“Yes, it’s me!” Meng Ping’an nodded.
Jin Ze was somewhat puzzled. “How did I end up here? And how did I end up with you?”
Meng Ping’an stood up and helped him sit up. She then took a blanket from the side and placed it behind his back so he could lean against the wall.
She turned around, took an oil lamp and a fire starter from the table nearby, and lit the lamp.
Once the room was illuminated by the faint glow, Meng Ping’an sat beside him and explained everything in detail.
“You said you carried me back from the city, and I’ve been unconscious for five days?”
Jin Ze’s face was filled with disbelief.
How could a child of around ten years old possibly carry him?
And all the way from the city to the abandoned temple in the east of town?
How far would that have been?
“Yes. Do you know how much strength it took me to carry you back? It took me several days to recover from the exhaustion.”
Meng Ping’an pretended to look exhausted as she spoke.
“Thank you, little brother!”
Jin Ze looked at her guiltily.
“Big Brother Jin, you’re being too polite. Not to mention that you saved my life before—even if you were a stranger, I would still have helped you if I saw you in danger.”
Looking at the kind little boy before him, Jin Ze’s heart softened.
He couldn’t help thinking of his younger brother at home.
The reason he had saved Meng Ping’an before was because the boy was around the same age as his younger brother, which had made him feel sympathetic toward him.
Later, he had encountered Meng Ping’an several times at the academy.
He hadn’t expected the child to actually take his advice and attend the academy to listen to lessons and learn to read.
This made Jin Ze like the child even more.
Whenever he went to the academy, he would bring Meng Ping’an something delicious to eat.
He would also give her some money so that she wouldn’t have such a difficult time.
“Big Brother Jin, it’s still early before dawn. Why don’t you sleep a little longer? I’ll wake you up when it’s light and we’ll have breakfast.”
“All right!”
Jin Ze looked out the window.
It was pitch-black outside.
There was no moon or starlight, so he couldn’t tell what time it was.
Meng Ping’an removed the blanket behind him and helped him lie back down.
She picked up the other blanket, folded it, lay down in the middle, and closed her eyes to continue sleeping.
Listening to the gradually steady breathing beside him, Jin Ze also unknowingly fell asleep.
When he woke again, it was already bright outside.
There was no sign of the little beggar in the room.
He struggled to prop himself up with the bedding beneath him, trying to sit up.
But after several attempts, he failed and resigned himself to lying back down.
However…
Why did it feel so cold underneath his butt?
He reached down.
His face instantly turned red.
Wait…
Where were his pants?
Why had the little beggar taken his pants off?
Even if he had taken them off, couldn’t he at least have left him his underwear?
…
While he was silently complaining to himself, Meng Ping’an walked in through the door carrying a bowl.
“Big Brother Jin, you’re awake? Perfect timing. I just finished cooking the porridge. It’s neither too hot nor too cold, just right. Hurry and drink it!”
After saying that, Meng Ping’an placed the bowl on the table and went over to help the man sitting on the bed.
“You, you… I… my pants?”
Jin Ze stammered awkwardly.
“Oh, look at my memory. Wait a moment.”
Meng Ping’an finished speaking and ran off in a flash.
When she returned, she was carrying a pair of pants and a pair of underwear.
“Um, Big Brother Jin, you can put them on yourself!”
Before she could even finish speaking, Meng Ping’an ran out again.
“…”
Jin Ze was completely baffled.
He hadn’t even intended to ask her to help him put them on.
Why had she run away so quickly?
It wasn’t as if he was going to eat her.
Lying in the bedding, Jin Ze struggled to put his pants on.
Once he was dressed, he called toward the door,
“I… I’m ready! Can you help me sit up?”
Hearing his voice, Meng Ping’an ran inside from outside.
She helped him sit up and watched as he finished his porridge.
Just as she was about to leave, the person behind her spoke.
“Can you help me get up? I need to… use the bathroom.”
“Oh! All right.”
Meng Ping’an put down the bowl and walked over to help him.
Jin Ze was easily pulled to his feet by her and leaned against her shoulder.
“You’re that strong?”
“Hehe, not really! I just run around town all the time. I guess I’m a little stronger because I’m used to it.”
Meng Ping’an gave an awkward explanation.
“I see! I still don’t know your name.”
“Me? My name is Meng Ping’an. What about you, Big Brother Jin?”
Jin Ze silently repeated her name in his heart.
Meng Ping’an.
Peace…
“Oh, my name is Jin Ze.”
“Jin Ze. That’s a really nice name!”
Meng Ping’an praised him.
The two of them walked to the back of the house.
Meng Ping’an pointed at the thatched shed.
“Big Brother Jin, that’s the latrine. Go ahead. Call me when you’re done and I’ll help you back inside.”
“All right. Thank you for your help, Ping’an.”
“Hehe! Don’t mention it.”
Jin Ze’s polite manner made Meng Ping’an feel a little embarrassed.
After waiting for a long time without seeing him come out, she thought something might have happened.
She was just about to call out to him when she saw him slowly walk out, supporting himself against the wall.
“Big Brother Jin, why didn’t you call me? I could have helped you!”
Jin Ze waved his hand.
“It’s fine. I wanted to try walking on my own. Ping’an, you don’t need to worry about me. Go and do your own thing.”
“All right, then. I’ll go boil your medicine. If you get tired, rest on the stool over there.”
Meng Ping’an pointed toward the wooden stool in front of the earthen house on the eastern side.
“All right!”
Jin Ze looked at her gratefully.
The water Meng Ping’an used to boil the medicine was still spiritual spring water.
Judging from Big Brother Jin’s recovery, the spiritual spring water was indeed incredibly effective.
Such a serious knife wound had already scabbed over after only five days.
It was probably all because of the spiritual spring water.
But in Jin Ze’s eyes, Ping’an must have spent a great deal of money to obtain medicine for him.
That must have been why he had recovered so quickly.
He would definitely repay Ping’an properly for saving his life.
But when he thought about his younger brother at home, Jin Ze couldn’t help worrying.
“Ping’an, what’s the situation outside now?”
Jin Ze turned his head toward the little boy who was concentrating on boiling the medicine.
“The town is full of enemy soldiers. Even the two city gates are guarded by them. All the people from our government office have been locked in the dungeon. I heard Magistrate Cao has been detained separately by the enemy soldiers.”
Meng Ping’an had previously heard Jin Ze mention Magistrate Cao, so when she was asking around, she had also asked about Magistrate Cao’s whereabouts.
“What else do you know?”
Jin Ze looked at Meng Ping’an with some admiration.
This child really was clever.
He had only casually mentioned Magistrate Cao once, yet the boy had remembered it.
“The city gates aren’t allowing anyone to leave or enter anymore. The enemy soldiers killed many of the city guards and officials and hung their heads on the city walls.”
Meng Ping’an spoke angrily.
She hadn’t realized before that the enemy soldiers here were even more terrifying and ruthless than the survivors from her previous life.
“These Northern Hu people are worse than beasts!”
Jin Ze slammed his fist against the earthen wall.
The dry grass covering the wall shook from the impact, and quite a bit of it came tumbling down.
“…”
“I’m sorry, Ping’an. I… I didn’t mean to!”
Meng Ping’an shook her head and comforted him.
“It’s fine. The house wasn’t sturdy to begin with. I’ve been worried that a strong wind might blow it down someday.”
Jin Ze looked at Meng Ping’an with pity.
“Ping’an, will you come home with me?”
“Huh?”
Meng Ping’an was startled.
She looked at the man standing in the courtyard in surprise.