Chapter 15 – Similar
Li Hua threaded the needle with new thread. Noticing someone’s gaze on his body, he instinctively raised his head and met Li Man’s gaze. He seemed to be frozen in surprise for a moment, but soon after, his lips curved up slightly. He gently smiled and said, “Actually, this isn’t difficult. It’s much easier to use force if you’re wearing a thimble. Your fingers won’t get hurt either.”
After saying this, he raised his hand and demonstrated a stitch for her.
The five members of Li family all had very attractive eyes, especially the teenager in front of her. His eyes were pure and warm like a clear sky.
Being looked at with those eyes, Li Man felt the tips of her ears getting hot. Feeling a bit guilty, she said, “It’s getting late. I’m going to go cook dinner.” Right after saying these words, she hurriedly turned to the side and ran out of the hut.
There was a flash of uncertainty in Li Hua’s eyes. He said to Xiaowu, “Go and keep her company.”
Her accent sounded like the one from the capital, her small, round face, her beautiful, big, sparkling eyes, her long eyelashes, her elegant and petite appearance, her snow-white skin, and her especially slender and delicate fingers. Her hands didn’t seem suitable to do rough work…
Li Hua’s eyebrows slightly scrunched up. He lowered his head and went back to mending the quilt, but the recent image of Li Man bashfully fleeing flashed through his mind. The teenager’s attractive lips curved up even more.
“Fourth brother, what are you smiling about?” Li Xiaowu was lying on the quilt with his head raised to look up at his older brother.
Li Hua’s fingers paused for a moment. His eyes narrowed as he looked at his younger brother, “Why didn’t you go?”
“I already went, but older sister said she could cook by herself, so I came back,” Li Xiaowu said. Actually, he wanted to keep older sister company, but he also wanted to keep his fourth brother company too.
Instead of continuing the conversation, Li Hua went back to mending the quilt. His technique was meticulous and neat. It didn’t take long before he finished sewing the first quilt. He folded it and put it to the side. Then, he started on the second quilt.
There were three quilts to mend in total. Perhaps, Li Man wouldn’t have been able to finish sewing them even if she worked nonstop until the sky was dark.
After finishing the quilts, since he already had a needle in his hand, Li Hua continued sitting on Li Man’s heated bed and mended the rips on Li Mo’s clothes that had torn during his hunting.
After finishing with this, he looked at Li Xiaowu’s shabby clothes that he had outgrown by now and thought it was about time for him to alter a few sets of clothing so that they would be suitable for his younger brother to wear.
But, the sky had darkened a lot. Should he go see how her cooking was going?
Remembering the embarrassed look in Li Man’s big eyes, Li Hua chuckled. After putting away the clothes, bamboo basket, and other items, he left the hut and headed towards the kitchen.
There was more natural light in the kitchen. A gentle strand of light from the setting sun passed through the window and fell on Li Man, who was standing at the stove and cooking.
At this moment, it felt as something has firmly knocked against Li Hua’s heart. Pausing at the doorway, he actually forgot about walking inside.
Li Xiaowu was crouched down by the cooking fire. Seeing his fourth brother at the doorway, he loudly called out, “Fourth brother.”
Hearing Xiaowu’s voice, Li Man turned her head to followed his line of sight and greeted Li Hua with a splitting grin. Her earlier embarrassment had already faded away. It would be fine if she just treated this teenager as a big child that was only halfway to adulthood.
With a slight smile, Li Hua entered the room. But, seeing that there wasn’t anything that needed his help, he left the room and stood under the eaves. He raised his head and looked at the drifting clouds and the gorgeous setting sun.
Li Man didn’t expect to see such a similar image in this strange and unfamiliar world.
In the modern world, there had been a teenager that looked so pure, he seemed like someone from a painting. Around dusk, at the rooftop of the school building, he would always quietly stand there by himself and look at the sky. A gentle breeze would stroke his short hair as it passed through. The backdrop of the setting sun’s hazy golden light accompanied the side profile of his handsome face. He was so attractive that other people could only admire him.