Chapter 5

By the time Hao Cheng returned, it was already late in the evening. Her house was close to the mountain, so there weren’t many people around on the way back.

After carrying the person back, Hao Cheng was exhausted, but she couldn’t rest yet. She found some large waterproof oilcloths and prepared the bed. Then, she dragged the injured person onto the bed, bumping them quite a bit in the process, which elicited a low groan from the person’s lips.

The man on the bed had a young face, and he was probably ten centimeters shorter than her, but despite being slender, he was tall for a man. He looked too thin, with a delicate face and a pointed chin, hardly any flesh on his body.

Hao Cheng glanced at his lips and noticed that even in unconsciousness, he instinctively kept his mouth shut, enduring the pain with determination. Men in this world valued their integrity greatly. Saving this person, Hao Cheng couldn’t help but worry if he was one of those fiercely principled men who might cause trouble if he woke up.

Originally, Hao Cheng thought about examining the person’s injuries herself, but then she gave up on the idea. After simple bandaging of the wounds on the waist and legs where there were obvious injuries, she hesitated for a moment before deciding to brave the rain and go to town to find a doctor.

While Hao Cheng was talking to the doctor, the man lying on the bed trembled his eyelashes, his fingers involuntarily curling up, his chest rising and falling, and after a moment, he opened his eyes.

Jiang Mengzhen’s memory was still stuck in the scene of him leaping. The two people who betrayed him had been stabbed to death by him, and the others chasing him didn’t know he had changed his appearance. They probably thought he was an insignificant servant, so they likely wouldn’t chase him after he jumped down, otherwise, he would have died long ago.

Of course, there was also the possibility that the person who saved him was a spy arranged in advance to gain his trust and extract information from him.

In just a few minutes, Jiang Mengzhen’s thoughts had turned countless times.

He heard what sounded like the doctor saying outside, “Your distant cousin here is not seriously injured, but the wound on his abdomen is severe. He’s already prone to cold, and since he hasn’t married or had children, it might be difficult for him to conceive in the future, especially during menstruation.”

Men in this world had it tough, and it was even harder for men who couldn’t have children. Young masters from wealthy families had people to attend to them, and the doctor, being compassionate, added a few more words of advice.

At first, Hao Cheng was a bit confused, but then she realized that in this world, men have menstrual cycles, or rather, “big uncle” cycles. The doctor was saying that men in this world might have difficulty conceiving, and they should be careful not to catch cold or expose themselves to cold water during their periods.

Hao Cheng was surprised that the doctor would bring up such a private topic, and she felt extremely awkward.

However, from the doctor’s words, she learned a few things. The man in the house should be older than her. Because she had referred to him as her distant cousin who got injured while hiking. The doctor could estimate his age by feeling his bones. Since she was already eighteen this year, she guessed the man must be around twenty.

There weren’t many men in their twenties who hadn’t married yet. She wondered how the doctor could tell that the man in the house hadn’t married or had children.

Under the sharp gaze of the old doctor, she just nodded repeatedly and said, “Yes, Doctor. I will make sure he takes good care of himself and doesn’t catch a cold. It’s raining heavily outside. Thank you for your hard work. Let me see you off.”

Inside the room, Jiang Mengzhen heard the doctor’s words and subconsciously placed his hand on his abdomen. Then a faint smirk appeared on his lips. He had never thought about having children, and it didn’t matter if he couldn’t.

When he jumped down, he instinctively protected his head and other vital parts. Although he had many wounds on his body, none of them were life-threatening.

They had only tied some white bandages around his waist and abdomen, and his dirty clothes had been replaced. He didn’t know if it was the doctor who changed them or the young woman who had spoken earlier.

When he heard no movement from the woman after she escorted the doctor out, he struggled to sit up and found a slightly blurry brass mirror in the room. He began to groom himself in front of the mirror.

The human skin mask had connecting joints at the mouth, making it easy to be discovered when unconscious. So he had only used something that required special medicine to wash off for his disguise. His skin appeared even paler, and his facial features were adjusted, making his originally exquisite and beautiful appearance look more ordinary.

His face could be described as heavenly in a village like Hao Cheng’s, but now the man in the brass mirror could only be described as delicate and weak. Excessive beauty was not a good thing for a man walking outside. When he traveled, he was accustomed to adding this protective color, never thinking that this caution would save his life.

He definitely couldn’t reveal his true appearance to this strange woman, but for the rough people in the village who couldn’t find a husband, his delicate appearance might be quite attractive. He didn’t know what intentions the woman who saved him harbored. If she was just being kind, he would naturally leave a reward before leaving to repay her kindness.

But if the woman had ulterior motives and harbored ill intentions toward him, he would never let her have her way.

With slender and delicate fingers, he adjusted his eyebrows and eyes, making the corners of his eyes, which were originally sharp and upward, appear slightly downward. The imposing demeanor disappeared, and the man in the mirror appeared more weak and dependent.

People always sympathized with and pitied the weak. Weakness was the best protective color in front of strangers. If nothing unexpected happened, he would have to stay in this place for a while. The woman should not have any crooked thoughts about him.

As Hao Cheng escorted the doctor all the way to the town and rushed back home in the cold wind and rain, she suddenly shivered in the cold wind and sneezed several times in a row.