9.10

The window of the thatched house was small.

Aaron came in again and closed the door. Immediately, the whole room became dim.

The only light came weakly through the small palm-sized window.

Aaron glanced at Stella lying on the bed.

Even though it was very dark, he seemed to hear her soft breathing.

The air carried a special fragrant smell.

He took a stool from the table and sat down, letting out a small breath.

Since he brought Stella home these days, he had been resting like this.

The house had only seven rooms in total.

The four brothers each had one room, the parents had one, another was the main room, and the last one was originally for their little sister.

After she got married, that room became the place where the nieces stayed.

The nieces had grown, so it was awkward for him, the eldest uncle, to squeeze in.

As for staying with others in the village?

At first, no one knew when Stella would wake up.

Also, who in the village had an extra bed?

Most families were crowded, some children were eleven or twelve and still shared a bed with their parents.

One or two days might be okay, but for a long time, how could that work?

Stella turned over and looked at Aaron's back. Her cold face showed a faint playful smile.

She once thought she was just imagining things.

But she realized she had really fallen for this man.

Only her spirit was weak and she felt dizzy all the time.

Overall, Stella's first feeling about this man was good.

At least he hadn't taken advantage of her while she was unconscious these days.

People in this time were very old-fashioned.

Most would have handed over an "outsider" like her to the government.

Aaron turned around. "Not asleep yet?"

"No."

"Tomorrow morning, I will go to the commune to register for the secretary election, then we will go to the county."

"Go to the county?"

Aaron nodded softly and heard light footsteps outside. He whispered, "Shh."

Stella sent out her spirit and sensed Madam Chen standing at the door with her ear pressed to the wooden door.

She smiled quietly and looked at Aaron.

"Cough cough cough, Dab! Dab, are you asleep?"

"Not yet, Mom. What's up?"

"If nothing, come out. I want to tell you something."

Aaron's face showed a bit of helplessness. He stood up and opened the door.

"Mom, what is it?"

Madam Chen smiled at Stella lying on the bed and waved at Aaron. She bent down and whispered, "Aaron, your wife has been unconscious for days. Her body is still weak. No matter how anxious you are, don't rush things, okay?"

"Mom is actually more eager than you to have a grandson. Don't make trouble and hurt your wife. Otherwise, when she gets older, she'll suffer."

Aaron's face turned cold. He felt a burning pain and looked helplessly at his mother.

He was already 30 years old. Even if he had no relation with Stella, would he still do that knowing her condition?

But even so, a child must respect his parents, and parents must care for their children.

He was a grown man. Did his mother really think it was right to say those things here?

"Mom."

"I know, I know. I just worry that you have been single for so many years... Heh heh! It's late, go rest early and don't cause trouble, okay?"

After saying that, Madam Chen turned and quickly left, closing the door behind her.

Aaron turned back, sat down, and didn't explain his mother's words. "Where were we?"

"Going to the county tomorrow."

"Yes, tomorrow morning I will go to the commune and get the certificate, then we will go to the county to get the marriage certificate."

"Even for pretending, do we need a marriage certificate?"

"I think it's necessary to have a traceable identity."

"Do you think I look stupid?" Stella asked calmly.

"No. Since you know how things are now, you should know women's household registration is easy. Many women have never had a registered household since birth."

"But you are different. If you stay here, it doesn't matter if you have household registration or not."

"You are different from other women, especially in temperament."

"Besides, acting like a married couple needs to be convincing. If my parents ask, how can it be without a marriage certificate?"

"Don't worry. Since I promised you, I will do it. The registration will show eight generations of poor ancestors."

"If someone investigates you or finds me, I will keep your secret."

Aaron said calmly and exhaled slightly.

He felt he had said more today than in a whole year.

"I want to ask, is it Singer Jenny Li who gave you courage?"

"Who is Singer Jenny Li? I don't know her." Aaron asked with some confusion.

Stella twitched her lips helplessly and said softly, "Remember what you said before."

She lifted the mosquito net, threw a simple single bed on the floor, picked up the thin blanket on the bed, and put it on the new bed.

She took out another quilt from the space and lay down under it.

Stella didn't know what to say, especially when Aaron looked so serious. She wondered if she should expose his little trick.

Aaron looked at the new bed on the floor, wondering if this was the legendary "secret world in the sleeve." He stood, walked over, pulled the blanket, and lay down sideways. "Thanks, but put this bed away tomorrow morning."

Seeing no answer, Aaron's eyes showed a small smile while his back was to her.

Suddenly, Stella got up quickly, holding a basin, and started coughing hard. Fresh blood kept coming from her mouth.

Aaron quickly got up, took a match, and lit the oil lamp. He lifted the mosquito net covering the basin of blood. "Why are you coughing blood all of a sudden? Should we go to the hospital?"

Stella shook her head slightly. "It's okay."

"Don't you have medicine here?"

"Yes, but this injury can't be cured."

Stella coughed again and spat more blood. She took a pack of wet wipes, tore it open, and wiped her mouth with two sheets.

"Who hurt you?"

"Can't explain it to you."

Stella opened her eyes early the next morning while it was still dim outside. After Aaron got up, she closed her eyes again and put the bed from the room back into the space. She felt very tired because her spiritual energy was drained.

The power left by the mutated beast king inside her body kept damaging the healing process, making Stella look weak and sick.

She didn't open her eyes until around seven o'clock. She greeted Madam Chen softly.

After washing up, Madam Chen brought a bowl of rice porridge and a bowl of scrambled eggs to the room. The eggs were just a little at the bottom of the bowl—maybe from two eggs. On the side were some darkened sour beans.

"Thank you, Madam Chen."

"You don't have to be polite, girl. We're family. Sit down, sit down." Madam Chen noticed Stella's pale face and worried a little.

"Your face looks worse today than yesterday."

Madam Chen felt sad inside. Life in the countryside was different from the city. If you felt weak in the city, it wasn't a big problem. But here, if your health was bad, life would be hard.

Her family's boy might suffer his whole life because of this. No wonder her elder brother asked the eldest son to take care of Stella. With her condition, she might have trouble finding a husband even in the city.

Stella just said quietly, "Mm."

"Tomorrow, I'll have the eldest son take you to the city hospital for a check-up."

"It's okay, Madam Chen. I will get better in a few days. No need to worry."

Madam Chen nodded, "Is this an old illness?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"It's not easy to explain."

"Oh, I see. I mean no offense, I'm just worried about you."

Stella nodded slightly.

"Aaron went to the commune. He will be back soon."

"Mm."

"Eat your breakfast. I'll be by the door. Call me if you need anything."

Stella nodded again. She picked up the bowl and smelled the porridge's fragrance. She found it a little strange that the porridge smelled so good.

She slowly opened her mouth and started eating.

Just as she finished the porridge, Aaron walked in with no expression.

"Feeling better?"

Stella glanced at him and nodded.

"Want to go out for a walk?" Aaron reached out and took the bowl from Stella's hands.

"Okay."

Madam Chen watched the two leave side by side and sighed quietly.

They looked good together. Aaron was over 1.8 meters tall. Stella was also tall; in the countryside, it was rare to find such a tall girl.

Only her health was a problem.

Madam Chen shook her head and returned to the yard.

Zhoujia Village sat on a small hill, part of the mountain range stretching behind the village. The whole village was built across the hill. Below the hill were rolling rice fields.

All the houses were made of mud bricks with thatched roofs. Only a few had tiled roofs. Two families lived in wooden houses.

Along the main road, some houses still had propaganda slogans printed on them, mostly about the commune's canteen and old revolutionary slogans. The words on the walls were now blurry.

Stella found it interesting. She was very curious about this era—was it really like the TV, movies, and novels described? Everyone seemed to speak in great leaders' slogans.

Faces always had the same serious expression. Especially on radio and TV, the announcers spoke passionately, making the atmosphere very serious.

When she read historical stories before, she wanted to visit North Korea someday. Though technology was advanced in her time, North Korea had kept some collective economy and made it a tourist attraction.

Unfortunately, she never got the chance—just after graduating college, the apocalypse came.

Aaron glanced at Stella, raising an eyebrow. What was so interesting about these old thatched houses?

"Aaron! Your wife is awake?"

"Aaron, this is your wife. She's really beautiful, must be from the city? We can't grow such a pretty girl in the countryside."

Aaron showed no smile when facing the villagers, just nodded.

They all knew Aaron's personality, so they didn't blame him for being cold. People are just who they are; no one expects him to smile all the time.

"Aaron."

Hearing a frail voice, Aaron's serious face softened a little. He looked at the old grandmother coming with a cane and called out.

Grandma nodded and looked Stella up and down, then smiled with wrinkles all over her face.

"A few days ago, your mother kept telling me, saying Aaron is already thirty but still unmarried. He went on a few blind dates, but he wasn't happy. It made me worried."

"I told Madam Chen, don't rush. Aaron is the most capable young man among our Zhou family. No need to worry. Fate will come when it's meant to. When the time comes, the heavens will arrange it."

"It only took a few days, and now he's brought home a wife."

Aaron smiled slightly and nodded, "Grandma, you're right."

"Are you just walking around?"

"Yes, Grandma, I'm showing her the village."

Grandma nodded, "Good, take her to meet the villagers."

Aaron nodded and led Stella toward the village entrance.

Aaron's home was toward the middle and back of the village. Zhoujia Village had about fifty households with just over three hundred people, ninety percent sharing the surname Zhou.

The few households without the Zhou name were mostly people who married into the Zhou family.

For generations, the old Zhou family had lived here. Nearly sixty percent of the Qing Mountain Commune population came from Zhoujia Village.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!"

Several loud calls came from somewhere.

Aaron and Stella looked in the direction of the voices.