However, before she could agonize for long, the tall man returned.
In his hands were a bag of white bread and… milk.
Lin Xiaojiao didn’t even bother pretending.
Her throat bobbed.
“I had these on the road, still have some left.” Gu Tingzheng placed the food on the Eight Immortals table. “Probably tastes a bit better than cucumbers.”
Could you please not bring up sore subjects, sir?
Lin Xiaojiao felt she had no image left to speak of in front of this man she’d just met.
But with delicious food right before her, she couldn’t care about anything else.
Bread and milk from the 1980s—you could imagine they weren’t things you could buy just with money!
This man was definitely a tall, rich, and handsome guy!
“Thank you, Gu…” Her fawning thanks were cut off before she could finish.
“No need to thank me all the time. Eat first.” As he spoke, Gu Tingzheng helped her pull off the rubber band around the milk bottle, tore open the paper seal, and handed it to her.
Touched.
Lin Xiaojiao nodded, took it without hesitation, and took a big gulp.
So fresh milk could taste this good!
Why hadn’t she noticed in her past life…
Gu Tingzheng sat down beside her with an amused expression, naturally tore open the brown paper wrapping of the bread, took out a slice, and continued feeding her.
This girl, everything was written all over her face.
Quite interesting.
His gaze unintentionally fell on the girl’s ankle, which was propped up nearby.
The man frowned. “You didn’t apply the medicated oil?”
“I did.” Lin Xiaojiao was only focused on eating; her ankle wasn’t important.
“Applied it and it’s still this swollen?”
The man’s voice carried authority even without anger.
Lin Xiaojiao abruptly straightened up, startled.
She even forgot to chew the bread in her mouth.
Gu Tingzheng realized he’d been too intense and softened his tone slightly. “Don’t know how to massage it?”
Lin Xiaojiao shook her head, then nodded.
The man raised an eyebrow.
“I do, but… I’m afraid it’ll hurt.” She mumbled.
“Where’s the medicated oil?”
“On the table in the inner room.”
Lin Xiaojiao was now an obedient child, answering whatever was asked.
This officer uncle’s presence was too intimidating; she was scared!
Upon hearing this, the man went to fetch it himself.
The oppressive feeling brought by the standing man made Lin Xiaojiao lose her appetite for the food.
“Little girl, I’ll give you two choices. First, I’ll apply the medicine and massage it for you. Second, I’ll take you to the clinic to see a doctor.”
The man’s tone brooked no argument.
She must have been out of her mind earlier to think his voice was pleasant and addictive!
Lin Xiaojiao trembled and protested softly, “I can… wait until my family comes back tonight.”
“If you wait until tonight, your ankle will be twice as swollen tomorrow. You won’t even be able to wear shoes.”
Lin Xiaojiao thought of the barefoot doctor at the clinic in the original owner’s memory, who gave injections like he was stabbing a pig, and her heart turned cold.
But… the man before her didn’t seem like a gentle soul either…
“Well?”
The man clearly wasn’t going to give her much time.
“Then I’ll trouble Uncle Gu…” Lin Xiaojiao chose the lesser of two evils. “Please be gentle… I’m really afraid… it’ll hurt.”
She looked at him pitifully.
With an expression begging for mercy.
The man said nothing more, pulled a chair over, and sat down in front of her.
He directly lifted her right foot and propped it on his own thigh.
Lin Xiaojiao was so nervous her entire body stiffened.
Gu Tingzheng poured some medicated oil into his palm, quickly rubbed it warm, and then precisely covered the swollen area.
“Relax.”
“Ah—!” Even though she was prepared, when the pain struck, Lin Xiaojiao still cried out.
At the same time, she reflexively tried to pull her foot back.
“Don’t move!” Gu Tingzheng commanded in a low voice, using his other hand to easily pin down her squirming knee.
The disparity in strength kept her firmly fixed in the chair. “Moving around will only make it hurt more.”
With that, he didn’t hesitate any longer. Pressing down firmly with his palm, the burning sensation of the medicated oil spread steadily as he began to knead and massage.
“Hiss… it hurts! Gently! Be gentle! Ouch…”
Lin Xiaojiao immediately burst into tears from the pain.
She wanted to break free, but her knee was pinned down tightly by him, leaving her completely unable to move.
The man didn’t even furrow his brow, his hands applying steady, even pressure.
Only when she was crying so hard she was about to choke did he say in a deep voice, “Take deep breaths. Don’t hold it in.”
Lin Xiaojiao trembled all over from the pain, tears and snot streaming down her face, utterly devoid of any semblance of dignity.
She felt like her ankle no longer belonged to her!
Even slaughtering a pig couldn’t be this painful!
Time seemed to stretch on for an eternity before the man finally eased his pressure and released his grip.
“Done.”
Lin Xiaojiao pulled her foot back and placed it on her cloth shoe.
It burned with a fiery pain, but it seemed… a bit more relaxed?
She was still sniffling and quietly cursing under her breath.
Gu Tingzheng stood up, looking at the young girl before him who was crying like a little kitten.
He pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her, his tone softening slightly:
“The bruising has been worked out. The swelling should go down by tomorrow. Prop your foot up higher when you sleep tonight.”
“Thank you… Uncle Gu…” Lin Xiaojiao took the handkerchief and thanked him, her voice still thick with a nasal tone.
She haphazardly pressed the handkerchief to her face.
The faint scent of soap inexplicably warmed her cheeks.
Her sobs paused, and she hiccupped.
The girl was more interesting than he had imagined.
Gu Tingzheng, as if compelled by some inexplicable urge, asked one more question, “What’s your name?”
“Huh? Lin Xiaojiao.” The same name in both lifetimes.
“No wonder you’re so delicate.” A rare flicker of amusement passed through the man’s eyes as he glanced at the leftover food on the table. “Finish eating and rest for a bit. Don’t go running around again.”
With that, he strode out of the fenced courtyard on his long legs.
Only the lingering scent of medicated oil remained in the room.
…
Lin Xiaojiao, having eaten and drunk her fill, idly daydreamed in the room.
After three days, she had vented most of the emotions she needed to.
How to survive properly here was what she should be thinking about now.
The original host was only seventeen this year and about to start her second year of high school.
In this era, high school was a two-year system, meaning she would take the college entrance exam next year.
After all, the Lin family had some background and didn’t slack off on their children’s education.
Even the girls were encouraged to study as much as possible, unlike most village girls who dropped out early to earn work points.
That was why the original host had the chance to meet Xu Deyou, the son of a high-ranking official.
Her family had been sent down to the Xinglong Brigade.
Lin Xiaojiao couldn’t be bothered to dwell on the tragic love story between the original host and that scumbag. In any case, once the policies were implemented, his family packed up and returned to the city.
The original host was foolishly abandoned.
Then, the original host fell ill from grief and passed away.
And after that, it became her.
Thankfully, it wasn’t some suicide scenario—otherwise, how would she ever clear her name?!
“Xiaojiao, are you alright?” The voice was filled with urgency.
It was her father, Lin Yunli, returning.
“Dad, what’s wrong?” Lin Xiaojiao snapped back to attention.
“You’re asking me what’s wrong? Little Dongzi from the workshop director’s family went to the factory to play and said you were hit by a car?” The middle-aged man in his forties was sweating profusely, his eyes scanning his daughter up and down. “Where are you hurt? Is it serious?”
“I wasn’t hit, I just accidentally fell and twisted my ankle.” Lin Xiaojiao thought helplessly to herself—don’t believe rumors, don’t spread rumors!
Her father, Lin Yunli, after all, had been the young master of a landlord family back in the day and had received a proper education.
Although in recent years, due to the family’s unfavorable class status, he hadn’t suffered too much hardship.
Now he worked at the village-run valve factory, responsible for drawing blueprints and breaking down processes, which was considered a core position.
Lin Xiaojiao briefly explained the whole story to her father.
“…Thanks to Uncle Gu next door, otherwise my foot would have been done for.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Yunli felt a wave of lingering fear. “You, you—always so careless. You scared your father half to death.”
Seeing that although his daughter was injured, her complexion had clearly improved a lot, he felt slightly relieved. “Rest properly. I’ll go next door to say thank you. We can’t just accept help without even offering a word of courtesy.”
…
Lin Xiaojiao didn’t expect her father to return so quickly, and he was carrying a bag—of apples.
“Dad, what’s this…” She eyed the bag of scarce apples suspiciously.
“Haha, Staff Officer Gu is on leave recently. He was sent back by Commander Gu to repair the ancestral home and will probably stay for a while. He asked me to recommend some craftsmen to him. He even insisted on giving me this bag of apples, saying they were for the kids at home.” Lin Yunli handed the bag of apples to his daughter.
“I still have to go to the factory. I invited Staff Officer Gu over for dinner tonight. When your mom comes back, remind her to prepare a few extra dishes.”
As he spoke, Lin Yunli adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and hurriedly left again.
Clearly, he had only come back to make sure his daughter was safe.
Lin Xiaojiao looked at the nylon bag in her hand.
Well, she was a kid.
He… was coming for dinner?