Chapter 7

The room suddenly fell silent, the only sound remaining was the mingling breaths of their two companions.

Jiang Fuying's face flushed slightly after she finished speaking, but fortunately, Chang Yuan couldn't see. He composed himself, summoning a desperate resolve: "Sit down and listen to me."

Chang Yuan was forced to sit down, her instructions clearly in place.

"Although I know you don't remember the past, I still have to ask you," Jiang Fuying spoke first. "Do you recall anything like an engagement or a loved one?"

Chang Yuan's face froze, clearly taken aback by her sudden and pressing questioning. Even without seeing her eyes, he could imagine them gazing intently at him, awaiting his answer.

That gaze seemed to possess substance, a burning intensity that was startling.

"...Not really," Chang Yuan said. "I don't recall anything like that—"

"That's good," Jiang Fuying said, smiling, relieved, and breaking off.

"There are only two people in my Jiang family now, and we have no other relatives. We have such a big yard and some land, which were all left by my father when he was alive. We raise a few chickens in the front yard, and the back yard is not small either. We have no shortage of meat, eggs and the like."

Jiang Fuying counted with her fingers, "But I often heard that the rich men in Yancheng also drink milk. This is a precious thing. If you really want it, I can grit my teeth and find some for you."

Chang Yuan wanted to say something, and his eyebrows moved slightly.

Jiang Fuying was watching his every move, not wanting to miss a single word. She immediately spoke up to stop him from starting to speak: "Besides, the family land doesn't require you to work hard. Some of the good farmland can be rented out, and you only need to collect rent seasonally. The rest can be used to grow vegetables at home, which is enough to be self-sufficient."

As she spoke, she felt more confident, thinking that this would be a good idea. "The county's largest medical clinic now has a donation from my father, so our family is not short of money and even has a surplus. Although we can't live the luxurious life of the Zhang and Xu families, you won't have to worry about anything. At most, you can do some odd jobs in the future, and you don't have to work hard."

Jiang Fuying was about to speak, but Chang Yuan caught her pause and frowned, saying: "So, Madam Jiang has such good conditions, what kind of husband can she find?"

"It may be difficult for wealthy families, but for ordinary families, I'm afraid others can't even ask for it," Chang Yuan said calmly, his expression unremarkable as always, but his slightly furrowed brows revealed a hint of something strange in him: "Why do you have to marry someone like me who is blind and disabled?"

"I have forgotten my past and don't know what my family background is like..."

"Yes," Jiang Fuying agreed immediately, and then said: "You are right, but that was in the past. Things are different now. It was true in the past, but now everyone in the village knows that I have a man at home who I don't know where he came from... without any name or status. A man like you must not know how harsh the words of the villagers can be."

"Yesterday, you helped me in front of so many people. In the eyes of the villagers, there must be something going on between us—oh, and you know about the Zhang family incident. They've been harassing me for a long time, my reputation is already ruined, and I won't be able to find a husband in the future. So, you should stay and be my wife..."

Even though Jiang Fuying had been mentally prepared for this, she couldn't help but blush at her shameless words. Her

tone was like the storyteller's description of a villain who coerced and bribed a young lady from a decent family into marrying.

In Chang Yuan's mind, her image at this moment was probably not much different from that of the young master of the Zhang family.

She looked at Chang Yuan's face. Even the dim light of the oil lamp didn't dim his radiance, but rather softened it, softening his originally sharp features.

... If such a face were portrayed as a young lady targeted by a powerful person in a storybook, it might be even more convincing than hers.

"This matter..."

Chang Yuan paused in concentration after hearing her words.

He had indeed ignored all this when he offered his assistance yesterday. He didn't know how he would have handled the situation in the past, but in a situation like yesterday, no gentleman would have stood by and watched.

Even if his memories faded, his upbringing and the teachings he'd received wouldn't allow him to stand by and watch as women, the elderly, and the weak, were bullied.

"You're not at fault!" Jiang Fuying reasoned. "Even though you can't see, I won't lie to you. I'm not bad looking, and we're a good match... right?"

That was pretty much it, and Jiang Fuying herself agreed with the statement.

She wasn't ignorant of her own limitations. If Chang Yuan truly was a young man from a wealthy family, that would be fine. But he couldn't remember anything, and he didn't know when he would see the light again. He was all alone. If they were ever together, she would have to take good care of him.

Although he was good-looking, he didn't look like someone who did manual labor. A man so incapable of work wouldn't be called a "gigolo" in the village.

After all this consideration, she was being lenient and letting it go.

Jiang Fuying was inevitably thirsty after such a long speech, and her face was so hot in the summer that all the blood in her body seemed to rush to her head.

She turned her back and poured some water, and the cool water into her stomach made her mind clearer.

Chang Yuan had been wanting to say something, but he was interrupted by Jiang Fuying again and again, and he was forced to listen to her long speech.

But now she stopped, and he didn't know how to start. He

originally wanted to refuse, and should have rejected it outright. Just saying "no" would be enough, but for some reason, after listening to her talk about her family's recent situation so quickly and densely, he couldn't open his mouth, thinking about how to say it tactfully without hurting the heart of his savior.

Perhaps he felt that she was not joking, and even sincere - she even brought the deed, and today was not just a whim.

She really wanted to marry him.

Chang Yuan's words froze in his mouth, his thin lips pressed into a straight line. "Madam Jiang..."

"More importantly," Jiang Fuying, seeing him hesitate, felt a pang of worry in her heart. "All that was just empty talk, but I love you, and my feelings are real. How can I betray true love?"

His words were resounding, spoken with such conviction that no one could calmly walk away from them.

Tonghua said that when talking to men, you can't beat around the bush; you must speak directly—and by that, you mean directly, making your feelings known.

The truth or falsity of these words doesn't matter; only the feelings are important.

As the words fell, Jiang Fuying, feeling strangely cold, grasped Chang Yuan's hand, which had been hanging naturally, unmoved, to show her sincerity.

The warmth made her shiver, and instinctively, with some medical knowledge, she wanted to ask if he had a fever, only to realize it wasn't him who was hot, but her hand was too cold.

So cold that even a slightly elevated body temperature would feel like a burn.

Unsure, she withdrew her hand after just a brief touch.

After all, she is the daughter of a respectable family. Being able to do and say these things is already the extreme.

Jiang Fuying looked at his face and felt that if he really didn't agree, she would not be able to face him again in the future.

Suddenly, it became quiet again.

The lights flickered slightly, and two figures fell on the wall. The sundries piled in the corner made the figures elongated and distorted, becoming inhuman.

Jiang Fuying stared at the intertwined figures. They were obviously standing far away, but they retracted their original positions after touching hands. Why were the shadows so lingering?

Chang Yuan couldn't see her movements, nor could he imagine her current expression.

When her hand touched his, his mind, already prepared for a rejection, went blank, leaving only one thought.

Why was her hand so cold?

Suddenly, and without reason, he felt that she wasn't as calm and relaxed as she appeared.

Chang Yuan's brow relaxed slightly. Jiang Fuying was watching him, and seeing his reaction, she assumed he was serious and decided to strike while the iron was hot.

"You don't have to be shy. After all, when I picked you up, I saw everything I should and shouldn't have seen," Jiang Fuying took out her trump card: "Everything about you... is taken care of by me. No matter what, I am your savior. According to the story, you should--"

Chang Yuan frowned: "Repay me with your body?"

Jiang Fuying: "Be grateful... That's right, repay me with your body."

"Sure enough, it depends on your awareness. It takes someone like Mr. Chang who is knowledgeable and sensible." Jiang Fuying suddenly heard that and felt that tonight's long speech was really redundant. It would be better for someone to repay you with your body and force Chang Yuan to surrender!

"Chang has no interest in it."

Chang Yuan spoke, his lifeless eyes looking straight at Jiang Fuying.

His eyes are beautiful, but there is no light in his dark eyes, and the person opposite him is also a little cold.

Jiang Fuying's heart sank, and her heart, which had been hanging high in the air, fell straight down and hit the ground.

She lowered her head. "...I was being abrupt."

Both Jiang's father and mother were gentle and forgiving, and she, too, was gentle and gentle, unable to force anyone into submission.

Having come this far, and if he still refused, there was no other way. She clenched her fingers. "If you don't want to, that's fine. After all, I brought this up so suddenly. You need time to think about it. Don't worry about my feelings... and don't reject me so quickly. Think about it." She

still held out some hope.

"Also, I'm not petty. Don't worry I'll kick you out if you refuse. Since I saved you and you helped me, we're friends," Jiang Fuying emphasized the last two words. "You've lost your memory and are blind, so you're a weak person. If you have nowhere to go, stay at my house. Once you're well, I'll find you a job, so you can have a better life."

Jiang's father never lectured her verbally, but through his actions, he repeatedly taught her how to treat the injured. A doctor's heart is compassionate. She wasn't a doctor, but she believed she had one.

She had braced herself for a harsh rejection.

Chang Yuan's expression hardly resembled one of acceptance, and no matter how carefully she observed him, no matter how absorbed she was, she could still…

"Madam Jiang, I'm not rejecting you," Chang Yuan suddenly said, his clear voice filling her ears, unreal in the frantic night. "That's fine, too."

"...Huh?!"

The small stool at her feet made a noise from the slightly hurried footsteps, and Jiang Fuying hurriedly bent to steady it. Her hair, disobedient, obscured her burning face, obscuring her vision and senses. She brushed it aside, raising her voice.

"You agree?"

The man nodded gently, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table.

"Madam Jiang, your reasons are compelling," he said. "They've convinced me. Thinking about it, there's really no reason to refuse."

His fingers were straight and long, the back of his hand tinged with a faint blue hue; one could imagine how tense it must have been when exerting force. But now, it lay relaxed on the table, just a finger's length away from the garment she had spent a day and night crafting.

Within reach.

He agreed, but it was she who was flustered. How unfair.

Jiang Fuying felt dizzy, perhaps because she hadn't slept well for so long. She tucked the deed away, picked up her dress, and said, "Think about this. It's too late today, and this dress needs to be altered... Tomorrow, tomorrow I'll ask you again."

She rushed out, her steps a little weak, unlike the light steps she had when she came in. She flew back to her room and slammed the door shut.

He heard her lean against the door and pat it with her palm. She

seemed annoyed, yet surprisingly lively.

Chang Yuan suddenly paused, his brows furrowed.

For some reason, the corners of his lips curled up in a tiny arc, pulling the skin and muscles of his face slightly upward. There was no reason, no cause.

It seemed like he had never smiled like this before, and it felt a little unfamiliar to him. After realizing he was "smiling," he found it difficult to return to his natural expression.

He couldn't explain why, but he agreed.

Chang Yuan sat at the table, listening to her fading voice gradually disappear into the night.

Perhaps it was her scent.

He couldn't tell whether it was ointment or a sweet fragrance from somewhere else, but it seemed to be a good medicine for his occasional severe pain. His aching body felt a lot more at ease when he smelled that scent.

He only remembered that during the time he was unconscious, it was this scent that surrounded him, warm and fragrant.

Jiang Fuying's words were right. When he was seriously injured, she did take care of him and never left his side. He was able to wake up from such a serious injury and save his life, which was also due to her.

He only remembered that the day he woke up, the scent of jasmine seemed to be fading. He tried to raise his hand, open his eyes, and grasped - -

grasped her palm.

Chang Yuan closed his eyes.

The touch on his hand was distinct. Sitting alone in the room, he sometimes couldn't tell whether it was day or night.

The self-esteem that came from nowhere made it difficult for him to admit for a long time that he was indeed blind and relied on the voice and breath of another person to vaguely recognize the world.

Like a child relying on another person, learning to walk and find the direction.

Relying on touch, smell, and feeling.

His world has been blank since the day he woke up. His mind and eyes are all empty, large patches of white and black, or mixed together, like gray in thick fog.

His memories, along with the past and the future, are like dandelions that can be seen everywhere in the countryside, floating in the thick fog, never landing.

Until she asked if they wanted to stay, right here.

You and me.

Chang Yuan's heart suddenly moved, as if he knew where he was going.

He pressed his head, which began to ache again, and Jiang Fuying's soft words still floated in his ears.

"...If you have nowhere to go, stay in my house in the future," she seemed proud, but also a little worried, "I will never let you suffer if I live such a leisurely life."