by Li Zhengguo.
Behind the door was a simple cave. There was no shortage of living supplies inside, but there were no bedding or other sleeping items.
On the stone bed frame, clean straw was spread. Two pieces of clothing were laid on the straw, and on the clothes lay a person with rapid breathing, covered by a few thin spring shirts.
"Xiao Zhou, Xiao Zhou."
Xiao Mai anxiously squatted by the bed, calling out to the drowsy Zhou Chengbin.
Zhou Chengbin struggled to open his eyes, "Xiao Mai, we're not going out to play today, okay?"
Seeing Zhou Chengbin open his eyes, Xiao Mai smiled, "I came to invite you to my house for the winter, not to go out and play."
Huh?
Zhou Chengbin looked at Tian Jing, who had walked up behind Xiao Mai, in surprise, "Auntie?"
Tian Jing nodded, "It's too cold, and you haven't prepared anything for winter here. Come to our place for the winter."
"Thank you, Auntie."
Zhou Chengbin thanked her, then looked towards the cave entrance, "Thank you, Uncle."
"If you're not dead, get up yourself."
With that, Li Zhengguo walked out of the cave.
Tian Jing smiled helplessly at Zhou Chengbin, "Can you manage by yourself?"
"I can."
Zhou Chengbin tried to sit up but swayed and fell back down.
When Tian Jing brought Zhou Chengbin down the mountain using a vine, Li Zhengguo was standing at the cave entrance, looking down, "Throw him up."
Tian Jing threw out the vine, and the next second, Zhou Chengbin was pulled by his collar by Li Zhengguo into the warm living room.
When Tian Jing and Xiao Mai returned from the cave, Li Zhengguo instructed Xiao Mai, "Go and make some ginger soup."
"Okay."
Xiao Mai's mood was not good, clearly worried about Zhou Chengbin's condition.
After Zhou Chengbin drank the ginger soup, Xiao Mai dragged him to her room, "I have a quilt, use mine."
In just three days, Zhou Chengbin recovered.
It seemed that the half-year of training in the mountains had not been in vain; his physical fitness was good.
With Zhou Chengbin's recovery, a smile returned to Xiao Mai's face.
Seeing Xiao Mai's smile, Zhou Chengbin's eyes welled up with tears. Xiao Mai, despite her condition, still cared about him. He was deeply touched and became almost completely obedient to Xiao Mai.
When the first snow fell, Tian Jing asked Zhou Chengbin, "If Yu Lin were like Xiao Mai, would you be willing to take care of him?"
Zhou Chengbin was startled. Wasn't Yu Lin already executed?
Tian Jing asked again, "I'm asking hypothetically, would you be willing?"
Zhou Chengbin was silent for a long time before replying, "I am not willing. Love cannot come with a burden."
"When I was in Kushan, I carried a heavy burden of thoughts and didn't take good care of Xiao Mai."
"Now, I abandon everything and am only willing to keep Xiao Mai company alone."
"Over the years, you should know the extent of my abilities, Auntie."
"I can only take care of one person, and that's when there are no outside interferences."
"I understand."
Tian Jing nodded, "You just focus on taking care of Xiao Mai. Don't disappoint us again this time, otherwise, you will truly have no chance."
Zhou Chengbin nodded vigorously, "I know, thank you, Uncle and Auntie."
Another New Year arrived.
The Li family came to the valley for the New Year. This time, there was one more person—Zhang Qiongyu.
Zhang Qiongyu's face was filled with shock.
Last year, she spent the New Year with a group of colleagues who couldn't go home.
This year, she had also made plans with her colleagues, but she was called to the Li family by Li Sixuan and then was brought into this pristine and quiet valley by Captain Li using several vines.
She had always known about the special abilities of Captain Li and his family, and she never expected them to be able to fly around like in a wuxia movie.
Although Captain Li used vines to fly through the forest, the feeling of flying in mid-air and leaping across treetops made her want to scream with excitement.
Li Weixin reluctantly put down the person in his arms who was lost in thought, "Isn't it beautiful here?"
"It's beautiful."
"When spring returns, I'll bring you here again."
"Can we?"
"Yes, just avoid other people."
Zhang Qiongyu found it hard to refuse this temptation, "Okay, it's a deal then."
"It's a deal."
Li Weili saw Zhou Chengbin and frowned, "Why are you here?"
Zhou Chengbin didn't know how to explain.
Xiao Mai smiled and stood beside him, "He's staying at our place for the winter."
Li Weihao gently patted his sister's shoulder, "Dad agreed."
In the past six months, his sister had been busy with the opening of the office building in the capital and hadn't had time to concern herself with her parents' affairs.
Yu Ziyu pulled Li Sixuan to sit on the sofa, "You've passed Dad's test. Don't say too much. Sister Xiao Mai is very happy and hasn't had an episode, I heard."
Li Weili looked at her husband, who was helping in the kitchen near the cave entrance. Seeing her husband nod at her, she rubbed her forehead, realizing she was the only one who didn't know!
"Second Sister-in-law, tell me what you know."
Li Weili's eyes turned to her daughter. Her daughter was growing up and couldn't play with her younger brothers. She herself had been busy lately, and she had no idea about what was happening at home.
But it was good. Handing Sister Xiao Mai back to Zhou Chengbin meant her parents wouldn't have to suffer here anymore.
Li Liguo was taken by his brother to the adjacent cave. The two brothers talked for a long time before returning.
Seeing that her husband was no longer glaring at Zhou Chengbin, Ouyang Meihua breathed a sigh of relief. It was best for Xiao Mai and Chengbin to live here, away from everyone.
The two of them guarded their grandmother's tomb, buying peace of mind. Even if Xiao Mai woke up one day, she could continue to atone here.
...
The following year, during the Qingming Festival, Li Min came to sweep the tomb and was so angry at Zhou Chengbin that she stomped her foot, "You left without a word, even throwing away your phone! If your parents hadn't heard your voicemail, they would have called the police and suspected we had harmed you."
Zhou Chengbin repeatedly apologized.
"Hmph!"
Li Min snorted heavily, " Contact them quickly. I don't want them staring at me every day."
Zhou Chengbin shook his head, "I said, just assume I'm dead."
Li Min pouted, "You're so selfish."
"I can't worry about that much. I can only focus on Xiao Mai, who needs me the most."
"Xiao Mai has my older brother and sister-in-law."
"Uncle and Auntie have their own affairs. They've already left their home for over a year."
Li Min was momentarily speechless, "Alright, alright, you have a point. You really don't plan on going down?"
Zhou Chengbin nodded, "Xiao Mai and I are here with Grandma."
Li Min was still dissatisfied, "Hmph! My mother must find you annoying."