Chapter 10 Chapter 10: Disassociation.

It was actually him who blocked the angry throw from his aunt for him.

Zhang Jingxian tried hard to think about whether this scene had happened in her previous life. However, she was a little panicked and couldn't remember it.

Her heart was in turmoil. She silently broke free from the hand clasping her arm, picked up the soup spoon from the ground, and looked at Liu Pingniang, "Aunt, I have something important to tell you and uncle."

"Go away, even if you bring one more person, I won't let you in!" Liu Pingniang snatched the soup spoon from her hand, and the resentment in her heart made her unable to help but throw it back at her.

However, Zhang Jingxian is not alone today.

The rumors in the village and the man's cold face made Liu Pingniang dare not act rashly.

Fortunately, Zhang Chun'er, who noticed something was wrong, came out of the house. She hurriedly grabbed her mother's sleeve and winked at her sister Xia'er.

"Hurry up and go to the fields to call Father back home."

Xia'er held two plums in her hands and ran towards her own field skillfully.

Seeing that the door of the Zheng family courtyard next door was also opened a crack, Zhang Chuner whispered to her mother to let her elder sister and another guest in.

Liu Pingniang still refused to give in. Even if she was laughed at by the Zheng family, she would not bow to an ungrateful white-eyed wolf.

The look of deep disgust from her aunt stung Zhang Jingxian's heart. She moved her lips but said nothing, just quietly waiting for her uncle Zhang Shuanghu to return.

But the more silent she was, the angrier Liu Pingniang became, and she ordered her daughter Zhang Chun'er to step back and close the wooden door.

"It seems that you don't care about your son's life or death at all." Xie Yun suddenly spoke, and the smile on his face made people feel cold.

Liu Pingniang's body froze, and Zhang Chun'er couldn't believe it.

"Aunt, please let me in. There are some things that cannot be discussed at the door." Zhang Jingxian stepped forward, lowered her voice, and looked pleading.

Finally, the wooden door was fully opened and they entered the yard.

Zhang Jingxian's uncle's house is slightly smaller than her small courtyard in the mountains. It has six houses of different sizes, with mud walls and is very flat.

There are also a few fruit trees in the yard, but no flowers or plants are planted. Instead, a small area is separated by a fence where clucking poultry are raised.

A white fragrance wafted out of the kitchen. Zhang Jingxian only sniffed it and recalled the sweet and sticky red bean cake in her memory. A trace of nostalgia flashed in her eyes.

My aunt is a good cook, especially good at steaming bean cakes. When she first moved in, she was scared and cried, and my aunt would give her a piece of bean cake to comfort her.

Ever since she was kicked out of the house, she hadn't eaten bean cakes in a long, long time. For some reason, Zhang Jingxian could never recreate the flavor that made her burst into laughter.

"Big sister, do you want to eat bean cake? Mom put a lot of red beans in it, and it's soft and sticky." Zhang Chun'er saw her staring at the kitchen in a daze and asked her.

Only after receiving a glare from her mother did she shrink her neck.

Zhang Jingxian shook her head, handed her the pendant made of pheasant tail feathers, and asked her for a basin of hot water.

"It's so beautiful!" Zhang Chun'er was about to reach marriage age and she loved bright colors the most. She happily took the pendant and couldn't let it go.

The elder sister really understood her thoughts. Zheng Xiner had shown off the purse around her waist to her the day before yesterday. She would wait until she hung this colorful feather pendant on her body and see what Zheng Xiner would say.

It was just a purse made of a few pieces of cloth, gray and not as bright and beautiful as the colorful feather in her hand.

"I'll bring the hot water to my elder sister right away." Zhang Chun'er didn't wait for her mother to glare at her and brought a whole ceramic pot of hot water.

But what did the elder sister want hot water for? Was she thirsty?

…

After hearing what his little daughter said, Zhang Shuanghu hurried back from the field and pushed open the gate. He paused and frowned.

In the courtyard, his wife had a cold face and was obviously still angry. Chun'er was holding something in his hand, and no one knew what he was thinking. His niece was wiping the back of the noble man's hand with a cloth with her head down.

Zhang Jingxian carefully wiped the bruise with a cloth soaked in hot water, then took out the homemade medicine powder from her body and carefully sprinkled it on it.

"My dear, my aunt didn't mean to offend you, please don't be angry." She explained in a soft voice. Because they were close to each other, her breath fanned Xie Yun's ears.

His eyes moved slightly, and he forced a faint smile. He didn't respond, but it seemed to say that he didn't care at all.

Seeing this, Zhang Jingxian felt relieved and put the medicine powder away.

Looking at her meticulous look, the wrinkles between Zhang Shuanghu's brows deepened a little, and he wanted to ask his niece again what she thought.

According to what she said yesterday, shouldn't you be at your hometown home by now? Why is you still with her?

"Your uncle is back. Tell me quickly what he meant by what he said just now. Do you know any news about Ashan?" Before Zhang Shuanghu could speak, Liu Pingniang noticed his figure and immediately questioned him.

Zhang Jingxian saw her uncle and nodded.

Zhang Shuanghu's attention was successfully diverted. He gripped the hoe tightly, his eyes filled with excitement. "Ah Xian, tell me in detail."

"Uncle, I got the news from the noble," Zhang Jingxian explained, explaining the relief money and grain. "The village didn't receive a single grain, so my cousin and his family should still be alive. But just in case, we can inquire in other villages in Wuyang County. If it's true, my cousin will definitely return home safely."

"Okay, okay!" What Zhang Shuanghu was most concerned about was his eldest son who was conscripted. Upon hearing this, he shouted "Okay" twice to vent his excitement.

Zhang Chun'er and Zhang Rulin were also very happy. After four years of absence, there was finally some news from their eldest brother.

Xia'er was young and her impression of her elder brother had long faded. When she saw her mother crying and laughing, she was stunned and didn't know how to react.

"You must know something else. Where is Ashan now and when will he be able to return?" Liu Pingniang asked again anxiously, her eyes fixed on Zhang Jingxian, only on her.

Due to human nature, she was afraid of the elegant young man next to her, but she was not afraid of owing her niece.

So, she just forced Zhang Jingxian to get the answer she wanted.

Facing her aunt's questioning, Zhang Jingxian silently and slowly shook her head.

Wait a little longer, until those people have come here. This time, she, a humble peasant girl, will no longer be foolish enough to follow him away.

For saving her life, she did not ask for money or anything else, but only asked him to find her cousin, take good care of him, and let him live until the end of the war.

Zhang Jingxian thought that he would agree to this request which was not excessive, and his close confidants would probably be satisfied to see that she was sensible.

Disappointment made Liu Pingniang's face cold again. She turned away and muttered the name of her eldest son.

With each cry, everyone in the Zhang family felt unhappy.

"Thank you so much for telling me this. Our whole family is grateful." Zhang Shuanghu was worried that his wife's reaction would anger others, so he bowed to Xie Yun a little awkwardly.

"Uncle, you're welcome. Ah Xian saved me. This is just a small thing for me."

Xie Yun said with a smile, and Zhang Shuanghu's affection for him increased. When he learned that he was the seventh child in the family, he enthusiastically called him the Seventh Young Master.

The steamed red bean cake was served, and this time, Zhang Jingxian's aunt did not stop it.

"It's delicious. Thank you for your hospitality, uncle." Xie Yun took a bite of the soft bean cake and put it down. He caught a glimpse of the woman's dazed expression and said, "But Doctor Meng has an appointment to deliver medicine to my home today, so I'm afraid I can't stay any longer."

Having said that, Zhang Shuanghu stood up and personally took them to the intersection leading to the courtyard in the mountains.

"Uncle, aunt must have something to say to you, please go back quickly." Zhang Jingxian knew her uncle's anxious mood, waved to him, and asked him to go back quickly.

The weather was getting a little hot at this time, so she took the initiative to help Xie Yun push the sedan chair back to the small fenced courtyard on the high ground, and remained silent in thought all the way.

Fifteen bluestones were neatly arranged from the courtyard gate to the house. Zhang Jingxian subconsciously stepped on the bluestones. The man glanced at her and walked away indifferently.

"...My dear, please rest in the room first. I'll go to the storeroom to get some hemp rope."

"Ah Xian, what are you going to do with the hemp rope?"

"Remove the bluestone. It's too much of an obstruction in the yard. It would be more convenient to walk on it by laying wooden planks."

Zhang Jingxian smiled at him and walked towards the warehouse tirelessly. She seemed to always be full of energy and never felt tired.

Behind her, Xie Yun stared at her figure, took out the red bean cake given to him by Zhang Shuanghu, and chewed it slowly.

His decision to stay at this peasant girl's house to recuperate was not wrong. Although she was ordinary and dull, she still had some good qualities.

After finishing a piece of red bean cake, Zhang Jingxian took out a ball of hemp rope.

The courtyard was deserted. She looked back into the house and felt a little relieved when she saw a shadow moving in the window. She picked up the thickest hemp rope and gestured to loop it around the first bluestone near the gate.

When she bent down, Zhang Jingxian was stunned. She hadn't looked carefully just now, and there was actually a small piece of steamed bean cake on top of the bluestone.

It was wrapped in peach leaves and placed casually on the stone.

Did he leave it to her?

At her uncle's house, she didn't eat a single bite of the red bean cake because she was worried that her aunt would mind. Although she missed her aunt very much, she didn't eat a single bite of the red bean cake.

Zhang Jingxian picked up the cold red bean cake and panic came over her again. She told herself one by one that it didn't matter, as she had paid much more than a piece of red bean cake.

Slowly, she regained her composure and finished the bean cake in small bites.

There were only a few crumbs that she was reluctant to throw away, so she placed them under the peach tree, waiting for the yellow oriole to peck at them.

At noon, Doctor Meng came to this remote courtyard again and was surprised to find that there were many more bluestones at the door. The lady Zhang he had met last time was placing the stones by the fence with a dusty face.

When she saw him, the girl's eyes lit up. She wiped the sweat off her face and invited him into the house.

"Dr. Meng, thank you for coming all the way here."

"You're welcome. The medical expenses you gave me are very expensive."

Doctor Meng was carrying a backpack with medicine bags on it. When he entered the room, he greeted Xie Yun first, then took out a thin needle and pricked the blood vessels on his legs several times.

In order to avoid suspicion, Zhang Jingxian did not watch the process.

However, after a while, Doctor Meng called her aside, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Doctor Meng, is there anything wrong?" Although she had guessed it, she still asked.

"Madam Zhang, the truth is, Wuyang County is far from here, and I have other patients, so I can't come every day. But your Excellency's legs need daily acupuncture treatments. How about I teach you the acupuncture techniques, and you come and help him?"

Zhang Jingxian hesitated and asked if there was any other way.

Doctor Meng shook his head.

"Okay, but Doctor Meng, could you please not let others know about this? I'm going to get married in the future." She tried hard to distance herself from Xie Yun, and deliberately let the people in the room hear it.

The author has something to say:

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Muah, here I come!