Song Lichuan pulled the short blade from the tiger’s carcass, wiped it on the fur, and sheathed it at his waist before leaping to the ground.
Tang Yiren struggled to stand up.
She looked up at Song Lichuan across from her, her eyes glistening with moisture, a conflicted expression flickering in her gaze as she regarded him.
“Brother Song, could you do me a favor?” Tang Yiren took out the ginseng from her bosom. Still shaken from the ordeal, her voice trembled slightly. “My father is severely injured and needs this ginseng to save his life. I must go down the mountain immediately, but I’ve sprained my ankle and can’t walk. Could you carry me down?”
Such an important item had to be delivered directly into her parents’ hands; she couldn’t trust anyone else with it.
Song Lichuan frowned, pursing his lips.
Tang Yiren’s clothes were disheveled, her hair a mess, her face smudged. If she were seen descending the mountain with him in this state, it would surely damage her reputation.
“I know men and women should keep their distance…” Tang Yiren hadn’t finished speaking when she saw Song Lichuan crouch down.
“Get on,” Song Lichuan’s voice was somewhat hoarse.
Tang Yiren quickly climbed onto his back, thanking him gratefully.
Song Lichuan stood up with Tang Yiren on his back.
Tang Yiren’s cheeks felt warm, especially with her hands resting on his shoulders. His body was like a furnace, radiating heat that made her hands feel awkwardly placed.
“Hold on tight,” Song Lichuan’s voice was cold and firm. “Aren’t you in a hurry? I’ll move fast. If you fall off, I won’t be responsible.”
“Alright, thank you, Brother Song. I’ll remember your kindness and repay you someday,” Tang Yiren said earnestly.
Song Lichuan moved as if carried by the wind, swiftly heading down the mountain. He wasn’t just walking fast—he was running, almost as if gliding on auspicious clouds.
Tang Yiren, disregarding propriety between men and women, tightly wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
He ran so fast that the wind whipped against her face, making it hard to keep her eyes open. She simply hid behind him, closing her eyes and seeing nothing.
Song Lichuan’s body was solid, exuding a reassuring strength.
“We’re almost at the foot of the mountain. Should I let you down?”
“Could you take me directly to my doorstep? My father is too severely injured, having lost a lot of blood. Every moment of delay increases the danger.”
Song Lichuan was a rough man, unconcerned with the villagers’ gossip. He was considering the pressure she would face, which was why he asked if she wanted to be let down.
But now, at this critical moment of life and death, no amount of public opinion mattered more than the safety of a loved one. So, after respecting her wishes, he quickened his pace even more.
“Oh my, what happened?” The villagers, having just left the Tang family’s courtyard, ran into Song Lichuan carrying Tang Yiren as they arrived at the gate.
Tang Yiren looked utterly disheveled—not only were her hair and clothes dirty and messy, but she also had multiple wounds on her body, as if she had been in a fight.
Tang Yiren had no time to worry about what the villagers thought. As soon as Song Lichuan set her down, she immediately called out toward the house, “Mother, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, come out quickly!”
From inside the room came Mrs. Tang’s pleading voice to the doctor: “Doctor, please, could you lend us the ginseng on credit? We’ll definitely pay back the money slowly in the future.”
Tang Chunsheng and Tang Qiusheng were also trying to persuade him.
They were so focused on begging the doctor that they didn’t hear Tang Yiren’s voice.
“I say, eldest sister, Uncle is about to die, where did you run off to? Song Lichuan, why are you with my eldest sister? What were you two doing?” Tang Linglong glared at Song Lichuan, her eyes blazing with fire, as if the two had done something shameful behind her back.
Hearing Tang Linglong’s sharp voice, Song Lichuan frowned.
He hadn’t left immediately because he wanted to wait until Tang Yiren delivered the ginseng. If the Tang family needed any explanation from him, he could stay and clarify.
After all, his marriage arrangement with Tang Linglong was arranged by his grandfather. In that sense, Tang Yiren was his sister-in-law-to-be, and he couldn’t tarnish her reputation.
“Mother, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, I’ve found ginseng,” Tang Yiren limped inside, ignoring Tang Linglong.
“Where did you get ginseng?” Tang Linglong questioned.
Tang Chunsheng rushed out, excitedly running toward Tang Yiren: “Sister, is it true?”
Tang Qiusheng followed closely behind.
Mrs. Tang came out last, her face a mix of hope and worry. Her eyes were red and swollen, clearly having not stopped crying since earlier.
Tang Yiren pulled the ginseng from her bosom and handed it over: “Look.”
Tang Chunsheng, seeing such a large ginseng, was so excited he didn’t know what to do with his hands.
Tang Linglong reached out to take it, but Tang Yiren dodged her.
“I just want to see if it’s really ginseng,” Tang Linglong said, looking up toward the ginseng.
Tang Chunsheng had already taken the ginseng and hurried inside to find the doctor.
“This is a hundred-year-old ginseng, still with soil on it. Found it in the mountains? You’re truly fortunate to have found such a precious thing,” the doctor said happily. “I’ll use it on him right away. Come in quickly and help.”
Hearing it was indeed ginseng, Tang Linglong turned back to look at Tang Yiren: “Where did you find it?”
In her previous life, she hadn’t searched for ginseng at all. Why was it different this time?
Could it be that because she changed the marriage arrangement, some events were altered, bringing opportunities to their family instead?
Tang Linglong’s gaze lingered on Song Lichuan, a look of sudden understanding dawning on her face.
In her past life, Song Lichuan was her fiancé. After Uncle’s accident, Tang Yiren could only seek help from her family and then the Wen family, with no reason to ask the Song family for assistance. This life was different. They had swapped marriage arrangements; Song Lichuan became Tang Yiren’s fiancé. As a hunter, he might have come across this ginseng earlier. So when she went to him for help, he took her up the mountain to dig it up.
If only she had delayed swapping the marriage by a couple of days, then Tang Yiren would have had no reason to seek Song Lichuan’s help, and Uncle’s fate of an early death would have remained unchanged.
Tang Linglong looked at Song Lichuan before her, a flash of resentment in her eyes.
Who would have thought this man, so tall and well-built, would turn out to be all looks and no substance?
Later, she learned that he had been hunting in the mountains for years and suffered an injury earlier that left him impotent. He only fulfilled the marriage agreement to find a woman as a facade, to prove he was a normal man.
Having endured such humiliation in her past life, it was time for Tang Yiren to taste that bitterness in this one. When Tang Yiren marries him and discovers her husband is incapable, who knows how she’ll react.
After all, in her previous life, she had made a huge scene, and everyone in the village knew he was impotent. He had even suggested a mutual divorce, but she couldn’t bear to give up his family’s wealth, thinking she would divorce him once she found a richer man. However, she never managed to find anyone better before he died, and she ended up a widow.
“Song Lichuan, you haven’t been home these past few days, so there’s something you probably don’t know yet. Since you’re here now, I’ll just inform you!” Tang Linglong looked at him smugly. “My grandfather has decided to swap my and Tang Yiren’s marriages. Your fiancée is no longer me—it’s Tang Yiren now.”