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Chapter 43: It’s Really Good That She Didn’t Die!

Zhan Nanhui was momentarily stunned, then quickly reacted and held the towel in front of himself.

Yi An’an stared at Zhan Nanhui in disbelief — it was him, the man who had just jumped into the river to save her?

At the moment she fell into the river, she felt as if she had a spiritual connection with her daughter from her past life. It seemed like they had seen the same person.

But that couldn’t be — in her past life, the man who saved her daughter Xiao Ni was Tang Aren!

But Tang Aren said he couldn’t swim…

Seeing Yi An’an staring motionless at him, Zhan Nanhui swallowed hard and cleared his throat.

“You…” Zhan Nanhui was about to speak when Yi An’an suddenly sat up in bed, pulled the quilt around her, walked over to him, and reached out to touch his handsome face.

Zhan Nanhui was stunned, unsure what she meant.

“If you saw a child drowning in the village, would you save them?” Yi An’an asked, staring intently at Zhan Nanhui.

He paused, confused by her question.

“I used to save a few children from the river every year!” Zhan Nanhui said softly.

Really? But why had she never heard anyone mention this?

“You wouldn’t know, because those people are afraid to be associated with a ‘bad element’ like me!” Zhan Nanhui sneered.

Yi An’an sighed quietly inside. Could it be that in her past life, Zhan Nanhui was the one who saved Xiao Ni, but because he was hurt by the villagers’ treatment, he handed the child over to the passing Tang Aren?

Unfortunately, she could no longer investigate those past events.

“Go back to bed. I… need to get dressed!” Zhan Nanhui said coldly, seeing Yi An’an still standing.

She wasn’t cold wrapped in the quilt, but he was — a towel could cover very little.

Yi An’an suddenly realized she wasn’t wearing clothes under the quilt. She quickly hugged the quilt and went back to the kang (heated bed). Looking up, she saw the man pulling on his clothes and walking out, his long legs swinging.

She suddenly laughed to herself — it’s really good that she didn’t die!

Yi An’an slept for a while, sweating it out, feeling much lighter.

Sitting up and looking at the blazing stove, she hurried to put on clothes and get off the kang.

If the stove was hers, what would Zhan Nanhui use?

Outside the hut, Zhan Nanhui was chopping firewood, his hair still wet, black short strands sticking up like his stubborn gaze.

Rolling up his sleeves, his dark arms showed faint veins, his face expressionless.

“You’ll catch a cold out here. Come inside!” Yi An’an called from the door.

Zhan Nanhui didn’t look up. “Don’t worry, I’m very healthy!”

Yi An’an walked over and, without another word, pulled him inside.

Zhan Nanhui had no choice but to put down the axe and let her pull him in.

She pressed him against the kang, took a clean towel, and began drying his hair.

“Why isn’t it dry yet?” Yi An’an asked softly. She thought he had been asleep for a while.

“I took a hot bath,” Zhan Nanhui replied.

Yi An’an felt reassured and continued drying his hair.

Zhan Nanhui tried to refuse several times, but Yi An’an pulled his hands away.

Suddenly, she stopped, dropped the towel, and ran out.

Zhan Nanhui hurried after her, “What are you doing?”

“My money, and your watch!” Yi An’an shouted.

When buying the watch at the supply and marketing cooperative, she had taken off Zhan Nanhui’s watch and put it in her cloth bag — which she had dropped when she hit Yan Dabao.

Zhan Nanhui followed.

Standing by the drowning spot, Yi An’an was dazed again.

This place was exactly where her daughter had drowned in her past life!

“Did you find it?” Zhan Nanhui asked when he caught up.

Yi An’an snapped out of it and searched, but found nothing.

“Yan Dabao probably took it!” Yi An’an said solemnly.

Zhan Nanhui shook his head. “Not him.”

“Why are you so sure?” Yi An’an asked confused.

Zhan Nanhui said nothing and kept searching along the riverbank. But it was too dark to see clearly, and after a long time, they found nothing.

“We’ll look again early tomorrow!” Zhan Nanhui said quietly.

Yi An’an felt guilty — losing the 50 yuan was bad, but money could be earned again. The watch was meant for the Zhan family daughter-in-law and Zhan Nanhui needed it for his upcoming exam.

“Sorry…” Yi An’an whispered.

Zhan Nanhui said nothing and turned away.

Yi An’an sulked and helplessly followed.

That night, Zhan Nanhui didn’t go to the pigpen but stayed with Yi An’an. Early the next morning, he went out to look for the cloth bag but couldn’t find it anywhere near the river.

Yi An’an got up and was about to search when Zhan Nanhui returned with a cold expression.

“Did you find it?” Yi An’an asked quickly, already guessing from his empty hands.

Zhan Nanhui shook his head. “Someone in the village must have taken it.”

Yi An’an frowned. The 50 yuan was a fortune in the 1970s. Whoever found it wouldn’t admit it.

“Well, we still have to look!” Yi An’an said. “You focus on studying, I’ll handle the watch!”

Zhan Nanhui said quietly, “If it can’t be found, don’t waste time.”

“We’ll definitely find it!” Yi An’an said firmly.

Zhan Nanhui said no more and left.

Yi An’an took out her notebook and pen, wrote a lost watch notice offering 200 yuan, and posted it in the village.

“What watch is worth 200 yuan?”

“The key is, do you have 200 yuan to pay?”

“Exactly!”

…

Villagers gathered, talking about the notice.

Yi An’an stood before it and said seriously, “Bring the watch back, I won’t ask questions, just pay the ransom!”

“Is there really money?”

“Yes, really!” Yi An’an nodded firmly.

“Yan Dabao, weren’t you by the river last night? Did you see this watch?” someone suddenly called back.

Yi An’an looked up and saw Yan Dabao, his head bandaged, leaning on a crutch not far away, staring coldly at her.

“No, I didn’t see it!” Yan Dabao said coldly.

“Yan Dabao, did you get beaten last night trying to sneak into that widow’s house?” someone joked.

Yan Dabao snorted coldly, glared fiercely at Yi An’an, then turned and left.

“Did you hear? Last night Yan Dabao went out to the latrine and it collapsed, nearly crushing him inside. That was awful!” someone whispered.

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