Font Size:
Lu Jin was in a daze, surrounded by a mix of voices—men, women, children—all talking at once. It was so noisy that he couldn’t sleep properly. He wanted to tell them to stop, but he couldn’t even open his eyes. He could only listen as the chatter slowly faded into silence.
On a winter morning, most villagers stayed curled up in their blankets until noon before getting up for a meal.
But in Wanqing’s house, because they were preparing to clear land, she insisted they maintain their strength by eating three meals a day.
For breakfast, they cooked porridge and ate steamed cornmeal buns. The whole family was gathered in the kitchen, enjoying their meal.
Meanwhile, Lu Jin had already woken up. He looked at the stiff, rough blanket covering him and the simple, modest room. Slowly, his thoughts cleared.
Yesterday, he had gone hunting in Daxi Mountain and spotted a rare white fox. Excited, he had drawn his bow, but the fox darted away. He had chased after it for who knew how long. Then, in the midst of running, his cold illness flared up, and he had collapsed.
Now, it seemed he had been rescued.
Just as he was piecing things together, he heard a voice.
“Big brother, you’re awake!”
Lu Jin turned his head toward the door and saw a young boy, Zhiyuan, who had just walked in.
Hearing Zhiyuan’s excited voice, Wanqing rushed over. Since they had already saved the man, she figured she might as well make sure he knew exactly who had rescued him—and how—so he could repay the favor later.
She looked at Lu Jin and said, “Yesterday, my big brother, Huzi, and I found you unconscious in the mountains, so we brought you back.”
Seeing that Lu Jin didn’t react, Wanqing clicked her tongue. This guy has no manners at all.
“Are you hungry?” Without waiting for a response, she went to the kitchen and returned with a bowl of plain porridge and a small dish of chopped pickled radish.
Li Shi had insisted that his first meal should be something light.
Lu Jin glanced at the girl. She seemed natural and at ease, completely unaffected by his presence. He frowned slightly. Are there no men in this household?
But at that moment, his hunger overpowered his thoughts. He tried to sit up on his own, but his body was still weak.
Seeing this, Wanqing called her big brother over. “Zhiwen, help him sit up.”
Zhiwen came over and propped Lu Jin up, handed him the bowl of porridge, then left the room with his sister, leaving only the youngest, Zhiyuan, behind to keep watch.
Zhiwen had work to do, and Wanqing left to avoid any awkwardness. Even though their family wasn’t as strict as those from wealthy households, in ancient times, there were still rules when dealing with unfamiliar men.
After finishing his meal, Lu Jin was handed a bowl of dark, bitter medicine.
He instinctively didn’t want to drink it. His illness wasn’t something an ordinary doctor could cure, and he doubted this medicine would do anything.
But Zhiyuan was persistent. This was an important task Second Sister had given him!
However, the man completely ignored him.
Left with no choice, the little boy ran off to call for backup.
“Second Sister, he won’t drink the medicine…” Zhiyuan looked up at Wanqing with teary eyes.
Wanqing: …
This was brewed with spirit spring water, and he doesn’t want it? What a waste!
“This was prescribed by Doctor Li from our village. It’s good for your condition,” she said as she placed the bowl directly in front of Lu Jin, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Drink.”
She wasn’t lying when she said she didn’t want to take this man in. Their house was too small. Last night, Lin Heng and Li Shi had to squeeze in with the kids just to make room for him.
All she wanted now was for him to recover quickly and leave as soon as possible.
Lu Jin was puzzled. He hadn’t even said anything yet—how did she already know he didn’t want to drink it?
But then, thinking about how this family had saved him, brought him back, and even got him medicine, he sighed inwardly. Fine. He might as well drink it.
He took the bowl and downed the medicine in one gulp.
Wanqing, seeing this, was satisfied. Now that’s more like it. Her expression softened.
Lu Jin, watching her reaction, couldn’t help but chuckle. This girl… she’s quite interesting.
Wanqing took the empty bowl and left the room, leaving Zhiyuan behind to keep him company.
Lying back on the heated brick bed, Lu Jin thought about his condition. His cold illness was getting worse, with flare-ups becoming more frequent and closer together. He was only 17. If he didn’t find a cure within the next three years…
His gaze landed on Zhiyuan, who was sitting on a stool nearby. The little boy looked about four or five, dressed in simple coarse cloth, staring at him with big, curious eyes.
Lu Jin waved him over. “Come, sit here.”
Zhiyuan shook his head. He just sat on the stool, watching from a distance. Big Brother was sick, and his parents had given him the warm kang bed. Zhiyuan also hoped he would recover soon. Big Brother was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.
If Lu Jin knew that Zhiyuan called him beautiful, he would probably faint from anger. Ever since he was a child, he hated being called beautiful. Whenever women looked at him with infatuation, he found it extremely annoying. He didn’t like women and never let them get close to him. No one who knew him would dare praise his looks to his face.
As for Wanqing, he didn’t see that kind of infatuated gaze in her eyes.
Lying on the kang, he didn’t feel particularly warm, nor did he feel too uncomfortable. Compared to past experiences, this time wasn’t so bad—it was still within his tolerance. Thinking back to times when he had suffered unbearable pain, being beaten and thrown around, he was relieved that nothing like that had happened this time. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know how to face this family.
Wanqing asked Zhiwen to accompany her to town to buy pork, lamb, and fish. She had already planned last night to make fish balls and meatballs today. She also bought radishes, Chinese cabbage, potatoes, soybeans, green beans, and even pork intestines.
Seeing how much she bought, stuffing Zhiwen’s basket to the brim, Zhiwen felt a bit disheartened—his sister really knew how to spend money. But remembering that their mother, Li Shi, had given Wanqing one tael of silver, he didn’t say anything. Since their mother had approved it, he would just obediently help his sister carry things. After all, his sister was a money-making genius.
Back home, they started preparing the food—gutting fish, chopping meat, and making fish balls and meatballs. Li Shi and Wanru joined in, while Wanqing busied herself with cleaning the intestines. The three of them were bustling in the kitchen, with Zhiyuan occasionally running in to watch the excitement.
Since they were too busy, they made a simple lunch. Wanqing suggested making dough drop soup—warm and soupy, perfect for a quick meal.
So Li Shi made a big pot of dough drop soup. Zhiwen brought a bowl to Lu Jin, who frowned at the porridge-like dish. He had never eaten such food before.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Wanqing’s family enjoyed their meal happily. The white dough drops, cooked with eggs, smelled delicious.
Listening to their cheerful voices from the other room, Lu Jin took a bite—hmm, it wasn’t as bad as he thought. It might not look appetizing, but it tasted surprisingly good.
After lunch, Wanqing brought him a bowl of medicine. Lu Jin could only smile bitterly and drink it down.
Seeing his expression, Wanqing casually remarked, “Good medicine tastes bitter but is beneficial for health.”
Lu Jin’s eyes twitched. “Who told you that?” His voice, hoarse from disuse, sounded deep and magnetic.
Wanqing’s brow twitched as well. Her birth mother had told her that in her past life… but she couldn’t say that. Secretly rolling her eyes, she thought, This guy is really good-looking, even comparable to TV celebrities, but why is his personality so weird? Why does he even care who told me that?
“Doctor Li said it.”
Lu Jin stared at her silently. Not wanting to make things awkward, Wanqing said, “Rest well,” and left the room. She had work to do in the kitchen—no time to chat with a handsome guy.
For dinner, Wanqing made a big pot of fish ball and meatball soup with Chinese cabbage. None of them had ever eaten fish balls or meatballs before, so as they ate, they kept praising them—delicious, really delicious, though they weren’t creative enough to say it differently.
The family chatted and laughed, making the meal anything but quiet. Lu Jin, lying on the kang, could only shake his head.
He also got to taste the fish balls and meatballs. He had eaten them before, but somehow, tonight’s tasted exceptionally good. Maybe he was just too hungry.
After dinner, Lin Heng visited Lu Jin’s room to check on his condition, advising him to rest and recover at their home. As for his family, Lin Heng offered to send word to them.
Lu Jin replied that he was alone, with his family far away, and that he would leave once he recovered.
After a few more polite exchanges, Lin Heng returned to his room to sleep.
That night, as the Lin family slept, a faint noise came from outside. A dark figure slipped into Lu Jin’s room, kneeling by the bed. Lu Jin whispered a few words, and the figure disappeared into the night.