Around them, there were vague murmurs from passersby. “If you go looking for her, don’t bring back just her remains… it’s a curse…”

A sharp pain pierced Rong Ting’s chest.

It spread, dense and suffocating, growing worse with every thought.

It was a pain far more unbearable than what flesh and bone could endure.

The few vague words felt like a cold knife, each one cutting deeper, piercing his throat so that his voice trembled, rough and strained. “Tell me clearly.”

Ming Shao wiped her tears away. “Miss sneaked out of the city to fetch medicine for you. On her way back, the carriage fell off the mountain. When they found her, she was barely alive. Before losing consciousness, she told me to hurry and bring you the medicine and prescriptions.”

Ming Shao had served Jiang Rao since she was very young. She had watched her grow up, and both Jiang Rao and the Jiang family had always treated her well so she only wanted to serve them for life. Whenever Jiang Rao got hurt, it felt like the pain was her own.

If it weren’t for the young lady asking her to deliver the medicine, she would have stayed by her side, waiting to hear what the doctor said—whether she was seriously hurt or not.

But now, she had no idea what was happening, and the worry made her tears fall endlessly.

Barely alive…

Rong Ting stood frozen in place.

His fingers were trembling.

…

Jiang Manor.

The entire household was abuzz with rumors—saying that the young lady’s carriage had fallen off the mountain, and that she had lost consciousness. But the truth was…

Madam Qin grabbed Jiang Rao’s ear and yanked her out of bed, her face filled with fury.

She angrily poked Jiang Rao’s forehead, leaving a red mark. “Only a few more days until your coming-of-age ceremony, and you’re still so reckless! You’re old enough to know better than to sneak out after leaving a letter behind. Do you know how worried your father has been, searching for you everywhere these past few days?”

The little person who was said to have fainted in the rumors, lazily opened her eyes, looking like she had just woken up from sleep.

She touched her forehead and recoiled a little, muttering quietly. “Still two more years…”

Madam Qin: “…”

She was scolding her, and Jiang Rao actually responded by giving her a count of the time remaining?

She was furious, practically scolding her for being so reckless. “Only two more years until your coming-of-age ceremony, and you’re already a grown young lady! It’s lucky that this happened near the bottom of the mountain and that you only suffered a few scrapes. If something worse had happened, not even a cat’s life would have been enough to pay for your recklessness!”

This daughter of hers had been spoiled since childhood.

And yet, she had the appearance of someone gentle and sweet making it hard for anyone to truly scold her.

Jiang Rao’s eyelids were heavy. She had been on the road for days, barely getting any sleep, and her head was begging for rest.

She lazily leaned against Madam Qin, speaking softly in apology. “Mother, please don’t be mad. I went out of the city to save someone. And see, I’m fine, aren’t I?”

As she spoke, her voice trailed off.

Jiang Rao had successfully found Ren Fuqing, but getting the medicine wasn’t as easy. She had sold her favorite jewelry, packed enough for Ren Fuqing’s travel expenses for the next five years, and gone through great lengths to buy the herbs he needed. She even worked for him for three days, grinding medicine day and night without rest. Only after exhausting all her resources—her time, energy, and money—did she finally manage to get the medicine and prescription she needed.

But she hadn’t slept in almost three days. She was utterly exhausted.

On the return journey, she had been drifting in and out of sleep, only waking up momentarily when the carriage had fallen off the cliff. When she got home, realized she was unharmed, and handed the medicine to Ming Shao, she finally let herself fall into a deep sleep.

She had planned to sleep until morning but was pulled out of bed by her mother, who was grabbing her ear.

Jiang Rao yawned repeatedly, sneaking her cheek onto Madam Qin’s shoulder. When her mother wasn’t paying attention, she quietly closed her eyes.

But in that brief moment of pretending to sleep, she actually drifted off.

Madam Qin could hear the soft, rhythmic breathing beside her and immediately knew that Jiang Rao had fallen asleep. She was both exasperated and amused, unable to help but laugh at the sight of her little troublemaker. Gently, she tucked Jiang Rao back into her blankets, brushing aside her messy hair. With a helpless sigh, she muttered. “What exactly are you trying to save, to go to such lengths and trouble?”

After a while, Madam Qin left her daughter’s room and called for a servant. She instructed him to find Fourth Master Jiang and told the kitchen to prepare some medicinal soup and tonics, adding extra bitter ingredients.

Since childhood, Jiang Rao was brought up in comfort and luxury, never enduring hardships.

Although Madam Madam Qin could not bear to punish her too harshly, she was determined to make her daughter experience some hardship to teach her a lesson.

So, she would remember not to run off again in the future, leaving a note and worrying her family, all while playing the little savior.

…

Jiang Rao had only slept for a short while but dreamt of her family leaving Ye City and returning to Jinling.

In her dream, she couldn’t tell exactly when it was, but she saw the willow trees along the roadsides starting to bud, and the forsythia in bloom.

It was just after this winter that they would leave.

Jiang Rao had always wanted to leave as soon as possible, but now she couldn’t. The renowned doctor had said that the young man’s leg injury was a long-standing ailment and would take at least six months to heal. She wanted to see his leg fully recover.

In her dream, she furrowed her brows, but suddenly, there was a rustling sound that woke her up.

A small, furry head was resting at the edge of her bed.

Jiang Jinxing looked up at her as she stirred, raising his little head and saying. “Sister, wake up, it’s time to drink your medicine.”

At first, Jiang Rao thought she had misheard. She had only suffered a slight injury, so why did she need medicine?

But when she lifted her gaze, she saw a bowl of medicinal soup on the table, and the bitter scent wafted toward her from afar.

Jiang Rao had the most difficulty with bitter flavors. The moment she smelled the strong bitterness in the air, she scrunched her brows in discomfort, instinctively pulling her head further into her blanket.

Jiang Jinxing, however, walked over with one of the bowls in his hands, determined as he said. “Sister, hurry up and drink the medicine. Mother told me to watch you. You have to drink all of it.”

Jiang Rao: “…”

Her heart trembled, as helpless as the broken snowflakes in the cold wind outside the window.

Snowflakes swirled in the air as Rong Ting moved his wheelchair through the snow, white particles settling on his shoulders.

His long lashes hung low, veiling the anxiety and panic in his eyes.

Rong Ting followed Ming Shao to the outside of Jiang Rao’s room. Ming Shao was called away by the other maids, leaving him alone at the door. But Rong Ting stopped turning the wheels of his chair, hesitating, unable to bring himself to open the door.

He imagined her lying there, on the verge of death, or perhaps… already gone. For the first time, he felt the sting of fear.

Rong Ting had never truly feared death, whether his own or others’.

The death of others only made the world feel quieter.

But now, for the first time, he realized that death could be something deeply sorrowful.

After a moment’s hesitation, he finally curled his fingers and knocked on the door.

As his long fingers touched the cold wood, they trembled uncontrollably, unable to gauge the right amount of force. The door wasn’t latched, and his knock caused it to swing open.

Jiang Rao, still gripping the blanket tightly, unwilling to get out of bed and take her medicine, looked up at him in surprise, frozen for a moment before she registered his presence.

Rong Ting also stared at her, momentarily stunned.

Her complexion wasn’t flushed, and there was a hint of weariness on her face, making her look a bit thinner. However, she didn’t show any signs of someone on the verge of death.

They both stared at each other, both somewhat at a loss.

It was Jiang Rao who spoke first. “What are you doing here? Come in.”

She glanced behind him. “Where’s Ming Shao? I told her to bring you the medical books and prescription. Did you receive them?”

“She was called away,” Rong Ting said, his dark gaze scanning her face. After confirming that she was unharmed, he realized that the story of her fainting and injury might have been a misunderstanding. “I’ve received the medicine.”

Jiang Rao’s eyes brightened, and her gaze sparkled as she said. “Then you must remember to take it soon. There’s a prescription in the bag. Follow the instructions, and after six months, your leg will be healed.”

Rong Ting wheeled himself closer to her bed.

Conflicting emotions stirred within him, leaving him unable to describe the feeling in his heart.

He had always avoided getting close to others, but now, standing so near to her, he felt at ease.

After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat and spoke, his voice steady. “Your maid said your carriage fell off a cliff, and you were severely injured.”

Jiang Rao paused for a moment, then smiled, replying casually. “The carriage did fall, but I wasn’t injured.”

She said it lightly, her head lowered, but Rong Ting’s brow furrowed deeply.

He had a feeling.

These past days, heavy snow and light snow had been falling constantly, and the mountain roads were treacherous.

In such weather, during military campaigns, elite troops would usually hold their positions, not daring to make a move. How could a young girl like her be any different?

She was indeed bold.

But when he thought about how her courage was driven by the desire to fetch medicine for him, Rong Ting’s gaze darkened.

Jiang Jinxing interrupted, pouting in dissatisfaction as he said. “How could my sister not be injured? She’s clearly hurt.”

Rong Ting’s expression turned a shade darker.

“She’s hurt and still won’t take the medicine!” Jiang Jinxing shouted angrily, making a clattering sound as the spoon hit the medicine bowl. “Take the medicine!”

Jiang Rao’s face immediately soured, as though she had eaten a bitter melon. “It’s just a superficial injury. It’s really not serious enough for medicine.”

She stood her ground firmly. “I won’t take the medicine.”

But then, a deep, firm voice interrupted her. “Take the medicine.”

Rong Ting’s tone was always steady and unhurried, which made his words carry an undeniable calmness, even when his voice was weak.

As he grew older, the weakness faded, replaced by a languid air as if in the slow, unhurried movement, he held the power of life and death in the palm of his hand, creating an even heavier sense of pressure.

Just like the command to drink the medicine now, it sounded to Jiang Rao’s ears like an order he would give her in the future.

It made her heart tremble with unease.

The medicine bowl was taken from Jiang Jinxing’s hands and placed into Rong Ting’s, who held the porcelain spoon and stirred the medicine slowly and deliberately.

The sound of the spoon clinking against the bowl echoed like the clang of a guillotine on the executioner’s stage, a sound that seemed to hang in the air, waiting to fall at any moment.

As he lifted the spoon to bring the medicine to her lips, Jiang Rao felt her heartbeat quicken, almost to the point of stopping.

Drinking medicine was already a torturous task, but if he were to feed it to her, she feared she might choke on the spot.

Quickly, she grabbed the bowl from his hand.

Although she didn’t want to drink the medicine, she still preferred doing it herself rather than having him feed it to her.

Looking at the thick, bitter concoction, she felt a deep sense of helplessness. With a determined expression, she lifted her chin and drank it all in one go.

After drinking the medicine, her little face scrunched up in distaste.

The bitterness was clearly written all over her face.

Rong Ting glanced at her, his eyes slightly lifted. “Bitter?”

Jiang Rao quickly shook her head. “Not bitter.”

She was still a little afraid of him and didn’t dare speak the truth so she reluctantly shaking her head.

She not only hid the grimace caused by the bitter taste but also made an effort to look grateful, trying her best to appear well-behaved.

“Big sister is lying.” Jiang Jinxing, who had been standing by, exposed her.

He looked aggrieved. “Big sister wouldn’t drink the medicine I gave her, but drank it when he gave it to her. Big sister doesn’t love me.”

Jiang Rao sighed softly and coaxed him gently. “Big sister loves you.”

“You don’t love me the most.” Jiang Jinxing huffed, looking at Rong Ting with clear intent to compare. He pointed at him and innocently said. “You clearly love him more.”

Jiang Rao: “…”

She quickly covered his mouth. “Don’t say nonsense.”

Rong Ting subtly turned his gaze away, a faint blush creeping to his ears.

…

After a while, Madam Qin returned to check on Jiang Rao to see if she had properly taken her medicine.

Given her knowledge of her daughter, she expected that by now, Jiang Rao would have barely finished half a bowl of the medicine.

Seeing the empty bowl on the table, Madam Qin raised an eyebrow in surprise—it was unexpected.

Having dozed off in the middle of being scolded, Jiang Rao looked at Madam Qin with a hint of guilt and weakly said. “Mother, why are you here?”

Madam Qin glanced at Rong Ting before speaking in a calm voice. “I heard you had a guest, so I came to entertain him.”

So, the person who made her daughter brave the snow and head out of the city was him.

She could only see his profile: fair skin, red lips, and a sharp nose, more striking and handsome than most boys.

Madam Qin suddenly had an epiphany.

She realized why her daughter was willing to risk her life to go out of the city in search of medicine. Upon seeing the young man’s beautiful, exquisite, and flawless face, it all made sense.

As expected, her daughter had great taste.

Her methods were clever too. She had made herself the savior first, making it easier for them to form a bond.

Madam Qin gave Jiang Rao an approving glance.

Jiang Rao, completely unaware of what she had done to make her mother happy, was confused and bewildered.

But this approving gaze was much better than being scolded, so she winked at her mother.

This made Madam Qin became even more certain of her thoughts.

Like a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law, the more she looked at Rong Ting, the more she was satisfied.

The boy was so handsome, and he was the perfect match for her daughter.

Madam Qin thought to herself that when she had first met the Ninth Prince, he was only two years old, and it was hard to judge anything about his appearance. Perhaps, when he grew older, he wouldn’t look as handsome as the young man before her.

The regret of not being able to arrange a betrothal between the Ninth Prince and her daughter quickly faded.

But as her gaze inadvertently fell on the wheelchair Rong Ting was sitting in, she froze.

If her son-in-law was a cripple, she would have a hard time accepting it.

What a shame, such a beautiful face.

A sudden wave of sadness washed over Madam Qin, and with regret, she glanced at Rong Ting again. However, this time, her brow furrowed as she realized that the young man’s face looked somewhat familiar.

=^_^=