Chapter 30: The Heat Was Unbearable 

After an unknown amount of time, hurried footsteps finally echoed from deep within the alley. 

Wei Hong’s heart tightened, and he casually patted the sides of his clothes, a slight smile appearing on his face as he fixed his determined gaze on the approaching figure. 

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t excited at this crucial moment, but he silently reminded himself to remain calm, especially when it mattered most. 

Brother Zhao would tell him how much that bowl was worth, so he had to keep his composure. 

He couldn’t act like an ordinary person, getting flustered and showing weakness in front of others! 

However, the next second, he saw a gloomy face of a man emerging from the shadows at the alley entrance, and the smile that was about to form on his lips hesitated and froze on his face. 

The silent night in the alley was accompanied by barking dogs and a flurry of furious curses. 

“Damn it! Do you dare to mess with me?!” 

. 

The second day was indeed a good one. 

The morning sun brought the unique warmth of early autumn, not as glaring as the summer sun, wrapping around a person like a newly woven wool sweater, soft and cozy. 

Xia Li planned to take the man to the mountains. 

She had noticed when she went to gather herbs earlier that there were quite a few wild fruit trees deep in the mountains. 

It was the season for ripe fruits, yet not many people went to pick them, probably because the trees were too tall. 

On the way, the man was still wearing the same old outfit, half-long, half-short, tall and imposing, with a cold expression, making him quite conspicuous. 

Xia Li saw that he seemed a bit out of sorts for having gotten up early and didn’t engage him in awkward conversation like before. 

Could he still be sulking? No way. 

Halfway through, she glanced at the somewhat silent man beside her and casually asked, “Are you feeling okay? Does it still hurt?” 

The man quickly fluttered his eyelashes, lowered his eyelids, and turned his head away. 

After a moment, he muttered, “…Not painful. Just swollen.” 

Xia Li was asking about the wounds on the back of his head and body, and upon hearing his words, her expression became cautious: “How is it swollen? Is it itchy? Did you scratch it with your hand?” 

She was worried that the inflammation might have worsened and desperately wanted to tear open his shirt to take a look. 

The man’s chest rose and fell heavily a couple of times, his thin lips pressed tightly together as he glanced at her, furrowing his brows in a conflicted expression. 

After a long silence, he finally spoke: “It’s itchy. I… didn’t scratch it with my hands.” 

Xia Li nodded, “That’s good. It shouldn’t be too serious. Just make sure not to scratch it with your hands.” 

She had originally planned to gather some anti-inflammatory herbs from the mountains for him. 

Without money, she had to rely on her own efforts; she would gather whatever she could from the mountains, taking whatever she found. 

Hey? Saying it like this, going to the mountains felt like opening a blind box. 

The man remembered the girl’s words, his brow furrowing as he felt a bit guilty. 

In fact, last night he really couldn’t stand it; the swelling wouldn’t go down, so he secretly… rubbed it a little with his hand. 

But it didn’t really help. 

Besides, he felt even stranger afterward, feeling unbearably hot, wanting to wash it off, yet recalling what his wife said about not washing or getting wet recently. 

So, he could only bite down hard on his back teeth and endure, sweating profusely. 

With his eyes open and unable to sleep, he heard the rooster outside starting to crow victoriously, and that strange feeling finally dissipated. 

Although it was gone, he felt even worse for having woken up so early. 

His heart felt empty. 

He didn’t even dare to look at his wife for too long, not knowing why. 

The man irritably scratched his head. 

When Xia Li glanced over, he quickly put his hand down nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened. 

Chapter 31: Wild Goji Berry Forest 

The two set off not too late, entering the mountains at just the right time in the morning when visibility was at its best. 

Sunbeams filtered through the varying heights of the trees, casting bright patches of light on the ground scattered with dead leaves and broken branches, creating a beautiful layered tranquility. 

Due to the man’s head injury, Xia Li did not intend to have him do anything too laborious. She pointed to a large bamboo basket behind him: 

“Do you see those big trees ahead filled with red fruits? You can go ahead and look under the trees for wild fruits to pick, but only gather those that are relatively intact, not the smashed or rotten ones.” 

“Make sure to be careful. Just pick the ones on the ground and don’t shake the trees. Otherwise, you’ll end up with one falling on your head.” 

As the man walked deeper into the mountains, he looked up and scanned his surroundings, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes. 

He frowned slightly but didn’t say anything and quickly responded when he heard Xia Li’s words. 

Xia Li noticed that he still seemed a bit listless, likely because he hadn’t rested well last night. 

After pondering for a moment, she said, “Let’s work well together; we have a partnership, understand?” 

“You pick the fruits, and I’ll gather herbs for you. When we get back, we can make delicious fruit pancakes to eat, and I’ll put some anti-inflammatory ointment on you. You’ll get better quickly.” 

The man felt a surge of anticipation at hearing his wife mention making delicious pancakes, but then he was stunned by her next words. 

She still wanted to apply medicine on him again? 

What to do? 

He suddenly felt a wave of self-destructive shame and hopelessness wash over him. 

Although he didn’t understand why he felt ashamed or why everything had suddenly changed yesterday. 

After it had changed, he felt an instinctive need to avoid his wife, even when she approached him to talk; he couldn’t even focus on her words. 

If it happened again, would she definitely notice…? 

The man’s rugged features were tinged with a perplexing panic, which then gave way to an unshakeable dejection. 

His eyes dimmed, and the attractive angles of his lips drooped down. 

Xia Li looked at him in confusion, her almond-shaped eyes observing him closely. 

Why was picking wild fruit such a heavy task for him? 

She reminded him a couple more times, agreeing that he should stay in that area to pick fruits and not wander too far. 

She would gather herbs nearby and would wait for him under the largest tree when she was done. 

“If you don’t see me for a while, just call my name, and I’ll come over quickly.” 

The man silently watched the girl’s figure; his tall silhouette, awkwardly carrying the bamboo basket, wore a heavy expression that seemed quite lonely. 

Unexpectedly, after taking a few steps, she turned around suddenly, her white face softening with a raised brow, “Oh, right! If I can’t find you, what should I call you?” 

It suddenly crossed his mind that after several days of being together, he didn’t even have a name to call her by. 

Beneath the rays of light in the forest, the girl’s delicate and beautiful face seemed to glow, her warm eyes glimmering with light, even the warmth reflecting on her eyelashes. 

Her skin was fine and healthy, and her long, soft hair was illuminated, looking fluffy in the sunlight. 

So beautiful. 

He gazed at her, and a flush of warmth crept up to his ears. 

Xia Li naturally knew she couldn’t ask what he was called. Remembering that there was a piece of iron with an inscription in his initial outfit, she raised her long eyelashes and tentatively asked, “Is your name Cheng? Ah Cheng?” 

The man didn’t respond but, seeing his wife asking, nodded randomly, “Um.” 

Xia Li said, “Then how about this: you call me Li Zi, and I’ll call you Cheng Zi. We’ll be fruit-themed.” 

Upon hearing this, the man’s handsome face finally revealed a hint of a smile. 

The more he thought about it, the happier he became, unable to help but grin at his wife’s back, his voice low: “Li Zi.” 

Not long after Xia Li walked out, she discovered an area filled with shrubs, surrounded by weeds, where a type of purple flower was blooming. 

Her eyes suddenly lit up; was this purple flower the wild violet? 

The purple flower, known as wild violet, is a type of robust wild grass. 

In the countryside, it’s often called plowhead grass because it grows everywhere and can easily survive in the soil. Farmers often complain about it taking up nutrients from the soil. 

However, many people don’t know that it is a medicinal herb with high medicinal value, perfect for reducing inflammation and swelling. 

Xia Li had previously wanted to look for dandelions, which also have anti-inflammatory effects. Now that she saw a large patch of wild violets, she squatted down to dig them up, having brought a small iron spade with her for convenience. 

She quickly finished gathering the wild violets, and not far ahead, she noticed a denser patch of purple flowers by the hillside. After taking a short break, she continued deeper into the woods, unknowingly filling half a basket. 

Phew! 

There would definitely be enough for the man’s medicine, and the rest could be sold for money. 

Xia Li felt warm, her cheeks flushed as she stood up, stretching her back to relax. When she turned her head, she realized she had already walked quite a distance. 

The sunlight overhead was even more glaring and hot now; it must be close to noon. 

She continued walking with the basket on her back, planning to gather more herbs. 

For example… 

As Xia Li pondered, she almost tripped over a stone ledge underfoot. 

Instinctively protecting the bamboo basket on her back, she managed to steady herself. 

Exhaling, she casually looked up and was suddenly stunned by the scene before her. 

Before her was a vast green shrubland. 

The lush, oily green branches and leaves were filled with countless plump, bright red fruits hanging in clusters beneath the leaves, as if she had stumbled into a quiet, untouched forbidden forest. 

“For example… goji berries.” 

She murmured, disbelief flashing in her eyes, quickly followed by immense excitement! 

There was actually such a large wild goji berry forest in the mountains! 

It seemed endless. 

Clusters of bright red, plump goji berries hung heavily from the branches, weighing down the lush greenery, and many berries had even fallen to the ground, yet no one had come to pick them! 

Xia Li’s heart raced as she suddenly realized something.