Chapter 31

She opened the wooden door and could vaguely hear the sounds of villagers calling out to each other as they headed out.

Jiang Henian turned to look at He Jinshan.

“Then… I’ll get going.”

The man sat silently in the dimly lit room. His expression was hard to make out, and he didn’t respond.

Jiang Henian didn’t have the nerve to ask someone so poor for even half a candle, so she simply nodded again and quietly stepped outside, gently closing the door behind her.

It’s fine, it’s fine. There’s still a small piece of candle left in my space. I’ll take it out once I’m farther away.

She rubbed her eyes and squinted into the misty village night, letting out a soft sigh.

If I’d known I’d end up in a time with no streetlights, I would’ve eaten carrots like rice growing up.

She patted the dirt off her clothes and started walking, comforting herself, It’s dark anyway, no one can see me.

After walking the path dozens of times, Jiang Henian wasn’t so blind as to trip every step of the way.

He Jinshan’s grass hut was on a slope at the foot of the mountain, on the edge of the village. There were no neighbors nearby, only a few collapsed, abandoned cow sheds. The area was surrounded by trees, and it was especially desolate at night. You had to walk about a hundred meters before reaching the nearest occupied house.

Jiang Henian kept her eyes wide open as she walked downhill, mentally recalling where the low spots were. After successfully avoiding a pothole, she stopped and even turned back to double-check with her foot.

She smirked proudly—her memory was spot on.

A strong person never blames their environment!

She turned to continue forward, but the moment her foot landed—

Trouble!

She stepped on a round stone, and her right foot slipped!

Before she could flail her arms for balance, a hand silently reached out from the darkness, grabbed the back of her collar, and effortlessly lifted her aside.

Jiang Henian’s eyes widened, and she didn’t even dare breathe.

Stiffly, she slowly turned her neck with a creaking motion and saw a tall, shadowy figure behind her.

After a moment, she couldn’t help reaching out to swat at him.

“What the heck! You scared me to death!”

He Jinshan tugged the corner of his mouth into a faint smile and easily caught her little chick-like wrist.

“Planning to roll your way into the village?”

Jiang Henian puffed out her cheeks and gave him a fierce glare, even though she couldn’t see his face.

“Who’re you glaring at?”

“….”

“Pouting won’t help either—I can see it clearly.”

Once again, her cheeks were caught between his rough fingers.

“Little blind cat, still so feisty.”

Her soft, chubby cheeks felt great in his hand. Pleased, He Jinshan gave them another playful shake.

Jiang Henian was furious but didn’t dare show it.

This guy… This guy is 100% that He Ye! No way I got it wrong! Even without his memories, he’s still just as mean!

Just thinking about it made her want to curse that damn potato of a system.

Stupid glitchy system, always screwing her over!

“I—I’m not blind!”

Jiang Henian struggled for a while before finally leaning her head back and rescuing her cheeks, gently rubbing them with her palms in distress.

What kind of brute strength is that?!

If I weren’t relying on you for power recharges to survive, I’d do this to you, then that to you—and then this again…

Because of her night blindness, Jiang Henian always assumed others couldn’t see clearly either. Right in front of He Jinshan, she clenched her fists and made one vengeful little devil face after another.

He Jinshan watched her from above, thoroughly entertained, then grabbed the puffed-up little wild cat and dragged her toward a side path.

Jiang Henian came back to her senses and, ever adaptable, put on a sweet smile again. Looking up at him with wide eyes, she asked, “You’re coming too?”

“This isn’t the right way though. We should go that way—”

“There’s a snake under your feet.”

“Ah!”

Jiang Henian shrieked and jumped into He Jinshan’s arms, clutching his shoulders tightly.

“Where? Where is it?! Go, go, go—move!”

He Jinshan easily supported her by the waist and hips, the corners of his mouth lifting in a silent smile as he continued walking down the side path.

Jiang Henian wrapped her arms around his neck, staring down warily at the dark ground, feeling like she was way off the ground. Her legs dangled midair, swaying.

After a long while, she whispered, “I-Is the snake gone?”

He Jinshan stopped walking, tilted his head back, and met her gaze.

In the darkness, his eyes were black and glimmering like onyx cat eyes sparkling in the night.

“It’s wrapped around your foot.”

There was clear amusement in his voice.

Jiang Henian instinctively kicked her leg in terror, but the laughter in his voice made her realize—she’d been tricked.

The little brat stomped ahead across the grass, her pigtails swinging furiously.

Her short legs moved quickly, striding with determination, as if she’d suddenly developed night vision overnight.

No matter how he called, she ignored him.

She even stepped on a rock and almost twisted her ankle—but kept silent, walking faster and faster like she really was going to roll her way into the village.

Oops. Took it too far.

He Jinshan barely managed to suppress the smile on his face and quickened his pace.

Jiang Henian heard him coming and stubbornly picked up speed.

“Hiss—”

A low grunt of pain came from behind her.

She paused mid-step, ears pricking up.

Nothing.

She peeked sideways—couldn’t see anything.

Jiang Henian: “…”

She pursed her lips and turned back around. “What are you doing?”

He Jinshan had his right leg slightly extended, his gaze lowered to look at her.

Jiang Henian took a deep breath, then muttered awkwardly, “Your leg’s not better yet. Why did you come out?”

Still, her body was honest—she turned back and held onto his strong, lean arm.

“You’re heavy, you know. If you fall, I can’t catch you.”

“If your bones don’t heal right and grow crooked, you’ll end up like some limping old man. What then?”

When he didn’t respond for a while, her tone softened again.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

He Jinshan looked down at the little shorty doing her best to support him, something flickering in his eyes.

Then, under the moonlight, the tall, handsome man—expressionless—tilted his lips and said without hesitation:

“Yeah. Hurts.”

If you didn’t see his face, you’d really think he was enduring immense pain.

“Then why are you being reckless?”

Jiang Henian immediately puffed up with righteous indignation, gripping his arm even tighter, helping the man—who was a full head and a half taller than her—walk forward.

Their footsteps rustled against the thick grass.

“I’ve been reading. I’ll find a way to completely heal your leg.”

“Mm… maybe even make you some scar ointment? I saw a page about that yesterday. Not sure if I can find those herbs though.”

A smile flickered in the man’s eyes.

He raised an arm and casually draped it over the little girl’s shoulders—she was already panting a bit from the effort.

“Why do you care so much about my injury?”

Jiang Henian paused, slightly guilty. “I told you—I’m the kind of person who just loves helping others.”

“I get restless if I don’t save someone every day.” Yeah right!

“It’s not because I’m your future brother-in-law?”

Jiang Henian frowned and looked up. “Didn’t you already call off the engagement?”

Wait… has Jiang Yanqiu found out his leg’s not crippled and now wants him back?

He Jinshan smirked, took back his weight so she wasn’t carrying him anymore, and hooked her arm to steer her away from bumping into a tree.

“Of course we called it off. This way, little blind cat.”

Jiang Henian rubbed her nose, glancing at the small country path under the moonlight that clearly avoided all people.

“How did you know about this path? I’ve taken so many turns, I feel dizzy.”

“Well, I lived here before I joined the army. Didn’t you know that?”

Danger, danger, danger!

Jiang Henian stiffened.

“M-my eyesight’s not great, so I never really walked these paths before.”

He Jinshan saw through her but said nothing, wrapping an arm around her neck and casually dragging her forward.