Chapter 15: On the Road Together

Wang Li said, “You’re awake? Here, have a rice dumpling and some water. Why are you here? What happened to your leg? Do we know each other?”

Wang Minghao blinked at Wang Li, thinking to himself, Isn’t this Xiao Xie’s stepmother? But now that I look closely, she’s quite young.

Han Ya waved a rice dumpling in front of Wang Minghao’s face and said, “Are you stupid or something? Why won’t you take the rice dumpling?”

Wang Li covered her mouth and giggled from the side. These two were just too funny. Traveling without Han Ya would’ve been so dull—watching their back-and-forth could make anyone laugh.

Wang Li asked, “So, what’s your name? Come on, eat something. How did your leg get hurt? Are there still bad guys chasing you? Do we need to hide?”

“I’m Wang Minghao. We met a few days ago.”

Wang Li thought, Met? I don’t remember you. Isn’t this one of those tricks guys use to flirt with girls in the modern world?

Wang Minghao said, “We really met. Think hard. Look in your notebook.”

Wang Li thought, Oh my god… isn’t this that underground resistance guy? If I travel with him, won’t I be dragged into trouble? That won’t do—I can’t be associated with him. But then again, with his injured leg, how can he travel alone? I can’t just leave him behind… What now?

Wang Minghao added, “You should be older than me, right? Can I call you Big Sis?”

Do I look that old? Wang Li replied, “Why did you give me that? Aren’t you afraid I might be a bad person? That I’d hand it over to the enemy?”

“I’m not worried,” Wang Minghao said. “Mingyu told me about you. Said you’re a good person.”

Who’s Mingyu? Wang Li wondered.

Han Ya chimed in, “You know Second Young Master? Then do you know where he went? Every time he comes home, he always brings me snacks!”

Ah, Wang Li thought, so that’s why he gave me something so important. Turns out he knows me. And here I was, worrying for nothing.

“Since your leg’s like that, let’s rest here this afternoon. We’ll move on tomorrow,” Wang Li said. “Girl, go find some sticks and splint your Uncle Wang’s leg so it’ll heal faster.”

Han Ya responded cheerfully, “Okay!”

Once Han Ya left, Wang Li asked, “So where are you headed? Back to Taiyuan or somewhere else?”

Wang Minghao replied, “Since you’re one of us, I’ll tell you—I’m going to Shanghai. You’re going too, right?”

Wang Li asked, “How do you know that?” Then quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. Ugh! Why did I blurt that out? She awkwardly laughed and mumbled, “Hehehe…”

Wang Minghao’s heart skipped a beat. How can someone this age be so cute? It’s unreal…

The two sat in silence, quietly stealing glances at each other, each lost in their own thoughts.

Just then, Han Ya returned and broke the quiet. “Auntie! I picked up more firewood—and found a few mushrooms too!”

Startled, Wang Li flinched and quickly replied, “My girl is really capable! Let Auntie take a look at those mushrooms. Some can be poisonous—you know we can’t just eat any kind.”

Han Ya huffed, “You’re underestimating me! I’m the best at picking mushrooms. Every autumn, I go mushroom hunting with Aunt Liu and the others. We always bring back a ton! You forgot already?”

Wang Li thought to herself, The original host didn’t have this kind of knowledge in her head either—how am I supposed to know? She could only pretend. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Silly me, my memory must be getting old and fuzzy.”

As soon as she finished, the person behind them let out a stifled laugh. These two jokers—at least the journey won’t be dull with them around.

Han Ya pouted and said, “My aunt is not old at all! You should be grateful—my aunt saved you and even gave you good medicine, and now you’re making fun of her? I don’t want to talk to you anymore!” She finished with a huff and puffed out her cheeks.

That made Wang Minghao burst into hearty laughter.

Wang Li said, “Alright, enough laughing. Eat a rice dumpling, drink some water, and lie down for a bit. We’ll keep watch. I bet you’ve never dared to fall asleep properly on the road before. You’ve probably been eating poorly and sleeping worse, which is why you fainted. Since you trust me enough to hand over that thing, it shows you believe in me. I won’t harm you. So go ahead and get some rest.”

Once Wang Minghao had fallen asleep, Wang Li spread out an oilcloth on the ground and laid a thin mattress on top. She sat down and patted the spot beside her. “Come sit here, girl,” she said to Han Ya. “Take a break too.”

Han Ya replied, “Auntie, I’m not tired. You rest. I’ll keep an eye on our things. We can’t let the bad guys take them.”

Wang Li said, “Alright then, let’s just sit. I can’t fall asleep either.” And so the two of them sat there, each lost in their own thoughts.

Wang Li pondered, This man must be a Communist. It’s dangerous to bring him along, but leaving him isn’t an option either—he’s someone the original host knew. I have to disguise him. Maybe dress him up as a girl? He does have delicate features… She shook her head. No, that won’t do. So annoying. What should I do? Just look at that long robe—classic Communist attire.

(In TV dramas, the Nationalists wear suits while the Communists wear long robes.)

That won’t work. I’ll have to put him in a long peasant coat for now, and once we get close to Shanghai, I can switch him into something a landlord might wear—or maybe even a mob boss look. I’ll stick a fake mustache on him. The space has fake eyelashes—stick on a bunch and it’ll look like facial hair. No one will notice.

Once she had a plan, she relaxed and soon dozed off.

Han Ya looked at her aunt and thought, Auntie must’ve been really tired to fall asleep so quickly. Tonight’s my turn to keep watch—I won’t let her wear herself out.

The two adults were soon snoring softly while the little girl sat there, looking left and right, afraid that some bad guy might suddenly show up.

Wang Minghao, who had never truly slept soundly while on the run, was already awake. He tilted his head to look at Wang Li and thought, Could I really be falling for this woman?

Why does my heart beat faster when I look at her? We really do have a strange fate—every time we meet, she ends up helping me. That must be destiny. Her face is all dirty and dusty, but to me, she looks so… adorable.

I’ve lived thirty years. As a kid, I was obsessed with guns. In school, there were so many girls, but I never thought of getting close to any of them. After joining the revolution, I was always focused on missions. And now… I’m falling for Mingyu’s stepmother? What would Mingyu think if he knew? Sigh.

Han Ya asked, “Uncle, are you okay? Are you in pain? Why are you sighing?”

Wang Minghao replied, “I’m fine, little one. You should get some rest too. Look—it’s already getting dark.”

Han Ya said, “I won’t sleep. I’m on night duty. I already fell asleep last night and made Auntie stay up the whole night. Her health isn’t good—she can’t be overworked. And Grandpa hasn’t come back yet either. If he knew I let Auntie get tired, he’d definitely scold me. Grandpa scolding people is really scary.”

As Han Ya chattered away, Wang Li woke up, her voice still groggy. “Ya-ya… Ya-ya… I’m thirsty…”

She looked adorably dazed and sleepy, which made Wang Minghao’s heart beat even faster. His mouth went dry. Something’s wrong with me. Am I getting sick again? Maybe the wound is infected. My heart feels weird too…

Wang Li got up and poured a bowl of water, then broke a rice dumpling into it to soak. She handed it to Han Ya. “Give this to him,” she said, still a bit fuzzy-headed and not wanting to move much. Then she made herself two bowls and started gobbling them down.

On her end, all was fine. But Wang Minghao thought, Could she have figured it out? Is that why she’s not even looking at me? Why did she have the girl bring it over instead? Is she going to kick me out?