“Master, you’re finally awake!” Mo Ying’s cold features could not hide his internal relief and joy.
“Cough, cough!” With a cough, the youth’s gaze grew much clearer. Though he still felt weak and pained, he felt vastly better than he had before he fell unconscious.
Ling Muchen’s voice was crisp and indifferent. “Hmm.”
His deep, ink-like gaze swept over the surroundings, a trace of confusion flitting across his beautiful eyes.
Mo Ying hurriedly explained, “We are in the wild mountains near Qingshan Town.”
Ling Muchen lowered his piercing gaze again and nodded slightly.
Half an hour later, although Ling Muchen’s face remained somewhat pale, he could stand and walk. He lowered his head to look at his wounds; the blackness had almost entirely faded.
“Who saved me?”
Mo Ying recounted the situation with Ye Xiaohua, adding at the end, “Master, she said you saved her a few months ago.”
Saved her… Once Ling Muchen realized who it was, his expression instantly darkened, so much so that Mo Ying feared the poison hadn’t been fully purged. “Master, are you alright?”
Mo Ying thought to himself that it was a case of “good deeds bring good rewards.” If his master hadn’t lent a helping hand months ago, the little girl likely wouldn’t have been so persistent about treating his wounds. He had no idea there were other, hidden matters involved.
“It was that silly girl!” Ling Muchen said coldly.
Silly?
Mo Ying shook his head. “She is not silly. She is very clever—that girl is extraordinary.”
“Not silly?” Ling Muchen looked at Mo Ying with suspicion, seeing that his subordinate insisted the girl was sharp and quick-witted.
Ling Muchen felt confused. Was the person Mo Ying was describing really the same girl who had stolen his first kiss?
He had urgent matters to attend to, but before leaving, Ling Muchen insisted on seeing her for himself.
Ye Xiaohua was small with short legs; little did she know that despite having slipped away so early, she would be caught up to near the edge of the pond.
She had hurried away precisely because she was afraid the “immortal young brother” would wake up and settle scores with her. Although this wasn’t really a debt she owed—the one who had kissed him was the “silly” Ye Xiaohua, not her current self—who would believe that?
She still remembered how, after the silly girl had kissed him, the young man’s face had turned from white to red, then to green—a kaleidoscope of colors—clearly wanting to kill her.
She had given him the last of the water in her canteen, and she was stained with quite a bit of blood from treating his wounds. If she went back looking like this, she would surely scare little Douzi and the others. Therefore, she had stopped at the pond where the silly girl had nearly met her end to wash the blood from her hands and clothes.
At this moment, Ling Muchen and Mo Ying caught up.
From afar, Mo Ying spotted Ye Xiaohua with her basket, which was almost as big as she was. “Master, look, that’s the little girl. She is truly not silly.”
Ling Muchen raised his hand, and the area behind him fell silent. His gaze settled on the young girl washing her hands by the water. She looked to be only seven or eight years old, much cleaner and neater than before, with her fair, small face appearing rounder and healthier.
Then, his gaze drifted downward, falling involuntarily onto her soft, light pink lips. The lips parted, and a beautiful melody drifted into his ears.
Was this a folk song? Ling Muchen had never heard it before, but he found it remarkably pleasant.
Beside him, Mo Ying watched his master, whose brows furrowed and relaxed by turns, unsure of what he was agonizing over. If you want to thank her, just go over and say it. It’s a simple matter.
Ye Xiaohua finished checking herself and realized the blood was gone. She looked up at the sun; it was getting late. If she didn’t get back soon, little Douzi would surely be crying.
But as she turned, she felt as if she saw the young master staring at her. Could he have chased me down to settle scores?
Ye Xiaohua felt guilty and panicked. She took off running without even daring to look back, telling herself it was just an illusion—everything was just an illusion.
Why is she running like she saw a ghost? Mo Ying was puzzled. He whispered a reminder to Ling Muchen, “Master, she’s already left.”
“Mm!” Ling Muchen replied faintly, with no intention of pursuing her.
Mo Ying, being a stubborn man, whispered again, “Master, doesn’t she look like she isn’t silly at all?”
Seeing her run away showed she knew enough to flee; naturally, she wasn’t silly. It seemed he had been deceived earlier; she had actually been playing the fool to take advantage of him.
Little girl, this debt—this Prince will remember it.
…
Ye Xiaohua ran all the way to Guan Qiu’s gate before stopping to check behind her. Seeing they hadn’t followed, she patted her chest and gasped for air.
In Guan Qiu’s courtyard, the couple was talking, sounding very anxious.
“Don’t worry. She’s really not silly anymore, which is why I let her go. She said she’d be back by the afternoon, and it’s still early. Why not wait a little longer?” Sang said.
Then came Guan Qiu’s voice: “Wait? How can I wait? Even if she isn’t silly, she’s just a little girl. If she goes into those deep mountains and something happens, what then?”
Ye Xiaohua wanted to say she was fine, but she had been in too much of a rush and had no breath left. She leaned against the wall and entered the courtyard.
However, the couple didn’t see her at first. “She… she said it would be fine, that’s why I trusted her…”
“Sigh… you believe whatever she says…”
Sang pouted, feeling wronged. At the time, she had been busy with three children and couldn’t have stopped her anyway. Now that her husband was home and getting agitated, she was so frustrated she was on the verge of tears.
Just then, Sang saw Ye Xiaohua standing at the gate, face flushed, gasping for breath. “Xiaohua…”
Guan Qiu spun around upon hearing the voice. Seeing Ye Xiaohua had returned, the weight on his heart lifted. “You scared me to death.”
“I… I… I’m fine!”
Hoo~
“What happened?” Sang peered behind her. “Were you chased by a wolf?”
But on second thought, if she had truly encountered a wolf, even a strong man might not have escaped, let alone a little girl.
Ye Xiaohua shook her head. She didn’t want to talk about what had happened in the mountain; she didn’t know who those people were, and it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Uncle Seven and Auntie Seven were honest folks; if they knew, they would only worry.
She made up an excuse. “No, I was just afraid you’d worry, so I ran all the way back. I’m just… a bit tired.”
“You silly girl,” Guan Qiu said, patting her head. “You aren’t hurt, are you?”
“I told you, Xiaohua isn’t silly anymore, so stop calling her a silly girl, alright?” Sang said as she helped Ye Xiaohua take off her basket. “Oh my, what is this? Why did you bring back so much?”
“Mantis egg cases!” Guan Qiu said. He remembered Ye Xiaohua telling him last time that these things could be sold for money. At the time, he hadn’t believed it because he wasn’t sure if she was truly sane.
Hearing his wife say that she had brought white flour buns and fruit jam in the morning, it seemed she had bought those things with the money earned from these items.
“Xiaohua, can these things really be sold for money?”
Ye Xiaohua nodded emphatically. “Really, they are medicinal ingredients. A basket like this can sell for a few dozen coins.”
Little Douzi, hearing the commotion, ran out with Guan Qiu’s daughter, Xiu’er. The two children held hands, jumping and bouncing with joy.
Seeing little Douzi looking so happy, it was clear he hadn’t been mistreated. Although Guan Qiu and Sang tried their best to persuade the siblings to stay for a meal, Ye Xiaohua declined.
However, she had decided that little Douzi now had a place to go, though she still had to ask if they were willing. “Auntie Seven, there’s something I’d like to trouble you with.”
Sang was a smart woman; as soon as Ye Xiaohua spoke, she understood. The two children had it hard; she would help where she could. If it meant one less bite at lunch, so be it.
“What trouble? It’s about little Douzi, right? Don’t worry. Whenever you need to go out, just leave him here. I’ll make sure he’s well looked after and no one bullies him.”
“Thank you, Auntie Seven. Don’t worry, I won’t let you look after him for nothing. I’ll give you three coins every day, and I’ll prepare his food.”
“What money? Don’t talk about money; it’s too distant,” Sang said, pushing the offer away. “You don’t earn money easily, so keep it for yourself. You’ll need it for a lot of things later.”
No matter what she said, Ye Xiaohua had already made up her mind.
“Xiaohua, you really can’t go to the back mountain anymore.” Guan Qiu thought of the dangers of the mountain and felt a chill down his spine.
Ye Xiaohua knew Guan Qiu meant well, but she relied on the mountains for her livelihood—if she didn’t go, where would the silver come from?
Before leaving, Guan Qiu asked about her plans. What he didn’t understand was, if she wasn’t silly anymore, why keep pretending and let herself be bullied?
Ye Xiaohua certainly wouldn’t tell him it was to keep her cunning eldest aunt in check. Though she didn’t say it directly, it wasn’t a matter that could be kept secret forever.
Guan Qiu and his wife were tight-lipped, but Ye Xiaohua and her brother had no money or grain, yet they were not only surviving but living quite comfortably—was that not strange? Plus, Lady Tian, who had been dealt with by her earlier, had been spreading talk; the things she said when threatened by the “silly girl” didn’t sound like the words of a fool.
Soon, the villagers began to gossip: the silly girl didn’t seem so silly anymore.
Old Madam Ye heard the rumors too, but she didn’t believe them. She thought the villagers were just bored and that if the silly girl had truly become sane, the sun would have to rise from the west.
It wasn’t until someone personally saw Ye Xiaohua selling herbs at the medicine shop and making a good sum of money that they returned to the village and told everyone.
The word spread quickly. In less than a day, the entire small village was talking about it, and the accounts were so detailed that Old Madam Ye had no choice but to believe the girl really wasn’t a fool anymore.