Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

Three days passed, and life didn't change much, except that there was a man in the room who went out to gather herbs as usual.

That day, Ruan Wan went out to gather herbs early as usual. Before leaving, she took a special look at the man, but there was no sign of him waking up.

Xia Changfeng opened his eyes groggily and found himself in a bamboo house, lying on the bed. He smiled bitterly, "Looks like I'm lucky. They wanted my life, but heaven won't take it."

Xia Changfeng tried to move his body, but the pain was excruciating. He lifted the blanket and found that his shirt was gone and he was covered in bandages.

He struggled to sit up, looked around, and saw that the simple house was quite quaint. Seeing the dressing table next to him, he thought, "It seems that the person who saved me was a girl."

I couldn't help but recall the scene I saw before I lost consciousness, but I couldn't remember whether it was a dream or reality.

Xia Changfeng struggled to his feet, it seemed this injury was really serious. He slowly moved to the door with the help of something, opened the bamboo door, and the sunlight was so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

In the middle of a mountain forest, several bamboo racks were drying medicinal herbs. Xia Changfeng thought to himself, "It seems I'm lucky this time. I was saved by the herb farmers."

In a moment of distraction, I suddenly heard a clear bell sound. It sounded so familiar, like I'd heard it somewhere before.

Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw a thin man carrying a bamboo basket walk in. Upon closer inspection, he was a handsome young man of about thirteen or fourteen years old. I guessed he was the one who saved me, but I felt like I had seen his face somewhere before.

The boy smiled and ran towards me, Xia Changfeng, saying, "You're awake!"

Xia Changfeng clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, but unfortunately, he was too weak; even a gust of wind could blow him over. He leaned against the door and said, "It was you who saved me, young brother. Thank you for saving my life."

Seeing this, Ruan Wan put down her bamboo basket and ran up to the bamboo house to help Xia Changfeng. "You just woke up, and your injuries haven't healed yet. How can you walk around? Go back to bed and lie down."

Ruan Wan helped Xia Changfeng into the room, a bell ringing with each step.

Seeing the man staring at the bell on her right hand, Ruan Wan smiled and said, "Oh, I've worn this since I was little. They say it can ward off evil spirits."

After being settled in bed, Xia Changfeng said, "My name is Xia Changfeng. May I ask how you are addressed, young brother?"

Speechless for a moment at his question, she couldn't very well tell him that her maiden name was Ruan Wan, since he was a man. After glancing around, Ruan Wan replied, "Um, hello Brother Xia, you can just call me Xiao Zhu."

Suddenly, I didn't know what to say. The air seemed to freeze, and then I heard my stomach growl.

Ruan Wan followed the sound and looked at Xia Changfeng's stomach. "Oh, you've been unconscious for three days. You must be hungry. I'll go get you something to eat right now."

Judging from Xia Changfeng's demeanor, Ruan Wan believed he was a wealthy man. His clothes and delicate skin also suggested he had never experienced hunger.

Ruan Wan turned around and walked out of the room.

He went into the kitchen, took out the white rice from the bottom of the rice container, put it into an earthenware pot along with the chopped venison, added water, lit a charcoal fire, and stayed in the kitchen, partly to watch the fire, and partly because it would be awkward to go back into the house.

The aroma of rice and meat filled the air, making everyone's mouths water. Ruan Wan hadn't tasted such delicious food in a long time.

I wouldn't normally be willing to part with it, but today I'm taking advantage of the hospital upstairs.

Just wait, and when the time is right, put in the chopped angelica. Angelica is the best for replenishing blood after an injury, and it can also nourish yin and replenish blood for women. After a while, put in the shredded wild ginger to remove the fishy smell, and wait a little longer.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Xia Changfeng, lying on the bed, was weak but no longer sleepy, so he carefully looked around.

"This is clearly a woman's room, and there's that bell ringing..."

Thinking carefully about the woman's appearance that day, he suddenly understood. He smiled and realized that since she was deliberately hiding it, she must have her reasons. He would just have to play along.

As Xia Changfeng was thinking, the doorbell rang, and Ruan Wan pushed the door open and came in, carrying a bowl of porridge in one hand and pushing it open with the other. "You must have been waiting anxiously, Brother Xia? Get up and eat."

Xia Changfeng was helped by Ruan Wan to lean against the headboard, with a mattress behind him. He said thank you and took the porridge. Seeing that his hands were not injured, he handed the porridge to Ruan Wan and asked her to feed him the porridge. He was really embarrassed.

Seeing that he hadn't taken a bite and noticing the blush on his face, Ruan Wan wisely turned away. "Take your time eating. Call me when you're done. I have to go back to work."

"Thank you, Xiaozhu. You can go ahead and do your work; don't worry about me."

Ruan Wan turned and walked downstairs, unable to help but chuckle. "Look at yourself now, still shy? Rich people are so pretentious."

Xia Changfeng looked at the steaming porridge in the bamboo bowl in front of him, closed his eyes and smelled it. The aroma was wonderful, with a faint medicinal fragrance mixed in. It was very appetizing, so he began to savor it.

The moment you take a bite, the smooth rice and tender venison dance on your tongue, simple yet incredibly delicious, making you exclaim, "Such a woman, I should marry her!"

Half an hour later, Ruan Wan, who was arranging medicinal herbs downstairs, guessed that the person upstairs had finished eating, so she fetched water and went up.

Through the crack in the door, all that could be seen was a slender hand placing a bamboo bowl on the table. Ruan Wan pushed the door open and went in. "Brother Xia, are you done eating?" she said, putting down the water and wringing out a towel to hand over.

"Brother Xiaozhu, you have excellent skills! You can make such a delicious bowl of ordinary porridge," Xia Changfeng said as he took the towel.

"Brother Xia is joking. We mountain folk eat simple food, we don't have any special skills. It's just that when you're hungry, everything tastes good."

Xia Changfeng looked at the "man" in front of him and smiled gently, "Xiao Zhu, do you live alone in this deep mountain forest?"

Knowing that the conversation would inevitably turn to everyday matters, Ruan Wan brought up what she had prepared in advance: "My parents died when I was a child. My father made a living by collecting herbs, and I inherited this skill from a young age. I have lived alone in these mountains ever since."

"It must be tough for you to live alone in these mountains. Xiaozhu saved my life, and I have no way to repay you. How about coming down the mountain with me after I recover? We can open a pharmacy, or I can support you for the rest of your life."

The man's sudden words startled Ruan Wan. She hadn't even considered the aspect of repaying a debt of gratitude, yet he said he would take care of her for the rest of her life.

This man's smile seemed to possess a magical, sunny quality that captivated all who looked at it.

His smiling eyes seemed to melt away, and his sword-like eyebrows were as beautiful as a painting. This handsome man reminded Ruan Wan of the poster under her bed before. It was a poster for the very popular Condor Heroes, in which Louis Koo played Yang Guo, a character that made people's hearts flutter.

Ruan Wan had been thinking that she would marry a man like him in the future. Looking at the man in front of her, she was even more moved and agreed. But looking at the man in his early twenties, full of youthful vigor, she realized that his promise was just a joke. Yet, countless women in the world took it seriously.

"I didn't expect anything in return for saving you. I just had to help the patient. Besides, it's good for me to live alone. It's not hard. I've gotten used to living here and don't want to leave."

I smiled and said, "Let's not worry about that for now. The most important thing is to recover. You're still weak, so we can only use gentle tonics. You'll need stronger medicine in a few days. Get plenty of rest."

He turned around, grabbed the bowl and chopsticks, and walked out of the room. The person behind him wanted to say something but could only give up.

That night, the charcoal fire crackled softly, the night was very quiet, and the bright moon shone coldly on the tree branches. The person on the bamboo bed, exhausted from a day's work, fell into a deep sleep. There were two "men," and he was seriously injured, so there was nothing to worry about. With this thought in mind, Ruan Wan was carefree.

But the man on the bed couldn't fall asleep no matter what. Firstly, he had slept too much, and secondly, how could he sleep with such a lovely woman in front of him?

Xia Changfeng gently turned to his side, resting his head on his arm, and gazed at the person on the bamboo couch. The person was sleeping soundly, without any wariness, breathing lightly. The red cheeks from the charcoal fire were quite beautiful, making one's heart flutter.

Xia Changfeng was staring at her when suddenly the person in front of him moved, startling Xia Changfeng so much that he quickly closed his eyes.

After a while, there was no movement. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the blanket had slipped off and the little one was curled up in a ball from the cold. Xia Changfeng was clutching his wound and frowning in pain, but he didn't make a sound for fear of waking her. He picked up the blanket and covered her up properly. He just squatted there and watched as the person in front of him gradually relaxed his brows before slowly turning around and going back to bed.

Silent all night.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye. Time is neither fast nor slow. Once you get used to it, you feel at ease. As usual, it doesn't matter how long or short it is.

With just one more person in her life, even if it was only for a short time, Ruan Wan felt that this kind of life wasn't so bad.

To be honest, I always feel a little lonely when I get home to an empty house every day. Knowing that there is someone waiting for me makes the journey home a little more hurried, but I don't realize it.

Seeing the person in front of her recover gradually, Ruan Wan was very happy. She thought to herself that she should use strong medicine, otherwise the injury would take forever to heal. It was very inconvenient to dress as a man every day. Sometimes she would forget that she was a man and almost give herself away.

Fortunately, Brother Xia didn't notice. He seemed quite smart, but it turned out he was actually quite dull. Ruan Wan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

After lingering among the pile of herbs for a while, Ruan Wan's gaze finally settled on the ginseng. She couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder my luck suddenly turned around. It was never meant for me anyway, sigh~."

Ruan Wan reluctantly plucked off a few ginseng roots, washed them, put them in an earthenware pot, added water, and steamed them for an hour. Every day, she had Xia Changfeng drink the water and then chew the ginseng roots. His health improved significantly. It was also because of his good constitution that he was able to get out of bed after only half a month, while others would not be able to get out of bed for more than a month.

That day, Ruan Wan brought the boiled ginseng water into the house. "Come on, Brother Xia, drink this water." Xia Changfeng took the water and drank it.

Looking at the ruddy-faced man before her, whose smile didn't reach his eyes, Ruan Wan could easily imagine him in his fine clothes and elegant demeanor.

Looking at his clothes, which were clearly several sizes too small and looked rather tight on him, Ruan Wan couldn't help but laugh.

Considering my height of 1.6 meters and his height of over 1.8 meters, it's already a miracle that he can even fit into it.

"Xiaozhu, what are you laughing at?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Ruan Wan hurriedly explained.

Xia Changfeng looked down at himself and couldn't help but laugh, thinking to himself, "I never thought I'd end up like this."

Ruan Wan took the bowl from Xia Changfeng's hand. "Brother Xia, judging from your complexion, you're recovering quite well."

"Yes, the injury is about 80-90% healed, thanks to Xiaozhu's meticulous care over the past month."

“Oh right, Brother Xia has been here for a month now. In these mountains, he’s lost track of time.” Ruan Wan smiled, then suddenly thought of something. “You’ve been out for a month without any news. Aren’t your family worried about you?”

Xia Changfeng suddenly remembered something, gazing thoughtfully out the window. It had been too comfortable here; if Xiaozhu hadn't reminded him, he would have almost forgotten his important business. Turning around, he said, "If Xiaozhu hadn't reminded me, I would have almost forgotten I've been out for too long. Xiaozhu, it seems I have to go."

I had initially thought that since his injuries hadn't healed yet, I should let him recover before leaving. But then I thought again that I shouldn't and couldn't keep him here, so I said, "Brother Xia is anxious about home, so I won't keep you any longer. When does Brother Xia plan to leave?"

Xia Changfeng pondered for a moment, then said, "Tomorrow morning."

"Okay, Brother Xia, I'll help you prepare." Actually, there wasn't much to prepare. She came alone, so what could she take with her when she left? Ruan Wan prepared some dry food.

That night, unlike usual, no one chatted. No one spoke. They were going to part ways the next day, and they didn't know what to say.

The moon slowly descended from the sky. Ruan Wan fell asleep on the bamboo couch. Xia Changfeng tried several times to switch places with her, but Ruan Wan always said that he was a patient and deserved the best treatment. He couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he had to give up.

Xia Changfeng spent a sleepless night. Tomorrow he really had to leave, and he wanted to see her one last time. He didn't know how long it would be before they met again. He approached the bedside and looked at the woman with her brows slightly furrowed, as if she were dreaming. He reached out and gently smoothed her brows. "Silly girl," he said, "if you're willing, I will smooth your brows every night from now on."

Both of them woke up very early, and they looked at each other in silence.

As he was leaving, Xia Changfeng stopped in front of the fence gate. "Xiaozhu, are you really not coming with me?"

Ruan Wan shook her head. "Brother Xia, drive carefully on your way. Your injuries haven't fully healed yet, so please be mindful."

Looking at the person in front of her, who was frowning and sighing, Ruan Wan couldn't answer him. What would happen if she went with him as a man? She felt inexplicably afraid.

Ruan Wan handed Xia Changfeng the package containing dry rations, which he accepted. Ruan Wan then offered him a money pouch, but Xia Changfeng refused, saying, "Xiao Zhu, how can your brother accept your money? You saved my life and took care of me for a month; I have already given you so much. This is truly impossible."

Ruan Wan stuffed the money pouch into his hand. "It's not much money, and I won't need it here in the mountains. Besides, we can sell the medicinal herbs next month. But you, it will take you several days to walk back to the city. You need to find a place to stay. You're injured, you absolutely can't sleep on the streets."

Xia Changfeng then took the jade pendant and put it away, before taking it from his waist and placing it in Ruan Wan's hand.

Seeing that Ruan Wan was about to refuse, he said, "Don't say no. This is my personal jade pendant. You must take good care of it. I will definitely come back for you. Wait for me, Xiao Zhu."

Seeing Xia Changfeng's gentle smile, Ruan Wan felt a sudden urge but quickly changed her mind. "I'll keep it. Let's go quickly, or it'll be too late."

Xia Changfeng slowly turned around, took a step back, and looked back at Xiaozhu waving goodbye in front of the fence, the sound of the copper bell ringing. Suddenly, he turned around, ran back, and hugged Ruan Wan tightly.

Suddenly being hugged, Ruan Wan was momentarily at a loss, unsure of what to do with her hands. After a moment, she said, "Alright, alright, let's go. You're a grown man, stop dawdling and just go."

"You must wait for me," Xia Changfeng said, then turned and ran away without looking back, afraid that if he turned back, he really wouldn't be able to leave.

After watching the figure disappear for a long time, Ruan Wan slowly turned around and went back into the house. She held the jade pendant tightly in her hand, sat on the edge of the bed, and looked at the empty room. She felt as if something was missing in her heart. "He's really gone."

He sighed repeatedly, then suddenly realized he couldn't keep doing that. He shook his head violently and said to himself, "I'm just not used to it. I've lived with someone for so long, of course I'll feel uncomfortable when they leave. I'll get used to it after a while. I'll be fine when I see them again." As he spoke, he stuffed the jade pendant under his pillow.