Jiang Hongyan’s injuries improved day by day, and the time had finally come for him to leave Xiaohe Village.
Seeing him recover gradually made Chen Fugui and his wife very happy, but when they heard he was leaving, they could not help feeling concerned.
“Are you sure you’ve fully recovered and can leave Xiaohe Village now?”
Jiang Hongyan nodded. “Brother Chen, Sister in Law Chen, I’m completely recovered now. I can even walk, run, and jump without any problems. Thank you both for taking care of me all this time. My injuries have already delayed me for many days, so I need to get home as soon as possible.”
Chen Fugui understood. “Now that you’ve returned to secular life, you should indeed go home as soon as you can. Just be extra careful on the road. Stick to the main roads instead of the smaller paths, and try not to stay outside after dark.”
“Thank you for the reminder, Brother Chen. I’ll remember everything you’ve said and be careful.”
Chen Fugui turned to his wife and said, “At noon, make a few extra dishes. Let Hongyan have a good meal before he leaves.”
“All right, I’ll go prepare them now.”
“Brother Chen, Sister in Law Chen, you’re too kind. I’m not picky about food. As long as I can fill my stomach, that’s enough. There’s no need to make anything special for me.”
“Don’t stand in ceremony with us. Meeting each other is fate. We’re just country folk, and we don’t have anything fancy to offer, at most we can stir fry a few more vegetable dishes, so don’t refuse. If you have time in the future, you’re always welcome to come visit.”
“I definitely will.”
A life saving debt could never be repaid with a simple thank you.
After falling from such a great height, if Chen Fugui had not carried him home, he would have died long ago.
At noon, the meal on the table was noticeably more lavish than in previous days.
Chen Fugui looked apologetic. “Hongyan, make do with what we have. Our family doesn’t eat meat, so we could only prepare vegetable dishes.”
“Brother Chen, you’re too polite. Sister in Law Chen’s cooking is delicious.”
“Then eat as much as you like. There’s plenty of rice left in the pot, so help yourself if you want more.”
“All right, I won’t be shy.”
This time, Jiang Hongyan truly did not stand on ceremony. He ate two full bowls of rice and plenty of vegetables, leaving the table with a completely satisfied stomach.
As he was about to leave, there was hardly anything to pack. The only set of clothes he had was the one Chen Fugui had given him.
Alone in the room where he had stayed these past several days, Jiang Hongyan quietly placed a fifty tael silver banknote beneath the candlestick without saying a word to them.
He believed that after he left, they would notice it as soon as they entered the room.
The kindness of saving his life could never be measured with money. Fifty taels was nowhere near enough to repay such a debt, but it was all he could spare for now. Repaying even a small part of their kindness was better than nothing.
The Chen family was not well off, and this banknote would allow them to live a more comfortable life.
When he had the chance in the future, he would come back to visit them again.
Chen Fugui and his wife accompanied him all the way to the edge of the village before Jiang Hongyan turned around.
“Brother Chen, Sister in Law Chen, you don’t need to see me off any farther. Please head back.”
Chen Fugui nodded and reminded him once more, “Be careful on the road.”
“I will.”
After saying his goodbyes, Jiang Hongyan headed for the nearby marketplace.
He still had twenty taels left in his possession, enough to rent a house.
From everything he had learned over the past several days, buying property or land involved legal contracts. Once the contract was signed, it had to be registered with the local authorities, and that process required official household registration.
His body had crossed into this dynasty from another world, making him a person who did not officially exist here. He had no household registration at all, so for the time being, renting a house was his only option, since rentals did not have that restriction.