It was already dark, and obviously, he was very close, but Jiang Zhen could not see the appearance of Zhao Jinge clearly. But even so, he was still very happy.

After such a long time, Jiang Zhen was finally in love. He felt like a little boy and reached out for Zhao Jinge’s hand. As a result, he didn’t catch Zhao Jinge’s hand but met, instead, with a still hot bowl. 

“You have something to do?” Jiang Zhen asked, “Do you want to bring food to someone? I’ll go with you.”  

“It’s for you.” Zhao Jinge handed the bowl in his hand to Jiang Zhen. 

Jiang Zhen had sent things to Zhao Jinge. On one hand, he was repaying him for his kindness. On the other hand, he took a fancy to Zhao Jinge, but he really did not expect that he would still be able to get Zhao Jinge to give him something in return. After all, from beginning to end, he only gave him five eggs and some chicken. 

“For me? What is this?” Jiang Zhen asked.

“It’s loaches. I caught it when I plowed the ground.” Zhao Jinge was somewhat embarrassed. Such things as loaches could be caught everywhere. Loaches from the farm were worthless; the value was definitely not as good as eggs and chicken. 

Jiang Zhen felt very happy but also a little guilty. He didn’t spend any effort to get the eggs and chicken. In his opinion, it was really nothing, Zhao Jinge, who gave him loaches, could only slowly catch it. I am afraid Zhao Jinge spent a lot of effort. 

When he thought of it that way, he had done too little for Zhao Jinge.

“You don’t like it,” Zhao Jinge said when he saw Jiang Zhen had not spoken.

“No, I’m happy.” Jiang Zhen wanted to hug this person in front of him but felt that it was a bit too early. In the end, he just grabbed Zhao Jinge’s other hand. “Let’s eat together.” 

“I’m going back.” Zhao Jinge was startled. In the dark, the touch was magnified indefinitely. Although he only held his hand, he felt his hand getting hotter and hotter, and his body could not help but begin to sweat. 

“Let’s eat together.” Jiang Zhen dragged him to the thatched hut not far away. 

Jiang Zhen found many good things in Chengxiang’s house, including several candles. He found a piece of candle and blocked the candlelight with the stone that was near it, so he could look at Zhao Jinge. 

The candlelight was very weak, but Jiang Zhen could still see Zhao Jinge’s appearance and also see the bowl of loaches in his hands.

Zhao Jinge looked very much to his taste, but in fact, he was very rustic and the loaches in his hand was not even a bit a seller, but Jiang Zhen still liked to watch him more and more.

Even though he had experienced life and death several times, he suddenly crossed to a different world. It was very difficult to accept it at the time; the feeling of dying was even more painful. It was Zhao Jinge who saved him. 

It had been a few days since he crossed to this world. Jiang Zhen had no sympathy for other people, but Zhao Jinge was different.

It can be said that, in this world, the only person he accepted was Zhao Jinge.

Jiang Zhen took Zhao Jinge’s hand with his left hand but soon released it. He took a mulberry twig from the side and broke it and turned it into two chopsticks. After that, he sat down again and held Zhao Jinge’s hand again.

When Zhao Jinge hand was suddenly released, his heart felt tight. Now he was held again, he felt that his hand seemed to be burning. He even started to worry about it. He worked all day, and his hands were full of calluses. His hands were not smaller than Jiang Zhen’s. Would Jiang Zhen dislike it?

Jiang Zhen did not think so at all. He pinched Zhao Jinge’s hands a few times, taking advantage of it. He took a loach into his mouth with the chopsticks and then he used the chopsticks to push one into Zhao Jinge’s mouth.

The loaches, only cooked in salt, didn’t taste so great, but Jiang Zhen was never a picky eater. In addition, this was what Zhao Jinge especially caught for him to eat, so he thought  that it was extremely delicious. But after Zhao Jinge opened his mouth and ate his loach, he couldn’t help blushing.

If he knew, he would have told his mother not to add oil . . .

“It’s delicious,” said Jiang Zhen. The loach also had bones in the middle. He ate up the meat on one side of the bones. He ate one part and gave the other one to Zhao Jinge. 

“You eat. I don’t have to—” Zhao Jinge quickly refused. The loaches were given to Jiang Zhen by him. He could not eat half of it himself.

“What is the point of dividing between you and me? We’ll eat together in the future,” said Jiang Zhen. As soon as his voice fell, he felt that the hand he was holding tremble slightly. 

Aware that Zhao Jinge wanted to leave, Jiang Zhen directly suppressed him. “Eat before you go!” 

Zhao Jinge really wanted to go, but was worried about Jiang Zhen. He was worried about hurting the other and afraid that he would turn over that bowl of loaches. He was too afraid to struggle. “You let go of me!” Hadn’t Jiang Zhen always been very dull that he  dared not speak to anyone? How did this happen?

If they were both seen like this, the spittle and nails of the villagers would drown them!

Zhao Jinge knew very well that it was wrong for him and Jiang Zhen to do so, but he did not know why, but he was not very angry.

He never understood why those oily, thick-skinned men could always find their wife quickly, but now, he was vaguely aware.

“I will let you go, but you can’t leave, or I’ll chase you to your house,” said Jiang Zhen. He actually wanted to kiss him. Unfortunately, Zhao Jinge was too shy. If he really tried to kiss this guy, he would definitely run away. He could only hold back for now.

However, though he was restrained, he has already regarded Zhao Jinge as his own man. Of course, it was no problem for him to be with Zhao Jinge.

In this ancient times, even the rich people lived less comfortably than modern people, but if he could find someone to accompany him for a lifetime, Jiang Zhen would feel that living in this ancient time was not bad. 

Anyway, he stayed in the army for a long time. He had no Internet addiction at all. He didn’t feel that he couldn’t live without high-tech products, like mobile phones.

Zhao Jinge did not dare to go in the end. Then Jiang Zhen took a bite for himself and for him; they finished the bowl of loaches together.

After eating, Jiang Zhen did not want to leave. Zhao Jinge was silent, and the two sat silently for a while until the candle was finally finished and went out.

“I’m leaving.” Zhao Jinge stood up, holding the empty bowl.

“I will go back too.” Jiang Zhen said, “Tomorrow at noon, I will go to the place where we cut firewood together to find you.”

Zhao Jin nodded and thought that Jiang Zhen might not be able to see it, so he said, “Good.” 

When the two men said yes, Zhao Jinge looked at the dark figure of Jiang Zhen before he went home. Jiang Zhen waited for him to leave. He picked up the pig knife from the side and went home in a particularly good mood. 

How nice to have a date with someone today, not to mention that I have also an appointment for tomorrow! 

But . . . Jiang Zhen looked at the knife in his hand and suddenly felt that there was something wrong with his image.

He couldn’t always hold such a big knife to meet Zhao Jinge every time, but he really needed weapons that could deter others.

Thinking about that, Jiang Zhen went to the village’s bamboo grove in the dark.

He cut off two bamboos with a knife, and he went home with them.

The next day, Jiang Zhen still got up early, and when he got up, he still didn’t go to work. He sat in the yard and began to deal with the two bamboos that he brought back last night.

He chose the thinner one, cut it off, made one about his own height, sharpened its head, and made it look like the same weapon. 

If there was such a sharp bamboo at hand and his opponent was holding a knife, there was no need to be afraid. After all, the knife was short while the bamboo pole was long. As long as he did not let people get close to him, he could definitely use his bamboo pole to remove other people’s knives. The sharpened head above can also be used to puncture holes in others. 

Of course, the most important thing was that it would not attract strange eyes. And when he went out with bamboo pole, it would be much lighter than a knife.

When one bamboo pole was ready, Jiang Zhen began to cut the other bamboo pole.

He chopped the bamboo pole very thickly. First, he cut off two large bamboo tubes, then he made two plugs made out of woods. Then he began to make other things with the remaining bamboo.

Jiang Zhen made two pairs of bamboo chopsticks and two cups from the smaller bamboo tube above. When he wanted to do something else, he found that he could not do anything else. He had to cut off a few more bamboo tubes and put them away for future use.

Having finished all of these, Jiang Zhen took a porridge and rested, and by noon, he asked for two eggs and two bowls of rice. 

The dishes eaten in this place were all without any oil and water. Not to mention, from the two bowls of rice, Jiang Zhen only ate one bowl this time; the other bowl he packed into the bamboo tube. About the eggs, he also ate only one and put away the other.

After doing that, he went to the kitchen to fill a bamboo tube with hot water. Then Jiang Zhen went out the door and left for his date.

Edited by : Faro

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