Chapter 18

He Xianqiu took a deep breath. She shouldn’t have been so frightened just because the book described Ji Chen Zhou as a ruthless villain. The Ji Chen Zhou standing before her now was nothing like that.

She walked over to him. When he saw her approach, he lifted his head to look at her.

He Xianqiu smiled and said, “Little Ji… Little Ji, I’ve already bought everything. We can go now.”

Ji Chen Zhou nodded. “Alright. I have to go up the mountain later. Do you want to come along?”

By now, He Xianqiu had already adjusted her mindset. When she heard he was going hunting, her eyes lit up, and she blurted out without thinking, “I’ll go.”

The corners of Ji Chen Zhou’s lips curved into a faint smile. He nodded. “Then let’s head over there now.”

Only after she had agreed did He Xianqiu feel a bit embarrassed, but she could only nod again. “Alright.”

The two of them left Uncle Xu’s house and started walking toward the mountain. He Xianqiu stayed close beside Ji Chen Zhou. He slowed his pace so she could keep up.

Ever since she arrived in this era, her favorite thing had been going into the mountains. Up there, there were no other people, which made her feel relaxed, and there were so many wild fruits and chances to catch game.

But as someone unfamiliar with the area, she didn’t dare wander too far alone for fear something might happen.

After all, there weren’t even streetlights in the brigade. Once the sun went down, everything was pitch dark. That was why she usually stayed in the educated youth station, so bored she felt like she was about to grow mold.

When they reached the mountain, He Xianqiu couldn’t help feeling a little tense again. She had just learned he was the villain in the story, and although she had tried to adjust her mindset, she still couldn’t act as casually as usual.

Ji Chen Zhou, always perceptive, frowned and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”

She clasped her hands together and mumbled, “It’s nothing. So… what are we doing now?”

Ji Chen Zhou lowered his head to look at her. “We’ll catch some fish in the river.”

Internally, He Xianqiu was screaming. Ahhhh— she had clearly told herself over and over that he wasn’t the villain yet. So why was she still so uneasy? Why had she agreed to come up the mountain with him so impulsively?

Ji Chen Zhou led her to the riverbank. He set up a small basket trap and began catching fish.

He Xianqiu watched his movements, telling herself again and again that he really was very good to her, that she shouldn’t be wary. She just needed to treat him the way she always had and not let things turn out like in the book.

She took a deep breath, then another, forcing herself to calm down.

In her mind, she went over everything she could think of. Ji Chen Zhou really had been kind to her. She shouldn’t distance herself. Since she already considered him a friend, she couldn’t let him end up locked in prison like in the story.

Once she had adjusted her emotions, she walked to the riverbank and squatted to play in the water. The river was so clear she could see the stones on the bottom.

Although Ji Chen Zhou was busy catching fish, he kept glancing at her. When he saw she seemed to relax and no longer looked so stiff, he unconsciously let out a breath.

After playing with the water for a while, He Xianqiu got bored. She found a rock to sit on and started watching Ji Chen Zhou in a daze.

Noticing her gaze, his ears suddenly turned a little red.

He lowered his eyes, straightened his posture slightly, and continued fishing.

He Xianqiu didn’t notice his reaction. She kept staring intently at the basket he was using.

After a while, Ji Chen Zhou lifted the basket out of the water, full of fish. He Xianqiu ran over, staring at the palm-sized fish in his hands.

She said excitedly, “There are so many fish! Little Ji, you’re amazing!”

Ji Chen Zhou’s face flushed faintly, and he replied in a low voice, “It’s nothing. Actually, this is fewer than I usually catch.”

She nodded. “I see. So what do we do after catching fish?”

He thought for a moment. “I’ll set some traps. If we’re lucky, we might catch some game.”

“Okay! But after we set the traps, there won’t be anything to do. Let’s pick some raspberries then.” Her eyes lit up, and she smiled brightly.

Ji Chen Zhou also smiled. “Alright.”

He Xianqiu led him to a patch of raspberry bushes. Ji Chen Zhou set up a small trap a little farther away.

Since there were often children playing in this area, he made sure the trap was small—just big enough to hold small animals—and planned to bury it after collecting any catch.

He Xianqiu watched him set the trap. Once he finished, she brought him over to the raspberry thicket.

She looked so happy, her entire face glowing with excitement. She had grown up in the capital city and had never been to the mountains. Everything here felt fresh and new. The wild fruits she’d never tasted before were even more fascinating.

Besides, in the seventies, there were very few fruits—people mostly grew staple crops to fill their stomachs. When she’d gone to the commune before, she’d hardly seen any fruit at all.

Looking at this whole patch of raspberries, she was beaming. But there were no baskets to hold them, so she had to use taro leaves again, just like last time.

Holding the leaf, she sighed. “If only we had a basket. The taro leaf is big, but it’s still not as good as a basket.”

Ji Chen Zhou considered for a moment. “True. But for now, we’ll make do. Next time, I’ll weave one for you.”

Her lips curled into a smile, and she nodded. “Alright.”

Then the two of them started picking raspberries together. But He Xianqiu kept darting around, so she and Ji Chen Zhou ended up separated by some distance.

She picked carefully, placing the ripe berries on the leaf. Once she finished one spot, she moved to another.

Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound. She looked down—and saw a snake slithering past her feet. She screamed in shock.

“Ah—there’s a snake!”

It was a green snake about a meter long and as thick as her arm. When it heard her scream, it raised its head to stare at her, its vertical pupils fixed on her as it flicked its tongue.

He Xianqiu trembled all over, her fruit falling to the ground. She froze, her feet rooted to the spot. She didn’t dare move an inch.

As soon as she snapped out of it, she bolted in Ji Chen Zhou’s direction.

She ran ahead while the snake slithered after her. In her panic, she tripped over a rock and fell hard. Knowing the snake was right behind her, she felt a wave of despair.

Ji Chen Zhou heard her scream and sprinted over. He arrived just in time to see the snake behind her as she lay on the ground, her hands caked in mud. He picked up a rock and smashed it down on the snake’s head.

The snake’s head was crushed flat, though its body still writhed for a while before falling completely still.

He Xianqiu looked up at him, her eyes reddening. Seeing him there made her feel safe—but also utterly wronged. Tears began to fall.

Then she turned her head and saw the snake’s smashed head, the gory mess making her gag.

She had landed hard, covering herself in mud. She tried to scoot away from the snake, but realized her ankle felt twisted. Just the slightest movement sent a wave of pain shooting through her. She hissed and sucked in a sharp breath.

Ji Chen Zhou threw the bloody rock aside, staring at her in alarm. “Comrade He, are you alright?”

She sniffled, her eyes wet. “I think I sprained my ankle. I can’t move.”

He dropped the wild fruit and looked at her seriously. “Comrade He, let me see your ankle.”

She nodded despite the pain. Her whole body ached from the fall.

He carefully removed her little leather shoe and inspected her ankle. It was badly swollen and red. When he pressed it lightly, she gasped in pain.

His eyes darkened with worry. “Comrade He, you can’t walk like this. I’ll carry you. Is that alright?”

She nodded but hesitated. “I’m covered in mud. I’ll dirty your clothes.”

He shook his head. “I don’t mind.”

“Thank you, Little Ji,” she whispered.

He didn’t respond. He was blaming himself—he’d brought her up the mountain but hadn’t protected her properly.

Silent, he lifted her onto his back. She wrapped her arms gently around him.

Maybe she could sense his guilt, because she said in a steady voice, “It’s not your fault. No one could have known there would be a snake.”

Then she sighed regretfully. “It’s a shame about the raspberries. They all got spilled.”

“I still picked some. You can take them all back.”

“That’s not fair, Little Ji. Just give me a little bit.”

As she spoke, her breath brushed against his ear.

His ears turned red. She noticed in surprise. “Little Ji, why are your ears red?”

He replied awkwardly, “Maybe it’s from the heat.”

She nodded seriously. “True. You’re carrying me—it must be hot.”

After saying that, she felt a bit embarrassed. It was because he was carrying her that he felt hot.

Neither of them spoke again after that. Ji Chen Zhou was always quiet, only more relaxed in front of her. But now, with no topic to talk about, they both fell silent, though it wasn’t awkward.

He carried her to the riverbank and set her gently on a rock. She quickly washed her muddy hands. Even so, they were scratched and stung with pain when touched.

She carefully wiped the mud from her clothes. Once she felt cleaner, she finally relaxed.

Ji Chen Zhou found some herbs that could help with swelling and pain relief. He washed them with river water and crushed them with a stone.

She watched curiously. “What is that?”

“Motherwort. It’s good for reducing swelling and relieving pain. It grows everywhere up here.”

She nodded. “Got it.”

Once he finished preparing the paste, he looked up. “Let me apply it. You can’t do it yourself right now.”

They looked at each other, and she nodded. “Alright.”

He applied the paste to her ankle and hands. Since her knee was swollen too, she lifted her skirt to show him where to put the medicine.

A faint blush rose on his cheeks. His ears turned completely red.