18
Noticing his embarrassment, He Tian didn’t say anything. To be fair, she didn’t think a normal physiological reaction like a hungry stomach growling was anything to be embarrassed about.
It was just that seeing him like this was a bit novel, which was why she turned to look.
But when she turned and their eyes met, he seemed even more embarrassed. He Tian thought: “?”
She really didn’t understand. She stared at him for a while but couldn’t figure out the reason, so she stopped thinking about it and just continued chewing the unfinished scallion pancake in her mouth.
Although she wasn’t making much noise, the sound of her chewing at this moment was, for Rong Yan, like explosions going off right next to his ear, leaving him stunned and bewildered.
After finishing the half pancake in her hand, He Tian finally spoke. “I’ll feed you first.”
Saying this, she went to get one of the bowls of porridge that had been cooling on the stove.
“Drink the porridge first,” she said. With the experience of feeding him dinner, she was much more adept now. She scooped up a spoonful of the millet film, waited for it to cool, then held it out. “After you finish drinking, you can have a pancake.”
The pancakes were made with unleavened dough; she found them chewy, but for someone in Rong Yan’s condition, they would be on the harder side. It would be better to have some porridge first to settle his stomach.
If he could speak, Rong Yan would definitely tell her he wasn’t hungry yet, he could manage, not to worry about him.
But he couldn’t speak, so he just quietly drank the porridge she fed him.
He had initially thought that being betrayed by his most trusted people, falling off a cliff, and narrowly escaping death was already difficult enough. He never imagined that drinking porridge would be even harder.
But he had to admit, after a few sips of porridge, his body did feel a bit better.
After one bowl of porridge, his back and the palms of his hands felt warm again.
“The pancakes are a bit hard,” He Tian said, putting down the bowl and picking up a scallion pancake, tearing off a small piece. “If you find them too hard to eat, just keep your mouth closed, and I’ll continue feeding you porridge. Porridge can fill you up too.”
Having something to eat was better than going hungry.
Rong Yan considered himself not that delicate. The scallion pancake did require some effort to chew, but he wasn’t so useless that he couldn’t manage a simple piece of food.
Seeing that he seemed okay with it and just quietly ate the pancake, He Tian continued feeding him.
After feeding him two pancakes, He Tian stopped. “Two is enough.”
Eating too much would be hard to digest.
Rong Yan wasn’t full, but when she said that, he didn’t react and simply closed his mouth.
“Some more porridge?” He Tian asked him.
Rong Yan’s eyelids flickered, and he looked at her – wasn’t she just now implying he ate too much?
“Millet and yam are both very nourishing. I made a lot, you can have another bowl,” He Tian added.
Although her words were very straightforward, Rong Yan was still grateful for her generosity.
She wasn’t obligated to save him in the first place.
After drinking another bowl of millet porridge, Rong Yan finally felt somewhat full. He couldn’t remember how many days it had been since he last felt full. Perhaps the day before his rebirth?
With the person fed, He Tian no longer had any reservations and turned to fully embrace her breakfast.
She had to admit, wild yam cooked with millet porridge was truly delicious – soft, sticky, with a hint of light sweetness, complementing the rich fragrance of the millet. Once you started drinking, you wanted more.
Taking a bite of scallion pancake, followed by a sip of wild yam millet porridge – it had a unique charm.
Watching helplessly as this thin, young girl, not very old, ate one scallion pancake after another, finishing off an entire basket piled high with them, and then watched her down bowl after bowl of wild yam millet porridge – he had lost count of how many bowls she’d had, and she showed no signs of stopping – Rong Yan finally understood her behavior from the night before, drinking bowl after bowl of noodle soup.
She could eat.
And not just a little.
At least among the people he knew, no one could eat this much. Even the famously strong King Li in the military didn’t have her appetite.
Although he knew the world was full of wonders, Rong Yan was still stunned.
The sound of the spoon scraping the bottom of the pot rang out. She had finished the wild yam millet porridge too. But she showed no sign of being done with her meal; she just stood behind the stove, quietly staring at the large pot bottom.
Just as Rong Yan was wondering what on earth she was looking at, he saw her indifferent eyes suddenly light up. His own emotions stirred for a moment along with that look.
Then he watched as she carefully peeled a thin, somewhat translucent piece from the pot and began eating it with relish.
He remembered now – she had eaten this at night too.
It was the crust.
So, there were people who liked eating this.
After finishing the entire intact piece of crust, without a single crack, He Tian started on the second batch.
Once the second batch was done and she peeled it off, she ate it all in one go.
Then came the third batch, and the fourth.
By the fifth batch, something occurred to her. Holding the freshly peeled crust, she walked over to Rong Yan, tore off a piece, and held it to his lips. “Here’s a little for you.”
This was what she had promised him last night.
Looking at the thin, somewhat translucent crust that smelled slightly burnt before him, Rong Yan didn’t know how to react.
He Tian didn’t care about his reaction. She had already taken it upon herself to put what she considered the best food into his mouth. “It’s really good.”
Rong Yan had no choice but to open his mouth.
The crust melted as soon as it entered his mouth, sticking to his palate – it was a very strange and indescribable texture.
“Eat it,” He Tian said, tearing off a piece for herself and crunching it with relish. “Just eat it like this.”
Rong Yan couldn’t imitate her because the crust in his mouth had already melted and couldn’t be chewed.
Generously, He Tian put another piece in his mouth.
This time, Rong Yan reacted quickly, starting to chew as soon as it entered his mouth.
The taste was still strange, but not unpleasant.
He didn’t quite understand why she liked it so much; perhaps she just really enjoyed eating.
Having only promised to share a little with him, and having already given him two pieces, He Tian felt this was sufficient. She stopped giving him more and quickly finished the remaining crust in her hand in just a few bites.
After finishing the crust, she began washing the pots and bowls. Thinking about the wild yam tofu she would be making soon, He Tian couldn’t help but smile.
“Mother,” she said, after tidying the kitchen, loading most of the wild yam into her backpack. “I’m going to the river to wash the yam. I’ll be back soon.”
Dahuang, who had just finished his breakfast, wanted to follow, but He Tian sent him back.
With a stranger suddenly in the house, and with a broken leg, it was better for Dahuang to stay home and keep watch.
Liu Erniang hinted subtly, “Don’t forget to ask.”
Ask if anyone knew about the young man’s situation, if anyone had come looking for him here.
He Tian acknowledged with a sound and left, closing the gate behind her.
Since she had agreed, she would definitely ask. Someone had indeed seen the young man yesterday, but seeing he was near death and wearing clothes of the dead, they had only left some food and hadn’t intervened further.
When He Tian said she had rescued him and he was now at her place, everyone at the river whether fetching water, washing clothes, or just idly chatting fell silent. They stopped talking and stared at her in unison.
“Dahuang, that tiger cub I found, dragged him home,” He Tian said, omitting some details, her tone flat and without emotion. “My mother and I discussed it and decided to save him. Whether he lives or dies is up to fate.”
The few people exchanged glances, their disapproval evident.
Their village was situated at the crossroads of several states. From time to time, unidentified people or bodies would float down this river. It wasn’t that they lacked compassion, but they didn’t want to invite unnecessary trouble.
But He Tian and Liu Erniang had already saved the person. He Tian was young, but Liu Erniang was an adult who had lived here for decades; she knew what was at stake. Presumably, the mother and daughter had their own plans, so the others didn’t say anything more. They simply advised He Tian to be careful and to call out loudly if anything happened.
He Tian appreciated their goodwill and also asked them to keep an eye out; if anyone came looking for someone, to let her know.
There was no deep-seated animosity, it was a simple favor, so they naturally agreed.
He Tian then carried the washed wild yam home.
On her way back, she also picked up a large, regular-shaped stone with an uneven surface by the river.
Once she was far away, the people by the river began to whisper among themselves, speculating on Liu Erniang and He Tian’s purpose in saving the strange young man.
Some said it was because of the pain of losing a son, which had greatly changed their mindset. Seeing a young man about the same age as her son in distress, she had been moved to compassion.
Others said that since there was no man in the house, they might be thinking of adopting him as a foster son…
Still others suggested they were thinking of keeping him as a son-in-law for He Tian…
All sorts of guesses were made. He Tian caught a bit of it, and the more she heard, the more outlandish it became, so she dismissed it all from her mind.
Back home, Liu Erniang was sitting in the yard basking in the sun, with Xiaohui in her arms.
Dahuang and Dahei were running around the yard.
He Tian casually let the other four piglets out of the pigsty as well. More running around would help them grow faster and make their meat firmer.
“Did you ask?” Liu Erniang inquired subtly, mindful that the young man in the kitchen might overhear.
He Tian placed the large stone she had picked up in front of the kitchen, then set down her backpack. “I asked. No word.”
Liu Erniang hadn’t held out much hope anyway; how could they find out in just one day? “It’s alright. We’ll wait and see.”
After saying this, something occurred to her. “Let him lie in the yard and get some sun too.”
The weather was good today; it would be a shame to waste the sunlight.
He Tian agreed. All things grow thanks to the sun, and people are the same.
Someone with a broken leg needed calcium, and sunlight helped with calcium absorption.
As soon as she entered the kitchen, Rong Yan’s gaze immediately fixed on her.
He Tian was startled by his look.
She glanced him up and down, and then a thought struck her. “Need to use the toilet?”
He had drunk noodle soup and a bowl of water during the night, and two bowls of porridge in the morning. Calculating the time, it was indeed about time for him to relieve himself.
Rong Yan hadn’t originally felt the need, but her question suddenly made the urge quite unbearable.
Seeing his expression change again to that same helpless embarrassment from the morning, the corner of He Tian’s mouth twitched slightly. She very considerately didn’t laugh.
“I’ll help you,” she said, looking away as if she hadn’t noticed anything, her tone still very calm.
How could Rong Yan not notice? But in his current state, he couldn’t exactly…
He silently acquiesced to her suggestion.
He Tian tried to help him up, but unfortunately, he still couldn’t muster any strength. In the end, she simply slid one arm under his neck and the other under his knees, and lifted him up.
Rong Yan, embarrassed to the point his whole body was red enough to drip blood, thought: “…………………………”
Thin-skinned.
He Tian pretended not to notice anything.
Just as she was wondering if she’d have to help him pull his pants down…
Rong Yan, relying on a powerful surge of self-respect and will to survive, managed to summon all the strength left in his body and gently pushed against He Tian.
He still couldn’t speak, but his meaning was clear – he could manage on his own.
He Tian had no particular desire to assist. Seeing he could move, she set him down.
A long time passed. So long that He Tian began to think he might have collapsed in there and couldn’t get up. Finally, Rong Yan slowly shuffled out.
He Tian reached out to support him. Exhausted, Rong Yan could no longer hold himself up and slumped against her.
He Tian exclaimed, “Hey? Are you okay?”
Rong Yan could only move his eyes, so he blinked them. But He Tian didn’t see; she just hurriedly carried him back into the yard and set him down to check on him.
His face was as white as winter snow, and the sweat beading on his forehead glistened like melting snow droplets in the sun.
In the night, he had looked pitiful and cold. Now, under the bright sun, he looked different again.
Like… a snowman that might melt away at any moment in the warm sunlight.
Fragile and crystalline.
He Tian thought to herself, how was this person made? How could he be so beautiful!
She marveled sincerely at the Creator’s ingenious craftsmanship.
Seeing that he seemed uncomfortable, still embarrassed about what had just happened, He Tian looked away and busied herself with her own tasks.
The wild yam was already peeled and washed clean. She brought out a basin, placed the large stone she had picked up earlier inside, rolled up her sleeves, and began grinding the wild yam on the stone’s uneven surface.
A stone mill would have been faster and more efficient, but they didn’t have one at home, and she was too lazy to borrow one from the neighbors. Fortunately, she wasn’t grinding much; a stone would do.
The tender wild yam quickly turned into a milky-white, sticky paste.
“What are you making?” Liu Erniang watched for a while without understanding, then asked her daughter directly.
“Wild yam tofu,” He Tian replied, grinding with gusto as she had been thinking about it since yesterday. She worked quickly, finishing another yam as she spoke. “It’s delicious stewed with meat, or stir-fried!”
Liu Erniang was a bit surprised. “Wild yam tofu? I’ve never heard of this way of eating it.”
He Tian wasn’t nervous at all. “I heard about it at the ghost market the other day. It sounded really good. When it’s done, I’ll let you taste it first.”
Liu Erniang smiled. “Alright, alright, good. Mother will wait.”
Rong Yan, who had also been curious about what she was doing, overheard the mother-daughter conversation and lowered his eyes slightly.
The wild yam tofu didn’t interest him much, but the ‘ghost market’ she mentioned…
Thinking of something, his lowered lashes trembled slightly.
He Tian didn’t notice his thoughts; her mind was completely filled with one idea: wild yam tofu! She was about to eat delicious, refreshing wild yam tofu!
Soon, Rong Yan had no energy left to think about ghost markets. He could only watch helplessly as the wild boar cub named Dahei, along with four smaller companions, surrounded his head and nuzzled him.
They didn’t bite or gnaw at him, but having five cold, wet pig snouts nuzzling his face all at once was an indescribable experience. Compounding his misery, he had exhausted all his strength and couldn’t move a muscle. He could only stare helplessly at the back of He Tian’s head, silently pleading for rescue.
However, He Tian was completely immersed in the world of grinding yam and making yam tofu and didn’t notice.
After silently pleading for so long that his eyes grew sore from staring, Rong Yan thought: “…”
Forget it. He withdrew his gaze and quietly gazed at the sky.
A pig snout nuzzled against his eyelid. He closed his eyes…
**
Little Rong: Oh [lemon emoji, implying feeling sour or jealous]