Chapter 3

“Drink this medicine first. It would be bad if you caught a chill,” Wanniang said, offering the porcelain bowl to Yang Lulong.

The strong smell of herbal medicine made Yang Lulong instinctively frown. She had only drunk traditional medicine once or twice before, and both times it had been unbearably bitter. She had no desire to drink it again.

However, knowing that Wanniang had specially prepared it for her, she had no choice but to accept the bowl. Closing her eyes and holding her breath, she gulped the entire decoction down in one go.

It was just as bitter as she remembered.

Seeing Yang Lulong’s tightly scrunched face reminded Wanniang of Erni, Sister-in-law Zhang’s younger daughter. The little girl always made the same expression whenever she had to drink medicine.

Wanniang pursed her lips, trying to contain her smile.

“Thank you,” Yang Lulong whispered. The bitter taste lingering in her throat was truly unpleasant.

“What is your name?”

Wanniang’s clear, dark eyes gazed at her, while her curved willow brows gave her an exceptionally gentle appearance.

Yang Lulong did not dare meet her eyes. Looking away in embarrassment, she answered, “Yang Lulong…”

“My name is Wanyu. You can also call me Wanniang.”

Her friendliness made Yang Lulong feel even more pressured. Out of politeness, she [unauthorized copy]could only say, “Thank you for saving me.”

“Saving lives is a physician’s duty. There’s no need to thank me.”

“…”

“…”

After that exchange, both of them fell silent.

Wanniang continued looking at Yang Lulong as though waiting for her to say something. However, Yang Lulong had no idea what she should say next, nor did she dare meet Wanniang’s gaze. She merely lowered her head and stared at the patterns on the quilt.

The atmosphere became painfully awkward.

“Do you still remember… where you fell into the water?” Wanniang finally asked, breaking the silence.

Yang Lulong stared at the quilt while wondering how she should answer.

“I… I’ve forgotten…”

She raised her head and happened to meet Wanniang’s concerned gaze. After only an instant, she quickly looked away again.

“Then… do you remember where your home is?”

Home…

Perhaps she could never return there. Or perhaps she had never truly had one in the first place.

Images of her father, stepmother, and younger brother appeared in Yang Lulong’s mind, along with the already indistinct face of her biological mother. She suddenly regretted never saying goodbye to them. She also regretted not sending her brother any congratulations for his wedding.

Despite all the thoughts running through her mind, she merely lowered her head and shook it, indicating that she had forgotten that as well.

Seeing her bowed head and sorrowful expression, Wanniang inexplicably felt a surge of pity. She reached out and gently stroked Yang Lulong’s head.

“Rest for now. You’ll remember eventually…”

“Wanniang!”

A sudden shout came from outside. Brother Zhang and the others had returned.

Zhang Long and Xiaowen entered the room without ceremony.

“You’re awake,” Xiaowen remarked upon seeing Yang Lulong sitting on the bed.

“You certainly woke up at the perfect time. You’ve really gotten quite the bargain,” Brother Zhang muttered under his breath.

Only Xiaowen heard him. She elbowed him in the side, silently telling him to stop talking.

Seeing the two of them arrive, Wanniang hurriedly introduced them.

“This is Zhang Long. We all call him Brother Zhang.”

“And this is Xiaowen. She runs errands for the villagers and often helps me deliver medicine to everyone.”

“Hello,” Xiaowen greeted Yang Lulong politely.

“…”

Brother Zhang was far less friendly, merely waving a hand in casual acknowledgment.

“Thank you…” Apart from expressing her gratitude, Yang Lulong did not know what else to say.

“Her name is Yang Lulong,” Wanniang added for her.

“Then can we call you Little Yang?” The lively Xiaowen had already given Yang Lulong a nickname.

“That’s fine…”

Being watched by others made Yang Lulong deeply uncomfortable.

Seeming to notice her unease, Wanniang quickly changed the subject.

“Where is the thing Sister-in-law Zhang asked you to bring me?”

“It’s outside. You’ll never guess what it is.”

As Xiaowen spoke, she walked over, took Wanniang by the hand, and pulled her outside.

Only Yang Lulong and Zhang Long remained in the room.

Yang Lulong did not dare look at him. She could sense the intense hostility radiating from his body.

“If you dare take advantage of Wanniang, none of us will let you off.”

After leaving behind those baffling words, Zhang Long followed Xiaowen out of the room.

“Chicks?” Wanniang stared at the woven basket containing several tiny chicks.

“Sister-in-law Zhang’s hen hatched them recently, so she decided to give you a few to raise.”

“But I don’t know how…”

“You can keep them alive by feeding them whatever weeds you find. It’s just that… cleaning up after them might be a little troublesome.” Xiaowen scratched her head awkwardly. “By the way, where is Little Yang from? Her clothes looked expensive. She must belong to a wealthy family, right?”

“She doesn’t remember.”

“Tch… She’s probably pretending,” Brother Zhang said disdainfully.

“Oh, stop it.” Xiaowen elbowed him again. “Sorry, Wanniang. You know what he thinks of Qianyuan.”

“It’s all right. I’ll find somewhere to let these chicks out first.”

“Then we’ll be leaving. Call us if you need anything.”

“All right. Goodbye.”

On their way back, Xiaowen began lecturing Brother Zhang for his inability to read the situation.

“Honestly, why do you have to be so reckless?”

“I only warned that Qianyuan to watch herself. I’m concerned about Wanniang’s safety,” Brother Zhang replied angrily.

“Not every Qianyuan is like that. You don’t even know what kind of person she is, so why do you already hate her?”

“Most Qianyuan are like that, aren’t they? Don’t forget what that bastard Wu Yu did to Sister Fang. I’ve visited the town plenty of times and met far more Qianyuan than you have. I know exactly what they’re like. Every last one of them is promiscuous and lecherous. Hmph!”

The mention of “Sister Fang” made Xiaowen pause. Nevertheless, she continued, “But you’ve never met a female Qianyuan before. What if she’s different from the others?”

“A female Qianyuan is still a Qianyuan. She possesses every trait they do, without exception. We should remain on guard. In all these years, I’ve never seen Wanniang take an interest in anyone, so she has no experience with these things. We can’t let some outsider deceive her.”

“But… I have a feeling Wanniang might really have taken a liking to her.”

“They’ve only just met. How could that be possible? Wanniang isn’t some sheltered little girl who has barely met any Qianyuan…”

“Besides, Little Yang is quite attractive, isn’t she?”

“If she dares deceive Wanniang, I’ll break her legs!”

Yang Lulong spent the entire day lying in bed. There was no phone, no television, and no form of entertainment whatsoever. Apart from staring blankly into space, all she could do was sleep.

It was unbearably boring.

She wiggled her toes and discovered that she seemed capable of moving her legs again. Carefully, she tried getting out of bed.

By the time she left the room, dusk had already fallen. The fiery setting sun dyed even the clouds a blazing crimson.

She began examining the small courtyard. In one corner grew a few vegetables and herbs used for seasoning. On one side, numerous medicinal plants had been spread out to dry alongside clothes and bedsheets.

Everything was neatly organized yet filled with the warmth of everyday life.

“Chirp, chirp, chirp…”

The chicks chirped noisily and showed no fear of people. One tiny chick even ran onto Yang Lulong’s foot.

Looking at the fluffy yellow creature, Yang Lulong bent Read on BaiLianTalesdown and carefully scooped it into her hands, gently stroking its soft feathers.

The remaining chicks gathered around her and began pecking at the hem of her long robe. They appeared to be hungry.

Wanniang returned at that moment, carrying a woven basket filled to the brim with things for the chicks to eat.

Seeing that Yang Lulong had already become friendly with the flock, Wanniang smiled. Yang Lulong stood perfectly still because she was afraid of stepping on any of them, making her look exceptionally adorable.

Wanniang handed the basket to her.

“Help me feed them for now. I’ll go prepare dinner.”

“Oh…”

Yang Lulong held the basket and watched Wanniang’s busy figure disappear into the kitchen. Before long, thin tendrils of cooking smoke began drifting from the roof.

Yang Lulong scattered the food for the chicks. Then she suddenly felt the urgent need to relieve herself.

She did not dare ask Wanniang where the toilet was. Fortunately, she spotted a small structure in the corner of the courtyard. It had to be the outhouse.

She hurried over to check and discovered that she was right.

However, just as she was about to relieve herself, she froze.

What the hell was going on?

Why did she have a penis?

She touched her breasts.

She was a woman. There was no doubt about that… right?