"What do you think you are? Get lost!" Qi Heng's words were venomous, making Qin Yulan feel utterly humiliated.
"You…" Qin Yulan could no longer stay. With reddened eyes and covering her mouth, she ran far away.
Qi Heng went to Back Mountain to find Jiang Nian. Jiang Nian was squatting on the ground, picking wild vegetables with a bamboo basket. Not far away, Jiang Sui was also gathering wild vegetables when a nest of wild eggs caught her attention.
"Nian Nian, come here. There are so many wild eggs here."
Jiang Nian walked over with her basket and reached out to touch the eggs—they were still warm. Jiang Sui tugged at her hand coquettishly.
"Nian Nian, I want to eat eggs."
Jiang Nian chuckled. "Alright, I'll start a fire and roast the eggs for you."
"Nian Nian, you really care about me." Jiang Sui gathered some firewood nearby while Jiang Nian lit the fire, coated the eggs in mud, and tossed them into the flames.
After a while, the aroma of the eggs wafted through the air. Jiang Nian smothered the fire with soil, used a stick to retrieve the eggs, carefully peeled off the shells, and handed them to Jiang Sui.
"Second Sister, have some."
Jiang Sui took a bite, her eyes squinting into crescents as she smiled. "The eggs are so delicious. Let's eat our fill today and save two for Xiao Mai to try when we go back."
Jiang Sui handed an egg to Jiang Nian. "You have one too."
In her previous life, Jiang Nian had married into Qi Manor and tasted many delicacies. Now, eating wild eggs felt uniquely satisfying.
Watching Jiang Sui treat the eggs as treasures, Jiang Nian felt a pang of heartache. In her past life, Jiang Sui had married a hunter and died during childbirth. Before her death, she hadn't even been able to eat an egg. At that time, Jiang Nian was trapped in Qi Manor, unaware of everything. She only learned the news after her own death.
"Second Sister, I will work hard to earn money so you can taste all kinds of delicacies."
Jiang Sui hugged her, her eyes reddening. "Nian Nian, why are you so good to me? I'm supposed to be the older sister."
Jiang Nian smiled. "Who says only older sisters can care for younger ones? Can't younger sisters care for their older sisters too? I will care for you for a lifetime. Even if you never marry, it's fine—I can support you."
"Mm!" Jiang Sui took a big bite of the egg and grinned at Jiang Nian, her smile radiant with joy.
A black snake slowly slithered toward Jiang Nian. Just as it was about to bite her, an arrow pierced the snake at its vital spot. Jiang Nian was startled, her face turning pale. She turned to see Mo Xiuqi standing not far away, holding a bow and arrow.
"You saved me. Thank you." Jiang Nian's heart was still pounding. Jiang Sui hugged her tightly.
"Nian Nian, are you okay?"
Jiang Nian shook her head. "I'm fine."
Mo Xiuqi walked over, bent down, and picked up the black snake. The two sisters backed away in fear.
"Don't be afraid. This snake isn't poisonous. It's perfect for making medicinal wine." Mo Xiuqi tried to reassure them.
Jiang Nian: "…"
Jiang Sui: "…"
Jiang Sui felt her scalp tingle at the thought of using such a disgusting thing for wine.
"Stay away from us!" The sisters dared not look at the black snake, terrified of such soft, boneless creatures.
As Jiang Nian stepped back, she failed to notice the slope beneath her feet. The two sisters tumbled down together. Mo Xiuqi placed the snake in his bamboo basket and went to rescue them. Jiang Nian had sprained her ankle and couldn't stand, while Jiang Sui had hurt her back and lacked the strength to help her up.
"Are you both okay?" Mo Xiuqi reached out to assist them, but Jiang Sui, remembering he had just handled the snake, shuddered and screamed.
"Don't touch us!"
"Jiang Nian!" Hearing the commotion, Qi Heng rushed anxiously toward the source of the sound.
"What are you doing!" Qi Heng stood blocking Mo Xiuqi, holding a knife in a confrontational stance. Mo Xiuqi explained helplessly:
"I wasn't doing anything. These two sisters fell, and I wanted to help them up, but they wouldn't let me touch them."
Qi Heng sheathed his knife and turned to look at Jiang Nian, who was sitting on the ground with her fingers pressed against her ankle.
"Nian Nian." Qi Heng picked her up. "I'll take you back."
"Hey…" Jiang Nian pointed at Jiang Sui before she could speak, but he had already walked away.
Jiang Sui reached out her hand, pouting with a wronged expression. "Nian Nian."
Mo Xiuqi stepped forward. "Let me help you walk."
Jiang Sui supported her waist with one hand and turned sideways to avoid him. "You have snakes on you. Don't touch me, I'm scared."
Mo Xiuqi sighed and hung the bamboo snake basket on a tree. "There aren't any now."
"Your hands have touched snakes." Jiang Sui still didn't want him to touch her.
Mo Xiuqi took out his water flask to wash his hands, and only then did Jiang Sui allow him to support her.
As they walked, a raindrop landed on the tip of her nose. Jiang Sui looked up at the sky. "It's raining."
The Back Mountain was filled with a damp atmosphere as light rain began to patter down. Mo Xiuqi pointed to a cave ahead.
"There's a cave over there. Let's go in to take shelter from the rain."
When the two entered, there were already people inside. Qi Heng stared at them with a gloomy expression.
"Can't you see there are people here?"
He had finally gotten a chance to be alone with Nian Nian for a while, and these two had followed like persistent ghosts.
"It's raining outside," Mo Xiuqi explained.
Qi Heng glanced sideways at the drizzling rain outside and sneered.
Jiang Sui ran to Jiang Nian's side. Jiang Nian's eyes were red, even redder than a rabbit's eyes. Jiang Sui thought Qi Heng had bullied her.
"Nian Nian, who bullied you?" As Jiang Sui spoke, she shot a fierce glare at Qi Heng.
Jiang Nian reached out and patted her. "I'm fine."
Jiang Sui looked down and saw she was holding a wooden carved rabbit, so adorable it made her squeal.
"Such a cute little rabbit!"
Jiang Sui wanted to take it to look at, but Qi Heng stopped her. "That belongs to Nian Nian."
"I just want to look, I won't take it." Jiang Sui tugged at Jiang Nian's sleeve and explained slowly.
Jiang Nian softened and placed the rabbit in her arms. "You can look."
"Jiang Nian!" Qi Heng frowned deeply. How could she so easily give away something he had given her to someone else?
Jiang Nian didn't want to see that rabbit. In her previous life, Qi Heng had also carved an identical wooden rabbit. At that time, she had just been diagnosed pregnant, and the young couple were both excited. Qi Heng had personally carved a chubby rabbit in his study – adorable and charming. They had fantasized about their child playing with the rabbit after birth.
They had waited day and night with such anticipation, but the child was lost. She had held the wooden rabbit every day, crying until her tears ran dry. Qi Heng had taken advantage of her sleep to hide the wooden rabbit, and she never asked where he hid it. Life continued as before, as if neither the child nor the wooden rabbit had ever existed.
Just now, Qi Heng had presented that wooden rabbit like a treasure, stirring up her sad memories. Remembering the child she never met, she had hugged the wooden rabbit and cried again, leaving Qi Heng flustered as he tried to comfort her.
"Nian Nian, what's wrong? Don't you like this rabbit? I'll throw it away, okay?"
"No!" Jiang Nian clutched the wooden rabbit tightly, her heart aching so much she could barely breathe – her poor child.
Qi Heng noticed her low spirits and thought she didn't like it, wanting to take back the wooden rabbit, but she held it tightly against her chest. Her hand gently stroked the wooden rabbit as if caressing a precious treasure. Qi Heng felt a dull ache in his heart, and for some reason, his nose tingled while his eyes grew intensely sore.
"Nian Nian, what's wrong?"
"The wooden rabbit you carved is very cute. Let's keep it." Jiang Nian's voice was thick with nasal congestion, as if blocked by a ball of cotton.