Chapter 14: First Encounter with Luo Jin’an

As the villagers looked at the young man standing before them, they unconsciously fell silent, for he was simply too good-looking.

The young man appeared to be around fifteen years old. His hair was neatly tied into a topknot, secured with a wooden hairpin. His skin was fair and smooth, almost like porcelain. Beneath his broad forehead were thick eyebrows and bright, expressive eyes. His slender and tall figure exuded an air of elegance, and despite wearing a simple blue cloth robe, he couldn’t conceal his noble bearing.

Only the slightly pale color of his lips and the cloak draped over his shoulders hinted that he wasn’t in the best of health.

Xu Nian gazed at his eyes and was suddenly reminded of Germany’s Königssee—always calm, crystal-clear, and tranquil.

Luo Jin’an remained composed under the villagers’ scrutiny. However, when he sensed an unusually intense gaze on him, his brows twitched slightly.

Following the direction of the stare, he saw a young girl, around twelve or thirteen years old. Her face was smudged with dirt, making her features difficult to discern, yet when she noticed him looking back, she simply arched her brows slightly and nodded at him.

Luo Jin’an found it interesting. The girl’s demeanor was open and unrestrained, completely devoid of the embarrassment one might expect after being caught staring.

As Xu Yaozu recounted the details of their trip to buy grain, the villagers learned that it was Young Master Mu’s guards who had saved him and protected the food. Instantly, their attitude toward the boy turned exceptionally warm.

Madam Wang, in particular, was extremely grateful. If she weren’t worried about soiling the young man’s fine clothes with her hands, she might have grabbed him right then and there to express her thanks.

Watching her grandmother fuss over Young Master Mu, Xu Nian couldn’t help but sigh. It seemed her grandmother had completely forgotten about her own son.

Though the young man was indeed pleasant to look at, Xu Nian only glanced at him a few times before shifting her focus away—she hadn’t forgotten that her father was still injured.

She pulled Xu Yaozu and Madam Tian into the cave and took out a bottle of iodine from inside her clothes, handing it to her mother.

“Mother, check Father’s wounds. This is medicine to apply on them.”

Madam Tian examined the bottle curiously. “Nian’er, where did you get this medicine?”

Before Xu Nian could answer, Xu Yaozu gently tugged at his wife’s sleeve. “Qiaoniang, there are too many people around here.”

Only then did Madam Tian realize—where else could Nian’er have gotten the medicine? It must have been a gift from the Mountain Goddess again. Thinking of this, she quickly clasped her hands together and murmured a prayer.

Just then, the villagers led Young Master Mu into the cave as well. Fearing they might ask about the origin of the medicine, Madam Tian hurriedly stuffed the bottle into her sleeve. However, in her haste, she accidentally dropped it, and it just so happened to land at the young man’s feet.

Luo Jin’an’s gaze flickered as he looked down at the bottle. The light from the cave entrance shone upon it, revealing that it was a black glazed glass bottle.

He picked it up, rubbed it lightly between his fingers, and then handed it back to the girl who had stepped forward to retrieve it.

As Xu Nian accepted the bottle, her fingers brushed against his, and she was startled by how unnaturally cold they were. She instinctively looked up at him—was this the body temperature of a living person?

Luo Jin’an withdrew his hand into his wide sleeves and, meeting her curious gaze, curled his lips into a faint smile.

“A congenital cold ailment,” he said lightly. “It’s nothing serious.”

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Xu Nian nodded. She hadn’t meant to pry, but inwardly, she couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. Young Master Mu perfectly fit the image of a valiant young general from the stories—what a pity that his health was so fragile.

However, whatever sympathy she had for him quickly disappeared by nightfall.

“Changsheng, you really saved us today—have some more porridge.”

“Here, Changsheng, drink some fish soup. It may not taste great, but it’s nourishing.”

“Brother Changsheng, have some dates! These are the ones I secretly saved.”

“…”

Xu Nian turned away, focusing on her own pitifully thin porridge. She refused to look at the young man being treated like a treasured guest by her family.

Though she was genuinely grateful that he had saved her father, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this seemingly frail young man was not as simple as he appeared.

Despite his gentle and polite demeanor, his eyes remained as calm and unfathomable as ever. He was far from the modest and unassuming person he pretended to be.

He had introduced himself as the son of a wealthy merchant, claiming his name was Mu Changsheng.

Hearing this, Xu Nian sneered inwardly.

Not a single word of it was true.

The small leaf sandalwood hairpin on his head was not something the son of a merchant could afford to wear. Moreover, the fact that he had been able to escort Xu Yaozu out of the city without anyone daring to stop him proved that his identity was far from ordinary.

However, Xu Nian did not expose him. Whatever his true intentions were, as long as he behaved himself, she would simply treat him as a merchant’s son.

Luo Jin’an slowly sipped his porridge, his gaze subtly observing the girl who had her back to him. He couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.

Things were becoming increasingly interesting. From the black glass bottle to the green dates that had revitalized his body, he had a strong feeling that everything was connected to this girl.

Unaware that she had already caught someone’s attention, Xu Nian was still lost in her own thoughts.

The next day, after everyone had prepared their water supply, they resumed their journey. It was already September, yet there was no hint of coolness in the air.

Xu Nian watched enviously as the young man ahead of her strolled along at a leisurely pace. She was already drenched in sweat, while he hadn’t even broken a single drop.

Meanwhile, the person she envied was subtly probing for information about her.

“Why do they call you Xiaoliuzi?”

Xu Cai, who was holding his big brother’s hand, thought the young man was rather slow-witted.

“Of course, it’s because I’m the sixth child in my family. My eldest sister gave me that name.”

“You like your eldest sister a lot, don’t you?”

“Of course! My big sister is amazing—she can catch rabbits and fish! Even the dates you ate yesterday were picked by her.”

Luo Jin’an’s lips curled slightly. Just as he had suspected.

“The dates were delicious. Didn’t you go with her to pick them?”

The little Xu Cai didn’t catch the deeper meaning behind Luo Jin’an’s words. He thought the big brother simply wanted more dates.

The child hesitated for a moment, but remembering that his grandmother had said this young man was their benefactor for saving his eldest uncle, he finally reached into his robe and pulled out two green dates, stuffing them into Luo Jin’an’s hand.

“Brother Changsheng, eat them sparingly. Once these are gone, I really don’t have any more left.”

Luo Jin’an rubbed the warm dates in his palm, his heart softening slightly. Indeed, children were pure and sincere.

He placed the dates back into Xu Cai’s robe, patted his head, and smiled as he asked,

“Xiaoliuzi, do you know how to read?”

“I know a few characters. Our eldest uncle teaches us. Brother Xu Ji is the fastest learner and the best at it…”

For the rest of the journey, Luo Jin’an chatted with Xu Cai now and then but did not continue prying for more information.

During a break, Xu Cai happily ran over to bring Xu Nian some water, chattering non-stop about his Brother Changsheng.

Xu Nian rolled her eyes and muttered, “From now on, don’t call yourself Xiaoliuzi anymore. Just go by Lao Liu instead.”

She had no idea what kind of spell that man had cast over everyone, but one by one, they all seemed to be drawn to him.

“Changsheng, are you tired? Have some water—it’s boiled, very clean.”

“Yes, sit down and rest for a while. The sky isn’t giving us any rain or wind—it’s so hot we can barely stand it.”

“Changsheng, you don’t have to look after Xiaoliuzi anymore for the rest of the journey. That boy is too much of a handful.”

Xu Nian would never admit that she was jealous of how he had taken away the sense of family affection she had only just begun to experience.