“Um… Ziming, let me help you cook. What do you need me to do?”
In truth, they didn’t know his real name was Xie Zhao, because he had lost his memory when he woke up.
The jade pendant he carried had the characters “Ziming” engraved on one side and the surname “Xie” on the other.
Father Jiang guessed that it was his name, so he called him Xie Ziming.
However, Jiang He, who had read the original novel, knew that his real name was Xie Zhao, courtesy name Ziming.
“You should wash up first. The meal will be ready soon.”
Jiang He had no idea what she could help with. After agreeing, she picked up a basin, filled it with water, and carried it outside to wash up.
The family was already in ruins. Both Father Jiang and Mother Jiang had passed away, leaving only her and Xie Zhao to depend on each other.
The Jiang family had once been merchants, and when Jiang He was young, they had lived quite comfortably.
Unfortunately, several years ago, Mother Jiang suffered complications while giving birth to her second child. The baby died, and her own health collapsed, leaving her bedridden ever since.
They consulted countless doctors and spent a fortune on medicine, but nothing worked.
Father Jiang had to care for both his wife and daughter, leaving him unable to focus on the family business. Coupled with the wars and natural disasters of recent years, the Jiang family’s decline accelerated.
Three years ago, with the family’s savings nearly exhausted, Father Jiang had no choice but to travel elsewhere to collect unpaid debts.
Instead of recovering the money, he received a letter from home.
His wife was gravely ill and had little time left.
He hurried back immediately.
On the way, he encountered Xie Zhao, who was clinging desperately to life. Hoping to earn some virtue for his dying wife, Father Jiang took pity on him and saved him.
Sadly, Mother Jiang still passed away.
After her death, Father Jiang also fell ill.
At the time, Xie Zhao was still badly injured, and the Jiang family spent a great deal of money treating him until he fully recovered.
With one family member dead, one injured, and one gravely ill, the original Jiang He—a young girl who knew nothing about managing a household—had no way to support the family.
To pay for Father Jiang’s treatment and Xie Zhao’s medical expenses, they sold everything they could.
To reduce expenses, they gradually dismissed all of their servants.
A once-prosperous household collapsed just like that.
Then, a little over a month ago, Father Jiang also passed away.
After washing up, Jiang He looked around the house.
After inspecting every corner, she realized it was practically empty. Everything of value had truly been sold.
The most valuable thing they owned now was probably this house.
“Jiang He, come eat.”
Just as she was lost in thought, Xie Zhao’s voice came from the main hall next door, accompanied by the sound of him setting out bowls and chopsticks.
Jiang He withdrew her gaze and headed over for breakfast.
The meal was simple: plain rice porridge, a few side dishes, and one steamed bun each.
The porridge had just come off the stove and was piping hot.
Jiang He had never liked eating food that was too hot. She even bathed only in warm water, so she ate very slowly.
Xie Zhao, sitting across from her, seemed completely unaffected.
From time to time, she secretly glanced at him.
He simply kept his head down, eating in silence. He didn’t look at her once or attempt to speak to her.
The novel had said that he felt no romantic affection for Jiang He—only gratitude toward the Jiang family.
It seemed that was true.
After silently finishing his meal, Xie Zhao began preparing the incense, candles, and joss paper.
Once he had everything ready, he turned and saw Jiang He still blowing on her porridge.
Unable to help himself, he urged, “Eat a little faster. Today is Father’s seventh-seven memorial. We need to visit his grave.”
Only then did Jiang He remember.
Today marked the end of the mourning period.
It had been forty-nine days since Father Jiang passed away.
She wanted to eat faster, but…
The porridge was scalding hot.
How was she supposed to swallow it so quickly?
She wasn’t about to burn her esophagus.
Setting down her chopsticks, Jiang He said, “Let’s go first. I’ll eat when we get back.”
Xie Zhao frowned at her.
Left with no choice, she explained, “It’s too hot. I can’t eat any faster.”
Xie Zhao took a deep breath.
“It rained last night. The mountain paths will be difficult. By the time we get back, it’ll already be afternoon. Are you sure you want to climb the mountain on an empty stomach?”
Well…
“All right.”
Jiang He lowered her head and took another mouthful.
The hot porridge immediately burned her tongue, making her frown in pain.
Seeing this, Xie Zhao went into the kitchen, brought back a clean bowl, took the porridge from her hands, and poured it back and forth between the two bowls several times. Once he felt it had cooled enough, he handed it back to her.
This time, it no longer burned her mouth.
Jiang He quickly finished eating.
The two of them left the house one after the other and headed toward the outskirts of town.
Anqiu Town sat at a vital transportation hub. Its economy and culture ranked among the best in the country, making it a fairly large town. Just walking out through the city gates took considerable effort, and by the time they reached the Jiang family’s ancestral cemetery, it was nearly noon.
Rain had fallen the previous night, making the roads slippery.
With Xie Zhao’s help, Jiang He practically crawled and stumbled all the way up the mountain.
To make matters worse, she twisted her ankle.
“Sit still. I’ll take care of the offerings.”
Jiang He sat on a pile of dry grass, staring at the newly built grave.
Her nose stung with emotion.
In her previous life, she had also died while climbing a mountain.
She had slipped, fallen off a cliff, and most likely died from the fall.
If she had known she’d still have to suffer after death, she would never have gone mountain climbing in the first place.
Meanwhile, Xie Zhao busied himself laying out the incense, candles, joss paper, and offerings.
He was actually a very good person.
After recovering from his injuries, he had willingly taken on the responsibility of caring for Father Jiang and Jiang He.
For the past three years, he had looked after her like an older brother.
It wasn’t until Father Jiang passed away and Jiang He forced him into marriage that his attitude toward her changed.
To put it simply, he had probably never expected Jiang He to want to marry him.
The original Jiang He had been a teenage girl whose family had fallen into ruin.
She had gone from being a carefree young miss to an orphan struggling just to survive.
At a time like that, there was someone who stood beside her, shouldering the family’s burdens and caring for her in every possible way.
It was only natural that she would fall in love with him.
From the original owner’s memories, she actually knew that Xie Zhao had no romantic feelings for her.
But she believed that, by reminding him of the life-saving debt he owed her family, he would surely agree.
Father Jiang, however, refused.
In the end, as Father Jiang lay dying, the original Jiang He caused a huge scene at his bedside.
She even threatened to take her own life.
“I don’t have any family left anyway. If I marry someone else, I’ll only end up being bullied. I might as well die with you, Father.”
Although Father Jiang was on the verge of death, his mind remained perfectly clear.
“When I found him, his clothes were in tatters, but the fabric was something ordinary people could never afford. And that jade pendant… it was no ordinary item either. He must be the son of a powerful and noble family.”
“My daughter, listen to your father. Don’t marry him. One day he’ll recover his memories and reclaim his identity. He’s far beyond your station. If you marry him, your life will be full of hardship.”
“I’ll ask him to take care of you. For the sake of the life we saved, he won’t mistreat you.”
But the girl was incredibly stubborn.
The moment she heard he might be from a noble family, not only did she abandon the idea of giving up, but she became even more determined.
She said many cruel things.
Father Jiang was so angered that he breathed his last on the spot.
By the time Xie Zhao finally returned with a doctor, Father Jiang’s body had already gone cold.
Then things became even worse.
She falsely claimed that Father Jiang’s dying wish was for them to marry, hoping that Xie Zhao would perform the funeral rites as his son-in-law and escort him on his final journey.
It was from that very day that Xie Zhao’s attitude toward her changed.
Yet he couldn’t bring himself to refuse the dying wish of the man who had saved his life.
So the two of them hastily performed a simple wedding ceremony before Father Jiang’s coffin.
However, they never consummated the marriage.