Chapter 2

The swaying cattail leaves slowly stopped.

Without the breeze, the slightly scattered hair on her temples fell quietly by her ears, bringing a strange itch.

Jiang Fuying reached out and touched the medicine bowl that was still warm.

"I still need to take medicine, and I can't see..." She lowered her voice, "How can I help?"

The man did not answer, but just "looked" at her with his slightly lifeless eyes. After a while, he said: "I am seriously injured and blind. If it weren't for Madam Jiang's rescue, I'm afraid I would be dead or alive."

So that's how it is. It's heartbreaking to ignore the life-saving grace.

Jiang Fuying lowered her eyelashes. In the semi-darkness of the room, she couldn't see the expression of the man in front of her. "You are a rich man from a wealthy family. Naturally, you don't know how we villagers live. Life is hard and often unhappy... It's also common."

There was a sadness in his tone that he himself hadn't noticed.

The man raised his eyebrows slightly and turned his face towards her.

His eyes were dull, his expression appearing even more indifferent, but his words lost their coldness. "Rich families have their own worries. We're all human, and we experience joy and sorrow. If something doesn't go your way, it's okay. You can speak up. Perhaps there's a solution."

A solution...

Jiang Fuying twitched her lips. "Maybe."

"By the way," she turned, "did you fetch that water?"

The man nodded. "This is all I can do to repay my lady's kindness."

Jiang Fuying raised her eyelashes and glanced at him again.

His expression was calm, always composed, his tone unhurried and steady, his demeanor serene, a complete absence of the shambles he had shown the day she found him.

He was truly unlike anyone she had met in years.

She had known he was a distinguished figure the moment she found him in the mountains. He bore serious injuries, the kind of scars she'd suffered from a fight and a fall. His clothing, though unremarkable and lacking any distinctive patterns, was nonetheless of excellent quality.

The jade pendant around his waist was obviously an extraordinary item, warm to the touch, and the sword he held tightly was so sharp that it almost scratched her.

But he was unconscious, his breath was weak, and his face was pale.

He was as fragile and insignificant as they were.

Jiang Fuying closed the door and stood in the shadow under the house for a while.

The man had been invisible since he woke up, and he didn't remember where he came from. He could only barely piece together the name "Chang Yuan" from his memory, and didn't know anything else.

But when he mentioned reporting to the authorities to find his relatives, the man's expression became a little tense.

Although he didn't remember anything, his intuition told him not to reveal his whereabouts, as his life was in danger.

Jiang Fuying recalled his miserable appearance and guessed that a rich young man like him must have gotten into some trouble to end up like this. She had no choice but to inquire privately and go to the county from time to time to get some information.

Having saved someone, it would be bad to abandon him halfway. Jiang Fuying's late father was a doctor, so she learned some medical skills from him and had been taking care of people for some time.

Chang Yuan's injuries were gradually improving, but his memory and eyesight were still not healed.

She had seen similar patients with her father before, most of whom had fallen on their heads, and their recovery time varied. She didn't know when they would recover, so she could only take care of them slowly.

After calming down for a while, Jiang Fuying went to the kitchen to get a basket of eggs and some homemade wine while the weather was good. She worked for a long time and sorted out some things.

This matter could not be delayed any longer.

-The

courtyard door was closed, and she could hear some faint noises coming from inside, but no one answered.

Jiang Fuying stood at the door, feeling a chill in her heart.

The village chief was an old man in Luojia Village, and he had watched them grow up. It was okay in the early years, but now that he was old, he was less and less interested in things.

Today, as if he knew she was coming, he didn't even open the door.

Jiang Fuying waited for a while and called a few more times. The aunt next door heard the noise and poked her head out, then saw her and retreated.

She knew why they were acting this way. The Zhang family was a well-known name in the county. Everyone in Anping County knew that this young man, Zhang, was the only son of the Zhang family, the lifeblood of Master Zhang, and had been pampered since childhood. To offend him was to get into serious trouble.

She had assumed it was just a momentary whim of a rich kid, and that it would soon pass. That was until today.

The weather was scorching, and soon she was sweating profusely. Jiang Fuying knocked on the door, but no one answered. With no other options, she was carrying her things and preparing to go back when she glimpsed a child running back from a distance.

As he ran, he yelled, "Grandma! Open the door! I want some cold water!" He looked

about five or six years old and looked familiar. Jiang Fuying recognized him immediately: it was the village chief's grandson, who had followed the older child to ask for her candy that morning.

Little Radish Ding, sweating profusely, returned from his playful outing. Seeing a stranger at the door, he was wary.

Jiang Fuying was trying to be intimate. She squatted down and wiped his sweat with a soft, fragrant handkerchief, saying softly, "Do you still remember me? I gave you candy at the village entrance this morning."

"...I don't want to talk to you," the child said, turning his back and knocking on the door. "Grandma told me not to eat your candy at noon."

The door was knocked loudly, and finally opened a crack under Jiang Fuying's half-closed eyes.

The village head's wife stepped out, picked up the child, and said angrily, "You've been playing wildly and sweating again."

Then, as if she had just seen her, the smile on her face faltered.

"It's so hot, why are you here now?"

Jiang Fuying asked for help, lifting the things in her hands.

"I picked up some eggs and some wine that Uncle Luo always liked to drink," she said with a smile, her eyes full of intimacy. "My mother kept saying that it was weather like this when my father passed away, and I remembered that when my father passed away, it was thanks to Uncle Luo that he took care of the funeral. Otherwise, we, mother and daughter, would not know when..."

Speaking of the past, the village head's wife, Mrs. Hu, softened her expression and sighed, "You are so unfortunate... Come in and talk."

Jiang Fuying walked into the house with a smile. Before she sat down, Mrs. Hu said, "The old man is not as healthy as usual. He is resting because of the hot summer. You should have some water first."

"If it's a hot summer, I have a prescription that will help. Do you have paper and pen?" She took the water obediently. "Or I can go to the pharmacy and get some to you later to avoid running back and forth."

She spoke softly, her voice as clear and pleasant as the sound of spring water, but not noisy. Mrs. Hu looked at her and softened a little.

"I've watched you grow up," she began. "You're a good kid, and you've always been sensible. But you'd better take these things back as soon as possible—"

"We can't help you with this."

Mrs. Hu's direct refusal left Fuying with no room to speak.

She raised her eyes, puzzled in her dark eyes: "Why?"

"You're so beautiful, it's normal for you to be favored. The Zhang family is fierce, and the old man is old," she held her grandson and shook him. "Now I just want to live a peaceful life. As someone who has been through this, I'd say... the Zhang family is not bad."

Mrs. Hu looked at Fuying's face and sighed.

The girl of the Jiang family has been extraordinary since she was young, and she has become even more graceful when she grows up. Young men often break their heads for her, but they don't even look at her in return.

As time went by, people in the village started saying that the daughter of the Jiang family was arrogant and looked down on the rough men in the village.

When the Zhang family got into this, there were actually quite a few people who laughed at them.

But Jiang Fuying never nodded, and continued to live her peaceful life, as if... she was determined to spend the rest of her life in that small courtyard.

Mrs. Hu shook her head: "With a look like yours, even if the Zhang family is gone, there might still be the Li family or the Wang family. Are you going to stay locked up in the house in the future and never go out?"

Jiang Fuying understood pharmacology and often picked herbs and sent them to the county pharmacy, where the price was higher. A few days ago, she was delivering herbs and stayed in the county for a while to help inquire about Chang Yuan's affairs, and happened to meet the Zhang family's carriage.

She lowered her head. "I have no interest in marrying into a wealthy family."

"I know that. If you really wanted to, you would have..." Mrs. Hu was speechless. She just said, "Think about it. The young master of the Zhang family treats you with some sincerity. If you marry into the family, you might enjoy good fortune. Or you can find a good marriage and marry early, so you won't have to deal with troubles here. If that doesn't work out... you will have to get married anyway."

You will have to get married anyway, no matter who you marry.

This was Mrs. Hu's opinion, and it was also the opinion of most people in the village. The Zhang family was rich, and many people wanted to get in but couldn't.

Jiang Fuying curled her lips and understood the attitudes of the two.

"...Keep these things. Uncle Luo loves this wine. Back then, my father and Uncle Luo could drink two jars together."

She stood up to say goodbye, looking at the child, whose eyes were wide open, unsure what was happening. "If you're sweating, change your clothes soon. I won't keep you here."

Mrs. Hu said, "Eh." "I know there are some things you young people don't like to hear. Go back and think about it. We... really can't help."

"I know," she smiled, her eyes crooked. "I shouldn't let my misfortune affect others."

After

noon, the sun was less intense. Although Jiang Fuying had been avoiding the blazing sun, she still worked up a sweat.

"Sister Fuying!"

Tonghua came running over, panting. "Where have you been? I can't find you anywhere."

"I just went to the village chief's house." Fuying saw her hurried look again. "What's wrong?"

Tonghua was usually lazy and rarely went out in the hot weather. If she hadn't said she was going to the county this morning, she wouldn't have bothered to move.

It was strange that she had come out now.

"I told you not to be angry."

She pulled at the corner of Jiang Fuying's clothes, smiling flatteringly.

...

When the two returned to the Jiang family, Luo Xujun, who had collapsed in the yard, had been sent back to the house by Chang Yuan.

Tonghua's mother, Cai, and her daughter blushed in the same way. Seeing Fuying come back, she avoided his gaze and dared not say a word.

It was still Tonghua who said, "My mother came to talk to my aunt when she was free. While she was talking... my aunt fainted. It was Brother Chang who heard the noise and came out to take my aunt in."

Jiang Fuying's face was not good. She wiped her mother's face. The woman, who already looked sick, was pale and unconscious on the couch, looking horrifying.

She looked at Tonghua. "It's okay. It's just hot, and she got startled again. I'll get some medicine back soon."

Cai tugged at her daughter's clothes. "We'll pay for the medicine. I apologize. You're so mean, Tonghua! You didn't tell me, and your mother didn't know."

"Mom! I clearly..."

Tonghua complained, but Cai held her back. "Don't make things worse. Learn to take care of her here. I'll go get some meat and make soup tonight for your aunt to nourish her."

Cai walked away quickly, leaving Tonghua embarrassed. Fuying took the initiative to comfort her.

"It's okay," she said softly. "You've helped me a lot. If it weren't for Uncle Liu, I wouldn't have the peaceful life I have today. Auntie didn't mean to do it, I know."

Cai spoke quickly, and Tonghua accepted her bluntness. She had known the secret wouldn't stay hidden for long. She just didn't expect her mother to find out so suddenly. She didn't know what Cai had said, but she was so anxious she almost fainted.

Jiang Fuying went to the kitchen to boil some medicine, and Tonghua followed closely behind her, like a child who had made a mistake.

"Sister Fuying," she said with difficulty, "you just went to the village chief's house, what did they say?"

Jiang Fuying shook her head.

Tonghua quickly defended herself, "The village chief is like that! Whenever something happens, he hides and doesn't help, just spouting empty words!"

"But... Sister Fuying, do you really have no feelings for the Zhang family?"

The girl, slightly shorter than she, twisted her clothes and asked the question she had always been curious about.

Jiang Fuying squatted by the medicine pot, unsure how to answer.

Seeing that she didn't answer, Tonghua squatted down with her. After a long moment of hesitation, she said, "I just saw the things in that box. They were really beautiful. I thought that the young man from the Zhang family..."

"Tonghua," Jiang Fuying said slowly, "did you open the box?" Tonghua

choked and fell silent.

The things couldn't be taken back to the Jiang family, nor could they be left where they were, so she had to let Uncle Liu carry them back first.

Jiang Fuying seemed to have no strength left to speak. She took a deep breath and said patiently, "If there's anything you like, I'll buy it for you in the county later. These things aren't ours, so you can't have

them." Tonghua's face flushed red like a tomato, and she blushed even more at Fuying's words. She stammered, "Don't be angry, Sister Fuying. I didn't touch those things. I just looked at them."

"Dong, dong—"

There was a slow, gentle knock on the wooden door. Jiang Fuying turned to see Chang Yuan standing by the door, carrying a bottle of water. His figure was cast a long shadow by the light.

"I'll bring some water," he said in a clear, yet calm voice. "Isn't it a bad time?"

Tonghua jumped up and said, "Brother Chang is here! I'll go see Auntie first."

With that, she was gone. Jiang Fuying and Chang Yuan were left alone, their figures intertwined in the sunlight, staring at each other in silence.

To be precise, Jiang Fuying was the only one looking at him.

"Come in."

She stood up, and the corner of the man's clothes brushed her shoulder, sending some familiar grassy fragrance.

Slightly bitter, but sweet afterward.