Su Wanrou crouched at the entrance of the haystack, the dim yellow light of the oil lamp in her hand falling upon Lu Zhanye’s bare upper body.
She stared at the scabbed wound on the man’s waist and abdomen, a flicker of suspicion crossing her eyes.
She had personally examined it last night; the wound had clearly festered and become infected. How could it have healed to such an extent in just one night?
“Wanrou, have you found him?” Dr. Li hurried over, breathless.
Su Wanrou quickly composed her expression, turning around with a look of deep worry on her face. “I have! But… Comrade Lu’s wound…”
Dr. Li pushed to the front, examining it closely by the light. He drew in a sharp breath. “This… how is this possible?!”
The knife scar on Lu Zhanye’s waist remained fierce and ugly, yet the frayed skin had closed up, covered by a thin yet tough scab. One could even faintly see the pink, newly grown tissue beneath it. Most strangely, there was no sign of infection anywhere around the wound—only a faint scent of medicinal herbs mixed with the smell of blood.
“I clearly gave Comrade Lu the best anti-inflammatory medicine I had last night…” Dr. Li muttered to himself. He reached out to touch the wound, then hesitated and pulled his hand back. “This rate of healing… it goes against all logic.”
“Could it be…” a villager spoke softly, “that Comrade Lu just has a strong constitution? Being a soldier and all…”
He didn’t even believe his own words. Everyone had seen how badly the wound had festered yesterday. For it to improve so drastically overnight was far beyond what “a strong constitution” could explain.
Su Wanrou bit her lower lip.
Having been reborn, she knew full well that Lu Zhanye’s physical fitness was extraordinary. But in her previous life, after being injured, he had lain in bed for a full two weeks before being out of danger.
Why was it different this time…
Unless someone had intervened.
Her gaze fell upon the hay covering Lu Zhanye, then slowly moved across the ground. Beside his discarded military coat, several fragments of coarse cloth lay—striking and impossible to ignore.
It was the kind of rough fabric commonly worn by village girls, washed pale by use, with visible marks of mending along the edges.
Su Wanrou bent down and picked up one fragment, her fingertips brushing over the coarse stitching. Her heartbeat suddenly quickened.
She recognized this cloth…
Su Village was poor, and every household used the cheapest coarse cloth available at the supply and marketing cooperative.
But Wang Xiuying, worried that her younger daughter was weak and frail, would always take extra time to pound and soften the fabric intended for Su Wantang whenever she wove cloth, making it slightly softer than the rest.
The texture of the fragment in her hand was exactly that of the old dress Su Wantang always wore!
Su Wantang had indeed been here last night.
Not only had she been here, but she had also…
Su Wanrou clenched the scrap tightly, her nails digging almost into her palm.
She suppressed the turbulent waves of emotion inside her, then looked up at the group and offered a gentle yet weary smile.
“I stayed by his side until midnight last night. Seeing how high his fever was, I remembered a folk remedy I’d learned back when I worked at the town clinic—using well water mixed with herbs to wipe his body and bring down the temperature. Maybe… that’s what worked?”
Her words were vague and ambiguous, yet she had already claimed credit for “caring for him all night long.”
Dr. Li was skeptical. “What kind of folk remedy is that powerful?”
“Just plantain and honeysuckle,” Su Wanrou lied smoothly, her expression unchanged. “Crushed up and mixed with well water. I was just desperate and trying anything I could. I never expected it to actually work.”
The villagers nodded in agreement. “Wanrou is truly kind-hearted, and she knows about medicine too.”
“That’s right. If it weren’t for her, Comrade Lu would have surely suffered greatly.”
Su Wanrou lowered her eyelids, putting on a perfect display of modest shyness. “It’s only what I ought to do. Comrade Lu is a hero who was injured serving our country. It is an honor for us to be able to look after him.”
Even as she spoke, she began tidying up the scene, gathering the scattered hay together. She picked up Lu Zhanye’s military coat and shook the dust off it, then casually tucked the pieces of coarse cloth into her own clothing.
Her movements were natural and smooth, exactly as if she really had been the one staying here and watching over him all night.
“We should carry Comrade Lu back to the clinic first,” Dr. Li finally came to his senses. “Even though the wound has improved, he is still unconscious and needs proper rest and care.”
Several young men stepped forward and worked together to lift Lu Zhanye onto a stretcher. The hay covering his body slipped away, revealing his bare chest and waist.
In the morning light, the man’s firm, muscular lines were fully visible. The knife scar running across his side remained fierce and frightening beneath the fresh scab, yet it inexplicably added a wild, rugged allure to his appearance.
Su Wanrou’s gaze lingered on the scar for a moment, then quickly moved away.
She walked beside the stretcher, constantly urging the carriers in her soft, gentle voice to “be careful” and “go slowly.” She played the role of the thoughtful, attentive “savior” perfectly and convincingly.
Meanwhile, deep inside the Spiritual Spring Space.
Su Wantang curled up on the dark soil, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, her face buried deep against them.
There was no wind and no sound in the space—only the faint glow rising from the well water and the damp, earthy scent of the soil.
Yet her body was still trembling. Fine, sharp pains radiated from the places on her back that had been scratched by straw, and she could still feel the scorching heat of the man’s skin and the heavy sound of his breathing lingering on her own.
Fertilization Confirmation Countdown: 18 hours, 47 minutes.
Su Wantang lifted her head sharply, tears sliding silently down her face.
A child.
Her child… and Lu Zhanye’s.
The realization made her go cold all over. She was only eighteen years old. She had never even properly held hands with a man before. Yet after that one chaotic night, she might now be facing an unexpected new life.
What terrified her even more was—what was happening outside right now?
Had Su Wanrou found Lu Zhanye yet? What would she think when she saw the traces left behind? What would the villagers say about her having been away all night?
Su Wantang gritted her teeth and focused her mind. “System, what is the situation outside right now?”
Scanning environment…
A translucent image appeared before her eyes.
The threshing ground was now empty. Nothing remained but disordered footprints and flattened hay, evidence of the commotion that had just taken place. The morning breeze blew past, lifting a few dry leaves and carrying them to the spot where she and Lu Zhanye had struggled together the night before.
Gone.
Everyone was gone.
Su Wantang let out a breath of relief, yet at the same time felt a hollow emptiness inside her. She hesitated for a moment, then asked again, “Lu Zhanye… how is he?”
Target subject’s vital signs are stable. He has been returned to the village clinic. Wound healing progress: 65%.
Healed?
Su Wantang froze in shock.
She remembered how she had gone in and out of the space repeatedly the night before, using her own body to bring out the spiritual spring water and wipe his wounds.
So it really had worked…
“And… what about Su Wanrou?” Her voice came out dry and hoarse.
Target subject Su Wanrou is currently inside the clinic, providing care while claiming to be the ‘savior.’ Current public opinion: Villagers generally believe Su Wanrou stayed by Lu Zhanye’s side all night and used her ‘folk remedy’ to facilitate the wound’s healing.
The savior?
Su Wantang’s heart tightened. Just as she expected… her sister had stolen her credit.
No, strictly speaking, it had never really been her “credit” to begin with.
She had been forced by the system. She had only approached Lu Zhanye in order to survive.
But why… why did it still ache so sharply inside her heart when she heard how easily Su Wanrou had taken her place?