But the truth was, he hadn’t actually done anything to wrong the girl.
Hardening his heart, Lu Yunfei strode deeper into the mountains.
After only a few steps, however, he couldn’t help glancing back.
Han Xiuxiu had gotten to her feet and was standing exactly where he’d left her, quietly watching him.
When she noticed him looking back, she smiled gently.
“Brother Lu… goodbye.”
For some reason, his heart felt strangely heavy.
Han Daliang’s words echoed through his mind.
“She’s my only daughter. She’s had a hard life. Her mother died before she was even ten. Before I knew it, she’d grown up… old enough to marry…”
“…What will happen to her reputation now? I’m afraid no one will marry her.”
“Could Uncle ask you one favor? Marry my Xiuxiu.”
If she hadn’t truly been driven into a corner…
Why would a young girl come all the way here just to wait outside his door?
“Brother Lu… can you really not marry me?”
Those words haunted Lu Yunfei all day.
Along with them came the image of her eyes.
They were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.
Dark and bright, filled with quiet affection, as though they held countless unspoken words hidden behind a veil of mist.
He wondered if he’d somehow been bewitched.
Why was his mind full of Han Xiuxiu?
They had only met once…
No, twice.
The first time, she’d lain unconscious in his arms after he’d pulled her from the river.
Her face had been deathly pale.
Her soaked clothes had clung to the slight curves of her young body.
Her breathing had been so faint it had nearly disappeared.
He was the one who had snatched her back from the King of Hell.
“Thank you for saving me. I have no way to repay you in this lifetime… I’ll repay you in the next life instead…”
At the time, she’d spoken so softly and so quickly.
Yet now those words exploded inside his head like thunder.
The next life…
Suddenly, Lu Yunfei froze.
Could she be planning to kill herself again?
Otherwise, why would she speak of this life and the next?
He shook his head vigorously, trying to throw away the chaotic thoughts and focus on hunting.
Spring had finally arrived.
The mountains were slowly coming back to life.
Birds chirped merrily.
Fresh green shoots pushed through the trees.
The fallen leaves, soaked by the morning mist, had become soft beneath his feet.
Before long, he heard the distinctive clucking of a wild pheasant.
Every spring, male pheasants called loudly to attract mates.
Their clear cries carried for miles through the mountains, drawing female pheasants to build nests together.
Normally, Lu Yunfei would have loosed an arrow without hesitation.
With his marksmanship, the brightly colored bird would soon be hanging from his belt.
Its long tail feathers could be sold for decoration.
Though not especially valuable, they always fetched a steady price.
Today…
He drew his bow twice.
Twice he failed to release the arrow.
Instead, he made enough noise to startle the pheasant.
He could only watch helplessly as it darted into the bushes and disappeared.
Lu Yunfei stared after the vanished bird for a long while.
Then he quietly packed up his hunting gear.
He was heading home.
He might not be a particularly noble man…
But he couldn’t simply stand by and watch a young girl throw away her life.
The day before, after hearing Han Daliang say Lu Yunfei refused to marry, Han Xiuxiu had felt an unexpected tightness in her chest.
She herself had no romantic feelings for Lu Yunfei.
Clearly…
Those lingering emotions belonged to the original Han Xiuxiu.
Although she now occupied this body, she could still occasionally sense the previous owner’s feelings.
Han Daliang’s mood had only worsened after Lu Yunfei rejected him.
It had taken tremendous courage for him to ask.
Now he felt as though his dignity had been trampled into the mud.
It wasn’t that Lu Yunfei didn’t want to marry.
What man in the world didn’t want a wife?
He simply didn’t want his daughter.
Didn’t want Han Xiuxiu.
Madam Li restrained herself in front of Han Daliang, though her eyes toward Han Xiuxiu overflowed with ridicule and schadenfreude.
“Husband,” she said casually, “if he doesn’t want to marry her, then forget it.”
“In a while we’ll hire a matchmaker.”
“Surely she can still find someone.”
“What grown daughter ever fails to get married?”
Han Daliang finished smoking his pipe before looking at Han Xiuxiu.
“Xiuxiu…”
“Your father really did try.”
“But since he doesn’t want to, we’ll let it go.”
“Don’t worry.”
“I’ll find you a good husband.”
Han Xiuxiu decided to try one last time herself.
Most men disliked being pressured.
But once a man made up his own mind…
Even ten oxen couldn’t pull him back.
Lu Yunfei had only said he was used to living freely and didn’t want marriage.
People’s minds could change.
If a girl admired him…
Needed him…
Needed him to save her…
Surely no man could remain completely unmoved.
Early the next morning, before anyone else was awake, Han Xiuxiu quietly slipped out of the house.
Following the original owner’s memories, she found Lu Yunfei’s small home in the mountains.
It was still early.
She took her time observing the courtyard.
It wasn’t large.
Two thatched cottages.
A small kitchen built beside them.
A doghouse stood in one corner.
The large black dog had sleek, glossy fur.
The entire courtyard was tidy.
In another corner grew a cherry tree.
Its branches were covered with swelling flower buds.
Cherry blossoms bloomed early.
By May, sweet-and-sour cherries would be ready to eat.
In the apocalypse…
Such delicate fruit had long since gone extinct.
Han Xiuxiu could only guess what kind of tree it was, passing the time while she waited.
When Lu Yunfei stepped outside and saw her standing there, surprise flashed across his face.
Han Xiuxiu deliberately forced tears into her eyes.
At the same time, she pretended to be brave.
Heat rose into her cheeks.
She was certain her face had turned red.
The original Han Xiuxiu had fair skin.
Even the faintest blush would bloom into a delicate pink.
A shy young girl’s appearance was often the most captivating.
Her voice remained soft.
Pitiful.
Helpless.
Yet stubbornly trying to appear strong.
She spoke quickly and quietly.
Still…
She was confident Lu Yunfei would hear every single word.
The moment she finished speaking, she immediately turned and ran.
Her slender figure disappeared into the hazy mountain mist.
She knew she would look like a woodland spirit.
She didn’t run too far.
After putting some distance between them, she stopped.
She simply waited for him to look back.
Even during the apocalypse…
That little performance had been enough to awaken men’s protective instincts.
More than once, her acting skills had earned her powerful protectors.
Otherwise…
A woman with almost no combat ability could never have survived as long as she had.
Unfortunately…
This Lu Yunfei proved surprisingly resistant.
Han Xiuxiu sighed inwardly.
If the original owner hadn’t loved him…
She wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble.
Still…
She had honestly tried.
She had done everything she reasonably could.
That meant she had fulfilled her obligation to the original Han Xiuxiu.
It wasn’t because she hadn’t tried.
It was simply because…
The two of them weren’t meant to be.
By the time Han Xiuxiu returned home, the village had fully awakened.
She carried a basket overflowing with fresh grass for feeding the chickens and ducks.
Han Daliang was sweeping the yard with a large bamboo broom.
Madam Li was making breakfast.
Han Xiaoxiao was helping little Han Dongdong wash his face.
The moment she saw her sister, her eyes lit up.
“Big Sister! You’re back!”
Han Xiuxiu set the basket down.
Then she took out a bundle wrapped in leaves.
Inside were bright red berries.
“March berries!”
They were small fruits resembling mulberries, except they were crimson instead of black.
When ripe, they tasted sweet and tart.
When unripe, they were sour enough to make one’s mouth water.
For village children with no snacks, they were considered a rare delicacy.
“Wow! March berries!”
Even Han Xiaoxiao, who usually acted far more mature than her age, couldn’t contain her excitement.
Her smile revealed two deep dimples.
Han Dongdong was even younger.
Unable to express himself with words, he simply squealed happily while reaching out.
“I want some! Big Sister! I want some!”
Although Han Xiuxiu disliked Madam Li, she had nothing against children.
She treated Han Dongdong no differently.
Dividing the berries into two equal portions, she handed them to the children before carrying the basket toward the chicken coop.
In the apocalypse…
Chickens had mutated.
They were several times larger than ordinary chickens.
Ferocious.
They hunted in flocks.
Trying to kill one often meant risking being killed by the chickens instead.
Now…
These gentle little birds simply waited patiently for their owner to feed them.
They clucked happily as they pecked at the fresh grass, scattering it everywhere with their claws.
The Han family gradually returned to its usual routine.
Everyone resumed their own responsibilities.
It was almost as though nothing had ever happened.
Han Daliang tried hard to forget the humiliations of the past two days.
Xiuxiu was still young.
Waiting another year or two before marrying wouldn’t matter.
Perhaps…
By then everyone would have forgotten the scandal.
Just before sunset, Aunt Zhang from the village came hurrying into their courtyard, beaming from ear to ear.
“Mrs. Han!”
“Hurry and bring me a cup of water!”
“I’m dying of thirst.”
“I ran all the way here.”
“I wanted to bring you good news before dark!”
“Good news?”
Both Han Daliang and Madam Li looked puzzled.
“The hunter from the back mountain—the one surnamed Lu.”
“He asked me to come propose marriage on his behalf.”
“Isn’t that wonderful news?”
Madam Li instinctively looked at Han Daliang.
He appeared even more shocked than she was.
His mouth hung slightly open.
“You mean…”
“The hunter from the mountain hired you… to arrange the marriage?”
“Of course!”
“He was in such a hurry that I didn’t even have time to change my clothes before coming.”
No matter how hard Han Daliang thought about it, he couldn’t understand.
Only yesterday, Lu Yunfei had clearly refused to marry Han Xiuxiu.
So why had he changed his mind overnight?
Before he could think any further, Aunt Zhang had already begun praising the match with all the eloquence of an experienced matchmaker.
“A marriage made by heaven!”
“A handsome man and a beautiful woman!”
“A match blessed with perfect fortune!”
After showering them with every auspicious phrase she knew, she gave Han Daliang a gentle shove.
“So?”
“Do you accept this marriage proposal or not?”
“Give me a definite answer.”
“I still have to report back to the groom!”