Chapter 1: Picked up a random man by the roadside, picked up a handsome one on the mountain...

In the sweltering heat of June, the sun shone brightly, life was vibrant, and cicadas chirped incessantly. Lin Yanshu, as usual, was gathering herbs on the mountain.

She rolled up her sleeves, tossed the freshly picked herbs into her basket, and wiped the sweat from her brow with her elbow. Seeing that she had gathered enough, she walked towards the river and rested there.

The babbling brooks, accompanied by the sounds of birds and animals in the mountains and forests, create a very pleasant atmosphere.

Lin Yanshu is mute and lives at the foot of the mountain. She makes a living by collecting and selling medicinal herbs and treating patients. Her life is hard, and she waits for her master to return one day.

Lin Yanshu was bending over and massaging his calves when he looked up and saw a person floating towards him in the middle of the river.

From a distance, the man, dressed in a dark green robe, appeared to be nearly unconscious in the water.

She quickly stood up, her eyes fixed on the person floating in the river.

She used to pick up people in the mountains, mostly hunters from the villages who had accidentally fallen into someone's trap or were injured because of the rugged mountain roads.

This was the first time she had ever encountered someone floating in the river.

Lin Yan didn't know if the person was still alive, but as a doctor, she was always reluctant to see a life perish.

She would help with anything she could.

Without thinking twice, Lin Yanshu threw the basket on the ground and hurriedly ran into the river.

The man was much heavier than she had imagined, and Lin Yanshu struggled to drag him out.

Her entire face was scrunched up from the effort, and even her tightly clenched lower lip turned white, making her look incredibly pitiful.

By the time Lin Yanshu finally carried the man to the riverbank, her clothes were soaked through, dripping water.

She laid the man down flat and quickly checked his mouth and nose. Although his pulse was weak, he was still alive.

This is undoubtedly lucky!

Lin Yanshu grinned from ear to ear, her eyes sparkling with joy. She gently patted the man's cheek, trying to wake him up.

The man frowned, coughed up some river water, and weakly but warily opened his eyes. He grabbed Lin Yanshu's wrist and stared intently at her:

"Who are you?"

Before Lin Yanshu could answer the question, Li Chengyi fainted again.

Lin Yanshu then noticed that there was blood on the man's chest. She pulled open the man's collar and found a sizable knife wound on his chest. The wound had been soaked in water and was slowly oozing blood.

To be precise, Li Chengyi is very lucky. He was seriously injured and spent a long time in the river, yet he still survived.

Lin Yanshu then realized:

He was injured, very seriously.

...

Lin Yanshu used almost all her strength to carry the man down the mountain.

She used all the medicinal herbs in the house, and only then was she able to stabilize the man's condition.

Three days later, Li Chengyi finally opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the dilapidated roof beams.

He remembered that when he went out to investigate the case, Li Chengyi had thought that the corruption case was dangerous, but he did not expect that the group of corrupt officials in the court would be so arrogant as to dare to kill him, the crown prince.

I was lucky to be rescued.

He had been half-conscious while drifting in the river, but now that he was suddenly awake, he realized the aches and pains in his body. His entire body, not just the wound in his chest, ached and hurt.

What medicine did the doctor use! The painkillers he used to take in the palace certainly wouldn't have caused this kind of pain.

He opened his mouth, only to find his voice hoarse. After coughing several times, Li Chengyi finally managed to call out, urgently shouting:

"Doctor! Doctor! Doctor!"

Hearing the urgent commotion inside, Lin Yanshu put down the herbs in her hand and rushed in, her eyes meeting those of the man on the bed.

Li Chengyi was dumbfounded the moment he saw Lin Yanshu.

He never expected that he would be rescued by a woman, and how such a frail-looking woman could have pulled him out of the river.

He stared at Lin Yanshu warily.

Lin Yanshu noticed Li Chengyi's wariness. She had anticipated this situation; people are bound to feel some fear when they are in an unfamiliar environment.

She remembered the first question the man had asked her on the mountain, and how he had patiently gestured her name with his hands:

"My name is Lin Yanshu, what's your name?"

Li Chengyi looked at the beautiful woman in front of him, blinked his eyes like a deer, gestured with his hands in the air several times, and then looked at her expectantly.

He then realized that the other person... seemed to be a mute woman.

Seeing the other person staring blankly at him, Lin Yanshu realized that he might not know sign language.

It's also my own fault; I usually communicate with people using hand gestures. After all, mute people are a minority in this world.

She quickly rummaged through the cabinet for some paper and wrote it down in front of Li Chengyi:

My name is Lin Yanshu, what's your name?

Li Chengyi was about to reveal his name when he reconsidered. Given his current situation, if he easily revealed his real name, and the other party were willing to betray him for wealth and power, he would be doomed. Moreover, if he involved the mute girl in front of him, she would have no one to rely on in this world and would definitely die before him.

Thinking of this, he lied:

"I...I...can't remember."

Lin Yanshu hadn't expected the man to have injured his head and be unable to speak clearly. She might have to prescribe some brain-boosting medicine for him in the future. Her gaze towards the man held a hint of pity.

Seeing Lin Yanshu's eyes soften with pity, Li Chengyi immediately began to wonder if he had overdone it.

Lin Yanshu was trying to think of a name for this fool. She was never good at naming things, and since she only stayed in the mountains, the only names that came to mind were things like Wangcai (meaning "prosperous and adorable").

Seeing that Lin Yanshu did not answer, Li Chengyi felt even more embarrassed and tried to salvage the situation:

"However... I do remember someone used to call me Zhao, it might be something from my name."

He wasn't lying; the character "昭" (Zhao) had been chosen by his father before he was born.

Ji Zhao, his courtesy name, means to inherit the prosperous era of his ancestors and to clearly understand the principles.

Lin Yanshu nodded, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she picked up her pen and wrote on the paper:

"Then I'll call you A-Zhao."

Seeing Lin Yanshu grinning foolishly, Li Chengyi finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then began to inquire:

Did you save me from the river?

Lin Yanshu stared blankly at him and nodded.

Li Chengyi looked at his newly changed clothes and suddenly felt a sense of unease about his chastity. He gritted his teeth and asked nervously:

Are you alone?

"And these clothes... Did you treat all my injuries?"

Lin Yanshu didn't know why his tone was so... increasingly agitated, even carrying a hint of despair.

Has the wound on your body reopened?

She looked at Li Chengyi with concern and nodded twice.

Li Chengyi felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. Had this woman of unknown origin looked him over and touched him inside and out?

He... had never been treated like this by a woman in his entire life...

Unfortunately, the other party turned out to be his savior.

What he feared even more at that moment was that he was outstanding in every way, with his looks and talent, one in a million, and this woman was so close to him. What if she took advantage of his kindness and wanted to take advantage of him in the future?

He had never had much contact with women, and he especially disliked women who were clingy or persistent...

Thinking of this, a hint of irritation appeared between his brows.

Seeing him like this, Lin Yanshu felt that the man's emotions had relapsed. She stepped forward, bent down, and raised her hand to open Li Chengyi's collar.

By the time Li Chengyi realized what was happening, most of his chest was already exposed, and even the bottom part of his chest was showing.

Li Chengyi was shocked and speechless for a moment. He could only reach out to pull his clothes back, but he had clearly underestimated Lin Yanshu's strength. He could only pull his collar back a little.

She seemed to want to reveal herself but didn't, like a woman holding a pipa, half-concealing her face.

If someone were standing by and watching, they would surely find the scene somewhat... erotic, but the people in the painting are completely unaware.

Li Chengyi looked down at the woman so close to him, and he felt his blood boiling with anger.

Lin Yanshu then reached out and touched her scab with her fingertip. Her fingertip was pink and delicate, making her seem...pretty!

Li Chengyi trembled slightly, then staggered backward and fell onto the bed.

Lin Yanshu was startled by his actions, blinked suspiciously, and then leaned closer.

Li Chengyi couldn't stand her doing it again. Long before Lin Yanshu got close enough, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, his cheeks slightly flushed, and took a deep breath:

"I...you...it's not right for a woman to act like this!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yanshu stopped what she was doing and looked at the man's hand that was tightly gripping hers.

Unlike her fair complexion, the man's skin was darker, but still paler than the farm men in the village.

She felt the deep calluses on Li Chengyi's fingertips; they were rough and uncomfortable.

She then realized:

Oh, so this person is shy.

Even a grown man blushed.

It's good that the condition hasn't worsened.

However, in his daily life of treating patients and saving lives, he had long forgotten about the strict separation between men and women.

Lin Yanshu withdrew her hand and wrote on the paper:

I just wanted to see your wound.

Are you shy?

She held up the paper to cover her face, showing it to Lee Seung-ik.

Li Chengyi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was relieved. Upon seeing the word "shy," he scoffed disdainfully.

"I don't."

Upon hearing the man's reply, Lin Yanshu poked her head out like a little rabbit, startling Li Chengyi.

Lin Yanshu smiled and pointed to her own face, then to Li Chengyi's cheek.

Li Chengyi touched his face with her fingertips; it was surprisingly hot.

He then realized that Lin Yanshu was saying he was blushing.

He was so angry that he could only bite his lip. He, the dignified crown prince, was actually angered by this country girl.

Then Lin Yanshu pointed to his chest and gestured with her hand:

You're bleeding here...

Li Chengyi sat down and looked down, only to realize that he had overreacted and aggravated his wound.

Before he could even speak, Lin Yanshu ran out, carrying a bunch of cotton balls filled with medicine.

The next second, the woman bent down, stopped in front of his chest, and gently dabbed the wound with a cotton ball to wipe away the blood.

Even before the pain arrived, the medicinal scent emanating from Lin Yanshu's body was present.

From Li Chengyi's perspective, as soon as he lowered his head, he could clearly see Lin Yanshu's long, thick eyelashes fluttering. A few strands of hair fell beside her ears.

Li Chengyi felt a sudden panic, raised his head, and clenched his fists tightly, counting down the seconds.

If I had known this would happen, I would have just stayed put and let her touch me however she wanted.

A note from the author:

----------------------

Please recommend my next novel, "The Rough Man Married a Sweet Little Wife," which is available for pre-order. [Cat emoji] It's super sweet with lots of playful interactions. [Heart emoji]