After putting water in the pot, she called Huo Tianzhou to come and light the fire.
Liang Hongyu then went out of the kitchen to the main hall to check the few pounds of rice seeds prepared by the original owner.
Last year's poor harvest meant that the remaining rice seeds were not very good.
Liang Hongyu sifted through them with her fingers.
Leaving them for another day before sowing them shouldn't be a problem.
He tied the cloth bag securely and put it back in place.
With nothing else to do, he walked to the backyard and remembered there were still tasks left undone.
When he returned to the kitchen, Huo Tianzhou had already started the fire.
He sitting in front of the stove with a slightly hunched back and a vacant look in his eyes.
In order to make things easier, he had rolled up his sleeves, revealing a portion of his forearms.
Just as Liang Hongyu was about to reach for the kitchen knife on the cutting board, she noticed a conspicuous dark shadow on his arm out of the corner of her eye.
She turned her head and glanced over, then suddenly froze.
On Huo Tianzhou's fair arm, at the point where his sleeves were rolled up, there were several severe bruises, the worst of which were dark purple and even swollen.
The bruises were fresh, likely inflicted within the past few hours.
Judging by their severity, they wouldn't fade for at least ten days to two weeks.
"You..."
Liang Hongyu walked over and stood still without moving.
Huo Tianzhou was puzzled by her behavior.
He then looked up and saw her gaze were fixed on his arm.
He looked down to see what she was staring at.
"How could you get pinched like this with so many eyes watching?"
Liang Hongyu was quite baffled and couldn't help but ask.
After she spoke, she saw a hint of anger, albeit not very intimidating, spread across Huo Tianzhou's previously puzzled face.
He turned away, refusing to communicate with her.
This reaction left Liang Hongyu feeling bewildered.
Her eyes returned to the bruises on Huo Tianzhou's arm, and as she looked at them, she suddenly felt a pang in her heart.
She continued to stare at Huo Tianzhou for a long while without saying anything.
Huo Tianzhou bent down to add more firewood to the stove, then sat back, feeling uneasy under Liang Hongyu's intense gaze.
He considered rolling down his sleeves but decided it would be pointless.
Instead, he fixed his eyes on the flames, ignoring the complex look directed at him.
When Liang Hongyu first saw Huo Tianzhou upon waking up, she instinctively on guard toward him.
But now, after most of the day had passed, she no longer considered the harmless Huo Tianzhou a threat.
Huo Tianzhou could be humiliated and slandered right at his own doorstep, and since Huo Dagou and his gang were not good people, Liang Hongyu initially assumed they were the one who's responsible.