After heading down the mountain, He Yanchu sifted through the original owner’s memories and made a beeline for the fields where her twin cousins were working.
From a distance, she spotted her eldest cousin, He Yancheng, and her second cousin, He Yanhua, weeding the rows. Their father, Uncle He Jiashu, had married earlier than Yanchu’s father, He Jiaming, so his children were all older than Yanchu and her two siblings.
Seeing He Yanhua look her way, Yanchu waved frantically. “Brother Hua! Over here!”
He Yanhua straightened his back, wiped the sweat from his brow, and shouted back, “Xiaochu? What’s wrong?”
Yanchu ran toward them, panting as she spoke. “Brother Hua! The allowance my brother and sister sent me—I just dropped it on the mountain! You have to come help me find it right now, or I’m going to starve this month!”
Hearing that the money was lost, He Yanhua dropped his hoe immediately and looked over at his twin, He Yancheng. “Brother, finish up the rest of the rows for me. I’m going up the mountain with Xiaochu to look for it.”
He Yancheng stood up, frowning. “Xiaochu, where exactly did you drop it? I’ll come too. Three people can search faster, and it’ll be trouble if someone else picks it up first!”
Yanchu feigned frantic anxiety. “Brother Cheng, it’s near the back of the mountain where I usually pick wild greens. I think when I pulled out my handkerchief, the money must have slipped out. That’s my whole month’s living expenses!”
He Yanhua brushed the dirt off his clothes and walked over. “Brother, no time to waste. Let’s go!”
He Yancheng laid down his tool and spoke to his friend, Li Wang, who was working nearby. “Wang, we’ve got a bit of work left here. Could you help us finish up?”
“Don’t worry about it, Brother Cheng. Go ahead, I’ve got this,” Li Wang replied, patting him on the shoulder.
It wasn’t until Yanchu led the twins to the foot of the mountain that she finally confessed. Lowering her voice, she said, “Brother Cheng, Brother Hua… actually, I lied. I found a wounded People’s Liberation Army soldier up there…”
The brothers’ expressions changed instantly. He Yanhua grabbed her arm. “Why didn’t you say so sooner? Is he badly hurt?”
“Shhh!” Yanchu glanced around nervously. “He explicitly told me not to make a scene. We need to carry him down quietly.”
He Yancheng made the call immediately. “Alright, we’ll bring him straight to your house since it’s right at the foot of the mountain. Everyone is still out working, so we need to move fast. Hua, go find Uncle Zhang and tell him to meet us at Xiaochu’s house. Just tell him Xiaochu is sick again.”
He Yanhua nodded to leave, then turned back with a serious look. “Xiaochu, is he really a soldier? He’s not tricking us?”
Yanchu rolled her eyes. “Brother Hua, he showed me his military ID! Besides, do I look that stupid? I wouldn’t be this helpful if I wasn’t sure. Now go get Uncle Zhang!”
Turning her back on He Yanhua, she tugged at her eldest cousin’s sleeve. “Brother Cheng, let’s hurry. He’s lost so much blood…”
“Don’t worry, we’re going. Lead the way,” Yancheng said, patting her shoulder.
After a few steps, Yancheng pulled her back. “Wait, Xiaochu. How exactly did you run into this soldier? And why did he ask you of all people for help?”
“It was just a coincidence,” Yanchu said without looking back. “I guess we were destined to meet.”
He Yanhua, who was just about to leave, narrowed his eyes. “Xiaochu… you didn’t go and fall for the guy, did you?”
“I certainly did. In fact, I’ve already made him agree to marry me!” Yanchu replied casually.
The two brothers exchanged a bewildered look. Is this the same frail, introverted cousin we know? When did she become so bold and fierce?
He Yanhua finally found his voice and swallowed hard. “Xiaochu, are you saying you made him agree to your conditions before you came down to get us to save him?”
“Duh? Brother Hua, go get the doctor! You can ask questions later; a man’s life is on the line!”
With that, she hurried up the mountain with He Yancheng. She was starting to worry about Han Qingmo; she had been gone for quite a while. Han Qingmo, you better hold on, she prayed silently. I’m planning on having a life with you in this era!
Driven by her urgency, they reached the hiding spot in no time. From a distance, she could see Han Qingmo lying on the ground, his face deathly pale.
She rushed to his side. “How are you? Still hanging in there?”
Han Qingmo gave a weak, strained smile. “If you’d taken any longer… you’d be having a ghost wedding instead.”
“Stop talking nonsense!” Yanchu interrupted. She turned to He Yancheng. “This is him, Brother Cheng. Please carry him down.”
He Yancheng knelt to check the injuries, his brow furrowing deeper. “These are serious. We need to get him treated now.” He carefully hoisted Han Qingmo onto his back.
On the way down, He Yancheng couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Xiaochu… do you… do you really want to date this guy?”
Yanchu shook her head. “No, Brother Cheng. I don’t want to date him.”
He Yancheng felt a wave of relief. Good, Xiaochu is still sensible. She won’t do anything reckless.
But his relief was shattered by her next sentence.
“I’m going to marry him,” Yanchu added bluntly. “There’s no need to date. Going straight to marriage saves so much trouble.”
He Yancheng’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Xiaochu! What are you saying? Straight to marriage? Isn’t that too fast? Marriage is a huge deal; you can’t just decide it on a whim!”
Yanchu blinked innocently. “Is it fast? I think it’s just right. Besides, Brother Cheng, do you know what the villagers are saying about our family? Five kids and none of them married… Plus, a good man is hard to find. If I don’t move fast, someone else will snatch him up.”
He Yancheng was speechless. On his back, Han Qingmo let out a low, raspy chuckle.
“You’re laughing?!” Yancheng snapped, giving the man on his back a little jolt. “You’re the one who seduced my sister!”
“Brother Cheng! He’s still hurt! Don’t take it out on him, okay?” Yanchu barked, seeing Han Qingmo wince in pain.
“Look at you, protecting him already,” Yancheng grumbled. “Don’t worry, a little bump won’t kill him. Truly, a daughter’s heart follows her husband. You only met him today and you’re already taking his side.”
Yanchu chuckled sheepishly. “Well, he’s basically mine now. I’m just afraid you’ll break him…”
Listening to the siblings bicker back and forth, Han Qingmo found himself enjoying the atmosphere. Their family must be quite close, he thought. He found himself actually looking forward to life with He Yanchu; everything about her seemed to suit his taste perfectly.
The group reached the foot of the mountain quickly. He Yanhua was already waiting at Yanchu’s door with the village’s barefoot doctor, Uncle Zhang.
“Inside, quick!” Uncle Zhang directed. “Put him on the bed gently. Let me see those wounds.”
He Yancheng carefully laid Han Qingmo on the bed of Yanchu’s brother, He Yan’en. Uncle Zhang began his examination immediately. When he saw the gunshot wound on Han Qingmo’s thigh, his hands visibly trembled.
“This…” Uncle Zhang whispered. “This is a gunshot!”
Yanchu explained quickly, “Uncle Zhang, he’s a soldier who was wounded on a mission. This has to stay a secret, so please…”
Uncle Zhang waved her off. “I understand, I understand.” He deftly pulled out his tools. “I need to disinfect the wound first. It’s going to hurt like hell, young man. Grit your teeth.”
Han Qingmo nodded, cold sweat already beadng on his forehead. Unable to watch any longer, He Yanchu turned and walked out of the room.