Chapter 159: A Pastoral Haven

As the saying goes, chasing a man is like crossing a mountain, while chasing a woman is like piercing a single layer of paper.

Zhang Can had never dared to harbor such thoughts toward Su Xue, nor had he ever entertained the notion. Even when the two of them were thrust into such desperate circumstances, Zhang Can merely felt that he could not abandon Su Xue, never imagining that he would become her husband and spend the rest of his life with her in this secluded valley.

Once Su Xue voiced these thoughts aloud, however, everything suddenly lost its mysterious veil. They were simply two ordinary people who had escaped to this haven; all thoughts of power, money, disputes, and hatred were cast far beyond the highest clouds.

In the face of absolute despair, once you grew accustomed to it, it ceased to matter. Much like gamblers or candidates taking a crucial exam—terrified before the ordeal, yet falling into complete tranquility after losing everything or failing the test. Once a reality was firmly established, a reckless sense of resignation took over, and whatever happened next no longer mattered.

In truth, anticipation and fear belonged only to the journey; the final outcome was no longer of any consequence.

A dull ache filled Zhang Can's heart. He stood up, walked outside, sat down on the grassy bank beside the pool, propped his chin in his hand, and stared blankly into the water.

Quietly, Su Xue followed him, sat down beside him, and murmured softly, "Zhang Can, if you feel unhappy, I will jump into this pool with you. Wherever the subterranean currents carry us, so be it. Perhaps we will be swept out above ground and emerge in some river somewhere!"

Zhang Can started. He slowly turned his head to look at Su Xue. Her face was strikingly exquisite, and her eyes overflowed with tender affection, as if he were the only person left in the entire world.

A tremor ran through Zhang Can's heart. He was all too familiar with such a gaze. In his youth, when he was completely captivated by Liu Xiaoli and watched her, it was with this exact expression—his eyes, heart, and mind filled entirely with her, willing to do anything for her sake. And now, Su Xue was looking at him with that very same gaze. One could easily imagine how deeply she cared for him; the mere fact that she had been willing to risk her life to follow and protect him spoke volumes.

Deeply moved, Zhang Can realized that whatever undesirable actions Su Xue might have taken in the past were now things of the past. Besides, they had not been friends back then; given her stance and position, her harshness was hardly surprising. Yet now, she made his heart burn with warmth.

Zhang Can was a man exceptionally prone to being moved and falling into emotion. If he were to describe himself, he might perhaps be called fickle, but one could not deny that toward Liu Xiaoqin, Zhou Nan, or now Su Xue, he held genuine affection. He could not simply claim to love one more than the others, but whenever he was with any of these young women, Zhang Can was absolute in his sincerity and truthfulness.

Driven by gratitude, emotional stirring, and a sudden surge of impulse, Zhang Can could no longer restrain himself. He pulled Su Xue into his arms and kissed her fiercely.

To be honest, lip-to-lip encounters between the two of them were hardly a novelty, but those had all been expedient measures during moments of peril. The first time, amid the ocean waves, Su Xue had not even been fully aware of it. This time she was conscious of it, but she also knew Zhang Can was saving her, so she had said nothing.

Now, however, Zhang Can harbored deliberate intent, performing the act with full awareness. Su Xue could not resist either; parting her lips to meet his, she cooperated with all her heart. The two of them dissolved into an endless, lingering embrace. Swept away by a breathless, feverish urgency, Zhang Can felt his mind scorched by a raging fire. He swept Su Xue up into his arms, rushed back into the cabin, tossed her onto the fur coat spread across the bed, and pounced upon her like a wild beast.

Though rough, it was entirely sincere. Overcome with shyness, Su Xue closed her eyes and yielded entirely to Zhang Can's wild abandon...

The clouds were pale and the breeze was light. The scent of fresh grass drifted into the wooden cabin on the gentle wind. The bed made of stacked firewood was in utter disarray. Both Su Xue and Zhang Can lay limp and exhausted upon the fur coat, entirely unwilling to move. They were stark naked, and though she was shy, Su Xue eventually pulled a garment over herself to cover her nakedness.

The pain, the shyness, coupled with the tiny droplets of fresh blood staining the fur coat, finally brought Zhang Can back to his senses. Looking at the scene before him, he realized this was entirely his own doing!

With a sigh, Zhang Can stammered awkwardly, "Su Xue, I'm sorry..."

Su Xue extended a snow-white finger to gently press against his lips, speaking softly, "You have nothing to apologize for. I feel truly happy, honestly. I am willing to be your woman!"

Touched to his core, Zhang Can sighed once more. He picked up her clothes and gently helped her dress, then said, "Su Xue, let us live peacefully right here in this valley. We can have a bunch of children, grow flowers, and catch fish. I think that would be rather wonderful."

That afternoon, Zhang Can went to catch fish while Su Xue gathered several large bundles of wildflowers. She tidied up the thatched cottage meticulously, placing the bouquets at the head of the bed and by the windowsill so that whenever the breeze blew, the entire room was filled with fragrance.

Their diet consisted entirely of fish. Zhang Can had searched the surrounding woods multiple times, but the terrain was far too small; the local wildlife was insufficient to sustain a proper food chain, save for a few birds which he had no way of catching. He would have loved wild hares or pheasants, but none were to be found. Thus, he had no choice but to rely on fishing. Fortunately, fish were abundant and inexhaustible.

After boiling the fish soup, he wrapped it in large tree leaves and returned to the cabin. Only then did Zhang Can notice that the interior looked somewhat different than usual. Adorned with several bundles of flowers, the room was fragrant, and Su Xue was sitting on the edge of the bed, propping her chin in her hand and staring blankly out the door. Her face was as white and flawless as jade, and her waterfall of dark hair cascaded over her shoulders—she was truly breathtaking.

Upon seeing Zhang Can enter, Su Xue turned her head and said with a radiant smile, "You're back?"

Zhang Can smiled, placed the leaf-wrapped parcel on a makeshift table constructed of bound wooden branches and vines, and said, "Let's eat fish!" Then, looking around the room with a grin, he remarked, "This place almost looks like a bridal chamber!"

Su Xue gave a shy, embarrassed smile. Indeed, it had been arranged much like a bridal chamber; though crude, it captured the spirit of one.

After finishing the fish, the two of them acted with a polite mutual respect that felt almost like a newlywed couple. Yet once they had cleared away the dishes and lay down on the wooden bed, all such decorum vanished completely. Young people who had just tasted forbidden fruit burned with intense passion; once the flames of desire were stoked, a single spark was enough to ignite a raging inferno. This fierce blaze burned continuously for an entire month without either of them ever growing weary of it, their affection as sweet and clinging as oil blended with honey.

However, on the wooden post where Zhang Can carved tally marks, six more characters had appeared, bringing the total to eleven. In other words, they had been stranded at the bottom of the valley for fifty-five days!

Su Xue could tell that Zhang Can still harbored a desire to escape; otherwise, he would not have kept track of the days with such meticulous care. Having become a woman, the usually bold and forthright Su Xue had somehow grown sentimental. In the past, whatever came to her mind she would do without a second thought, but now she frequently drifted into daze, wondering what Zhang Can was thinking, whether he was unhappy or discontented. In short, her entire heart was wrapped up in him.

Every day, Zhang Can busied himself with labor, cutting down trees in the forest to construct a new dwelling. With time on his hands, he figured he might as well expand their living quarters. When he grew tired, he would catch some fish, and occasionally Su Xue would cook them by the hot springs.

Within half a month, Zhang Can had successfully built a spacious new room. Drawing from his previous experience, this structure was sturdier and much more reasonably designed.

Su Xue placed the steaming fish on the table. Having performed heavy physical labor all day, Zhang Can was genuinely hungry, and today Su Xue had prepared two fish instead of one—more than enough to eat.

Although they ate the same meal every day, Zhang Can still found it quite satisfying. After eating a few bites, he looked up and saw Su Xue simply staring at him. He couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Su Xue, why aren't you eating?"

Su Xue shook her head, offering a faint smile with the hesitant expression of someone wanting to speak but unable to find the words.

"Is something on your mind? Tell me about it!" Zhang Can put down his fish and looked at Su Xue. He could tell she was troubled; before him, Su Xue had always been a straightforward girl who hid nothing—love was love, hate was hate, liking was liking, and disliking was disliking. She had never worn such a hesitant expression before, so he was certain something was genuinely bothering her.

Since they now shared such an intimate bond and had only each other to lean on in this desolate place, Zhang Can wanted to get to the bottom of it. He did not want Su Xue to bear the pressure alone, even though he had no idea what the issue could be.

Su Xue looked at Zhang Can, opened her mouth to speak, but her face flushed red once more. She lowered her head and remained silent.

Wiping his hands on his clothes, Zhang Can cupped Su Xue's face, lifted it, and planted a kiss on her cheek before saying, "Su Xue, if you don't object, you are my wife. We are a family, and your troubles are my troubles. So please tell me—whatever is wrong, we should bear it together, alright?"

Su Xue kept her eyelashes lowered, not daring to meet his eyes, and whispered, "Zhang Can... I... I..."

She repeated the word "I" several times without managing to finish her sentence, driving Zhang Can to distraction. Cupping her face once more, he lifted her chin so her eyes met his and urged, "Su Xue, don't keep me in suspense. Tell me quickly, what is the matter?"

"I... I..." Su Xue stuttered, but finally forced the words out, her voice dropping to a mere whisper and her face turning crimson. "I... I think I'm pregnant!"

Zhang Can froze. His mind failed to process the statement immediately. After staring blankly for a long moment, the meaning of the word "pregnant" finally registered. The moment he understood, he leaped to his feet, swept Su Xue up into his arms, and spun her around the room in a circle, nearly mad with joy as he shouted, "I'm going to be a father! I'm going to be a father!"

After being spun around several times, Su Xue protested with a playful glare, "Put me down!"

Hastily and carefully setting her back on her feet, Zhang Can stammered awkwardly, "Sorry, sorry, I was just too excited. Su Xue... from now on, you mustn't do any work at all. Just stay home, and I'll take care of everything else!"

Su Xue could not help but laugh and scold, "What are you talking about? I'm not even entirely sure yet. You... you don't need to make such a fuss over nothing. Even if it is true... even if I really am pregnant, there's no need for such a grand production. I'm not some delicate noble lady. Besides, in a place like this, we can't afford to be that pampered, can we?"

Zhang Can chuckled, "Well, regardless, you're not doing any more heavy lifting. Just take it easy, and if you want to walk around the lake for some fresh air, that's all you need to do!"

Su Xue forced a bitter smile. Zhang Can was undoubtedly speaking with complete sincerity, but she acutely sensed that beneath his smiles and laughter, a faint trace of worry and unhappiness lingered in his brow.

That realization pierced Su Xue's heart like a knife!

Though Zhang Can appeared to be living happily here, in truth, he remained unhappy. Moreover, today, upon hearing about the pregnancy, while his joy was genuine, it seemed to have brought him an even heavier burden of anxiety and sorrow, filling Su Xue's heart with a stabbing pain.