Watching the probing depth in his shifting gaze, Yutao restrained the urge to get closer and slowly released her hand.
“Thank you for what happened just now,” she said, brushing the stray strands of hair from her ear, a hint of shyness crossing her features. “If you hadn’t appeared in time, he probably would have really hit me.”
The man made a neutral sound of acknowledgment and turned to walk forward.
As he suddenly moved away, Yutao was momentarily dazed, only coming back to herself from the intimacy of that moment. She hurried to follow him. “Doctor Lu, where are you going?”
“To work,” he replied without looking back.
Yutao paused, confused. “To the commune to work?”
Lu Yunyang did not respond, walking faster, seemingly forgetting that a girl was following behind. Soon, the distance between them widened.
His usual indifferent demeanor, as always, was accepted by Yutao. She followed along, asking, “Doctor Lu, when will you be back?”
“You’ve helped me so much these past couple of days; maybe I should treat you to something another day,” he added.
“And also, when do you think I should come for a follow-up next time…”
Before she could finish, the man abruptly stopped, and Yutao almost collided with his back.
Just as she was about to speak, he glanced over, lifting his eyelids with a faint, unreadable smile at the corner of his eyes. “You need another follow-up for such a minor injury?”
Caught seeing through her thoughts, Yutao controlled her emotions and nodded calmly. “I’m just a bit worried about the aftereffects…”
The quiet country road stretched out, a gentle breeze drifting past, carrying the crisp scent from him.
He remained silent, scrutinizing her directly.
This intense scrutiny, rather than intimidating her, seemed to give her more confidence. Meeting his gaze, she blinked innocently, as if asserting her right, “So, when will you be back?”
After a moment, his expression softened.
“This Saturday,” he finally said, glancing at her before lifting his eyes to look down the path behind her. “Your home is that way; don’t take the wrong route.”
He spoke no more, turning away, leaving the girl standing in place.
Watching him walk off, a small sense of triumph glimmered in Yutao’s eyes. Only three days until Saturday.
When she returned home, the Su Family had already come back from work. Zheng Chunling rushed up as soon as she entered the courtyard. “Where did you go? Why are you just back?”
Seeing her worried expression, Yutao replied honestly, “I went to Lu Family for a follow-up.”
Zheng Chunling breathed a sigh of relief but still had lingering concerns, knowing that the recent breakup had left the Lu Family unhappy. “Did Madam Lu say anything? Is Yunyang still willing to see you?”
Yutao thought of the scowling expression the man had worn earlier and snorted inwardly. “He’s a doctor; I’m a patient. Of course, he will see me.”
Zheng Chunling nodded. “Yunyang is a good person, but the breakup has left the Lu Family unhappy. Let’s not go there for a while. If you feel unwell, your mother will take you to the hospital.”
Yutao narrowed her eyes. If Zheng Chunling took her to the hospital, she wouldn’t be able to see Lu Yunyang. She might as well stay home since she was fine.
“I’m not unwell,” she explained. “I just want him to check once more for peace of mind.”
Grandma Su watched the two of them enter the main hall, snorting. “You claim you don’t like Lu Yunyang, yet you went to him for a checkup? Do you know what people outside are saying about our Su Family?”
Zheng Chunling glanced at Su Dahe, silently pleading for support.
Su Dahe, aware of his mother’s displeasure, quickly explained, “Mother, Yutao went to Lu Family only for a checkup. The Lu Family accepted the breakup yesterday. We can calmly talk to the child about it.”
He then looked at Yutao and added, “Go help your sister-in-law in the kitchen.”
Since the breakup had upset Grandma Su the most, Yutao knew she had not cooled down yet and complied, heading to the kitchen to assist.
The Original Owner had not been skilled in cooking before, but after developing feelings for Xu Wencai, she had studied cooking diligently, believing that to keep a man, one must manage his stomach. Now her skills were fairly competent.
Yutao found the idea somewhat reasonable, wondering if it might also work on Lu Yunyang.
After the near-death incident, although she had been saved, Su Dahe and Zheng Chunling still could not afford to be careless. Combined with the village gossip over the breakup, they kept her home to “recover” for the next two days.
With nothing to do, Yutao organized The Original Owner’s old clothes and tidied up her messy books. She also stumbled upon The Original Owner’s diary.
Flipping through it, she saw that from the first page, every entry recorded the man named Xu Wencai, with words brimming admiration and affection. One entry even detailed how Xu Wencai had rescued a child who had gone into the Red River with cramps and nearly drowned.
The vivid memory made Yutao recall the scene instantly. The Red River ran through Honghe Village, deep and shallow in parts, where children often played in summer. The child had gone into the water and stopped breathing. The educated youths passing by didn’t know how to help, but Xu Wencai, acting boldly, performed emergency measures.
That incident left a lasting impression on The Original Owner, who even thought Xu Wencai more capable than Lu Yunyang, despite the latter having medical training.
Thinking of Xu Wencai’s attitude toward her earlier and seeing this diary, Yutao angrily threw it to the ground.
After a moment, she reconsidered and examined the section on “artificial respiration.”
She curved her dark eyes slightly, then put the diary away and left the room to find Wu Xiaofeng. Once she confirmed no one else was around, she asked quietly, “Sister-in-law, I want to ask you something.”
“What is it?” Wu Xiaofeng, sensing her secrecy, became excited. “I’ll tell you what I know.”
Yutao pursed her lips. “When Lu Yunyang rescued me the other day, besides pressing on my chest, did he perform artificial respiration?”
“Artificial what?” Wu Xiaofeng looked puzzled.
“Artificial respiration,” Yutao repeated, then mimed the action with her hands and mouth. “Like giving air mouth-to-mouth to a drowning person…”
Wu Xiaofeng quickly understood and confirmed, “No!”
She comforted Yutao, “Don’t worry, he only pressed your chest hard that day; he never kissed you. You’re still pure!”
Yutao: “…Not what I meant. I just wanted to know if he performed artificial respiration.”
Wu Xiaofeng then asked, “Little sister, if you don’t like Yunyang, who do you like? Tell me. Maybe I can convince grandma to let you marry sooner.”
Yutao remained silent, contemplating whether admitting to liking Lu Yunyang would even let Wu Xiaofeng help.
Finally, she smiled slightly. “Sister-in-law, I’ve never liked anyone before.”
Wu Xiaofeng gasped. “Impossible? You’re beautiful and talented; surely someone must have liked you before.”
Yutao nodded firmly. “Truly, I’ve never liked anyone. Don’t believe the rumors. I just didn’t want to marry, and I was misled by Xie Wanzhen to do something foolish. It won’t happen again.”
Wu Xiaofeng warned, half-doubtful, “Don’t follow Wanzhen around like before, making it seem like she’s your real sister. I never saw you treat your brother and Yuqing as well as her.”
Yutao, having lived thousands of years and experienced countless cycles, knew Xie Wanzhen was trivial. She nodded in agreement. “I understand. I won’t follow her anymore.”
Seeing her agree so quickly, Wu Xiaofeng suspected she might be evading her. “Remember, don’t go back just because she sweet-talks you.”
Yutao nodded, raising her hand to promise.
She then found an excuse to return to her room.
Originally intending to keep the diary, she realized its content primarily served to advance Xie Wanzhen and Xu Wencai’s story. Moreover, it contained unfavorable comparisons of Lu Yunyang. Keeping it would be like planting a bomb, so she destroyed it.
After tidying up, she sat down, her thoughts turning to Lu Yunyang and the “artificial respiration” mentioned in the diary.
Yutao decided that whether for self-improvement or precaution for some future incident, she must consult Lu Yunyang about this critical emergency technique.
Indeed, it needed to be asked.
And conveniently, tomorrow was Saturday.