Chapter 131: The Hour of Dusk and Dawn – Yun Yingying's Visit

Han Li’s choice of location was truly excellent. Viewed from the stream, the upper hillside was covered with weeds and bushes of no value whatsoever. Besides, it was far too steep for anyone to stand firmly, and the other side of the slope dropped off into sheer cliffs, so no one would ever bother coming up here looking for trouble.

All Han Li needed to do was carve out a cave in a concealed spot on this hillside and route the ventilation shaft toward the cliff face. As for the size of the interior, he could expand it bit by bit according to his own needs.

Rubbing his slightly dizzy head, Han Li was already sitting inside a shallow cave.

For now, the width of this cave could only accommodate a single person, and its height was only about two and a half meters.

To ensure the structural stability of the cave, Han Li adopted the method used for cave dwellings in northern Shaanxi, shaping the roof into a semi-circular vaulted arch, which maximized its structural integrity.

To add an extra layer of insurance, he placed wooden posts at regular intervals to build earthquake-safe support frames.

Should any unexpected situation arise, these safety frames would give him sufficient reaction time.

However, all of this required Han Li to figure things out as he went along, making the overall progress rather slow.

In the future, this place would serve as his foothold when venturing deep into the mountains. Of course, he could also leave Yun Jingjing behind and bring Yun Yingying along instead.

The two of them could freely spend a couple's world here for a couple of days—the kind of place where even if they shouted until their throats went hoarse, it wouldn't matter at all.

Thinking of this, Han Li instantly regained his motivation. He took some dried meat out of his decomposition space to sustain himself with a few bites and then resumed his work.

Once the cave was dug a bit further inward, the lighting deteriorated. Han Li fashioned a simple candle holder and placed a burning candle on it.

Time always flies when one is engrossed in work. In the meantime, Han Li had rested several times, and the candles had been replaced multiple times.

When he felt his head turning dizzy once again, he raised his wrist, glanced at his watch, and muttered,

"Damn it, there really never is enough time. Before I knew it, it's already gotten this late."

At this point, Han Li began to inspect the cave he had excavated using his ability. It now basically possessed all the features he desired.

The entrance was a long, narrow corridor, leading inward to a space spanning over a dozen square meters.

In the future, a heated brick bed (kang) and a cooking stove would be carved out of this space to meet Han Li's daily needs whenever he used this resting spot.

On one side of this main space was another tiny passageway, which extended all the way toward the cliff.

For now, Han Li had only opened a very small, mesh-like ventilation hole here. The mesh-like crevices in the rock not only prevented other animals from entering, but also ensured air circulation within the cave, preventing him from dying of carbon monoxide poisoning when lighting a fire inside.

When he refined and perfected the place later on, Han Li also planned to build a Western-style castle-like waste disposal chute here—essentially constructing a simple pit leading downward, where daily waste would simply slide down, covered with a stone slab when not in use.

Looking back and forth at the fruits of his labor for the day, Han Li felt that the dizziness and heavy-headedness from earlier were no longer quite as unbearable.

Before leaving, Han Li thought for a moment, then released a large pile of rocks generated from the excavation to block the cave entrance completely, before running quickly down the mountain.

Han Li returned relatively early today, while people were still trickling down the mountain to return home one after another. He turned into a grove of trees, gathered a large bundle of firewood to carry on his back, filled his back basket with some nuts, and then strolled back leisurely.

Along the way, he exchanged greetings with the villagers he met. He clearly noticed that some people still had animal fur and blood stains on them, while others had small animals like pheasants and hares mixed in with their firewood. It seemed everyone had made their own harvests. Whenever someone mentioned their haul, Han Li would simply shake his back basket slightly to signal that he had only foraged for some wild walnuts, chestnuts, and other nuts.

Along the way, Han Li received many invitations to drink together after the snow, all of which he accepted with a smile.

Winters here were far too long, and time practically lost all meaning.

If he didn't find some extra amusement for himself, he would undoubtedly be bored to the absolute extreme.

Pushing open the street gate, Han Li found a large quantity of hazelnuts and chestnuts drying in the courtyard. It seemed the Yun sisters had also harvested quite a bit today.

However, shouldn't they be cooking around this time? Where were the two of them?

Han Li merely muttered these thoughts to himself, then turned to wash his face and change his shoes.

After tidying himself up, he poured a cup of hot water, placed it on the table, lay down on the kang, stretched lazily, and instantly lost all desire to get back up.

Perhaps due to overworking his brain today, he fell asleep involuntarily shortly after lying down, vaguely sensing Yun Yingying covering him with a quilt.

Not long after, she came over again to shake Han Li, softly urging him to get up for dinner.

"Han Li, wake up. Go to sleep after you've eaten."

"You guys eat first; let me pull myself together and I'll get up."

"Then I'll dish out the food first, but you need to hurry up, otherwise the food will get cold in a moment."

Han Li pushed off the quilt, sat up, and rubbed his aching temples.

He felt just like someone waking up from a heavy bout of drinking—dizzy, headachy, and slightly nauseous.

Han Li smiled bitterly to himself. Once that surge of intense focus faded, the aftereffects seemed rather severe.

Currently, the best way for Han Li to deal with this situation was to sleep. As long as he got a sound, satisfying sleep, those aftereffects would gradually dissipate.

When Han Li sat down at the table, both sisters noticed that something was amiss with him. Yun Yingying immediately pressed her hand against his forehead.

Yun Jingjing asked, "Han Li, you don't look right at all. Are you feeling unwell?"

Not feeling reassured after comparing the temperature of Han Li's forehead with her own, Yun Yingying reached out and touched her sister's forehead as well, saying,

"He's not running a fever. Could it be a cold?"

Han Li grabbed Yun Jingjing's hand and said, "I don't have a fever, nor do I have a cold; I'm just a bit tired today. After we eat, I want to go straight to the kang and sleep. Help me feed those dogs, will you?"

"Are you really okay?"

"Really okay. What could possibly be wrong with my physical constitution? I'm just feeling a little tired, that's all."

"You really something else. Everyone else rested for a whole day after the autumn harvest, and some even rested for three days, but not you—you didn't idle away a single moment. Feeling tired now, aren't you? Hurry up and eat so you can go get some rest on the kang. My sister and I will handle the rest of the chores, so you don't need to worry."

This time, Han Li didn't argue. He smiled, rubbed Yun Yingying's small hand, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat.

Yun Yingying said, "We're not going anywhere tomorrow, okay? My sister and I will stay home and wrap dumplings for you to eat. Whenever I used to feel under the weather, I loved eating dumplings."

"Alright, then let's make dumplings with pure meat filling, how does that sound?"

"Deal. Tomorrow at noon, we'll make two kinds of fillings using mutton and badger meat. But you look like you're really suffering right now, hurry up and eat so you can go get some rest on the kang."

No sooner had Han Li finished eating than Yun Yingying gently pushed him toward the kang, arranged the bedding, and told him to hurry up and sleep.

She and Yun Jingjing washed the dishes and pots, and fed the dogs. Who knows what she was thinking, but she even brewed a cup of brown sugar and ginger water and brought it over.

After finishing all the chores, Yun Yingying touched Han Li's forehead once more and asked,

"Are you really sure nothing else hurts?"

"Really nothing."

"I've already fed the dogs. Hurry up and go to sleep; I'll blow out the lamp for you."

"Then what should I do if I feel miserable in the middle of the night? How about you stay here tonight and keep an eye on me?"

Yun Yingying was just about to agree when Yun Jingjing gave a soft cough and said,

"Ahem, ahem. Han Li looks like he's fine. Sister, you should come over early tomorrow morning. Right now, letting him get some solid rest is the most important thing."

At that moment, Han Li was still too dizzy and had zero mood to bicker with her, so he simply nodded slightly.

Han Li's uncharacteristically compliant reaction actually made Yun Jingjing feel that she might have been in the wrong.

Han Li was her sister's boyfriend, and right now he was practically a patient—there was absolutely nothing wrong with her sister staying behind to take care of him for the night.

Just as she was about to open her mouth and consent to her sister staying to look after Han Li, Yun Yingying spoke up first.

"Then I'll let the dogs loose when I leave in a moment, and I'll come over bright and early tomorrow morning. If you feel uncomfortable, just call out to me; I can come over at any time."

"Mhm, you guys go back and get some rest too."

Yun Yingying placed the flashlight beside Han Li, blew out the candle, and the two sisters left.

After returning home, Yun Jingjing sat on the kang and said to her sister,

"It would have been entirely proper for you to stay and look after Han Li over there for the night, but the two of you must never cross the line."

Yun Yingying replied, "Sister, that's not what you were saying at first. Should I go back over right now?"

"Ahem, ahem. Now that we're already back, don't go. If something like this happens again next time, I won't care anymore."

"Oh, then I'll head over early tomorrow morning. You can sleep in and wake up naturally at home by yourself."

Yun Jingjing sighed, "We can't mail letters to our parents right now, otherwise your relationship with Han Li should have been told to them long ago."

"Sister, what do you suppose Mom and Dad are doing right now? Would they object to me dating Han Li?"

"I don't know either. If Mom and Dad haven't managed to get past this hurdle, they might only be happy about this matter; even if they have gotten past it, I reckon they wouldn't oppose your relationship. After all, Han Li's family background isn't bad. Even without our parents having to help out, his family definitely won't let him stay here for long. As long as a suitable job opens up, he'll return to Four-Nine City very soon. That's the advantage of being an only child."

"Sister, what if Han Li is able to leave, but we still aren't allowed to go? What should we do then?"

Her sister's words stirred up anxiety in Yun Jingjing's heart, but she immediately suppressed the thought and smiled as she told her sister,

"No terribly bad news has come from home for such a long time, and not even older brother has been sent down here. That shows the situation on Mom and Dad's end is still pretty good, so you have to have faith in them."

Chatting in the darkness, the two sisters gradually drifted off to sleep.

The next day, while the sky outside was still pitch black—very, very dark—Yun Yingying suddenly opened her eyes.

Fumbling around to get dressed, she went to the outer room to brush her teeth and wash her face, then hurried over to Han Li's house.

Acknowledgment: Thanks to Xiao Se Nei Wai for the tip of 100 points.